Exploration of anatomical distribution of brain metastasis from breast cancer at first diagnosis assisted by artificial intelligence.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the spatial distribution of brain metastases (BMs) from breast cancer (BC) and to identify the high-risk sub-structures in BMs that are involved at first diagnosis. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were retrospectively reviewed at our centre. The brain was divided into eight regions according to its anatomy and function, and the volume of each region was calculated. The identification and volume calculation of metastatic brain lesions were accomplished using an automatically segmented 3D BUC-Net model. The observed and expected rates of BMs were compared using 2-tailed proportional hypothesis testing. Results: A total of 250 patients with BC who presented with 1694 BMs were retrospectively identified. The overall observed incidences of the substructures were as follows: cerebellum, 42.1 %; frontal lobe, 20.1 %; occipital lobe, 9.7 %; temporal lobe, 8.0 %; parietal lobe, 13.1 %; thalamus, 4.7 %; brainstem, 0.9 %; and hippocampus, 1.3 %. Compared with the expected rate based on the volume of different brain regions, the cerebellum, occipital lobe, and thalamus were identified as higher risk regions for BMs (P value ≤ 5.6*10-3). Sub-group analysis according to the type of BC indicated that patients with triple-negative BC had a high risk of involvement of the hippocampus and brainstem. Conclusions: Among patients with BC, the cerebellum, occipital lobe and thalamus were identified as higher-risk regions than expected for BMs. The brainstem and hippocampus were high-risk areas of the BMs in triple negative breast cancer. However, further validation of this conclusion requires a larger sample size.

The interval between staged bilateral total knee arthroplasties does not affect early complications of the second knee or long-term function of the first and second knees.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the optimal time interval between staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) to minimize early complications of the second TKA and maximise the long-term function of the first and second knees. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 266 patients who underwent staged BTKA between 2013 and 2018. Groups 1-4 had time intervals between BTKAs of 1-6, 6-12, 12-18, and 18-24 months, respectively. Demographics, postoperative complications within 90 days of the second TKA, Knee Society Score (KSS), and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score were compared among the groups. RESULTS: In total, 54, 96, 75, and 41 patients were assigned to groups 1-4, respectively. Although group 1 had the highest overall complication rate (11.11%), there was no significant difference in the complication rate among the four groups. Also, no significant differences were found among the four groups in functional and patient-reported outcomes, in either the first or second knee at 5 years postoperatively, including KSS-knee, KSS-function, WOMAC-pain, WOMAC-stiffness, and WOMAC-physical function. The interval between BTKA did not influence complications or the function of the second knee. The TKA type (posterior-stabilised vs. medial-pivot) and age did not correlate significantly with any scores. CONCLUSIONS: There was no group difference in early complications of the second TKA, and postoperative function was equivalent between the two knees and did not vary by the interval between surgeries. The results of this study give surgeons and patients more choices. If patients cannot tolerate severe symptoms in the contralateral knee after the first TKA, the second TKA should be performed as early as possible. If knee joint function is not well recovered after the first TKA, and patients are anxious to undergo the second TKA, surgeons can advise patients to postpone the operation based on these results.

A chromatin code for limb segment identity in axolotl limb regeneration.

The salamander limb correctly regenerates missing limb segments because connective tissue cells have segment-specific identities, termed "positional information". How positional information is molecularly encoded at the chromatin level has been unknown. Here, we performed genome-wide chromatin profiling in mature and regenerating axolotl limb connective tissue cells. We find segment-specific levels of histone H3K27me3 as the major positional mark, especially at limb homeoprotein gene loci but not their upstream regulators, constituting an intrinsic segment information code. During regeneration, regeneration-specific regulatory elements became active prior to the re-appearance of developmental regulatory elements. In the hand, the permissive chromatin state of the homeoprotein gene HoxA13 engages with the regeneration program bypassing the upper limb program. Comparison of regeneration regulatory elements with those found in other regenerative animals identified a core shared set of transcription factors, supporting an ancient, conserved regeneration program.

Putative Probiotic Ligilactobacillus salivarius Strains Isolated from the Intestines of Meat-Type Pigeon Squabs.

