PARP14 is pro- and anti-viral host factor that promotes IFN production and affects the replication of multiple viruses.

PARP14 is a 203 kDa multi-domain protein that is primarily known as an ADP-ribosyltransferase, and is involved in a variety of cellular functions including DNA damage, microglial activation, inflammation, and cancer progression. In addition, PARP14 is upregulated by interferon (IFN), indicating a role in the antiviral response. Furthermore, PARP14 has evolved under positive selection, again indicating that it is involved in host-pathogen conflict. We found that PARP14 is required for increased IFN-I production in response to coronavirus infection lacking ADP-ribosylhydrolase (ARH) activity and poly(I:C), however, whether it has direct antiviral function remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that the catalytic activity of PARP14 enhances IFN-I and IFN-III responses and restricts ARH-deficient murine hepatitis virus (MHV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication. To determine if PARP14's antiviral functions extended beyond CoVs, we tested the ability of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and several negative-sense RNA viruses, including vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), Ebola virus (EBOV), and Nipah virus (NiV), to infect A549 PARP14 knockout (KO) cells. HSV-1 had increased replication in PARP14 KO cells, indicating that PARP14 restricts HSV-1 replication. In contrast, PARP14 was critical for the efficient infection of VSV, EBOV, and NiV, with EBOV infectivity at less than 1% of WT cells. A PARP14 active site inhibitor had no impact on HSV-1 or EBOV infection, indicating that its effect on these viruses was independent of its catalytic activity. These data demonstrate that PARP14 promotes IFN production and has both pro- and anti-viral functions targeting multiple viruses.

Psychache status and associated contributing factors among the Hakka elderly in Fujian, China.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the state of psychological distress of the elderly in China, and research on specific subgroups such as Hakka older adults is almost lacking. This study investigates psychache and associated factors among Hakka elderly in Fujian, China. METHODS: The data analysed in this study were derived from China's Health-Related Quality of Life Survey for Older Adults 2018. The Chinese version of the Psychache Scale (PAS) was used to assess the frequency and intensity of psychache in Hakka older adults. Generalized linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the main socio-demographic factors associated with psychache overall and its frequency and intensity. RESULTS: A total of 1,262 older adults participated, with mean scores of 18.27 ± 6.88 for total PAS, 12.50 ± 4.79 for PAS-Frequency and 5.77 ± 2.34 for PAS-Intensity. On average, females scored higher than males on PAS-Frequency (ß = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.34, 1.35) and PAS-Intensity (ß = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.22, 0.73). Older adults currently living in towns (ß = -2.18, 95% CI = -2.81, -1.54), with their spouse only (ß = -3.71, 95% CI = -4.77, -2.65), or with children (ß = -3.24, 95% CI = -4.26, -2.22) were more likely to score lower on PAS-Frequency. Conversely, older adults who were regular sleepers (ß = -1.19, 95% CI =-1.49, -0.88) or lived with their spouse only (ß = -1.25, 95% CI = -1.78, -0.72) were more likely to score lower on PAS-Intensity. CONCLUSION: Among Hakka elderly, we found a higher frequency and greater intensity of psychache in females, those with poor health status, irregular sleepers, rural residents, solo dwellers, those with below CNY 10,000 in personal savings, and the medically uninsured. The study's findings indicate that policymakers should give more attention to the susceptible population and implement practical interventions to reduce their psychological burden.

Proteomic biomarkers for noninvasive left atrial appendage thrombus prediction in patients with atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: The CHA2DS2-VASc score, used to assess the risk of left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) formation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), has limited predictive value. Moreover, transesophageal echocardiography imaging, the gold standard diagnostic method to identify thrombi, is semi-invasive. Consequently, there is a need for alternative and noninvasive diagnostic methods for LAAT risk assessment. METHODS: Deep proteomic analysis was conducted in plasma samples from 8 patients with nonvalvular AF, divided into thrombus and control groups (4 patients in each group) based on the presence or absence of LAAT. Biomarkers associated with LAAT were validated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a cohort of 179 patients with available clinical, transthoracic, and transesophageal echocardiography data. Predictive models were developed to assess the improvement in LAAT identification. RESULTS: The LAAT group had higher CHA2DS2-VASc scores, larger LA diameter, and lower LAA flow velocities. Deep proteomic analysis identified 30 differentially expressed proteins, including myosin light chain 4, prenylcysteine oxidase 1 (PCYOX1), and decorin as potential diagnostic biomarkers of LAAT. The model showed that PCYOX1 and decorin provided an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.970 for LAAT prediction compared with 0.672 in a model including the CHA2DS2-VASc score and LAA cauliflower morphology. The incremental value of proteomic biomarkers for LAAT in patients with nonvalvular AF was further confirmed with the net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement indices. CONCLUSIONS: Protein levels of PCYOX1 and decorin improve the predictive performance for LAAT in patients with nonvalvular AF.

