Neurophysiological features of STN LFP underlying sleep fragmentation in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Sleep fragmentation is a persistent problem throughout the course of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the related neurophysiological patterns and the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. METHOD: We recorded subthalamic nucleus (STN) local field potentials (LFPs) using deep brain stimulation (DBS) with real-time wireless recording capacity from 13 patients with PD undergoing a one-night polysomnography recording, 1 month after DBS surgery before initial programming and when the patients were off-medication. The STN LFP features that characterised different sleep stages, correlated with arousal and sleep fragmentation index, and preceded stage transitions during N2 and REM sleep were analysed. RESULTS: Both beta and low gamma oscillations in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep increased with the severity of sleep disturbance (arousal index (ArI)-betaNREM: r=0.9, p=0.0001, sleep fragmentation index (SFI)-betaNREM: r=0.6, p=0.0301; SFI-gammaNREM: r=0.6, p=0.0324). We next examined the low-to-high power ratio (LHPR), which was the power ratio of theta oscillations to beta and low gamma oscillations, and found it to be an indicator of sleep fragmentation (ArI-LHPRNREM: r=-0.8, p=0.0053; ArI-LHPRREM: r=-0.6, p=0.0373; SFI-LHPRNREM: r=-0.7, p=0.0204; SFI-LHPRREM: r=-0.6, p=0.0428). In addition, long beta bursts (>0.25 s) during NREM stage 2 were found preceding the completion of transition to stages with more cortical activities (towards Wake/N1/REM compared with towards N3 (p<0.01)) and negatively correlated with STN spindles, which were detected in STN LFPs with peak frequency distinguishable from long beta bursts (STN spindle: 11.5 Hz, STN long beta bursts: 23.8 Hz), in occupation during NREM sleep (ß=-0.24, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Features of STN LFPs help explain neurophysiological mechanisms underlying sleep fragmentations in PD, which can inform new intervention for sleep dysfunction. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02937727.

The impact of negative cognitive bias on NSSI: mediating non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies.

BACKGROUND: Individuals may be more likely to engage in NSSI due to negative cognitive bias, while the use of negative emotional regulation mechanisms may further contribute to NSSI. Currently, there is a dearth of studies regarding the correlation among the three variables. METHOD: The study employed convenience sampling to collect data via online platforms from a total of 572 college students in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, over the period of January 2024 to February 2024. The questionnaires comprise the Non-Adaptive Cognitive Emotion Srategy Regulation Subscale, the Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Questionnaire, and the NSSI Questionnaire. OUTCOME: Negative cognitive bias significantly and directly influences NSSI, as indicated by a beta coefficient of 0.3788 and a confidence interval of [0.2878, 0.4698]. The existence of negative cognitive bias significantly enhances the impact of non-adaptive cognitive emotion control approaches (ß = 0.5613, CI [0.4808, 0.6418]). Non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies showed a significant effect on NSSI, as indicated by a beta coefficient of 0.2033 and a confidence interval of [0.0942, 0.3125]. The non-adaptive cognitive emotion control strategy serves as an intermediary between negative cognitive bias and NSSI, explaining 30.12% of the overall impact. IN CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies play a partially moderating role in the relationship between negative cognitive bias and NSSI among nursing students. We emphasize the importance of non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, negative cognitive biases, and NSSI among nursing students. In order to reduce the occurrence of NSSI, it is important for schools, families, and teachers to work together closely and implement a well-organized and efficient intervention to protect the mental well-being of nursing students.