This study aims to screen for potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria from the intestines of meat-type pigeon squabs. Ligilactobacillus salivarius YZU37 was identified as the best comprehensive performed strain. Being acid- and bile salt-tolerant, it displayed growth-inhibition activities against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Escherichia coli ATCC25922, and Salmonella typhimurium SL1344, exhibited sensitivity to 6 commonly used antibiotics, and endowed with good cell surface hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation property, and anti-oxidant activities. Results of in vitro experiments indicated that the bacteriostatic effects of this strain were related to the production of proteinaceous substances that depend on acidic conditions. Whole-genome sequencing of L. salivarius YZU37 was performed to elucidate the genetic basis underlying its probiotic potential. Pangenome analysis of L. salivarius YZU37 and other 212 L. salivarius strains available on NCBI database revealed a pigeon-unique gene coding choloylglycine hydrolase (CGH), which had higher enzyme-substrate binding affinity than that of the common CGH shared by L. salivarius strains of other sources. Annotation of the functional genes in the genome of L. salivarius YZU37 revealed genes involved in responses to acid, bile salt, heat, cold, heavy metal, and oxidative stresses. The whole genome analysis also revealed the absence of virulence and toxin genes and the presence of 65 genes distributed under 4 CAZymes classes, 2 CRISPR-cas regions, and 3 enterolysin A clusters which may confer the acid-dependent antimicrobial potential of L. salivarius YZU37. Altogether, our results highlighted the probiotic potential of L. salivarius YZU37. Further in vivo investigations are required to elucidate its beneficial effects on pigeons.

Performance on adsorption of toluene by ionic liquid-modified AC in high-humidity exhaust gas.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) frequently pose a threat to the biosphere, impacting ecosystems, flora, fauna, and the surrounding environment. Industrial emissions of VOCs often include the presence of water vapor, which, in turn, diminishes the adsorption capacity and efficacy of adsorbents. This occurs due to the competitive adsorption of water vapor, which competes with target pollutants for adsorption sites on the adsorbent material. In this study, hydrophobic activated carbons (BMIMPF6-AC (L), BMIMPF6-AC (g), and BMIMPF6-AC-H) were successfully prepared using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF6) to adsorb toluene under humidity environment. The adsorption performance and mechanism of the resulting ionic liquid-modified activated carbon for toluene in a high-humidity environment were evaluated to explore the potential application of ionic liquids as hydrophobic modifiers. The results indicated that BMIMPF6-AC-H exhibited superior hydrophobicity. The toluene adsorption capacity of BMIMPF6-AC-H was 1.53 times higher than that of original activated carbon, while the adsorption capacity for water vapor was only 37.30% of it at 27 °C and 77% RH. The Y-N model well-fitted the dynamic adsorption experiments. To elucidate the microscopic mechanism of hydrophobic modification, the Independent Gradient Model (IGM) method was employed to characterize the intermolecular interactions between BMIMPF6 and toluene. Overall, this study introduces a new modifier for hydrophobic modification of activated carbon, which could enhance the efficiency of activated carbon in treating industrial VOCs.

Confidential multiple-input multiple-output optical camera communication aided by a two-dimensional pilot.

Optical camera communication (OCC) has attracted increased attention for its inherent security advantage. However, there still exists the risk of eavesdropping on the broadcasting channel of OCC. To achieve confidential communication, we propose the confidentiality-interference dual light-emitting diode (LED) communication (CIDLC) scheme at the transmitter (TX) and elimination of interference (EI) scheme at the receiver (RX). Meanwhile, interference signals refer to the bit shift of confidential signals. Further, we propose the two-dimensional pilot-aided channel estimation (2D-PACE) scheme to enhance the reliability of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) OCC. Experiment results validate the effectiveness of our schemes, which guarantee confidentiality while performing well at a 2 m non-line-of-sight (NLOS) distance. Finally, the communication-illumination integration OCC is constructed via the energy equalization coding (EEC) scheme.

Antiaging Effects of Human Fecal Transplants with Different Combinations of Bifidobacterium bifidum LTBB21J1 and Lactobacillus casei LTL1361 in d-Galactose-Induced Mice.