Analysis of nearly 3000 archaeal genomes from terrestrial geothermal springs sheds light on interconnected biogeochemical processes.

Terrestrial geothermal springs are physicochemically diverse and host abundant populations of Archaea. However, the diversity, functionality, and geological influences of these Archaea are not well understood. Here we explore the genomic diversity of Archaea in 152 metagenomes from 48 geothermal springs in Tengchong, China, collected from 2016 to 2021. Our dataset is comprised of 2949 archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes spanning 12 phyla and 392 newly identified species, which increases the known species diversity of Archaea by ~48.6%. The structures and potential functions of the archaeal communities are strongly influenced by temperature and pH, with high-temperature acidic and alkaline springs favoring archaeal abundance over Bacteria. Genome-resolved metagenomics and metatranscriptomics provide insights into the potential ecological niches of these Archaea and their potential roles in carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and hydrogen metabolism. Furthermore, our findings illustrate the interplay of competition and cooperation among Archaea in biogeochemical cycles, possibly arising from overlapping functional niches and metabolic handoffs. Taken together, our study expands the genomic diversity of Archaea inhabiting geothermal springs and provides a foundation for more incisive study of biogeochemical processes mediated by Archaea in geothermal ecosystems.

Metabolic reprogramming and interventions in angiogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial cell (EC) metabolism plays a crucial role in the process of angiogenesis. Intrinsic metabolic events such as glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation, and glutamine metabolism, support secure vascular migration and proliferation, energy and biomass production, as well as redox homeostasis maintenance during vessel formation. Nevertheless, perturbation of EC metabolism instigates vascular dysregulation-associated diseases, especially cancer. AIM OF REVIEW: In this review, we aim to discuss the metabolic regulation of angiogenesis by EC metabolites and metabolic enzymes, as well as prospect the possible therapeutic opportunities and strategies targeting EC metabolism. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW: In this work, we discuss various aspects of EC metabolism considering normal and diseased vasculature. Of relevance, we highlight that the implications of EC metabolism-targeted intervention (chiefly by metabolic enzymes or metabolites) could be harnessed in orchestrating a spectrum of pathological angiogenesis-associated diseases.

Development and validation of a prognostic prediction model for cervical cancer patients treated with radical radiotherapy: a study based on TCGA database.

Background: Radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced or inoperable cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC). However, treatment failure for CESC patients treated with radical radiotherapy still occurs due to local recurrence and distant metastasis. The previous prediction models were focused on all CESC patients, neglecting the prognostic differences under different treatment modalities. Therefore, there is a pressing demand to explore novel biomarkers for the prognosis and sensitivity of radiotherapy in CESC patients treated with radical radiotherapy. As a single biomarker has limited effect in stratifying these patients, our objective was to identify radioresponse-related mRNAs to ameliorate forecast of the prognosis for CESC patients treated with radical radiotherapy. Methods: Sample data on CESC patients treated with radical radiotherapy were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We randomly separated these patients into a training and test cohorts using a 1:1 ratio. Differential expression analysis was carried out to identify radioresponse-related mRNA sets that were significantly dysregulated between complete response (CR) and radiographic progressive disease (RPD) groups, and univariate Cox regression analyses, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method and multivariate Cox regression were performed to identify the radioresponse-related signature in the training cohort. we adopted survival analysis to measure the predictive value of the radioresponse-related signature both in the test and entire cohorts. Moreover, we developed a novel nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) of CESC patients treated with radical radiotherapy. In addition, immune infiltration analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were conducted to preliminarily explore possible mechanisms. Results: This study included a total of 92 CESC patients subjected to radical radiotherapy. We developed and verified a risk score model based on radioresponse-related mRNA. The radioresponse-related mRNA signature and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage were served as independent prognostic factors for CESC patients treated with radical radiotherapy. Moreover, a nomogram integrating radioresponse-related mRNA signature with FIGO stage was established to perform better for predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates. Mechanically, the low-risk group under the risk score of this model had a better survival status, and the distribution of CD4 T cells was potentially involved in the regulation of radiotherapy response in CESC, leading to a better survival outcome in the low-risk group. Conclusions: This study presents a new radioresponse-related mRNA signature that shows promising clinical efficacy in predicting the prognosis of CESC patients treated with radical radiotherapy.

