[Evaluation of nutritional value of common cooked food in Hubei Province by nutrient profiling].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the nutritional components of common cooked foods in Hubei Province. METHODS: Forty-nine common cooked foods consumed by residents in Hubei Province were collected, and their edible parts were homogenized and tested for various nutrient contents according to the national standard method. The nutrient-rich foods index(NRF)model was used to calculate the NRF index(NRF 9.3) of various cooked foods, and the nutritional value of common cooked foods in Hubei Province was evaluated. RESULTS: The result of the nutrient-rich food index model showed that the NRF 9.3 index of all cooked dishes ranged from-176.9 to 224.4, the NRF 9.3 index ranking of all types of cooked food was mainly related to cooking method. The NRF 9.3 index of cold mixed vegetable dishes was generally higher than the 75th percentile value(66.9) of the monitoring result, indicating higher nutritional value. The mean NRF 9.3 index of fish and shrimp cooked foods(72.4)monitored in this study was higher than that of meat cooked foods(21.5). The sodium content of pickled vegetables and some pre-packaged cooked foods was relatively high, RESULTS: ing in negative NRF 9.3 index and lower nutritional value. The NRF 9.3 index of Xiangyang beef noodles(33.1)and tofu noodles(37.1)was higher than that of beef offal noodles(5.1). CONCLUSION: Vegetables and fish and shrimp are better sources of nutrition, and "cold and dressed with sauce" are a better way to cook. Pickled vegetables contain too many restricted nutrients, and their consumption frequency and amount should be reduced.

Genome-wide association study of the loci and candidate genes associated with agronomic traits in Amomum villosum Lour.

Amomum villosum Lour. (A. villosum) is a valuable herbaceous plant that produces the famous traditional Chinese medicine Amori Fructus. Identifying molecular markers associated with the growth of A. villosum can facilitate molecular marker-assisted breeding of the plant. This study employed 75 A. villosum accessions as the test material and utilized 71 pairs of polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers to genotype the population. The study analyzed the association between SSR markers and phenotypic traits through the linkage imbalance and population structure analysis. Candidate genes associated with the molecular markers were also identified. The results showed that the phenotypic diversity index range of the 12 agronomic traits was 4.081-4.312 and conformed to a normal distribution. Moreover, 293 allelic variations were detected in the 75 accessions, with an average of 5.32 amplified alleles per loci, ranging from 3 to 8. The maximum number of amplified alleles for AVL12 was 8. The population structure and cluster analysis indicated that the accessions could be divided into two subgroups. Using the mixed linear model (MLM) model of population structure (Q)+kinship matrix (K) for association analysis, three SSR molecular markers significantly associated with the agronomic traits were detected. Fluorescence quantification was used to analyze the expression levels of six candidate genes, and it was found that three of the genes were differentially expressed in phenotypically different accessions. This study is the first to use SSR markers for genome-wide association study (GWAS) mapping and identification of the associated agronomic traits in A. villosum. The results of this study provide a basis for identifying genetic markers for growth traits for marker-assisted breeding in A. villosum.

Research on the Low-Temperature Oxygen Consumption and Low-Oxygen Gas Emission Law in Goaf of Ultrathick Coal Seams.

Low-oxygen (oxygen concentration below 18.5%) phenomena often occur in the top coal caving working face of ultrathick coal seams, posing a serious threat to the safety of workers. The characteristics of oxygen consumption and gas production at low-constant temperature and the corresponding functional group evolution of residual coal in goaf were studied by temperature-programmed and infrared spectrum experiments. The influence of different factors on the emission of low-oxygen gases was studied through numerical calculation. The results show that low-temperature oxygen consumption and gas production occurred when the coal was about 40 °C. When the temperature was constant, the oxygen consumption and gas production rate increased with the extension of time. In the early stage of coal oxidation, the aliphatic C-H components were attacked by oxygen molecules and reacted with them. The asymmetric methyl and methylene groups were more likely to oxidize and produce carbonyl compounds. With the increase of nitrogen injection, the overall width of the oxidation zone (oxygen concentration was defined as 10-18%) narrowed, and the range of the oxidation zone moved forward from the depth of the goaf. The oxygen concentration in the air return corner decreased gradually, and the low-oxygen area in the air return corner expanded gradually. The distance between the low-oxygen area of the working face and the air intake corner was gradually shortened. With the increase of air intake, the width of the oxidation zone increased and moved to the depth of goaf, and the degree of low oxygen in the air return corner increased. The research results are of great significance for the understanding and prevention of the low-oxygen phenomenon in ultrathick coal seams.