The feces of healthy middle-aged and old people were first transplanted into d-galactose-induced aging mice to construct humanized aging mice with gut microbiota (FMTC) to confirm the antiaging effect of probiotics produced from centenarians. The mouse model was then treated with centenarian-derived Bifidobacterium bifidum (FMTL), Lactobacillus casei (FMTB), and their mixtures (FMTM), and young mice were used as the control. Compared with the FMTC group, the results demonstrated that the probiotics and their combinations alleviated neuronal damage, increased antioxidant capacity, decreased inflammation, and enhanced cognitive and memory functions in aging mice. In the gut microbiota, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Ligilactobacillus, and Akkermansia increased and that of Desulfovibrio and Colidextribacter decreased in the FMTM group compared with that in the FMTC group. The three probiotic groups displayed significant changes in 15 metabolites compared with the FMTC group, with 4 metabolites showing increased expression and 11 metabolites showing decreased expression. The groups were graded as Control > FMTM > FMTB > FMTL > FMTC using a newly developed comprehensive quantitative scoring system that thoroughly analyzed the various indicators of this study. The beneficial antiaging effects of probiotics derived from centenarians were quantitatively described using a novel perspective in this study; it is confirmed that both probiotics and their combinations exert antiaging effects, with the probiotic complex group exhibiting a larger effect.

Introducing Diagnostic Classification Modeling as an Unsupervised Method for Screening Probable Eating Disorders.

Screening for eating disorders (EDs) is an essential part of the prevention and intervention of EDs. Traditional screening methods mostly rely on predefined cutoff scores which have limitations of generalizability and may produce biased results when the cutoff scores are used in populations where the instruments or cutoff scores have not been validated. Compared to the traditional cutoff score approach, the diagnostic classification modeling (DCM) approach can provide psychometric and classification information simultaneously and has been used for diagnosing mental disorders. In the present study, we introduce DCM as an innovative and alternative approach to screening individuals at risk of EDs. To illustrate the practical utility of DCM, we provide two examples: one involving the application of DCM to examine probable ED status from the 12-item Short form of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-QS) to screen probable thinness-oriented EDs and the Muscularity-Oriented Eating Test (MOET) to screen probable muscularity-oriented EDs.

Insight into the key factors and mechanism of excellent tetracycline adsorption on amorphous cobalt carbonate nanosheets.

The extensive use of tetracyclines (TCs) has led to their widespread distribution in the environment, causing serious harm to ecosystems because of their toxicity and resistance to decomposition. Adsorption is presently the principal approach to dispose of TCs, and the development of excellent adsorbents is crucial to TC removal. Herein, a novel amorphous cobalt carbonate hydroxide (ACCH) was successfully prepared by a one-step solvothermal method, which was identified as Co(CO3)0·63(OH)0.74·0.07H2O. The ultimate adsorption capacity of ACCH for TC reaches 2746 mg g-1, and the excellent adsorption performance can be maintained over a wide pH (3.0-11.0) and temperature (10-70 °C) range. Moreover, ACCH also exhibits a wonderful adsorption performance for other organic contaminants, such as ciprofloxacin and Rhodamine B. The TC adsorption process can be reasonably described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, intraparticle model and Langmuir isothermal model. The experimental results in this work suggest that the excellent adsorption performance of ACCH is ascribed to the large specific surface area, alkaline characteristics and numerous functional groups of ACCH. Accordingly, this work provides a promising strategy for the development of highly-efficient adsorbents and demonstrates their application prospects in environmental remediation.

Crucial roles of specialized chitinases in elytral and hindwing cuticles construction in Leptinotarsa decemlineata.

BACKGROUND: The Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is a major potato (Solanum tuberosum) pest, infesting over 16 million km2 and causing substantial economic losses. The insect cuticle forms an apical extracellular matrix (ECM) envelope covering exposed organs to direct morphogenesis and confer structural protection. While select chitinase (Cht) genes have proven essential for larval development, their potential activities directing ECM remodeling underlying adult wing maturation remain undefined. RESULTS: We investigated the expression patterns and performed an oral RNA interference (RNAi) screen targeting 19 LdChts in late-instar L. decemlineata larvae. Subsequently, we assessed their effects on adult eclosion and wing characteristics. Knockdown of LdCht5, LdCht7, LdCht10, LdIDGF2, and LdIDGF4, as well as others from Group IV (LdCht15, LdCht12, LdCht17, and LdCht13) and Groups VII-X (LdCht2, LdCht11, LdCht1, and LdCht3), resulting in shrunken, misshapen elytra with reduced areal density, as well as transverse wrinkling and impaired wing-tip folding in hindwings. Scanning electron micrographs revealed eroded elytral ridges alongside thinned, ruptured hindwing veins, indicative of mechanical fragility post-LdCht suppression. Spectroscopic analysis uncovered biomolecular alterations underlying the elytral anomalies, including decreases in peaks representing chitin, proteins, and lipids. This loss of essential ECM components provides evidence for the fragility, wrinkling, and shrinkage observed in the RNAi groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings elucidate the crucial role of chitinases in the turnover of chitinous cuticles on beetle wings, offering insights into RNAi-based control strategies against this invasive pest. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Optical assembly of multi-particle arrays by opto-hydrodynamic binding of microparticles close to a one-dimensional chain of magnetic microparticles.

