Supervisor's neuroticism and problematic Internet use among graduate students: the mediating role of supervisor-student relationship quality and the moderating role of fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Graduate students exhibit vulnerability to problematic Internet use, which can result in adverse physical, psychological, and social consequences. However, limited studies have addressed this issue among graduate students, and even fewer have explored the unique factors contributing to their problematic Internet use. Therefore, to address this gap, the current study aims to probe the relationship between supervisor's neuroticism and problematic Internet use among graduate students, the mediating effect of the supervisor-student relationship quality, as well as the moderating effect of fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 at three universities in Beijing, China. Anonymous data from 448 graduate students were collected regarding problematic Internet use, supervisor's neuroticism, supervisor-student relationship quality, and the fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation. A moderated mediation analysis was performed using Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 14). RESULTS: Supervisor's neuroticism was positively linked to graduate students' problematic Internet use, supervisor-student relationship quality mediated the linkage, and fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation played a moderating role in the second stage. Specifically, for students lower in fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation, supervisor-student relationship quality negatively predicted students' problematic Internet use. While for the graduate students higher in fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation, supervisor-student relationship quality could not significantly predict students' problematic Internet use. The mediating effect was only significant for graduate students lower in fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: This study established a theoretical model linking supervisor's neuroticism to graduate students' problematic Internet use, highlighting the potential roles of supervisor-student relationship quality and fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation. Reducing the neuroticism level of the supervisor, enhancing the quality of the supervisor-student relationship, and mitigating students' fear of the supervisor's negative evaluation will contribute to the reduction of problematic Internet use among graduate students.

Comprehensive Multiple Risk Factor Control in Type 2 Diabetes to Mitigate Heart Failure Risk: Insights From a Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of comprehensive risk factor control on heart failure (HF) risk and HF-free survival time in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) was evaluated in this study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This prospective study included 11,949 individuals diagnosed with T2D, matched with 47,796 non-T2D control study participants from the UK Biobank cohort. The degree of comprehensive risk factor control was assessed on the basis of the major cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, BMI, LDL cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, renal function, smoking, diet, and physical activity. Cox proportional hazards models were used to measure the associations between the degree of risk factor control and HF risk. Irwin's restricted mean was used to evaluate HF-free survival time. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.3 years, 702 individuals (5.87%) with T2D and 1,402 matched control participants (2.93%) developed HF. Each additional risk factor controlled was associated with an average 19% lower risk of HF. Optimal control of at least six risk factors was associated with a 67% lower HF risk (hazard ratio [HR] 0.33; 95% CI 0.20, 0.54). BMI was the primary attributable risk factor for HF. Notably, the excess risk of HF associated with T2D could be attenuated to levels comparable to those of non-T2D control participants when individuals had a high degree of risk factor control (HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.40, 1.07), and they exhibited a longer HF-free survival time. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive management of risk factors is inversely associated with HF risk, and optimal risk factor control may prolong HF-free survival time among individuals with T2D.

The effect of spermatic cord block on reducing the risk of vagal reflex during microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy: A randomized trial.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the risk of vagal reflex during microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy (MSV) under general anesthesia (GA) with or without additional local anesthetic (LA) spermatic cord block (SCB). Method: A single-center randomized controlled trial was conducted between January 2022 and June 2023.300 patients with left-sided grade Ⅲ varicocele were randomly divided into two groups: SCB group (n = 153) and control group (n = 147)（computer-generated random numbers list）. During MSV under GA, the SCB group was given of ropivacaine for SCB before pulling the spermatic cord, while the control group was directly lifted. The primary outcome was the reduction in the lowest heart rate in the SCB group as compared with the control group during spermatic cord traction (SCT). Secondary outcomes included the reduction in the lowest blood pressure in the SCB group as compared with the control group; and the reductions in the lowest heart rate and lowest blood pressure as compared with baseline during SCT. The number of times that surgery and medications were suspended because of symptomatic reflex bradycardia was also recorded. Adverse events were also recorded as secondary outcomes. Result: Five patients in the SCB group and 10 patients in the CG were excluded. The lowest heart rate and systolic blood pressure during SCT in the SCB group and the control group were significantly lower than the baseline values (P < 0.05). However, the decrease in the SCB group (70-73bpm VS 108-115 mmHg) was milder than that of the control group（66-72 bpm VS 105-114 mmHg）(P < 0.05). The number of surgeries and medication pauses due to symptomatic reflex bradycardia during surgery was significantly lower in the SCB group (2 VS 1) than in the control group (9 VS 7) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: SCB can effectively reduce the vagal reflex caused by pulling the spermatic cord during MSV, and reduce the risk of anesthesia and surgery.

