Receiver in-phase and quadrature skew tolerant baud-rate timing recovery scheme for short-reach coherent optical interconnection.

A baud-rate sampling timing recovery (TR) scheme with receiver IQ skew tolerance is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed scheme performs independent TR for the in-phase and quadrature (IQ) tributary signals, thereby tracking the sampling phase error while naturally compensating for receiver IQ skew. The robustness of the IQ-independent TR to frequency offset (FO) and phase noise is theoretically analyzed. To address IQ misalignment caused by the IQ-independent TR, the use of pseudo-noise (PN) sequences for IQ frame synchronization is proposed. The proposed scheme achieves accurate timing recovery with hardware-efficient baud-rate sampling in the presence of receiver IQ skew, laying the foundation for stable performance of subsequent baud-rate equalization. The performance of the scheme is validated in a 56 GBaud polarization division multiplexed (PDM) 16QAM coherent experimental system. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves similar BER performance to the modified Gardner + real-valued multiple-input multiple-output (RVMIMO) (@2 SPS) scheme. Moreover, the proposed scheme exhibits robustness to arbitrary IQ skew compared to the ABSPD + RVMIMO (@1 SPS) scheme.

Cage-rearranged and cage-intact syntheses of azido-functionalized larger T10 and T12 POSSs.

Herein, we investigate the product type and distribution during the synthesis of azido-functionalized larger polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSSs) using 3-chloropropyl- and chloromethyldimethylsilylethyl-functionalized T8, T10, and T12 POSSs as precursors. Our findings indicate that cage rearrangement occurs for the 3-chloropropyl-functionalized POSS cages with a stability order of T12 > T10 > T8, while the chloromethyldimethylsilylethyl-functionalized POSS cages remain structurally intact after the nucleophilic substitution.

The safety and short-term effect of mixed approach in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for right colon cancer compared with middle approach: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the mixed approach is a safe and advantageous way to operate laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 316 patients who underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomy in our center. They were assigned to the middle approach group (n = 158) and the mixed approach group (n = 158) according to the surgical approaches. The baseline data like gender、age and body mass index as well as the intraoperative and postoperative conditions including operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, sex, BMI, ASA grade and tumor characteristics between the two groups. Compared with the middle approach group, the mixed approach group was significantly lower in terms of operation time (217.61 min vs 154.31 min, p < 0.001), intraoperative blood loss (73.8 ml vs 37.97 ml, p < 0.001) and postoperative drainage volume. There was no significant difference in the postoperative complications like postoperative anastomotic leakage, postoperative infection and postoperative intestinal obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the middle approach, the mixed approach is a safe and advantageous way that can significantly shorten the operation time, reduce intraoperative bleeding and postoperative drainage volume, and does not prolong the length of hospital stay or increase the morbidity postoperative complications.

Effects of PCSK9 on thrombosis and haemostasis in a variety of metabolic states: Lipids and beyond (Review).

Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are widely recognised as being able to induce a potent reduction in low­density lipoprotein­cholesterol. An increasing number of studies have suggested that PCSK9 also influences the haemostatic system by altering platelet function and the coagulation cascade. These findings have significant implications for anti­PCSK9 therapy in patients with specific coagulation conditions, including expanded indications, dose adjustments and drug interactions. The present review summarises the changes in PCSK9 levels in individuals with liver diseases, chronic kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancer and other disease states, and discusses their impact on thrombosis and haemostasis. Furthermore, the structure, effects and regulatory mechanisms of PCSK9 on platelets, coagulation factors, inflammatory cells and endothelial cells during coagulation and haemostasis are described.

The safety of trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201) with a focus on interstitial lung disease and/or pneumonitis: A systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies involving risk-benefit analysis of trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201) have indicated the benefit of this treatment, although it may increase the risk of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and/or pneumonitis in certain patients. This study aimed to assess the safety of DS-8201. METHODS: A search was done for relevant articles in four electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov. All reports published up until November 2, 2022, were included, and study types were restricted to clinical trials; the last search was then updated to January 10, 2023. We also assessed the quality of the literature with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies tool, and then performed a meta-analysis with R version 4.2.1. RESULTS: A total of 1428 patients reported in 13 articles were included in this study. The analysis revealed that the most common all-grade treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were nausea and fatigue. The most common TEAE of grade 3 or above (grade ≥3) was neutropenia. The incidences of ILD and/or pneumonitis for all-grade and grade ≥3 TEAEs were 12.5% and 2.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive summary of the incidence of TEAEs associated with DS-8201 in clinical trials provides an important guide for clinicians. The most common TEAEs were gastrointestinal reactions and fatigue; meanwhile, the most common grade ≥3 TEAE was hematological toxicity. ILD and/or pneumonitis were specific adverse drug reactions associated with DS-8201, of which physicians should be particularly aware for their higher morbidity and rates of grade ≥3 TEAEs.