Two-dimensional materials possess a large number of interesting and important properties. Various methods have been developed to assemble two-dimensional aggregates. Assembly of colloidal particles can be achieved with laser-heating-induced thermal convective flow. In this paper, an opto-hydrodynamic binding method is proposed to assemble colloidal particles dispersed in a solution into multilayer structures. First, we use polystyrene (PS) microspheres to study the feasibility and characteristics of the assembly method. PS microspheres and monodispersed magnetic silica microspheres (SLEs) are dispersed in a solution to form a binary mixture system. Under the action of an external uniform magnetic field, SLEs in the solution form chains. An SLE chain is heated by a laser beam. Due to the photothermal effect, the SLE chain is heated to produce a thermal gradient, resulting in thermal convection. The thermal convection drives the PS beads to move toward the heated SLE chain and finally stably assemble into multilayer aggregates on both sides of the SLE chain. The laser power affects the speed and result of the assembly. When the laser power is constant, the degree of constraint of the PS microbeads in different layers is also different. At the same time, this method can also assemble the biological cells, and the spacing of different layers of cells can be changed by changing the electrolyte concentration of the solution. Our work provides an approach to assembling colloidal particles and cells, which has a potential application in the analysis of the collective dynamics of microparticles and microbes.

Alterations of the duodenal mucosal microbiome in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is associated with altered gut microbiota; however, there has been a focus on fecal samples, which are not representative of the entire digestive tract. Mucosal biopsies of the descending duodenum were collected. Five regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced. Other assessments conducted on the study subjects included body mass index, transient elastography, liver enzymes, and lipid profile. Fifty-one subjects (36 with MASLD and 15 controls) were evaluated. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding alpha- or beta-diversity of the duodenal mucosal microbiota. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis showed that the genera Serratia and Aggregatibacter were more abundant in the duodenal mucosa of patients with MASLD, whereas the duodenal mucosal microbiota of the healthy controls was enriched with the genus Petrobacter. PICRUSt2 analysis revealed that genes associated with amino acid degradation and carboxylate degradation were significantly enriched in the duodenal mucosal microbiota of patients with MASLD. Our findings reveal the duodenal mucosal microbiota in patients with MASLD, which could contribute to future studies investigating the causal relationship between duodenal microbiota and MASLD.

[The Effect and Safety of Flumatinib in Patients with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Failed First-and Second-line Treatment].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and safety of flumatinib, a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) independently developed in China, in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) who falied first-line and second-line treatment. METHODS: The clinical data of 30 CML-CP patients treated with flumatinib in Lianyungang First People's Hospital from January 2020 to September 2022 were collected retrospectively. Among them, 15 patients who received imatinib first-line treatment but failed treatment were included in the second-line group, and the other 15 patients who failed second-line treatment with nilotinib or dasatinib were included in the third-line group. The hematological and molecular responses of the patients in the two groups at 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment, and the event-free survival (EFS) and adverse reactions of patients at the end of follow-up were statistical analyzed. RESULTS: At 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment, 10, 11, and 12 patients in the second line group achieved major molecular response (MMR), which was higher than that of 3, 4, and 5 patients in the third line group (P =0.010, P =0.011, P =0.010). At 3 months of treatment, 12 and 13 patients achieved complete hematological response (CHR) and early molecular response (EMR) in the second-line group, which was higher than that of 9 and 13 patients in the third-line group, but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P =0.232, P =1.000); At 6 and 12 months of treatment, 6 and 7 patients in the second-line group achieved MR4.5, which were higher than of 3 and 2 cases in the third-line group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P =0.427, P =0.713). The hematological adverse reactions of patients in the second-line group during treatment the period were mainly grade 1-2 thrombocytopenia and anemia, and no grade 3-4 of adverse reactions occurred. In the third-line group, there were 2 cases of grade 1-2 thrombocytopenia, grade 1-2 anemia and white blood cell 3 cases were reduced each, 1 case of grade 3-4 anemia, 2 cases of grade 3-4 neutropenia. The non-hematological adverse reactions in the second-line group were rash (2 cases), headache (1 case), diarrhea (1 case), fatigue (1 case), limb pain (1 case). There were 1 cases of diarrhea, 1 cases of nausea, and 1 cases of edema in the third-line group. There was no statistical significance in hematological and non-hematological adverse reactions between the two groups of patients (P >0.05). At the end of follow-up, the EFS rate of patients in the second-line group was higher than that in the third-line group (100% vs 93.3%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P =0.317). CONCLUSION: The second-generation TKI flumatinib independently developed in China, has good curative effect and safety for CML-CP patients who failed first-line and second-line treatment.

[Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Ixazomib-Containing Regimens in the Treatment of Patients with Multiple Myeloma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of ixazomib-containing regimens in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of 32 MM patients treated with a combined regimen containing ixazomib in the Hematology Department of the First People's Hospital of Lianyungang from January 2020 to February 2022. Among the 32 patients, 15 patients were relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (R/RMM) (R/RMM group), 17 patients who responded to bortezomib induction therapy but converted to ixazomib-containing regimen due to adverse events (AE) or other reasons (conversion treatment group). The treatment included IPD regimen (ixazomib+pomalidomide+dexamethasone), IRD regimen (ixazomib+lenalidomide+dexamethasone), ICD regimen (ixazomib+cyclophosphamide+dexamethasone), ID regimen (ixazomib+dexamethasone). RESULTS: Of 15 R/RMM patients, overall response rate (ORR) was 53.3%(8/15), among them, 1 achieved complete response (CR), 2 achieved very good partial response (VGPR) and 5 achieved partial response (PR). The ORR of the IPD, IRD, ICD and ID regimen group were 100%（3/3）, 42.9%（3/7）, 33.3%（1/3）, 50%（1/2）， respectively， there was no statistically significant difference in ORR between four groups (χ 2=3.375, P =0.452). The ORR of patients was 50% after first-line therapy, 42.9% after second line therapy, 60% after third line therapy or more, with no statistically significant difference among them (χ2=2.164, P =0.730). In conversion treatment group, ORR was 88.2%(15/17), among them, 6 patients achieved CR, 5 patients achieved VGPR and 4 patients achieved PR. There was no statistically significant difference in ORR between the IPD（100%， 3/3）, IRD（100%， 6/6）, ICD（100%， 3/3） and ID（60%， 3/5） regimen groups (χ2=3.737，P =0.184). The median progression-free survival (PFS) time of R/RMM patients was 9 months (95% CI : 6.6-11.4 months), the median overall survival (OS) time was 18 months (95% CI : 11.8-24.4 months). The median PFS time of conversion treatment group was 15 months (95% CI : 7.3-22.7 months), the median OS time not reached. A total of 10 patients suffered grade 3- 4 adverse event (AE). The common hematological toxicities were leukocytopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia. The common non-hematological toxicities were gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, nausea and vomit), peripheral neuropathy, fatigue and infections. Grade 1-2 peripheral neurotoxicity occurred in 7 patients. CONCLUSION: The ixazomib-based chemotherapy regimens are safe and effective in R/RMM therapy, particularly for conversion patients who are effective for bortezomib therapy. The AE was manageable and safe.

Muramyl dipeptide causes mitochondrial dysfunction and intestinal inflammatory cytokine responses in rats.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal flora and the translocation of its products, such as muramyl dipeptide (MDP), are common causes of sepsis. MDP is a common activator of the intracellular pattern recognition receptor NOD2, and MDP translocation can cause inflammatory damage to the small intestine and systemic inflammatory responses in rats. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of MDP on the intestinal mucosa and distant organs during sepsis and the role of the NOD2/AMPK/LC3 pathway in MDP-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the intestinal epithelium. METHODS: Fifty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five treatment groups: lipopolysaccharide (LPS) only, 1.5 and 15 mg/kg MDP + LPS, and 1.5 and 15 mg/kg MDP + short-peptide enteral nutrition (SPEN) + LPS. The total caloric intake was the same per group. The rats were euthanized 24 hours after establishing the model, and peripheral blood and small intestinal mucosal and lung tissues were collected. RESULTS: Compared to the LPS group, both MDP + LPS groups had aggravated inflammatory damage to the intestinal mucosal and lung tissues, increased IL-6 and MDP production, increased NOD2 expression, decreased AMPK and LC3 expression, increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Compared to the MDP + LPS groups, the MDP + SPEN+LPS groups had decreased IL-6 and MDP production, increased AMPK and LC3 protein expression, and protected mitochondrial and organ functions. CONCLUSIONS: MDP translocation reduced mitochondrial autophagy by regulating the NOD2/AMPK/LC3 pathway, causing mitochondrial dysfunction. SPEN protected against MDP-induced impairment of intestinal epithelial mitochondrial function during sepsis.

