Erythrophagocytosis induced ferroptosis contribute to pulmonary microvascular thrombosis and thrombotic vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Whether primary or just as a complication from the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), thrombosis seems to be an important player in this condition. The cross-talk between red blood cells (RBCs) and pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) and their role in PAH remain undefined. OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to assess the role of RBC-PMVEC interaction in microvascular thrombosis and thrombotic vascular remodeling under hypoxic conditions. METHODS: We established an in vitro hypoxic co-incubation model of RBC and PMVEC as well as a hypoxic mice model. We investigated erythrophagocytosis (EP), ferroptosis, thrombosis tendency, and pulmonary hemodynamics in experimental PAH. RESULTS: We showed that increased EP in PMVEC triggered ferroptosis, enhanced procoagulant activity, and exacerbated vessel remodeling under hypoxic conditions. In the PAH mice model induced by chronic hypoxia, EP-induced ferroptosis followed by upregulated TMEM16F led to a high tendency of thrombus formation and thrombotic vascular remodeling. Inhibition of ferroptosis or silence of TMEM16F could alleviate hypercoagulable phenotype, reverse right ventricular (RV) systolic pressure, RV hypertrophy index, and remodeling of pulmonary vessels. CONCLUSIONS: These results illustrate the pathogenic RBC-PMVEC interactions in PAH. Inhibition EP, ferroptosis, or TMEM16F could be a novel therapeutic target to prevent PAH development and thrombotic complications.

A newly identified Y chromosome gene obp-Y is required for sperm storage in female Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae).

In the organisms with XX/XY sex chromosomes, Y chromosome is unique to males and plays an important role in male reproductive development. The study of Y chromosome genes will contribute to the development of pest genetic prevention and control technology. In this study, we identified 9 Y chromosome genes in Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae), including gene 16222. Protein structure analysis showed that 16222 was highly similar to odorant binding protein, and thus gene 16222 was named obp-Y. Obp-Y knockout (KO) significantly reduced hatching rate of offspring. Sperm detection results showed that obp-Y KO did not affect sperm number in the testes or sperm transfer during mating. We further examined the storage of sperms in females, and found that sperms in females mating with wild-type males began to transfer from spermathecal ducts to the spermathecae at hour 0 after the end of mating (AEM), and at 0-24 h AEM, the sperm count in the spermathecae gradually increased. However, no sperms were observed in spermathecae of females mating with mutant males at hours 0, 4, 8, 24 and 48 AEM. In summary, this study revealed that Y chromosome gene obp-Y was necessary for the storage of sperms in females. Our findings not only provide theoretical basis for elucidating the function of the Y chromosome, but also offer a molecular target for the genetic control over Z. tau.

Gram-negative microflora dysbiosis facilitates tumor progression and immune evasion by activating CCL3/CCL5-CCR1-MAPK-PD-L1 pathway in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Gram-negative micro-flora dysbiosis occurs in multiple digestive tumors and is found to be the dominant micro-flora in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) micro-environment. The continuous stimulation of G- bacterium metabolites may cause tumorigenesis and reshape the micro-immune environment in ESCC. However, the mechanism of G- bacilli causing immune evasion in ESCC remains underexplored. We identified CC Chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) as a tumor-indicating gene in ESCC. Interestingly, expression levels of CCR1 and PD-L1 were mutually up regulated after G- bacilli metabolites lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Firstly, we found CCR1 high expression level to be associated with poor overall survival in ESCC. Importantly, we found that high level expression of CCR1 up-regulated PD-L1 expression by activating MAPK phosphorylation in ESCC and induced tumor malignant behavior. Finally, we found that T cells exhaustion and cytotoxicity suppression were associated with CCR1 expression in ESCC, which were decreased after CCR1 inhibiting. Our work identifies CCR1 as a potential immune check point regulator of PD-L1 and may cause T cell exhaustion and cytotoxicity suppression in ESCC micro-environment and highlights the potential value of CCR1 as therapeutic target of immunotherapy. Implications: The esophageal microbial environment and its metabolites significantly affect the outcome of immunotherapy for ESCC.

Effects and mechanisms of different exogenous organic matters on selenium and cadmium uptake by rice in natural selenium-cadmium-rich soil.

