Citrus psyllid management by collective involvement of plant resistance, natural enemies and entomopathogenic fungi.

Crops face constant threats from insect pests, which can lead to sudden disasters and global famine. One of the most dangerous pests is the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), which poses a significant threat to citrus plantations worldwide. Effective and adaptive management strategies to combat ACP are always in demand. Plant resistance (PR) is a key element in pest management, playing crucial roles such as deterring pests through antifeedant and repellant properties, while also attracting natural enemies of these pests. One effective and innovative approach is the use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) to reduce pest populations. Additionally, other natural enemies play an important role in controlling certain insect pests. Given the significance of PR, EPF, and natural arthropod enemies (NAE), this review highlights the benefits of these strategies against ACP, drawing on successful examples from recent research. Furthermore, we discuss how EPF can be effectively utilized in citrus orchards, proposing strategies to ensure its efficient use and safeguard food security in the future.

Decision Transformer-Based Efficient Data Offloading in LEO-IoT.

Recently, the Internet of Things (IoT) has witnessed rapid development. However, the scarcity of computing resources on the ground has constrained the application scenarios of IoT. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites have drawn people's attention due to their broader coverage and shorter transmission delay. They are capable of offloading more IoT computing tasks to mobile edge computing (MEC) servers with lower latency in order to address the issue of scarce computing resources on the ground. Nevertheless, it is highly challenging to share bandwidth and power resources among multiple IoT devices and LEO satellites. In this paper, we explore the efficient data offloading mechanism in the LEO satellite-based IoT (LEO-IoT), where LEO satellites forward data from the terrestrial to the MEC servers. Specifically, by optimally selecting the forwarding LEO satellite for each IoT task and allocating communication resources, we aim to minimize the data offloading latency and energy consumption. Particularly, we employ the state-of-the-art Decision Transformer (DT) to solve this optimization problem. We initially obtain a pre-trained DT through training on a specific task. Subsequently, the pre-trained DT is fine-tuned by acquiring a small quantity of data under the new task, enabling it to converge rapidly, with less training time and superior performance. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that in contrast to the classical reinforcement learning approach (Proximal Policy Optimization), the convergence speed of DT can be increased by up to three times, and the performance can be improved by up to 30%.

Using the GoogLeNet deep-learning model to distinguish between benign and malignant breast masses based on conventional ultrasound: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide, and early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for improving treatment outcomes. Conventional ultrasound (CUS) is a widely used screening method for breast cancer; however, the subjective nature of interpreting the results can lead to diagnostic errors. The current study sought to estimate the effectiveness of using a GoogLeNet deep-learning convolutional neural network (CNN) model to identify benign and malignant breast masses based on CUS. Methods: A literature search was conducted of the Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and other databases to retrieve studies related to GoogLeNet deep-learning CUS-based models published before July 15, 2023. The diagnostic performance of the GoogLeNet models was evaluated using several metrics, including pooled sensitivity (PSEN), pooled specificity (PSPE), the positive likelihood ratio (PLR), the negative likelihood ratio (NLR), the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and the area under the curve (AUC). The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies Scale (QUADAS). The eligibility of the included literature were independently searched and assessed by two authors. Results: All of the 12 studies that used pathological findings as the gold standard were included in the meta-analysis. The overall average estimation of sensitivity and specificity was 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80-0.89] and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.92), respectively. The PLR and NLR were 6.2 (95% CI: 3.9-9.9) and 0.17 (95% CI: 0.12-0.23), respectively. The DOR was 37.06 (95% CI: 20.78-66.10). The AUC was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89-0.94). No obvious publication bias was detected. Conclusions: The GoogLeNet deep-learning model, which uses a CNN, achieved good diagnostic results in distinguishing between benign and malignant breast masses in CUS-based images.

Exploring critical quality indicators and developing a non-destructive detection method using near-infrared spectroscopy for sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus) quality evaluation.

