SLC25A19 is a novel prognostic biomarker related to immune invasion and ferroptosis in HCC.

SLC25A19 is a mitochondrial thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) carrier that mediates TPP entry into the mitochondria. SLC25A19 has been recognized to play a crucial role in many metabolic diseases, but its role in cancer has not been clearly reported. Based on clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the following parameters were analyzed among HCC patients: SLC25A19 expression, enrichment analyses, immune infiltration, ferroptosis and prognosis analyses. In vitro, the SLC25A19 high expression was validated by qRT-PCR and Immunohistochemistry. Subsequently, a series of cell function experiments, including CCK8, EdU, clone formation, trans-well and scratch assays, were conducted to illustrate the effect of SLC25A19 on the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. Meanwhile, indicators related to ferroptosis were also detected. SCL25A19 is highly expressed in HCC and predicts a poor prognosis. Elevated SLC25A19 expression in HCC patients was markedly associated with T stage, pathological status (PS), tumor status (TS), histologic grade (HG), and AFP. Our results indicate that SLC25A19 has a generally good prognosis predictive and diagnostic ability. The results of gene enrichment analyses showed that SLC25A19 is significantly correlated with immune infiltration, fatty acid metabolism, and ferroptosis marker genes. In vitro experiments have confirmed that silencing SLC25A19 can significantly inhibit the proliferation and migration ability of cancer cells and induce ferroptosis in HCC. In conclusion, these findings indicate that SLC25A19 is novel prognostic biomarker related to immune invasion and ferroptosis in HCC, and it is an excellent candidate for therapeutic target against HCC.

Effect of separation pretreatment on environmental and economic performance of sludge resource utilization.

As a new technology for accurate utilization of sludge resources, sludge inorganic-organic matter separation (IOMS) has attracted wide attention. This study examined the impact of this pretreatment on environmental and economic performance of sludge composting and incineration using life cycle assessment (LCA) and whole life costing (WLC). LCA results indicated that IOMS pretreatment reduced the energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER) values of composting and incineration by 56 % and 76 %, respectively. Meanwhile, WLC exhibited that IOMS pretreatment could cut the break-even year of incineration from 11 years to 4 years. The combination of organic sludge incineration/composting with inorganic sludge sintering ceramsite reveals excellent environmental and economic performance. The application optimization hypothesis analysis of these two routes in various provinces of China indicates that Jiangsu has the greatest development potential and should become a major promotion region.

Isolation and characterization of persisters of the pathogenic microorganism Staphylococcus aureus.

The presence of antibiotic persisters is one of the leading causes of recurrent and chronic diseases. One challenge in mechanistic research on persisters is the enrichment of pure persisters. In this work, we validated a proposed method to isolate persisters with notorious Staphylococcus aureus cultures. With this, we analyzed the proteome profile of pure persisters and revealed the distinct mechanisms associated with vancomycin and enrofloxacin induced persisters. Furthermore, morphological and metabolic characterizations were performed, indicating further differences between these two persister populations. Finally, we assessed the effect of ATP repression, protein synthesis inhibition, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level on persister formation. In conclusion, this work provides a comprehensive understanding of S. aureus vancomycin and enrofloxacin induced persisters, facilitating a better mechanistic understanding of persisters and the development of effective strategies to combat them.

CD63 + tumor-associated macrophages drive the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lipid reprogramming.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute a substantial part of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study was devised to explore TAM diversity and their roles in HCC progression. METHODS: Through the integration of multiple 10 × single-cell transcriptomic data derived from HCC samples and the use of consensus nonnegative matrix factorization (an unsupervised clustering algorithm), TAM molecular subtypes and expression programs were evaluated in detail. The roles played by these TAM subtypes in HCC were further probed through pseudotime, enrichment, and intercellular communication analyses. Lastly, vitro experiments were performed to validate the relationship between CD63, which is an inflammatory TAM expression program marker, and tumor cell lines. RESULTS: We found that the inflammatory expression program in TAMs had a more obvious interaction with HCC cells, and CD63, as a marker gene of the inflammatory expression program, was associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. Both bulk RNA-seq and vitro experiments confirmed that higher TAM CD63 expression was associated with the growth of HCC cells as well as their epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metastasis, invasion, and the reprogramming of lipid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses revealed that the TAM inflammatory expression program in HCC is closely associated with malignant tumor cells, with the hub gene CD63 thus representing an ideal target for therapeutic intervention in this cancer type.