Many natural selenium (Se)-rich rice plants are being polluted by cadmium (Cd). In this study, for reducing Cd concentrations in rice grains while maintaining Se concentrations, the effects of different exogenous organic matters (OMs), such as humic acid (HA), cow manure (CM), and vermicompost (VC), on Se and Cd uptake in rice growing in natural Se-Cd-rich paddy soils were investigated by pot experiments. The Se and Cd concentrations in the soil solution, their species in the soil, and their concentrations and translocations in rice tissues were determined. Results showed that different exogenous OMs exhibited distinct percentage changes in Se and Cd levels in rice grains with amplitudes of -19.42 % and -56.90 % (significant, p < 0.05) in the HA treatments, +10.79 % and -1.72 % in the CM treatments, and +15.83 % and -15.52 % in the VC treatments, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the concentrations of Se and Cd in rice grains might be primarily influenced by their concentrations in the soil solution, rather than the Se/Cd molar ratios in the soil solution or their translocations in rice tissues. HA decreased Se and Cd bioavailability in soil by increasing HA-bound Se and residual Cd, respectively. Meanwhile, HA increased soil solution pH, which was negative for Cd bioavailability but positive for Se bioavailability. This additive effect made HA lowered Cd concentration more than Se concentration in both soil solution and grain. CM and VC did not have this additive effect and thus have limited effects on grain Se and Cd concentrations. In addition, according to grain Se and Cd concentrations, to prioritize reducing Cd in rice, use HA; to prioritize increasing Se in rice, use VC. This study enhances the understanding of Se and Cd uptake mechanisms in rice with the applications of various OMs and offers potential remediation methods for Se-Cd-rich paddy soils.

Imputing spatial transcriptomics through gene network constructed from protein language model.

Image-based spatial transcriptomic sequencing technologies have enabled the measurement of gene expression at single-cell resolution, but with a limited number of genes. Current computational approaches attempt to overcome these limitations by imputing missing genes, but face challenges regarding prediction accuracy and identification of cell populations due to the neglect of gene-gene relationships. In this context, we present stImpute, a method to impute spatial transcriptomics according to reference scRNA-seq data based on the gene network constructed from the protein language model ESM-2. Specifically, stImpute employs an autoencoder to create gene expression embeddings for both spatial transcriptomics and scRNA-seq data, which are used to identify the nearest neighboring cells between scRNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics datasets. According to the neighbored cells, the gene expressions of spatial transcriptomics cells are imputed through a graph neural network, where nodes are genes, and edges are based on cosine similarity between the ESM-2 embeddings of the gene-encoding proteins. The gene prediction uncertainty is further measured through a deep learning model. stImpute was shown to consistently outperform state-of-the-art methods across multiple datasets concerning imputation and clustering. stImpute also demonstrates robustness in producing consistent results that are insensitive to model parameters.

Low-molecular-weight heparin in the prevention of venous thromboembolism among patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: It remains unclear whether low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is effective and safe for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. This study presents a meta-analysis for elucidating effect of LMWH on preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) among ICH patients. METHODS: Articles were located by systematically searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WANFANG DATA, VIP, and SinoMed databases. The literature was independently screened by two authors, who also extracted data and conducted a qualitative evaluation. With regard to outcomes, their risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed, and the findings were combined using the random effects model by using Mantel-Haenszel approach. RESULTS: 30 studies involving 2904 patients were analyzed and compared to control group. According to our findings, early low-dose LMWH, prophylaxis for VTE, was related to the markedly reduced deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (3.6% vs. 17.5%; RR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.18-0.35; p-value<0.00001) and pulmonary embolism (PE) (0.4% vs. 3.2%; RR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.14-0.57; p-value = 0.003), while the non-significantly increased hematoma progression (3.8% vs. 3.4%; RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.68-1.68; p-value = 0.79) and gastrointestinal bleeding (3.6% vs. 6.1%; RR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.31-1.28; p-value = 0.20). Also, mortality (14.1% vs. 15.8%; RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.63-1.28; p-value = 0.55) did not show any significant difference in LMWH compared with control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggested that early low-dose of LMWH are safe and effective in ICH patients. More extensive, multicenter, high-quality randomized clinical trials (RCTs) should be conducted to validate the findings and inform clinical practice.

Flexible organic crystals with multi-stimuli-responsive CPL for broadband multicolor optical waveguides.