Identifying the personal characteristics of decent work perception for nursing students in China using latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: Given the importance of perceptions of decent work for nursing students' future career choices, we attempted to determine potential classifications and characteristics of nursing students' perceptions of decent work so that targeted interventions could be developed. METHODS: A convenience sample of 1004 s- to fourth-year nursing students completed the General Information Questionnaire, Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale, Occupational Identity Questionnaire, and Decent Work Perceptions Scale in a cross-sectional survey in Heilongjiang Province, China, resulting in 630 valid questionnaires with a valid return rate of 62.75%. Nursing students' perceptions of decent work were defined using descriptive and regression analysis. RESULTS: Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified three subgroups: low perceived decent work group, medium perceived decent work group, and high perceived decent work group, accounting for 4.76%, 69.37%, and 25.87% of the sample, respectively. The results of unordered multiclass logistic regression show that nursing students with relatively low levels of perceived decent work are more likely to have a low professional identity, a lack of respect for nursing seniors, an involuntary choice of nursing major, and a low family income. CONCLUSION: Different types of nursing students have different perceptions of decent work, and these universities and related departments can use different educational guidance strategies.

Exploring the influencing factors of patient safety competency of clinical nurses: a cross-sectional study based on latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical nurses play an important role in ensuring patient safety. Nurses' work experience, organizational environment, psychological cognition, and behavior can all lead to patient safety issues. Improving nurses' attention to patient safety issues and enhancing their competence in dealing with complex medical safety issues can help avoid preventable nursing adverse events. Therefore, it is necessary to actively identify the latent profiles of patient safety competency of clinical nurses and to explore the influencing factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was conducted. A total of 782 Chinese registered nurses were included in the study. Demographic characteristics questionnaire, Error Management Climate scale, Security Questionnaire, Proactive Behavior Performance scale and Patient Safety Competency Self-Rating Scale of Nurses were used. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to categorize nurses into latent subgroups with patient safety competency differences. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to explore the influencing factors of nurses' patient safety competency (PSC) in different latent profiles. RESULTS: A total of 782 questionnaires were valid. Nurses' PSC was positively related to error management climate, and psychological safety and proactive behavior. The PSC score was 121.31 (SD = 19.51), showing that the PSC of clinical nurses was at the level of the medium on the high side. The error management climate score was 70.28 (SD = 11.93), which was at a relatively high level. The psychological safety score was 61.21 (SD = 13.44), indicating a moderate to low level. The proactive behavior score was 37.60 (SD = 7.33), which was at a high level. The latent profile analysis result showed that three groups of profile models were fitted acceding to the evaluation of PSC. They were defined as Low-competency Group (74 (9.5%)), Medium-competency Group (378 (48.3%)) and High-competency Group (330 (42.2%). Working years, professional titles, departments, error management climate, psychological security and proactive behavior were the influencing factors of PSC in three latent profiles. CONCLUSIONS: The PSC of clinical nurses had obvious classification characteristics, and the main influencing factors were working years, professional titles, working departments, error management climate, psychological security and proactive behavior. This study suggests that managers should pay attention to the continuous cultivation of patient safety competence among clinical nurses, provide targeted intervention measures for nurses at different work stages, professional titles, and departments, and use efficient management strategies to create a positive error management atmosphere. In patient safety management, providing nurses with more psychological security is conducive to stimulating more proactive behaviors and continuously improving the level of patient safety competence.

Modulation of intestinal metabolites by calorie restriction and its association with gut microbiota in a xenograft model of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor, and its occurrence and development are closely related to dysbiosis of gut microbes. Previously, we found calorie restriction altered the composition of the microbial community in a colorectal cancer mouse model and inhibited in vivo growth of CRC cells. Here, we aim to further investigate alteration in the intestinal metabolites and explore the interplay between gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites upon calorie restriction. METHODS: Human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells were used to establish a colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model. The changes of intestinal metabolites in the ad libitum group and calorie restriction group were investigated through untargeted metabolomics analysis. The integrative analysis of gut microbiota and metabolites to elucidate the associations between gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites. RESULTS: Compared with the mice in the ad libitum group, mice upon calorie restriction exhibited downregulation of Isoleucyl-Valine, and upregulation of D-Proline, 1-Palmitoylphosphatidylcholine, and 4-Trimethylammoniobutanoic acid. Additionally, an integrative analysis of gut microbiota and metabolites revealed that Lactobacillus, Parabacteroides and rC4-4 genus were upregulated in the calorie restriction group and positively correlated with D-Proline, 4-Trimethylammoniobutanoic acid or 1-Palmitoylphosphatidylcholine, while negatively correlated with Isoleucyl-Valine. In contrast, the Nitrospirae and Deferribacteres phylum exhibited opposite trends. CONCLUSION: Calorie restriction affects the abundance of gut microbes such as Nitrospirae phylum and Lactobacillus genus in mouse model of colorectal cancer, leading to changes in the metabolites such as D-Proline、Isoleucyl-Valine, which contributes to the suppression of in vivo growth of CRC by calorie restriction.