The joint effect of long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants on non-accidental and cause-specific mortality: A longitudinal cohort study.

The long-term joint impacts of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) on mortality are inconclusive. To bridge this research gap, we included 283,568 adults from the Taiwan MJ cohort between 2005 and 2016 and linked with the mortality data until 31 May 2019. Participants' annual average exposures to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 were estimated using satellite-based spatial-temporal models. We applied elastic net-regularised Cox models to construct a weighted environmental risk score (WERS) for the joint effects of three pollutants on non-accidental, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality and evaluated the contribution of each pollutant. The three pollutants jointly raised non-accidental mortality risk with a WERS hazard ratio (HR) of 1.186 (95% CI: 1.118-1.259) per standard deviation increase in each pollutant and weights of 72.8%, 15.2%, and 12.0% for PM2.5, NO2, and O3, respectively. The WERS increased cardiovascular death risk [HR: 1.248 (1.042-1.496)], with PM2.5 as the first contributor and O3 as the second. The WERS also elevated the cancer death risk [HR: 1.173 (1.083-1.270)], where PM2.5 played the dominant role and NO2 ranked second. Coordinated control of these three pollutants can optimise the health benefits of air quality improvements.

Occurrence of rare earth elements in umbilical cord serum and association with thyroid hormones and birth outcomes in newborns.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are emerging contaminants that are increasingly used in high technology products. However, limited information is available regarding exposure to REEs and associated health effects in neonates. This study aimed to investigate the association between REE concentrations and thyroid hormone levels, as well as birth outcomes in 109 newborns in Beijing, China. We measured the concentrations of 16 REEs and thyroid hormones in umbilical cord serum. To assess the impact of exposure to individual REEs and REE mixtures on thyroid hormone levels and birth outcomes, we employed univariate linear regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and weighted quantile sum (WQS) models. We detected 14 REEs at high rates (92.6%-100%), with yttrium exhibiting the highest median (interquartile range) concentration [43.94 (0.33-172.55) ng/mL], followed by scandium [3.64 (0.46-11.15) ng/mL]. Univariate analyses showed that per logarithmic (ln)-unit change of neodymium (Nd) and samarium (Sm) was associated with 0.039 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.001, 0.007] and 0.031 (95% CI: 0.003, 0.060) increases in free thyroxine (FT4) levels, respectively. Moreover, 14 REEs exhibited significant associations with triiodothyronine (T3) levels, resulting in increases ranging from 0.066 to 0.307. Elevated concentrations of terbium (Tb) [per ln-unit change: -0.021 (95% CI: -0.041, -0.01)] and lutetium (Lu) [-0.023 (95% CI: -0.043, -0.002)] were inversely correlated with birth length in newborns. A further multiple exposure analysis employing the LASSO model identified Sm, Nd, Y, Sc, and Lu as critical factors influencing FT4 and T3 levels. Additionally, WQS analyses showed positive associations between exposure to a mixture of 14 REEs and FT4 (P = 0.046), T3 (P < 0.001), and birth length (P = 0.049). These findings suggest that in utero exposure to REEs might disrupt thyroid hormone homeostasis and impact intrauterine growth. Further studies are warranted to validate these findings and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Unveiling unique alternative splicing responses to low temperature in Zoysia japonica through ZjRTD1.0, a high-quality reference transcript dataset.

Inadequate reference databases in RNA-seq analysis can hinder data utilization and interpretation. In this study, we have successfully constructed a high-quality reference transcript dataset, ZjRTD1.0, for Zoysia japonica, a widely-used turfgrass with exceptional tolerance to various abiotic stress, including low temperatures and salinity. This dataset comprises 113,089 transcripts from 57,143 genes. BUSCO analysis demonstrates exceptional completeness (92.4%) in ZjRTD1.0, with reduced proportions of fragmented (3.3%) and missing (4.3%) orthologs compared to prior datasets. ZjRTD1.0 enables more precise analyses, including transcript quantification and alternative splicing assessments using public datasets, which identified a substantial number of differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) and differential alternative splicing (DAS) events, leading to several novel findings on Z. japonica's responses to abiotic stresses. First, spliceosome gene expression influenced alternative splicing significantly under abiotic stress, with a greater impact observed during low-temperature stress. Then, a significant positive correlation was found between the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) encoding protein kinases and the frequency of DAS events, suggesting the role of protein phosphorylation in regulating alternative splicing. Additionally, our results suggest possible involvement of serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) in generating inclusion/exclusion isoforms under low-temperature stress. Furthermore, our investigation revealed a significantly enhanced overlap between DEGs and differentially alternatively spliced genes (DASGs) in response to low-temperature stress, suggesting a unique co-regulatory mechanism governing transcription and splicing in the context of low-temperature response. In conclusion, we have proven that ZjRTD1.0 will serve as a reliable and useful resource for future transcriptomic analyses in Z. japonica.

