Exome sequencing reveals genetic heterogeneity and clinically actionable findings in children with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in children. To ascertain the role of major genetic variants in the etiology of CP, we conducted exome sequencing on a large-scale cohort with clinical manifestations of CP. The study cohort comprised 505 girls and 1,073 boys. Utilizing the current gold standard in genetic diagnostics, 387 of these 1,578 children (24.5%) received genetic diagnoses. We identified 412 pathogenic and likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants across 219 genes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, and 59 P/LP copy number variants. The genetic diagnostic rate of children with CP labeled at birth with perinatal asphyxia was higher than the rate in children without asphyxia (P = 0.0033). Also, 33 children with CP manifestations (8.5%, 33 of 387) had findings that were clinically actionable. These results highlight the need for early genetic testing in children with CP, especially those with risk factors like perinatal asphyxia, to enable evidence-based medical decision-making.

Nanogalvanic Cells Release Highly Reactive Electrons in Tumors to Effectively Eliminate Tumors.

External stimuli triggering chemical reactions in cancer cells to generate highly reactive chemical species are very appealing for cancer therapy, in which external irradiation activating sensitizers to transfer energy or electrons to surrounding oxygen or other molecules is critical for generating cytotoxic reactive species. However, poor light penetration into tissue, low activity of sensitizers, and reliance on oxygen supply restrict the generation of cytotoxic chemical species in hypoxic tumors, which lowers the therapeutic efficacy. Here, this work presents galvanic cell nanomaterials that can directly release highly reactive electrons in tumors without external irradiation or photosensitizers. The released reactive electrons directly react with surrounding biomolecules such as proteins and DNA within tumors to destroy them or react with other surrounding (bio)molecules to yield cytotoxic chemical species to eliminate tumors independent of oxygen. Administering these nanogalvanic cells to mice results in almost complete remission of subcutaneous solid tumors and deep metastatic tumors. The results demonstrate that this strategy can further arouse an immune response even in a hypoxic environment. This method offers a promising approach to effectively eliminate tumors, similar to photodynamic therapy, but does not require oxygen or irradiation to activate photosensitizers.

Do bubbles matter amid PBC for trigeminal neuralgia?

BACKGROUND: As a simple and safe alternative intervention, percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) has been gradually adopted by a growing number of neurosurgeons to treat trigeminal neuralgia. A pear-shaped opacity observed fluoroscopically, which indicates full suffusion of Meckel's cave conducting sufficient pressure against Gasserian ganglion, is believed to be the key to its success. Sometimes, a bitten pear may appear due to bubbles in the balloon but is usually ignored. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the effects of the bubbles on postoperative outcomes. METHODS: Patient data were obtained from the consecutive cases undergoing PBCs in our department between 2019 and 2021. Among them, pain and numbness were used to assess the efficacy of PBC based on Barrow Neurology Institute (BNI) scoring system. It was defined as an effective outcome if the postoperative pain intensity grade was lower than II. And those with numbness grade > II were regarded as numb incidence. RESULTS: We eventually recruited 59 cases, including 42 in full pear and 17 in bitten pear groups with follow-up time up to 44 months. The early effective rates were 95.2% and 82.4%, respectively (p > 0.05), which turned to 88.1% and 52.9% during the last follow-up period (p < 0.01). This result indicated that the bitten pear gave rise to a significantly higher recurrence. In terms of numbness, there was no significant difference. CONCLUSION: Gas does not yield enough pressure as liquid, and cannot exert enough pressure to the semilunar ganglion. Therefore, air evacuation should not be ignored before injection.

The Role of Total-Body PET in Drug Development and Evaluation: Status and Outlook.

