All-aqueous synthesis of alginate complexed with fibrillated protein microcapsules for membrane-bounded culture of tumor spheroids.

Water-in-water (W/W) emulsions provide bio-compatible all-aqueous compartments for artificial patterning and assembly of living cells. Successful entrapment of cells within a W/W emulsion via the formation of semipermeable capsules is a prerequisite for regulating on the size, shape, and architecture of cell aggregates. However, the high permeability and instability of the W/W interface, restricting the assembly of stable capsules, pose a fundamental challenge for cell entrapment. The current study addresses this problem by synthesizing multi-armed protein fibrils and controlling their assembly at the W/W interface. The multi-armed protein fibrils, also known as 'fibril clusters', were prepared by cross-linking lysozyme fibrils with multi-arm polyethylene glycol (PEG) via click chemistry. Compared to linear-structured fibrils, fibril clusters are strongly adsorbed at the W/W interface, forming an interconnected meshwork that better stabilizes the W/W emulsion. Moreover, when fibril clusters are complexed with alginate, the hybrid microcapsules demonstrate excellent mechanical robustness, semi-permeability, cytocompatibility and biodegradability. These advantages enable the encapsulation, entrapment and long-term culture of tumor spheroids, with great promise for applications for anti-cancer drug screening, tumor disease modeling, and tissue repair engineering.

Nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 followed by gemcitabine-oxaliplatin as first-line alternating sequential treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Alternating sequential administration of drugs may be a promising approach to overcome chemotherapy resistance in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). METHODS: This study was an open-label, single-arm, and prospective trial included patients with untreated advanced PDAC. They received 2 cycles of NS regimen (nab-paclitaxel:125 mg/m2, intravenously injected on days 1 and 8, plus S-1:40-60 mg, orally twice per day for 1-14 days) followed by 2 cycles of GemOx regimen (gemcitabine, intravenously injected on days 1 and 8, and oxaliplatin: 130 mg/m2, intravenously injected on day 1). The primary efficacy endpoint was a progression-free survival rate at 6 months (PFSR-6m). The secondary efficacy endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs). Specific mRNA transcripts were used to explore survival associated genes. RESULTS: Forty-two patients received a minimum of one treatment cycle, and of these, 30 patients completed one alternating treatment consisting of 4 cycles. The PFSR-6m was 71% (95% CI = 58%-87%). The median PFS and OS were 6.53 months (95% CI = 6.03-8.43) and 11.4 months (95% CI = 9.8-14.4), respectively. Common grades 3-4 hematological AEs included neutropenia 30.9%, leukopenia 26.2%, anemia 2.4%, and thrombocytopenia in 11.9%. Patients with OS > 10 months showed high expression of HLA-DQA2 while melanoma-associated antigen genes (MAGE) were notably upregulated in patients with OS < 10 months. CONCLUSION: The alternating sequential administration of the NS and GemOx regimens may be a novel approach for first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced PDAC requiring further study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: ChiCTR1900024867).

TROPOMI unravels transboundary transport pathways of atmospheric carbon monoxide in Tibetan Plateau.

Numerous studies have reported in situ monitoring and source analysis in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), a region crucial for climate systems. However, a gap remains in understanding the comprehensive distribution of atmospheric pollutants in the TP and their transboundary pollution transport. Here, we analyzed the high-resolution satellite TROPOMI observations from 2018 to 2023 in Tibet and its surrounding areas. Our result reveals that, contrary to the results from in situ surface CO monitoring, Tibet exhibits a distinct seasonality in atmospheric carbon monoxide total column average mixing ratio (XCO), with higher levels in summer and lower levels in winter. This distinctive seasonal pattern may be related to the TP's 'air pump' effect and the Asia summer monsoon. Before 2022, the annual growth rate of XCO in Tibet was 1.63 %·year-1; however, it declined by 6.88 % in 2022. Source analysis and satellite observations suggest that CO from South Asia may enter Tibet either by crossing the Himalayas or through the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon. We discovered that spring outbreaks of open biomass burning (OBB) in South and Southeast Asia led to an 11.57-27.98 % increase in XCO over Tibet. Favorable wind pattern and unique topography of the canyon promote the high concentrations CO transport to Tibet. Our greater concern is whether the TP will experience more severe transboundary pollution in the future.

A novel measure for long-term sediment reduction inspired by dragonfly wings.

The sediment accumulation in drainage pipes has long been recognized as a significant concern in the environmental field. This study addresses sediment accumulation in drainage pipes by introducing an innovative bioinspired approach using various shapes and angles of plates for long-term sediment reduction. Through experiments and numerical simulations, the velocity field, the turbulent kinetic energy, the head loss, and the dynamic pressure distribution in the pipeline with plates are analyzed. Results demonstrate significant increases in local velocity, dynamic pressure, and turbulence energy due to the presence of plates. The sediment reduction performance shows a positive correlation with the angle for folded plates and a non-linear relation with curvature for curved plates. Notably, the superior performance of folded plates is attributed to their exceptional ability to induce vortex formation. The head loss due to sediment reduction measures increases linearly as the angle and the curvature increase. Furthermore, the intentional induction of strong eddies and high shear flow using the undulating topography created by the locally installed folding plates in the pipeline was the main cause of sediment reduction. This novel approach holds promise for more efficient and sustainable sediment reduction in drainage systems.