Unveiling the overlooked microbial niches thriving on building exteriors.

Rapid urbanization in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to place two-thirds of its population in concrete-dominated urban landscapes by 2050. While diverse architectural facades define the unique appearance of these urban systems. There remains a significant gap in our understanding of the composition, assembly, and ecological potential of microbial communities on building exteriors. Here, we examined bacterial and protistan communities on building surfaces along an urbanization gradient (urban, suburban and rural regions), investigating their spatial patterns and the driving factors behind their presence. A total of 55 bacterial and protist phyla were identified. The bacterial community was predominantly composed of Proteobacteria (33.7% to 67.5%). The protistan community exhibited a prevalence of Opisthokonta and Archaeplastida (17.5% to 82.1% and 1.8% to 61.2%, respectively). The composition and functionality of bacterial communities exhibited spatial patterns correlated with urbanization. In urban buildings, factors such as facade type, light exposure, and building height had comparatively less impact on bacterial composition compared to suburban and rural areas. The highest bacterial diversity and lowest Weighted Average Community Identity (WACI) were observed on suburban buildings, followed by rural buildings. In contrast, protists did not show spatial distribution characteristics related to facade type, light exposure, building height and urbanization level. The distinct spatial patterns of protists were primarily shaped by community diffusion and the bottom-up regulation exerted by bacterial communities. Together, our findings suggest that building exteriors serve as attachment points for local microbial metacommunities, offering unique habitats where bacteria and protists exhibit independent adaptive strategies closely tied to the overall ecological potential of the community.

Machine learning for identifying tumor stemness genes and developing prognostic model in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer presents a formidable challenge, marked by its debilitating nature and often dire prognosis. Emerging evidence underscores the pivotal role of tumor stem cells in exacerbating treatment resistance and fueling disease recurrence in gastric cancer. Thus, the identification of genes contributing to tumor stemness assumes paramount importance. Employing a comprehensive approach encompassing ssGSEA, WGCNA, and various machine learning algorithms, this study endeavors to delineate tumor stemness key genes (TSKGs). Subsequently, these genes were harnessed to construct a prognostic model, termed the Tumor Stemness Risk Genes Prognostic Model (TSRGPM). Through PCA, Cox regression analysis and ROC curve analysis, the efficacy of Tumor Stemness Risk Scores (TSRS) in stratifying patient risk profiles was underscored, affirming its ability as an independent prognostic indicator. Notably, the TSRS exhibited a significant correlation with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer. Furthermore, leveraging algorithms such as CIBERSORT to dissect immune infiltration patterns revealed a notable association between TSRS and monocytes and other cell. Subsequent scrutiny of tumor stemness risk genes (TSRGs) culminated in the identification of CDC25A for detailed investigation. Bioinformatics analyses unveil CDC25A's implication in driving the malignant phenotype of tumors, with a discernible impact on cell proliferation and DNA replication in gastric cancer. Noteworthy validation through in vitro experiments corroborated the bioinformatics findings, elucidating the pivotal role of CDC25A expression in modulating tumor stemness in gastric cancer. In summation, the established and validated TSRGPM holds promise in prognostication and delineation of potential therapeutic targets, thus heralding a pivotal stride towards personalized management of this malignancy.

Microstructure Evolution, Hot Deformation Behavior and Processing Maps of an FeCrAl Alloy.