Total-body PET, an emerging technique, enables high-quality simultaneous total-body dynamic PET acquisition and accurate kinetic analysis. It has the potential to facilitate the study of multiple tracers while minimizing radiation dose and improving tracer-specific imaging. This advancement holds promise for enhancing the development and clinical evaluation of drugs, particularly radiopharmaceuticals. Multiple clinical trials are using a total-body PET scanner to explore existing and innovative radiopharmaceuticals. However, challenges persist, along with the opportunities, with regard to the use of total-body PET in drug development and evaluation. Specifically, considerations relate to the role of total-body PET in clinical pharmacologic evaluations and its integration into the theranostic paradigm. In this review, state-of-the-art total-body PET and its potential roles in pharmaceutical research are explored.

Drug repositioning and ovarian cancer, a study based on Mendelian randomisation analysis.

Background: The role of drug repositioning in the treatment of ovarian cancer has received increasing attention. Although promising results have been achieved, there are also major controversies. Methods: In this study, we conducted a drug-target Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis to systematically investigate the reported effects and relevance of traditional drugs in the treatment of ovarian cancer. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used in the main analysis to estimate the causal effect. Several MR methods were used simultaneously to test the robustness of the results. Results: By screening 31 drugs with 110 targets, FNTA, HSPA5, NEU1, CCND1, CASP1, CASP3 were negatively correlated with ovarian cancer, and HMGCR, PLA2G4A, ITGAL, PTGS1, FNTB were positively correlated with ovarian cancer. Conclusion: Statins (HMGCR blockers), lonafarnib (farnesyltransferase inhibitors), the anti-inflammatory drug aspirin, and the anti-malarial drug adiponectin all have potential therapeutic roles in ovarian cancer treatment.

Ginger inhibits the invasion of ovarian cancer cells SKOV3 through CLDN7, CLDN11 and CD274 m6A methylation modifications.

BACKGROUND: Ginger is a common aromatic vegetable with a wide range of functional ingredients and considerable medicinal and nutritional properties. Numerous studies have shown that ginger and its active ingredients have suppressive effects on manifold tumours, including ovarian cancer (OC). However, the molecular mechanism by which ginger inhibits OC is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the function and mechanism of ginger in OC. METHODS: The estimation of n6-methyladenosine (m6A) levels was performed using the m6A RNA Methylation Quantification Kit, and RT-qPCR was used to determine the expression of m6A-related genes and proteins. The m6A methylationome was detected by MeRIP-seq, following analysis of the data. Differential methylation of genes was assessed utilizing RT-qPCR and Western Blotting. The effect of ginger on SKOV3 invasion in ovarian cancer cells was investigated using the wound healing assay and transwell assays. RESULTS: Ginger significantly reduced the m6A level of OC cells SKOV3. The 3'UTR region is the major site of modification for m6A methylation, and its key molecular activities include Cell Adhesion Molecules, according to meRIP-seq results. Moreover, it was observed that Ginger aids significantly in downregulating the CLDN7, CLDN11 mRNA, and protein expression. The results of wound healing assay and transwell assay showed that ginger significantly inhibited the invasion of OC cells SKOV3. CONCLUSIONS: Ginger inhibits ovarian cancer cells' SKOV3 invasion by regulating m6A methylation through CLDN7, CLDN11, and CD274.

Efficacy of Flexible Ureteroscopy Lithotripsy and Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in the Treatment of Patients with Kidney Stones and Their Impact on Inflammatory Response and Renal Function.

