Electrospun O-quaternary ammonium chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibrous film by application of Box-Behnken design response surface method for eliminating pathogenic bacteria.

In this study, O-quaternary ammonium chitosan (O-HTCC) containing bicationic antibacterial active groups was synthesized to develop an O-HTCC/PVA porous nanofibrous film to enhance antibacterial activity, leveraging surface modification and nano-porous structure design. Uniform and smooth nanofibrous structures (average diameter: 72-294 nm) were successfully obtained using a simple and feasible electrospinning method. A response surface model via Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to clarify the interaction relationship between O-HTCC fiber diameter and three critical electrospinning parameters (O-HTCC concentration, applied voltage, feed flow rate), predicting that the minimum O-HTCC fiber diameter (174 nm) could be achieved with 7 wt% of O-HTCC concentration, 14 kV of voltage, and 0.11 mL/h of feed flow rate. Linear regression (R2 = 0.9736, Radj2 = 0.9716) and the Anderson Darling test demonstrated the excellent fit of the RSM-BBD model. Compared to N-HTCC/PVA nanofibrous film, the O-HTCC/PVA version showed increased growth inhibition and more effective antibacterial efficacies against Escherichia coli (E. coli) (~;86.34 %) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (~;99.99 %). DSC revealed improved thermal stability with an increased melting temperature (238 °C) and endothermic enthalpy (157.7 J/g). This study holds potential for further development of antibacterial packaging to extend food shelf-life to reduce bacterial infection.

Corrigendum: Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus play key roles in menopausal hot flashes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.993955.].

USP9X inhibits metastasis in pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis and immune infiltration.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a highly invasive pulmonary malignancy with an extremely poor prognosis. The results of previous studies suggest that ubiquitin-specific peptidase 9X (USP9X) contributes to the progression of numerous types of cancer. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge about the molecular mechanisms and functions of USP9X in the metastasis of PSC. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to detect USP9X expression levels in PSC tissues and cells. Wound healing, transwell, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), tube formation, and aortic ring assays were used to examine the function and mechanism of USP9X in the metastasis of PSC. RESULTS: Expression of USP9X was markedly decreased and significantly correlated with metastasis and prognosis of patients with PSC. Then we revealed that USP9X protein levels were negatively associated with the levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and the migration of PSC cells. It was confirmed that USP9X in PSC cells reduced VEGF secretion and inhibited tubule formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro. USP9X was detected to downregulate MMP9. Meanwhile, MMP9 was positively related to EMT, angiogenesis and was negatively related to immune infiltration in the public databases. USP9X was significantly negatively associated with the expression of MMP9, EMT markers, CD31, and positively associated with CD4, and CD8 in PSC tissues. CONCLUSION: The present study reveals the vital role of USP9X in regulating EMT, angiogenesis and immune infiltration and inhibiting metastasis of PSC via downregulating MMP9, which provides a new effective therapeutic target for PSC.

Integrated analysis of DNA methylome and transcriptome revealing epigenetic regulation of CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance.

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation contributes to the epigenetic regulation of nuclear gene expression, and is associated with plant growth, development, and stress responses. Compelling evidence has emerged that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulates DNA methylation. Previous genetic and physiological evidence indicates that lncRNA-CRIR1 plays a positive role in the responses of cassava plants to cold stress. However, it is unclear whether global DNA methylation changes with CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance. RESULTS: In this study, a comprehensive comparative analysis of DNA methylation and transcriptome profiles was performed to reveal the gene expression and epigenetic dynamics after CRIR1 overexpression. Compared with the wild-type plants, CRIR1-overexpressing plants present gained DNA methylation in over 37,000 genomic regions and lost DNA methylation in about 16,000 genomic regions, indicating a global decrease in DNA methylation after CRIR1 overexpression. Declining DNA methylation is not correlated with decreased/increased expression of the DNA methylase/demethylase genes, but is associated with increased transcripts of a few transcription factors, chlorophyll metabolism and photosynthesis-related genes, which could contribute to the CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, a first set of transcriptome and epigenome data was integrated in this study to reveal the gene expression and epigenetic dynamics after CRIR1 overexpression, with the identification of several TFs, chlorophyll metabolism and photosynthesis-related genes that may be involved in CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance. Therefore, our study has provided valuable data for the systematic study of molecular insights for plant cold stress response.

Non-diabetes status after diagnosis of impaired glucose tolerance and risk of long-term death and vascular complications: A post hoc analysis of the Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Outcome Study.