The deteriorated plasticity arising from the insoluble precipitates may lead to cracks during the rolling of FeCrAl alloys. The microstructure evolution and hot deformation behavior of an FeCrAl alloy were investigated in the temperature range of 750-1200 °C and strain rate range of 0.01-10 s-1. The flow stress of the FeCrAl alloy decreased with an increasing deformation temperature and decreased strain rate during hot working. The thermal deformation activation energy was determined to be 329.49 kJ/mol based on the compression test. Then, the optimal hot working range was given based on the established hot processing maps. The hot processing map revealed four small instability zones. The optimal working range for the material was identified as follows: at a true strain of 0.69, the deformation temperature should be 1050-1200 °C, and the strain rate should be 0.01-0.4 s-1. The observation of key samples of thermally simulated compression showed that discontinuous dynamic recrystallization started to occur with the temperate above 1000 °C, leading to bended grain boundaries. When the temperature was increased to 1150 °C, the dynamic recrystallization resulted in a microstructure composed of fine and equiaxed grains.

Association between dietary inflammatory index and cognitive impairment among American elderly: a cross-sectional study.

Background: It has been shown that inflammation may be associated with cognitive impairment (CI). Diet modulates inflammation. However, there is currently a scarcity of epidemiological studies exploring the connection between the inflammatory potential of diet and CI. The objective was to investigate the correlation between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and cognitive impairment in older adults in the United States. Methods: The present investigation utilized a cross-sectional dataset obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2014. Dietary intake data was used to calculate DII scores, which were then used to categorize participants into quartiles. Participants' cognitive function was assessed using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD), Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Individuals who scored in the lowest quartile on any of these tests were classified as exhibiting low cognitive performance. The association between DII and cognitive impairment was investigated by multivariate logistic regression, smooth curve fitting, and subgroup analysis. Results: A total of 947 older adults were enrolled in the study. Following the adjustment of confounding variables, DII scores exhibited a significant and positive correlation with low cognitive performance, as measured by AFT (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.28, p = 0.02) and the DSST (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.13-1.68, p = 0.004). Compared with the lowest quartile of DII, the highest weighted odds ratio of cognitive impairment based on AFT was observed in the fourth quartile group (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.05-3.38, p = 0.03). Similarly, a comparable pattern was evident in DSST (OR 4.30, 95% CI 1.85-9.98, p = 0.003). Additionally, the smooth curve fitting results showed a nonlinear relationship between DII and cognitive decline evaluated by DSST (p for nonlinearity = 0.016). No interaction effects between cognitive impairment and age or gender were observed in relation to all cognitive test scores. Conclusion: This research reveals a positive link between diet with higher inflammatory potential and cognitive decline among elderly individuals in America. However, additional studies on dietary interventions are necessary to explore the cause-and-effect relationship.

The Pharmacogenetic Variability Associated With the Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Rivaroxaban in Healthy Chinese Subjects: A National Multicenter Exploratory Study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the pharmacogenetic variability associated with the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of rivaroxaban in healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS: This was a multicenter study that included 304 healthy adults aged 18 to 45 years with unknown genotypes. All participants were administered a single dose of rivaroxaban at 10 mg, 15 mg, or 20 mg. PK and PD parameters were measured, and exome-wide association analysis was conducted. FINDINGS: Sixteen SNPs located on 11 genes influenced the AUC0-t. Among these, the 3 most influential genes were MiR516A2, PARP14, and MIR618. Thirty-six SNPs from 28 genes were associated with the PD of rivaroxaban. The 3 most influential genes were PKNOX2, BRD3, and APOL4 for anti-Xa activity, and GRIP2, PLCE1, and MLX for diluted prothrombin time (dPT). Among them, BRD3 played an important role in both the PK and PD of rivaroxaban. Anti-Xa activity (ng/mL) differed significantly among subjects with BRD3 rs467387: 145.1 ± 55.5 versus 139.9 ± 65.1 versus 164.0 ± 68.6 for GG, GA, and AA carriers, respectively (P = 0.0002). IMPLICATIONS: This study found that that the regulation of the BRD3 gene might affect the PK and PD of rivaroxaban, suggesting that it should be studied as a new pharmacologic target. The correlation between this gene locus and clinical outcomes has yet to be verified in patients undergoing clinical treatment.

Risk factors and a nomogram for predicting cognitive frailty in Chinese patients with lung cancer receiving drug therapy: A single-center cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: To identify independent factors of cognitive frailty (CF) and construct a nomogram to predict cognitive frailty risk in patients with lung cancer receiving drug therapy. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with lung cancer undergoing drug therapy from October 2022 to July 2023 were enrolled. The data collected includes general demographic characteristics, clinical data characteristics and assessment of tools for cognitive frailty and other factors. Logistic regression was harnessed to determine the influencing factors, R software was used to establish a nomogram model to predict the risk of cognitive frailty. The enhanced bootstrap method was employed for internal verification of the model. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by using calibration curves, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 372 patients were recruited, with a cognitive frailty prevalence of 56.2%. Age, education background, diabetes mellitus, insomnia, sarcopenia, and nutrition status were identified as independent factors. Then, a nomogram model was constructed and patients were classified into high- and low-risk groups with a cutoff value of 0.552. The internal validation results revealed good concordance, calibration and discrimination. The decision curve analysis presented prominent clinical utility. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of cognitive frailty was higher in lung cancer patients receiving drug therapy. The nomogram could identify the risk of cognitive frailty intuitively and simply in patients with lung cancer, so as to provide references for early screening and intervention for cognitive frailty at the early phases of drug treatment.