Mechanism of Action of the Plateau-Adapted Gene PPARA in COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex respiratory disorder influenced by various factors and involving multiple genes. Respiratory dysfunction in COPD patients leads to hypoxia, resulting in limited oxygen uptake. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARA) is a plateau-adapted gene that regulates respiratory function in populations adapted to high-altitude areas through multiple pathways. Interestingly, PPARA expression is higher in long-term inhabiting Tibetan populations that have adapted to the plateau environment. However, in patients with COPD, the expression of PPARA is downregulated, leading to dysregulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway. Moreover, abnormal PPARA expression in lung epithelial cells triggers inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and disrupted lipid metabolism, thereby exacerbating disease progression. Thus, this paper explored the mechanism underlying the role of plateau-adapted PPARA in COPD, providing essential theoretical insights into the treatment and prevention of COPD in high-altitude regions.

GSTP1 rs4147581 C>G and NLRP3 rs3806265 T>C as Risk Factors for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory ailment influenced by a blend of genetic and environmental factors. Inflammatory response and an imbalance in oxidative-antioxidant mechanisms constitute the primary pathogenesis of COPD. Glutathione S-transferase P1(GSTP1) plays a pivotal role as an antioxidant enzyme in regulating oxidative-antioxidant responses in the pulmonary system. The activation of the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain (NLRP3) inflammatory vesicle can trigger an inflammatory response. Several investigations have implicated GSTP1 and NLRP3 in the progression of COPD; nonetheless, there remains debate regarding this mechanism. Methods: Employing a case-control study design, 312 individuals diagnosed with COPD and 314 healthy controls were recruited from Gansu Province to evaluate the correlation between GSTP1 (rs4147581C>G and rs1695A>G) and NLRP3 (rs3806265T>C and rs10754558G>C) polymorphisms and the susceptibility to COPD. Results: The presence of the GSTP1 rs4147581G allele substantially elevated the susceptibility to COPD (CGvs.CC:OR=3.11,95% CI=1.961-4.935, P<0.001;GGvs.CC:OR=2.065,95% CI=1.273-3.350, P=0.003; CG+GGvs.CC:OR=2.594,95% CI=1.718-3.916, P<0.001). Similarly, the NLRP3rs3806265T allele significantly increased the susceptibility to COPD (TC:TT:OR=0.432,95% CI=0.296-0.630; TC+CCvs.TT:OR=2.132,95% CI=1.479-3.074, P<0.001). However, no statistically significant association was discerned between the rs1695A>G and rs10754558G>C polymorphisms and COPD susceptibility (P>0.05). Conclusion: In summary, this study ascertained that the GSTP1 rs4147581C>G polymorphism is associated with increased COPD susceptibility, with the G allele elevating the risk of COPD. Similarly, the NLRP3 rs3806265T>C polymorphism is linked to elevated COPD susceptibility, with the T allele heightening the risk of COPD.

Nanozyme-based inulin@nanogold for adhesive and antibacterial agent with enhanced biosafety.

