Dual-branch feature encoding framework for infrared images super-resolution reconstruction.

Infrared thermal imaging is a passive non-contact detection and identification technology, which is not subject to electromagnetic infection and good concealment, is widely used in military and commercial fields. However, due to the limitations of the existing infrared imaging system mechanisms, the spatial resolution of the acquired infrared images is low and the edge details are blurred, which in turn leads to poor performance in downstream missions based on infrared images. In this paper, in order to better solve the above problems, we propose a new super-resolution reconstruction framework for infrared images, called DBFE, which extracts and retains abundant structure and textual information for robust infrared image high-resolution reconstruction with a novel structure-textual encoder module. Extensive experiment demonstrates that our proposed method achieves significantly superior contraband high-resolution reconstruction results on the multiple dataset compared to progressive methods for high resolution infrared image reconstruction, effectively proving the practicability of the method proposed in this paper.

Research on the coordinated development of provincial urbanization and carbon emission efficiency of construction industry in China.

BACKGROUND: Energy conservation and emission reduction policies restrict the economic and social development of all countries in the world, and the impact on China, which has low urbanization, is more serious. In the process of promoting urbanization, the pressure of carbon emission reduction in the construction industry has increased, and the high emissions of the construction industry have made the low-carbon development of cities face severe challenges. China is at a critical stage of urbanization development, and there is become a general consensus on how to improve the carbon emission efficiency of the construction industry. The interaction between urbanization and the carbon emission efficiency of the construction industry is a long-term and complex process. As one of the industries contributing to China's urbanization process and carbon emissions, it is of great practical significance to explore the coordination relationship between urbanization and the carbon emission efficiency of the construction industry (CEECI) to realize the goal of "double carbon", promoting urbanization construction and solving the problem of "green development". Taking 30 provinces in China as the research target area, the double weighted summation method and the undesirable output superefficiency window-EBM-DEA model are used to measure the provincial urbanization level and CEECI, respectively. Then, the coupling coordination degree model of the relative development index is introduced, and the spatial autocorrelation model and the spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics of the coordination level of urbanization and the CEECI are analysed. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2021, China's urbanization level increased steadily, but the growth rate gradually decreased. There were significant differences in urbanization levels among provinces. The eastern provinces have a higher level of urbanization but lack an impetus in the later period, while the western provinces have a lower level of urbanization but a faster growth rate. The low-carbon development trend of China's construction industry is good, and the overall development of the CEECI shows an "N" type, and the inflection points appear in 2013 and 2018. The interprovincial urbanization level is significantly different from that of the CEECI, and the development form of the central and western provinces is better than that of the eastern provinces. The coordination level of urbanization and the CEECI in China is transitioning from the running-in stage to the coordination stage, and the coupling coordination degree between systems is on the rise, while the relative development degree is on the decline. The spatial distribution pattern is in a dynamic state of change, and the overall distribution pattern is "high in the east and low in the central and western regions". The differences among provinces were significantly decreased, with 63.33% of provinces at the high running-in level. The provinces that entered the coordination stage were mainly located in the eastern region, and only Beijing was in the coordination stage by the end of the study. In addition, 90% of the provinces exhibited lagging efficiency, and only Jiangxi, Guangxi and Chongqing, which had low coordination levels maintained synchronous development of the two systems. The coordination level between provincial urbanization and the CEECI showed a positive spatial distribution, the global Moran index showed a "V" shape trend, and the spatial dependence of the coordination level between the two systems gradually weakened. In the local spatial distribution, there are two types of convergence: high and low. CONCLUSIONS: The coordination degree of urbanization and the CEECI analysed in this study is an extension of the research on the relationship between the two. By integrating the two into a unified framework, the method of combining quantitative and qualitative analysis is used to further explore the coordination relationship between the two, which not only enhances the scientificity and accuracy of the research but also extends the breadth and depth of relevant theoretical research. At the same time, according to the coordination type between urbanization and the CEECI, China should propose corresponding targeted coordination and optimization paths from the perspective of urbanization and low-carbon development of the construction industry to achieve high-quality development of China's economy and society.