A Novel Ubiquitin Ligase Adaptor PTPRN Suppresses Seizure Susceptibility through Endocytosis of NaV1.2 Sodium Channels.

Intrinsic plasticity, a fundamental process enabling neurons to modify their intrinsic properties, plays a crucial role in shaping neuronal input-output function and is implicated in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Despite its importance, the underlying molecular mechanisms of intrinsic plasticity remain poorly understood. In this study, a new ubiquitin ligase adaptor, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type N (PTPRN), is identified as a regulator of intrinsic neuronal excitability in the context of temporal lobe epilepsy. PTPRN recruits the NEDD4 Like E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase (NEDD4L) to NaV1.2 sodium channels, facilitating NEDD4L-mediated ubiquitination, and endocytosis of NaV1.2. Knockout of PTPRN in hippocampal granule cells leads to augmented NaV1.2-mediated sodium currents and higher intrinsic excitability, resulting in increased seizure susceptibility in transgenic mice. Conversely, adeno-associated virus-mediated delivery of PTPRN in the dentate gyrus region decreases intrinsic excitability and reduces seizure susceptibility. Moreover, the present findings indicate that PTPRN exerts a selective modulation effect on voltage-gated sodium channels. Collectively, PTPRN plays a significant role in regulating intrinsic excitability and seizure susceptibility, suggesting a potential strategy for precise modulation of NaV1.2 channels' function.

Regulating Effect of Qifu Yin on Intestinal Microbiota in Mice with Memory Impairment Induced by Scopolamine Hydrobromide.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Qifu Yin (QFY) originates from "Jingyue Quanshu · Volume 51 · New Fang Bazhen · Buzhen" a work by Zhang Jingyue, a distinguished Chinese medical practitioner from the Ming Dynasty. QFY is composed of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata Cum Melle, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, and Polygalae Radix. QFY is frequently employed to address memory loss and cognitive impairment stemming from vascular dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and related conditions. Our findings indicate that QFY can mitigate nerve cell damage. Moreover, the study explores the impact of QFY on the calcium ion pathway and sphingolipid metabolism in mice with myocardial infarction, presenting a novel perspective on QFY's mechanism in ameliorating myocardial infarction through lipidomics. While this research provides an experimental foundation for the clinical application of QFY, a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of its improvement mechanism remains imperative. AIM OF THE STUDY: To clarify the regulatory mechanism of QFY on intestinal microecology in mice with memory impairment (MI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The memory impairment mouse model was established by intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine hydrobromide. Kunming (KM) mice were randomly divided into blank group, Ginkgo tablet group (0.276 g/kg), QFY high, medium and low dose groups (17.2 g/kg, 8.6 g/kg, 4.3 g/kg). The effect on memory ability was evaluated by open field and step-down behavioral experiments. The morphological changes of nerve cells in the hippocampus of mice were observed by pathological method. The contents of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the brain tissue of mice were detected. The expression levels of CREB, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Recombinant Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) in the hippocampus of mice were determined using immunohistochemistry. The expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) related factors in the serum of mice was analyzed by ELISA. The levels of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1 (ASK1) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) mRNA in the hippocampus were detected by quantitative real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The intestinal feces of mice were collected, and the 16S rDNA technology was used to detect the changes in intestinal microbiota microecological structure of feces in each group. RESULTS: Behavioral experiments showed that the high-dose QFY group exhibited a significant increase in exercise time (P<0.05) and a decrease in diagonal time (P<0.05) compared to the model group. The medium-dose group of QFY showed a reduction in diagonal time (P<0.05). Additionally, the latency time significantly increased in the medium and high-dose groups of QFY (P<0.01). The number of errors in the low, medium and high dose groups was significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01). The nerve cells in the CA1 and CA3 regions of QFY-treated mice demonstrated close arrangement and clear structure. Furthermore, the content of SOD significantly increased (P<0.01) and the content of MDA significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the low and high-dose QFY groups. The content of CAT in the medium-dose group significantly increased (P<0.05). Immunohistochemical analysis showed a significant reduction in the number of APP expression particles in the CA1 and CA3 regions of all QFY groups. Moreover, BDNF expression significantly increased in the medium and high-dose groups, while CREB expression significantly increased in the low and medium-dose groups of QFY within the CA1 and CA3 regions. Serum analysis revealed significant increases in CREB content in the low, medium, and high dose groups of QFY (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.05), and decreases in NMDAR content across all QFY dose groups (P<0.01). PCR analysis showed a significant decrease in the contents of ASK1 and JNK in the medium-dose group (P<0.01). Microecological analysis of intestinal microbiota demonstrated a significant restoration trend in the relative abundance of Fusobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia (P<0.01 or P<0.05) at the phylum level in the QFY groups. At the genus level, Akkermansia, Paramuribaculum, Herminiimonas, Erysipelatoclostridium and other genera in the QFY groups showed a significant trend of relative abundance restoration (P<0.01 or P<0.05). CONCLUSION: QFY can improve the memory of MI animals induced by scopolamine hydrobromide by restoring the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota and regulating related indexes in serum and brain tissue.