In this study, chemometrics were employed to explore the relationship between sensory evaluation and physicochemical indicators of sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus). Through principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis, three pivotal indicators were identified: protein content, b* value, and condition factor. Leveraging the grey relational analysis, weights were assigned to these three core quality indicators, resulting in a comprehensive sea bass quality evaluation model: Y = 0.911 × protein (g/100 g) + 0.742 × b* + 0.747 × condition factor. Moreover, near-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics were employed to evaluate the quality of sea bass. The different origins of sea bass were accurately distinguished using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. The partial least squares regression model was constructed for predicting the critical quality indicator, protein content, with R2P of 0.926. This study offers new insights for developing rapid, economical, and reliable methods for assessing aquatic product quality.

Time to Publication in Medical Education Journals: An Analysis of Publication Timelines During COVID-19 (2019-2022).

Introduction: COVID-19 changed scholarly publishing. Yet, its impact on medical education publishing is unstudied. Because journal articles and their corresponding publication timelines can influence academic success, the field needs updated publication timelines to set evidence-based expectations for academic productivity. This study attempts to answer the following research questions: did publication timelines significantly change around the time of COVID-19 and, if so, how? Methods: We conducted a bibliometric study; our sample included articles published between January 2018, and December 2022, that appeared in the Medical Education Journals List-24 (MEJ-24). We clustered articles into three time-based groups (pre-COVID, COVID-overlap, and COVID-endemic), and two subject-based groups (about COVID-19 and not about COVID-19). We downloaded each article's metadata from the National Library of Medicine and analyzed data using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and post-hoc tests to compare mean time differences across groups. Results: Overall, time to publish averaged 300.8 days (SD = 200.8). One-way between-groups ANOVA showed significant differences between the three time-based groups F (2, 7473) = 2150.7, p < .001. The post-hoc comparisons indicated that COVID-overlap articles took significantly longer (n = 1470, M= 539; SD = 210.6) as compared to pre-COVID (n = 1281; M = 302; SD = 172.5) and COVID-endemic articles (n = 4725; M = 226; SD = 136.5). Notably, COVID-endemic articles were published in significantly less time than pre-pandemic articles, p < .001. Discussion: Longer publication time was most pronounced for COVID-overlap articles. Publication timelines for COVID-endemic articles have shortened. Future research should explore how the shift in publication timelines has shaped medical education scholarship.

A New Bacterial Strain Producing Both of the Surfactin and Fengycin Lipopeptide Biosurfactant with Strong Emulsifications on Crude Oil.

A new lipopeptide-producing strain Cytobacillus sp. R3-1 was isolated from the production water of the Daqing oilfield in China and identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. The strain R3-1 is capable of simultaneously producing both of the surfactin and fengycin, the two major families of the lipopeptide biosurfactant. The chemical structures of the surfactin and fengycin were confirmed by a combination of the ESI-MS, FT-IR, and amino acid analyses, and the impact of various temperatures, pH, and NaCl concentrations on the emulsifying activity (E24) was investigated. The lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by the strain R3-1 exhibited strong emulsifying activity with E24 value over 60% on crude oil and different hydrocarbons, including the cyclohexane, hexadecane, benzene, toluene, kerosene, diesel oil, and liquid paraffin. Meanwhile, it showed excellent emulsifying activity across a broad range of conditions of the temperature up to 60 °C, NaCl tolerance up to 100 g/L, and pH values between 5 and 9, which suggests that the strain R3-1 is a valuable microbial candidate for the simultaneous production of the surfactin and fengycin lipopeptide biosurfactant with strong emulsifying properties and stability under diverse environmental conditions and is a potential application in environmental bioremediation and enhanced oil recovery.