The Role of Platelet Distribution Width in the Association Between Blood Glucose and Neurological Impairment Severity in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Objective: Fasting blood glucose (FBG) is a recognized risk factor for Ischemic Stroke, but little research has examined the interaction among FBG, Platelet Distribution Width (PDW) and the severity of neuronal damage. Thus, the present study constructs a moderated mediation model aimed to elucidate the relationships among FBG, PDW, and NIHSS scores in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 431 AIS patients. Upon hospital admission, we assessed the patients' NIHSS scores and collected blood samples to measure FBG and PDW levels. The relationship between FBG and NIHSS scores moderated by PDW was analyzed by linear curve fitting analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and moderated mediation analysis respectively. Results: In the tertile grouping based on FBG, both PDW and NIHSS scores of AIS patients demonstrated an increase corresponding with rising levels of FBG (p<0.001 for both). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that, the ß coefficients (95% CI) for the relationship between FBG and NIHSS scores were 1.49 (1.27-1.71, p<0.01) post-adjustment for potential confounders. The ß coefficients (95% CI) for the relationship between FBG and PDW were 0.02 (0.01-0.04, p<0.01) post-adjustment. Likewise, for the relationship between PDW and NIHSS scores, the ß coefficients (95% CI) were 4.33 (3.07-5.59, p<0.01) after adjustment. These positive association remained consistent in sensitivity analysis and hierarchical analysis. Smoothed plots suggested that there are linear relationships between FBG and PDW and NIHSS scores respectively. Further mediation analysis indicated that increased PDW significantly (p<0.01) mediated 5.91% of FBG-associated increased NIHSS scores. Conclusion: This study suggested that FBG levels were associated with NIHSS scores, and the FBG-associated neurological impairment may be partially mediated by PDW. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring FBG and PDW levels in AIS patients, potentially guiding risk intervention strategies.

Large-scale sub-5-nm vertical transistors by van der Waals integration.

Vertical field effect transistor (VFET), in which the semiconductor is sandwiched between source/drain electrodes and the channel length is simply determined by the semiconductor thickness, has demonstrated promising potential for short channel devices. However, despite extensive efforts over the past decade, scalable methods to fabricate ultra-short channel VFETs remain challenging. Here, we demonstrate a layer-by-layer transfer process of large-scale indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) semiconductor arrays and metal electrodes, and realize large-scale VFETs with ultra-short channel length and high device performance. Within this process, the oxide semiconductor could be pre-deposited on a sacrificial wafer, and then physically released and sandwiched between metals, maintaining the intrinsic properties of ultra-scaled vertical channel. Based on this lamination process, we realize 2 inch-scale VFETs with channel length down to 4 nm, on-current over 800 A/cm2, and highest on-off ratio up to 2 × 105, which is over two orders of magnitude higher compared to control samples without laminating process. Our study not only represents the optimization of VFETs performance and scalability at the same time, but also offers a method of transfer large-scale oxide arrays, providing interesting implication for ultra-thin vertical devices.

Effects of a novel sawdust-modified carrier on performance, bioaccumulation and microbial community of sequencing batch reactor.

The impact of a novel sawdust-modified carrier on the performance of aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was examined. Compared with the conventional polyethylene (PE) carrier, the sawdust-modified carrier had coarse surface and porous side wall, which was beneficial for the rapid formation of biofilm. The biomass of sawdust-modified carrier was 3.4 ± 0.7 times more than those of PE carrier at the end of this study. The biofilm gotten from suspended carrier had higher extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) concentrations than activated sludge (AS). The EPS from biofilm contained higher proportions of polysaccharides compared to those from AS. The SBR with addition of sawdust-modified carrier exhibited higher ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency (84.8%) than the one with addition of conventional PE carrier (73.1%) in a typical cycle at 12 h. The volumetric nitrification rates of modified carrier were higher than those of conventional PE carrier. High throughput sequencing revealed that sawdust-modified carriers exhibited greater microbial richness and diversity compared with traditional PE carriers. Saccharimonadales was the most predominant genus that removed organic matter under aerobic condition, whereas Nitrospira was the dominant nitrifying genus. The present study verifies the advantage of sawdust-modified carrier, which has the potential for the full-scale application in the future.

Bioconversion of agriculture by-products with functionally enhanced Streptomyces sp. SCUT-3: Fish skin as a model.