High-Energy Earth-Abundant Cathodes with Enhanced Cationic/Anionic Redox for Sustainable and Long-Lasting Na-Ion Batteries.

Layered iron/manganese-based oxides are a class of promising cathode materials for sustainable batteries due to their high energy densities and earth abundance. However, the stabilization of cationic and anionic redox reactions in these cathodes during cycling at high voltage remain elusive. Here, an electrochemically/thermally stable P2-Na0.67Fe0.3Mn0.5Mg0.1Ti0.1O2 cathode material with zero critical elements is designed for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) to realize a highly reversible capacity of ≈210 mAh g-1 at 20 mA g-1 and good cycling stability with a capacity retention of 74% after 300 cycles at 200 mA g-1, even when operated with a high charge cut-off voltage of 4.5 V versus sodium metal. Combining a suite of cutting-edge characterizations and computational modeling, it is shown that Mg/Ti co-doping leads to stabilized surface/bulk structure at high voltage and high temperature, and more importantly, enhances cationic/anionic redox reaction reversibility over extended cycles with the suppression of other undesired oxygen activities. This work fundamentally deepens the failure mechanism of Fe/Mn-based layered cathodes and highlights the importance of dopant engineering to achieve high-energy and earth-abundant cathode material for sustainable and long-lasting NIBs.

Comparative life cycle assessment of landfill sludge treatment technologies in China.

Reasonable treatment of large amounts of sludge excavated from landfills has gained increasing attention due to the diminishing availability of landfill space in China. In this study, five landfill sludge (LS) treatment technologies using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) were investigated, i.e., co-incineration in coal-fired power plants (CFPP) and waste incineration power plant (WIPP), co-processing in cement kiln, bricks production, and sintering ceramsite. The LCA results demonstrate that sintering ceramsite outperforms other technologies and LCC results indicate sintering ceramsite also provides the highest economic benefit ($869.94). To further enhance environmental and economic performances of the LS treatment, the substitution of coal with natural gas and biomass can reduce Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction (ECER) index by 74% and 98%, respectively. This substitution can increase economic returns by 24% and 26%, respectively. Furthermore, national-level economic benefit and carbon emission reduction potential of different LS treatment technology alternative scenarios were assessed. Results display that a combination of 50% CFPP, 25% bricks, and 25% ceramsite (biomass) offers the highest economic gain, which is 3.02 times that of 50% CFPP and 50% cement (original case). Conversely, the replacement of 25% brick with 25% cement in the above combination result in the lowest carbon reduction, which is 9.35 times that of the original case.