BACKGROUND: Kidney stones are one of the most common benign diseases in urology. As technology updates and iterates, more minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgeries with higher safety performance appear. This paper explores the effectiveness of retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in treating kidney stones, focusing on their effects on inflammatory responses and renal function. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 200 patients with kidney stones treated in our hospital between June 2019 and June 2023. 100 patients who underwent RIRS were included in the RIRS group. Another 100 patients who underwent PCNL treatment were included in the PCNL group. The intraoperative blood loss, operation duration, and hospitalization time of the two groups of patients were recorded and compared. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors in the serum of the two groups of patients: [serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP)] and renal function index [blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Scr) and serum cystatin (Cys-c)]. The two groups of patients were recorded separately: Postoperative complications and stone-free rate. RESULTS: Operation duration was longer for the RIRS group than the PCNL group, which exhibited significantly less intraoperative blood loss and shorter hospital stays (p < 0.05). Before surgery, there was no statistically significant difference in the serum levels of SAA, IL-6, and CRP between the two groups of patients (p > 0.05). On the first day after surgery, the serum SAA levels in both groups were lower than before surgery, IL-6 and CRP levels were higher than before surgery, and the serum levels of SAA, IL-6, and CRP in the RIRS group were significantly lower than those in the PCNL group. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Before surgery, there was no statistically significant difference in the serum BUN, Scr, and Cys-c levels between the two groups of patients (p > 0.05). On the first day after surgery, the serum BUN, Scr, and Cys-c levels of the two groups of patients were significantly higher than those before surgery. The serum BUN, Scr, and Cys-c levels of the RIRS group were significantly lower than those of the PCNL group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Both surgical methods have sound stone-clearing effects regarding long-term stone clearance rates 1 month and 3 months after surgery (p > 0.05). PCNL had a better stone clearance rate on the 2nd postoperative day (p < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the RIRS group was significantly lower than that in the PCNL group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: For kidney stones ≤2 cm, PCNL showed higher stone clearance rates on the second postoperative day. However, RIRS and PCNL demonstrated adequate long-term stone clearance at 1 and 3 months post-surgery. Both surgical methods are safe and effective, and RIRS is safer than PCNL. Compared with PCNL, RIRS is a new method of kidney stone operation, which has less trauma to the patient's body and fewer complications after the operation, speeding up the recovery process of the patient.

Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety Between Intravenous Thrombolysis, Direct Endovascular Therapy, and Bridging Therapy for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion in Cerebral Infarction Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis, direct endovascular therapy (EVT), and bridging therapy (BT = intravenous thrombolysis + EVT) for acute basilar artery occlusion cerebral infarction. METHODS: One hundred and fourteen patients with acute basilar artery occlusion cerebral infarctions admitted between January 2020 and August 2023 were selected. Differences in the reperfusion rate, prognosis, incidence of stroke-associated pneumonia, and mortality rate were compared among the 3 groups. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of patients who achieved successful reperfusion (86.8% vs. 84.2%) or complete reperfusion (72.1% vs. 68.4%) between the direct EVT and BT groups (both P > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (3.7% vs. 10.3% vs. 10.5%, P = 0.763). There were statistically significant differences in the rates of good prognosis (modified ranking scale score 0-2) (59.3% vs. 30.9% vs. 26.3%, P = 0.021), stroke-related pneumonia (29.6% vs. 66.2% vs. 36.8%, P = 0.002), and mortality (14.8% vs. 48.5% vs. 42.1%, P = 0.010) among the 3 treatment groups. According to the binary logistic regression analysis, a good prognosis was independently associated with a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤ 10 (odds ratio, 3.714; 95% confidence interval, 1.207-11.430; P = 0.022) and the incidence of stroke-associated pneumonia (odds ratio, 0.640; 95% confidence interval, 0.484-0.845; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Although there were differences in prognosis, mortality, and incidence of complications among the 3 treatment groups, after adjusting for confounding factors, prognosis was independently correlated only with the baseline NIHSS score and stroke-associated pneumonia but not with treatment methods.

Riveting technique in percutaneous balloon compression for trigeminal neuralgia remedy.

