Study on the correlation of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio with sudden sensorineural hearing loss complicated by hypertension: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the pathophysiology of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and identifying its clinical symptoms and associated risk factors are crucial for doctors in order to create effective prevention and therapeutic methods for this prevalent otolaryngologic emergency. METHODS: This study focuses on investigating the correlation between the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) and SSNHL complicated by hypertension. In this study, 120 patients diagnosed with SSNHL were divided into groups with and without hypertension, and propensity score matching was used to compare and analyze the severity, type, prognosis, and CAR levels in SSNHL. RESULTS: The results showed that the SSNHL group with hypertension had significantly higher CAR levels, age, hearing curve abnormalities, and more severe hearing loss compared to the control group with isolated SSNHL. These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Among different subtypes of SSNHL, CAR levels increased progressively with the advancement of the condition, and these differences were also statistically significant (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In summary, in patients with SSNHL, those with hypertension had higher CAR levels than those without a history of hypertension, and they experienced more severe hearing loss. Moreover, there was a clear correlation between CAR levels and the extent of SSNHL, indicating that greater CAR levels in patients with SSNHL are connected to more severe hearing loss in various hearing patterns and perhaps indicative of a poorer prognosis.

Strain and Temperature Sensing Based on Different Temperature Coefficients fs-FBG Arrays for Intelligent Buoyancy Materials.

The temperature and strain fields monitoring during the preparation process of buoyancy materials, as well as the health status after molding, are important for mastering the mechanical properties of buoyancy materials and ensuring the safety of operators and equipment. This paper proposes a short and high-density femtosecond fiber Bragg grating (fs-FBG) array based on different temperature coefficients fibers. By optimizing the parameters of femtosecond laser point-by-point writing technology, high-performance fs-FBG arrays with millimeter level gating length and millimeter level spatial resolution were prepared on two types of fibers. These were successfully embedded in buoyancy materials to achieve in-situ online monitoring of the curing process and after molding. The experimental results show that the fs-FBG array sensor has good anti-chirp performance and achieves online monitoring of millimeter-level spatial resolution. Intelligent buoyancy materials can provide real-time feedback on the health status of equipment in harsh underwater environments. The system can achieve temperature monitoring with an accuracy of 0.56 °C and deformation monitoring with sub-millimeter accuracy; the error is in the order of micrometers, which is of great significance in the field of deep-sea exploration.

The role of uterus mitochondrial function in high-fat diet-related adverse pregnancy outcomes and protection by resveratrol.

This study elucidates the mechanism of obesity-related adverse pregnancy outcomes and further investigates the effect of resveratrol on reproductive performance in a short- or long-term HFD-induced obese mouse model. Results show that maternal weight had a significant positive correlation with litter mortality in mice. A long-term HFD increased body weight and litter mortality with decreased expression of uterine cytochrome oxidase 4 (COX4), which was recovered by resveratrol in mice. Moreover, HFD decreased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factors-1 (Nrf-1), and phosphorylated adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) and increased the expression of phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinases (p-ERK) in the uterus. Resveratrol, a polyphenol that can directly bind to the ERK protein, suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK, increased the expression of p-AMPK, PGC-1α and Nrf-1, and decreased litter mortality in mice.

circKDM1A suppresses bladder cancer progression by sponging miR-889-3p/CPEB3 and stabilizing p53 mRNA.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play crucial biological functions in various tumors, including bladder cancer (BCa). However, the roles and underlying molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in the malignant proliferation of BCa are yet unknown. CircKDM1A was observed to be downregulated in BCa tissues and cells. Knockdown of circKDM1A promoted the proliferation of BCa cells and bladder xenograft growth, while the overexpression of circKDM1A exerts the opposite effect. The dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that circKDM1A was directly bound to miR-889-3p, acting as its molecular sponge to downregulate CPEB3. In turn, the CPEB3 was bound to the CPE signal in p53 mRNA 3'UTR to stabilize its expression. Thus, circKDM1A-mediated CPEB3 downregulation inhibits the stability of p53 mRNA and promotes BCa malignant progression. In conclusion, circKDM1A functions as a tumor suppressor in the malignant proliferation of BCa via the miR-889-3p/CPEB3/p53 axis. CircKDM1A may be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target of BCa.

Effects of Prevotella copri on insulin, gut microbiota and bile acids.