Exposure to Neighborhood Greenness and Hypertension Incidence in Adults: A Longitudinal Cohort Study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies on the health effects of long-term exposure to neighborhood greenness in a longitudinal setting, especially in Asian countries with high population densities. OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the association between long-term exposure to neighborhood greenness and hypertension among adults in Taiwan. METHODS: We selected 125,537 participants (≥18 years of age) without hypertension from Taiwan who had joined the standard medical examination program between 2001 and 2016. Neighborhood greenness was estimated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), derived from satellite images at a resolution of 250 m2. The 2-y average NDVI value within a 500-m circular buffer around participants' residences was calculated. A time-varying Cox regression model was used to investigate the association between neighborhood greenness and incident hypertension. Mediation analyses were performed to examine whether the association was explained by air pollution, leisure-time physical exercise, or body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Compared with living in areas within the first quartile of neighborhood greenness, living in areas within the second, third, and fourth quartiles of neighborhood greenness was found to be associated with a lower risk of hypertension, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91, 1.00), 0.95 (95% CI: 0.90, 0.99), and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88, 0.97), respectively. Each 0.1-unit increase in the NDVI was associated with a 24% lower risk of developing hypertension (HR=0.76; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.87), with this associations being stronger among males and those with higher education levels. This association was slightly mediated by BMI but not by air pollution or leisure-time physical exercise. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest the protective effects of neighborhood greenness on hypertension development, especially in males and well-educated individuals. Our results reinforced the importance of neighborhood greenness for supporting health. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13071.

C-type lectin-like receptor 2: roles and drug target.

C-type lectin-like receptor-2 (CLEC-2) is a member of the C-type lectin superfamily of cell surface receptors. The first confirmed endogenous and exogenous ligands of CLEC-2 are podoplanin and rhodocytin, respectively. CLEC-2 is expressed on the surface of platelets, which participates in platelet activation and aggregation by binding with its ligands. CLEC-2 and its ligands are involved in pathophysiological processes, such as atherosclerosis, cancer, inflammatory thrombus status, maintenance of vascular wall integrity, and cancer-related thrombosis. In the last 5 years, different anti- podoplanin antibody types have been developed for the treatment of cancers, such as glioblastoma and lung cancer. New tests and new diagnostics targeting CLEC-2 are also discussed. CLEC-2 mediates thrombosis in various pathological states, but CLEC-2-specific deletion does not affect normal hemostasis, which would provide a new therapeutic tool for many thromboembolic diseases. The CLEC-2-podoplanin interaction is a target for cancer treatment. CLEC-2 may be applied in clinical practice and play a therapeutic role.

Integration of hepatitis B virus into patients' sperm genome and its clinical risks.

BACKGROUND: Like the coronavirus disease 2019, the hepatitis B virus is also wreaking havoc worldwide, which has infected over 2 billion people globally. Using an experimental animal model, our previous research observed that the hepatitis B virus genes integrated into human spermatozoa can replicate and express after being transmitted to embryos. However, as of now, this phenomenon has not been confirmed in clinical data from patients. OBJECTIVES: To explore the integration of the hepatitis B virus into patients' sperm genome and its potential clinical risks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection were categorized into two groups: Test Group-1 comprised 23 patients without integration of hepatitis B virus DNA within the sperm genome. Test Group-2 comprised 25 patients with integration of hepatitis B virus DNA within the sperm genome. Forty-eight healthy male donors were included as control. The standard semen parameter analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, sperm chromatin structure assay, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and immunofluorescence assays were utilized. RESULTS: The difference in the median copy number of hepatitis B virus DNA per mL of sera between Test Group-1 and Group-2 was not statistically significant. In Test Group-2, the integration rate of hepatitis B virus DNA was 0.109%, which showed a significant correlation with the median copy number of hepatitis B virus DNA in motile spermatozoa (1.18 × 103 /mL). Abnormal semen parameters were found in almost all these 25 patients. The integrated hepatitis B virus S, C, X, and P genes were detected to be introduced into sperm-derived embryos through fertilization and retained their function in replication, transcription, and translation. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that hepatitis B virus infection can lead to sperm quality deterioration and reduced fertilization capacity. Furthermore, viral integration causes instability in the sperm genome, increasing the potential risk of termination, miscarriage, and stillbirth. This study identified an unconventional mode of hepatitis B virus transmission through genes rather than virions. The presence of viral sequences in the embryonic genome poses a risk of liver inflammation and cancer.