BACKGROUND: The percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) is a safe and simple treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. It works by compressing the Gasserian ganglion to block pain signals from the trigeminal nerve. To ensure effectiveness, it is important to focus the compression on the lower part of the balloon. OBJECTIVE: To validate the efficacy of a riveting technique, specifically pulling an inflated balloon, in order to apply enhanced compression on the ganglion. METHODS: To compare this novel technique with the conventional approach, a retrospective investigation was conducted on consecutive PBCs performed in our department between 2019 and 2022. For postoperative outcome assessment, efficacy was defined as achieving a VAS score of 0 or an improvement exceeding 5 points. Postoperative numbness was graded as none, mild, or severe based on its impact on daily life and tolerance level. RESULTS: Excluding cases with missed follow-up, a total of 179 participants were included in the study, and their follow-up period ranged up to 40 months. Postoperatively, symptomatic remission was achieved by 98.1% (52/53) of patients in the riveting technique group compared to 87.3% (110/126) in the conventional group (P<0.05). At the last follow-up period, with recurrence observed over time, the long-term efficacy of riveting and conventional groups were 94.3% and 74.6%, respectively (P<0.05). The majority of cases in both groups experienced ipsilateral facial numbness immediately following PBC, which appeared to diminish after 3 months in both groups without significant difference between them (P>0.05).

Prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety and stress among clinical therapists in China in the context of early COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To study the socio-demographic characteristics and the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among clinical therapists in China during the early Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to identify associated factors. Method: This cross-sectional study was part of a multicenter, nationally representative survey conducted through WeChat from January 2021 to March 2021. Data, including socio-demographics, health-related behaviors, and information on whether they participated in the frontline work of treating COVID-19, were collected anonymously. Respondents also completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). Results: In total, 396 clinical therapists in the selected hospitals completed the questionnaires, with a response rate of 89.0%. Respondents were predominantly female (77.3%). About 6.6% of the participants were current tobacco users, and 20.7% had participated in the frontline work of treating COVID-19. Overall, 22.0%, 17.9%, and 8.8% of participants were classified as having clinically meaningful depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively, based on DASS-21 scores. Multiple logistic regression in Model 1 and Model 2 showed that depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with regular physical activity and frequent insomnia (all, p < 0.05). In anxiety model 2, the associated factors for anxiety during the pandemic were identified as education (master's degree or more, OR=0.520; 95% CI=0.283-0.955), marital status (single, OR=2.064; 95% CI=1.022-4.168), tobacco use (OR=4.265; 95% CI=1.352-13.454), regular physical activity (OR=0.357; 95% CI=0.192-0.663), frequent insomnia (OR=6.298; 95% CI =2.522-15.729), and participation in the frontline work of treating COVID-19 (OR=3.179; 95% CI=1.697-5.954). The COVID-19 epidemic did not significantly increase the depression and stress levels among clinical therapists, but it did significantly increase anxiety levels. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety and stress were relatively common among clinical therapists in China. Regular physical activity and good sleep were important protective factors against emotional problems. Therefore, encouraging regular physical activity and actively addressing clinical therapists' sleep problems is beneficial to improving the ability to cope with negative emotions. The COVID-19 epidemic significantly increased anxiety, and awareness and interventions should be recommended to reduce anxiety among clinical therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dataset on the effects of psychological care on depression and suicide ideation in underrepresented children.

Massive increases in the risks of depressive disorders and the ensuing suicide have become the overarching menace for children/adolescents. Despite global consensus to instigate psychological healthcare policy for these children/adolescents, their effects remain largely unclear neither from a small amount of official data nor from small-scale scientific studies. More importantly, in underprivileged children/adolescents in lower-middle-economic-status countries/areas, the data collection may not be as equally accessible as in developed countries/areas, thus resulting in underrepresented observations. To address these challenges, we released a large-scale and multi-center cohort dataset (n = 249,772) showing the effects of primary psychological healthcare on decreasing depression and suicidal ideation in these children/adolescents who were underrepresented in previous studies or current healthcare systems, including unattended children/adolescents, orphans, children/adolescents in especially difficult circumstances, and "left-behind" and "single-parenting" children/adolescents. We provided all individual data recording the depressive symptoms and suicide ideation that had been collected at baseline (Oct 2022) and half-year follow-up (May 2023) from practicing this psychological healthcare system.

Macroscopic inhibition of DNA damage repair pathways by targeting AP-2α with LEI110 eradicates hepatocellular carcinoma.

