Effects of virtual distant viewing technology on preventing nearwork-induced ocular parameter changes.

Purpose: This study investigates whether virtual distant viewing technology can prevent nearwork-induced ocular parameter changes. Methods: Twenty-six volunteers read a textbook on one day and the same content on a virtual distant viewing display on another day based on a randomization sequence, with both reading sessions at 33 cm for 4 hours. Visual acuity, diopter, ocular biology, visual fatigue, and accommodative function before and after the nearwork, as well as the number of pages read, were recorded. Results: After 4 hours of nearwork in the textbook group, the spherical equivalent refraction decreased from -3.13 ± 2.65 D to -3.32 ± 2.70 D (P < 0.001), corneal thickness decreased from 531.6 ± 33.5 µm to 528.9 ± 33.0 µm (P = 0.015), anterior chamber depth decreased from 3.65 ± 0.35 mm to 3.60 ± 0.30 mm (P = 0.002), accommodative facility increased from 15.1 ± 3.5 to 16.4 ± 3.9 (P = 0.018), and subjective visual fatigue increased from 14.0 ± 9.2 to 19.3 ± 7.6 (P = 0.002); no significant changes were seen in the other parameters. In the virtual distant viewing group, the spherical equivalent refraction (from -3.17 ± 2.60 D to -3.11 ± 2.73 D, P = 0.427), corneal thickness (from 531.9 ± 32.8 µm to 529.7 ± 33.2 µm, P = 0.054), and anterior chamber depth (from 3.67 ± 0.35 mm to 3.69 ± 0.32 mm, P = 0.331) did not show significant changes, whereas accommodative facility increased from 14.7 ± 5.8 to 15.9 ± 5.5 (P = 0.042) and subjective visual fatigue increased from 13.5 ± 8.4 to 18.9 ± 8.6 (P = 0.002). In addition, choroidal thickness (from 217.7 ± 76.0 µm to 243.0 ± 85.0 µm, P = 0.043), positive relative accommodation (from -2.32 ± 1.07 D to -2.85 ± 0.89 D, P = 0.007), and amplitude of accommodation (from 7.26 ± 1.41 D to 7.89 ± 1.69 D, P = 0.022) also significantly increased in the virtual distant viewing group. The textbook group and the virtual distant viewing group read 176.0 ± 133.1 pages and 188.0 ± 102.0 pages, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.708). Conclusion: Virtual distant viewing technology can prevent the increase in myopia degree due to nearwork and improve accommodation function without increasing visual fatigue.

A 3-month-old neonatal rhesus macaque HFMD model caused by coxsackievirus B1 infection and viral tissue tropism.

Coxsackievirus B1 (CVB1), an enterovirus with multiple clinical presentations, has been associated with potential long-term consequences, including hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), in some patients. However, the related animal models, transmission dynamics, and long-term tissue tropism of CVB1 have not been systematically characterized. In this study, we established a model of CVB1 respiratory infection in rhesus macaques and evaluated the clinical symptoms, viral load, and immune levels during the acute phase (0-14 days) and long-term recovery phase (15-30 days). We also investigated the distribution, viral clearance, and pathology during the long-term recovery period using 35 postmortem rhesus macaque tissue samples collected at 30 days postinfection (d.p.i.). The results showed that the infected rhesus macaques were susceptible to CVB1 and exhibited HFMD symptoms, viral clearance, altered cytokine levels, and the presence of neutralizing antibodies. Autopsy revealed positive viral loads in the heart, spleen, pancreas, soft palate, and olfactory bulb tissues. HE staining demonstrated pathological damage to the liver, spleen, lung, soft palate, and tracheal epithelium. At 30 d.p.i., viral antigens were detected in visceral, immune, respiratory, and muscle tissues but not in intestinal or neural tissues. Brain tissue examination revealed viral meningitis-like changes, and CVB1 antigen expression was detected in occipital, pontine, cerebellar, and spinal cord tissues at 30 d.p.i. This study provides the first insights into CVB1 pathogenesis in a nonhuman primate model of HFMD and confirms that CVB1 exhibits tissue tropism following long-term infection.