Obesity is becoming a major global health problem in children that can cause diseases such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders, which are closely related to the gut microbiota. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, a significant positive correlation was observed between Prevotella copri (P. copri) and obesity in children (p = 0.003). Next, the effect of P. copri on obesity was explored by using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment. Transplantation of P. copri. increased serum levels of fasting blood glucose (p < 0.01), insulin (p < 0.01) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) (p < 0.05) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, but not in normal mice. Characterization of the gut microbiota indicated that P. copri reduced the relative abundance of the Akkermansia genus in mice (p < 0.01). Further analysis on bile acids (BAs) revealed that P. copri increased the primary BAs and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in HFD-induced mice (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated for the first time that P. copri has a significant positive correlation with obesity in children, and can increase fasting blood glucose and insulin levels in HFD-fed obese mice, which are related to the abundance of Akkermansia genus and bile acids.

Influence of Li Content on the Topological Inhibition of Oxygen Loss in Li-Rich Cathode Materials.

Lithium-rich layer oxide cathodes are promising energy storage materials due to their high energy densities. However, the oxygen loss during cycling limits their practical applications. Here, the essential role of Li content on the topological inhibition of oxygen loss in lithium-rich cathode materials and the relationship between the migration network of oxygen ions and the transition metal (TM) component are revealed. Utilizing first-principles calculations in combination with percolation theory and Monte Carlo simulations, it is found that TM ions can effectively encage the oxidized oxygen species when the TM concentration in TM layer exceeds 5/6, which hinders the formation of a percolating oxygen migration network. This study demonstrates the significance of rational compositional design in lithium-rich cathodes for effectively suppressing irreversible oxygen release and enhancing cathode cycling performance.

Single-cell transcriptome sequencing analysis reveals intra-tumor heterogeneity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a prevalent malignant tumor of the digestive system that poses a significant threat to human life and health. It is crucial to thoroughly investigate the mechanisms of esophageal carcinogenesis and identify potential key molecular events in its carcinogenesis. Single-cell transcriptome sequencing is an emerging technology that has gained prominence in recent years for studying molecular mechanisms, which may help to further explore the underlying mechanisms of the ESCC tumor microenvironment in depth. The single-cell dataset was obtained from GSE160269 in the Gene Expression Omnibus database, including 60 tumor samples and four paracancer samples. The single-cell data underwent dimensional reduction clustering analysis to identify clusters and annotate expression profiles. Subcluster analysis was conducted for each cellular taxon. Copy number variation analysis of tumor cell subpopulations was performed to primarily identify malignant cells within them. A proposed chronological analysis was performed to obtain the process of cell differentiation. In addition, cell communication, transcription factor analysis, and tumor pathway analysis were also performed. Relevant risk models and key genes were established by univariate COX regression and LASSO analysis. The key genes obtained from the screen were subjected to appropriate silencing and cellular assays, including CCK-8, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine, colony formation, and western blot. Single-cell analysis revealed that normal samples contained a large number of fibroblasts, T cells, and B cells, with fewer other cell types, whereas tumor samples exhibited a relatively balanced distribution of cell types. Subclassification analysis of immune cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and epithelial cells revealed their specific spatial characteristics. The prognostic risk model, we constructed successfully, achieved accurate prognostic stratification for ESCC patients. The screened key gene, UPF3A, was found to be significantly associated with the development of ESCC by cellular assays. This process might be linked to the phosphorylation of ERK and P38. Single-cell transcriptome analysis successfully revealed the distribution of cell types and major expressed factors in ESCC patients, which could facilitate future in-depth studies on the therapeutic mechanisms of ESCC.

Transarterial chemoembolization with 125I seed insertion for multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: A common treatment strategy for individuals with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are not candidates for surgical resection is transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Combining TACE with 125I seed insertion (ISI) may offer a means of enhancing therapeutic efficacy. The purpose of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of TACE administered with and without ISI for the treatment of multifocal HCC. Methods: The data from the two centers were analyzed retrospectively. The present study involved 85 consecutive patients with multifocal HCC who underwent TACE between January 2018 and December 2021. Of these patients, 43 were in the combined group, receiving TACE with ISI, and 42 were in the TACE-only group, receiving TACE without ISI. Comparisons of treatment outcomes were made between these groups. Results: No significant differences in baseline data were observed between these groups of patients. Higher rates of complete (60.5% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.016) and total (93.0% vs. 61.9%, P = 0.001) responses were evident in the combined group compared to the TACE-only group. Median progression-free survival (PFS, 13 vs. 10 months, P = 0.014) and overall survival (OS, 22 vs. 17 months, P = 0.035) were also significantly longer in the combined group than in the TACE-only group. Using a Cox regression analysis, risk variables associated with shorter PFS and OS included Child-Pugh B status (P = 0.027 and 0.004) and only TACE treatment (P = 0.011 and 0.022). Conclusion: In summary, these findings suggest that, as compared to TACE alone, combining TACE and ISI can enhance HCC patients' treatment outcomes and survival.