Flexible organic crystals, capable of transmitting light and responding to various external stimuli, are emerging as a new frontier in optoelectronic materials. They hold immense potential for applications in molecular machines, sensors, displays, and intelligent devices. Here, we report on flexible organic crystals based on single-component enantiomeric organic compounds, demonstrating multi-stimuli-responsive circularly polarized light (CPL). These crystals exhibit remarkable elasticity, responsiveness to light and acid vapors, and tunable circularly polarized optical signals. Upon exposure to acid vapors, the fluorescence of the crystals shifts from initial yellow emission to green emission, attributable to the protonation-induced inhibition of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer. Under UV irradiation, the fluorescence emission undergoes a red-shift, resulting from the molecular transformation from an enol configuration to a ketone configuration. Notably, both processes are reversible and can be restored under daylight. The integration of reversible fluorescence changes under light and acid vapors stimuli, CPL signals, and flexible optical waveguides within a single crystal paves the way for the application of organic crystals as all-organic chiral functional materials.

Research on mine water source classifications based on BO-CatBoost.

Mine water surge is one of the main safety risks in coal mines. This research offers a novel mine water source identification model (BO-CatBoost) to successfully avoid and control mine sudden water catastrophes by properly identifying the sources of mine water. First, the classification model is trained and built using the Categorical Boosting (CatBoost) algorithm. The Gaussian process Bayesian optimization (BO) algorithm is used to optimize parameters, and the optimal parameter combination is integrated into the CatBoost algorithm to build the BO-CatBoost mine water source identification model, which further improves the accuracy of mine water source identification. The model was also applied to the Pingdingshan mine to verify the practicality of the model. Then, 29 groups of unknown water sources in Pingdingshan were selected as validation samples for the model and compared with the conventional CatBoost, Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (Xgboost) models. The comparison results demonstrate that the accuracy of LightGBM, Xgboost, CatBoost, and BO-CatBoost models can reach 69%, 79.3%, 79.3%, and 100% respectively, and the RMSE is 0.947, 0.643, 0.719, and 0.0 respectively. The comprehensive analysis shows that, when it comes to mine water source detection, the BO-CatBoost model performs noticeably better than other models in terms of discriminative accuracy and generalization capacity. Lastly, the multi-output prediction and decision-making process of the BO-CatBoost water source identification model is visualized by the interpretability analysis performed with the SHAP approach. The research demonstrates that the BO-CatBoost model can more precisely and impartially identify mine water sources, offering fresh concepts for mine water source detection.

Changes in the gut microbiota of esophageal carcinoma patients based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This study conducts a systematic review through meta-analysis, comparing the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome in patients with esophageal cancer and healthy individuals, and explores the relationship between risk factors and related factors of esophageal cancer. Methods: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we comprehensively searched the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library. In addition, we applied the R programming language version 4.0.3 and Stata 15.1 software for data analysis. We also implemented the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), funnel plot analysis, Egger's test, and Begg's test to assess the risk of bias. Results: In this study, a total of 328 studies were identified through the literature search. Among them, 117 duplicate studies were removed, and 202 studies were excluded based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 9 studies were included in the analysis, involving a total of 216 patients with esophageal carcinoma and 352 healthy controls. Four studies provided Chao1 index for quantitative consolidation (ES = 637.41, 95% CI: 549.16 to 725.66, p = 0.000, I2 = 98.2%). Two studies [27, 29] reported ACE index (ES = 438.89, 95% CI: 362.42 to 515.35, p = 0.000, I2 = 97%). Seven studies [26,27,29,30,32] reported the Shannon index for quantitative consolidation (ES = 4.38, 95% CI: 3.95 to 4.81, p = 0.000, I2 = 99%). At the phylum level, the abundance of Bacteroidetes(ES = 37.8, 95% CI: 25.75 to 49.85, p = 0.000, I2 = 87.2%) and Proteobacteria(ES = 7.48, 95% CI: 5.02 to 8.85, p = 0.04, I2 = 2.4%) have statistical difference between ESCC and HC. There was no significant difference between ESCC and HC in the abundance of genera(p>0.05). Conclusions: This observational meta-analysis revealed that changes in the GM were correlated with esophageal carcinoma, and variations in some advantageous GM might involve regional differences. Additionally, the study aims to facilitate early diagnosis of esophageal cancer and improve screening and diagnostic efficiency.

The influence of extended fasting on thyroid hormone: local and differentiated regulatory mechanisms.

