Association between influenza vaccination and one-year all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk: A self-controlled case series and matched case-control study.

Debates surrounding the efficacy of influenza vaccination for survival benefits persist, and there is a lack of data regarding its duration of protection. A self-controlled case series (SCCS) and a 1:4 matched case-control study were conducted using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and public-use mortality data from 2005 to 2018 in the United States. The SCCS study identified participants who received influenza vaccination within 12 months before the survey and subsequently died within 1 year of postvaccination. The matched case-control study paired participants who died during the influenza season at the time of survey with four survivors. Among 1167 participants in the SCCS study, there was a 46% reduction in all-cause mortality and a 43% reduction in cardiovascular mortality within 29-196 days of postvaccination. The greatest protection was observed during days 29-56 (all-cause mortality: RI: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.12-0.29; cardiovascular mortality: RI: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.14-0.56). Among 626 cases and 2504 controls included in the matched case-control study, influenza vaccination was associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60-0.92) and cardiovascular mortality (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.93) during the influenza season. This study highlights the importance of influenza vaccination in reducing the risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with effects lasting for approximately 6 months.

An effectiveness study of vaccination and quarantine combination strategies for containing mpox transmission on simulated college campuses.

The ongoing transmission of mpox in specific countries and regions necessitates urgent action. It is essential to implement targeted containment strategies that concentrate on high-risk populations and critical locations, such as college campuses, to effectively curb the spread of mpox. This study is dedicated to evaluating the performance of various vaccination and quarantine strategies in curbing the spread of mpox and estimating the outbreak risk. To accomplish this, we constructed a stochastic, agent-based, discrete-time susceptible-latent-infectious-recovered (SLIR) model, to examine mpox transmission on a simulated college campus. Our findings reveal that relying solely on PEP is insufficient in containing mpox effectively. To bolster the population immunity and protect the vulnerable, pre-exposure vaccination among high-risk populations prior to an outbreak is imperative. Our study demonstrates that a pre-exposure vaccination rate of 50% in high-risk populations can led to a remarkable 74.2% reduction of infections. This translated to a mere 1.0% cumulative infection incidence in the overall population. In cases where the desired vaccination coverage is not attainable, enhancing case detection and isolation measures can serve as an effective emergency response to contain mpox outbreaks. For pre-exposure vaccination coverage of 20% or lower, a 40% isolation ratio is necessary to keep the cumulative number of infections in check. However, when the coverage exceeds 30%, a reduced isolation ratio of 20% becomes sufficient to manage the outbreak effectively. These insights underscore the importance of strategic pre-exposure vaccination in conjunction with robust surveillance and isolation protocols to safeguard public health and prevent the escalation of mpox outbreaks.

A Large-Scale Online Survey on Clinical Severity and Associated Risk Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Infection - China, April-May 2023.

What is already known about this topic?: Individuals who initially contract severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lack significant mixed immunity. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor the clinical characteristics and associated factors of these individuals in order to inform policy-making. What is added by this report?: The common symptoms reported were fever, cough, and sore throat. Reinfections and receiving four vaccination doses within a 6-month period were found to be associated with a shorter duration of virus shedding, decreased hospitalization rate, and reduced risk of pneumonia. Individuals aged 60 years and older, as well as those with underlying medical conditions, had a higher risk of developing pneumonia. What are the implication for public health practices?: Online surveys conducted through social media platforms have the potential to complement disease surveillance and data collection efforts. In terms of vaccination prioritization, it is recommended to prioritize older individuals and those with underlying diseases.

Biochar-enhanced three-dimensional conductive network thick electrodes for efficient lithium extraction from salt lake brines with high Magnesia-lithium ratios.

