Fast joint parity measurement via collective interactions induced by stimulated emission.

Parity detection is essential in quantum error correction. Error syndromes coded in parity are detected routinely by sequential CNOT gates. Here, different from the standard CNOT-gate based scheme, we propose a reliable joint parity measurement (JPM) scheme inspired by stimulated emission. By controlling the collective behavior between data qubits and syndrome qubit, we realize the parity detection and experimentally implement the weight-2 and weight-4 JPM scheme in a tunable coupling superconducting circuit, which shows comparable performance to the CNOT scheme. Moreover, with the aid of the coupling tunability in quantum system, this scheme can be further utilized for specific joint entangling state preparation (JEP) with high fidelity, such as multiqubit entangled state preparation for non-adjacent qubits. This strategy, combined with the superconducting qubit system with tunable couplers, reveals tremendous potential and applications in the surface code architecture without adding extra circuit elements. Besides, the method we develop here can readily be applied in large-scale quantum computation and quantum simulation.

Experience of financial toxicity and coping strategies in young and middle-aged patients with stroke: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: While financial toxicity (FT) is prevalent in patients with cancer, young and middle-aged patients with stroke are also affected by FT, which can exacerbate their physical and psychological challenges. Understanding the patient's experience and response measures can further understand the impact of FT on patients with stroke, to help alleviate FT. However, little is known concerning the experience of patients with stroke with FT or their coping strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the experiences of FT in young and middle-aged patients with stroke and their coping strategies. METHODS: A phenomenological method was utilized. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 young and middle-aged stroke patients (aged 18-59) between October 2022 and March 2023. The participants were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China. The research team used NVivo 12.0 software. Giorgi's phenomenological analysis method was used to analyse the interview data. RESULTS: The interview results were divided into two categories in terms of patients' experiences of FT and their coping strategies. Nine subthemes were constructed. The experience category included four subthemes: (1) taking on multifaceted economic pressure, (2) dual choice of treatment, (3) decline in material living standards, and (4) suffering from negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. The coping strategy category included five subthemes: (1) reducing expenses, (2) improving living habits, (3) proactive participation in medical decision-making, (4) making a job position choice, and (5) seeking social support. CONCLUSIONS: FT in young and middle-aged patients with stroke, which affected their physical and mental health, led them to implement strategies for dealing with FT. The Chinese government needs to broaden the reach of health insurance coverage and advance the fairness of healthcare policies. Healthcare professionals must pay active attention to FT in such patients in terms of strengthening their health education and considering their needs and preferences. Patients need to improve their sense of self-efficacy, actively reintegrate into society, and adhere to rehabilitation and treatment. Individuals at a high risk of stroke are recommended to purchase health insurance. Multifaceted efforts are needed to reduce the impact of FT in young and middle-aged patients with stroke.

Transcriptome and metabolome profiling to elucidate the mechanism underlying the poor growth of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 after orphan response regulator CovR deletion.

The deletion of orphan response regulator CovR reduces the growth rate of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2). In this study, metabolome and transcriptome profiling were performed to study the mechanisms underlying the poor growth of S. suis 2 caused by the deletion of orphan response regulator CovR. By comparing S. suis 2 (ΔcovR) and S. suis 2 (SC19), 146 differentially accumulated metabolites (upregulated: 83 and downregulated: 63) and 141 differentially expressed genes (upregulated: 86 and downregulated: 55) were identified. Metabolome and functional annotation analysis revealed that the growth of ΔcovR was inhibited by the imbalance aminoacyl tRNA biosynthesis (the low contents of L-lysine, L-aspartic acid, L-glutamine, and L-glutamic acid, and the high content of L-methionine). These results provide a new insight into the underlying poor growth of S. suis 2 caused by the deletion of orphan response regulator CovR. Metabolites and candidate genes regulated by the orphan response regulator CovR and involved in the growth of S. suis 2 were reported in this study.