18 F-Florbetapir PET/CT and 68 Ga-FAPI PET/CT in a Case of Light Chain Amyloidosis With Predominant Multiple Tumor-Like Deposits.

ABSTRACT: A 66-year-old man presented with multiple masses in different regions, including the left groin, back subcutaneous area, and lungs. Pathological examination confirmed localized amyloid deposits after 3 surgeries. Serum-free λ light chains were elevated. To evaluate systemic involvement, the patient underwent 18 F-Florbetapir PET/CT and 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT. Both scans showed increased uptake in multiple masses and nodules throughout the body. This report presents a rare case of light chain (AL) amyloidosis, primarily characterized by multiple localized tumor-like deposits with high activity on 18 F-Florbetapir PET/CT and 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT.

Microplastics Prevalence in Different Cetaceans Stranded along the Western Taiwan Strait.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is of global concern, which poses serious threats to various marine organisms, including many threatened apex predators. In this study, MPs were investigated from nine cetaceans of four different species, comprising one common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), two pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps), one ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens), and five Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) stranded along the western coast of the Taiwan Strait from the East China Sea based on Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. Mean abundances of 778 identified MPs items were 86.44 ± 12.22 items individual-1 and 0.43 ± 0.19 items g-1 wet weight of intestine contents, which were found predominantly to be transparent, fiber-shaped polyethylene terephthalate (PET) items usually between 0.5 and 5 mm. The abundance of MPs was found at a slightly higher level and significantly correlated with intestine contents mass (p = 0.0004*). The MPs source was mainly likely from synthetic fibers-laden sewage discharged from intense textile industries. Our report represents the first study of MPs in pelagic and deep-diving cetaceans in China, which not only adds baseline data on MPs for cetaceans in Asian waters but also highlights the further risk assessment of MPs consumption in these threatened species.

Identification of TNFRSF1A as a potential biomarker for osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma (OS) is a relatively rare malignant bone tumor in teenagers; however, its molecular mechanisms are not yet understood comprehensively. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to use necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) and their relationships with immune-related genes to construct a prognostic signature for OS. METHODS: TARGET-OS was used as the training dataset, and GSE 16091 and GSE 21257 were used as the validation datasets. Univariate regression, survival analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to screen for hub genes. The immune-related targets were screened using immune infiltration assays and immune checkpoints. The results were validated using nomogram and decision curve analyses (DCA). RESULTS: Using univariate Cox regression analysis, TNFRSF1A was screened from 14 NRGs as an OS prognostic signature. Functional enrichment was analyzed based on the median expression of TNFRSF1A. The prognosis of the TNFRSF1A low-expression group in the Kaplan-Meier curve was notably worse. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the number of activated T cells and tumor purity increased considerably. Furthermore, the immune checkpoint lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) is a possible target for intervention. The nomogram accurately predicted 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates. DCA validated the model (C = 0.669). Conclusion: TNFRSF1A can be used to elucidate the potential relationship between the immune microenvironment and NRGs in OS pathogenesis.

Prognostic Value of Neutrophils-to-Lymphocytes Ratio and Platelets-to-Lymphocytes Ratio in Sepsis Patients With Lymphopenia.