Enhancing the kinetic performance of thick electrodes is essential for improving the efficiency of lithium extraction processes. Biochar, known for its affordability and unique three-dimensional (3D) structure, is utilized across various applications. In this study, we developed a biochar-based, 3D-conductive network thick electrode (∼20 mg cm-2) by in-situ deposition of LiFePO4 (LFP) onto watermelon peel biomass (WB). Utilizing Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations complemented by experimental data, we confirmed that this The thick electrode exhibits outstanding kinetic properties and a high capacity for lithium intercalation in brines, even in environments where the Magnesia-lithium ratios are significantly high. The electrode showed an impressive intercalation capacity of 30.67 mg g-1 within 10 min in a pure lithium solution. It also maintained high intercalation performance (31.17 mg g-1) in simulated brines with high Magnesia-lithium ratios. Moreover, in actual brine, it demonstrated a significant extraction capacity (23.87 mg g-1), effectively lowering the Magnesia-lithium ratio from 65 to 0.50. This breakthrough in high-conductivity thick electrode design offers new perspectives for lithium extraction technologies.

Enhanced Cathode Performance: The Heterostructure Construction of LiCoO2@Co3O4@Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12.

In this study, the heterostructure cathode material LiCoO2@Co3O4@Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 was prepared by coating Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 on the surface of LiCoO2 through a one-step solid-phase synthesis. The morphology, structure, electrical state, and elemental contents of both pristine and modified materials were assessed through a range of characterization techniques. Theoretical calculations revealed that the LCO@LLZTO material possessed a reduced diffusion barrier compared to LiCoO2, thereby facilitating the movement of Li ions. Electrochemical tests indicated that the capacity retention rate of the modified cathode composites stood at 70.43% following 300 cycles at a 2C rate. This high rate occurred because the Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 film on the surface enhanced the migration of Li+, and the spinel phase of Co3O4 had better interfacial stability to alleviate the generation of microcracks by inhibiting the phase change from the layered phase to the rock-salt phase, which considerably improved the electrochemical properties.

Application of Dexmedetomidine in Epidural Labor Analgesia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: To summarize and appraise the use of dexmedetomidine in epidural labor analgesia, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: We conducted the literature search about the RCTs of epidural labor analgesia with or without dexmedetomidine from inception until November 1, 2022, in the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase. The primary outcome was visual analog scale (VAS) within 2 hours after epidural intubation. The secondary outcomes included the duration of the first and second labor stages, Apgar score, umbilical blood pH, dosage of analgesics, and side effects. RESULTS: Eight RCTs including 846 parturients were included. The VAS score of the dexmedetomidine group was significantly lower than that of the control group at the time of 15 minutes (mean difference [MD] -1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.23, -0.59), 30 minutes (MD -1.02, 95% CI -1.70, -0.33), 60 minutes (MD -0.90, 95% CI -1.36, -0.44), and 90 minutes (MD -0.70, 95% CI -1.16, -0.23). The incidence of pruritus in the dexmedetomidine group was lower than that of the control group （MD 0.28, 95% CI 0.11, 0.74), but the incidence of maternal bradycardia was higher (MD 6.41, 95% CI 1.64, 25.04). There were no significant difference in other outcomes. DISCUSSION: Dexmedetomidine combined with local anesthetic for epidural labor analgesia can improve the VAS score of parturients. Except for the increased incidence of maternal bradycardia, it seems to be safe for the parturients and fetuses.

Understanding Electrochemical Performance Enhancement with Quaternary NCMA Cathode Materials.

Ni-rich cathode materials show promise for use in lithium-ion batteries. However, a significant obstacle to their widespread adoption is the structural damage caused by microcracks. This research paper presents the synthesis of Ni-rich cathode materials, including LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (referred to as NCM) and Li(Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1)0.98Al0.02O2 (referred to as NCMA), achieved through the high-temperature solid-phase method. Electrochemical (EC) testing results reveal the impressive EC performance of NCMA. NCMA exhibited a discharge capacity of 141.6 mAh g-1 and maintained a cycle retention rate of up to 74.92% after 300 cycles at a 1 C rate. In contrast, the NCM had a discharge capacity of 109.7 mAh g-1 and a cycle retention rate of 61.22%. Atomic force microscopy showed that the Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov (DMT) modulus value of NCMA exceeded that of NCM, signifying a greater mechanical strength of NCMA. Density functional theory calculations demonstrated that the addition of aluminum during the delithiation process led to the mitigation of anisotropic lattice changes and the stabilization of the NCMA structure. This improvement was attributed to the relatively stronger Al-O bonds compared to the Ni(Co, Mn)-O bonds, which reduced the formation of microcracks by enhancing NCMA's mechanical strength.