New sesquiterpenoids with neuroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo from the Picrasma chinensis.

Three undescribed sesquiterpenes, designed as pichinenoid A-C (1-3), along with nine known ones (4-12) were isolated from the stems and leaves of Picrasma chinensis. The new isolates including their absolute configurations were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic methods, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) experiments, as well as comparison with literature data. Structurally, compounds 1 and 2 are descending sesquiterpenes, while pichinenoid C (3) is a rare sesquiterpene bearing a 2-methylenebut-3-enoic acid moiety at the C-6 side chain. All the isolated compounds were tested for their neuroprotective effects against the H2O2-induced damage on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and most of them showed moderate neuroprotective activity. Especially, compounds 1, 3-5, and 7 showed a potent neuroprotective effect at 25 or 50 µM. Moreover, the neuroprotective effects of compounds 1 and 4 were tested on a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model. Results of western blot and immunofluorescence indicated that compound 4 significantly counteract the toxicity of MPTP, and reversed the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in substantia nigra (SN) and striatum (ST) of the mouse brain. Interestingly, western blot data suggested compound 4 also enhanced B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expressions in the brain tissues from MPTP damaged mouse.

Gait Recognition and Assistance Parameter Prediction Determination Based on Kinematic Information Measured by Inertial Measurement Units.

The gait recognition of exoskeletons includes motion recognition and gait phase recognition under various road conditions. The recognition of gait phase is a prerequisite for predicting exoskeleton assistance time. The estimation of real-time assistance time is crucial for the safety and accurate control of lower-limb exoskeletons. To solve the problem of predicting exoskeleton assistance time, this paper proposes a gait recognition model based on inertial measurement units that combines the real-time motion state recognition of support vector machines and phase recognition of long short-term memory networks. A recognition validation experiment was conducted on 30 subjects to determine the reliability of the gait recognition model. The results showed that the accuracy of motion state and gait phase were 99.98% and 98.26%, respectively. Based on the proposed SVM-LSTM gait model, exoskeleton assistance time was predicted. A test was conducted on 10 subjects, and the results showed that using assistive therapy based on exercise status and gait stage can significantly improve gait movement and reduce metabolic costs by an average of more than 10%.

Chronic exposure to ambient air pollution and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A cross-sectional study in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: Information on the relation of air pollution with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is scarce. We thus conducted a large cross-sectional study in Asia to investigate the role of air pollution in NAFLD. METHODS: We recruited 329,048 adults (mean age: 41.0 years) without other liver disease (hepatitis and cirrhosis) or excessive alcohol consumption in Taiwan and Hong Kong from 2001 to 2018. The concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) were estimated using a space-time regression model, and the concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was evaluated using a satellite-based spatio-temporal model. NAFLD was determined using either the fatty liver index (FLI) or the hepatic steatosis index (HSI). The NAFLD-related advanced fibrosis was defined according to BARD score or the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4). A logistic regression model was adopted to explore the relationships of ambient air pollution with the odds of NAFLD and NAFLD-related advanced fibrosis. RESULTS: We found positive relationships between PM2.5 and the odds of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis, with every standard deviation (SD, 7.5 µg/m3) increases in PM2.5 exposure being associated with a 10% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9%-11%) increment in the prevalence of NAFLD and an 8% (95% CI: 7%-9%) increment in the prevalence of advanced fibrosis. Similarly, the prevalence of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis increased by 8% (95% CI: 7%-9%) and 7% (95% CI: 6%-8%) with per SD (18.9 µg/m3) increasement in NO2 concentration, respectively. Additionally, for every SD (9.9 µg/m3) increasement in O3 concentration, the prevalence of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis decreased by 12% (95% CI: 11%-13%) and 11% (95% CI: 9%-12%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Higher ambient PM2.5 and NO2 are linked with higher odds of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis. Our findings indicate that reducing PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations may be an effective way for preventing NAFLD. Further studies on O3 are warranted.