Nanozymes with oxidase or peroxidase-mimicking activity have emerged as a promising alternative for disinfecting resistant pathogens. However, further research and clinical applications of nanozymes are hampered by their low in vivo biosafety and biocompatibility. In this study, inulin-confined gold nanoparticles (IN@AuNP) are synthesized as an antibacterial agent via a straightforward in situ reduction of Au3+ ions by the hydroxyl groups in inulin. The IN@AuNP exhibits both peroxidase-mimicking and oxidase-mimicking catalytic activities, of which the maximum reaction velocity (Vmax) for H2O2 is 2.66 times higher than that of horseradish peroxidase. IN@AuNP can catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in effective antibacterial behavior against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Abundant hydroxyl groups retained in inulin endow the nanozyme with high adhesion to bacteria, reducing the distance between the captured bacteria and ROS, achieving an antibacterial ratio of 100 % within 1 h. Importantly, due to the natural biosafety and non-absorption of the dietary fiber inulin, as well as the inability of inulin-trapped AuNP to diffuse, the IN@AuNP exhibits high biosafety and biocompatibility under physiological conditions. This work is expected to open a new avenue for nanozymes with great clinical application value.

More homework improve mathematics achievement? Differential effects of homework time on different facets of students' mathematics achievement: A longitudinal study in China.

BACKGROUND: Mathematics homework is highly prevalent in East Asia. Teachers and parents expect mathematics homework to improve students' performance; however, studies have not clearly defined the effectiveness of the assignment of different amounts of homework. AIMS: This study analyses the differential effect of homework amount on various facets of Chinese students' mathematics achievement using a longitudinal design. It aims, thereby, to contribute to the existing knowledge of homework effectiveness and mathematics learning and to provide insights for student development. SAMPLE: The sample included 2383 grade 9 students from a mid-sized city with a moderate level of economic and educational development in central China. METHODS: We administered a student-reported questionnaire, collected school reports of mathematics achievements to track retrospective longitudinal variations in mathematics over half a year and analysed the differential effectiveness of homework on mathematics achievement at four hierarchical cognitive levels with Hierarchical Linear Model. RESULTS: The results indicated that assigning more homework at the class level could enhance students' mathematics achievement at a low cognitive level, although this effectiveness tended to disappear when the set homework time reached about 1.5-2 h. We did not find evidence that assigning more homework enhances students' mathematics achievement at higher cognitive levels. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study provides evidence on the effectiveness of homework and offers implications for educational practice and future research.

The effect of an escape room game on college nursing students' learning attitude and game flow experiences in teaching safe medication care for the elderly: an intervention educational study.

BACKGROUND: In the context of an aging population, the Gerontological Nursing course is becoming more and more important. Escape room games have been shown to have a positive effect on nursing education, but they have not been applied in the Gerontological Nursing course. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding an escape room game-based learning activity at the end of classroom teaching in a Gerontological Nursing course on nursing students' learning attitude and game flow experience. METHODS: In April 2023, a total of 84 nursing students from two classes at a medical school in Northeast China were selected for the study, and the classes were divided into a test group (n = 41) and a control group (n = 43). Both groups received regular classroom teaching on "Safe Medication Care for the Elderly", and the test group participated in an escape room game at the end of the classroom teaching. General information about the nursing students in both groups was collected prior to participation; learning attitude were measured before and after participation; and game flow experience was measured before and after participation in the test group. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and paired samples t-tests. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the general information and learning attitude of nursing students between the two groups before participation. After participation, the total learning attitude score of nursing students in the test group was (73.17 ± 1.67) and that of the control group was (61.63 ± 2.66), and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 5.196). The game flow experience of nursing students in the test group before and after participation was (63.27 ± 2.48) and (81.29 ± 2.49), respectively, and the difference between before and after was statistically significant (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 5.253). CONCLUSIONS: During the teaching process of the Gerontological Nursing course, an escape room game added at the end of classroom teaching can improve nursing students' learning attitude and also help them to have a good game flow experience. These findings suggest that teaching activities based on the escape room game have considerable practical application value.

Risk-prediction model for incident hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea based on SpO2 signals.

