Response mechanisms of different Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains to succinic acid.

BACKGROUND: The production of succinic acid (SA) from biomass has attracted worldwide interest. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is preferred for SA production due to its strong tolerance to low pH conditions, ease of genetic manipulation, and extensive application in industrial processes. However, when compared with bacterial producers, the SA titers and productivities achieved by engineered S. cerevisiae strains were relatively low. To develop efficient SA-producing strains, it's necessary to clearly understand how S. cerevisiae cells respond to SA. RESULTS: In this study, we cultivated five S. cerevisiae strains with different genetic backgrounds under different concentrations of SA. Among them, KF7 and NBRC1958 demonstrated high tolerance to SA, whereas NBRC2018 displayed the least tolerance. Therefore, these three strains were chosen to study how S. cerevisiae responds to SA. Under a concentration of 20 g/L SA, only a few differentially expressed genes were observed in three strains. At the higher concentration of 60 g/L SA, the response mechanisms of the three strains diverged notably. For KF7, genes involved in the glyoxylate cycle were significantly downregulated, whereas genes involved in gluconeogenesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, protein folding, and meiosis were significantly upregulated. For NBRC1958, genes related to the biosynthesis of vitamin B6, thiamin, and purine were significantly downregulated, whereas genes related to protein folding, toxin efflux, and cell wall remodeling were significantly upregulated. For NBRC2018, there was a significant upregulation of genes connected to the pentose phosphate pathway, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid utilization, and protein folding, except for the small heat shock protein gene HSP26. Overexpression of HSP26 and HSP42 notably enhanced the cell growth of NBRC1958 both in the presence and absence of SA. CONCLUSIONS: The inherent activities of small heat shock proteins, the levels of acetyl-CoA and the strains' potential capacity to consume SA all seem to affect the responses and tolerances of S. cerevisiae strains to SA. These factors should be taken into consideration when choosing host strains for SA production. This study provides a theoretical basis and identifies potential host strains for the development of robust and efficient SA-producing strains.

The relationship between mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and mortality in hypertensive individuals: A population-based cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Hematology is an essential field for investigating the prognostic outcomes of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Recent research has suggested that mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) is associated with a poor prognosis in several CVDs. There is no evidence of a correlation between MCHC and hypertension. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze the association of MCHC with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive patients. METHODS: We used cohort data from U.S. adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2014. COX regression was applied to analyze the relationship between MCHC and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In addition, three models were adjusted to reduce confounding factors. We reanalyzed the data after propensity score matching (PSM) to inspect the stability of the results. Stratified analysis was additionally adopted to investigate the results of each subgroup. RESULTS: Our research included 15,154 individuals. During a mean follow-up period of 129 months, 30.6% of the hypertensive population succumbed to mortality. Based on previous studies, we categorized patients with MCHC ≤33mg/dl as the hypochromia group and those with >33mg/dl as the non-hypochromia group. After PSM, the hypochromia group had higher all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]:1.26, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]:1.11-1.43) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR:1.42, 95%CI:1.12-1.80) than the non-hypochromia group. The results of the COX regression remain stable after matching. Stratified analyses before PSM revealed an interaction of anemia in the relationship between MCHC and mortality, whereas there was no significant interaction after matching. CONCLUSION: In hypertensive individuals, low MCHC was correlated with a poor prognosis. Further studies on MCHC are necessary to analyze the potential mechanisms of its poor prognosis in hypertensive populations.

Choriocapillaris reduction accurately discriminates against early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION: This study addresses the urgent need for non-invasive early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) prediction. Using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), we present a choriocapillaris model sensitive to EOAD, correlating with serum biomarkers. METHODS: Eighty-four EOAD patients and 73 controls were assigned to swept-source OCTA (SS-OCTA) or the spectral domain OCTA (SD-OCTA) cohorts. Our hypothesis on choriocapillaris predictive potential in EOAD was tested and validated in these two cohorts. RESULTS: Both cohorts revealed diminished choriocapillaris signals, demonstrating the highest discriminatory capability (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: SS-OCTA 0.913, SD-OCTA 0.991; P < 0.001). A sparser SS-OCTA choriocapillaris correlated with increased serum amyloid beta (Aß)42, Aß42/40, and phosphorylated tau (p-tau)181 levels (all P < 0.05). Apolipoprotein E status did not affect choriocapillaris measurement. DISCUSSION: The choriocapillaris, observed in both cohorts, proves sensitive to EOAD diagnosis, and correlates with serum Aß and p-tau181 levels, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic tool for identifying and tracking microvascular changes in EOAD. HIGHLIGHTS: Optical coherence tomography angiography may be applied for non-invasive screening of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Choriocapillaris demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for early-onset AD diagnosis. Microvascular dynamics abnormalities are associated with AD.

