Metabolic landscape and pathogenic insights: a comprehensive analysis of high ovarian response in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization.

BACKGROUND: In the realm of assisted reproduction, a subset of infertile patients demonstrates high ovarian response following controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), with approximately 29.7% facing the risk of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). Management of OHSS risk often necessitates embryo transfer cancellation, leading to delayed prospects of successful pregnancy and significant psychological distress. Regrettably, these patients have received limited research attention, particularly regarding their metabolic profile. In this study, we aim to utilize gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to reveal these patients' unique serum metabolic profiles and provide insights into the disease's pathogenesis. METHODS: We categorized 145 infertile women into two main groups: the CON infertility group from tubal infertility patients and the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) infertility group. Within these groups, we further subdivided them into four categories: patients with normal ovarian response (CON-NOR group), patients with high ovarian response and at risk for OHSS (CON-HOR group) within the CON group, as well as patients with normal ovarian response (PCOS-NOR group) and patients with high ovarian response and at risk for OHSS (PCOS-HOR group) within the PCOS group. Serum metabolic profiles were analyzed using GC-MS. The risk criteria for OHSS were: the number of developing follicles > 20, peak Estradiol (E2) > 4000pg/mL, and Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels > 4.5ng/mL. RESULTS: The serum metabolomics analysis revealed four different metabolites within the CON group and 14 within the PCOS group. Remarkably, 10-pentadecenoic acid emerged as a discernible risk metabolite for the CON-HOR, also found to be a differential metabolite between CON-NOR and PCOS groups. cysteine and 5-methoxytryptamine were also identified as risk metabolites for the PCOS-HOR. Furthermore, KEGG analysis unveiled significant enrichment of the aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathway among the metabolites differing between PCOS-NOR and PCOS-HOR. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights significant metabolite differences between patients with normal ovarian response and those with high ovarian response and at risk for OHSS within both the tubal infertility control group and PCOS infertility group. Importantly, we observe metabolic similarities between patients with PCOS and those with a high ovarian response but without PCOS, suggesting potential parallels in their underlying causes.

HgBr2: an easily growing wide-spectrum birefringent crystal.

Birefringent materials are of great significance to the development of modern optical technology; however, research on halide birefringent crystals with a wide transparent range remains limited. In this work, mercuric bromide (HgBr2) has been investigated for the first time as a promising birefringent material with a wide transparent window spanning from ultraviolet (UV) to far-infrared (far-IR) spectral regions (0.34-22.9 µm). HgBr2 has an exceptionally large birefringence (Δn, 0.235 @ 546 nm), which is 19.6 times that of commercial MgF2. The ordered linear motif [Br-Hg-Br] with high polarizability anisotropy within the molecule is the inherent source of excellent birefringence, making it an efficient building block for birefringent materials. In addition, HgBr2 can be easily grown under mild conditions and remain stable in air for prolonged periods. Studying the birefringent properties of HgBr2 crystals would provide new ideas for future exploration of wide-spectrum birefringent materials.

Abnormal mitochondrial iron metabolism damages alveolar type II epithelial cells involved in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Rationale: Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic progressive lung disease with limited therapeutic options. We previously revealed that there is iron deposition in alveolar epithelial type II cell (AECII) in pulmonary fibrosis, which can be prevented by the iron chelator deferoxamine. However, iron in the cytoplasm and the mitochondria has two relatively independent roles and regulatory systems. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of mitochondrial iron deposition in AECII injury and pulmonary fibrosis, and to find potential therapeutic strategies. Methods: BLM-treated mice, MLE-12 cells, and primary AECII were employed to establish the mouse pulmonary fibrosis model and epithelial cells injury model, respectively. Mitochondrial transplantation, siRNA and plasmid transfection, western blotting (WB), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation (IP), MitoSOX staining, JC-1 staining, oxygen consumption rate (OCR) measurement, and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay were utilized to elucidate the role of mitochondrial iron deposition in cell and lung fibrosis and determine its mechanism. Results: This study showed that prominent mitochondrial iron deposition occurs within AECII in bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model and in BLM-treated MLE-12 epithelial cells. Further, the study revealed that healthy mitochondria rescue BLM-damaged AECII mitochondrial iron deposition and cell damage loss. Mitoferrin-2 (MFRN2) is the main transporter that regulates mitochondrial iron metabolism by transferring cytosolic iron into mitochondria, which is upregulated in BLM-treated MLE-12 epithelial cells. Direct overexpression of MFRN2 causes mitochondrial iron deposition and cell damage. In this study, decreased ubiquitination of the ubiquitin ligase F-box/LRR-repeat protein 5 (FBXL5) degraded iron-reactive element-binding protein 2 (IREB2) and promoted MFRN2 expression as well as mitochondrial iron deposition in damaged AECII. Activation of the prostaglandin E2 receptor EP4 subtype (EP4) receptor signaling pathway counteracted mitochondrial iron deposition by downregulating IREB2-MFRN2 signaling through upregulation of FBXL5. This intervention not only reduced mitochondrial iron content but also preserved mitochondrial function and protected against AECII damage after BLM treatment. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the unexplored roles, mechanisms, and regulatory approaches of abnormal mitochondrial iron metabolism of AECII in pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, this study deepens the understanding of the mechanisms underlying pulmonary fibrosis and offers a promising strategy for developing effective therapeutic interventions using the EP4 receptor activator.