This work proposes a method utilizing oxygen saturation (SpO2) for predicting incident hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We extracted time domain features and frequency domain features from the SpO2 signal. For prediction, we employed several machine learning algorithms to establish the 3-year risk prediction model in the Chinese Sleep Health Study, including 250 subjects without baseline hypertension who underwent sleep monitoring. The proposed random forest model achieved an accuracy of 84.4%, a sensitivity of 77.0%, a specificity of 91.5% and an area under the receiver operator characteristic of 84.3% using 10-fold crossvalidation. We show that the model outperformed two sleep medicine specialists using clinical experience to predict hypertension. Furthermore, we applied the prediction results in the public Sleep Heart Health Study database and showed the subjects who were predicted to have hypertension would be at a higher risk in 4-6 years. This work shows the potential of SpO2 signal during sleep for the prediction of hypertension and could be beneficial to the early detection and timely treatment of hypertension in OSA patients.Clinical Relevance-There is no prediction model for incident hypertension in OSA patients in clinical practice. Most patients are unaware of health complexity, symptoms and risk factors before hypertension. Establishing an accurate prediction model can effectively provide early intervention for OSA patients and reduce the prevalence of hypertension.

Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients.

Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is a common malignant tumor, and the role of the protein PFKFB4 in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways is crucial. Researchers investigated the clinical significance of PFKFB4 in COAD by studying its expression in 79 tissue samples using immunohistochemistry. We found that PFKFB4 expression was significantly higher in COAD patients, particularly in the sigmoid colon. Interestingly, high PFKFB4 expression was associated with both improved overall survival (OS) and worse progression-free survival (PPS) in COAD patients. Further analysis revealed that genes associated with PFKFB4 were linked to various metabolic pathways, including amino acid biosynthesis, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glucose metabolism, and inflammatory response. PFKFB4 expression also showed correlations with the infiltration of different immune cell types in COAD patients, such as CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, active mast cells, and resting NK cells. Overall, the relationship between PFKFB4 expression and the prognosis of COAD is complex and diverse, possibly playing different roles at different stages of the disease. Moreover, its mechanism might involve interactions with various metabolic pathways and immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential role of PFKFB4 as a biomarker or therapeutic target in COAD.

Coagulation and ozonation treatment of biologically treated wastewater from recycled paper pulping industry: effect on the change of organic compounds.

Recycled paper pulping wastewater (RPPW) will cause serious environmental problems due to the high loads of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and toxic components. In the present work, the degradation of DOM in the biologically treated RPPWs (cardboard wastewater (CW) and corrugated container wastewater (CCW)) by a combined coagulation and ozonation process was investigated. The optimal chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of CW reached 73.64% at aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) dosage of 800 mg/l, aeration aperture of 10 µm, pH of 9, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) dosage of 100 mg/l, and reaction time of 70 min. The optimal COD removal of CCW reached 55.76% at a poly-aluminum chloride (PAC) dosage of 700 mg/l, H2O2 dosage of 140 mg/l, and reaction time of 50 min. This study provided some insights into the change of DOM during the combined treatment through the use of UV-Vis spectroscopy and excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEM). PAC and Al2(SO4)3 removed high molecular weight organic such as lignin and lignin-derived compounds to improve the biodegradability of the wastewater. Ozone oxidized high molecular weight organic with complex functional groups to low molecular weight organic with simple functional groups and even mineralization, and this phenomenon resulted in the COD of ozonation effluent significantly reduced. Thus, the results presented in this study support the application of the combined coagulation and ozonation process in treating RPPW.