The Mediating Role of Psychological Balance on the Effects of Dietary Behavior on Cognitive Impairment in Chinese Elderly.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment, a significant problem in older adults, may be associated with diet. This study aims to examine the association between the dietary diversity score (DDS), dietary pattern (DP), and cognitive impairment in elderly Chinese. This research further explored the role of psychological balance (PB) as a mediator in the relationship between diet and cognitive impairment. METHODS: A total of 14,318 older adults from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS) in 2018 were included. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify patterns in seven food varieties. Binary logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with the DDS, DP, and cognitive impairment. The multiple mediation effect model was evaluated using model 6 in the PROCESS version 3.5 program. RESULTS: Among the participants, 4294 (29.99%) developed cognitive impairment. Compared to people in food variety group two or lower, people with a high dietary diversity score (DDS) had lower odds of cognitive impairment. Compared to DP1, DP2 (OR = 1.24, 95%CI = 1.09 to 1.40) was associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, and DP4 (OR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.69 to 0.89) was associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment. PB mediated the relationship between DDS, DP, and cognitive impairment, with a mediating effect of 27.24% and 41.00%. CONCLUSIONS: A DP that is rich in fruits, vegetables, red meat, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, and milk was related to a lower risk of cognitive impairment. PB has an indirect impact on cognitive impairment. Our findings underscore the importance of promoting a diverse diet, which may contribute to a lower risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. The PB of the elderly should also be taken into consideration.

An Atlas of Dietary Intakes and Medication Uses on Risk of Bladder Cancer: A Wide-Angle Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies suggests that diets and medications affect bladder cancer (BC) development, which are subject to confounding and difficult to make causal inference. Here we aimed to investigate whether those observational associations are causal and determining the potential directions and pathways. METHODS: We used 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to assess associations of dietary intakes, medication uses and molecules with BC risk. Genetic summary data were derived from participants of predominantly European ancestry with rigorous instruments selection, where univariable MR, mediation MR and multivariable MR were performed. RESULTS: The results of univariable MR showed 4 dietary intakes and 4 medication uses having a protective effect on BC, while 4 circulating metabolites, 440 circulating proteins and 2 gut microbes were observed to be causally associated with BC risk. Through mediation MR, we found 572 analytes showing consistent mediating effects between dietary intakes or medication uses and BC risk. Furthermore, 9 out of 16 diet-medication pairs showed significant interactions and alterations on BC when consumed jointly. CONCLUSION: In summary, the findings obtained from the current study have important implications for informing prevention strategies that point to potential lifestyle interventions or medication prescriptions to reduce the risk of developing BC.HighlightsThe current study extends observational literature in showing the importance of diets and medications on bladder cancer prevention.The associations of diets and medications on bladder cancer prevention might be through circulating metabolites, circulating proteins and gut microbiotaOur results provide a new understanding of interactions in certain diet-medication pairs which should be taken into account by both physicians and patients during the development of a treatment strategy.

OsEIN2-OsEIL1/2 pathway negatively regulates chilling tolerance by attenuating OsICE1 function in rice.