Pulmonary redox imbalance drives early fibroproliferative response in moderate/severe coronavirus disease-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome and impacts long-term lung abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19-associated pulmonary fibrosis remains frequent. This study aimed to investigate pulmonary redox balance in COVID-19 ARDS patients and possible relationship with pulmonary fibrosis and long-term lung abnormalities. METHODS: Baseline data, chest CT fibrosis scores, N-terminal peptide of alveolar collagen III (NT-PCP-III), transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were first collected and compared between SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive patients with moderate to severe ARDS (n = 65, COVID-19 ARDS) and SARS-CoV-2 RNA negative non-ARDS patients requiring mechanical ventilation (n = 63, non-ARDS). Then, correlations between fibroproliferative (NT-PCP-III and TGF-ß1) and redox markers were analyzed within COVID-19 ARDS group, and comparisons between survivor and non-survivor subgroups were performed. Finally, follow-up of COVID-19 ARDS survivors was performed to analyze the relationship between pulmonary abnormalities, fibroproliferative and redox markers 3 months after discharge. RESULTS: Compared with non-ARDS group, COVID-19 ARDS group had significantly elevated chest CT fibrosis scores (p < 0.001) and NT-PCP-III (p < 0.001), TGF-ß1 (p < 0.001), GSSG (p < 0.001), and MDA (p < 0.001) concentrations on admission, while decreased SOD (p < 0.001) and GSH (p < 0.001) levels were observed in BALF. Both NT-PCP-III and TGF-ß1 in BALF from COVID-19 ARDS group were directly correlated with GSSG (p < 0.001) and MDA (p < 0.001) and were inversely correlated with SOD (p < 0.001) and GSH (p < 0.001). Within COVID-19 ARDS group, non-survivors (n = 28) showed significant pulmonary fibroproliferation (p < 0.001) with more severe redox imbalance (p < 0.001) than survivors (n = 37). Furthermore, according to data from COVID-19 ARDS survivor follow-up (n = 37), radiographic residual pulmonary fibrosis and lung function impairment improved 3 months after discharge compared with discharge (p < 0.001) and were associated with early pulmonary fibroproliferation and redox imbalance (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary redox imbalance occurring early in COVID-19 ARDS patients drives fibroproliferative response and increases the risk of death. Long-term lung abnormalities post-COVID-19 are associated with early pulmonary fibroproliferation and redox imbalance.

Aptamer-functionalized nanomaterials (AFNs) for therapeutic management of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents one of the deadliest cancers globally, making the search for more effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches particularly crucial. Aptamer-functionalized nanomaterials (AFNs), an innovative nanotechnology, have paved new pathways for the targeted diagnosis and treatment of HCC. Initially, we outline the epidemiological background of HCC and the current therapeutic challenges. Subsequently, we explore in detail how AFNs enhance diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency and reduce side effects through the specific targeting of HCC cells and the optimization of drug delivery. Furthermore, we address the challenges faced by AFNs in clinical applications and future research directions, with a particular focus on enhancing their biocompatibility and assessing long-term effects. In summary, AFNs represent an avant-garde therapeutic approach, opening new avenues and possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Quantifying the contributions of meteorology, emissions, and transport to ground-level ozone in the Pearl River Delta, China.