Orphan response regulator CovR plays positive regulative functions in the survivability and pathogenicity of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 isolated from a pig.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2) is an important zoonotic pathogen. Orphan response regulator CovR plays crucial regulative functions in the survivability and pathogenicity of S. suis 2. However, research on the CovR in S. suis 2 is limited. RESULTS: In this study, the regulative functions of CovR in the survivability and pathogenicity were investigated in S. suis 2 isolated from a diseased pig. The deletion of CovR significantly weakened the survivability and pathogenicity of S. suis 2. Compared with the wild-type strain, ΔcovR showed slower growth rates and thinner capsular polysaccharides. Moreover, ΔcovR showed reduced adhesion and invasion to Hep-2 cells as well as anti-phagocytosis and anti-killing ability to 3D4 cells and anti-serum killing ability. In addition, the deletion of CovR significantly reduced the colonisation ability of S. suis 2 in mice. The survival rate of mice infected with ΔcovR was increased by 16.7% compared with that of mice infected with S. suis 2. Further, the deletion of CovR led to dramatic changes in metabolism-related pathways in S. suis 2, five of those, including fructose and mannose metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, ABC transporters, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism and phosphotransferase system, were significantly down-regulated. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, CovR plays positive regulative functions in the survivability and pathogenicity of S. suis 2 SC19 strain isolated from a pig.

Angelica decursiva exerts antihypertensive activity by inhibiting L-type calcium channel.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Angelica decursiva is a perennial herb that belongs to the Umbelliferae family. It is traditionally used to treat fever, upper respiratory tract infections, bleeding and hypertension. However, despite its extensive pharmacological potential, literature reports on its antihypertensive pharmacological properties are scarce. AIM OF THE STUDY: In the study, crude extract from A. decursiva roots was examined for its antihypertensive activity and its molecular basis was explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A. decursiva roots were extracted with ethanol, and isolated with silica gel normal-phase chromatography and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. L-NAME-induced hypertensive mouse model was used to detect in vivo hypertensive activity. Thoracic aorta ring contraction activity and electrophysiology recordings were employed to evaluate in vitro antihypertensive activity and revealed an antihypertensive target, which was transiently expressed in HEK293T cells. RESULTS: Angelica decursiva ethanol decoction (ADED) exhibited significant antihypertensive effects in L-NAME-induced hypertension models and phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction. Further screening revealed that demethylsuberosin is an essential component accounting for the antihypertension effects of A. decursiva. Voltage-gated calcium channel CaV1.2 is the likely target of A. decursiva for its antihypertension effects. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that A. decursiva and demethylsuberosin may be effective antihypertensive agents in preclinical studies. It appears that A. decursiva and demethylsuberosin exert antihypertensive effects by inhibiting the CaV1.2 channel, which contributes to the vasodilatory effect. The present study provides experimental evidence that A. decursiva is an effective remedy for hypertension in folklore. Demethylsuberosin could be a lead molecule for antihypertension drug development.

Long Non-coding Antisense RNA DDIT4-AS1 Regulates Meningitic Escherichia coli-Induced Neuroinflammation by Promoting DDIT4 mRNA Stability.

Our previous studies have shown that meningitic Escherichia coli can colonize the brain and cause neuroinflammation. Controlling the balance of inflammatory responses in the host central nervous system is particularly vital. Emerging evidence has shown the important regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a wide range of biological and pathological processes. However, whether lncRNAs participate in the regulation of meningitic E. coli-mediated neuroinflammation remains unknown. In the present study, we characterized a cytoplasm-enriched antisense lncRNA DDIT4-AS1, which showed similar concordant expression patterns with its parental mRNA DDIT4 upon E. coli infection. DDIT4-AS1 modulated DDIT4 expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Mechanistically, DDIT4-AS1 promoted the stability of DDIT4 mRNA through RNA duplex formation. DDIT4-AS1 knockdown and DDIT4 knockout both attenuated E. coli-induced NF-κB signaling as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines expression, and DDIT4-AS1 regulated the inflammatory response by targeting DDIT4. In summary, our results show that DDIT4-AS1 promotes E. coli-induced neuroinflammatory responses by enhancing the stability of DDIT4 mRNA through RNA duplex formation, providing potential nucleic acid targets for new therapeutic interventions in the treatment of bacterial meningitis.

Hypermethylation of the OPRM1 and ALDH2 promoter regions in Chinese Han males with alcohol use disorder in Yunnan Province.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. The OPRM1 and ALDH2 genes are important factors in the reward and alcohol metabolism pathways, and their DNA methylation patterns are closely related to AUD and are population-specific. Chinese Han people are the most populous ethnic group in the world, and this group experiences severe AUD. No epigenetic study on OPRM1 and ALDH2 has been performed in Chinese Han patients with AUD. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether methylation patterns of OPRM1 and ALDH2 are associated with susceptibility to AUD in Chinese Han males. METHODS: DNA methylation of the OPRM1 and ALDH2 promoters was studied in Chinese Han males with AUD in Yunnan Province (N = 50 controls, N = 90 individuals with AUD) using the bisulfite pyrosequencing method. RESULTS: In the AUD group, compared with the control group, OPRM1 was hypermethylated(p < .01) but there was no significant difference in the methylation level of ALDH2 (p > .05). 9 CpG sites of OPRM1 (p < .05) and 2 CpG sites of ALDH2 (p > .01) were hypermethylated. Smoking promoted AUD-mediated hypermethylation of OPRM1, in which 3 CpG sites showed significant hypermethylation (p < .01). Age had no significant effect on the DNA methylation levels of these two genes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that DNA hypermethylation of the OPRM1 and ALDH2 promoter regions is associated with an increased risk of AUD, which may help to explain the pathogenesis and progression of AUD.