Goal-directed fluid therapy using stroke volume variation on length of stay and postoperative gastrointestinal function after major abdominal surgery-a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) in promoting postoperative recovery remains unclear, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of GDFT on length of hospital stay and postoperative recovery of GI function in patients undergoing major abdominal oncologic surgery. METHODS: In this randomized, double- blinded, controlled trial, adult patients scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery with general anesthesia, were randomly divided into the GDFT protocol (group G) or conventional fluid therapy group (group C). Patients in group C underwent conventional fluid therapy based on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous pressure (CVP) whereas those in group G received GDFT protocol associated with the SVV less than 12% and the cardiac index (CI) was controlled at a minimum of 2.5 L/min/m2. The primary outcomes were the length of hospital stay and postoperative GI function. RESULTS: One hundred patients completed the study protocol. The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in group G compared with group C [9.0 ± 5.8 days versus 12.0 ± 4.6 days, P = 0.001]. Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (POGD) occurred in two of 50 patients (4%) in group G and 16 of 50 patients (32%) in the control group (P < 0.001). GDFT significantly also shorten time to first flatus by 11 h (P = 0.009) and time to first tolerate oral diet by 2 days (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Guided by SVV and CI, the application of GDFT has the potential to expedite postoperative recovery of GI function and reduce hospitalization duration after major abdominal surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered on www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov on 07/05/2019 with registration number: NCT03940144.

Interferon stimulated immune profile changes in a humanized mouse model of HBV infection.

The underlying mechanism of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) functional cure by interferon (IFN), especially in patients with low HBsAg and/or young ages, is still unresolved due to the lack of surrogate models. Here, we generate a type I interferon receptor humanized mouse (huIFNAR mouse) through a CRISPR/Cas9-based knock-in strategy. Then, we demonstrate that human IFN stimulates gene expression profiles in huIFNAR peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are similar to those in human PBMCs, supporting the representativeness of this mouse model for functionally analyzing human IFN in vivo. Next, we reveal the tissue-specific gene expression atlas across multiple organs in response to human IFN treatment; this pattern has not been reported in healthy humans in vivo. Finally, by using the AAV-HBV model, we test the antiviral effects of human interferon. Fifteen weeks of human PEG-IFNα2 treatment significantly reduces HBsAg and HBeAg and even achieves HBsAg seroconversion. We observe that activation of intrahepatic monocytes and effector memory CD8 T cells by human interferon may be critical for HBsAg suppression. Our huIFNAR mouse can authentically respond to human interferon stimulation, providing a platform to study interferon function in vivo. PEG-IFNα2 treatment successfully suppresses intrahepatic HBV replication and achieves HBsAg seroconversion.

Asarinin inhibits immunological rejection via the Toll-like receptor-myeloid differentiation factor 88 signaling pathway in vitro.

Asarinin has been found to prolong allograft survival and inhibit post-transplant immune rejection via the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway. However, the underlying mechanism is not completely understood. Therefore, elucidating the possible pathophysiological role of asarinin in the TLR signaling pathway is essential. Here, dendritic cells were isolated from Sprague-Dawley® rats and cultured with splenocytes from Wistar rats treated with asarinin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and/or dimethyl sulfoxide. mRNA expression of TLR-2, TLR-4, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor kB (NF-kB) was determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-12 levels were examined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. LPS resulted in an increase in the expression of TLR-2 rather than TLR-4 and MyD88. Furthermore, it inhibited the secretion of IL-6 and IL-12. MyD88 can be silenced after lentiviral transduction, and LPS can activate MyD88, whereas asarinin can inhibit this kind of activation. The effect of LPS and asarinin on TLR-4 could only be achieved when MyD88 was not silenced by lentivirus transduction. Therefore, asarinin might suppress TLR-4-mediated activation via the MyD88-dependent pathway. Overall, asarinin has a pre-application effect in inhibiting graft rejection.

Sexual health problems of patients with cancer: A bibliometrics study and visualization analysis via CiteSpace.