BACKGROUND: The association between years of non-diabetes status after diagnosis of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and the risk of long-term death and cardiovascular outcomes needed to be clarified. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In this post hoc analysis, we included 540 individuals with IGT who participated in the original Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Study (DQDPS). In the DQDPS, all participants were diagnosed with IGT by a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test and randomized to intervention or control groups with a 6-year lifestyle intervention trial. After the completion of the trial, death, cardiovascular events, and microvascular complications were monitored over a 30-year follow-up. In this post hoc analysis, the Cox analysis assessed the extended risk of these outcomes in individuals who either remained non-diabetes status or progressed to diabetes at the end of 2, 4, and 6 years after diagnosis of IGT. In all participants, the difference in the cumulative incidence rate of the outcomes between the diabetes and non-diabetes group gradually increased over 30 years. Compared with the diabetes group, a significantly lower risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57 to 0.97, p = 0.026), cardiovascular events (HR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.82, p < 0.001), and microvascular complications (HR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.86, p = 0.004) first emerged in individuals who remained non-diabetes at the 4 years visit, whereas the significant risk reduction in cardiovascular death was first observed at the end of 6 years (HR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.81, p = 0.002) after adjustment for age, sex, smoking status, BMI, systolic blood pressure, blood glucose, total cholesterol, intervention, and medications (including insulin plus oral hypoglycaemics, antihypertensives, and lipid-lowering agents). The results in the original intervention group alone were similar to the whole group. The main limitations of our study are the limited number of participants and the sole ethnicity of the Chinese population. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed that maintaining several years of non-diabetes status after IGT diagnosis was associated with a significant reduction in long-term risk of death and vascular complications, and for most of these outcomes, maintaining at least 4 years of non-diabetes status may be needed to achieve a significant risk reduction.

Machine learning-based diagnosis and prognosis of IgAN: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Plenty of studies have explored the diagnosis and prognosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) based on machine learning (ML), but the accuracy lacks the support of evidence-based medical evidence. We aim at this problem to guide the precision treatment of IgAN. Methods: Embase, Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched systematically until February 24th, 2024, for publications on ML-based diagnosis and prognosis of IgAN. Subgroup analysis or meta-regression was conducted according to modeling method, follow-up time, endpoint definition, and variable type. Further, the rank sum test was applied to compare the discrimination ability of prognosis. Results: A total of 47 studies involving 51,935 patients were eligible. Among the 38 diagnostic models, the pooled C-index was 0.902 (95 % CI: 0.878-0.926) in 27 diagnostic models. Of the 162 prognostic models, the C-index for model discrimination of 144 prognostic models was 0.838 (95 % CI: 0.827-0.850) in training. The overall discrimination ability of prognosis was as follows: COX regression > new ML models (e.g. ANN, DT, RF, SVM, XGBoost) > traditional ML models (logistic regression) > Naïve Bayesian network (P < 0.05). External validation of IIgAN-RPT in 19 models showed a pooled C-index of 0.801 (95 % CI: 0.784-0.817). Conclusions: New ML models have shown application values that are as good as traditional ML models, both in diagnosis and prognosis. In addition, future models are desired to use a more sensitive prognostic endpoint (albuminuria), improve predictive ability in moderate progression risk, and ultimately translate into clinically applicable intelligent tools.

A key ABA biosynthetic gene OsNCED3 is a positive regulator in resistance to Nilaparvata lugens in Oryza sativa.

The gene encoding 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 3 (NCED3) functions in abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, plant growth and development, and tolerance to adverse temperatures, drought and saline conditions. In this study, three rice lines were used to explore the function of OsNCED3, these included an OsNCED3-overexpressing line (OsNCED3-OE), a knockdown line (osnced3-RNAi) and wild-type rice (WT). These rice lines were infested with the brown plant hopper (BPH; Nilaparvata lugens) and examined for physiological and biochemical changes, hormone content, and defense gene expression. The results showed that OsNCED3 activated rice defense mechanisms, which led to an increased defense enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase. The overexpression of OsNCED3 decreased the number of planthoppers and reduced oviposition and BPH hatching rates. Furthermore, the overexpression of OsNCED3 increased the concentrations of jasmonic acid, jasmonyl-isoleucine and ABA relative to WT rice and the osnced3-RNAi line. These results indicate that OsNCED3 improved the stress tolerance in rice and support a role for both jasmonates and ABA as defense compounds in the rice-BPH interaction.