Identifying of immune-associated genes for assessing the obesity-associated risk to the offspring in maternal obesity: A bioinformatics and machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Perinatal exposure to maternal obesity predisposes offspring to develop obesity later in life. Immune dysregulation in the hypothalamus, the brain center governing energy homeostasis, is pivotal in obesity development. This study aimed to identify key candidate genes associated with the risk of offspring obesity in maternal obesity. METHODS: We obtained obesity-related datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GSE135830 comprises gene expression data from the hypothalamus of mouse offspring in a maternal obesity model induced by a high-fat diet model (maternal high-fat diet (mHFD) group and maternal chow (mChow) group), while GSE127056 consists of hypothalamus microarray data from young adult mice with obesity (high-fat diet (HFD) and Chow groups). We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and module genes using Limma and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), conducted functional enrichment analysis, and employed a machine learning algorithm (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression) to pinpoint candidate hub genes for diagnosing obesity-associated risk in offspring of maternal obesity. We constructed a nomogram receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to evaluate the diagnostic value. Additionally, we analyzed immune cell infiltration to investigate immune cell dysregulation in maternal obesity. Furthermore, we verified the expression of the candidate hub genes both in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: The GSE135830 dataset revealed 2868 DEGs between the mHFD offspring and the mChow group and 2627 WGCNA module genes related to maternal obesity. The overlap of DEGs and module genes in the offspring with maternal obesity in GSE135830 primarily enriched in neurodevelopment and immune regulation. In the GSE127056 dataset, 133 DEGs were identified in the hypothalamus of HFD-induced adult obese individuals. A total of 13 genes intersected between the GSE127056 adult obesity DEGs and the GSE135830 maternal obesity module genes that were primarily enriched in neurodevelopment and the immune response. Following machine learning, two candidate hub genes were chosen for nomogram construction. Diagnostic value evaluation by ROC analysis determined Sytl4 and Kncn2 as hub genes for maternal obesity in the offspring. A gene regulatory network with transcription factor-miRNA interactions was established. Dysregulated immune cells were observed in the hypothalamus of offspring with maternal obesity. Expression of Sytl4 and Kncn2 was validated in a mouse model of hypothalamic inflammation and a palmitic acid-stimulated microglial inflammation model. CONCLUSION: Two candidate hub genes (Sytl4 and Kcnc2) were identified and a nomogram was developed to predict obesity risk in offspring with maternal obesity. These findings offer potential diagnostic candidate genes for identifying obesity-associated risks in the offspring of obese mothers.

Associations between screen use while eating and eating disorder symptomatology: Exploring the roles of mindfulness and intuitive eating.

Screen use while eating has been recently identified as a highly common and potentially important specific setting of screen use in relation to eating disorder symptomatology. However, given this area of research is still in its infancy, how screen use while eating may be related to eating disorder symptomatology remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, the present study probed the potential roles of mindfulness and intuitive eating in the association between screen use while eating and eating disorder symptomatology. A large sample of Chinese adults (N = 800, aged 18-67 years old) recruited through a Chinese survey platform, Credamo, completed questionnaires assessing screen use while eating, eating disorder symptomatology, mindfulness, and intuitive eating. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model. Results confirmed our hypotheses that the association between screen use while eating and eating disorder symptomatology was partially explained by mindfulness and intuitive eating, after adjusting for covariates (e.g., gender, age, body mass index, total screen time, and social media use). That said, higher screen use while eating was associated first with lower mindfulness and then with lower intuitive eating, which in turn were related to higher eating disorder symptomatology. The findings underline the importance of including eating-specific screen use for future research on eating disorder symptomatology and also have implications for an integrative intervention of mindfulness-based approaches and intuitive eating for mitigating the adverse effects of excessive screen use on eating behaviors.

Recurrence of macular edema in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion: a proteomic study.