Comparative analysis of the physiological and transcriptomic profiles reveals alfalfa drought resistance mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Drought stress is a major limiting factor that affects forage yields, and understanding the drought resistance mechanism of plants is crucial for improving crop yields in arid areas. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most important legume plant, mainly planted in arid and semi-arid areas. However, the adaptability of alfalfa to drought stress and its physiological and molecular mechanisms of drought resistance remains unclear. RESULTS: In this study, we analyzed the physiological and transcriptome responses of alfalfa cultivars with different drought resistances (drought-sensitive Gannong No. 3 (G3), drought-resistant Gannong No. 8 (G8), and strong drought-resistant Longdong (LD)) under drought stress at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h. LD had higher catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and a higher soluble protein content, lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, a lower O2·- production rate, and a lower H2O2 content than G8 and G3 (P < 0.05). The functional enrichment analysis, temporal expression pattern analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glutathione metabolism, and biosynthesis of amino acid responses to drought stress in alfalfa. The differential expression of genes during phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and the glutathione metabolism pathway was further studied, and it was speculated that PAL, COMT, 4CL, CCR, CAD, HXK, INV, SUS, WAXY, AGP, GST, and APX1 played important roles in the alfalfa drought stress response. CONCLUSIONS: The aim of this study was to enhance alfalfa drought resistance by overexpressing positively regulated genes and knocking out negatively regulated genes, providing genetic resources for the subsequent molecular-assisted breeding of drought-resistant alfalfa crops.

Walnut peptide relieves hypertension and associated kidney and heart injury by regulating the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and intestinal microbiota.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a chronic disease with high morbidity and mortality. Previously, we screened a walnut meal peptide FDWLR (PEP) with significant angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activity. The present study further investigated the anti-hypertensive effects of PEP in vivo using spontaneously hypertensive rats. RESULTS: The results indicated that PEP reduced blood pressure and the indices in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (decreased by 15.36%), angiotensin II (Ang II) (decreased by 31.56%), angiotensinogen (AGT) (decreased by 58.84%) and aldosterone (ALD) (decreased by 18.27%), whereas NO levels increased by 54.96%. The pathological analysis showed that PEP relieved cardiac and renal damage. PEP also alleviated oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis in the heart and kidney. Mechanistically, PEP mitigated cardiac and renal damage by simultaneously regulating ACE-Ang II-AT1R and the ACE2-Ang (1-7)-MAS axis. Additionally, PEP increased the levels of short chain fatty acids by 224.16% and improved gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of Prevotella, Phascolarctobacterium, Clostridium_sensu_stricto and Bifidobacterium, at the same time as decreasing Bacteroides and Alistipes abundances. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that PEP prevented hypertension and associated heart and kidney damage by modulating the RAAS system and gut microbiota, which is valuable in guiding future development and optimal utilization of walnut meal. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Negative prognostic impact of tumor deposits in stage III colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of tumor deposits (TDs) in stage III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is poorly described based on the current tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on the data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database between 2010 to 2020 and local hospital between 2006 to 2022, the clinicopathological features of stage III CRC patients with TDs were screened by Chi-square test. Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to describe the significant difference in overall survival (OS) among the different groups, and log-rank tests were used to compare the cumulative survival distributions. RESULT: Patients with TDs exhibited more aggressive tumors, characterized by advanced T staging (T3&T4), N staging (N2), perineural invasion, and more advanced TNM stage. The presence of TDs was identified as a negative prognostic factor in stage III CRC patients, with the co-existence of TDs and lymph node metastasis associated the poorest prognosis. A pairwise comparison revealed no statistically significant difference between TD+N1a/b and N1c groups, while the OS of TD-LN+ (TD- N1a/b) patients was the most favorable within the N1 stage. Notably, patients with a single lymph node positive had a significantly better OS than those with a single TD positive. CONCLUSION: The presence of tumor deposits was a negative prognostic factor in stage III colorectal cancer patients, and the significance of tumor deposits was underestimated in the current TNM staging system.

LSD1 is a promising target to treat cancers by modulating cell stemness.

As the first discovered histone demethylase, LSD1 plays a vital role in maintaining pathological processes such as cancer, infection, and immune diseases. Based on previous researches, LSD1 is highly expressed in sorts of tumor cells such as acute myeloid leukemia, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer and gastric cancer, etc. Therefore, targeting LSD1 is a prospective strategy for tumor treatment. Cancer stem cells could preserve self-renewal, cell proliferation, cell migration and malignant phenotype. So, the reduction of tumor cell stemness can effectively inhibit the growth of tumor cells, which may be a new strategy for the treatment of cancers. Up to now, there exist many researches confirming the significant role of LSD1 in regulating the stemness characteristics such as embryonic stem cells differentiation. Many reports show that inhibition of LSD1 effectively decreases the property of cancer cell stemness. However, there lacks a detailed review about the relationship between LSD1 and cancer cell stemness. Herein, in this review, we summarized the mechanisms how LSD1 regulates cell stemness comprehensively. In addition, some related inhibitors targeting LSD1 to reduce the proliferation characteristics of cancer stem cells are also described.