A Large Asymptomatic Polyp Originating From the Nasal Septum: A Case Report.

A neoplasm was found in the left nasal cavity of a 45-year-old woman during electronic laryngoscopy for reflux pharyngitis. She reported experiencing an occasional slight headache in the left parietal region for 1 to 2 years, which she considered a migraine. Electronic laryngoscopy showed a gray, soft, smooth neoplasm in the left nasal meatus, located near the olfactory region blocking the olfactory clef and compressing the left middle turbinate. The neoplasm was resected at endonasal endoscopic surgery. Histological assessments indicated chronic mucus inflammation and cyst formation. This is a rare case because the polyp was large but asymptomatic and originated from nasal septum.

Correlation between vessel density and thickness in the retina and choroid of severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients.

Objectives: To explore the correlation between the vessel density (VD) of the retina and choroid vascular plexuses and the thicknesses of their respective retinal layers and choroid membranes in participants with severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 42 eyes of 42 participants with diabetes mellitus (DM) and severe NPDR. In addition, 41 eyes of 41 healthy controls were evaluated. Measurements were taken for both groups using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), including the area and perimeter of the foveal vascular zone (FAZ) and the vascular density (VD) in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choroid capillary (CC). These measurements were compared with the retinal thickness (RT) of the inner/intermediate retinal layers and choroidal thickness (CT). The study evaluated the correlation between RT or CT and VD in the respective vascular networks, namely superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), or CC. Results: The inner RT and VD in all plexuses were significantly lower in the severe NPDR group than in the healthy controls. Furthermore, the FAZ area and perimeter were larger in the severe NPDR group. Inner RT was correlated with VD in the SCP group (r=0.67 and r=0.71 in the healthy control and severe NPDR groups, respectively; p<0.05). CT negatively correlated with VD in the CC (r=-0.697 and r=-0.759 in the healthy control and severe NPDR groups, respectively; p<0.05). Intermediate RT significantly correlated with VD in the DCP of the severe NPDR group (r=-0.55, p<0.05), but not in the healthy control group. Conclusions: Retinal or choroidal thickness strongly correlated with VD. Therefore, patients with severe NPDR must consider the distinct anatomical and functional entities of the various retinal layers and the choroid.

Effectiveness and safety of SR-ENS-600endoscopic surgical system in benign and malignant gynecological diseases: a prospective, multicenter, clinical trial with 63 cases.

Single-port laparoscopy has gained more attention, but inherent technical challenges hinder its wider use. To overcome the disadvantage of traditional single-port surgery, robotic laparoendoscopic single-site surgery system was designed and clinically utilized. This multi-center single-arm trial was aimed to present the clinical outcomes of the SHURUI robotic endoscopic single-site surgery system. 63 women with ovary cysts, myoma, cervical epithelial neoplasm, or endometrial carcinoma were recruited at 6 academic medical centers in different districts of China. The trial was registered on September 5, 2023, with the register number: ChiCTR2300075431, retrospectively registered. Patients underwent robotic LESS surgery with the SHURUI endoscopic surgical system from January 17 to May 26, 2023. Demographic information, perioperative parameters, complications, scar healing, and operator satisfaction scores were recorded. Patients were followed up for 30 ± 4 days. Average operative time and estimated blood loss were 157.03 ± 75.24 min and 63.86 ± 98.33 ml, respectively, for all surgeries. Average anal exhaust time and hospitalization stay were 30.99 ± 14.25 h and 3.63 ± 1.59 days, respectively. Patients' postoperative rehabilitation assessment showed satisfactory results on the day of discharge and 30 ± 4 days after surgery. The surgery achieved good cosmetic benefits and was surgeon friendly. There were no conversions to alternative surgical modalities, complications, or readmissions. The SHURUI endoscopic surgical system showed both the technical feasibility and safety of this surgical modality for gynecologic patients. Further randomized studies comparing this modality with traditional LESS surgery are suggested.