Real-Time Direction Judgment System for Dual-Frequency Laser Interferometer.

Current real-time direction judgment systems are inaccurate and insensitive, as well as limited by the sampling rate of analog-to-digital converters. To address this problem, we propose a dynamic real-time direction judgment system based on an integral dual-frequency laser interferometer and field-programmable gate array technology. The optoelectronic signals resulting from the introduction of a phase subdivision method based on the amplitude resolution of the laser interferometer when measuring displacement are analyzed. The proposed system integrates the optoelectronic signals to increase the accuracy of its direction judgments and ensures these direction judgments are made in real time by dynamically controlling the integration time. Several experiments were conducted to verify the performance of the proposed system. The results show that, compared with current real-time direction judgment systems, the proposed system makes accurate judgements during low-speed motions and can update directions within 0.125 cycles of the phase difference change at different speeds. Moreover, a sweep frequency experiment confirmed the system's ability to effectively judge dynamic directions. The proposed system is capable of accurate and real-time directional judgment during low-speed movements of a table in motion.

Real-Time Measurement and Uncertainty Evaluation of Optical Path Difference in Fiber Optic Interferometer Based on Auxiliary Interferometer.

Optical interferometers are the main elements of interferometric sensing and measurement systems. Measuring their optical path difference (OPD) in real time and evaluating the measurement uncertainty are key to optimizing system noise and ensuring system consistency. With the continuous sinusoidal wavelength modulation of the laser, real-time OPD measurement of the main interferometer is achieved through phase comparison of the main and auxiliary interferometers. The measurement uncertainty of the main interferometer OPD is evaluated. It is the first evaluation of the impact of different auxiliary interferometer calibration methods on OPD measurements. A homodyne quadrature laser interferometer (HQLI) is used as the main interferometer, and a 3 × 3 interferometer is used as the auxiliary interferometer. The calibration of the auxiliary interferometer using optical spectrum analyzer scanning and ruler measurement is compared. The evaluation shows that the auxiliary interferometer is the most significant source of uncertainty and causes the total uncertainty to increase linearly with increasing OPD. It is proven that a high-precision calibration and large-OPD auxiliary interferometer can improve the real-time accuracy of OPD measurements based on the auxiliary interferometer. The scheme can determine the minimum uncertainty to optimize the system noise and consistency for vibration, hydroacoustic, and magnetic field measurements with OPDs of the ~m level.

Innovative Percutaneous 3 Stitch Suture Technique for Site Closure in Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Decannulation Without Direct Artery Repair: A Case Series.

No previous studies have reported the use of a percutaneous suture technique performed by bedside intensivists for site closure during decannulation without direct artery repair in venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) cases. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this alternative approach. This retrospective study included 26 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous VA-ECMO decannulation at Maoming People's Hospital. Bedside percutaneous suture technique performed by intensivists facilitated cannula site closure. Primary outcome was successful closure without additional interventions. Secondary outcomes included procedural time, surgical conversion rate, complications (bleeding, vascular/wound complications, neuropathy, lymphocele), procedure-related death. Follow-up ultrasound were conducted within 6 months after discharge. All patients achieved successful site hemostasis with a median procedural time of 28 minutes. Procedure-related complications included minor bleeding (7.7%), acute lower limb ischemia (15.4%), venous thrombus (11.5%), minor arterial stenosis (7.7%), wound infection (4.2%), delayed healing (15.4%), and wound secondary suturing (6.3%). No procedure-related deaths occurred. Follow-up vascular ultrasound revealed two cases (7.7%) of minor arterial stenosis. The perivascular suture technique may offer intensivists a safe and effective alternative method for access site closure without direct artery suture during ECMO decannulation.