Visualization of nonsmall-cell lung cancer by near-infrared fluorescence imaging with tumor-targeting peptide ABT-510.

Nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent type of lung cancer, with early surgical treatment proving vital for prolonged patient survival. However, precise visualization of NSCLC remains a challenge due to limited molecular imaging probes, the unique anatomical structure of the lungs, and respiratory movement interference. In this study, we investigated the potential utility of CD36, which is highly expressed in NSCLC, as an imaging target. A selective and water-soluble fluorescent probe, MPA-ABT-510, was successfully constructed by coupling ABT-510 with MPA, a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye. Molecular docking analysis shows that MPA-ABT-510 possesses strong binding affinity to the CD36 protein, with specific hydrogen bond interactions at defined amino acid residues. In vitro assays reveals that the fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled peptide ABT-510 specifically binds to the CD36-high expressing NSCLC cell lines H1299 and A549. In vivo imaging verifies that the MPA-ABT-510 efficiently accumulates in the tumor site with a distinct fluorescent signal. Ex vivo imaging revealed that tumor-to-lung fluorescence ratios for subcutaneous and orthotopic H1299 mouse models were 7.19 ± 0.73 and 1.91 ± 0.42, respectively, while those for A549 mice were 5.53 ± 0.64 and 1.77 ± 0.41, respectively. Biodistribution analysis demonstrated efficient MPA-ABT-510 uptake in H1299 and A549 liver metastases models with tumor-to-liver fluorescence ratios of 2.47 ± 0.48 and 2.19 ± 0.22, respectively. High MPA-ABT-510 accumulation was evident in A549 intestinal metastases models, as evidenced by tumor-to-colorectal fluorescence ratios of 4.27 ± 0.11. MPA-ABT-510 exhibits superior imaging capabilities with minimal safety concerns, so it is a promising candidate for NSCLC surgical navigation.

Panthenol Additives with Multiple Coordination Sites Induce Uniform Zinc Deposition and Inhibited Side Reactions for High Performance Aqueous Zinc Metal Battery.

Application of aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) in large-scale new energy systems (NESs) is challenging owing to the growth of dendrites and frequent side reactions. Here, this study proposes the use of Panthenol (PB) as an electrolyte additive in AZMBs to achieve highly reversible zinc plating/stripping processes and suppressed side reactions. The PB structure is rich in polar groups, which led to the formation of a strong hydrogen bonding network of PB-H2O, while the PB molecule also builds a multi-coordination solvated structure, which inhibits water activity and reduces side reactions. Simultaneously, PB and OTF- decomposition, in situ formation of SEI layer with stable organic-inorganic hybrid ZnF2-ZnS interphase on Zn anode electrode, can inhibit water penetration into Zn and homogenize the Zn2+ plating. The effect of the thickness of the SEI layer on the deposition of Zn ions in the battery is also investigated. Hence, this comprehensive regulation strategy contributes to a long cycle life of 2300 h for Zn//Zn cells assembled with electrolytes containing PB additives. And the assembled Zn//NH4V4O10 pouch cells with homemade modules exhibit stable cycling performance and high capacity retention. Therefore, the proposed electrolyte modification strategy provides new ideas for AZMBs and other metal batteries.

TCFormer: Visual Recognition via Token Clustering Transformer.

Transformers are widely used in computer vision areas and have achieved remarkable success. Most state-of-the-art approaches split images into regular grids and represent each grid region with a vision token. However, fixed token distribution disregards the semantic meaning of different image regions, resulting in sub-optimal performance. To address this issue, we propose the Token Clustering Transformer (TCFormer), which generates dynamic vision tokens based on semantic meaning. Our dynamic tokens possess two crucial characteristics: (1) Representing image regions with similar semantic meanings using the same vision token, even if those regions are not adjacent, and (2) concentrating on regions with valuable details and represent them using fine tokens. Through extensive experimentation across various applications, including image classification, human pose estimation, semantic segmentation, and object detection, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our TCFormer. The code and models for this work are available at https://github.com/zengwang430521/TCFormer.

Genetic variability of human papillomavirus type 18 based on E6, E7 and L1 genes in central China.