Functionalized Single Crystal Perovskite Materials for SERS and Their Potential Detection Applications.

Recent advances in detection and diagnostic tools have improved understanding and identification of plant physiological and biochemical processes. Effective and safe Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) can find objects quickly and accurately. Raman enhancement amplifies the signal by 1014-1015 to accurately quantify plant metabolites at the molecular level. This paper shows how to use functionalized perovskite substrates for SERS. These perovskite substrates have lots of surface area, intense Raman scattering, and high sensitivity and specificity. These properties eliminate sample matrix component interference. This study identified research gaps on perovskite substrates' effectiveness, precision, and efficiency in biological metabolite detection compared to conventional substrates. This article details the synthesis and use of functionalized perovskites for plant metabolites measurement. It analyzes their pros and cons in this context. The manuscript analyzes perovskite-based SERS substrates, including single-crystalline perovskites with enhanced optoelectronic properties. This manuscript aims to identify this study gap by comprehensively reviewing the literature and using it to investigate plant metabolite detection in future studies.

scHybridBERT: integrating gene regulation and cell graph for spatiotemporal dynamics in single-cell clustering.

Graph learning models have received increasing attention in the computational analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Compared with conventional deep neural networks, graph neural networks and language models have exhibited superior performance by extracting graph-structured data from raw gene count matrices. Established deep neural network-based clustering approaches generally focus on temporal expression patterns while ignoring inherent interactions at gene-level as well as cell-level, which could be regarded as spatial dynamics in single-cell data. Both gene-gene and cell-cell interactions are able to boost the performance of cell type detection, under the framework of multi-view modeling. In this study, spatiotemporal embedding and cell graphs are extracted to capture spatial dynamics at the molecular level. In order to enhance the accuracy of cell type detection, this study proposes the scHybridBERT architecture to conduct multi-view modeling of scRNA-seq data using extracted spatiotemporal patterns. In this scHybridBERT method, graph learning models are employed to deal with cell graphs and the Performer model employs spatiotemporal embeddings. Experimental outcomes about benchmark scRNA-seq datasets indicate that the proposed scHybridBERT method is able to enhance the accuracy of single-cell clustering tasks by integrating spatiotemporal embeddings and cell graphs.

Capture Fluorocarbon and Chlorofluorocarbon from Air Using DUT-67 for Safety and Semi-Quantitative Analysis.

Fluoro- and chlorofluorocabons (FC/CFCs) are important refrigerants, solvents, and fluoropolymers in industry while being toxic and carrying high global warming potential. Detection and reclamation of FC/CFCs based on adsorption technology with highly selective adsorbents is important to labor safety and environmental protection. Herein, the study reports an integrated method to combine capture, separation, enrichment, and analysis of representative FC/CFCs (chlorodifluoromethane(R22) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134a)) by using the highly stable and porous Zr-MOF, DUT-67. Gas adsorption and breakthrough experiments demonstrate that DUT-67 has high R22/R134a uptake (124/116 cm3 g-1) and excellent R22/R134a/CO2 separation performance (IAST selectivities of R22/CO2 and R134a/CO2 ranging from 51.4 to 33.3, and 31.1 to 25.8), even in rather low concentration and humid conditions. A semi-quantitative analysis protocol is set up to analyze the low concentrations of R22/R134a based on the high selective R22/R134a adsorption ability, fast adsorption kinetics, water-resistant utility, facile regeneration, and excellent recyclability of DUT-67. In situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction, theoretical calculations, and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra have been employed to understand the adsorption mechanism. This work may provide a potential adsorbent for purge and trap technique under room temperature, thus promoting the application of MOFs for VOCs sampling and quantitative analysis.

Relationship between visual acuity and OCT angiography parameters in diabetic retinopathy eyes after treatment.