Unraveling the important role of comammox Nitrospira to nitrification in the coastal aquaculture system.

Increasing nitrogen (N) input to coastal ecosystems poses a serious environmental threat. It is important to understand the responses and feedback of N removal microbial communities, particularly nitrifiers including the newly recognized complete ammonia-oxidizers (comammox), to improve aquaculture sustainability. In this study, we conducted a holistic evaluation of the functional communities responsible for nitrification by quantifying and sequencing the key functional genes of comammox Nitrospira-amoA, AOA-amoA, AOB-amoA and Nitrospira-nxrB in fish ponds with different fish feeding levels and evaluated the contribution of nitrifiers in the nitrification process through experiments of mixing pure cultures. We found that higher fish feeding dramatically increased N-related concentration, affecting the nitrifying communities. Compared to AOA and AOB, comammox Nitrospira and NOB were more sensitive to environmental changes. Unexpectedly, we detected an equivalent abundance of comammox Nitrospira and AOB and observed an increase in the proportion of clade A in comammox Nitrospira with the increase in fish feeding. Furthermore, a simplified network and shift of keystone species from NOB to comammox Nitrospira were observed in higher fish-feeding ponds. Random forest analysis suggested that the comammox Nitrospira community played a critical role in the nitrification of eutrophic aquaculture ponds (40-70 µM). Through the additional experiment of mixing nitrifying pure cultures, we found that comammox Nitrospira is the primary contributor to the nitrification process at 200 µM ammonium. These results advance our understanding of nitrifying communities and highlight the importance of comammox Nitrospira in driving nitrification in eutrophic aquaculture systems.

A novel deep learning method to segment parathyroid glands on intraoperative videos of thyroid surgery.

Introduction: The utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) augments intraoperative safety and surgical training. The recognition of parathyroid glands (PGs) is difficult for inexperienced surgeons. The aim of this study was to find out whether deep learning could be used to auxiliary identification of PGs on intraoperative videos in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. Methods: In this retrospective study, 50 patients undergoing thyroid surgery between 2021 and 2023 were randomly assigned (7:3 ratio) to a training cohort (n = 35) and a validation cohort (n = 15). The combined datasets included 98 videos with 9,944 annotated frames. An independent test cohort included 15 videos (1,500 frames) from an additional 15 patients. We developed a deep-learning model Video-Trans-U-HRNet to segment parathyroid glands in surgical videos, comparing it with three advanced medical AI methods on the internal validation cohort. Additionally, we assessed its performance against four surgeons (2 senior surgeons and 2 junior surgeons) on the independent test cohort, calculating precision and recall metrics for the model. Results: Our model demonstrated superior performance compared to other AI models on the internal validation cohort. The DICE and accuracy achieved by our model were 0.760 and 74.7% respectively, surpassing Video-TransUnet (0.710, 70.1%), Video-SwinUnet (0.754, 73.6%), and TransUnet (0.705, 69.4%). For the external test, our method got 89.5% precision 77.3% recall and 70.8% accuracy. In the statistical analysis, our model demonstrated results comparable to those of senior surgeons (senior surgeon 1: χ2 = 0.989, p = 0.320; senior surgeon 2: χ2 = 1.373, p = 0.241) and outperformed 2 junior surgeons (junior surgeon 1: χ2 = 3.889, p = 0.048; junior surgeon 2: χ2 = 4.763, p = 0.029). Discussion: We introduce an innovative intraoperative video method for identifying PGs, highlighting the potential advancements of AI in the surgical domain. The segmentation method employed for parathyroid glands in intraoperative videos offer surgeons supplementary guidance in locating real PGs. The method developed may have utility in facilitating training and decreasing the learning curve associated with the use of this technology.