SDH mutations, as potential predictor of chemotherapy prognosis in small cell lung cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive and rapidly progressive malignant tumor characterized by a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy remains the primary treatment in clinical practice; however, reliable biomarkers for predicting chemotherapy outcomes are scarce. METHODS: In this study, 78 SCLC patients were stratified into "good" or "poor" prognosis cohorts based on their overall survival (OS) following surgery and chemotherapeutic treatment. Next-generation sequencing was employed to analyze the mutation status of 315 tumorigenesis-associated genes in tumor tissues obtained from the patients. The random forest (RF) method, validated by the support vector machine (SVM), was utilized to identify single nucleotide mutations (SNVs) with predictive power. To verify the prognosis effect of SNVs, samples from the cbioportal database were utilized. RESULTS: The SVM and RF methods confirmed that 20 genes positively contributed to prognosis prediction, displaying an area under the validation curve with a value of 0.89. In the corresponding OS analysis, all patients with SDH, STAT3 and PDCD1LG2 mutations were in the poor prognosis cohort (15/15, 100%). Analysis of public databases further confirms that SDH mutations are significantly associated with worse OS. CONCLUSION: Our results provide a potential stratification of chemotherapy prognosis in SCLC patients, and have certain guiding significance for subsequent precise targeted therapy.

Effects of Pomegranate Peel Polyphenols Combined with Inulin on Gut Microbiota and Serum Metabolites of High-Fat-Induced Obesity Rats.

Pomegranate peel polyphenols (PPPs) and inulin have been reported to have lipid-lowering effects. Here, the effects of PPPs combined with inulin on obesity traits and the change of the gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and serum metabolomics profiles in rats with a high-fat diet (HFD) were investigated. According to the experimental results, PPPs were most effective in reducing the body weight and serum and liver lipid levels. Besides, PPPs ameliorated the disorder of gut microbiota, in particular, the enrichment of SCFA producers, such as Lactobacillus, Roseburia, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, Bacteroides, and Allobaculum, and the depletion of the Blautia and unclassified Lachnospiraceae population. PPPs also regulated the levels of metabolites changed by HFD feeding via tryptophan metabolism, valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, and arachidonic acid metabolism pathways. The correlation analysis showed that PPPs remitted HFD-induced elevation in triglycerides (TGs), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels and lowered high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels through regulating the gut microbiota, SCFAs, and related metabolites. These findings elucidated that PPPs have a good anti-obesity effect. This study extends the understanding of PPP effects on high-fat-induced obesity, which includes the relationship among gut microbiota, SCFAs, serum metabolites, and TG-, IL-6- and TNF-α- lowering and HDL-elevating functions.

Calorie restriction remodels gut microbiota and suppresses tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer in mice.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the consumption of a high-calorie diet is one of its risk factors. Calorie restriction (CR) slows tumor growth in a variety of cancers, including colorectal cancer; however, the mechanism behind this remains unknown. In the present study, CR effectively reduced the tumor volume and weight in a xenograft BALB/c male nude mouse model. In addition, tumor immunohistochemistry revealed that the CR group had significantly higher expression of Bax (P<0.001) and significantly lower levels of Bcl2 (P<0.0001) and Ki67 (P<0.001) compared with control group. Furthermore, data from 16S ribosomal (r)RNA sequencing implied that CR was able to reprogram the microbiota structure, characterized by increased Lactobacillus constituent ratio (P<0.05), with amelioration of microbial dysbiosis caused by CRC. Further receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that the bacteria Bacteroides [area under the curve (AUC)=0.800], Lactobacillus (AUC=0.760) and Roseburia (AUC=0.720) served key roles in suppression of CRC in the mouse model. The functional prediction of intestinal flora indicated 'cyanoamino acid metabolism' (P<0.01), 'replication initiation protein REP (rolling circle plasmid replication)' (P<0.01), 'tRNA G10 N-methylase Trm11' (P<0.01) and 'uncharacterized protein with cyclophilin fold, contains DUF369 domain' (P<0.05) were downregulated in CR group. These findings implied that CR suppressed CRC in mice and altered the gut microbiota.

A Convolutional Dynamic-Jerk-Planning Algorithm for Impedance Control of Variable-Stiffness Cable-Driven Manipulators.