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between visual acuity and OCT angiography parameters in diabetic retinopathy eyes after treatment, and to analyze the relative factors in PDR eyes. METHODS: A total of 89 eyes, including 42 eyes with non-PDR (NPDR), and 47 eyes after vitrectomy with PDR were included and underwent OCTA. All images were processed by Python or FIJI. Multivariable linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between postoperative BCVA and OCTA parameters in PDR patients. RESULTS: Postoperative OCTA parameters including deep capillary plexus (DCP) parafoveal and perifoveal vessel density (VD), DCP parafoveal and perifoveal vessel length density (VLD), DCP fractal dimension (FD), choriocapillaris plexus (CCP) VD, CCP VLD, were significantly lower in the PDR group than in the NPDR group. In the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), we found a negative correlation between the postoperative BCVA and VD (parafovea: ß coefficient = -0.351, p = 0.023; perifovea: ß coefficient = -0.338, p = 0.036). Perifoveal VLD (ß coefficient = -0.343, p = 0.031) and FD (ß coefficient = -0.375, p = 0.016) of the SCP were also negatively correlated with postoperative BCVA. Regarding the DCP, perifoveal VD (ß coefficient = -0.396, p = 0.008), perifoveal VLD (ß coefficient = -0.334, p = 0.025), vessel tortuosity (VT) (ß coefficient = -0.369, p = 0.015) were negatively correlated with postoperative BCVA. In CCP, VLD (ß coefficient = -0.373, p = 0.023) and number of flow voids (ß coefficient = -0.334, p = 0.036) exhibited a negative association with postoperative BCVA. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative BCVA of PDR patients was related to OCTA parameters of the SCP (parafoveal and perifoveal VD, perifoveal VLD and FD), DCP (perifoveal VD, VLD, and VT) and CCP (VLD and number of flow voids).

Microporous Fluorinated MOF with Multiple Adsorption Sites for Efficient Recovery of C2H6 and C3H8 from Natural Gas.

Purifying C2H6/C3H8 from a ternary natural gas mixture through adsorption separation is an important but challenging process in the petrochemical industry. To address this challenge, the industry is exploring effective strategies for designing high-performance adsorbents. In this study, we present two metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), DMOF-TF and DMOF-(CF3)2, which have fluorinated pores obtained by substituting linker ligands in the host material. This pore engineering strategy not only provides suitable pore confinement but also enhances the adsorption capacities for C2H6/C3H8 by providing additional binding sites. Theoretical calculations and transient breakthrough experiments show that the introduction of F atoms not only improves the efficiency of natural gas separation but also provides multiple adsorption sites for C2H6/C3H8-framework interactions.

The Jagged-1/Notch1 Signaling Pathway Promotes the Construction of Tissue-Engineered Heart Valves.

Background: Tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs) are promising new heart valve substitutes for valvular heart disease. The Notch signaling pathway plays a critical role in the development of congenital heart valves. Objective: To investigate the role of the Notch signaling pathway in the construction of TEHVs. Methods: The induced endothelial cells, which act as seed cells, were differentiated from adipose-derived stem cells and were treated with Jagged-1 (JAG-1) protein and γ-secretase inhibitor (DAPT, N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-l-alanyl]-s-phenylglycine t-butyl ester), respectively. Cell phenotypic changes, the expression of proteins relating to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and changes in paxillin expression were detected. Decellularized valve scaffolds were produced from decellularized porcine aortic valves. The seed cells were them inoculated into Matrigel-coated flap scaffolds for complex culture and characterization. Results: JAG-1 significantly reduced apoptosis and promoted the seeded cells' proliferation and migration ability, in contrast to the treatment of DAPT. In addition, the expression of EMT-related proteins, E-cadherin and N-cadherin, was significantly increased after treatment with JAG-1 and was reduced after the application of DAPT. Meanwhile, the adhesive-related expression of paxillin and fibronectin proteins was increased after the activation of Notch1 signaling and vice versa. Of interest, activation of the Notch1 signaling pathway resulted in more closely arranged cells on the valve surface after recellularization. Conclusion: Activation of the JAG-1/Notch1 signaling pathway increased seeded cells' proliferation and migratory ability and promoted the EMT and adhesion of seed cells, which was conducive to binding to the matrix, facilitating accelerated endothelialization of TEHVs.