Testosterone Recovery Following Androgen Suppression and Prostate Radiotherapy (TRANSPORT): A Pooled Analysis of Five Randomized Trials from the Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials in Cancer of the Prostate (MARCAP) Consortium.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Time to testosterone recovery (TR) following androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists varies widely. We evaluate TR kinetics and the oncological impact of an effective castration period in patients receiving definitive radiotherapy and ADT for prostate cancer. METHODS: We obtained individual patient data from randomized controlled trials of radiotherapy with ADT and prospectively collected serial testosterone data from the MARCAP Consortium. We estimated the times to noncastrate TR (>1.7 nmol/l) and nonhypogonadal TR (>8.0 nmol/l) were estimated for each prescribed ADT duration, and developed corresponding nomograms. The association between effective castration period and metastasis-free survival (MFS) for any given ADT duration was evaluated via multivariable Cox regression. We conducted cubic spline analyses to assess nonlinear associations. KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS: We included 1444 men from five trials in the analysis, of whom 115 received 4 mo, 880 received 6 mo, 353 received 18 mo, 36 received 28 mo, and 60 received 36 mo of ADT. Times to noncastrate TR and to nonhypogonadal TR varied considerably by ADT duration. Higher baseline testosterone and lower age were associated with a higher likelihood of TR (p < 0.001 for both). Effective castration period was not linearly associated with MFS for any ADT duration on Cox regression. Cubic spline analysis revealed that the optimal effective castration period for an MFS benefit was 10.6 mo for men who received 6 mo of ADT and 18 mo for men who received 18 mo of ADT. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Time to TR varies according to the ADT duration, baseline testosterone, and age. The relationship between effective castration period and MFS may be nonlinear, with a longer effective castration period being helpful for men receiving 6 mo of ADT.

Association between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of dementia in individuals with hypertension: a prospective cohort study.

Many studies have shown that drinking coffee and tea may be associated with the risk of hypertension and dementia. Limited research exists on their impact on dementia risk in hypertensive patients. This study aimed to determine the association between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of dementia development in hypertensive population by utilizing Cox proportional risk modeling with 453,913 participants from a UK biobank. Our findings reveal a J-shaped and U-shaped association between the risk of all-cause dementia and the consumption of coffee and tea respectively in hypertensive people. The hypertensive patients who drink 0.5-1 cup of coffee or 4-5 cups of tea per day have the lowest risk of dementia. A U-shaped relationship was observed between daily caffeine consumption and the risk of developing all-cause dementia and vascular dementia in the hypertensive population. Furthermore, the significant association between the amount of coffee and tea consumed and the risk of all-cause and vascular dementia were more likely to be found in hypertensive patients than in the non-hypertensive population.

Investigating the regulatory effect of Shen Qi Bu Qi powder on the gastrointestinal flora and serum metabolites in calves.