[Sexual therapy combined with physical methods for the treatment of primary intravaginal anejaculation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of sexual therapy combined with physical methods in the treatment of primary intravaginal anejaculation (PIAE) and its possible action mechanism. METHODS: Ninety PIAE patients with anxiety symptoms were equally randomized into three groups and treated by sexual therapy combined with vacuum negative pressure hydro pneumatic / pneumatic bubble massage (group A), sexual therapy (group B) or (vacuum negative pressure hydro pneumatic / pneumatic bubble massage (group C). After 15 cycles of treatment, the therapeutic effects were compared among the three groups of patients. RESULTS: The effectiveness rates in groups A, B and C were 86.67%, 46.67% and 30.00%, respectively, with statistically significant differences in the total effectiveness rate, the effective rate of the treatment of anxiety symptoms of the patients and their partners, and the effectiveness rate of the treatment of idiosyncratic masturbation (P<0.05). Pairwise comparison showed that the total effectiveness rate was dramatically higher in group A than in groups B and C (P<0.01), with no statistically significant difference between the latter two groups (P>0.05), that the effectiveness rate of the treatment of anxiety symptoms of the patients and sexual partners was remarkably higher in groups A and B than in C (P<0.01), with no statistically significant difference between the former two groups (P>0.05), and that the effectiveness rate of the treatment of idiosyncratic masturbation was significantly higher in group A than in B and C (P< 0.01), with no statistically significant difference between the latter two (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: PIAE is often accompanied by negative psychological state of the patients and their partners and idiosyncratic masturbation, which responds well to sexual therapy combined with vacuum negative pressure hydro pneumatic / pneumatic bubble massage.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution Characteristics and Cytotoxicity of Atmospheric PM2.5 in the Main Urban Area of Lanzhou City.