Low temperature severely affects rice development and yield. Ethylene signal is essential for plant development and stress response. Here, we reported that the OsEIN2-OsEIL1/2 pathway reduced OsICE1-dependent chilling tolerance in rice. The overexpressing plants of OsEIN2, OsEIL1 and OsEIL2 exhibited severe stress symptoms with excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation under chilling, while the mutants (osein2 and oseil1) and OsEIL2-RNA interference plants (OsEIL2-Ri) showed the enhanced chilling tolerance. We validated that OsEIL1 and OsEIL2 could form a heterxodimer and synergistically repressed OsICE1 expression by binding to its promoter. The expression of OsICE1 target genes, ROS scavenging- and photosynthesis-related genes were downregulated by OsEIN2 and OsEIL1/2, which were activated by OsICE1, suggesting that OsEIN2-OsEIL1/2 pathway might mediate ROS accumulation and photosynthetic capacity under chilling by attenuating OsICE1 function. Moreover, the association analysis of the seedling chilling tolerance with the haplotype showed that the lower expression of OsEIL1 and OsEIL2 caused by natural variation might confer chilling tolerance on rice seedlings. Finally, we generated OsEIL2-edited rice with an enhanced chilling tolerance. Taken together, our findings reveal a possible mechanism integrating OsEIN2-OsEIL1/2 pathway with OsICE1-dependent cascade in regulating chilling tolerance, providing a practical strategy for breeding chilling-tolerant rice.

Development and effectiveness of a BOPPPS teaching model-based workshop for community pharmacists training.

BACKGROUND/AIM: With the pharmaceutical innovation and clinical knowledge updating, the continuing education and on-the-job training are extremely important for improving community pharmacists' professional competence. Previous training often adopted traditional lecture-based teaching, and the efficacy was limited. The aim of this study is to develop a new strategy for community pharmacist training. METHODS: Based on the BOPPPS (Bridge-in, Objective, Pre-assessment, Participatory Learning, Post-assessment and Summary) teaching model and workshop method, a continuing on-the-job training program was constructed. Participates were randomly and evenly divided into two groups by random number table method. Twenty-four community pharmacists in total completed all training contents and evaluation components in this study. Twelve pharmacists in experimental group were trained via this new BOPPPS-based workshop, while others still adopted traditional didactic lecture-based approaches. RESULTS: After training, quantitative examination combined with clinical pharmacy practice tests were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of two training groups. For written exam, the total scores from the BOPPPS-based workshop group (82.67 ± 4.70) was higher than that of traditional lectured-base group (73.75 ± 6.15) (P < 0.001). Encouragingly, compared with the results of practical ability assessment from traditional training group (71.75 ± 4.75), the pharmacists receiving BOPPPS-based workshop training presented more excellent performance (78.25 ± 5.03), which displayed statistically significant differences (P < 0.01). In addition, an anonymous questionnaire was used to survey trainees' feelings after completing this continuing education program. The results revealed that the BOPPPS-based workshop can bring a better learning experience than traditional lecture-based training, and the percentages of positive response to each item were more than 91.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Through multi-dimensional evaluation, it was suggested that our BOPPPS-based workshop achieved desired training effects. Moreover, our research also demonstrated that this strategy had advantages of stimulating inspiration, autonomous learning, team-work spirit and pharmacy practice improvement. It may provide a reference of innovative training method for community pharmacists.

Multi-omics association study of hexadecane degradation in haloarchaeal strain Halogranum rubrum RO2-11.

Haloarchaea with the capacity to degrade alkanes is promising to deal with petroleum pollution in hypersaline environments. However, only a limited number of haloarchaeal species are investigated, and their pathway and mechanism for alkane degradation remain unclear. In this study, Halogranum rubrum RO2-11, a haloarchaeal strain, verified the ability to degrade kerosene and hexadecane in 184 g/L NaCl, with 53% and 52% degradation rates after 9 and 4 days, respectively. Genome sequencing and gene annotation indicated that strain RO2-11 possesses a complete potential alkane-degrading pathway, of which alkane hydroxylases may include CYP450, AlmA, and LadA. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed that the upregulation of related genes in TCA cycle, lysine biosynthesis, and acetylation may help improve hexadecane degradation. Additionally, an alternative degrading pathway of hexadecane based on dual-terminal ß-oxidation may occur in strain RO2-11. It is likely to be the first report of alkane degradation by the genus Halogranum, which may be helpful for applications of oil-pollution bioremediation under high-salt conditions.

A 2D carbon nitride-based electrochemical aptasensor with reverse amplification for highly sensitive detection of okadaic acid in shellfish.