The Interaction between Iron Cyanide and Lead Ions in Pyrite Flotation.

Despite being a major cyanide species in the process water, it is unclear how iron cyanide influences pyritic gold ore flotation as well as how lead ions influence pyritic gold ore flotation in the presence of iron cyanide. This study aims at revealing the interaction of Fe(CN)63- and lead ions in pyrite flotation to investigate the strong depressing effect of Fe(CN)63- on pyritic gold ore flotation and the significant activating effect of lead ions on pyritic gold ore flotation in the presence of Fe(CN)63- using flotation, zeta potential measurement and surface analysis methods. The flotation results showed that upon 5 × 10-5 mol/L Fe(CN)63- addition, pyrite recovery drastically decreased from about 51.3% to 8.6%, while the subsequent addition of 9.5 × 10-4 mol/L lead ions significantly activated pyrite with the recovery increasing from 8.6% to 91%, which demonstrated that Fe(CN)63- strongly depressed pyrite flotation, while lead ions completely activated pyrite in the presence of Fe(CN)63-. Zeta potential measurement, surface analysis using Cryogenic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (Cryo-XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) revealed that Fe(CN)63- depression was attributed to the chemical adsorption of Fe(CN)63- on iron sites of pyrite as Prussian Blue (Fe[Fe(CN)6]); however, this hydrophilic layer could be covered totally by lead ions which adsorbed on as lead hydroxide/oxide through electrostatic interactions, which resulted in the significant activation effect of lead ions. The results from this study will lead to improved flotation of gold associated with pyrite in gold flotation plants.

Enhancing the perception of saltiness and reducing NaCl levels in snacks through sensory interaction: Immobilizing NaCl nanocrystals in Litsea oleoresin-sunflower seed oleogels.

Excessive dietary salt intake leads to health issues, while reducing NaCl content compromises flavor. Therefore, identifying methods to decrease salt levels without sacrificing flavor is crucial. This study investigated the sensory interaction between the saltiness of NaCl and the pungency of Litsea oleoresin. Glyceryl monostearate (6.6%) and soy lecithin (4.4%) were used as gelling agents to create oleogels, which were then employed to immobilize NaCl nanocrystals, optimizing sensory interactions. NaCl nanocrystals (427.73 ± 61.98 nm) were encapsulated in a Litsea oleoresin-sunflower seed oleogel system with uniform distribution. Sensory evaluation indicated that the NaCl nanocrystal/Litsea oleoresin@oleogel system, with moderate pungency, significantly enhanced perceived saltiness intensity (29.00 ± 1.14, compared to the control, 18.48 ± 1.12) (P < 0.05). When applied to potato chips, this system noticeably increased saltiness perception. This research provides a promising approach for developing low-sodium yet flavorful foods.

Zero Voltage-Degradation of Li2MnO3 with Ultrathin Amorphous Li─Mn─O Coating.

Manganese-based lithium-rich layered oxides (Mn-LLOs) are promising candidate cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, however, the severe voltage decay during cycling is the most concern for their practical applications. Herein, an Mn-based composite nanostructure constructed Li2MnO3 (LMO@Li2MnO3) is developed via an ultrathin amorphous functional oxide LixMnOy coating at the grain surface. Due to the thin and universal LMO amorphous surface layer etched from the lithiation process by the high-concentration alkaline solution, the structural and interfacial stability of Li2MnO3 are enhanced apparently, showing the significantly improved voltage maintenance, cycle stability, and energy density. In particular, the LMO@Li2MnO3 cathode exhibits zero voltage decay over 200 cycles. Combining with ex situ spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, the Mn2+/4+ coexisted behavior of the amorphous LMO is revealed, which enables the stable electrochemistry of Li2MnO3. This work provides new possible routes for suppressing the voltage decay of Mn-LLOs by modifying with the composite functional unit construction.