Ozone pollution presents a growing air quality threat in urban agglomerations in China. It remains challenge to distinguish the roles of emissions of precursors, chemical production and transportations in shaping the ground-level ozone trends, largely due to complicated interactions among these 3 major processes. This study elucidates the formation factors of ozone pollution and categorizes them into local emissions (anthropogenic and biogenic emissions), transport (precursor transport and direct transport from various regions), and meteorology. Particularly, we attribute meteorology, which affects biogenic emissions and chemical formation as well as transportation, to a perturbation term with fluctuating ranges. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was utilized to implement this framework, using the Pearl River Delta region as a case study, to simulate a severe ozone pollution episode in autumn 2019 that affected the entire country. Our findings demonstrate that the average impact of meteorological conditions changed consistently with the variation of ozone pollution levels, indicating that meteorological conditions can exert significant control over the degree of ozone pollution. As the maximum daily 8-hour average (MDA8) ozone concentrations increased from 20 % below to 30 % above the National Ambient Air Quality Standard II, contributions from emissions and precursor transport were enhanced. Concurrently, direct transport within Guangdong province rose from 13.8 % to 22.7 %, underscoring the importance of regional joint prevention and control measures under adverse weather conditions. Regarding biogenic emissions and precursor transport that cannot be directly controlled, we found that their contributions were generally greater in urban areas with high nitrogen oxides (NOx) levels, primarily due to the stronger atmospheric oxidation capacity facilitating ozone formation. Our results indicate that not only local anthropogenic emissions can be controlled in urban areas, but also the impacts of local biogenic emissions and precursor transport can be potentially regulated through reducing atmospheric oxidation capacity.

Remnant cholesterol and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Emerging evidence indicates a significant role of remnant cholesterol in contributing to the residual risk associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). This study aims to evaluate the dose-response relationship between remnant cholesterol and the risk of MACE. PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were reviewed to identify cohort studies published in English up to 1 August 2023. Twenty-eight articles were selected. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed or random-effects models to evaluate the association between remnant cholesterol and the risk of MACE. The dose-response relationship between remnant cholesterol levels and the risk of MACE was analyzed using the linear model and restricted cubic spline regression models. For calculated remnant cholesterol levels, the pooled HR (95% CI) of MACE for per 1-SD increase was 1.13 (1.08, 1.17); HR (95% CI) for the second quartile (Q2), the third quartile (Q3) and the highest quartile (Q4) of remnant cholesterol levels were 1.14 (1.03, 1.25), 1.43 (1.23, 1.68) and 1.68 (1.44, 1.97), respectively, compared with the lowest quartile (Q1). For measured remnant cholesterol levels, the pooled HR (95% CI) of MACE per 1-SD increase was 1.67 (1.39, 2.01). The dose-response meta-analysis showed a dose-response relationship between remnant cholesterol levels and the risk of MACE, both on a linear trend (P < 0.0001) and a nonlinear trend (P < 0.0001). The risk of MACE is associated with increased levels of remnant cholesterol, and the dose-response relationship between remnant cholesterol levels and the risk of MACE showed both linear and nonlinear trends.

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of the Dwarf Soybean MiniMax.

This study aims to establish an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for use with the 'MiniMax'soybean cultivar. MiniMax is a mutant soybean whose growth cycle is around 90 days, half that of most other soybean varieties, making it an optimal model cultivar to test genes of interest before investing in modification of elite lines. We describe an efficient protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using MiniMax seeds. It uses a modified 'half seed' regeneration protocol for transgenic soybean production, utilizing the rapid generation MiniMax variety to obtain T1 seeds in approximately 145 days. Addition of phloroglucinol (PG) to the regeneration protocol was key to obtaining high-efficiency rooting of the regenerated shoots. Transfer to soil was accomplished using an organic soil amendment containing nutrients and mycorrhiza for plants to thrive in the greenhouse. This combination of genotype and stimulants provides a transformation protocol to genetically engineer MiniMax seeds with a transgenic lab-to-greenhouse production efficiency of 4.0%. This is the first report of MiniMax soybean whole plant transformation and heritable T1 transmission. This protocol provides an ideal resource for enhancing the genetic transformation of any soybean cultivar.