DNA damage repair (DDR) genes are known to be closely associated with the progression of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we report a unique cluster of "deletion-up" genes in HCC, which are accordantly overexpressed in HCC patients and predict the unfavorable prognosis. Binding motif analysis and further validation with ChIP-qPCR unveil that the AP-2α directly modulate the transcription of critical DNA repair genes including TOP2A, NUDT1, POLD1, and PARP1, which facilitates the sanitation of oxidized DNA lesions. Structural analysis and the following validation identify LEI110 as a potent AP-2α inhibitor. Together, we demonstrate that LEI110 stabilizes AP-2α and sensitizes HCC cells toward DNA-damaging reagents. Altogether, we identify AP-2α as a crucial transcription modulator in HCC and propose small-molecule inhibitors targeting AP-2α are a promising novel class of anticancer agents. Our study provides insights into the concept of macroscopic inhibition of DNA damage repair-related genes in cancer treatment.

Development and external validation of a prediction model for digit replantation failure after traumatic amputations based on a prospective multicenter cohort.

BACKGROUND: Failure of digit replantation after traumatic amputation is difficult to predict. The authors aimed to develop a prognostic model to better identify factors that better predict replantation failure following traumatic digit amputation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this multicenter prospective cohort, the authors identified patients who had received digit replantation between 1 January 2015 and 1 January 2019. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed successively to identify independently predictive factors for failure of replanted digit. To reduce overfitting, the Bayesian information criterion was used to reduce variables in the original model. Nomograms were created with the reduced model after model selection. This model was then internally validated with bootstrap resampling and further externally validated in validation cohort. RESULTS: Digit replantation was failed in 101 of 1062 (9.5%) digits and 146 of 1156 digits (12.6%) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The authors found that six independent prognostic variables were associated with digit replantation failure: age, mechanism of injury, ischemia duration, smoking status, amputation pattern (complete or incomplete), and surgeon's experience. The prediction model achieved good discrimination, with concordance indexes of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.76-0.85) and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.65-0.74) in predicting digit failure in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Calibration curves were well-fitted for both training and validation cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed prediction model effectively predicted the failure rate of digit replantation for individual digits of all patients. It could assist in selecting the most suitable surgical plan for the patient.

Hematological and inflammatory markers in Han Chinese patients with drug-free schizophrenia: relationship with symptom severity.

Background: There is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that immunity and inflammation play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between hematological and inflammatory markers with symptom severity in Han Chinese patients with drug-free schizophrenia. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University and data were extracted from the electronic medical record system over a 5-year period (May 2017 to April 2022), including participants' general and clinical information as well as Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores and hematological parameters. Results: A total of 2,899 patients with schizophrenia were identified through the initial search. After screening, 91 patients and 141 healthy controls (HCs) were included. The patients had a higher value of neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) than HCs (all P < 0.001). MLR was positively correlated with BPRS total score (r = 0.337, P = 0.001) and resistance subscale score (r = 0.350, P = 0.001). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that severely ill was significantly associated with being male and a higher value of MLR (Natural Logaruthm, Ln) (all P < 0.05), and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed good performance of a regression model with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.787. Conclusion: Patients with drug-free schizophrenia have an unbalanced distribution of peripheral blood granulocytes, and elevated NLR, MLR and PLR. Patients with higher value of MLR tend to have more psychotic symptoms, especially those symptoms of hostility, uncooperativeness, and suspiciousness. Our study gives a preliminary indication that MLR is a potential predictor of disease severity in patients with drug-free schizophrenia.

Cortical gradient perturbation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder correlates with neurotransmitter-, cell type-specific and chromosome- transcriptomic signatures.