Interface Dipole Management of D-A-Type Molecules for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells.

Interfacial engineering of perovskite films has been the main strategies in improving the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, three new donor-acceptor (D-A)-type interfacial dipole (DAID) molecules with hole-transporting and different anchoring units are designed and employed in PSCs. The formation of interface dipoles by the DAID molecules on the perovskite film can efficiently modulate the energy level alignment, improve charge extraction, and reduce non-radiative recombination. Among the three DAID molecules, TPA-BAM with amide group exhibits the best chemical and optoelectrical properties, achieving a champion PCE of 25.29% with the enhanced open-circuit voltage of 1.174 V and fill factor of 84.34%, due to the reduced defect density and improved interfacial hole extraction. Meanwhile, the operational stability of the unencapsulated device has been significantly improved. Our study provides a prospect for rationalized screening of interfacial dipole materials for efficient and stable PSCs.

Transcription factor shapes chromosomal conformation and regulates gene expression in bacterial adaptation.

Genomic mutations allow bacteria to adapt rapidly to adverse stress environments. The three-dimensional conformation of the genome may also play an important role in transcriptional regulation and environmental adaptation. Here, using chromosome conformation capture, we investigate the high-order architecture of the Zymomonas mobilis chromosome in response to genomic mutation and ambient stimuli (acetic acid and furfural, derived from lignocellulosic hydrolysate). We find that genomic mutation only influences the local chromosome contacts, whereas stress of acetic acid and furfural restrict the long-range contacts and significantly change the chromosome organization at domain scales. Further deciphering the domain feature unveils the important transcription factors, Ferric uptake regulator (Fur) proteins, which act as nucleoid-associated proteins to promote long-range (>200 kb) chromosomal communications and regulate the expression of genes involved in stress response. Our work suggests that ubiquitous transcription factors in prokaryotes mediate chromosome organization and regulate stress-resistance genes in bacterial adaptation.

The interaction of endorepellin and neurexin triggers neuroepithelial autophagy and maintains neural tube development.

Heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2 (HSPG2) gene encodes the matrix protein Perlecan, and genetic inactivation of this gene creates mice that are embryonic lethal with severe neural tube defects (NTDs). We discovered rare genetic variants of HSPG2 in 10% cases compared to only 4% in controls among a cohort of 369 NTDs. Endorepellin, a peptide cleaved from the domain V of Perlecan, is known to promote angiogenesis and autophagy in endothelial cells. The roles of enderepellin in neurodevelopment remain unclear so far. Our study revealed that endorepellin can migrate to the neuroepithelial cells and then be recognized and bind with the neuroepithelia receptor neurexin in vivo. Through the endocytic pathway, the interaction of endorepellin and neurexin physiologically triggers autophagy and appropriately modulates the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons as a blocker, which is necessary for normal neural tube closure. We created knock-in (KI) mouse models with human-derived HSPG2 variants, using sperm-like stem cells that had been genetically edited by CRISPR/Cas9. We realized that any HSPG2 variants that affected the function of endorepellin were considered pathogenic causal variants for human NTDs given that the severe NTD phenotypes exhibited by these KI embryos occurred in a significantly higher response frequency compared to wildtype embryos. Our study provides a paradigm for effectively confirming pathogenic mutations in other genetic diseases. Furthermore, we demonstrated that using autophagy inhibitors at a cellular level can repress neuronal differentiation. Therefore, autophagy agonists may prevent NTDs resulting from failed autophagy maintenance and neuronal over-differentiation caused by deleterious endorepellin variants.

Rhizosphere metabolic cross-talk from plant-soil-microbe tapping into agricultural sustainability: Current advance and perspectives.