PM2.5, as one of the most harmful pollutant in the atmospheric environment and population health, has received much attention. We monitored PM2.5 levels at five sampling sites in the Lanzhou City and collected PM2.5 particles from two representative sites for cytotoxicity experiment. The cytotoxicity of PM2.5 samples on A549 cells and migration ability of the cells were respectively detected by Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and scratch assay. We detected the levels of cellular inflammatory factors and oxidative damage-related biochemical indexes. RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of NF-κB and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes. We found that the Lanlian Hotel station had the highest PM2.5 annual average concentration. The annual average concentration change curve of PM2.5 showed a roughly "U"-shaped distribution during the whole sampling period. The cytotoxicity experiment showed the viability of A549 cells decreased and the scratch healing rate increased in the 200 and 400 µg/mL PM2.5-treated groups. We also found 400 µg/mL PM2.5 induced changes in the mRNA levels of NF-κB and EMT-related genes, the mRNA levels of IKK-α, NIK, and NF-κB in the 400 µg/mL PM2.5 group were higher than those in the control group. The mRNA levels of E-cadherin decreased and α-SMA increased in the 400 µg/mL PM2.5 groups, and the mRNA levels of Fibronectin increased in the 400 µg/mL PM2.5 groups. Moreover, we found hydroxyl radical scavenging ability and T-AOC levels were lower, and LPO levels were higher in the 200 and 400 µg/mL PM2.5 groups, and the SOD activity of cells in the 400 µg/mL PM2.5 group decreased. And compared with the control group, the levels of TNF-α were higher in the 200 and 400 µg/mL PM2.5 groups and the levels of IL-1 were higher in the 400 µg/mL PM2.5 group. The results indicated that the cytotoxicity of atmospheric PM2.5 was related to oxidative damage, inflammatory response, NF-κB activity and EMT.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs)' journey in recipient cells: from recognition to cargo release. / èƒžå¤–å›Šæ³¡åœ¨å—ä½“ç»†èƒžä¸­çš„æ— ç¨‹ï¼šä»Žè¯†åˆ«åˆ°è´§ç‰©é‡Šæ”¾.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized bilayer vesicles that are shed or secreted by virtually every cell type. A variety of biomolecules, including proteins, lipids, coding and non-coding RNAs, and mitochondrial DNA, can be selectively encapsulated into EVs and delivered to nearby and distant recipient cells, leading to alterations in the recipient cells, suggesting that EVs play an important role in intercellular communication. EVs play effective roles in physiology and pathology and could be used as diagnostic and therapeutic tools. At present, although the mechanisms of exosome biogenesis and secretion in donor cells are well understood, the molecular mechanism of EV recognition and uptake by recipient cells is still unclear. This review summarizes the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of EVs' biological journey in recipient cells, from recognition to uptake and cargo release. Furthermore, we highlight how EVs escape endolysosomal degradation after uptake and thus release cargo, which is crucial for studies applying EVs as drug-targeted delivery vehicles. Knowledge of the cellular processes that govern EV uptake is important to shed light on the functions of EVs as well as on related clinical applications.

Mechanisms and Efficacy of Chinese Herbal Medicines in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases in elderly men, the incidence of which gradually increases with age and leads to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are widely used for the treatment of BPH in China and some other countries. To explore the molecular mechanisms of CHMs for BPH, we conducted a review based on peer-reviewed English-language publications in PubMed and Web of Science databases from inception to December 31, 2023. This article primarily reviewed 32 papers on the use of CHMs and its active compounds in the treatment of BPH, covering animal and cell experiments, and identified relevant mechanisms of action. The results suggest that the mechanisms of action of CHMs in treating BPH may involve the regulation of sex hormones, downregulation of cell growth factors, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects, inhibition of cell proliferation, and promotion of apoptosis. CHMs also exhibit α-blocker-like effects, with the potential to relax urethral smooth muscle and alleviate LUTS. Additionally, we also reviewed 4 clinical trials and meta-analyses of CHMs for the treatment of BPH patients, which provided initial evidence of the safety and effectiveness of CHMs treatment. CHMs treatment for BPH shows advantages as a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway therapy, which can mitigate the severity of the disease, improve LUTS, and may become a reliable treatment option in the future.

FTMT-dependent mitophagy is crucial for ferroptosis resistance in cardiac fibroblast.

Metabolic responses to cellular stress are pivotal in cell ferroptosis, with mitophagy serving as a crucial mechanism in both metabolic processes and ferroptosis. This study aims to elucidate the effects of high glucose on cardiomyocytes (CMs) and cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) regarding ferroptosis and to uncover the underlying mechanisms involved. We examined alterations in glycolysis, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and mitophagy, which are essential for metabolic adaptations and ferroptosis. High glucose exposure induced ferroptosis specifically in CMs, while CFs exhibited resistance to ferroptosis, increased glycolytic activity, and no change in OXPHOS. Moreover, high glucose treatment enhanced mitophagy and upregulated mitochondrial ferritin (FTMT). Notably, the combination of FTMT and the autophagy-related protein nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4) increased under high glucose conditions. Silencing FTMT significantly impeded mitophagy and eliminated ferroptosis resistance in CFs cultured under high glucose conditions. The transcription factor forkhead box A1 (FOXA1) was upregulated in CFs upon high glucose exposure, playing a crucial role in the increased expression of FTMT. Within the 5'-flanking sequence of the FTMT mRNA, approximately -500 nt from the transcription initiation site, three putative FOXA1 binding sites were identified. High glucose augmented the binding affinity between FOXA1 and these sequences, thereby promoting FTMT transcription. In summary, high glucose upregulated FOXA1 expression and stimulated FTMT promoter activity in CFs, thereby promoting FTMT-dependent mitophagy and conferring ferroptosis resistance in CFs.