Integrated influence of sulfide modification on the reactivity of nanoscale zero-valent iron towards decabromodiphenyl ether under an electromagnetic field.

Individual application of sulfide modification and electromagnetic field (EMF) can enhance the reactivity of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), yet the potential of both in combination is not clear. This work found that the reactivity of nZVI towards decabromodiphenyl ether was significantly enhanced by the combined effect of sulfidation and EMF. The specific reaction rate constant of nZVI increased by 7 to 10 times. A series of characterization results revealed that the sulfidation level not only affects the inherent reactivity but also the magnetic-induced heating (MIH) and corrosion (MIC) of nZVI. These collectively influence the degradation efficiency of nZVI under EMF. Sulfidation generally diminished the MIH effect. The low degree of sulfidation (S/Fe = 0.1) slightly reduced the MIC effect by 21.4%. However, the high degree of sulfidation (S/Fe = 0.4) led to significantly enhanced MIC effect by 107.1%. For S/Fe = 0.1 and 0.4, the overall enhancement in the reactivity resulting from EMF was alternately dominated by the contributions of MIH and MIC. This work provides valuable insights into the MIH and MIC effects about the sulfidation level of nZVI, which is needed for further exploration and optimization of this combined technology.

Evaluation of the exit screening policy among travelers arriving from Asian and pacific nations.

BACKGROUND: The Japanese government has instituted border control measures against COVID-19, including entry and exit screening of people arriving from overseas. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the exit screening policy in Japan in reducing the risk of importing COVID-19 cases among travelers from Asian and Pacific countries. METHODS: The study period was stratified based on the timing of exit screening: (i) the control period (the pre-exit screening period from 25 October 2020 to 16 January 2021), (ii) the time period with the Alpha variant from 17 January to 10 April 2021, and (iii) the time period with the Delta variant from 2 May to 2 October 2021. Incidence data in the countries of origin were used to adjust for the risk of infection among travelers. The positivity rate of entry screening in Japan was compared among the three different study periods, adjusting for the risk of infection in the country of origin. RESULTS: The adjusted relative risk of positivity was greatly reduced and substantially below the value of 1 during the Alpha variant period compared with the control period. Although the relative risks increased when comparing the Delta variant period against control, the estimate remained below 1, except for among travelers from India and Myanmar. The relative risk reduction was greatest in high-income countries, with estimates of 100% and 96% risk reduction during the Alpha and Delta variant periods, respectively, followed by upper-middle-income countries with estimates of 90% and 76%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Even in the presence of the Alpha and Delta variants, exit screening clearly reduced the risk of infection among travelers arriving from Asian and Pacific nations. As the testing relies on the country of origin, the effectiveness varied greatly by the socioeconomic income status and epidemiological situation of those countries. Test standardization and quality assurance may be required in low- and middle-income countries.

Achieving deep intratumoral penetration and multimodal combined therapy for tumor through algal photosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Elevated interstitial fluid pressure within tumors, resulting from impaired lymphatic drainage, constitutes a critical barrier to effective drug penetration and therapeutic outcomes. RESULTS: In this study, based on the photosynthetic characteristics of algae, an active drug carrier (CP@ICG) derived from Chlorella pyrenoidosa (CP) was designed and constructed. Leveraging the hypoxia tropism and phototropism exhibited by CP, we achieved targeted transport of the carrier to tumor sites. Additionally, dual near-infrared (NIR) irradiation at the tumor site facilitated photosynthesis in CP, enabling the breakdown of excessive intratumoral interstitial fluid by generating oxygen from water decomposition. This process effectively reduced the interstitial pressure, thereby promoting enhanced perfusion of blood into the tumor, significantly improving deep-seated penetration of chemotherapeutic agents, and alleviating tumor hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS: CP@ICG demonstrated a combined effect of photothermal/photodynamic/starvation therapy, exhibiting excellent in vitro/in vivo anti-tumor efficacy and favorable biocompatibility. This work provides a scientific foundation for the application of microbial-enhanced intratumoral drug delivery and tumor therapy.