Application of machine learning to analyze ozone sensitivity to influencing factors: A case study in Nanjing, China.

Ground-level ozone (O3) has been an emerging concern in China. Due to its complicated formation mechanisms, understanding the effects of influencing factors is critical for making effective efforts on the pollution control. This study aims to present and demonstrate the practicality of a data-driven technique that applies a machine learning (ML) model coupled with the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) approach in O3 simulation and sensitivity analysis. Based on hourly measured concentrations of O3 and its major precursors, as well as meteorological factors in a northern area of Nanjing, China, a Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) model was established to simulate O3 concentrations in different seasons, and the SHAP approach was applied to conduct in-depth analysis on the impacts of influencing factors on O3 formation. The results indicated a reliable performance of the ML model in simulating O3 concentrations, with the coefficient of determination (R2) between the measured and simulated larger than 0.80, and the impacts of influencing factors were reasonably evaluated by the SHAP approach on both seasonal and diurnal time scales. It was found that although volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), as well as temperature and relative humidity, were generally the main influencing factors, their sensitivities to O3 formation varied significantly in different seasons and with time of the day. This study suggests that the data-driven ML model is a practicable technique and may act as an alternative way to perform mechanism analysis to some extent, and has immense potential to be applied in both problem research and decision-making for air pollution control.

Differentiation of Type 17 Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in Circulation Contributes to the Severity of Sepsis.

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are essential in defending against infection. Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to infection and a leading cause of death. The relationship between the overall competency of the host immune response and disease severity is not fully elucidated. This study identified a higher proportion of circulating MAIT17 with expression of IL-17A and RAR-related orphan receptor γt in patients with sepsis. The proportion of MAIT17 was correlated with the severity of sepsis. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis revealed an enhanced expression of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) in MAIT17 in patients with sepsis. Cell-culture experiments demonstrated that phosphoinositide 3-kinase-LDHA signaling was required for RAR-related orphan receptor γt expression in MAIT17. Finally, the elevated levels of plasma IL-18 promoted the differentiation of circulating MAIT17 cells in sepsis. In summary, this study reveals a new role of circulating MAIT17 in promoting sepsis severity and suggests the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-LDHA signaling as a driving force in MAIT17 responses.

Differential mRNA profiles reveal the potential roles of genes involved in lactate stimulation in mouse macrophages.

Lactate is a glycolysis end product, and its levels are markedly associated with disease severity, morbidity, and mortality in sepsis. It modulates key functions of immune cells, including macrophages. In this investigation, transcriptomic analysis was performed using lactic acid, sodium lactate, and hydrochloric acid-stimulated mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (iBMDM), respectively, to identify lactate-associated signaling pathways. After 24 h of stimulation, 896 differentially expressed genes (DEG) indicated were up-regulation, whereas 792 were down-regulated in the lactic acid group, in the sodium lactate group, 128 DEG were up-regulated, and 41 were down-regulated, and in the hydrochloric acid group, 499 DEG were up-regulated, and 285 were down-regulated. Subsequently, clinical samples were used to further verify the eight genes with significant differences, among which Tssk6, Ypel4, Elovl3, Trp53inp1, and Cfp were differentially expressed in patients with high lactic acid, indicating their possible involvement in lactic acid-induced inflammation and various physiological diseases caused by sepsis. However, elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein 3 (Elovl3) was negatively correlated with lactic acid content in patients. The results of this study provide a necessary reference for better understanding the transcriptomic changes caused by lactic acid and explain the potential role of high lactic acid in the regulation of macrophages in sepsis.