BACKGROUND: High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is an important factor for the development of cervical cancer. HPV18 is the second most common HR-HPV after HPV16. METHODS: In this study, MEGA11 software was used to analyze the variation and phylogenetic tree of HPV18 E6-E7 and L1 genes. The selective pressure to E6, E7 and L1 genes was estimated using pamlX. In addition, the B cell epitopes of L1 amino acid sequences and T cell epitopes of E6-E7 amino acid sequences in HPV18 were predicted by ABCpred server and IEDB website, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 9 single nucleotide variants were found in E6-E7 sequences, of which 2 were nonsynonymous variants and 7 were synonymous variants. Twenty single nucleotide variants were identified in L1 sequence, including 11 nonsynonymous variants and 9 synonymous variants. Phylogenetic analysis showed that E6-E7 and L1 sequences were all distributed in A lineage. In HPV18 E6, E7 and L1 sequences, no positively selected site was found. The nonconservative substitution R545C in L1 affected hypothetical B cell epitope. Two nonconservative substitutions, S82A in E6, and R53Q in E7, impacted multiple hypothetical T cell epitopes. CONCLUSION: The sequence variation data of HPV18 may lay a foundation for the virus diagnosis, further study of cervical cancer and vaccine design in central China.

Fucoidan from Laminaria japonica protects renal tubular epithelial cells from uric acid induced NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis through inhibition of NF-κB pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Hyperuricemia is a common metabolic disease with prominent morbidity, it can lead to many adverse effects and complications, such as chronic nephrosis. Fucoidan has been used as natural drug for acute and chronic kidney disease for over 20 years in China, but the precise mechanisms underlying the renal protective function are still indefinable. PURPOSE: This study is conducted to explore alleviation of fucoidan (FPS) from Laminaria japonica on urate-induced NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3)-mediated pyroptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells HK-2, as well as the mechanism of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway involved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HK-2 cells were treated with FPS, uric acid (UA), and inhibitor of NF-κB signaling pathway. Nitric oxide (NO) content and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity were determined with detection kits. Activation of intercellular NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signaling pathway, gasdermin D (GSDMD) expression level were evaluated with western blot and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescent analysis. RESULTS: Data showed that UA induced cellular inflammatory response demonstrated by elevated NO content, iNOS activity and expression level of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis associated molecules including NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), Caspase-1, interleukin 18 (IL-18) and GSDMD, moreover the NF-κB signaling pathway was activated by UA. However, FPS exposure inhibited efficiently the UA induced adverse effect. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that FPS inhibited UA-induced NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis in HK-2 cells through repressing NF-κB signaling pathway.

Identification of PP2Cs in six rosaceae species highlights RcPP2C24 as a negative regulator in rose drought tolerance.

Drought is a major environmental stress that limits plant growth, so it's important to identify drought-responsive genes to understand the mechanism of drought response and breed drought-tolerant roses. Protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) plays a crucial role in plant abiotic stress response. In this study, we identified 412 putative PP2Cs from six Rosaceae species. These genes were divided into twelve clades, with clade A containing the largest number of PP2Cs (14.1%). Clade A PP2Cs are known for their important role in ABA-mediated drought stress response; therefore, the analysis focused on these specific genes. Conserved motif analysis revealed that clade A PP2Cs in these six Rosaceae species shared conserved C-terminal catalytic domains. Collinearity analysis indicated that segmental duplication events played a significant role in the evolution of clade A PP2Cs in Rosaceae. Analysis of the expression of 11 clade A RcPP2Cs showed that approximately 60% of these genes responded to drought, high temperature, and salt stress. Among them, RcPP2C24 exhibited the highest responsiveness to both drought and ABA. Furthermore, overexpression of RcPP2C24 significantly reduced drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco by increasing stomatal aperture after exposure to drought stress. The transient overexpression of RcPP2C24 weakened the dehydration tolerance of rose petal discs, while its silencing increased their dehydration tolerance. In summary, our study identified PP2Cs in six Rosaceae species and highlighted the negative role of RcPP2C24 on rose's drought tolerance by inhibiting stomatal closure. Our findings provide valuable insights into understanding the mechanism behind rose's response to drought.