Rhizosphere interactions from plant-soil-microbiome occur dynamically all the time in the "black microzone" underground, where we can't see intuitively. Rhizosphere metabolites including root exudates and microbial metabolites act as various chemical signalings involving in rhizosphere interactions, and play vital roles on plant growth, development, disease suppression and resistance to stress conditions as well as proper soil health. Although rhizosphere metabolites are a mixture from plant roots and soil microbes, they often are discussed alone. As a rapid appearance of various omics platforms and analytical methods, it offers possibilities and opportunities for exploring rhizosphere interactions in unprecedented breadth and depth. However, our comprehensive understanding about the fine-tuning mechanisms of rhizosphere interactions mediated by these chemical compounds still remain clear. Thus, this review summarizes recent advances systemically including the features of rhizosphere metabolites and their effects on rhizosphere ecosystem, and looks forward to the future research perspectives, which contributes to facilitating better understanding of biochemical communications belowground and helping identify novel rhizosphere metabolites. We also address challenges for promoting the understanding about the roles of rhizosphere metabolites in different environmental stresses.

Retinal Ischemic Perivascular Lesion Reflects Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden in Single Subcortical Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Retinal ischemic perivascular lesions (RIPLs) are an indicator of ischemia in the middle retina. We aimed to determine the relationship between RIPLs and single subcortical infarction (SSI). We also investigated the differences in cerebral small vessel disease imaging burden between groups with and without RIPLs in SSI. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this case-control study, we enrolled 82 patients with SSI and 72 nonstroke controls. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging and swept-source optical coherence tomography/optical coherence tomography angiography. Small vessel disease markers such as lacunes, cerebral microbleeds, white matter hyperintensity, and perivascular spaces were rated on brain imaging. RIPLs were assessed via swept-source optical coherence tomography. Optical coherence tomography angiography was used to measure the superficial vascular complex and deep vascular complex of the retina. After adjusting for risk factors, the presence of RIPLs was significantly associated with SSI (odds ratio [OR], 1.506 [95% CI, 1.365-1.662], P<0.001). Eyes with RIPLs showed lower deep vascular complex density (P=0.035) compared with eyes without RIPLs in patients with SSI. After adjusting for vascular risk factors, the presence of RIPLs in patients with SSI was associated with an increased periventricular white matter hyperintensity burden (ß=0.414 [95% CI, 0.181-0.647], P<0.001) and perivascular spaces-basal ganglia (ß=0.296 [95% CI, 0.079-0.512], P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: RIPLs are associated with SSI independent of underlying risk factors. The relationship between the presence of RIPLs and small vessel disease markers provides evidence that RIPLs might be an additional indicator of cerebral ischemic changes.

Exciton polariton condensation from bound states in the continuum at room temperature.

Exciton-polaritons (polaritons) resulting from the strong exciton-photon interaction stimulates the development of novel low-threshold coherent light sources to circumvent the ever-increasing energy demands of optical communications1-3. Polaritons from bound states in the continuum (BICs) are promising for Bose-Einstein condensation owing to their theoretically infinite quality factors, which provide prolonged lifetimes and benefit the polariton accumulations4-7. However, BIC polariton condensation remains limited to cryogenic temperatures ascribed to the small exciton binding energies of conventional material platforms. Herein, we demonstrated room-temperature BIC polariton condensation in perovskite photonic crystal lattices. BIC polariton condensation was demonstrated at the vicinity of the saddle point of polariton dispersion that generates directional vortex beam emission with long-range coherence. We also explore the peculiar switching effect among the miniaturized BIC polariton modes through effective polariton-polariton scattering. Our work paves the way for the practical implementation of BIC polariton condensates for integrated photonic and topological circuits.

Can Positive Social Contact Encourage Residents' Community Citizenship Behavior? The Role of Personal Benefit, Sympathetic Understanding, and Place Identity.

Identified as an increasingly pivotal aspect, the benevolent extra-role characteristic of community citizenship behavior contributes to destination development efficiency and social cohesion. Based on the egoistic-altruistic motivation framework, this study investigated three motivations that propel residents to exercise community citizenship behaviors in a positive social contact context, namely self-focused, other-focused, and place-focused motivation. A conceptual model combined with positive contact, personal benefit, sympathetic understanding, place identity, and community citizenship behavior was developed and tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) through data from 366 residents in Kaifeng, China. The findings showed that of the three motivations for community citizenship behaviors, place identity contributed the most, and personal benefits failed to predict community citizenship behaviors. Furthermore, sympathetic understanding with tourists was most fostered by residents from the perception of positive contact with tourists. These findings offer a novel theoretical framework for scholarly investigation and provide practical insights for tourism managers regarding strategies to influence residents' community citizenship behavior.