Purpose: This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the data acquired and clarified the current research status of sexual health problems in patients with cancer, to provide a comprehensive visual perspective suitable as a reference for subsequent research. Methods: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) up to April 30, 2023 to identify studies associated with sexual health problems in patients with cancer. CiteSpace was used to create visualization networks for countries, institutions, authors, and journals. Results: A total of 3183 publications related to sexual health problems in patients with cancer were collected from the WoSCC. In terms of volume, the USA (1259 papers) was the leading country, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (119 papers) was the leading institution, and Carter (39 papers) was the author with the most publications. The top-cited references and keywords were related to quality of life. The top five clusters of reference cocitation were 'brachytherapy', 'prostate cancer', 'radical prostatectomy', 'hypogonadism', and 'breast cancer'. Meanwhile, the top five clusters of keyword cocitation were 'breast cancer', 'prostate cancer', 'rectal cancer', 'testicular cancer', and 'sexual function'. The analysis of the top 25 references and keywords with the strongest citation bursts of published papers on sexual health problems in patients with cancer to reveal the research hotspots and trends. Conclusions: Research on sexual health among patients with cancer is constantly developing. The current research focuses on the impact of different treatment options for sexual health and quality of life of patients with breast, rectal, and genitourinary neoplasms. Exploring the long-term changing regularities of sexual function among cancer survivors and formulating sexual health interventions toward patient-reported outcomes and needs are key research directions.

Effect of regional anesthesia and analgesia on long-term survival following abdominal cancer Surgery-A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: The impact of regional anesthesia and analgesia (RAA) on long-term survival following cancer surgery is a topic of debate. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of perioperative RAA on long-term oncological outcomes in patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery. Methods: The authors searched computerized databases and reference lists from inception to December 20, 2022. All studies that investigated the effects of perioperative RAA on long-term oncological outcomes following major abdominal cancer surgery were included. Using the inverse variance method with a random-effects model, hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: The systematic review included 51 retrospective studies, one prospective study, and three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with a total of 95,046 patients. The results showed that perioperative RAA may improve long-term overall survival (HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.80 to 0.91, P = 0.00, I2 = 60.2%). However, there was no significant association between perioperative RAA and reduced cancer recurrence (HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.90 to 1.03, P = 0.31, I2 = 52.3%). When performing a pooled analysis of the data from the three RCTs, no statistically significant effect of RAA was found in either case. Conclusion: The systematic review suggests perioperative RAA may improve long-term overall survival but does not appear to reduce cancer recurrence in patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery. The limited number of RCTs included in this study did not confirm this finding, highlighting the need for further RCTs to corroborate these results.

Influenza Epidemic Trend Surveillance and Prediction Based on Search Engine Data: Deep Learning Model Study.

BACKGROUND: Influenza outbreaks pose a significant threat to global public health. Traditional surveillance systems and simple algorithms often struggle to predict influenza outbreaks in an accurate and timely manner. Big data and modern technology have offered new modalities for disease surveillance and prediction. Influenza-like illness can serve as a valuable surveillance tool for emerging respiratory infectious diseases like influenza and COVID-19, especially when reported case data may not fully reflect the actual epidemic curve. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a predictive model for influenza outbreaks by combining Baidu search query data with traditional virological surveillance data. The goal was to improve early detection and preparedness for influenza outbreaks in both northern and southern China, providing evidence for supplementing modern intelligence epidemic surveillance methods. METHODS: We collected virological data from the National Influenza Surveillance Network and Baidu search query data from January 2011 to July 2018, totaling 3,691,865 and 1,563,361 respective samples. Relevant search terms related to influenza were identified and analyzed for their correlation with influenza-positive rates using Pearson correlation analysis. A distributed lag nonlinear model was used to assess the lag correlation of the search terms with influenza activity. Subsequently, a predictive model based on the gated recurrent unit and multiple attention mechanisms was developed to forecast the influenza-positive trend. RESULTS: This study revealed a high correlation between specific Baidu search terms and influenza-positive rates in both northern and southern China, except for 1 term. The search terms were categorized into 4 groups: essential facts on influenza, influenza symptoms, influenza treatment and medicine, and influenza prevention, all of which showed correlation with the influenza-positive rate. The influenza prevention and influenza symptom groups had a lag correlation of 1.4-3.2 and 5.0-8.0 days, respectively. The Baidu search terms could help predict the influenza-positive rate 14-22 days in advance in southern China but interfered with influenza surveillance in northern China. CONCLUSIONS: Complementing traditional disease surveillance systems with information from web-based data sources can aid in detecting warning signs of influenza outbreaks earlier. However, supplementation of modern surveillance with search engine information should be approached cautiously. This approach provides valuable insights for digital epidemiology and has the potential for broader application in respiratory infectious disease surveillance. Further research should explore the optimization and customization of search terms for different regions and languages to improve the accuracy of influenza prediction models.