Dual elastography to discriminate adjacent stages of fibrosis and inflammation in chronic hepatitis B: A prospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of dual elastography (dual-elasto) in continuous differentiation of liver fibrosis and inflammation in a large prospective cohort of patients with chronic HBV. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Adults with positive HBsAg for at least 6 months were recruited from 12 medical centers. Participants underwent dual-elasto evaluations. Biopsy was performed 3 days after dual-elasto examination. Four logistic regression models were trained and strung together into series models. Decision trees based on the series models were performed to achieve continuous differentiation of liver fibrosis and inflammation. The influence of inflammation on the fibrosis stage was also evaluated. A total of 560 patients were included in the training set and 240 in the validation set. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the series model were 0.82, 0.86, 0.93, and 0.96 to predict ≥F1, ≥F2, ≥F3, and F4 in the validation set, which were significantly higher than those of serum markers and shear wave elastography (all p < 0.05), except for the ≥ F1 levels ( p = 0.09). The AUCs of the series model were 0.93, 0.86, 0.95, and 0.84 to predict inflammation stages ≥G1, ≥G2, ≥G3, and G4, respectively. Decision trees realized 5 continuous classifications of fibrosis and inflammation. Inflammation could enhance the mild fibrosis stage classification while showing limited influences on severe fibrosis or cirrhosis diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Dual-elasto demonstrated high performance in the continuous discrimination of fibrosis and inflammation in patients with HBV and could be used to diagnose mild fibrosis without the influence of inflammation.

Anionic Ni-Based Metal-Organic Framework with Li(I) Cations in the Pores for Efficient C2H2/CO2 Separation.

Acetylene (C2H2) is widely used as a raw material for producing various downstream commodities in the petrochemical and electronic industry. Therefore, the acquisition of high-purity C2H2 from a C2H2/CO2 mixture produced by partial methane combustion or thermal hydrocarbon cracking is of great significance yet highly challenging due to their similar physical and chemical properties. Herein, we report an anionic metal-organic framework (MOF) named LIFM-210, which has Li+ cations in the pores and shows a higher adsorption affinity for C2H2 than CO2. LIFM-210 is constructed by a unique tetranuclear Ni(II) cluster acting as a 10-connected node and an organic ligand acting as a 5-connected node. Single-component adsorption and transient breakthrough experiments demonstrate the good C2H2 selective separation performance of LIFM-210. Theoretical calculations revealed that Li+ ions strongly prefer C2H2 to CO2 and are primary adsorption sites, playing vital roles in the selective separation of C2H2/CO2.

Multidimensional analysis to elucidate the possible mechanism of bone metastasis in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) patients tend to suffer from distant metastasis, especially bone metastasis. METHODS: All the analysis based on open-accessed data was performed in R software, dependent on multiple algorithms and packages. The RNA levels of specific genes were detected using quantitative Real-time PCR as a method of detecting the RNA levels. To assess the ability of BC cells to proliferate, we utilized the CCK8 test, colony formation, and the 5-Ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine assay. BC cells were evaluated for invasion and migration by using Transwell assays and wound healing assays. RESULTS: In our study, we identified the molecules involved in BC bone metastasis based on the data from multiple BC cohorts. Then, we comprehensively investigated the effect pattern and underlying biological role of these molecules. We found that in the identified molecules, the EMP1, ACKR3, ITGA10, MMP13, COL11A1, and THY1 were significantly correlated with patient prognosis and mainly expressed in CAFs. Therefore, we explored the CAFs in the BC microenvironment. Results showed that CAFs could activate multiple carcinogenic pathways and most of these pathways play an important role in cancer metastasis. Meanwhile, we noticed the interaction between CAFs and malignant, endothelial, and M2 macrophage cells. Moreover, we found that CAFs could induce the remodeling of the BC microenvironment and promote the malignant behavior of BC cells. Then, we identified MMP13 for further analysis. It was found that MMP13 can enhance the malignant phenotype of BC cells. Meanwhile, biological enrichment and immune infiltration analysis were conducted to present the effect pattern of MMP13 in BC. CONCLUSIONS: Our result can improve the understanding of researchers on the underlying mechanisms of BC bone metastasis.