Safety of medicinal and edible herbs from fruit sources for human consumption: A systematic review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Medicinal and edible herbs from fruit sources have been increasingly used in traditional Chinese medicine dietotherapy. There are no restrictions on who could consume the medicinal and edible fruits or on the dosage of consumption. However, their safety for human consumption has yet to be established. AIM OF THE STUDY: This systematic review aimed to assess the safety of human consumption of 30 medicinal and edible fruits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven English and Chinese databases were searched up to May 31, 2023, to collect AE reports following human consumption of medicinal and edible fruits. Eligible reports should include details on the occurrence, symptoms, treatments, and outcomes of AEs. AEs that were life-threatening or caused death, permanent or severe disability/functional loss, or congenital abnormality/birth defects were classified as serious AEs (SAEs). The causality between the consumption of fruits and AEs was graded as one of four ranks: "certain", "probable", "possible", or "unlikely". RESULTS: Thirty AE reports related to the consumption of medicinal and edible fruits were included, involving 12 species of fruits: Crataegi fructus, Gardeniae fructus, Mori fructus, Hippophae fructus, Cannabis fructus, Siraitiae fructus, Perillae fructus, Rubi fructus, Longan arillus, Anisi stellati fructus, Zanthoxyli pericarpium, and Lycii fructus. No AE reports were found for the remaining 18 species. A total of 97 AEs, featuring predominantly gastrointestinal symptoms, followed by allergic reactions and neuropsychiatric symptoms, were recorded. Thirty SAEs were noted, with Zanthoxyli pericarpium accounting for the most (14 cases), followed by Perillae fructus (7 cases), Anisi stellati fructus (6 cases), and Gardeniae fructus, Rubi fructus, and Mori fructus (1 case each). Mori fructus was associated with one death. All AEs were concordant with a causality to fruit consumption, judged to be "certain" for 37 cases, "probable" for 53 cases, and "possible" for 7 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that among medicinal and edible fruits, 12 species have AE reports with a causality ranging from "possible" to "definite". SAEs were not scarce. Most AEs may be associated with an excessive dose, prolonged consumption, or usage among infants or young children. No AE reports were found for the remaining 18 species.

[Expression of miR-142 and its relationship with Th17/Treg imbalance in children with autoimmune thyroid disease]. / miR-142åœ¨å„¿ç«¥è‡ªèº«å ç–«æ€§ç”²çŠ¶è ºç–¾ç— ä¸­è¡¨è¾¾åŠä¸ŽTh17/Tregå¤±è¡¡å ³ç³»çš„ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of microRNA-142 (miR-142) in children with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and its relationship with the imbalance of helper T cell 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cell (Treg). METHODS: A total of 89 children hospitalized for AITD from January 2019 to December 2022 were prospectively selected as the study subjects, including 48 children with Graves' disease (GD group) and 41 children with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT group). Additionally, 55 healthy children undergoing physical examinations during the same period were selected as the control group. The differences in serum miR-142, antithyroglobulin antibody (TGAb), antithyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb), Th17/Treg, and interleukin-17 (IL-17) expression were compared among the groups. RESULTS: The expression of miR-142, TPOAb, TGAb, Th17, Th17/Treg, and IL-17 in the GD group and HT group was higher than that in the control group, while Treg was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that in the GD group, miR-142 was positively correlated with TPOAb, TGAb, Th17, Th17/Treg, and IL-17 (r=0.711, 0.728, 0.785, 0.716, 0.709, respectively; P<0.001) and negatively correlated with Treg (r=-0.725, P<0.001); in the HT group, miR-142 was positively correlated with TPOAb and TGAb (r=0.752, 0.717, respectively; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: miR-142 is highly expressed in children with AITD, and its expression may be related to the Th17/Treg imbalance in children with GD.

Histone demethylase JMJD2D protects against enteric bacterial infection via up-regulating colonic IL-17F to induce ß-defensin expression.

Histone demethylase JMJD2D (also known as KDM4D) can specifically demethylate H3K9me2/3 to activate its target gene expression. Our previous study has demonstrated that JMJD2D can protect intestine from dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis by activating Hedgehog signaling; however, its involvement in host defense against enteric attaching and effacing bacterial infection remains unclear. The present study was aimed to investigate the role of JMJD2D in host defense against enteric bacteria and its underlying mechanisms. The enteric pathogen Citrobacter rodentium (C. rodentium) model was used to mimic clinical colonic infection. The responses of wild-type and JMJD2D-/- mice to oral infection of C. rodentium were investigated. Bone marrow chimeric mice were infected with C. rodentium. JMJD2D expression was knocked down in CMT93 cells by using small hairpin RNAs, and Western blot and real-time PCR assays were performed in these cells. The relationship between JMJD2D and STAT3 was studied by co-immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation. JMJD2D was significantly up-regulated in colonic epithelial cells of mice in response to Citrobacter rodentium infection. JMJD2D-/- mice displayed an impaired clearance of C. rodentium, more body weight loss, and more severe colonic tissue pathology compared with wild-type mice. JMJD2D-/- mice exhibited an impaired expression of IL-17F in the colonic epithelial cells, which restricts C. rodentium infection by inducing the expression of antimicrobial peptides. Accordingly, JMJD2D-/- mice showed a decreased expression of ß-defensin-1, ß-defensin-3, and ß-defensin-4 in the colonic epithelial cells. Mechanistically, JMJD2D activated STAT3 signaling by inducing STAT3 phosphorylation and cooperated with STAT3 to induce IL-17F expression by interacting with STAT3 and been recruited to the IL-17F promoter to demethylate H3K9me3. Our study demonstrates that JMJD2D contributes to host defense against enteric bacteria through up-regulating IL-17F to induce ß-defensin expression.