Allium macrostemon Bunge. exerts analgesic activity by inhibiting NaV1.7 channel.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Allium macrostemon Bunge. is an edible Chinese herb traditionally used for the treatment of thoracic pain, stenocardia, heart asthma and diarrhea. Although its biological potential has been extensively proven such as antioxidant activity, antiplatelet aggregation, vasodilation and antidepressant-like activity, there are no reports in the literature regarding its pharmacological analgesic activity. AIM OF THE STUDY: The study was carried out to examine the anti-nociceptive activity of the crude extract of A. macrostemon bulbs and interpret its likely molecular target. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bulbs of A. macrostemon were gathered, dried-up, and extracted with water (AMWD). AMWD was subjected to activity testing, using chemical-induced (acetic acid and formalin test) and heat-induced (hot plate) pain models. To evaluate the likely mechanistic strategy involved in the analgesic effect of AMWD, whole-cell patch clamp recordings were conducted in acutely dissociated dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells expressing pain-related receptors. Electrophysiological methods were employed to detect the action potentials of DRG neurons and potential targets of A. macrostemon. RESULTS: AMWD showed significant palliative effect in all heat and chemical induced pain assays. Moreover, AMWD significantly reduces the excitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons by reducing the firing frequency of action potentials. Further analysis revealed that voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 is the potential target of A. macrostemon for its analgesic activity. CONCLUSION: This study has brought new scientific evidence of preclinical efficacy of A. macrostemon as an anti-nociceptive agent. Apparently, these effects are involved with the inhibition of the voltage-sensitive Nav1.7 channel contributing to the reduction of peripheral neuronal excitability. Our present study justifies the folkloric usage of A. macrostemon as a remedy for several pain states. Furthermore, A. macrostemon is a good resource for the development of analgesic drugs targeting Nav1.7 channel.

Transcriptomic and Histological Analysis of the Response of Susceptible and Resistant Cucumber to Meloidogyne incognita Infection Revealing Complex Resistance via Multiple Signaling Pathways.

The root-knot nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne incognita, is a devastating pathogen for cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) specially in production under protected environments or continuous cropping. High level RKN resistance has been identified in African horned melon Cucumis metuliferus (CM). However, the resistance mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the comparative analysis on phenotypic and transcriptomic responses in the susceptible cucumber inbred line Q24 and the resistant CM, after M. incognita infection, was performed. The results showed that, in comparison with Q24, the CM was able to significantly reduce penetration numbers of second stage juveniles (J2), slow its development in the roots resulting in fewer galls and smaller giant cells suggesting the presence of host resistance in CM. Comparative transcriptomes analysis of Q24 and CM before and after M. incognita infection was conducted and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with host resistance were identified in CM. Enrichment analyses revealed most enriched DEGs in Ca2+ signaling, salicylic acid (SA)/jamonate signaling (JA), as well as auxin (IAA) signaling pathways. In particular, in CM, DEGs in the Ca2+ signaling pathway such as those for the calmodulin and calcium-binding proteins were upregulated at the early stage of M. incognita infection; genes for SA/JA synthesis/signal transduction were markedly activated, whereas the IAA signaling pathway genes were inhibited upon infection suggesting the importance of SA/JA signaling pathways in mediating M. incognita resistance in CM. A model was established to explain the different molecular mechanisms on M. incognita susceptibility in cucumber and resistance to M. incognita infection in CM.

Meningitic Escherichia coli α-hemolysin aggravates blood-brain barrier disruption via targeting TGFß1-triggered hedgehog signaling.

Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening infectious disease with severe neurological sequelae and a high mortality rate, in which Escherichia coli is one of the primary Gram-negative etiological bacteria. Meningitic E. coli infection is often accompanied by an elevated blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. BBB is the structural and functional barrier composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), astrocytes, and pericytes, and we have previously shown that astrocytes-derived TGFß1 physiologically maintained the BBB permeability by triggering a non-canonical hedgehog signaling in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). Here, we subsequently demonstrated that meningitic E. coli infection could subvert this intercellular communication within BBB by attenuating TGFBRII/Gli2-mediated such signaling. By high-throughput screening, we identified E. coli α-hemolysin as the critical determinant responsible for this attenuation through Sp1-dependent TGFBRII reduction and triggering Ca2+ influx and protein kinase A activation, thus leading to Gli2 suppression. Additionally, the exogenous hedgehog agonist SAG exhibited promising protection against the infection-caused BBB dysfunction. Our work revealed a hedgehog-targeted pathogenic mechanism during meningitic E. coli-caused BBB disruption and suggested that activating hedgehog signaling within BBB could be a potential protective strategy for future therapy of bacterial meningitis.

Identification of prognostic factors and construction of a nomogram for patients with relapse/refractory adult-onset Still's disease.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the risk factors for relapse/refractory adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and to construct and validate a prognostic nomogram for predicting the individual risk of relapse/refractory disease. METHOD: A total of 174 patients were included in our study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify relapse/refractory-associated factors, which were used to construct nomograms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the predictive ability of the nomograms. RESULTS: Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses showed that age, fever, disease duration, platelet count, serum ferritin level, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were independent unfavourable factors for relapse/refractory AOSD (p < 0.05). We constructed a 6-factor nomogram based on univariate and multivariate logistic analyses. ROC analysis indicated that the area under the curve of the 6-factor nomogram in the training set and test set was 0.765 and 0.714, respectively. In addition, the calibration curves showed excellent prediction accuracy, and DCA showed superior net benefit in the 6-factor nomograms. Moreover, we evaluated the predictive effectiveness of our nomogram in females and young adults. The results showed that our 6-factor nomogram has the same predictive ability in both subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Novel nomograms based on clinical characteristics were developed and may be applied to help predict the individual risk of poor prognosis of patients. Key Points • Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for relapse/refractory adult-onset Still's disease. • We then constructed a nomogram for predicting disease risk. • ROC analysis, calibration curves, and DCA all showed that the nomogram exerted good prediction ability in both the training set and test set. • The nomogram has the same predictive ability in both female and young adult subgroups.

Experimental Observation of Tensor Monopoles with a Superconducting Qudit.

Monopoles play a center role in gauge theories and topological matter. There are two fundamental types of monopoles in physics: vector monopoles and tensor monopoles. Examples of vector monopoles include the Dirac monopole in three dimensions and Yang monopole in five dimensions, which have been extensively studied and observed in condensed matter or artificial systems. However, tensor monopoles are less studied, and their observation has not been reported. Here we experimentally construct a tunable spin-1 Hamiltonian to generate a tensor monopole and then measure its unique features with superconducting quantum circuits. The energy structure of a 4D Weyl-like Hamiltonian with threefold degenerate points acting as tensor monopoles is imaged. Through quantum-metric measurements, we report the first experiment that measures the Dixmier-Douady invariant, the topological charge of the tensor monopole. Moreover, we observe topological phase transitions characterized by the topological Dixmier-Douady invariant, rather than the Chern numbers as used for conventional monopoles in odd-dimensional spaces.

Genetic variation of 20 autosomal STR loci in the Han nationality in Central Yunnan, Southwest China.

A total of 20 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci from 2220 unrelated healthy individuals of Han population living in the central area of Yunnan province, Southwest China were amplified with the PowerPlex® 21 System. After Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium examination, the allele frequencies and forensic statistical parameters of 20 STR loci were evaluated. A total of 298 alleles and 1225 genotypes were observed for all the 20 loci. The allele frequencies varied from 0.0002 to 0.5130. The combined power of discrimination and the combined probability of exclusion of all 20 STR loci were 0.99999999521565 and 0.999999999999999999999999637, respectively. Meanwhile, genetic distances between Central Yunnan Han and 17 previously published populations were compared and a neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree was developed and visualized by using MEGA 7 based on Nei's standard genetic distance. The results demonstrated that these loci were highly polymorphic in the Han nationality in Central Yunnan, Southwest China and could be applied in forensic medicine and population genetics.

Laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection in systemic lupus erythematosus: Risk profiling and short-term mortality.