Okadaic acid (OA) is one of the main virulence factors of diarrheal shellfish toxins (DSP). It is of great significance to detect OA with an accurate, specific and cost-effective technique in the fields of seafood safety and water quality control. In this work, an electrochemical aptasensor with reverse amplification was developed for the sensitive detection of OA. A two-dimensional graphite-phase nanomaterial (carbon nitride) modified with an anti-OA aptamer and thionine (Th) was immobilized onto the surface of the electrochemical electrode as the sensitive element to capture target OA molecules. ssDNA-modified carbon nitride was used as the reverse amplification element by hybridizing with non-OA linked aptamers. The preparation of the electrochemical aptasensor was well characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), zeta potential detection, UV-Vis absorption, Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) measurements, and electrochemical measurements. The quantitative assessment of OA was achieved by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Experimental results indicated that this aptasensor showed a concentration-dependent response to OA with a good detection performance including in terms of selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and stability. It exhibited 100-fold selectivity between OA and other toxins including dinophysistoxins (DTX), pectenotoxins (PTX), and yessotoxins (YTX). In addition, it showed a much wider quantification range, which is 10-13 M-10-10 M (0.080-80.50 pg mL-1). The detection limit was as low as 10-13 M (0.080 pg mL-1). The aptasensor also successfully achieved significant practicality on real shellfish samples contaminated by OA. All these results demonstrated that the reverse amplification strategy for marine toxin detection may provide a label-free and rapid detection approach for portable applications in the fields of environmental monitoring and food security.

Combined toxicity of microplastics and copper on Goniopora columns.

As microplastics (MP) become ubiquitous, their interactions with heavy metals threatens the coral ecosystem. This study aimed to assess the combined toxicity of MP and copper (Cu) in the environment of coral. Goniopora columna was exposed to polyethylene microplastics (PE-MP) combined with Cu2+ at 10, 20, 50, 100, and 300 µg/L for 7 days. Polyp length and adaptability were recorded daily, and coral samples were collected at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days to analyse zooxanthellae density and antioxidant activity. Tissue observations and the analysis of MP and Cu2+ accumulation were conducted on the 7th day. After 1 day of exposure, PE-MP combined with different concentrations of Cu2+ significantly decreased polyp length and adaptability compared with PE-MP alone. Simultaneously, a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content, lead to coral oxidative stress, which was a combined effect with PE-MP. After 3 days of exposure, PE-MP combined with Cu2+ at >50 µg/L significantly reduced zooxanthellae density, damaging the coral's symbiotic relationship. In antioxidant enzyme activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased significantly after 1 day of exposure. After 3 days of exposure, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity significantly increased with Cu2+ at >20 µg/L. After 5 days of exposure, PE-MP combined with different concentrations of Cu2+ significantly reduced catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione transferase (GST) activity, disrupting the antioxidant enzyme system, and acting antagonistically to PE-MP alone. Tissue observations revealed that the PE-MP combined with Cu2+ at >50 µg/L caused severe mesenteric atrophy, vacuolar, and Cu2+ accumulation in the coral mesenteric compared with PE-MP alone. The results suggest that combined exposure of PE-MP and copper leads to more severe oxidative stress, disruption antioxidant enzyme system, tissue damage, and Cu2+ accumulation, resulting in a significant maladaptation of corals to the environment.

Response of fulvic acid linking to redox characteristics on methane and short-chain fatty acids in anaerobic digestion of chicken manure.

Fulvic acids (FAs) is formed during the bioconversion of organic matter (OM) to biogas during anaerobic digestion (AD) and has a complex structure and redox function. However, the evolutionary mechanisms of FAs during AD and its interactions with acid and methane production have not been sufficiently investigated, especially at different stages of AD. Intermittent AD experiments by chicken manure and rice husk showed significant structural changes and reduced aromatization of FAs (e.g., O-H stretch6, 14.10-0%; SR, 0.22-0.60). The electron donating capacity (EDC) [9.76-45.39 µmole-/(g C)] and electron accepting capacity (EAC) [2.55-5.20 µmole-/(g C)] of FAs showed a tendency of decreasing and then increasing, and FAs had a stronger electron transfer capacity (ETC) in the methanogenic stage. Correlation analysis showed that the EDC of FAs was influenced by their own structure (C-O stretch2, C-H bend1, C-H bend4, and N-H bend) and also had an inhibitory effect on propionic production, which further inhibited acetic production. The EAC of FAs was affected by molecular weight and had a promoting effect on methane production. Structural equation modelling identified three possible pathways for AD. The C-O stretch2 structure of FAs alone inhibits the production of propionic. In addition, pH can directly affect the EDC of FAs. This study provides a theoretical basis for the structural and functional evolution of FAs in AD of chicken manure on the mechanism of methane production.