[Effects of Meteorological Conditions in Summer and Early Autumn on PM2.5 and O3 Pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Surrounding Areas].

PM2.5 pollution remains prominent in autumn, whereas O3 pollution gradually manifests in summer. To understand the dual high characteristics and meteorological effects of PM2.5 and O3 in the summer and early autumn of 2021 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding areas, the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of PM2.5 and O3 concentrations, as well as meteorological conditions, subtropical high index, and weather situation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding areas were analyzed. The results showed that PM2.5 concentration and DPO3 （O3 daily maximum 8h mean minus O3 concentration at 06：00） from June to September 2021 decreased compared with those in the same period in 2020 and 2022, and high concentrations were mainly occurring in June. The overall PM2.5 concentration and DPO3 showed a gradual decrease from the middle to the north and south, with synchronous spatiotemporal changes. The hourly value of PM2.5 concentration presented a multimodal distribution, reaching the peak at 07：00-10：00 and 22：00-24：00. O3 concentration showed an opposite trend of change with PM2.5 concentration, reaching their peak from 14：00-16：00. When DPO3 and the concentration of PM2.5 were high, the characteristics of near-surface meteorological elements were characterized by temperatures ranging from 24.0-28.0℃, relative humidity concentrated at 58.4%-76.3%, and wind speeds ranging from 1.5-3 m·s-1. There was a high lag correlation between the subtropical high index and DPO3. When the subtropical high was farther and stronger from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding areas, DPO3 was higher. The major weather patterns with both high PM2.5 and O3 concentrations in the study area were near surface low-pressure front, high-pressure type, and frontal type. The high altitude was controlled by high-pressure ridges, and the subtropical high ridge line was stable between 21°-28°N.

Distributed Privacy-Preserving Optimization With Accumulated Noise in ADMM.

Privacy preservation for distributed optimization in multiagent systems has been widely concerned in recent years. In this article, the accumulated noise privacy-preserving alternating direction method of multipliers (ANPPM) algorithm is proposed to preserve the private information of each agent. The masked states of each agent are sent to its neighbors with a designed noise-adding mechanism, and an accumulated term is introduced to confuse the gradients at each iteration. With ANPPM, all the agents can achieve privacy preservation for the information of real states and subgradients. Moreover, the states of all the agents can be guaranteed to converge to the optimal solution. The convergence rate of O(1/k) is consistent with standard ADMM, hence no adverse effect is induced by the privacy-preserving mechanism. Numerical results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed ANPPM algorithm.

Life's Essential 8, Genetic Susceptibility, and Incident Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) has been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk and mortality, but its association with cardiac arrhythmias was still unsettled. In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the relationship between CVH and subsequent arrhythmias risk, including atrial fibrillation (AF)/flutter, ventricular arrhythmias, and bradyarrhythmias. METHODS: Data from 287,264 participants initially free of arrhythmias in the UK Biobank were included in the analysis. Cox regression models were used to examine the relationship between CVH levels calculated by the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) metrics, with cardiac arrhythmias risk. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 12.8 years, 16,802 incident AF, 2186 incident ventricular arrhythmias, and 4128 incident bradyarrhythmias were identified. After adjustment for confounding factors, participants with high initial CVH levels had significantly lower risks for AF (hazard ratio [HR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.68), ventricular arrhythmias (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.40-0.59), and bradyarrhythmias (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.55-0.74) compared with those with low CVH levels. Furthermore, each standard deviation (SD) increase in LE8 scores was associated with a 15% lower risk of AF, 21% for ventricular arrhythmias, and 13% for bradyarrhythmias, respectively. In addition, a significant interaction was observed between CVH levels and the genetic risk of AF (P for interaction, 0.021). The reverse correlation seemed to be more noticeable in individuals with a lower genetic susceptibility to AF. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that higher levels of CVH, estimated by the LE8 metrics, were associated with significantly reduced risks of AF, ventricular arrhythmias, and bradyarrhythmias.