Multi-omics analysis reveals the microbial interactions of S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum on Suanyu, Chinese traditional fermented fish.

S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum play important roles in Suanyu fermentation. This study investigated the interaction between S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum during fermentation and its impact on metabolic pathways. Co-culturing S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum increased pH to 5.72, reduced TVB-N to 9.47 mg/mL, and achieved high utilization rates of sugars (98.9%) and proteins (73.7%). During microbial interactions, S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum produced antibiotics, including phenyllactate and Gentamicin C1a, inhibiting the growth of each other. S. cerevisiae used S-adenosyl-l-methionine to counteract acid production of L. plantarum, establishing dominance in Suanyu fermentation. Microbial interactions influenced carbohydrate and energy metabolism pathways, such as nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism and purine metabolism. S. cerevisiae significantly impacted gene expression in protein synthesis and cell growth pathways, including ribosome, SNARE interactions, basal transcription factors, and MAPK signaling. These findings offer insights into microbial interactions and metabolic processes during Suanyu fermentation.

Chimpanzee adenovirus-mediated multiple gene therapy for age-related macular degeneration.

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration AMD (nAMD) is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and could lead to irreversible blindness. However, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy has limited efficacy. Therefore, we generated a chimpanzee adenoviral vector (AdC68-PFC) containing three genes, pigment endothelial-derived factor (PEDF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), and soluble forms of CD59 (sCD59), to treat nAMD. The results showed that AdC68-PFC mediated a strong onset of PEDF, sFlt-1, and sCD59 expression both in vivo and in vitro. AdC68-PFC showed preventive and therapeutic effects following intravitreal (IVT) injection in the laser-induced CNV model and very low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Vldlr-/-) mouse model. In vitro assessment indicated that AdC68-PFC had a strong inhibitory effect on endothelial cells. Importantly, the safety test showed no evidence of in vivo toxicity of adenovirus in murine eyes. Our findings suggest that AdC68-PFC may be a long-acting and safe gene therapy vector for future nAMD treatments.

Transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal gender-specific expression genes in sea cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota).

The sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota, a nutritive and commercial marine species, has a high protein and low lipid content. To date, the mechanisms underlying gender determination and differentiation in sea cucumbers remain unclear. Identifying gender-specific molecular markers is an effective method of revealing the genetic basis of gender determination and differentiation. The inability to distinguish between male and female individuals causes reproductive efficiency to decline in aquaculture. In this study, we used the gonads of the sea cucumber H. leucospilota as samples to conduct the experiment. The differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were enriched in pathways associated with prolactin metabolism, insulin metabolism, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling, and calcium signaling. At the transcriptome level, Illumina sequencing was performed on H. leucospilota, demonstrating that gender-specific expression genes were enriched in the retinoic acid-inducible gene I-like receptor signaling pathway, C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, and ether lipid metabolism by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. By analyzing the common pathways between DAMs and differentially expressed genes, we found that gender-related genes of H. leucospilota were mostly enriched in the necroptosis pathway and the cysteine and methionine metabolism pathways. According to the common pathways, uch-sc1 and uch-sc2 are male-specific expression genes, and uch-sc3 and bhmt are female-specific expression genes at the mRNA level. These results provide information on gender differences in H. leucospilota.