The hypometabolism induced by fasting has great potential in maintaining health and improving survival in extreme environments, among which thyroid hormone (TH) plays an important role in the adaptation and the formation of new energy metabolism homeostasis during long-term fasting. In the present review, we emphasize the potential of long-term fasting to improve physical health and emergency rescue in extreme environments, introduce the concept and pattern of fasting and its impact on the body's energy metabolism consumption. Prolonged fasting has more application potential in emergency rescue in special environments. The changes of THs caused by fasting, including serum biochemical characteristics, responsiveness of the peripheral and central hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, and differential changes of TH metabolism, are emphasized in particular. It was proposed that the variability between brain and liver tissues in THs uptake, deiodination activation and inactivation is the key regulatory mechanism for the cause of peripheral THs decline and central homeostasis. While hypothalamic tanycytes play a pivotal role in the fine regulation of the HPT negative feedback regulation during long-term fasting. The study progress of tanycytes on thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) release and deiodination is described in detail. In conclusion, the combination of the decrease of TH metabolism in peripheral tissues and stability in the central HPT axis maintains the basal physiological requirement and new energy metabolism homeostasis to adapt to long-term food scarcity. The molecular mechanisms of this localized and differential regulation will be a key research direction for developing measures for hypometabolic applications in extreme environment.

Ultra-Wide Modulation and Reversible Reconfiguration of a Flexible Organic Crystalline Optical Waveguide Between 645 and 731 nm.

Flexible organic crystalline optical waveguides, i.e., delivering input or self-emit lights through various dynamic organic crystals, have attracted increasing attentions in the past decade. However, the modulation of waveguide outputs relies on chemical design and substituent modification, being time-consuming and laborious. Here we report an elastic organic crystal that displays long-distance light transducing capability up to 2.0 cm and ultra-wide modulation of crystalline optical waveguides between red (645 nm) and near infrared (731 nm) in both the pristine and the elastically bent states based on a pre-designed self-absorption effect. The flexible organic crystalline optical waveguides can be precisely and reversibly reconfigured by controlling irradiation point. In addition, deep red amplified spontaneous emissions (ASE) that are able to transduce through a 5.0 mm bent crystal with an ultra-low optical loss coefficient of 0.092 dB/mm has been attained. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of flexible organic ASE waveguides. The present study not only provides a simple yet effective strategy to remarkably modulate flexible organic crystalline optical waveguides but also demonstrates the superiority of laser over normal emission as flexible optical communication elements.

Altered cingulate gyrus subregions functional connectivity in chronic insomnia disorder with anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Chronic insomnia disorder (CID) is commonly associated with mood disorders. The cingulate gyrus (CG) plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of CID and anxiety. However, the specific characteristics of altered brain networks in the CG in CID with anxiety remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of CG functional connectivity (FC) in CID with and without anxiety. METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted on 92 CID and 36 healthy controls (HC). CID was divided into CID with anxiety (CID-A, N = 37) and CID without anxiety (CID-NA, N = 55) groups based on anxiety scores. Using the Human Brainnetome Atlas, the subregion CG FC network was constructed. RESULTS: Compared with HC, CID showed significantly decreased CG FC with the precuneus, middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and hippocampus, while showing significantly increased CG FC with the middle temporal gyrus (MTG)/superior temporal gyrus (STG). In contrast, CID-A showed significantly decreased CG FC with the salience network (insular, putamen) and default mode network (MTG/STG and inferior parietal lobule), while showing significantly increased CG FC with the thalamus and MFG compared to CID-NA. Further, CID-A and CID-NA could be classified with 84.21 % accuracy by using the CG FCs as features. Among these features, the CG FC with MFG, thalamus, and putamen had the highest contribution weights. CONCLUSION: This study revealed specific changes in the brain network of the CG subregion in CID-A. Understanding these CG FC alterations can help identify potential biomarkers specific to CID-A, which may be valuable for early detection and differentiation from other CID subtypes.

Highly passivated TOPCon bottom cells for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.

Tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) silicon solar cells are rising as a competitive photovoltaic technology, seamlessly blending high efficiency with cost-effectiveness and mass production capabilities. However, the numerous defects from the fragile silicon oxide/c-Si interface and the low field-effect passivation due to the inadequate boron in-diffusion in p-type polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) passivated contact reduce their open-circuit voltages (VOCs), impeding their widespread application in the promising perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (TSCs) that hold a potential to break 30% module efficiency. To address this, we have developed a highly passivated p-type TOPCon structure by optimizing the oxidation conditions, boron in-diffusion, and aluminium oxide hydrogenation, thus pronouncedly improving the implied VOC (iVOC) of symmetric samples with p-type TOPCon structures on both sides to 715 mV and the VOC of completed double-sided TOPCon bottom cells to 710 mV. Consequently, integrating with perovskite top cells, our proof of concept of 1 cm2 n-i-p perovskite/silicon TSCs exhibit VOCs exceeding 1.9 V and a high efficiency of 28.20% (certified 27.3%), which paves a way for TOPCon cells in the commercialization of future tandems.

Effectiveness of electro-acupuncture for cognitive improvement on Alzheimer's disease quantified via PET imaging of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1.

INTRODUCTION: Electro-acupuncture (EA) has demonstrated potential in improving mild-to-moderate dementia in clinics, but the underlying scientific target remains unclear. METHODS: EA was administered to APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice, with untreated AD, and wild type (WT) mice serving as controls. The efficacy of EA was assessed by the Morris water maze cognitive functional tests. Brain magnetic resonance imaging-positron emission tomography (PET) scans using [18F]TZ4877 targeting sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) and [18F]AV45 targeting amyloid beta fibrils were conducted. The correlation between regional brain PET quantifications and cognitive functions was analyzed. RESULTS: EA significantly improved cognitive and memory functions of AD (p  = 0.04) and reduced the uptake of [18F]TZ4877 in the cortex (p  = 0.02) and hippocampus (p  = 0.03). Immunofluorescence confirmed colocalizations of S1PR1 with glial fibrillary acidic protein and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry showed a significant reduction of interleukin 1ß and tumor necrosis factor α after EA treatment. DISCUSSION: EA may reverse AD by suppressing neuroinflammation, and the PET imaging of S1PR1 seemed potent in evaluating the treatment for AD patients HIGHLIGHTS: Electro-acupuncture (EA) was administered to APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice, with untreated AD, and wild type (WT) mice serving as controls. The efficacy of EA was assessed by the Morris water maze cognitive functional tests and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging quantifications. PET tracer [18F]AV45 was used to detect amyloid beta deposition. An increased uptake of [18F]AV45 was found in AD compared to WT mice, with significance observed only in the cortex and not in the hippocampus. EA treatment exhibited a trend toward reduced [18F]AV45 uptake in AD mouse brains post-treatment. However, statistical difference was not attained in most brain regions. EA "Baihui (DU20) and Sishencong (EX-HN1)" significantly improved cognitive and memory functions of AD (p = 0.04). Brain magnetic resonance imaging p(MRI)-positron emission tomography (PET) quantifications revealed that significantly reduced the uptake of [18F]TZ4877 in the cortex (p = 0.02) and hippocampus (p = 0.03) after EA treatment. The correlation between PET quantifications and cognitive functions was analyzed and the most notable correlations were found between escape latency (reaction cognitive and memory behavior) and volume distribution (VT) quantifications of [18F]TZ4877. VT quantifications of [18F]TZ4877 in key brain regions for cognitive and memory ability, such as the cortex and hippocampus, positively correlated with platform latency (cortex p < 0.01, r = 0.7102; hippocampus p < 0.01, r = 0.6891). Immunofluorescence confirmed colocalizations of S1PR1 with glial fibrillary acidic protein and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1 in the AD brain. And the EA treatment significantly reduced the signals in the cortex and hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry showed a significant reduction of interleukin 1ß and tumor necrosis factor α after EA treatment. EA reversed AD by suppressing neuroinflammation in the cortex and hippocampus. The S1PR1 targeting PET tracer [18F]TZ4877 showed promise in evaluating the pathological progression of AD in clinical settings.