Molecular basis for the activation of PAF receptor by PAF.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent phospholipid mediator crucial in multiple inflammatory and immune responses through binding and activating the PAF receptor (PAFR). However, drug development targeting the PAFR has been limited, partly due to an incomplete understanding of its activation mechanism. Here, we present a 2.9-Å structure of the PAF-bound PAFR-Gi complex. Structural and mutagenesis analyses unveil a specific binding mode of PAF, with the choline head forming cation-π interactions within PAFR hydrophobic pocket, while the alkyl tail penetrates deeply into an aromatic cleft between TM4 and TM5. Binding of PAF modulates conformational changes in key motifs of PAFR, triggering the outward movement of TM6, TM7, and helix 8 for G protein coupling. Molecular dynamics simulation suggests a membrane-side pathway for PAF entry into PAFR via the TM4-TM5 cavity. By providing molecular insights into PAFR signaling, this work contributes a foundation for developing therapeutic interventions targeting PAF signal axis.

Single immunization of non-adjuvanted recombinant TTFC-mi3 nanoparticle vaccine elicited a rapid and potent protective immunity against tetanus.

The conventional inactivated tetanus toxin plays an instrumental role in preventing tetanus. Nevertheless, the challenges associated with its production process, the potential for adverse reactions, and reduced effectiveness in vulnerable populations such as neonates and the elderly rise the need for a novel tetanus toxin vaccine. Recombinant subunit vaccine offer a viable solution, and the tetanus toxin fragment C (TTFC) is emerging as a promising candidate. In this study, through spontaneous isopeptide bond formation we conjugated the recombinant TTFC to self-assembled mi3 nanoparticle, which derived from an optimized KDPG aldolase, and generated the TTFC-mi3 protein nanoparticle vaccine. We found that TTFC-mi3 is stable, uniform spherical nanoparticles. Comparing with the free TTFC alone, TTFC-mi3 enhances the uptake and subsequent activation of dendric cells (DCs). In addition, a single dose of adjuvant-free TTFC-mi3 elicited a more rapid and potent protective immunity in mice. Moreover, TTFC-mi3 is of favorable safety in vitro and in vivo. Our findings indicate that TTFC-mi3 is a rapid-response, non-aluminum-adjuvanted vaccine against tetanus.

Genetic diversity analysis and core germplasm bank construction in cold resistant germplasm of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis).

The rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex Adr. de Juss.) Muell. Arg., is the sole plant worldwide utilized for the commercial production of natural rubber. Following years of breeding, there exists a wide array of germplasm differentiation in rubber trees. The exploration of diversity and population structure within rubber tree germplasm resources, alongside the establishment of core germplasm resources, is instrumental in elucidating the genetic background and facilitating the effective utilization and management of these resources. By employing SNP molecular marker technology, 195 rubber tree resources were amplified, their genetic diversity analyzed, and a fingerprint map was subsequently constructed. Through this process, the cold-resistant core germplasm of rubber trees was identified. The results revealed that the PIC, He, and pi values ranged from 0.0905 to 0.3750, 0.095 to 0.5000, and 0.0953 to 0.5013, respectively. Both group structure analysis and cluster analysis delineated the accessions into two groups, signifying a simple group structure. A core germplasm bank was established with a sampling ratio of 10%, comprising 21 accessions divided into two populations. Population G1 consists of 20 accessions, while population G2 comprises 1 accession. The research findings have led to the creation of a molecular database that is anticipated to contribute to the management and subsequent breeding applications of rubber tree accessions.

Integrating Radiomics and Neural Networks for Knee Osteoarthritis Incidence Prediction.