Object: To investigate the effects of Shen Qi Bu Qi Powder (SQBQP) on the average daily gain, blood indexes, gastrointestinal microflora, and serum metabolites of calves. Methods: A total of 105 calves were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 35 per group): the control group (C, fed with a basal diet for 21 days) and two treatment groups (SQBQP-L and SQBQP-H, fed with the basal diet supplemented with 15 and 30 g/kg of SQBQP), respectively for 21 days. The active components of SQBQP were identified using LC-MS/MS. Serum digestive enzymes and antioxidant indices were determined by ELISA kits and biochemical kits, respectively. Serum differential metabolites were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), while flora in rumen fluid and fecal were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Further correlation analysis of gastrointestinal flora and serum metabolites of SQBQP-H and C groups were performed with Spearman's correlation. Results: The principal active components of SQBQP mainly includes polysaccharides, flavonoids, and organic acids. Compared to the control group (C), calves in the SQBQP-H (high dose) and SQBQP-L (low dose) groups showed a significant increase in serum amylase (AMS) levels (P<0.001), while lipase content significantly decreased (P<0.05). Additionally, the average daily gain, T-AOC, and cellulase content of calves in the SQBQP-H group significantly increased (P<0.05). Proteobacteria and Succinivibrio in the rumen flora of the SQBQP-H group was significantly lower than that of the C group (P<0.05). The relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Candidatus_Saccharibacteria, Deinococcus_Thermus, Cyanobacteria, and Succinivibrio in the SQBQP-H group was significantly increased (P<0.05), while the relative abundance of Tenericutes and Oscillibacter was significantly decreased (P<0.05). Serum metabolomics analysis revealed 20 differential metabolites, mainly enriched in amino acid biosynthesis, ß-alanine metabolism, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis metabolic pathways (P<0.05). Correlation analysis results showed that Butyrivibrio in rumen flora and Oscillibacter_valericigenes in intestinal flora were significantly positively correlated with average daily gain, serum biochemical indexes, and differential metabolite (-)-Epigallocatechin (R>0.58, P<0.05). Conclusion: SQBQP can promote calves weight gain and enhance health by modulating gastrointestinal flora and metabolic processes in the body.

Focal therapy for oligometastatic and oligoprogressive renal cell carcinoma: a narrative review.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can present with oligometastatic disease and/or develop oligoprogression following systemic therapy. Cytoreductive and focal metastasis-directed therapy options include resection, stereotactic ablative radiation and thermal ablation. Aggressive focal therapy may allow delay in initiation of or modification to systemic therapy and improve clinical outcomes. In this narrative review we synthesize current practice guidelines and prospective data on focal therapy management options and highlight future research. Patient selection and the choice of focal treatment techniques are controversial due to limited and heterogeneous data and patients may benefit from multidisciplinary evaluation. Prospective comparative trials with clearly defined inclusion criteria and relevant end points are needed to clarify the risks and benefits of different approaches.

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An updated review of few-layer black phosphorus serving as a promising photocatalyst: synthesis, modification and applications.

Semiconductor photocatalysts represent a potential strategy to simultaneously solve the global energy shortage and environmental pollution, and black phosphorus (BP) has gained widespread applications in photocatalysis due to its high hole mobility, strong light trapping capabilities, and adjustable band gap. Nevertheless, the original material exhibits unsatisfactory photocatalytic activity in terms of low carrier separation efficiency, weak environmental stability, and difficult to control layer thickness. The following review briefly presents the fundamental characteristics and extensively discusses the synthesis methods and modification strategies for few-layer black phosphorus (FL-BP). Furthermore, various applications of composite photocatalysts derived from FL-BP such as water splitting, pollutant degradation, the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), phototherapy, bacterial disinfection, N2 fixation, and hydrogenation reactions are reviewed. Finally, the opportunities and challenges for the development and further investigation of advanced FL-BP-based photocatalysts are also presented.

Barnacle-inspired and polyphenol-assisted modification of bacterial cellulose-based wound dressings for promoting infectious wound healing.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an ideal candidate for wound dressings due to its natural origin, exceptional water-holding capacity, pliability, biocompatibility, and high absorption capability. However, the lack of essential antimicrobial activity limits its biomedical applications. This study reported BC-based wound dressings containing silk fibroin protein (SF), offering the potential for biomimetic properties, and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for polyphenol-assisted surface modification to promote infectious wound healing. Glycerol was used as the carbon source to promote the formation of an adhesive layer by facilitating the ß-sheet folding of SF, and different concentrations of EGCG were employed to interact with SF through strong hydrogen bonding facilitated by the polyphenolic groups. The functionalized membrane exhibited outstanding water-holding capacity, swelling ratio, and degradation properties, along with enhanced hydrophilicity, adhesiveness, and a remarkable free radical scavenging ability. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed its potent bacteriostatic activity. The composite membrane displayed excellent biocompatibility, including cellular and hemocompatibility. Importantly, it effectively promoted wound healing in murine back infections. These findings suggest the significant feasibility of the innovative modification approach, and that functionalized membranes have great potential as wound-dressing materials for infection management in future clinical applications.