Multi-area load frequency regulation of a stochastic renewable energy-based power system with SMES using enhanced-WOA-tuned PID controller.

This paper presents a novel nature-inspired meta-heuristic optimization algorithm known as the Enhanced Whale Optimization Algorithm (EWOA), which imitates humpback whales' social behavior to solve the optimization of multi-area automatic load frequency control (LFC) problems of a stochastic renewable energy-based power system with superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES). An EWOA algorithm is presented in response to the limitations of the conventional WOA algorithm, including its sluggish convergence time, low accuracy, and propensity to easily enter local optimum. The system model investigated includes some physical constraints such as the time delay (TD), generation rate constraint (GRC), reheat turbine (RT), and the dead band (DB). The impacts of these physical constraints on the dynamic performance of the proposed controller were investigated. The EWOA algorithm is utilized to dynamically optimize the parameters of the PID controller for optimal system performance. The effectiveness and dynamic performance of the proposed controller are compared with the conventional WOA using some performance metrics. The system model also includes superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) units in both areas and their impacts on the system performances are also investigated. The effects of the changes of two different parameters of the system (frequency bias parameter, B, and the governor speed regulation, R) on the frequency deviation responses and the controller's robustness are examined. It is evident from the results that the dynamic performance of the proposed controller is better than that of the conventional WOA and it is more robust and stable to changes in system loading, parameters, and step load perturbation.

Functional characterization of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) C-type lectin 5.

C-type lectins (CTLs) are an important family of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that regulate immune responses. The CTL5 gene of the silkworm Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) encodes a protein comprised of 223 amino acids, containing a signal peptide and a carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). Our previous study showed that CTL5 can facilitate the clearance of bacteria from larval hemocoel but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we found that CTL5 was mainly expressed in fourth-instar larvae, adult moths, and the larval epidermis. CTL5 expression showed differential responses to both pathogenic stimuli and the molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone. The full-length (FL) and truncated (ΔN/ΔC/ΔNC) CTL5 recombinant proteins can bind to hemocytes, polysaccharides, bacteria, and spores of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Yeast 2-hybrid assays showed that the recombinant proteins can interact with integrin ß2-ß5 subunits. Recombinant proteins increased the phagocytic rate of hemocytes. Injection of recombinant CTL5 stimulated the expression of many immune genes in hemocytes, mainly antimicrobial peptides and immune signaling molecules. Additionally, transcriptomic sequencing of CTL5-stimulated hemocytes revealed 265 upregulated and 580 downregulated genes. Functional enrichment and the gene set enrichment analyses showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in innate immune responses and signaling. Our study suggests that CTL5 may act as an opsonin to enhance the clearance of pathogens by regulating both humoral and cellular responses.

Dual RNA Sequencing of Beauveria bassiana-Infected Spodoptera frugiperda Reveals a Fungal Protease with Entomopathogenic and Antiphytopathogenic Activities.

Insect pests and phytopathogens significantly impact crop yield and quality. The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda and the phytopathogen Fusarium graminearum cause substantial economic losses in crops like barley and wheat. However, the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana shows limited efficacy against FAW, and its antiphytopathogenic activities against F. graminearum remain unclear. Here, dual RNA sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed genes in B. bassiana-infected FAW larvae. We found that the BbAorsin gene was significantly upregulated at 36 and 48 h post-infection. BbAorsin encodes a serine-carboxyl protease and is mainly expressed in blastospores and hyphae. Overexpression of BbAorsin in B. bassiana ARSEF2860 enhanced virulence against Galleria mellonella and FAW larvae and inhibited F. graminearum growth. The recombinant BbAorsin protein induced apoptosis and necrosis in FAW hemocytes and inhibited F. graminearum spore germination. These findings shed light on transcriptomic mechanisms governing insect-pathogen interactions, which could aid in developing dual-functional entomopathogens and anti-phytopathogens.