Background: Inflammation plays a critical role in sepsis. The integration of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelets-to-lymphocytes ratio (PLR) from multiple cell types offers a novel approach to rapidly assess inflammation status. However, the predictive role of NLR and PLR in sepsis with lymphopenia remains uncertain. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the prognostic value of NLR and PLR in sepsis patients with lymphopenia. Design and methods: In this observational retrospective study, we included 172 sepsis patients with lymphopenia and collected clinical characteristics for analysis. Through binary logistic regression analysis, we identified independent factors. Receiver-operating characteristic curves (ROC) and areas under the curves (AUC) were employed to assess the ability to predict hospital mortality risk. Results: Our results showed a total hospital mortality rate of 53.49%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that NLR (OR = 1.11, P < .001) and PLR (OR = 1.01, P = .003) were independent predictors associated with hospital mortality in sepsis patients with lymphopenia. The AUCs of NLR and PLR were 0.750 (95% CI: 0.634-0.788, P < .001) and 0.662 (95% CI: 0.580-0.743, P < .001), respectively. Notably, an optimal cut-off value of 18.93 for NLR displayed a sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 63.0% in discriminating hospital mortality in sepsis patients with lymphopenia, while the optimal cut-off value for PLR was 377.50, with a sensitivity of 67.5% and specificity of 64.1%. Conclusion: NLR and PLR serve as independent predictors of hospital mortality in sepsis patients with lymphopenia.

Unconventional Polarization-Switching Mechanism in (Hf, Zr)O_{2} Ferroelectrics and Its Implications.

HfO_{2}-based ferroelectric thin films are promising for their application in ferroelectric devices. Predicting the ultimate magnitude of polarization and understanding its switching mechanism are critical to realize the optimal performance of these devices. Here, a generalized solid-state variable cell nudged elastic band method is employed to predict the switching pathway associated with domain-wall motion in (Hf,Zr)O_{2} ferroelectrics. It is found that the polarization reversal pathway, where threefold coordinated O atoms pass across the nominal unit-cell boundaries defined by the Hf/Zr atomic planes, is energetically more favorable than the conventional pathway where the O atoms do not pass through these planes. This finding implies that the polarization orientation in the orthorhombic Pca2_{1} phase of HfO_{2} and its derivatives is opposite to that normally assumed, predicts the spontaneous polarization magnitude of about 70 µC/cm^{2} that is nearly 50% larger than the commonly accepted value, signifies a positive intrinsic longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient, and suggests growth of ferroelectric domains, in response to an applied electric field, structurally reversed to those usually anticipated. These results provide important insights into the understanding of ferroelectricity in HfO_{2}-based ferroelectrics.

The role of cellular senescence in metabolic diseases and the potential for senotherapeutic interventions.

Cellular senescence represents an irreversible state of cell cycle arrest induced by various stimuli strongly associated with aging and several chronic ailments. In recent years, studies have increasingly suggested that the accumulation of senescent cells is an important contributor to the decline of organ metabolism, ultimately resulting in metabolic diseases. Conversely, the elimination of senescent cells can alleviate or postpone the onset and progression of metabolic diseases. Thus, a close relationship between senescent cells and metabolic diseases is found, and targeting senescent cells has emerged as an alternative therapy for the treatment of metabolic diseases. In this review, we summarize the role of cellular senescence in metabolic diseases, explore relevant therapeutic strategies for metabolic diseases by removing senescent cells, and provide new insights into the treatment of metabolic diseases.

Integrative analysis of cellular autophagy-related genes in steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify and evaluate genes associated with cellular autophagy in steroid hormonal femoral head necrosis. METHODS: Autophagy-related differentially expressed genes (ARDEGs) in steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) were identified by obtaining the intersection of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and autophagy-related genes in a SONFH Gene Expression Omnibus dataset. The ARDEGs were screened, and correlations between gene expression and immune cell infiltration were evaluated. Finally, the validation of hub genes was undertaken through quantitative real-time-PCR. RESULTS: A comparison of peripheral blood samples from patients with and without SONFH revealed 189 DEGs. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and gene set enrichment analyses showed that the DEGs were related to various biologic processes (e.g., neutrophil activation) and pathways (e.g., hematopoietic cell lineage). The expression levels of these genes were correlated with the infiltration of multiple immune cell types. Among the 189 putative autophagy-related genes associated with SONFH, three genes, RPL6, RPL9, and RPL23, were identified as candidate biomarkers or therapeutic targets based on network analysis and their correlations with immune cell subtypes. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results confirmed our prediction regarding the mRNA expression of RPL9 and RPS6. CONCLUSION: In this study, we identified 189 putative autophagy-related genes associated with SONFH, and the prediction of down-regulated genes RPL9 and RPS6 was validated using PCR, thereby expanding our understanding of the contribution of autophagy to SONFH.