Microbiome-host interactions in the pathogenesis of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To explore the underlying mechanisms the airway microbiome contributes to Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(AECOPD). Methods: We enrolled 31 AECOPD patients and 26 stable COPD patients, their sputum samples were collected for metagenomic and RNA sequencing, and then subjected to bioinformatic analyses. The expression of host genes was validated by Quantitative Real-time PCR(qPCR) using the same batch of specimens. Results: Our results indicated a higher expression of Rothia mucilaginosa(p=0.015) in the AECOPD group and Haemophilus influenzae(p=0.005) in the COPD group. The Different expressed genes(DEGs) detected were significantly enriched in "type I interferon signaling pathway"(p<0.001, q=0.001) in gene function annotation, and "Cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway"(p=0.002, q=0.024), "Toll-like receptor signaling pathway"(p=0.006, q=0.045), and "TNF signaling pathway"(p=0.006, q=0.045) in KEGG enrichment analysis. qPCR amplification experiment verified that the expression of OASL and IL6 increased significantly in the AECOPD group. Conclusion: Pulmonary bacteria dysbiosis may regulate the pathogenesis of AECOPD through innate immune system pathways like type I interferon signaling pathway and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway.

Stoking the fires of professional resistance: Trainees' efforts across time.

INTRODUCTION: Researchers who study acts of resistance largely focus on efforts when they are at their peak, giving the impression that those who resist are in a constant state of arousal. What is missing in such studies is the variable of time, which is theorised to be intimately connected to power and resistance. To explore this aspect, we followed a group of trainees engaged in professional resistance against social injustice over the period of 1 year to understand how their efforts shifted across time. This longitudinal approach was meant to capture the temporality of resistance, specifically how time affects resistance efforts. METHODS: Using a constructivist grounded theory approach for data collection and analysis, we conducted follow-up interviews with 13 trainees approximately 10 months apart. Interviews were analysed using holistic narrative analysis, in which we analysed contexts, subjectivities and interactions across the two time points. We then conducted a cross-case analysis and restoried the data to develop an understanding of how resistance shifts across time. Finally, we contextualised the data using the metaphor of open and zombie wildfires. RESULTS: The findings demonstrate that when trainees transition to new institutions or professional positions, their access to power and interactions with colleagues shift, thus making it challenging for them to resist in ways they had done so earlier. In transitions where trainees were given power, the flames of resistance continued to blaze visibly. In other cases, without an appreciable change in power, resistance resembled more of a 'zombie fire', smouldering quietly underfoot. DISCUSSION: Examining trainees' acts of resistance across time demonstrates that the work of advocacy and resistance is extremely taxing for trainees. Therefore, when they experience shifts in their context or subjectivity, they conserve energy and strategise their next move. This study provides new insight on the relationship between time and resistance.

Docosahexaenoic acid inhibits the invasion and migration of colorectal cancer by reversing EMT through the TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway.

The primary cause of mortality in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is tumor metastasis. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) stands out as a crucial factor promoting the metastasis of CRC. Previous findings suggest a potential inhibitory effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on CRC metastasis, but the precise mechanism remains unknown, this study aims to explore this issue. We assessed metastasis and recurrence, all-cause mortality, and cancer-related mortality rates according to DHA intake in independent CRC cohorts (n = 367) by survival analysis. The ability of DHA to block CRC cell migration and invasion was tested using transwell and wound-healing assays. The regulation of EMT marker genes in CRC by DHA was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and immunoblotting, and the effect of DHA on the TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway was further investigated. These cellular findings were validated using a subcutaneous CRC mouse model. Survival analyses showed that lower DHA intake was associated with a higher risk of CRC metastasis and a poorer prognosis. In vitro experiments showed that DHA inhibits the TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway and regulates downstream transcription factors, thereby reversing the EMT and inhibiting invasion and migration. In the mouse model, dietary DHA supplementation effectively increased blood DHA concentrations and inhibited CRC metastasis. Our study demonstrated that DHA inhibits CRC invasion and metastasis by inhibiting the TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway. Increased intake of DHA among CRC patients may provide additional benefits to the prognosis of colorectal cancer.