Short-term (1-3 months) versus standard (12 months) dual antiplatelet therapy following new-generation drug-eluting stent implantation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention mainly receive antiplatelet therapy. However, limited data are available regarding the optimal dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following the implantation of new-generation drug-eluting stent (DES). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of short-term (1-3 months) DAPT and standard (12 months) DAPT after the implantation of a new-generation of DES. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, The Cochrane Library Database, Embase for trials that compared short-term (1-3 months) and standard DAPT after the implantation of next-generation DES were retrieved from all published studies in English until December 31, 2021. The primary endpoint was major bleeding. The secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality, cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis, and all bleeding. RESULTS: This study included a total of 7 randomized controlled trials, comprising 28,344 subjects. Regarding primary endpoints, short-term DAPT exhibited a significantly lower incidence of major bleeding compared with standard DAPT [relative risk (RR): 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): (0.54, 0.81), P < .0001]. For secondary endpoints, there were significant differences between short-term and standard DAPT in all bleeding [RR: 0.59, 95% CI: (0.50, 0.69), P < .00001]. However, no significant differences were identified in all-cause mortality [RR: 0.96, 95% CI: (0.77, 1.18), P = .27], myocardial infarction [RR: 0.98, 95% CI: (0.82, 1.18), P = .86], cardiac death [RR: 0.83, 95% CI: (0.63, 1.10), P = .20], stroke [RR: 1.08, 95% CI: (0.79, 1.47), P = .63], cerebrovascular [RR: 1.08, 95% CI: (0.79, 1.47), P = .63], and stent thrombosis [RR: 1.13, 95% CI: (0.80, 1.57), P = .49] between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing implantation of a new-generation of DES, short-term (1-3 months) DAPT exhibited no inferiority compared with standard (12 months) DAPT in terms of all-cause mortality, cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and definite or probable stent thrombosis compared with standard (12 months) DAPT. However, short-term DAPT appeared superior to standard DAPT in terms of major bleeding and all bleeding.

Advancements in the Heterologous Expression of Sucrose Phosphorylase and Its Molecular Modification for the Synthesis of Glycosylated Products.

Sucrose phosphorylase (SPase), a member of the glycoside hydrolase GH13 family, possesses the ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of sucrose to generate α-glucose-1-phosphate and can also glycosylate diverse substrates, showcasing a wide substrate specificity. This enzyme has found extensive utility in the fields of food, medicine, and cosmetics, and has garnered significant attention as a focal point of research in transglycosylation enzymes. Nevertheless, SPase encounters numerous obstacles in industrial settings, including low enzyme yield, inadequate thermal stability, mixed regioselectivity, and limited transglycosylation activity. In-depth exploration of efficient expression strategies and molecular modifications based on the crystal structure and functional information of SPase is now a critical research priority. This paper systematically reviews the source microorganisms, crystal structure, and catalytic mechanism of SPase, summarizes diverse heterologous expression systems based on expression hosts and vectors, and examines the application and molecular modification progress of SPase in synthesizing typical glycosylated products. Additionally, it anticipates the broad application prospects of SPase in industrial production and related research fields, laying the groundwork for its engineering modification and industrial application.

Evaluation of an Antithrombotic Surface-Coated Flow Diverter in a Rabbit Model without Dual Antiplatelet Drugs.

OBJECTIVE: Flow diverters (FDs) carry the risk of thromboembolic complications associated with the device and bleeding complications associated with dual antiplatelet therapy. We hypothesize that an antithrombotic surface-coated FD (ASCFD) would have less acute thrombus formation and better endothelialization on the device surface compared with uncoated FD. METHODS: A ASCFD was developed. Acute clot formation and chronic endothelialization over the device were assessed in 8 rabbit models compared with its prototype FD (PFD) at 2 hours and 1 month by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histologic images. Nonparametric score data, including thrombus, injury, endothelialization, adventitial inflammation, intramural bleeding, and intimal hyperplasia were compared between ASCFD and PFD using the Kendall coefficient of rank correlation. RESULTS: Parent artery and branch artery were patent on digital subtraction angiography in 8 ASCFDs and 6 PFDs. There was 1 intrastent thrombosis in PFDs at 2 hours and 1 intrastent stenosis in PFDs at 1 month. SEM at 2 hours showed that a large number of blood cells adhered to the surface of all 4 PFDs, and no blood cells were found on the surface of all 4 ASCFDs. At SEM and histologic analysis of 1 month, there was less inflammation (Kendall τ-B -0.818; P ＝ 0.022), less vessel wall injury (Kendall τ-B = -0.764; P ＝ 0.032), and better endothelialization (Kendall τ-B = 0.818; P ＝ 0.022) in ASCFDs. CONCLUSIONS: In the rabbit model, the ASCFD is associated with less thrombus formation at the acute stage, less inflammation, less vessel injury, and better endothelialization on the device surface compared with the PFD.