Joint QTL Mapping and Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis Reveal Candidate Seed-Shattering-Related Genes in Common Buckwheat.

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) is an important traditional miscellaneous grain crop. However, seed-shattering is a significant problem in common buckwheat. To investigate the genetic architecture and genetic regulation of seed-shattering in common buckwheat, we constructed a genetic linkage map using the F2 population of Gr (green-flower mutant and shattering resistance) and UD (white flower and susceptible to shattering), which included eight linkage groups with 174 loci, and detected seven QTLs of pedicel strength. RNA-seq analysis of pedicel in two parents revealed 214 differentially expressed genes DEGs that play roles in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, vitamin B6 metabolism, and flavonoid biosynthesis. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed and screened out 19 core hub genes. Untargeted GC-MS analysis detected 138 different metabolites and conjoint analysis screened out 11 DEGs, which were significantly associated with differential metabolites. Furthermore, we identified 43 genes in the QTLs, of which six genes had high expression levels in the pedicel of common buckwheat. Finally, 21 candidate genes were screened out based on the above analysis and gene function. Our results provided additional knowledge for the identification and functions of causal candidate genes responsible for the variation in seed-shattering and would be an invaluable resource for the genetic dissection of common buckwheat resistance-shattering molecular breeding.

Safety and Perioperative Outcomes of Laparoscopic vs. Open Hepatectomy of Central-Located Liver Lesions: A Multicenter, Propensity Score-Matched, Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Short-term outcomes of laparoscopic hepatectomy of central-located liver lesions (LHCL) compared with traditional open hepatectomy of central-located liver lesions (OHCL) remain unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the safety and efficacy of LHCL. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 262 patients who underwent hepatectomies involving resections of liver segment II, IV or VIII from January 2015 to June 2021 in two institutions. Patients in the LHCL group were matched in a 1:2 ratio to patients in the OHCL group. RESULTS: After propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis, 61 patients remained in the LHCL group and 122 patients were in the OHCL group. What needs to be mentioned is that although not significant, patients in the OHCL group had increased lesion size (4.3 vs. 3.6 cm, p = 0.052), number (single/multiple, 84.8%/15.2% vs. 93.4%/6.6%, p = 0.097), and number of liver segments involved (one/two/three, 47.3%/42.0%/10.7% vs. 57.4%36.1%/10.7%, p = 0.393). To ensure surgical safety, fewer patients in the LHCL group underwent vascular exclusion than those in the OHCL group (p = 0.004). In addition, LHCL was associated with lower blood loss (p = 0.001) and transfusion requirement (p = 0.004). In terms of short-term outcomes, the LHCL group had significantly lower levels of peak ALT (p < 0.001), peak DBIL (p = 0.042), peak PT (p = 0.012), and higher levels of bottom ALB (p = 0.049). Moreover, the LHCL group demonstrated quicker postoperative recovery, which was represented by shorter time to first flatus, time to oral intake, time to drain off, and hospital stay (all p < 0.001). Importantly, the LHCL group had a significantly reduced occurrence of postoperative complications (p < 0.001) and similar R0 resection rates (p = 0.678) when compared to the OHCL group. CONCLUSION: LHCL is associated with increased safety and better perioperative outcomes and thus could be recommended for patients with central space-occupying liver lesions when appropriately selecting the surgical procedure according to the total tumor burden and carefully handled by experienced surgeons. From the experience of our center, LHCL could be performed to solitary lesion involving liver segment IV/V/VIII, <5 cm, with good safety and feasibility.