Mechanism and complex roles of HSC70/HSPA8 in viral entry.

The process of viruses entering host cells is complex, involving multiple aspects of the molecular organization of the cell membrane, viral proteins, the interaction of receptor molecules, and cellular signaling. Most viruses depend on endocytosis for uptake, when viruses reach the appropriate location, they are released from the vesicles, undergo uncoating, and release their genomes. Heat shock cognate protein 70(HSC70): also known as HSPA8, a protein involved in mediating clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), is involved in various viral entry processes. In this mini-review, our goal is to provide a summary of the function of HSC70 in viral entry. Understanding the interaction networks of HSC70 with viral proteins helps to provide new directions for targeted therapeutic strategies against viral infections.

Modulating Visible-Light Driven NIR Lanthanide Polymer Photocatalysis for Amplification Detection of Exosomal Proteins and Cancer Diagnosis.

Near-infrared (NIR) luminescent lanthanide materials hold great promise for bioanalysis, as they have anti-interference properties. The approach of efficient luminescence is sensitization through a reasonable chromophore to overcome the obstacle of the aqueous phase. The involvement of the surfactant motif is an innovative strategy to arrange the amphiphilic groups to be regularly distributed near the polymer to form a closed sensitized space. Herein, a lanthanide polymer (TCPP-PEI70K-FITC@Yb/SDBS) is designed in which the meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine (TCPP) ligand serves as both a sensitizer and photocatalytic switch. The surfactant sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) wraps the photosensitive polymers to form a hydrophobic layer, which augments the light-harvesting ability and expedites its photocatalysis. TCPP-PEI70K-FITC@Yb/SDBS is subsequently applied as an amplified photocatalysis toolbox for universally regulating the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Boosting 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) oxidation to produce blue products, a dual-mode biosensor is fabricated for improving the diagnosis of programmed death ligand-1-positive (PDL1) cancer exosomes. Exosomes were captured by Fe3O4 modified by the PDL1 aptamer, enabling replacement of alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-labeled multiple hybridized chains; then, the isolated ALP triggered a hydrolysis reaction to block the generation of oxTMB. Detection sensitivity improves by 1 order of magnitude through SDBS modulation, down to 104 particles/mL. The sensor performed well clinically in distinguishing cancer patients from healthy individuals, expanding physiological applications of near-infrared lanthanide luminescence.