Cable-driven manipulators, characterized by slender arms, dexterous motion, and controllable stiffness, have great prospects for application to capture on-orbit satellites. However, it is difficult to achieve effective motion planning and stiffness control of cable-driven manipulators because of the coupled relationships between cable lengths, joint angles, and reaction forces. Therefore, a convolutional dynamic-jerk-planning algorithm is devised for impedance control of variable-stiffness cable-driven manipulators. First, a variable-stiffness cable-driven manipulator with universal modules and rotary quick-change modules is designed to overcome difficulties related to disassembly, installation, and maintenance. Second, a convolutional dynamic-jerk-planning algorithm is devised to overcome the discontinuity and shock problems of the manipulator's velocity during intermittent control processes. The algorithm can also make acceleration smooth by setting jerk dynamically, reducing acceleration shock and ensuring the stable movement of the cable-driven manipulator. Third, the stiffness of the cable-driven manipulator is further optimized by compensating for the position and velocity of drive cables by employing position-based impedance control. Finally, the prototype of the variable-stiffness cable-driven manipulator is developed and tested. The convolutional dynamic-jerk-planning algorithm is used to plan the desired velocity curves for velocity control experiments of the cable-driven manipulator. The results verify that the algorithm can improve the acceleration smoothness, thereby making movement smooth and reducing vibrations. Furthermore, stiffness control experiments verify that the cable-driven manipulator has ideal variable stiffness capabilities.

Biochar-supported Cu nanocluster as an electrochemical ultrasensitive interface for ractopamine sensing.

Electrochemical sensors actually involve an electrocatalytic process involving an efficient and selective energy conversion that is related to the morphology and size of the interface of the modified materials. Ultrasmall nanoclusters or single atoms generate a greater catalytic ability than normal nanomaterials. In this study biochar-supported Cu nanoclusters (CuNCs@CNFs) were fabricated via a carbon confinement synthesis method toward ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing of ractopamine (RAC). RAC is a ß-adrenergic receptor agonist that is illegally used as a feed additive to significantly improve muscle accretion, resulting in RAC accumulation in meat-based food products. The unique structure of CuNCs@CNFs and the interconnectivity between the CuNCs and the CNFs enable the nanocomposite to significantly enhance conductivity and electrocatalytic activity. Using the CuNCs@CNFs-based sensor, RAC was determined with a high sensitivity of 1641 µA µM-1 cm-2. The feasibility of detecting RAC in spiked meat samples was also carried out with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 91.39 % to 94.58 %.

Clinical case control study analysis of vestibular function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of hypoxia degree and sleep duration on vestibular function in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients. We made further study of the low oxygen levels of OSAHS and hypoxic duration on the impact of vestibular function, and further studied the OSAHS the longest apnea time and Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) abnormal rate and the relationship between the vestibular function of canal paralysis (CP). METHODS: A total of 87 OSAHS patients and 47 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. There was no difference in gender, age and body mass index (BMI) values in matched experimental groups. Other diseases of other systems were excluded. All the participants completed sleepiness questionnaires (i.e., the Epworth sleepiness scale and the STOP-BANG questionnaire) and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI). Additionally, a caloric test, positional test, electrocochleogram, and VEMP test were administered to evaluate the vestibular function of all the participants. A polysomnography (PSG) was also performed. RESULTS: The current investigation generated the following three major findings: (I) there was a significant correlation between body mass index and canal paresis [CP; P=0.014, odds ratio (OR) =1.791, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.125-2.851] and a significant positive correlation between the DHI score and VEMP results (P=0.0061, OR =3.667, 95% CI: 1.449-9.276); (II) the CP abnormality rate of the OSAHS group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05); (III) there was a significant correlation between the longest apnea duration and the DHI score (r=-0.191, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The abnormality rate of the vestibular function of OSAHS patients is higher than that of healthy people. OSAHS intermittent hypoxia can affect vestibular function in the inner ear, and the longer the duration of prolonged hypoxia, the more serious the vestibular function damage.