Ionic-Liquid-Assisted One-Step Construction of Mesoporous Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The synthesis of ionic-mesoporous-metal-organic frameworks (ionic-meso-MOFs) has received considerable interest in the fields of macromolecular adsorption, acid-base catalysis, ionic conductivity, etc.; yet, their synthesis still presents significant difficulties. In this study, functionalized mesoporous MIL-101-ILs (Cr) was facilely constructed via an in situ self-assembly method by using aromatic-anion-functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) as competitive ligands. It has been demonstrated that the inclusion of an aromatic moiety into an IL improves the coordination ability and is advantageous for the anchoring of ILs on Cr3+ via amino-metal coordination. Thus, ionic-meso-MOFs with a specific surface area of 441.9-624.9 cm2/g and an average pore diameter of 5.5 to 8.4 nm were successfully synthesized. Because of the presence of open Lewis acidic metal sites on the MOFs and basic active sites on the ILs, the resulting ionic-meso-MOFs demonstrated both an acid-base cooperative effect and a mesoporous structure, indicating a high potential for acid-base catalysis. This in situ synthesis procedure for ionic mesoporous MOFs offers a simple method for developing and fabricating multifunctional mesoporous materials.

LncRNA RPPH1 acts as a molecular sponge for miR-122 to regulate Wnt1/ß-catenin signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma.

This study aimed to explore the role of lncRNA RPPH1 in hepatocellular carcinoma. The expression of RPPH1 and miR-122 was determined by Real-time PCR. Cell proliferation and colony formation assays were employed to monitor cell growth in vitro. Wound healing and Transwell assays were applied to detect cell migration and invasion. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the interaction between RPPH1 and miR-122. The in vivo function of RPPH1 was illustrated by xenograft tumor models. The results showed that the expression of RPPH1 was markedly upregulated in human HCC specimens and cell lines compared to normal controls. However, the trend of miR-122 was the opposite. RPPH1 facilitates the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells and synchronously suppresses cell apoptosis. The dual-luciferase assay confirmed the relationship between RPPH1 and miR-122. Rescue experiments showed that RPPH1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR-122 in HCC cells. Moreover, RPPH1 positively regulated the expression of Wnt1 and its downstream targets through miR-122. Our study demonstrates for the first time that RPPH1 promotes HCC progression via the miR-122/Wnt1/ß-catenin axis, which may represent a valuable therapeutic target for patients with HCC.

Fagopyrum dibotrys extract alleviates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, and alters autophagy and gut microbiota diversity in mouse models of high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major global health concern with increasing prevalence, with a lack of currently available effective treatment options; thus, the investigation of novel therapeutic approaches is necessary. The study aimed to investigate the outcomes and mechanisms of action of Fagopyrum dibotrys extract (FDE) in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced mouse model of obesity. The findings showed that FDE supplementation attenuated glucose tolerance, insulin resistance (IR), hepatic steatosis, and abnormal lipid metabolism. In addition, FDE also promoted autophagic activity and inhibited the phosphorylation of transcription factor EB in HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, gut microbiota characterization via 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the supplementation of FDE increased Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia populations while decreased Firmicutes, thus modifying the gut microbiome. FDE also increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia. Our findings suggest that FDE may protect against HFD-induced NAFLD by activating autophagy and alleviating dysbiosis in the gut microbiome. FDE may be beneficial as a nutraceutical treatment for NAFLD.