Molecular mechanisms underlying sodium percarbonate treatment suppress the recovery and growth of Pseudanabaena sp. in early spring.

Increasing frequency and intensity of cyanobacterial blooms in water sources is a growing global issue. Algicides are usually implemented in summer or autumn when blooms break out, however, the blooms will form again when algicide's concentration declines to a certain extent. Preventing the recovery and growth of cyanobacteria in early spring may be conducive to abatement of the blooms in summer or autumn. In this study solid sodium percarbonate (SPC) was used as an algicide to suppress recovery and growth of Pseudanabaena sp., a common odour-producing cyanobacterium, in early spring (12 °C). Results showed that 3.0 and 6.0 mg/L SPC were able to kill most of the algal cells after 12 h treatment at 12 °C, and the residual cells gradually died during the re-cultivation period at 25 °C. As a control, although SPC also caused most of algal cells to lyse at 25 °C, regrowth of cells was found during the period of re-cultivation at 25 °C. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the dysregulated genes were strongly associated with translation and photosynthesis after SPC treatment. All differentially expressed unigenes related to translation and photosynthesis were down-regulated after SPC oxidation at 12 °C, whereas key genes associated with translation and photosynthesis were upregulated after SPC treatment at 25 °C.

Conformational dynamics of CasX (Cas12e) in mediating DNA cleavage revealed by single-molecule FRET.

CasX (also known as Cas12e), a Class 2 CRISPR-Cas system, shows promise in genome editing due to its smaller size compared to the widely used Cas9 and Cas12a. Although the structures of CasX-sgRNA-DNA ternary complexes have been resolved and uncover a distinctive NTSB domain, the dynamic behaviors of CasX are not well characterized. In this study, we employed single-molecule and biochemical assays to investigate the conformational dynamics of two CasX homologs, DpbCasX and PlmCasX, from DNA binding to target cleavage and fragment release. Our results indicate that CasX cleaves the non-target strand and the target strand sequentially with relative irreversible dynamics. The two CasX homologs exhibited different cleavage patterns and specificities. The dynamic characterization of CasX also reveals a PAM-proximal seed region, providing guidance for CasX-based effector design. Further studies elucidate the mechanistic basis for why modification of sgRNA and the NTSB domain can affect its activity. Interestingly, CasX has less effective target search efficiency than Cas9 and Cas12a, potentially accounting for its lower genome editing efficiency. This observation opens a new avenue for future protein engineering.

Value of endoscopic grading of gastroesophageal flap valve in gastroesophageal reflux disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance of endoscopic grading (Hill's classification) of gastroesophageal flap valve (GEFV) in the examination of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: One hundred and sixty-two patients undergoing gastroscopy in the Department of Gastroenterology, Xingyi People's Hospital between Apr. 2022 and Sept. 2022 were selected by convenient sampling, and data such as GEFV grade, and findings of esophageal high-resolution manometry (HRM) and esophageal 24-h pH/impedance reflux monitoring, and Los Angeles (LA) classification of reflux esophagitis (RE) were collected and compared. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in age (F = 9.711, P < 0.001) and hiatal hernia (χ = 35.729, P < 0.001) were observed in patients with different GEFV grades. The resting LES pressures were 12.12 ± 2.79, 10.73 ± 2.68, 9.70 ± 2.29, and 8.20 ± 2.77 mmHg (F = 4.571, P < 0.001) and LES lengths were 3.30 ± 0.70, 3.16 ± 0.68, 2.35 ± 0.83, and 2.45 ± 0.62 (F = 3.789, P = 0.011), respectively, in patients with GEFV grades I-IV. DeMeester score (Z = 5.452, P < 0.001), AET4 (Z = 5.614, P < 0.001), acid reflux score (upright) (Z = 7.452, P < 0.001), weak acid reflux score (upright) (Z = 3.121, P = 0.038), liquid reflux score (upright) (Z = 3.321, P = 0.031), acid reflux score (supine) (Z = 6.462, P < 0.001), mixed reflux score (supine) (Z = 3.324, P = 0.031), gas reflux score (supine) (Z = 3.521, P = 0.024) were different in patients with different GEFV grades, with statistically significant differences. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between RE grade and LA classification of GERD (r = 0.662, P < 0.001), and the severity of RE increased gradually with the increase of the Hill grades of GEFV. CONCLUSION: The Hill grade of GEFV is related to age, hiatal hernia, LES pressure, and the consequent development and severity of acid reflux and RE. Evaluation of esophageal motility and reflux based on the Hill grade of GEFV is of significance for the diagnosis and treatment of GERD.