Therapeutic potential of natural flavonoids in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A review.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease caused by pulmonary vascular remodeling, with a high incidence and mortality. At present, many clinical drugs for treating PAH mainly exert effects by relaxing the pulmonary artery, with limited therapeutic effects, so the search for viable therapeutic agents continues uninterrupted. In recent years, natural flavonoids have shown promising potential in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It is necessary to comprehensively elucidate the potential of natural flavonoids to combat PAH. PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential of natural flavonoids to hinder or slow down the occurrence and development of PAH, and to identify promising drug discovery candidates. METHODS: Literature was collected from PubMed, Science Direct, Web of science, CNKI databases and Google scholar. The search terms used included "pulmonary arterial hypertension", "pulmonary hypertension", "natural products", "natural flavonoids", "traditional chinese medicine", etc., and several combinations of these keywords. RESULTS: The resources, structural characteristics, mechanisms, potential and prospect strategies of natural flavonoids for treating PAH were summarized. Natural flavonoids offer different solutions as possible treatments for PAH. These mechanisms may involve various pathways and molecular targets related to the pathogenesis of PAH, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular remodeling, genetic, ion channels, cell proliferation and autophagy. In addition, prospect strategies of natural flavonoids for anti-PAH including structural modification and nanomaterial delivery systems have been explored. This review suggests that the potential of natural flavonoids as alternative therapeutic agents in the prevention and treatment of PAH holds promise for future research and clinical applications. CONCLUSION: Despite displaying the enormous potential of flavonoids in PAH, some limitations need to be further explored. Firstly, using advanced drug discovery tools, including computer-aided design and high-throughput screening, to further investigate the safety, biological activity, and precise mechanism of action of flavonoids. Secondly, exploring the structural modifications of these compounds is expected to optimize their efficacy. Lastly, it is necessary to conduct well controlled clinical trials and a comprehensive evaluation of potential side effects to determine their effectiveness and safety.

A 6-Year Follow-up of a Chinese Child with Homozygous ß0-Thalaasemia and a Heterozygous KLF1 Mutation.

Patients with the genotype of ß0/ß0 for ß-thalassemia (ß-thal) usually behave as ß-thal major (ß-TM) phenotype which is transfusion-dependent. The pathophysiology of ß-thal is the imbalance between α/ß-globin chains. The degree of α/ß-globin imbalance can be reduced by the more effective synthesis of γ-globin chains, and increased Hb F levels, modifying clinical severity of ß-TM. We report a Chinese child who had homozygous ß0-thal and a heterozygous KLF1 mutation. The patient had a moderate anemia since 6 months old, keeping a baseline Hb value of 8.0-9.0 g/dL. She had normal development except for a short stature (3rd percentile) until 6 years old, when splenomegaly and facial bone deformities occurred. Although genetic alteration of KLF1 expression in ß0/ß0 patients can result in some degree of disease alleviation, our case shows that it is insufficient to ameliorate satisfactorily the presentation. This point should be borne in mind for physicians who provide the genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis to at-risk families.

Activation and functional modification of mucosal-associated invariant T cells in patients with intracranial infection following craniotomy.

Intracranial infections are among the most common complications of neurosurgery, with their incidence remaining high despite advancements in current neurosurgical techniques and aseptic technology. While the role of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, a subset of innate-like T lymphocytes, in bacterial defense is well-established, their involvement in intracranial infections remains unclear. In this study, we utilized flow cytometry to assess the phenotype and function of circulating and CSF MAIT cells. Our findings revealed that MAIT cells were higher in the CSF compared to blood. Notably, a higher percentage of IL-17A + MAIT cells was detected in the CSF of patients with intracranial infections. Moreover, markers indicating activation and exhaustion were significantly upregulated in CSF MAIT cells. Furthermore, elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß, IL-12, and IL-18, were detected in the CSF supernatants. We hypothesized that the elevated levels of IL-1ß, IL-12, and IL-18 in the inflammatory milieu synergistically activate MAIT cells in the CSF. In particular, CD25 and Tim-3 expression of MAIT cells was increased by stimulation with IL-1ß, IL-12, and IL-18 or CSF supernatants of intracranial infection patients. Collectively, these findings provide important information underlying the innate immune response of patients with intracranial infections.

Insight into the Gas-Induced Phase Transformations in a 2D Switching Coordination Network via Coincident Gas Sorption and In Situ PXRD.