Data-Driven Discovery of Gas-Selective Organic Linkers in Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Separation of Ethylene and Ethane.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are potential candidates for gas-selective adsorbents for the separation of an ethylene/ethane mixture. To accelerate material discovery, high-throughput computational screening is a viable solution. However, classical force fields, which were widely employed in recent studies of MOF adsorbents, have been criticized for their failure to cover complicated interactions such as those involving π electrons. Herein, we demonstrate that machine learning force fields (MLFFs) trained on quantum-chemical reference data can overcome this difficulty. We have constructed a MLFF to accurately predict the adsorption energies of ethylene and ethane on the organic linkers of MOFs and discovered that the π electrons from both the ethylene molecule and the aromatic rings in the linkers could substantially influence the selectivity for gas adsorption. Four kinds of MOF linkers are identified as having promise for the separation of ethylene and ethane, and our results could also offer a new perspective on the design of MOF building blocks for diverse applications.

The mechanisms of mitochondrial abnormalities that contribute to sleep disorders and related neurodegenerative diseases.

Sleep is a highly intricate biological phenomenon, and its disorders play a pivotal role in numerous diseases. However, the specific regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. In recent years, the role of mitochondria in sleep disorders has gained considerable attention. Sleep deprivation not only impairs mitochondrial morphology but also decreases the number of mitochondria and triggers mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the onset and progression of various sleep disorder-related neurological diseases, especially neurodegenerative conditions. Therefore, a greater understanding of the impact of sleep disorders on mitochondrial dysfunction may reveal new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the recent key findings on the mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction caused by sleep disorders and their role in initiating or exacerbating common neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, we provide fresh insights into the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorder-related diseases.

Genetic dissection and identification of stripe rust resistance genes in the wheat cultivar Lanhangxuan 121, a cultivar selected from a space mutation population.

Stripe rust is a devastating disease of wheat worldwide. Chinese wheat cultivar Lanhangxuan 121 (LHX121), selected from an advanced line L92-47 population that had been subjected to space mutation breeding displayed a consistently higher level of resistance to stipe rust than its parent in multiple field environments. The aim of this research was to establish the number and types of resistance genes in parental lines L92-47 and LHX121 using separate segregating populations. The first population developed from a cross between LHX121 and susceptible cultivar Xinong 822 comprised 278 F2:3 lines. The second validation population comprised 301 F2:3 lines from a cross between L92-47 and susceptible cultivar Xinong 979. Lines of two population were evaluated for stripe rust response at three sites during the 2018-2020 cropping season. Affymetrix 660 K SNP arrays were used to genotype the lines and parents. Inclusive composite interval mapping detected QTL QYrLHX.nwafu-2BS, QYrLHX.nwafu-3BS, and QYrLHX.nwafu-5BS for resistance in all three environments. Based on previous studies and pedigree information, QYrLHX.nwafu-2BS and QYrLHX.nwafu-3BS were likely to be Yr27 and Yr30 that are present in the L92-47 parent. QYrLHX.nwafu-5BS (YrL121) detected only in LHX121 was mapped to a 7.60 cM interval and explained 10.67-22.57% of the phenotypic variation. Compared to stripe rust resistance genes previously mapped to chromosome 5B, YrL121 might be a new adult plant resistance QTL. Furthermore, there were a number of variations signals using 35 K SNP array and differentially expressed genes using RNA-seq between L92-47 and LHX121 in the YrL121 region, indicating that they probably impair the presence and/or function of YrL121. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-024-01461-0.

Crystal Structure Assignment for Unknown Compounds from X-ray Diffraction Patterns with Deep Learning.

Determining the structures of previously unseen compounds from experimental characterizations is a crucial part of materials science. It requires a step of searching for the structure type that conforms to the lattice of the unknown compound, which enables the pattern matching process for characterization data, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. However, this procedure typically places a high demand on domain expertise, thus creating an obstacle for computer-driven automation. Here, we address this challenge by leveraging a deep-learning model composed of a union of convolutional residual neural networks. The accuracy of the model is demonstrated on a dataset of over 60,000 different compounds for 100 structure types, and additional categories can be integrated without the need to retrain the existing networks. We also unravel the operation of the deep-learning black box and highlight the way in which the resemblance between the unknown compound and a structure type is quantified based on both local and global characteristics in XRD patterns. This computational tool opens new avenues for automating structure analysis on materials unearthed in high-throughput experimentation.