Distribution, ecological risk, and sediment-influencing mechanisms of heavy metals in surface sediments along the intertidal gradient in typical mangroves in Hainan, China.

The relative importance of each sediment physicochemical property to sediment heavy-metal (HM) contents has not yet been quantitatively evaluated. Differences in the HM contents of mangrove surface sediments among the high, middle, and low intertidal zones, and their quantitative relationships to sediment physicochemical properties, were investigated in Dongzhaigang and Qinglan Harbor reserves, Hainan, China. In both reserves, the Cu and Ni concentrations increased significantly from the low to high intertidal zones; the patterns of change in the Mn and Pb contents were opposite in the two reserves. The Cr concentration was significantly lower and the Pb concentration was significantly higher in the dry season than in the wet season. Ecological risks of HM were higher in Dongzhaigang than in Qinglan Harbor. Regression and redundancy (hierarchical partitioning) analyses showed that the sediment total sulfur, nitrogen and potassium contents and pH were key factors affecting the HM contents of mangrove surface sediments.

The impact of sleep quality on emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents: a chained mediation model involving daytime dysfunction, social exclusion, and self-control.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have revealed associations between sleep quality and mental health, yet the comprehensive role of sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, social exclusion, and self-control in difficulties with emotion regulation remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate how sleep quality affects emotion regulation difficulties among middle school students through pathways involving daytime dysfunction, social exclusion, and self-control, thereby providing a more comprehensive theoretical basis for mental health interventions. METHODS: Utilizing the pittsburgh sleep quality index, the adolescent social exclusion scale, the brief self-control scale, and emotion regulation scale-short form, we assessed 1067 students randomly selected from four middle schools from October to November 2023. After the removal of extreme values (those exceeding 3 standard deviations), 806 students were retained for data analysis. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that poor sleep quality significantly contributes to increased daytime dysfunction(ß = 0.86, SE = 0.07, p < .001), which in turn affects social exclusion(ß = 0.60, SE = 0.16, p < 0 0.001), self-control abilities(ß = 1.27, SE = 0.16, p < .001) and emotion regulation difficulties(ß = 1.56, SE = 0.30, p < .001). Social exclusion mediates the relationship between sleep quality and emotion regulation difficulties(Estimate = 0.11, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.04, 0.20] ). CONCLUSION: The aim of this study is to provide new insights into the development of effective intervention measures to improve sleep and mental health in adolescents.

Targeting RBM39 through indisulam induced mis-splicing of mRNA to exert anti-cancer effects in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Despite the use of targeted therapeutic approaches, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is still associated with a high incidence of complications and a poor prognosis. Indisulam (also known as E7070), a newly identified molecular glue compound, has demonstrated increased therapeutic efficacy in several types of cancer through the rapid degradation of RBM39. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of indisulam in T-ALL, elucidate its underlying mechanisms and explore the role of the RBM39 gene. METHODS: We verified the anticancer effects of indisulam in both in vivo and in vitro models. Additionally, the construction of RBM39-knockdown cell lines using shRNA confirmed that the malignant phenotype of T-ALL cells was dependent on RBM39. Through RNA sequencing, we identified indisulam-induced splicing anomalies, and proteomic analysis helped pinpoint protein changes caused by the drug. Comprehensive cross-analysis of these findings facilitated the identification of downstream effectors and subsequent validation of their functional roles. RESULTS: Indisulam has significant antineoplastic effects on T-ALL. It attenuates cell proliferation, promotes apoptosis and interferes with cell cycle progression in vitro while facilitating tumor remission in T-ALL in vivo models. This investigation provides evidence that the downregulation of RBM39 results in the restricted proliferation of T-ALL cells both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that RBM39 is a potential target for T-ALL treatment. Indisulam's efficacy is attributed to its ability to induce RBM39 degradation, causing widespread aberrant splicing and abnormal translation of the critical downstream effector protein, THOC1, ultimately leading to protein depletion. Moreover, the presence of DCAF15 is regarded as critical for the effectiveness of indisulam, and its absence negates the ability of indisulam to induce the desired functional alterations. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that indisulam, which targets RBM39 to induce tumor cell apoptosis, is an effective drug for treating T-ALL. Targeting RBM39 through indisulam leads to mis-splicing of pre-mRNAs, resulting in the loss of key effectors such as THOC1.