Solvent-Induced In(III)-MOFs with Controllable Interpenetration Degree Performing High-Efficiency Separation of CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4.

Herein, three In(III)-based metal-organic frameworks (In-MOFs) with different degrees of interpenetration (DOI), namely In-MOF-1, In-MOF-2, and In-MOF-3, constructed by In3+ and Y-shaped ligands 4,4',4″-s-triazine-2,4,6-triyltribenzoate (H3TATB), are successfully synthesized through the ionothermal/solvothermal method. Subsequently, three novel In-MOFs, including noninterpenetration polycatenation, 2-fold interpenetrated, and 4-fold interpenetrated structure, are employed as the platform for systematically investigating the separation efficiency of CO2/N2, CO2/CH4, and CO2/CH4/N2 mixture gas system. Among them, In-MOF-2 shows the highest CO2 uptake capacities at 298 K and simultaneously possesses the low adsorption enthalpy of CO2 (26.4 kJ/mol at low coverage), a feature desirable for low-energy-cost adsorbent regeneration. The CO2/N2 (v: v = 15/85) selectivity of In-MOF-2 reaches 37.6 (at 298 K and 1 bar), also revealing outstanding selective separation ability from flue gases and purifying natural gas, affording a unique robust separation material as it has moderate DOI and pore size. In-MOF-2 shows exceptional stability and feasibility to achieve reproducibility. Aperture adjustment makes In-MOF-2 a versatile platform for selectively capturing CO2 from flue gases or purifying natural gas.

An efficient ß-nucleating agent with high lattice matching rate for plate-like crystallization of polypropylene random copolymer.

It is challenging to naturally produce large amounts of ß-crystals by directly adding a commercial ß-nucleating agent (ß-NA) into polypropylene random copolymer (PPR) at present. In this work, a novel rare earth ß-NA WBN-28 was directly introduced into PPR to prepare ß-PPR with high ß-crystal conversion. The results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) indicated that it is an efficient ß-NA for PPR. The ß-conversion rate (ß-CR) could surpass 85% when the nucleating agent content was mere 0.05%. With the further increment of nucleating agent, the ß-CR increased gradually, which could reach 89.5% and 86.9% respectively calculated by DSC and WAXD when the addition amount was 0.4%. The incredible high ß-CR delayed the ßα-recrystallization in isothermal crystallization. The fusion peak of α-crystal was unobserved below the isothermal crystallization temperature of 122 °C when the addition amount was more than 0.2%. Furthermore, there was a highly ordered structure in WBN-28 with the periodicity of 12.89 Å, which was approximately twice of the unit cell parameter in the c direction of ß-PP, indicating a high lattice matching rate between them. Intuitively observed by polarizing optical microscope (POM), the crystal grains of the blends with ß-NA were more refined and finally crystallized in a plate-like shape. The forming process of the plate-like ß crystalline regions were proposed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and POM.

A national-scale assessment of land subsidence in China's major cities.

China's massive wave of urbanization may be threatened by land subsidence. Using a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar interferometry technique, we provided a systematic assessment of land subsidence in all of China's major cities from 2015 to 2022. Of the examined urban lands, 45% are subsiding faster than 3 millimeters per year, and 16% are subsiding faster than 10 millimeters per year, affecting 29 and 7% of the urban population, respectively. The subsidence appears to be associated with a range of factors such as groundwater withdrawal and the weight of buildings. By 2120, 22 to 26% of China's coastal lands will have a relative elevation lower than sea level, hosting 9 to 11% of the coastal population, because of the combined effect of city subsidence and sea-level rise. Our results underscore the necessity of enhancing protective measures to mitigate potential damages from subsidence.