A systematic literature review of human papillomavirus vaccination strategies in delivery systems within national and regional immunization programs.

The uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine remains suboptimal despite being a part of routine vaccination within national immunization program(s). This indicates probable challenges with the implementation of HPV immunization program(s) in various countries. The objective of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to identify implementation strategies for HPV vaccination within national and regional immunization programs worldwide with an aim to provide guidance for countries targeting to increase their HPV vaccine coverage rate (VCR). A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Medline and Embase and included articles published between January 2012 and January 2022. Of the 2,549 articles retrieved, 168 met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Strategies shown to improve HPV vaccination uptake in the reviewed literature include campaigns to increase community awareness and knowledge of HPV, health care provider trainings, integrating HPV vaccination within school settings, coordinated efforts via multi-sectoral partnerships, and vaccination reminder and recall systems. Findings may help national authorities understand key considerations for HPV vaccination when designing and implementing programs aiming to increase HPV VCR in adolescents.

Application Value of Cardiometabolic Index for the Screening of Obstructive Sleep Apnea with or Without Metabolic Syndrome.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common chronic disease with various comorbidities. The cardiometabolic index (CMI) reflects visceral fat tissue distribution and function, assessing the risk of obesity-related conditions such as metabolic syndrome (MetS) and stroke, which are strongly connected to OSA. The relationship between CMI with OSA and OSA combined with MetS (OMS) remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the screening value of CMI for OSA and OMS, compared to the lipid accumulation product (LAP). Methods: A total of 280 participants who underwent polysomnography were finally included, with the measurements of metabolic-related laboratory test results such as total cholesterol and triglyceride. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis and calculation of the area under the curve (AUC) were conducted to assess the screening potential of CMI, LAP, and the logistic regression models established based on them for OSA and OMS. The Youden index, sensitivity, and specificity were used to determine the optimal cutoff points. Results: ROC curve analysis revealed that the AUCs for CMI in screening OSA and OMS were 0.808 and 0.797, and the optimal cutoff values were 0.71 (sensitivity 0.797, specificity 0.776) and 0.89 (sensitivity 0.830, specificity 0.662), respectively, showing higher Youden index than LAP. The AUCs of screening models based on CMI for OSA and OMS were 0.887 and 0.824, respectively. Conclusion: CMI and LAP can effectively screen for OSA and OMS, while CMI has more practical cutoff values for identifying the diseased states. Screening models based on CMI demonstrate a high discriminatory ability for OSA and OMS, which needs verification in a large-scale population.

Ultrasound radiomics signature for predicting central lymph node metastasis in clinically node-negative papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Whether prophylactic central lymph node dissection is necessary for patients with clinically node-negative (cN0) papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) remains controversial. Herein, we aimed to establish an ultrasound (US) radiomics (Rad) score for assessing the probability of central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in such patients. METHODS: 480 patients (327 in the training cohort, 153 in the validation cohort) who underwent thyroid surgery for cN0 PTMC at two institutions between January 2018 and December 2020 were included. Radiomics features were extracted from the US images. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression were utilized to generate a Rad score. A nomogram consisting of the Rad score and clinical factors was then constructed for the training cohort. Both cohorts assessed model performance using discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness. RESULTS: Based on the six most valuable radiomics features, the Rad score was calculated for each patient. A multivariate analysis revealed that a higher Rad score (P < 0.001), younger age (P = 0.006), and presence of capsule invasion (P = 0.030) were independently associated with CLNM. A nomogram integrating these three factors demonstrated good calibration and promising clinical utility in the training and validation cohorts. The nomogram yielded areas under the curve of 0.795 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.745-0.846) and 0.774 (95% CI, 0.696-0.852) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The radiomics nomogram may be a clinically useful tool for the individual prediction of CLNM in patients with cN0 PTMC.