Transarterial chemoembolization combined with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab conversion therapy for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report and literature review.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the sixth most common malignancy globally, with the majority of patients presenting at the initial diagnosis with locally advanced or metastatic disease, precluding the opportunity for curative surgical intervention. With the exploration and advancement of locoregional treatments, novel molecular-targeted therapies, anti-angiogenic agents, and immunomodulatory drugs, the management of HCC has seen an increase in objective response rates and prolonged duration of response significantly enhancing the potential for conversion to resectable disease in intermediate and advanced-stage unresectable HCC. Herein, we present a case of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B unresectable HCC, where after two courses of treatment with transarterial chemoembolization combined with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab significant tumor reduction was achieved. Per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1, partial response culminated in successful curative surgical resection. No drug-related adverse reactions occurred during hospitalization, and there has been no recurrence during the 11-month postoperative follow-up. For patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B (intermediate-stage) unresectable HCC, the transarterial chemoembolization combined with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab regimen may offer improved therapeutic outcomes leading to a higher success rate of conversion therapy and, thus, improved survival.

TRPM4 mRNA stabilization by METTL3-mediated m6A modification promotes calcific aortic valve inflammation.

Background: Transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) affects immune responses by regulating calcium homeostasis, but its role in calcific aortic valve inflammation remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the expression and function of TRPM4 in patients with or without calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). Methods: The mRNA and protein expression levels of TRPM4 and related factors in calcified and noncalcified tissues were measured using qRT-PCR and Western blot. The proteins interacting with TRPM4 were confirmed by RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay was performed to confirm the m6A site of TRPM4. Results: The mRNA expression levels of TRPM4, TLR4, IL-6, MCP-1, TNF-α, and NF-κB p65 were significantly higher in calcified aortic valve tissues than in noncalcified tissues, and TRPM4 was significantly positively correlated with inflammation-related factors. The protein expression level of TRPM4, TLR4 and NF-κB p65 were significantly higher in calcified aortic valve tissues than in noncalcified tissues. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of TRPM4 mRNA by METTL3-YTHDF1 up-regulated its expression in CAVD. And TRPM4 promoted the level of inflammation via activation of the JNK-MAPK signaling pathway, after knockdown TRPM4, the production of proinflammatory cytokines was significantly suppressed. Conclusion: The results indicate the pivotal role of TRPM4 in CAVD and highlight METTL3-mediated m6A modification of TRPM4 in promoting inflammation through JNK-MAPK signaling pathway. This work provides potential therapeutic strategy to impede inflammation in CAVD.

Predicting the impact of femtosecond-assisted arcuate keratotomy combined with tri-planar clear corneal incisions on astigmatism in implantable collamer lens surgery: one-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: To investigate the factors associated with and impact on the femtosecond-assisted (FS-assisted) limbal relaxing incision (LRI) combined with the steep-meridian tri-planar clear corneal incision (TCCI) to reduce astigmatism in patients undergoing Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) surgery. METHODS: Retrospective case series. The study reviewed patients with ICL surgery combined with FS-assisted LRIs paired with steep-meridian TCCIs. Correlation analysis examined the relationship between independent variables, including preoperative characteristics (intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, axial length, et al.), TCCI, and LRI surgical parameters. The predictors of surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) were determined using individual-level analysis and accounting for inter-eye correlation with the generalized estimating equation (GEE). RESULTS: The study enrolled 69 patients, with 114 eyes (55 right and 59 left). The mean spherical equivalent (SEQ) was - 10.29 ± 2.99D and - 9.99 ± 2.72D for the right and left eye, respectively, while the mean preoperative corneal astigmatism was - 1.54 ± 0.47D and - 1.54 ± 0.46D for the right and left eyes, respectively. After 12 months of follow-up, univariate analysis revealed significant correlations between SIA and intraocular pressure (IOP), astigmatism type, TCCI position (degree), peripheral corneal thickness (PCT), LRI arc incision diameter, post depth (%), and angle, respectively (P = 0.046, 0.016, 0.039, 0.040, 0.009, 0.000, 0.000). Multivariate analysis using GEE demonstrated that axial length (AL), astigmatism type, LRI arc diameter, and angle were independent predictors of SIA (P = 0.000, 0.005, 0.029, 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The type of astigmatism and axial length were independent factors that affected SIA when modifying the LRI arc diameter and angle through FS-assisted steep-meridian TCCI paired with LRI in ICL surgery.

Cu(I)-Glutathione Assembly Supported on ZIF-8 as Robust and Efficient Catalyst for Mild CO2 Conversions.