Effect of CHST11, a novel biomarker, on the biological functionalities of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common malignant tumor, and the role of carbohydrate sulfotransferase 11 (CHST11) in this cancer remains unclear. Here, by using bioinformatics methods, we comprehensively analyzed the relationship between CHST11 and clinical significance, immune infiltration, functional enrichment, m6A methylation, and protein-protein interaction networks. We found that CHST11 expression was significantly higher in ccRCC samples than in normal tissues. Additionally, CHST11 levels correlated with the clinicopathological features of ccRCC patients and functioned as a prognostic factor for patient survival. Functional analysis revealed the involvement of CHST11 in metabolic pathways. Immune infiltration and m6A methylation analysis suggested the association of CHST11 with immune cell abundance in the tumor microenvironment and specific methylation patterns in ccRCC. The in vitro analysis of the clinical samples and ccRCC cell lines demonstrated that the overexpression of CHST11 promotes ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while its suppression has the opposite effect. Thus, CHST11 may play a remarkable role in the occurrence and progression of ccRCC. Functionally, CHST11 promotes the aggressiveness of ccRCC cells. These findings provide insights into the role of CHST11 in ccRCC progression.Registry and the Registration No. of the study/trial: No. 2021K034.

Effect of 24†h glucose fluctuations on 30-day and 1-year mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction: an analysis from the MIMIC-III database.

Background: It is recognized that patients' blood glucose fluctuates over time during acute disease episodes, especially during the outbreak of cardiovascular events, regardless of the presence of an abnormal blood glucose profile prior to admission to the hospital. Glucose fluctuations in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the intensive care unit (ICU) are currently not adequately monitored and studied. We focused on blood glucose fluctuation values within 24 h of admission to assess their association with 30-day and 1-year mortality. Methods: Data of patients with AMI aged 18 years or older from the Critical Care Medical Information Marketplace database III V1.4 were available for analysis in this research. Glucose data were obtained by measurement. A total of 390 of them were treated with PCI. The principal consequence was 30-day and 1-year mortality in patients with AMI. The effect of different glucose fluctuations within 24 h of admission on mortality was predicted by constructing a multivariate Cox regression model with four model adjustments and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Additionally, we performed curve-fitting analyses to show the correlation between blood glucose fluctuations and risk of death. Results: We selected 1,699 AMI patients into our study through screening. The included population was categorized into three groups based on the tertiles of blood glucose fluctuation values within 24 h of admission to the ICU. The three groups were <25 mg/dl, 25-88 mg/dl and >88 mg/dl. By cox regression analysis, the group with the highest blood glucose fluctuation values (>88 mg/dl) had the most significant increase in 30-day and 1-year mortality after excluding confounding factors (30-day mortality adjusted HR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.49-2.98 p < 0.001; 1-year mortality adjusted HR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.40-2.39 p < 0.001). As demonstrated by the Kaplan-Meier survival curves, the group with the greatest fluctuations in blood glucose has the worst 30-day and 1-year prognosis. Conclusions: The extent of glucose fluctuations in patients with AMI in the first 24 h after ICU admission is an essential predictor as to 30-day as well as 1-year mortality. When blood glucose fluctuates more than 88 mg/dl within 24 h, mortality increases significantly with the range of blood glucose fluctuations.

Human immunodeficiency virus-associated dementia complex with positive 14-3-3 protein in cerebrospinal fluid: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated dementia (HAD) is a subcortical form of dementia characterized by memory deficits and psychomotor slowing. However, HAD often presents with symptoms similar to those of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), particularly in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). CASE SUMMARY: We report the case of a 54-year-old male who exhibited cognitive dysfunction and secondary behavioral changes following HIV infection and suspected prion exposure. The patient was diagnosed with HIV during hospitalization and his cerebrospinal fluid tested positive for 14-3-3 proteins. His electroencephalogram showed a borderline-abnormal periodic triphasic wave pattern. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed moderate encephalatrophy and demyelination. Initially, symptomatic treatment and administration of amantadine were pursued for presumed CJD, but the patient's condition continued to deteriorate. By contrast, the patient's condition improved following anti-HIV therapy. This individual is also the only patient with this prognosis to have survived over 4 years. Thus, the diagnosis was revised to HAD. CONCLUSION: In the diagnostic process of rapidly progressive dementia, it is crucial to rule out as many potential causes as possible and to consider an autopsy to diminish diagnostic uncertainty. The 14-3-3 protein should not be regarded as the definitive marker for CJD. Comprehensive laboratory screening for infectious diseases is essential to enhance diagnostic precision, especially in AIDS patients with potential CJD. Ultimately, a trial of diagnostic treatment may be considered when additional testing is not feasible.