TGF-ß1 mediates hypoxia-preconditioned olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells improved neural functional recovery in Parkinson's disease models and patients.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Activation of the neuroinflammatory response has a pivotal role in PD. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for various nerve injuries, but there are limited reports on their use in PD and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS: We investigated the effects of clinical-grade hypoxia-preconditioned olfactory mucosa (hOM)-MSCs on neural functional recovery in both PD models and patients, as well as the preventive effects on mouse models of PD. To assess improvement in neuroinflammatory response and neural functional recovery induced by hOM-MSCs exposure, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), assay for transposase accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) combined with full-length transcriptome isoform-sequencing (ISO-seq), and functional assay. Furthermore, we present the findings from an initial cohort of patients enrolled in a phase I first-in-human clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of intraspinal transplantation of hOM-MSC transplantation into severe PD patients. RESULTS: A functional assay identified that transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), secreted from hOM-MSCs, played a critical role in modulating mitochondrial function recovery in dopaminergic neurons. This effect was achieved through improving microglia immune regulation and autophagy homeostasis in the SN, which are closely associated with neuroinflammatory responses. Mechanistically, exposure to hOM-MSCs led to an improvement in neuroinflammation and neural function recovery partially mediated by TGF-ß1 via activation of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B (ALK/PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway in microglia located in the SN of PD patients. Furthermore, intraspinal transplantation of hOM-MSCs improved the recovery of neurologic function and regulated the neuroinflammatory response without any adverse reactions observed in patients with PD. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide compelling evidence for the involvement of TGF-ß1 in mediating the beneficial effects of hOM-MSCs on neural functional recovery in PD. Treatment and prevention of hOM-MSCs could be a promising and effective neuroprotective strategy for PD. Additionally, TGF-ß1 may be used alone or combined with hOM-MSCs therapy for treating PD.

Dynamic causal modeling analysis reveals the modulation of motor cortex and integration in superior temporal gyrus during multisensory speech perception.

The processing of speech information from various sensory modalities is crucial for human communication. Both left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) and motor cortex importantly involve in the multisensory speech perception. However, the dynamic integration of primary sensory regions to pSTG and the motor cortex remain unclear. Here, we implemented a behavioral experiment of classical McGurk effect paradigm and acquired the task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data during synchronized audiovisual syllabic perception from 63 normal adults. We conducted dynamic causal modeling (DCM) analysis to explore the cross-modal interactions among the left pSTG, left precentral gyrus (PrG), left middle superior temporal gyrus (mSTG), and left fusiform gyrus (FuG). Bayesian model selection favored a winning model that included modulations of connections to PrG (mSTG → PrG, FuG → PrG), from PrG (PrG → mSTG, PrG → FuG), and to pSTG (mSTG → pSTG, FuG → pSTG). Moreover, the coupling strength of the above connections correlated with behavioral McGurk susceptibility. In addition, significant differences were found in the coupling strength of these connections between strong and weak McGurk perceivers. Strong perceivers modulated less inhibitory visual influence, allowed less excitatory auditory information flowing into PrG, but integrated more audiovisual information in pSTG. Taken together, our findings show that the PrG and pSTG interact dynamically with primary cortices during audiovisual speech, and support the motor cortex plays a specifically functional role in modulating the gain and salience between auditory and visual modalities. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-023-09945-z.

Extended Left Hemihapatectomy with Right Hepatic Artery Reconstruction for Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasm: A Brief Report.

BACKGROUND rimary hepatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PHNEN) are exceedingly rare tumors with atypical clinical manifestations, accounting for less than 0.5% of all neuroendocrine tumors. Currently, there is a lack of consensus on their management, and guidelines do not recommend postoperative chemotherapy for patients with stage G1/G2 disease after curative resection. We present a case report of PHNEN, outlining its diagnostic challenges, treatment strategy, and clinical outcomes. CASE REPORT A 31-year-old man presented with jaundice and was initially diagnosed with suspected IgG4-related disease, which initially appeared to respond to steroid therapy, but manifested worsening jaundice 4 months after initial treatment. Subsequent evaluation revealed a PHNEN NET G2 with lymph node metastasis and invasion of the right hepatic artery; and involvement of the hepatic duct at the hepatic hilum, primarily the left hepatic duct. The patient underwent extended left hemi-hepatectomy with caudate lobe resection, bile duct resection, and lymphadenectomy, followed by reconstruction of the right hepatic artery. Postoperatively, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of capecitabine (1000 mg bid D1-14) and temozolomide (200 mg qn D10-14) for 6 cycles. Currently, the patient remains disease free 43 months after treatment. CONCLUSIONS PHNEN presents diagnostic challenges due to its rarity and lack of specific markers. Surgical resection remains the cornerstone of treatment, with chemotherapy being considered in select cases with high-risk features. Further research is needed to refine treatment approaches and improve outcomes for patients with PHNEN.