AIMS: This study aimed to illuminate the neuropathological landscape of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by a multiscale macro-micro-molecular perspective from in vivo neuroimaging data. METHODS: The "ADHD-200 initiative" repository provided multi-site high-quality resting-state functional connectivity (rsfc-) neuroimaging for ADHD children and matched typically developing (TD) cohort. Diffusion mapping embedding model to derive the functional connectome gradient detecting biologically plausible neural pattern was built, and the multivariate partial least square method to uncover the enrichment of neurotransmitomic, cellular and chromosomal gradient-transcriptional signatures of AHBA enrichment and meta-analytic decoding. RESULTS: Compared to TD, ADHD children presented connectopic cortical gradient perturbations in almost all the cognition-involved brain macroscale networks (all pBH <0.001), but not in the brain global topology. As an intermediate phenotypic variant, such gradient perturbation was spatially enriched into distributions of GABAA/BZ and 5-HT2A receptors (all pBH <0.01) and co-varied with genetic transcriptional expressions (e.g. DYDC2, ATOH7, all pBH <0.01), associated with phenotypic variants in episodic memory and emotional regulations. Enrichment models demonstrated such gradient-transcriptional variants indicated the risk of both cell-specific and chromosome- dysfunctions, especially in enriched expression of oligodendrocyte precursors and endothelial cells (all pperm <0.05) as well enrichment into chromosome 18, 19 and X (pperm <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings bridged brain macroscale neuropathological patterns to microscale/cellular biological architectures for ADHD children, demonstrating the neurobiologically pathological mechanism of ADHD into the genetic and molecular variants in GABA and 5-HT systems as well brain-derived enrichment of specific cellular/chromosomal expressions.

miR-429-3p mediates memory decline by targeting MKP-1 to reduce surface GluA1-containing AMPA receptors in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) plays a neuroprotective role in AD. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of MKP-1 on AD have not been extensively studied. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, thereby repressing mRNA translation. Here, we reported that the microRNA-429-3p (miR-429-3p) was significantly increased in the brain of APP23/PS45 AD model mice and N2AAPP AD model cells. We further found that miR-429-3p could downregulate MKP-1 expression by directly binding to its 3'-untranslated region (3' UTR). Inhibition of miR-429-3p by its antagomir (A-miR-429) restored the expression of MKP-1 to a control level and consequently reduced the amyloidogenic processing of APP and Aß accumulation. More importantly, intranasal administration of A-miR-429 successfully ameliorated the deficits of hippocampal CA1 long-term potentiation and spatial learning and memory in AD model mice by suppressing extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2)-mediated GluA1 hyperphosphorylation at Ser831 site, thereby increasing the surface expression of GluA1-containing α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs). Together, these results demonstrate that inhibiting miR-429-3p to upregulate MKP-1 effectively improves cognitive and synaptic functions in AD model mice, suggesting that miR-429/MKP-1 pathway may be a novel therapeutic target for AD treatment.

PMSeeker: A Scheme Based on the Greedy Algorithm and the Exhaustive Algorithm to Screen Low-Redundancy Marker Sets for Large-Scale Parentage Assignment with Full Parental Genotyping.

Parentage assignment is a genetic test that utilizes genetic characteristics, such as molecular markers, to identify the parental relationships within populations, which, in commercial fish farming, are almost always large and where full information on potential parents is known. To accurately find the true parents, the genotypes of all loci in the parentage marker set (PMS) are required for each individual being tested. With the same accuracy, a PMS containing a smaller number of markers will undoubtedly save experimental costs. Thus, this study established a scheme to screen low-redundancy PMSs using the exhaustive algorithm and greedy algorithm. When screening PMSs, the greedy algorithm selects markers based on the parental dispersity index (PDI), a uniquely defined metric that outperforms the probability of exclusion (PE). With the conjunctive use of the two algorithms, non-redundant PMSs were found for more than 99.7% of solvable cases in three groups of random sample experiments in this study. Then, a low-redundancy PMS can be composed using two or more of these non-redundant PMSs. This scheme effectively reduces the number of markers in PMSs, thus conserving human and experimental resources and laying the groundwork for the widespread implementation of parentage assignment technology in economic species breeding.