A lightweight dual-path cascaded network for vessel segmentation in fundus image.

Automatic and fast segmentation of retinal vessels in fundus images is a prerequisite in clinical ophthalmic diseases; however, the high model complexity and low segmentation accuracy still limit its application. This paper proposes a lightweight dual-path cascaded network (LDPC-Net) for automatic and fast vessel segmentation. We designed a dual-path cascaded network via two U-shaped structures. Firstly, we employed a structured discarding (SD) convolution module to alleviate the over-fitting problem in both codec parts. Secondly, we introduced the depthwise separable convolution (DSC) technique to reduce the parameter amount of the model. Thirdly, a residual atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ResASPP) model is constructed in the connection layer to aggregate multi-scale information effectively. Finally, we performed comparative experiments on three public datasets. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieved superior performance on the accuracy, connectivity, and parameter quantity, thus proving that it can be a promising lightweight assisted tool for ophthalmic diseases.

Detection of the effect of microvibrational stimulation on human discarded immature oocytes by single-cell transcriptome sequencing technology.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the changes in oocytes at the transcriptome level after applying continuous microvibrational mechanical stimulation to human immature oocytes during in vitro maturation. METHODS: The discarded germinal-vesicle stage (GV) oocytes with no fertilization value after oocytes retrieval in assisted reproduction cycles were collected. Part of them was stimulated with vibration (n = 6) at 10 Hz for 24 h after obtaining informed consent; the other was cultured in static condition (n = 6). Single-cell transcriptome sequencing was used to detect the differences in oocyte transcriptome compared with the static culture group. RESULTS: The applied 10-Hz continuous microvibrational stimulation altered the expression of 352 genes compared with the static culture. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis suggested that the altered genes were mainly enriched with 31 biological processes. The mechanical stimulation upregulated 155 of these genes and downregulated 197 genes. Among them, the genes related to mechanical signaling, such as protein localization to intercellular adhesion (DSP and DLG-5) and cytoskeleton (DSP, FGD6, DNAJC7, KRT16, KLHL1, HSPB1, MAP2K6), were detected. DLG-5, which was related to protein localization to intercellular adhesion, was selected for immunofluorescence experiments based on the transcriptome sequencing results. The protein expression of DLG-5 in the microvibration-stimulated oocytes was higher than that in the static culture oocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical stimulation affects the transcriptome during oocyte maturation, causing the express changes in intercellular adhesion and cytoskeleton-related genes. We speculate that the mechanical signal may be transmitted to the cell through DLG-5 protein and cytoskeleton-related protein to regulate cellular activities.

High activity levels of avian influenza upwards 2018-2022: A global epidemiological overview of fowl and human infections.

Due to growing activities of avian influenza, more attention should be paid to avian influenza virus infections. Global summaries or national reports lack data on epidemiological patterns of avian influenza. A descriptive epidemiological analysis of avian influenza outbreaks from 2018 to 2022 was conducted, particularly fowl infections, human infections, and sequence alterations. The number of fowl infection outbreaks in the first half of 2022 was the highest level in the five-year period. Countries or regions could reliably be classified into three clusters according to fowl infection activity scores, with 60.0% of countries or regions in C1 in Europe. Additionally, two host infection patterns of countries were noted, led by the Taiwan (China) region and Germany. Human infections also increased, with 88.1% of cases being in China with an increasing risk of cases in northern China. Sequences that were furin cleavage motif present spread from Asia to Europe and North America over the five-year period. Continuous changes in the global activities of avian influenza highlight the need for sustained global surveillance, including strengthening monitoring capacity for vulnerable population and dynamically detecting new cases or genetic variations of the avian influenza virus under the One Health framework.