Clinical and pathological features of pilomatrixoma in children: a retrospective study.

Introduction Pilomatrixoma is a benign skin neoplasm that is common in children and is often misdiagnosed. This study aimed to summarize the clinical and pathological features of pilomatrixoma in children. Methods Data on demographic information, clinical and pathological features, diagnosis, and treatment of 171 patients with pilomatrixoma from Shenzhen Baoan Women's and Children's Hospital were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Results The mean age of the patients was 5.7 (standard deviation (SD) = 3.9) year-old, and there were two age peaks (≤1 year-old, 5-11 years old) and two age valleys (2-4 years old, ≥ 12 years old). The mean disease course was 9.3 (SD = 14.1) months, 69.0%, 86.5%, and 95.3% of the patients' disease course in 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, respectively. The mean tumor volume is 0.6 (SD = 1.0) cm3, 81.3% of the patients' tumor volume ≤ 1.0 cm3. Tumors were distributed sequentially in the head and neck (77.2%), upper limbs (12.9%), trunk (7.6%), and lower limbs (2.3%). The correct rates of clinical and ultrasonic diagnosis were 50.9% and 38.6%, respectively. The two most common pathological features of pilomatrixoma were shadow cells (99.4%) and basaloid cells (94.7%). There were no significant differences in age, disease course, or tumor volume between the male and female patients (P > 0.05). The age and tumor volume of the patients in different body parts were significantly different (P1 = 3.10E-05 and P2 = 5.60E-05, respectively). The correlation between the disease course and tumor volume was positively significant (P ≤ 0.05). There was a significantly correlation between the disease course and tumor volume in patients with tumors at upper limbs (P = 0.03). Conclusion The age of children with pilomatrixoma presented two peaks and two valleys. Most patients had disease courses in 24 months and with tumor volumes ≤ 1.0 cm3. The correct rates of clinical and ultrasonic diagnosis were relatively low. The head and neck are the most common distribution sites of pilomatrixoma, shadow cells and basaloid cells are the most common pathological features. The tumor volume is positively correlated with disease course in patients with pilomatrixoma.

Environmental Controls on Evapotranspiration and Its Components in a Qinghai Spruce Forest in the Qilian Mountains.

Qinghai spruce forests, found in the Qilian mountains, are a typical type of water conservation forest and play an important role in regulating the regional water balance and quantifying the changes and controlling factors for evapotranspiration (ET) and its components, namely, transpiration (T), evaporation (Es) and canopy interceptions (Ei), of the Qinghai spruce, which may provide rich information for improving water resource management. In this study, we partitioned ET based on the assumption that total ET equals the sum of T, Es and Ei, and then we analyzed the environmental controls on ET, T and Es. The results show that, during the main growing seasons of the Qinghai spruce (from May to September) in the Qilian mountains, the total ET values were 353.7 and 325.1 mm in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The monthly dynamics in the daily variations in T/ET and Es/ET showed that T/ET increased until July and gradually decreased afterwards, while Es/ET showed opposite trends and was mainly controlled by the amount of precipitation. Among all the ET components, T always occupied the largest part, while the contribution of Es to ET was minimal. Meanwhile, Ei must be considered when partitioning ET, as it accounts for a certain percentage (greater than one-third) of the total ET values. Combining Pearson's correlation analysis and the boosted regression trees method, we concluded that net radiation (Rn), soil temperature (Ts) and soil water content (SWC) were the main controlling factors for ET. T was mainly determined by the radiation and soil hydrothermic factors (Rn, photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and TS30), while Es was mostly controlled by the vapor pressure deficit (VPD), atmospheric precipitation (Pa), throughfall (Pt) and air temperature (Ta). Our study may provide further theoretical support to improve our understanding of the responses of ET and its components to surrounding environments.