Switching coordination networks (CNs) that reversibly transform between narrow or closed pore (cp) and large pore (lp) phases, though fewer than their rigid counterparts, offer opportunities for sorption-related applications. However, their structural transformations and switching mechanisms remain underexplored at the molecular level. In this study, we conducted a systematic investigation into a 2D switching CN, [Ni(bpy)2(NCS)2]n, sql-1-Ni-NCS (1 = bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine), using coincident gas sorption and in situ powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) under low-temperature conditions. Gas adsorption measurements revealed that C2H4 (169 K) and C2H6 (185 K) exhibited single-step type F-IVs sorption isotherms with sorption uptakes of around 180-185 cm3 g-1, equivalent to four sorbate molecules per formula unit. Furthermore, parallel in situ PXRD experiments provided insight into sorbate-dependent phase switching during the sorption process. Specifically, CO2 sorption induced single-step phase switching (path I) solely between cp and lp phases consistent with the observed single-step type F-IVs sorption isotherm. By contrast, intermediate pore (ip) phases emerged during C2H4 and C2H6 desorption as well as C3H6 adsorption, although they remained undetectable in the sorption isotherms. To our knowledge, such a cp-lp-ip-cp transformation (path II) induced by C2H4/6 and accompanied by single-step type F-IVs sorption isotherms represents a novel type of phase transition mechanism in switching CNs. By virtue of Rietveld refinements and molecular simulations, we elucidated that the phase transformations are governed by cooperative local and global structural changes involving NCS- ligand reorientation, bpy ligand twist and rotation, cavity edge (Ni-bpy-Ni) deformation, and interlayer expansion and sliding.

Multi-timescale variation characteristics of PM2.5 in different regions of China during 2014-2022.

Over the past decade, China has achieved a significant reduction in PM2.5 concentrations. Due to the diversity of natural and artificial factors, regional differences are remarkable in the variation characteristics and have not been well addressed in previous studies. Based on hourly observed PM2.5 concentrations from 2014 to 2022, this study conducted a comprehensive analysis of variation characteristics on annual, seasonal, and diurnal scales, with a special focus on differences across major regions. Driving factors of the variations, the effectiveness of air pollution control efforts as well as future priorities were discussed. The annual PM2.5 concentrations in all regions showed an overall downward trend from 2014 to 2022, but the decline rates differed notably across the regions, with the maximum value nearly two times higher than the minimum value. The seasonal decline rates also differ from region to region, which could be partially attributed to the burning of crop residues and dust events. Northeast China was significantly affected by the burning of crop residues and experienced a big drop in the number of fire points in autumn, but a remarkable increase in spring. The spring dust events may greatly contribute to PM2.5 concentrations in northern and western China. For diurnal variation, nighttime concentrations were generally greater than daytime concentrations, and the nighttime concentrations were likely to increase in eastern regions and decrease in western regions. Furthermore, the daytime and nighttime ratios (calculated by daytime/nighttime concentration divided by the daily-mean concentration) exhibited different interannual trends, with the daytime ratios decreasing and nighttime ratios increasing, especially in the northeastern and western regions. The findings indicate that the air pollution control efforts have been generally successful, but with large regional disparities, and highlight the importance of controlling crop residue burning, dust events, and nighttime emissions for specific seasons and regions.

The relationship between autistic traits and the stress of social isolation: Development of an explanatory model.

Background: Social isolation can be particularly challenging for individuals with high autistic traits who struggle with social interactions. The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased isolation, exacerbating stress for those who may have difficulty in connecting with others. This study aimed to explore the relationship between autistic traits and stress associated with social isolation. Methods: A sample of 1597 Chinese adults completed measures of autistic traits, the stress of social isolation, psychological inflexibility and core self-evaluation, during an epidemic prevention and control period of COVID-19 in Chongqing, China. Measures included the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Coronavirus Stress Measure, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, and Core Self-Evaluation Scale. Results: Autistic traits were positively correlated with the stress of social isolation, which was mediated by the chain effect of core self-evaluation and psychological inflexibility. individuals with high autistic traits reported significantly higher stress than individuals with low autistic traits. Limitations: This was a cross-sectional study, which limits causal inference. In addition, data were self-reported, which may cause methodological effects. Finally, this study was conducted during China's quarantine policy and external validation of the findings is required. Conclusions: Autistic traits are positively associated with the stress of social isolation. Autistic traits affected core self-evaluation first, and psychological inflexibility subsequently, leading to the stress of social isolation. individuals with high autistic traits tended to experience higher levels of stress during pandemic quarantines. The findings provide useful evidence for developing interventions and implementing preventive measures to reduce stress in individuals with high autistic traits and autism spectrum disorder.

Semisupervised 3D segmentation of pancreatic tumors in positron emission tomography/computed tomography images using a mutual information minimization and cross-fusion strategy.