Comparative study on the activation of peroxymonosulfate and peroxydisulfate by Ar plasma-etching CNTs for sulfamethoxazole degradation: Efficiency and mechanisms.

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a widely utilized antibiotic, was continually detected in the environment, causing serious risks to aquatic ecology and water security. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with abundant defects were developed by argon plasma-etching technology to enhance the activation of persulfate (PS, including peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and peroxydisulfate (PDS)) for SMX degradation while reducing environmental toxicity. Obviously, the increase of ID/IG value from 0.980 to 1.333 indicated that Ar plasma-etching successfully introduced rich defects into CNTs. Of note, Ar-90-CNT, whose Ar plasma-etching time was 90 min with optimum catalytic performance, exhibited a significant discrepancy between PMS activation and PDS activation. Interestingly, though the Ar-90-CNT/PDS system (kobs = 0.0332 min-1) was more efficient in SMX elimination than the Ar-90-CNT/PMS system (kobs = 0.0190 min-1), Ar plasma-etching treatment had no discernible enhancement in the catalytic efficiency of MWCNT for PDS activation. Then the discrepancy on activation mechanism between PMS and PDS was methodically investigated through quenching experiments, electron spin resonance (ESR), chemical probes, electrochemical measurements and theoretical calculations, and the findings unraveled that the created vacancy defects were the ruling active sites for the production of dominated singlet oxygen (1O2) in the Ar-90-CNT/PMS system to degrade SMX, while the electron transfer pathway (ETP), originated from PDS activation by the inherent edge defects, was the central pathway for SMX removal in the Ar-90-CNT/PDS system. Based on the toxicity test of Microcystis aeruginosa, the Ar-90-CNT/PDS system was more effective in alleviating environmental toxicity during SMX degradation. These findings not only provide insights into the discrepancy between PMS activation and PDS activation via carbon-based materials with controlled defects regulated by the plasma-etching strategy, but also efficiently degrade sulfonamide antibiotics and reduce the toxicity of their products.

Formation, characterization, and application of natural bioactive phytosterol-based oleogels: A review.

Oleogels are innovative structured fat systems that can replace detrimental lipids and saturated fats. Among the various gelators used to construct oleogels, phytosterols are regarded as potential oleogelators due to ability to lower blood cholesterol levels and protect patients from cardiovascular illnesses, although little research has been conducted on phytosterols. This article examines the formation, characterization, and application of phytosterol-based oleogels in detail. The oleogelation behaviors of phytosterol-based oleogels are affected by their formulation, which includes phytosterol type, combined oleogelator, proportion, concentration and oil type. These oleogels exhibit potential applications as solid fat substitutes without affecting the texture or sensory properties of food products or as effective delivery vehicles. To encourage the research and implementation of phytosterol-based oleogels, we will ultimately not only highlight problems related to their use in food processing, but also provide a few viewpoints, with the goal of providing fresh insights for advancing trends.

Tumor extrachromosomal DNA: Biogenesis and recent advances in the field.

Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is a self-replicating circular DNA originating from the chromosomal genome and exists outside the chromosome. It contains specific gene sequences and non-coding regions that regulate transcription. Recent studies have demonstrated that ecDNA is present in various malignant tumors. Malignant tumor development and poor prognosis may depend on ecDNA's distinctive ring structure, which assists in amplifying oncogenes. During cell division, an uneven distribution of ecDNA significantly enhances tumor cells' heterogeneity, allowing tumor cells to adapt to changes in the tumor microenvironment and making them more resistant to treatments. The application of ecDNA as a cancer biomarker and therapeutic target holds great potential. This article examines the latest advancements in this area and discusses the potential clinical applications of ecDNA.

Adaptive Space-Aware Infotaxis II as a Strategy for Odor Source Localization.