OBJECTIVES: To delineate laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (LCBI), analyze risk factors for its occurrence and predictors for its short-term mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.Methods A single center, retrospective, case-controlled study was performed in 159 SLE patients (2013-2019) to identify risk factors of LCBI by comparing patients with LCBI (n = 39) to those without infection (n = 120). The predictors associated with 30-day mortality in LCBI patients were also analyzed. RESULTS: Altogether 40 bacteria strains were isolated in 39 LCBI patients with a predominance of the gram-negative bacilli (24 strains, 60.0%). Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were the leading Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms, respectively. Occurrence of LCBI was independently predicted by: SLE disease duration >4 years, SLEDAI score >4 points, glucocorticoids dose >7.5 mg/d and the previous or concomitant occurrence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) or thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Based on the identified risk factors, we developed a matrix model for the risk of future LCBI. The 30-day mortality (39 cases) was 23.1% and healthcare-associated LCBI was a predictor for 30-day mortality in SLE patients compared with community-acquired LCBI. CONCLUSION: Longer duration, higher disease activity and glucocorticoids dose, and occurrence of AIHA or TMA were risk factors of LCBI in SLE and its poor short-term prognosis may attribute to healthcare-associated LCBI.

Erratum: Experimental Measurement of the Quantum Metric Tensor and Related Topological Phase Transition with a Superconducting Qubit [Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 210401 (2019)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.210401.

Predictive factors and prognosis of macrophage activation syndrome associated with adult-onset Still's disease.

OBJECTIVES: To summarise the clinical data of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) patients and analyse their clinical manifestations, predictors for the formation and prognosis of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 182 AOSD hospitalised patients from the Department of Rheumatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China from January 2012 to August 2018, including 11 patients with pathogenesis of MAS. RESULTS: Compared with the patients without MAS, the patients with MAS had a higher incidence of splenomegaly and pericarditis at the initial diagnosis of AOSD. The number of platelets (PLT) and the concentration of fibrinogen (FIB), D-Dimer and ferritin were significantly higher in AOSD-MAS patients. Multivariate regression analysis showed that splenomegaly (OR: 5.748, 95% CI: 1.378-23.984, p=0.016), pericarditis (OR: 6.492, 95% CI: 1.43-29.461, p=0.015), and ferritin >2000 µg/L (OR: 4.715, 95% CI: 1.12-19.86, p=0.035) were risk factors for MAS. Survival analysis indicated that the mortality of AOSD-MAS patients was significantly higher than patients without MAS. CONCLUSIONS: Splenomegaly, pericarditis and elevated ferritin concentration are risk factors for MAS formation in AOSD patients. MAS resulted in a significant decrease in the survival rate of the AOSD patients.

Experimental Measurement of the Quantum Metric Tensor and Related Topological Phase Transition with a Superconducting Qubit.

A Berry curvature is an imaginary component of the quantum geometric tensor (QGT) and is well studied in many branches of modern physics; however, the quantum metric as a real component of the QGT is less explored. Here, by using tunable superconducting circuits, we experimentally demonstrate two methods to directly measure the quantum metric tensor for characterizing the geometry and topology of underlying quantum states in parameter space. The first method is to probe the transition probability after a sudden quench, and the second one is to detect the excitation rate under weak periodic driving. Furthermore, based on quantum metric and Berry-curvature measurements, we explore a topological phase transition in a simulated time-reversal-symmetric system. The work opens up a unique approach to explore the topology of quantum states with the QGT.

Transcriptome sequencing and functional analysis of Sedum lineare Thunb. upon salt stress.

Soil salinization is one major constraint to plant geographical distribution, yield, and quality, and as an ideal plant for the "greening" of flat-roofed buildings, Sedum lineare Thunb. has strong tolerance against a variety of environmental adversities including salinity with the underlying mechanism still remaining unknown. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome sequencing on leaf and root samples of NaCl-treated S. lineare Thunb. and identified 584 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were further annotated by gene function classification and pathway assignments using the public data repositories. In addition to the increased gene expression level verified by qRT-PCR, the elevated activities of the corresponding enzymes were also demonstrated for peroxidase (POD), glutathione peroxidases (GPX), and cysteine synthase (CSase) in the NaCl-treated roots. Furthermore, two highly inducible genes without known functions related to salt tolerance were selected to be overexpressed and tested for their effects on salt tolerance in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Upon 150 mM NaCl treatment, 35S:SlCXE but not 35S:SlCYP72A transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings exhibited improved salt resistance as shown by the increased seed germination rates and longer primary roots of transgenic seedlings when compared to wild-type plants. Taken together, this work laid a foundation for a better understanding of the salt adaptation mechanism of S. lineare Thunb. and genes identified could serve as useful resources for the development of more salt-tolerant varieties of other species through genetic engineering.