The Cu-glutathione (GSH) redox system, essential in biology, is designed here as a supramacromolecular assembly in which the tetrahedral 18e Cu(I) center loses a thiol ligand upon adsorption onto ZIF-8, as shown by EXAFS and DFT calculation, to generate a very robust 16e planar trigonal single-atom Cu(I) catalyst. Synergy between Cu(I) and ZIF-8, revealed by catalytic experiments and DFT, affords CO2 conversion into high-value-added chemicals with a wide scope of substrates by reaction with terminal alkynes or propargyl amines in excellent yields under mild conditions and reuse at least 10 times without significant decrease in catalytic efficiency.

Economic benefit of ecological remediation of mercury pollution in southwest China 2007-2022.

Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure via rice consumption poses health risk to residents in mercury contaminated areas, such as the Wanshan Hg mining area (WSMA) in southwest China. Making use of the published data for WSMA, this study developed a database of rice MeHg concentrations for different villages in this region for the years of 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2019. The temporal changes of human MeHg exposure, health effects, and economic benefits under different ecological remediation measures were then assessed. Results from this study revealed a decrease of 3.88 µg/kg in rice MeHg concentration and a corresponding reduction of 0.039 µg/kg/d in probable daily intake of MeHg in 2019 compared to 2007 on regional average in the WSMA. Ecological remediation measures in this region resulted in the accumulated economic benefits of $38.7 million during 2007-2022, of which 84 % was from pollution source treatment and 16 % from planting structure adjustment. However, a flooding event in 2016 led to an economic loss of $2.43 million (0.38 % of regional total Gross Domestic Product). Planting structure adjustment generates the greatest economic benefits in the short term, whereas pollution source treatment maximizes economic benefits in the long term and prevents the perturbations from flooding event. These findings demonstrate the importance of ecological remediation measures in Hg polluted areas and provide the foundation for risk assessment of human MeHg exposure via rice consumption.

Neural Network Classification Algorithm Based on Self-attention Mechanism and Ensemble Learning for MASLD Ultrasound Images.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound image examination has become the preferred choice for diagnosing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) due to its non-invasive nature. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) technology can assist doctors in avoiding deviations in the detection and classification of MASLD. METHOD: We propose a hybrid model that integrates the pre-trained VGG16 network with an attention mechanism and a stacking ensemble learning model, which is capable of multi-scale feature aggregation based on the self-attention mechanism and multi-classification model fusion (Logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine) based on stacking ensemble learning. The proposed hybrid method achieves four classifications of normal, mild, moderate, and severe fatty liver based on ultrasound images. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Our proposed hybrid model reaches an accuracy of 91.34% and exhibits superior robustness against interference, which is better than traditional neural network algorithms. Experimental results show that, compared with the pre-trained VGG16 model, adding the self-attention mechanism improves the accuracy by 3.02%. Using the stacking ensemble learning model as a classifier further increases the accuracy to 91.34%, exceeding any single classifier such as LR (89.86%) and SVM (90.34%) and RF (90.73%). The proposed hybrid method can effectively improve the efficiency and accuracy of MASLD ultrasound image detection.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens LM-1 Affects Multiple Cell Biological Processes in Magnaporthe oryzae to Suppress Rice Blast.

Magnaporthe oryzae, one of the most destructive rice pathogens, causes significant losses during the rice harvest every year. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has been explored in many crops as a potential biocontrol agent. However, the mechanisms of B. amyloliquefaciens controled rice blast are not fully understood. Here, a biocontrol strain LM-1, isolated from a contaminated medium, was identified as B. amyloliquefaciens using morphological observation, physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S rDNA sequencing. LM-1 inhibited the growth and pathogenicity of M. oryzae and Bipolaris oryzae (Breda de Haan) Shoem. The mycelia of M. oryzae co-cultured with LM-1 were enlarged and broken by fluorescence microscopy using calcofluor white. LM-1 inhibited the mycelia of M. oryzae from producing conidia. Genes itu, srf, and fenB were detected in LM-1. Furthermore, the supernatant of LM-1 interfered with the appressorium formation of M. oryzae, blocked conidial cell death, and reduced autophagy degradation but did not affect the normal germination of rice seeds and seeding growth. Additionally, we observed hypersensitivity reactions, reactive oxygen species, and iron accumulation reduction in rice cells inoculated with supernatant. Our study reveals that LM-1 has a control effect on rice blast and affects cell wall integrity, sporulation, appressorium formation, cell death, and autophagy.