Tunable C4-Symmetry-Broken Metasurfaces Based on Phase Transition of Vanadium Dioxide (VO2).

Coupling is a ubiquitous phenomenon observed in various systems, which profoundly alters the original oscillation state of resonant systems and leads to the unique optical properties of metasurfaces. In this study, we introduce a terahertz (THz) tunable coupling metasurface characterized by a four-fold rotation (C4) symmetry-breaking structural array achieved through the incorporation of vanadium dioxide (VO2). This disruption of the C4 symmetry results in dynamically controlled electromagnetic interactions and couplings between excitation modes. The coupling between new resonant modes modifies the peak of electromagnetic-induced transparency (EIT) within the C4 symmetric metasurfaces, simulating the mutual interference process between modes. Additionally, breaking the C4 symmetry enhances the mirror asymmetry, and imparts distinct chiral properties in the far-field during the experimental process. This research demonstrates promising applications in diverse fields, including biological monitoring, light modulation, sensing, and nonlinear enhancement.

Cryo-shocked tumor cells deliver CRISPR-Cas9 for lung cancer regression by synthetic lethality.

Although CRISPR-mediated genome editing holds promise for cancer therapy, inadequate tumor targeting and potential off-target side effects hamper its outcomes. In this study, we present a strategy using cryo-shocked lung tumor cells as a CRISPR-Cas9 delivery system for cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) gene editing, which initiates synthetic lethal in KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). By rapidly liquid nitrogen shocking, we effectively eliminate the pathogenicity of tumor cells while preserving their structure and surface receptor activity. This delivery system enables the loaded CRISPR-Cas9 to efficiently target to lung through the capture in pulmonary capillaries and interactions with endothelial cells. In a NSCLC-bearing mouse model, the drug accumulation is increased nearly fourfold in lung, and intratumoral CDK4 expression is substantially down-regulated compared to CRISPR-Cas9 lipofectamine nanoparticles administration. Furthermore, CRISPR-Cas9 editing-mediated CDK4 ablation triggers synthetic lethal in KRAS-mutant NSCLC and prolongs the survival of mice.

Event recognition method based on feature synthesizing for a zero-shot intelligent distributed optical fiber sensor.

Phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer (Φ-OTDR) is an emergent distributed optical sensing system with the advantages of high localization accuracy and high sensitivity. It has been widely used for intrusion identification, pipeline monitoring, under-ground tunnel monitoring, etc. Deep learning-based classification methods work well for Φ-OTDR event recognition tasks with sufficient samples. However, the lack of training data samples is sometimes a serious problem for these data-driven algorithms. This paper proposes a novel feature synthesizing approach to solve this problem. A mixed class approach and a reinforcement learning-based guided training method are proposed to realize high-quality feature synthesis. Experiment results in the task of eight event classifications, including one unknown class, show that the proposed method can achieve an average classification accuracy of 42% for the unknown class and obtain its event type, meanwhile achieving a 74% average overall classification accuracy. This is 29% and 7% higher, respectively, than those of the ordinary instance synthesizing method. Moreover, this is the first time that the Φ-OTDR system can recognize a specific event and tell its event type without collecting its data sample in advance.

Activated nanosulfur for broad-spectrum heavy metals capture.

Current problems of existing heavy metal-removing technologies, especially for nanomaterials-based ones, are typically single metal ion-specific, high-cost and collected difficult. Herein, facile modification of commercial sulfur creates a versatile adsorbent platform to address challenges. The versatile adsorbent can be easily prepared through solvothermal treatment of a saturated commercial sulfur solution, followed by water precipitation on a commercial foam that eliminates the need for separation. Interestingly, the solvothermal treatment endows the resulting nanosulfur with sulfate acid groups (hard Lewis base), sulfur anions (soft base), and sulfite groups (borderline base), promising the coordination of all types of heavy metal ions (Lewis acids). As such, this versatile adsorbent with well-distributed adsorption sites exhibits highly effective heavy metal adsorption capacity towards diverse heavy metal ions for both single-component and multi-component adsorption, including soft, hard, borderline Lewis metal ions, with ultra-high adsorption ability (e.g., 903.79 mg g-1 for Cu2+). These findings highlighted the potential of this low-cost sulfur-based adsorbent to address the arising challenges in ensuring clean water.