Associations between insomnia symptoms and inflammatory cytokines in adolescents with first-episode and recurrent major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia symptoms are often associated with increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers. However, such associations have not been adequately explored in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to examine the associations between insomnia symptoms with inflammatory cytokines in adolescents with first-episode and recurrent MDD. METHODS: From January to December 2021, this study included 164 adolescents with MDD and 76 healthy controls (HCs). The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Insomnia Severity Index Scale (ISI) were used to assess depressive and insomnia symptoms, respectively. Also, plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17 A and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of mild, moderate and severe insomnia in adolescents with MDD was 40.24 %, 36.59 % and 6.71 %, respectively. The patients had higher levels of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α than HCs (all p < 0.05). ISI score was positively correlated with CES-D score and levels of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α in first-episode patients but not in recurrent patients. A further multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis showed that ISI score was independently associated with CES-D score (beta = 0.523, t = 5.833, p < 0.001) and TNF-α levels (beta = 0.254, t = 2.832, p = 0.006). LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design leads to failure to make causal inferences. CONCLUSION: Insomnia symptoms are common in adolescents with MDD and associated with elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines in first-episode patients. The findings suggest that inflammatory cytokines may relate to the pathogenesis of insomnia symptoms in adolescents with MDD, but further longitudinal studies are needed to explore the causal association between insomnia symptoms and inflammatory cytokines in MDD.

Effects of butylphthalide on cerebral vascular circulation, coagulation function, and neurological function in patients with acute severe ischemic stroke following intravenous thrombolysis: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of Butylphthalide on cerebral vascular circulation, coagulation function, and neurological function in patients with acute severe ischemic stroke following intravenous thrombolysis. METHODS: Clinical efficacy, cerebral vascular circulation indicators [anterior cerebral artery (ACA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), vertebral artery (VA) blood flow velocity], coagulation function indicators [prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (FIB)], neurological function indicators [Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score. RESULTS: The total effective rate of treatment in the control group was 76.47%, while in the observation group, it was 96.08%, with the observation group showing a significantly higher total effective rate than the control group (p < 0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in ACA, MCA, and VA blood flow velocity between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, after treatment, the ACA, MCA, and VA blood flow velocity in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in PT, APTT, TT, and FIB levels between the two groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In patients with acute severe ischemic stroke undergoing intravenous thrombolysis, the addition of Butylphthalide to the treatment regimen yields favorable clinical outcomes. Compared to Alteplase alone, the addition of Butylphthalide further improves cerebral vascular circulation and coagulation function, promoting the recovery and reconstruction of neurological function in patients. Importantly, the addition of Butylphthalide does not increase the risk of adverse reactions, making it a safe and ideal option for clinical application.

Modulating nickel-iron active species via dealloying to boost the oxygen evolution reaction.

The surface structure and composition of pre-catalysts play a critical role in the surface reconstruction process toward active species during the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Surface modified methods can accelerate the OER process of alloy ribbons, but the understanding of pre-catalysts and the structure/reactivity of the reconstruction (active) species is still insufficient. Herein, we report a two-step dealloyed Ni-Fe-P alloy ribbon as a highly efficient OER electrocatalyst. By adjusting the surface-derived component, we could regulate Ni/Fe hydroxide active species on the Ni-Fe-P alloy ribbon, enhancing the OER performance. The oxidation and release of P driven by dealloying plays a key role in constructing optimal ß-NiOOH/FeOOH catalytic species on Ni-Fe-P. The optimal ß-NiOOH/FeOOH active species enables Ni-Fe-P alloy to obtain a 104 mV of reduction in overpotential (at 10 mA cm-2) and a 78-fold increase in current density (at overpotential: 300 mV) compared to undealloyed Ni-Fe-P. Our work provides valuable insights into the relationship between the surface structure/composition of alloy bulk electrocatalysts and surface-reconstructed species and a rational design of a surface treatment process.