BACKGROUND: Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) is a common retinal vascular disease leading to severe vision loss and blindness. This study aimed to investigate and reveal the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying macular edema (ME) recurrence in patients with BRVO through a proteomic approach. METHODS: We detected proteins in the aqueous humor of 14 untreated, four refractory, and four post-operative patients with BRVO-ME and 12 age-matched cataract controls using four-dimensional label-free proteomic and bioinformatics analyses. RESULTS: In total, 84 proteins exhibited significant differential expression between the BRVO and control samples (fold change [FC] ≥ 1.2 and adjusted p-value < 0.05). Compared to the control group, 43 and 41 proteins were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in the BRVO group. These proteins were involved in cell adhesion, visual perception, retina homeostasis, and platelet activation. Several significantly enriched signaling pathways included complement and coagulation cascades and platelet activation. In the protein-protein interaction networks generated using the search tool for retrieval of interacting genes (STRING), the fibrinogen alpha chain and fibrinogen beta chain constituted a tightly connected cluster. Many common protein expression trends, such as the fibrinogen alpha chain and fibrinogen beta chain, were observed in both the recurrent and refractory groups. Differentially expressed proteins in the two groups were involved in complement activation, acute-phase response, platelet activation, and platelet aggregation. Important signaling pathways include the complement and coagulation cascades, and platelet activation. Protein-protein interaction analysis suggested that the fibrinogen alpha chain and fibrinogen beta chain constituted a tightly connected cluster. The expression of some differentially expressed proteins shared by the BRVO and the recurrent and refractory groups was reversed in the post-operative group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to analyze the proteomics of recurrent, refractory, and post-operative groups treated for BRVO-ME, and may potentially provide novel therapeutic interventions for the recurrence of ME.

Correcting for Sampling Error in between-Cluster Effects: An Empirical Bayes Cluster-Mean Approach with Finite Population Corrections.

With clustered data, such as where students are nested within schools or employees are nested within organizations, it is often of interest to estimate and compare associations among variables separately for each level. While researchers routinely estimate between-cluster effects using the sample cluster means of a predictor, previous research has shown that such practice leads to biased estimates of coefficients at the between level, and recent research has recommended the use of latent cluster means with the multilevel structural equation modeling framework. However, the latent cluster mean approach may not always be the best choice as it (a) relies on the assumption that the population cluster sizes are close to infinite, (b) requires a relatively large number of clusters, and (c) is currently only implemented in specialized software such as Mplus. In this paper, we show how using empirical Bayes estimates of the cluster means can also lead to consistent estimates of between-level coefficients, and illustrate how the empirical Bayes estimate can incorporate finite population corrections when information on population cluster sizes is available. Through a series of Monte Carlo simulation studies, we show that the empirical Bayes cluster-mean approach performs similarly to the latent cluster mean approach for estimating the between-cluster coefficients in most conditions when the infinite-population assumption holds, and applying the finite population correction provides reasonable point and interval estimates when the population is finite. The performance of EBM can be further improved with restricted maximum likelihood estimation and likelihood-based confidence intervals. We also provide an R function that implements the empirical Bayes cluster-mean approach, and illustrate it using data from the classic High School and Beyond Study.

Higher incidence of meibomian gland dysfunction in postmenopausal women with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the incidence of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in postmenopausal women with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO) and enables ophthalmologists to pay attention to ocular surface damage before surgery. METHODS: 165 postmenopausal women with PANDO and 115 postmenopausal women with a normal lacrimal drainage system were enrolled in this prospective study. Based on the results of lacrimal duct irrigation and age, the participants were further subdivided. The incidence of different severities of MGD in different groups was calculated and analyzed by the chi-squared test. RESULTS: The incidence of MGD in the PANDO group was 81.21%, and in the control group, it was 46.96%, which was significantly higher in the presence of PANDO (p < 0.001). The incidence of severe MGD in the complete and incomplete PANDO groups was higher than that in the control group (all p < 0.05), and no significant differences were observed between the complete and incomplete PANDO groups. The incidence of moderate MGD was significantly higher in the complete PANDO group than in the control group (p < 0.001). When age was considered an independent variable, the results revealed a significant value for patients aged < 70 years (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed a prodominantly high incidence of MGD in postmenopausal women with PANDO, especially in a complete PANDO or aged < 70 years. Ophthalmologists need to pay close attention to MGD in postmenopausal women with PANDO.