Nanoparticle LDH enhances RNAi efficiency of dsRNA in piercing-sucking pests by promoting dsRNA stability and transport in plants.

Piercing-sucking pests are the most notorious group of pests for global agriculture. RNAi-mediated crop protection by foliar application is a promising approach in field trials. However, the effect of this approach on piercing-sucking pests is far from satisfactory due to the limited uptake and transport of double strand RNA (dsRNA) in plants. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more feasible and biocompatible dsRNA delivery approaches to better control piercing-sucking pests. Here, we report that foliar application of layered double hydroxide (LDH)-loaded dsRNA can effectively disrupt Panonychus citri at multiple developmental stages. MgAl-LDH-dsRNA targeting Chitinase (Chit) gene significantly promoted the RNAi efficiency and then increased the mortality of P. citri nymphs by enhancing dsRNA stability in gut, promoting the adhesion of dsRNA onto leaf surface, facilitating dsRNA internalization into leaf cells, and delivering dsRNA from the stem to the leaf via the vascular system of pomelo plants. Finally, this delivery pathway based on other metal elements such as iron (MgFe-LDH) was also found to significantly improve the protection against P. citri and the nymphs or larvae of Diaphorina citri and Aphis gossypii, two other important piercing-sucking hemipeteran pests, indicating the universality of nanoparticles LDH in promoting the RNAi efficiency and mortality of piercing-sucking pests. Collectively, this study provides insights into the synergistic mechanism for nano-dsRNA systemic translocation in plants, and proposes a potential eco-friendly control strategy for piercing-sucking pests.

Spatially explicit analysis of production and consumption responsibility for the PM2.5-related health burden towards beautiful China.

Promoting good health and ensuring responsible production and consumption are essential components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by of the United Nations, as well as the goals of beautiful China. While the health impacts of air pollution have garnered significant attention, there remains a paucity of studies comparing the disparities in responsibility arising from production versus consumption. This paper integrates the Weather Research and Forecasting - Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (WRF-CAMx) model, the multiregional input‒output (MRIO) model, and the global exposure mortality model (GEMM) to assess the extent of PM2.5-related premature deaths caused by production and consumption activities in 30 Chinese provinces. The findings reveal a spatial mismatch in health burdens between production and consumption. Considering pollutant emissions and their transfer only through the supply chain leads to the finding that the net outflow of emissions from producers is mainly located in most of the northern provinces of China. However, when atmospheric transport and health impacts are included, the producing provinces are mainly located in central China, while the consuming provinces are located in the southeastern coastal and remote western and northern regions. Additionally, the long-range impact of consumption provinces with respect to the health burden is more than twice as large as that of production provinces, and its potential impact on the health burden cannot be ignored. From a sectoral perspective, production emissions from the non-electricity industry and services sectors contribute to 60% of the health burden, while their consumption emissions contribute to over 80% of the health burden. Furthermore, consumption activities in the non-electricity industry and services sectors significantly influence production emissions in the transport, agriculture, and electricity sectors. The geographical separation of consumption and production regions facilitated by trade is a critical yet often overlooked aspect in current regional air quality planning in China. A more comprehensive analysis of life-cycle emissions driven by final consumption could yield greater reductions compared to direct production reductions.

Triple gene mutations boost amylose and resistant starch content in rice: insights from sbe2b/sbe1/OE-Wxa mutants.

Previous studies have modified rice's resistant starch (RS) content by mutating single and double genes. These mutations include knocking out or reducing the expression of sbe1 or sbe2b genes, as well as overexpressing Wxa . However, the impact of triple mutant sbe2b/sbe1/OE-Wxa on RS contents remained unknown. Here, we constructed a double mutant with sbe2b/RNAi-sbe1, based on IR36ae with sbe2b, and a triple mutant with sbe2b/RNAi-sbe1/OE-Wxa , based on the double mutant. The results showed that the amylose and RS contents gradually increased with an increase in the number of mutated genes. The triple mutant exhibited the highest amylose and RS contents, with 41.92% and 4.63%, respectively, which were 2- and 5-fold higher than those of the wild type, which had 22.19% and 0.86%, respectively. All three mutants altered chain length and starch composition compared to the wild type. However, there was minimal difference observed among the mutants. The Wxa gene contributed to the improvement of 1000-grain weight and seed-setting rate, in addition to the highest amylose and RS contents. Thus, our study offers valuable insight for breeding rice cultivars with a higher RS content and yields.