Background: Accurate segmentation of pancreatic cancer tumors using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) multimodal images is crucial for clinical diagnosis and prognosis evaluation. However, deep learning methods for automated medical image segmentation require a substantial amount of manually labeled data, making it time-consuming and labor-intensive. Moreover, addition or simple stitching of multimodal images leads to redundant information, failing to fully exploit the complementary information of multimodal images. Therefore, we developed a semisupervised multimodal network that leverages limited labeled samples and introduces a cross-fusion and mutual information minimization (MIM) strategy for PET/CT 3D segmentation of pancreatic tumors. Methods: Our approach combined a cross multimodal fusion (CMF) module with a cross-attention mechanism. The complementary multimodal features were fused to form a multifeature set to enhance the effectiveness of feature extraction while preserving specific features of each modal image. In addition, we designed an MIM module to mitigate redundant high-level modal information and compute the latent loss of PET and CT. Finally, our method employed the uncertainty-aware mean teacher semi-supervised framework to segment regions of interest from PET/CT images using a small amount of labeled data and a large amount of unlabeled data. Results: We evaluated our combined MIM and CMF semisupervised segmentation network (MIM-CMFNet) on a private dataset of pancreatic cancer, yielding an average Dice coefficient of 73.14%, an average Jaccard index score of 60.56%, and an average 95% Hausdorff distance (95HD) of 6.30 mm. In addition, to verify the broad applicability of our method, we used a public dataset of head and neck cancer, yielding an average Dice coefficient of 68.71%, an average Jaccard index score of 57.72%, and an average 95HD of 7.88 mm. Conclusions: The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our MIM-CMFNet over existing semisupervised techniques. Our approach can achieve a performance similar to that of fully supervised segmentation methods while significantly reducing the data annotation cost by 80%, suggesting it is highly practicable for clinical application.

Individual variability in neural representations of mind-wandering.

Mind-wandering is a frequent, daily mental activity, experienced in unique ways in each person. Yet neuroimaging evidence relating mind-wandering to brain activity, for example in the default mode network (DMN), has relied on population-rather than individual-based inferences due to limited within-individual sampling. Here, three densely-sampled individuals each reported hundreds of mind-wandering episodes while undergoing multi-session functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found reliable associations between mind-wandering and DMN activation when estimating brain networks within individuals using precision functional mapping. However, the timing of spontaneous DMN activity relative to subjective reports, and the networks beyond DMN that were activated and deactivated during mind-wandering, were distinct across individuals. Connectome-based predictive modeling further revealed idiosyncratic, whole-brain functional connectivity patterns that consistently predicted mind-wandering within individuals but did not fully generalize across individuals. Predictive models of mind-wandering and attention that were derived from larger-scale neuroimaging datasets largely failed when applied to densely-sampled individuals, further highlighting the need for personalized models. Our work offers novel evidence for both conserved and variable neural representations of self-reported mind-wandering in different individuals. The previously-unrecognized inter-individual variations reported here underscore the broader scientific value and potential clinical utility of idiographic approaches to brain-experience associations.

Ethane/Ethylene Separations in Flexible Diamondoid Coordination Networks via an Ethane-Induced Gate-Opening Mechanism.

Separating ethane (C2H6) from ethylene (C2H4) is an essential and energy-intensive process in the chemical industry. Here, we report two flexible diamondoid coordination networks, X-dia-1-Ni and X-dia-1-Ni0.89Co0.11, that exhibit gate-opening between narrow-pore (NP) and large-pore (LP) phases for C2H6, but not for C2H4. X-dia-1-Ni0.89Co0.11 thereby exhibited a type F-IV isotherm at 273 K with no C2H6 uptake and a high uptake (111 cm3 g-1, 1 atm) for the NP and LP phases, respectively. Conversely, the LP phase exhibited a low uptake of C2H4 (12.2 cm3 g-1). This C2H6/C2H4 uptake ratio of 9.1 for X-dia-1-Ni0.89Co0.11 far surpassed those of previously reported physisorbents, many of which are C2H4-selective. In situ variable-pressure X-ray diffraction and modeling studies provided insight into the abrupt C2H6-induced structural NP to LP transformation. The promise of pure gas isotherms and, more generally, flexible coordination networks for gas separations was validated by dynamic breakthrough studies, which afforded high-purity (99.9%) C2H4 in one step.