Joint constraints of guided filtering based confidence and nonlocal sparse tensor for color polarization super-resolution imaging.

This paper introduces a camera-array-based super-resolution color polarization imaging system designed to simultaneously capture color and polarization information of a scene in a single shot. Existing snapshot color polarization imaging has a complex structure and limited generalizability, which are overcome by the proposed system. In addition, a novel reconstruction algorithm is designed to exploit the complementarity and correlation between the twelve channels in acquired color polarization images for simultaneous super-resolution (SR) imaging and denoising. We propose a confidence-guided SR reconstruction algorithm based on guided filtering to enhance the constraint capability of the observed data. Additionally, by introducing adaptive parameters, we effectively balance the data fidelity constraint and the regularization constraint of nonlocal sparse tensor. Simulations were conducted to compare the proposed system with a color polarization camera. The results show that color polarization images generated by the proposed system and algorithm outperform those obtained from the color polarization camera and the state-of-the-art color polarization demosaicking algorithms. Moreover, the proposed algorithm also outperforms state-of-the-art SR algorithms based on deep learning. To evaluate the applicability of the proposed imaging system and reconstruction algorithm in practice, a prototype was constructed for color polarization image acquisition. Compared with conventional acquisition, the proposed solution demonstrates a significant improvement in the reconstructed color polarization images.

Metabolism of novel potential syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria in thermophilic methanogenic chemostats.

Acetate is a major intermediate in the anaerobic digestion of organic waste to produce CH4. In methanogenic systems, acetate degradation is carried out by either acetoclastic methanogenesis or syntrophic degradation by acetate oxidizers and hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Due to challenges in the isolation of syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria (SAOB), the diversity and metabolism of SAOB and the mechanisms of their interactions with methanogenic partners are not fully characterized. In this study, the in situ activity and metabolic characteristics of potential SAOB and their interactions with methanogens were elucidated through metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. In addition to the reported SAOB classified in the genera Tepidanaerobacter, Desulfotomaculum, and Thermodesulfovibrio, we identified a number of potential SAOB that are affiliated with Clostridia, Thermoanaerobacteraceae, Anaerolineae, and Gemmatimonadetes. The potential SAOB possessing the glycine-mediated acetate oxidation pathway dominates SAOB communities. Moreover, formate appeared to be the main product of the acetate degradation by the most active potential SAOB. We identified the methanogen partner of these potential SAOB in the acetate-fed chemostat as Methanosarcina thermophila. The dominated potential SAOB in each chemostat had similar metabolic characteristics, even though they were in different fatty-acid-fed chemostats. These novel syntrophic lineages are prevalent and may play critical roles in thermophilic methanogenic reactors. This study expands our understanding of the phylogenetic diversity and in situ biological functions of uncultured syntrophic acetate degraders and presents novel insights into how they interact with methanogens.IMPORTANCECombining reactor operation with omics provides insights into novel uncultured syntrophic acetate degraders and how they perform in thermophilic anaerobic digesters. This improves our understanding of syntrophic acetate degradation and contributes to the background knowledge necessary to better control and optimize anaerobic digestion processes.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Curriculum Embedded in a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program.

ABSTRACT: Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are continuing to have increased importance in medical training, including rehabilitation medicine. Although resident-led curricula have been integrated into medical education in other training programs, to our knowledge, this the first report focusing on integrating these topics into resident education for a physical medicine and rehabilitation program. We created a didactic curriculum for our rehabilitation residents that included: quarterly lectures on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics followed by small group discussions. Each session also included an article that was included in the discussion. The sessions used both anonymous presurvey and postsurvey data to assess the efficacy of our initiative. Our initial data showed that our quarterly sessions created a safe and comfortable environment for discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. In addition, our session specific data supported that increased awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion disparities with rehabilitation and medicine was achieved. Our committee used the data and feedback to create further iterations of this initiative within our program, and we believe that this is a model that can be adopted by other physical medicine and rehabilitation residencies.