Individualized Structural Perturbations on Normative Brain Connectome Restrict Deep Brain Stimulation Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) respond to deep brain stimulation (DBS) variably. However, how brain substrates restrict DBS outcomes remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: In this article, we aim to identify prognostic brain signatures for explaining the response variability. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated a cohort of patients with PD (n = 141) between 2017 and 2022, and defined DBS outcomes as the improvement ratio of clinical motor scores. We used a deviation index to quantify individual perturbations on a reference structural covariance network acquired with preoperative T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The neurobiological perturbations of patients were represented as z scored indices based on the chronological perturbations measured on a group of normal aging adults. RESULTS: After applying stringent statistical tests (z > 2.5) and correcting for false discoveries (P < 0.01), we found that accelerated deviations mainly affected the prefrontal cortex, motor strip, limbic system, and cerebellum in PD. Particularly, a negative network within the accelerated deviations, expressed as "more preoperative deviations, less postoperative improvements," could predict DBS outcomes (mean absolute error = 0.09, R2 = 0.15). Moreover, a fusion of personal brain predictors and medical responses significantly improved traditional evaluations of DBS outcomes. Notably, the most important brain predictor, a pathway connecting the cognitive unit (prefrontal cortex) and motor control unit (cerebellum and motor strip), partially mediates DBS outcomes with the age at surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that individual structural perturbations on the cognitive motor control circuit are critical for modulating DBS outcomes. Interventions toward the circuit have the potential for additional clinical improvements. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Organic Passivation-Enhanced Ferroelectricity in Perovskite Oxide Films.

Perovskite oxides and organic-inorganic halide perovskite materials, with numerous fascinating features, have been subjected to extensive studies. Most of the properties of perovskite materials are dependence on their ferroelectricity that denoted by remanent polarization (Pr). Thus, the increase of Pr in perovskite films is mainly an effort in material physics. At present, commonplace improvement schemes, i.e., controlling material crystallinity, and post-annealing by using a high-temperature process, are normally used. However, a simpler and temporal strategy for Pr improvement is always unavailable to perovskite material researchers. In this study, an organic coating layer, low-temperature, and vacuum-free strategy is proposed to improve the Pr, directly increasing the Pr from 36 to 56 µC cm-2. Further study finds that the increased Pr originates from the suppression of the oxygen defects and Ti defects. This organic coating layer strategy for passivating the defects may open a new way for the preparation of higher-performance and cost-effective perovskite products, further improving its prospective for application in the electron devices field.

Effects of melatonin on sperm quality, enzyme activity, antioxidant gene expression and fertility of cryopreserved bovine semen.

Melatonin (MLT) has strong antioxidant capacity and can reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress in sperm, but there is still little content in the field we have studied. In this study, we are committed to scientific research on adding melatonin to Belgian blue bull semen diluent for cryopreservation. Different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 or 0.7 mg/mL) of MLT were added diluent. Sperm kinetic parameters, enzyme activity, antioxidant gene expression and fertility were analyzed after thawing. The results showed that MLT concentration of 0.3 mg/mL exerted positive effects on post-thaw kinetic parameters. Compared with other groups, 0.3 mg/mL MLT treated sperm acrosome and plasma membrane integrity, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels significantly increased. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression of antioxidant genes SOD2, CAT and GPx increased in the 0.3 mg/mL MLT treatment group, and the mRNA expression of apoptosis genes Caspase-3 and Bax were significantly reduced. In addition, in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo cleavage, blastocyst rate and artificial insemination (AI) pregnancy rate were higher in 0.3 mg/mL MLT. Therefore, MLT showed cryoprotective capacity to the freezing diluent used for Belgian blue bull sperm during the process of freezing-thawing, and the optimal concentration of MLT for the frozen diluent was 0.3 mg/mL.