Systematic Analysis of Immune Infiltration and Predicting Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Based on the Inflammation Signature.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most frequent kind of kidney malignancy. Inflammation is a physiological response of the immune system to harmful stimuli. Notably, the role inflammation plays in ccRCC is still unknown. In this study, consensus clustering analysis sorted the ccRCC specimens from the TCGA dataset into C1 and C2 clusters. The C2 cluster comprised ccRCC specimens with a high TNM stage and tumor grade. These specimens were characterized by the activation of the inflammatory response and an immunosuppressive microenvironment. A seven-gene inflammation-related risk signature was designed employing the LASSO and Cox regression analyses for the inflammation-related genes. The ccRCC specimens were classified into two groups with high and low risk by calculating the risk scores. The specimens in the group with high risk showed a poor prognosis and were positively correlated with immune inhibitory factors. Moreover, a nomogram was created by incorporating inflammation-related risk signatures and clinical characteristics. The ROC and DCA curves indicated a satisfactory efficiency of the nomogram for predicting the survival outcomes. Furthermore, we identified the potential therapeutic drug molecules through CMap analysis. The findings of our study may act as a guide for further research on new prognostic biomarkers and therapies.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Related Signature Predicts Prognosis and Drug Response in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. The maximum number of deaths associated with kidney cancer can be attributed to ccRCC. Disruption of cellular proteostasis results in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is associated with various aspects of cancer. It is noteworthy that the role of ER stress in the progression of ccRCC remains unclear. We classified 526 ccRCC samples identified from the TCGA database into the C1 and C2 subtypes by consensus clustering of the 295 ER stress-related genes. The ccRCC samples belonging to subtype C2 were in their advanced tumor stage and grade. These samples were characterized by poor prognosis and malignancy immune microenvironment. The upregulation of the inhibitory immune checkpoint gene expression and unique drug sensitivity were also observed. The differentially expressed genes between the two clusters were explored. An 11-gene ER stress-related prognostic risk model was constructed following the LASSO regression and Cox regression analyses. In addition, a nomogram was constructed by integrating the clinical parameters and risk scores. The calibration curves, ROC curves, and DCA curves helped validate the accuracy of the prediction when both the TCGA dataset and the external E-MTAB-1980 dataset were considered. Moreover, we analyzed the differentially expressed genes common to the E-MTAB-1980 and TCGA datasets to screen out new therapeutic compounds. In summary, our study can potentially help in the comprehensive understanding of ER stress in ccRCC and serve as a reference for future studies on novel prognostic biomarkers and treatments.

Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection Induces Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Migration and Atherosclerosis Through Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated JunB-Fra-1 Activation.

Infection is closely related to atherosclerosis, which is a major pathological basis for cardiovascular diseases. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration is an important trigger in development of atherosclerosis that is associated with Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) infection. However, the mechanism of VSMC migration remains unclear, and whether antioxidant could be a therapeutic target for C. pneumoniae infection-induced atherosclerosis also remains unknown. The results showed that C. pneumoniae infection mainly impaired mitochondrial function and increased the level of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS). The expressions of protein JunB, Fra-1 and Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP) evidently increased after C. pneumoniae infection, and the interaction between JunB and Fra-1 was also enhanced. After scavenging mtROS by antioxidant Mito-TEMPO, the increasing expressions of JunB, Fra-1, MMP2 and the capacity of VSMC migration induced by C. pneumoniae infection were all inhibited. In comparison with infected ApoE-/- mice, the level of ROS in atherosclerotic lesion in ApoE-/-TLR2-/- mice with C. pneumoniae infection decreased. Knocking out TLR2 suppressed the expressions of JunB, Fra-1 and MMP2 in VSMCs and the formation of atherosclerotic lesion after C. pneumoniae infection. Furthermore, after using small interfering RNA to inhibit the expression of TLR2, the level of mtROS and the expressions of JunB, Fra-1 and MMP2 apparently decreased. Taken together, C. pneumoniae infection may promote VSMC migration and atherosclerosis development by increasing the level of mtROS through TLR2 to activate the JunB-Fra-1/MMP2 signaling pathway. The data provide the first evidence that antioxidant could reduce C. pneumoniae infection-induced VSMC migration and atherosclerosis.