OBJECTIVE: Accurately predicting knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is essential for early detection and personalized treatment. We aimed to develop and test a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based joint space (JS) radiomic model (RM) to predict radiographic KOA incidence through neural networks by integrating meniscus and femorotibial cartilage radiomic features. METHODS: In the Osteoarthritis Initiative cohort, participants with knees without radiographic KOA at baseline but at high risk for radiographic KOA were included. Patients' knees developed radiographic KOA, whereas control knees did not over four years. We randomly split the participants into development and test cohorts (8:2) and extracted features from baseline three-dimensional double-echo steady-state sequence MRI. Model performance was evaluated using an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity in both cohorts. Nine resident surgeons performed the reader experiment without/with the JS-RM aid. RESULTS: Our study included 549 knees in the development cohort (275 knees of patients with KOA vs 274 knees of controls) and 137 knees in the test cohort (68 knees of patients with KOA vs 69 knees of controls). In the test cohort, JS-RM had a favorable accuracy for predicting the radiographic KOA incidence with an AUC of 0.931 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.876-0.963), a sensitivity of 84.4% (95% CI 83.9%-84.9%), and a specificity of 85.6% (95% CI 85.2%-86.0%). The mean specificity and sensitivity of resident surgeons through MRI reading in predicting radiographic KOA incidence were increased from 0.474 (95% CI 0.333-0.614) and 0.586 (95% CI 0.429-0.743) without the assistance of JS-RM to 0.874 (95% CI 0.847-0.901) and 0.812 (95% CI 0.742-0.881) with JS-RM assistance, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: JS-RM integrating the features of the meniscus and cartilage showed improved predictive values in radiographic KOA incidence.

An Improved Method to Compute the Mutual Capacitance between Interdigital Transducers in Radio Frequency Surface Acoustic Wave Filters.

This paper proposes an improved method to calculate the mutual capacitance between interdigital transducer (IDT) electrodes to enhance the accuracy of the traditional coupling-of-modes (COM) model, which is commonly used to simulate surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters and duplexers. In this method, the boundary element method (BEM) is adopted to obtain the capacitance per unit length in a layered medium, while the partial capacitance (PC) method is used to derive the effective relative permittivity of the multi-layered IDT. Numerical results from commercially available software are provided for comparison with the results calculated using the proposed method. The consistent results verify the validity and accuracy of this method, which also demonstrates significantly faster calculation speed compared to commercially available software. Precise electrical response prediction of a dual-mode SAW (DMS) filter can be achieved by applying this method to the COM model, and this ultra-fast calculation method can also be included in filter design optimization.

Research Progress on Podocyte Pyroptosis in Diabetic Nephropathy.

Pyroptosis is a recently discovered type of lytic-programmed cell necrosis. The process involves cells assembling an inflammasome and cleaving gasdermin (GSDM) to trigger the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that eventually induce inflammatory cell death. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, which leads to end-stage renal disease. Podocyte damage or loss is an important feature of diabetic kidney injury. Pyroptosis involvement in podocyte injury is closely associated with DN progression, manifesting as increased renal fibrosis, glomerulosclerosis, and tubular injury. The study aims to elucidate the mechanism of pyroptosis and summarize the pathways and potential inhibitors related to pyroptosis activation in DN podocytes. We undertook a search of bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed research literature on various aspects of pyroptosis. Multiple different pathways mediate podocyte pyroptosis to promote DN progression. Inhibition of pyroptosis can reduce podocyte damage and improve renal function in DN, suggesting that pyroptosis may help identify potential new therapeutic targets for DN treatment.

Type VII secretion system extracellular protein B targets STING to evade host anti-Staphylococcus aureus immunity.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can evade antibiotics and host immune defenses by persisting within infected cells. Here, we demonstrate that in infected host cells, S. aureus type VII secretion system (T7SS) extracellular protein B (EsxB) interacts with the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein and suppresses the inflammatory defense mechanism of macrophages during early infection. The binding of EsxB with STING disrupts the K48-linked ubiquitination of EsxB at lysine 33, thereby preventing EsxB degradation. Furthermore, EsxB-STING binding appears to interrupt the interaction of 2 vital regulatory proteins with STING: aspartate-histidine-histidine-cysteine domain-containing protein 3 (DHHC3) and TNF receptor-associated factor 6. This persistent dual suppression of STING interactions deregulates intracellular proinflammatory pathways in macrophages, inhibiting STING's palmitoylation at cysteine 91 and its K63-linked ubiquitination at lysine 83. These findings uncover an immune-evasion mechanism by S. aureus T7SS during intracellular macrophage infection, which has implications for developing effective immunomodulators to combat S. aureus infections.