Mobile robot olfaction of toxic and hazardous odor sources is of great significance in anti-terrorism, disaster prevention, and control scenarios. Aiming at the problems of low search efficiency and easily falling into a local optimum of the current odor source localization strategies, the paper proposes the adaptive space-aware Infotaxis II algorithm. To improve the tracking efficiency of robots, a new reward function is designed by considering the space information and emphasizing the exploration behavior of robots. Considering the enhancement in exploratory behavior, an adaptive navigation-updated mechanism is proposed to adjust the movement range of robots in real time through information entropy to avoid an excessive exploration behavior during the search process, which may lead the robot to fall into a local optimum. Subsequently, an improved adaptive cosine salp swarm algorithm is applied to confirm the optimal information adaptive parameter. Comparative simulation experiments between ASAInfotaxis II and the classical search strategies are carried out in 2D and 3D scenarios regarding the search efficiency and search behavior, which show that ASAInfotaxis II is competent to improve the search efficiency to a larger extent and achieves a better balance between exploration and exploitation behaviors.

Functional Analysis of ß-Carotene Oxygenase 2 (BCO2) Gene in Yesso Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis).

Carotenoids are essential nutrients for humans and animals, and carotenoid coloration represents an important meat quality parameter for many farmed animals. Increasingly, studies have demonstrated that vertebrate carotenoid cleavage oxygenases (CCOs) are essential enzymes in carotenoid metabolism and are therefore potential candidate genes for improving carotenoid deposition. However, our understanding of carotenoid bioavailability and CCOs functions in invertebrates, particularly marine species, is currently quite limited. We previously identified that a CCO homolog, PyBCO-like 1, was the causal gene for carotenoid coloration in the 'Haida golden scallop', a variety of Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) characterized by carotenoid enrichment. Here, we found that another CCO-encoding gene named PyBCO2 (ß-carotene oxygenase 2) was widely expressed in P. yessoensis organs/tissues, with the highest expression in striated muscle. Inhibiting BCO2 expression in P. yessoensis through RNA interference led to increased carotenoid (pectenolone and pectenoxanthin) deposition in the striated muscle, and the color of the striated muscle changed from white to light orange. Our results indicate that PyBCO2 might be a candidate gene used for improving carotenoid content in normal Yesso scallops, and also in 'Haida golden scallops'.

Can an intervention integrating sports and medicine improve children's health more effectively? Monitoring based on sleep, body mass index, and heart rate variability.

Background: Theoretical studies have suggested that the integration of sports and medicine with one another could positively affect children's health. By monitoring the variation characteristics of children's sleep, body mass index (BMI), and heart rate variability (HRV), we explored and compared the influences of and differences between two interventions - physical exercise and an intervention integrating sports and medicine - on improving children's health. Methods: We conducted a randomised controlled study, where we randomly divided 136 children into the physical exercise group (PEG), the integration of sports and medicine group (ISMG), and the control group. We measured sleep, BMI, and HRV at baseline and week eight. Results: After the eight-week intervention, the sleep scores in the PEG and the ISMG were significantly lower than in the control group, while the scores in the ISMG were significantly lower than in the PEG. After the eight-week intervention, the BMI of both the PEG and the ISMG was significantly lower than that of the control group, without a significand difference between the two intervention groups. After the eight-week intervention, the standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), root mean square differences of the standard deviation (RMSSD), low-frequency of normal (LFn), and high-frequency of normal (HFn) in the PEG and the ISMG were significantly higher than those in the control group, again without a significant difference between the two intervention groups. After intervention, sleep, BMI, and HRV of the three groups were correlated with one another to different degrees, but the correlation coefficient of the two exercise groups was higher. Conclusions: Based on the interventions, we observed a significant correlation between sleep, BMI, and HRV in children. Regular physical exercise or an intervention integrating sports and medicine could synergistically improve sleep, BMI, and HRV in this population, with the latter having a better effect on improving sleep quality.