Vascular smooth muscle cell c-Fos is critical for foam cell formation and atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidemia-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)-derived foam cell formation is considered a crucial event in the development of atherosclerosis. Since c-Fos emerges as a key modulator of lipid metabolism, we investigated whether c-Fos plays a role in hyperlipidemia-induced VSMC-derived foam cell formation and atherosclerosis. APPROACH AND RESULTS: c-Fos expression was observed in VSMCs in atherosclerotic plaques from patients and western diet-fed atherosclerosis-prone LDLR-/- and ApoE-/- mice by immunofluorescence staining. To ascertain c-Fos's function in atherosclerosis development, VSMC-specific c-Fos deficient mice in ApoE-/- background were established. Western diet-fed c-FosVSMCKOApoE-/- mice exhibited a significant reduction of atherosclerotic lesion formation as measured by hematoxylin and eosin staining, accompanied by decreased lipid deposition within aortic roots as determined by Oil red O staining. Primary rat VSMCs were isolated to examine the role of c-Fos in lipid uptake and foam cell formation. oxLDL stimulation resulted in VSMC-derived foam cell formation and elevated intracellular mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS), c-Fos and LOX-1 levels, whereas specific inhibition of mtROS, c-Fos or LOX-1 lessened lipid accumulation in oxLDL-stimulated VSMCs. Mechanistically, oxLDL acts through mtROS to enhance transcription activity of c-Fos to facilitate the expression of LOX-1, exerting a feedforward mechanism with oxLDL to increase lipid uptake and propel VSMC-derived foam cell formation and atherogenesis. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a fundamental role of mtROS/c-Fos/LOX-1 signaling pathway in promoting oxLDL uptake and VSMC-derived foam cell formation during atherosclerosis. c-Fos may represent a promising therapeutic target amenable to clinical translation in the future.

Low-SNR Infrared Point Target Detection and Tracking via Saliency-Guided Double-Stage Particle Filter.

Low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) infrared point target detection and tracking is crucial to study regarding infrared remote sensing. In the low-SNR images, the intensive noise will submerge targets. In this letter, a saliency-guided double-stage particle filter (SGDS-PF) formed by the searching particle filter (PF) and tracking PF is proposed to detect and track targets. Before the searching PF, to suppress noise and enhance targets, the single-frame and multi-frame target accumulation methods are introduced. Besides, the likelihood estimation filter and image block segmentation are proposed to extract the likelihood saliency and obtain proper proposal density. Guided by this proposal density, the searching PF detects potential targets efficiently. Then, with the result of the searching PF, the tracking PF is adopted to track and confirm the potential targets. Finally, the path of the real targets will be output. Compared with the existing methods, the SGDS-PF optimizes the proposal density for low-SNR images. Using a few accurate particles, the searching PF detects potential targets quickly and accurately. In addition, initialized by the searching PF, the tracking PF can keep tracking targets using very few particles even under intensive noise. Furthermore, the parameters have been selected appropriately through experiments. Extensive experimental results show that the SGDS-PF has an outstanding performance in tracking precision, tracking reliability, and time consumption. The SGDS-PF outperforms the other advanced methods.

Carotid artery vulnerable plaque model for cerebrovascular events by conventional ultrasound & contrast-enhanced ultrasound: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Conventional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound play an important role in the application of carotid plaque. AIMS: To establish carotid artery vulnerable plaques model by conventional ultrasound combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound, identify high-risk plaques that may lead to cerebrovascular events, and provide clinical risk warning of high-risk plaques of stroke. METHODS: 205 cases of patients selected in 5053 patients with symptoms from 2018 to 2019 who were verified carotid plaques by conventional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound image characteristics, 147 cases as a training set, establishing the carotid artery plaque model, analyzing the characteristic of the plaques and the relationship between cerebrovascular event, with 58 cases as a test set, verify the model. Routine carotid ultrasound and contrast-enhanced carotid ultrasound were performed in all enrolled patients. RESULTS: The gray-level characteristics of conventional ultrasound in the training concentration showed statistical differences in plaque morphology, fibrous cap morphology, uniformity and calcification degree in cerebrovascular events. The contrast enhanced ultrasound characteristics of plaques showed statistical differences in neovascularization and perfusion mode in cerebrovascular events. In the test set, there were statistical differences in the above conventional gray scale features and CEUS features. CONCLUSION: The vulnerable plaque model established by conventional ultrasound combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound has good diagnostic value for the characteristic plaque of carotid artery with cerebrovascular events.