With the global population continuously rising, efficient bioconversion of inedible agricultural by-products is crucial for human food and energy sustainability. We here propose solid-state fermentation approaches to efficiently convert biopolymers into oligomers/monomers by accelerating the natural degradation process of the versatile Streptomyces sp. strain SCUT-3. Using fish skin as a representative by-product, 54.3 g amino acids and 14.7 g peptides (91 % < 2500 Da) were recovered from 89.0 g protein in 100 g tilapia skin sample by collagenase-overexpressed SCUT-3 for seven days at a 1:4 substrate:liquid ratio. Fish skin collagen hydrolysates exhibited excellent anti-oxidation, anti-hypertension, scratch-repairing, anti-aging, anti-ultraviolet radiation, and anti-inflammation effects on human skin fibroblasts In vitro and zebrafish larvae in vivo, indicating their potential applications in healthcare/skincare and anti-atopic dermatitis. As Laozi said, the divine law follows nature. This study underscores the efficacy of genetically engineered SCUT-3 according to its natural biomass utilization laws in large-scale biopolymer conversion.

Interaction of smoking and spicy habits modifies the risk of erectile dysfunction.

Background: Having a spicy diet and smoking habit may be important factors causing erectile dysfunction (ED). The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of spicy diet and smoking habits on the risk of ED in men, with a focus on the interaction between these lifestyle factors. Methods: Our investigation was conducted as a retrospective analysis spanning from June 2017 to June 2023. Participants underwent interviews utilizing the Structured Interview on Erectile Dysfunction (SIEDY) to evaluate the degree of pathological factors. The International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) was employed as a metric for assessing ED. Additionally, the subjects were comprehensively questioned about their smoking history and dietary preferences, which included an inquiry into how often they consumed spicy meals. Results: Our research involved 373 participants, with 67.6% being individuals with ED. Among the participants, 50.7% were non-smokers and 49.3% were smokers, totaling 188 and 185, respectively. There was no significant difference in the spicy food frequency consumption among smokers with ED. However, non-smokers who consumed spicy food more frequently experienced more severe ED (P=0.02). ED patients showed significant differences in body mass index (BMI), blood glucose and testosterone, which were linked to vascular damage (P=0.03, P=0.02, P=0.04, respectively). Additionally, non-smokers who consumed more spicy food had higher scores on the SIEDY 2 scale, indicating marital factors (P=0.004). In non-smoking participant, a high spicy ratio indicated an even higher risk of ED [odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval: 1.27-5.26; P=0.008], while there was no significant impact on ED in smoking participants (data not shown). Conclusions: This retrospective study suggests that a considerable consumption of spicy foods is independently correlated with an elevated risk of ED, particularly among non-smoking men.

Non-Centrosymmetric Single Crystalline Biomolecular Nano-Arrays for Responsive Electronics.

Herein, a novel strategy is reported for synthesizing libraries of single crystalline amino acid (AA) nanocrystals with control over size, anisotropy, and polymorphism by leveraging dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) and recrystallization via solvent vapor annealing. The crystals are prepared by first depositing nanoreactors consisting of a solvent with AAs, followed by water vapor-induced recrystallization. This leads to isotropic structures that are non-centrosymmetric with strong piezoelectric (g33 coefficients >1000 mVm N-1), ferroelectric, and non-linear optical properties. However, recrystallizing arrays of isotropic DL-alanine nanodot features with a binary solvent (water and ethanol) leads to arrays of 1D piezoelectric nanorods with their long axis coincident with the polar axis. Moreover, positioning nanoreactors containing AAs (the nanodot features) between micro electrodes leads to capillary formation, making the reactors anisotropic and facilitating piezoelectric nanorod formation between the electrodes. This offers a facile route to device fabrication. These as-fabricated devices respond to ultrasonic stimulation in the form of a piezoelectric response. The technique described herein is significant as it provides a rapid way of investigating non-centrosymmetric nanoscale biocrystals, potentially pivotal for fabricating a new class of stimuli-responsive devices such as sensors, energy harvesters, and stimulators.

Atomic-Thin WS2 Kirigami for Bidirectional Polarization Detection.

The assembly and patterning engineering in two-dimensional (2D) materials hold importance for chip-level designs incorporating multifunctional detectors. At present, the patterning and stacking methods of 2D materials inevitably introduce impurity instability and functional limitations. Here, the space-confined chemical vapor deposition method is employed to achieve state-of-the-art kirigami structures of self-assembled WS2, featuring various layer combinations and stacking configurations. With this technique as a foundation, the WS2 nano-kirigami is integrated with metasurface design, achieving a photodetector with bidirectional polarization-sensitive detection capability in the infrared spectrum. Nano-kirigami can eliminate some of the uncontrollable factors in the processing of 2D material devices, providing a freely designed platform for chip-level multifunctional detection across multiple modules.

Vinpocetine alleviates the abdominal aortic aneurysm progression via VSMCs SIRT1-p21 signaling pathway.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease that caused mortality in people aged >65. Senescence plays a critical role in AAA pathogenesis. Advances in AAA repair techniques have occurred, but a remaining priority is therapies to limit AAA growth and rupture. Our Previous study found cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 1C (PDE1C) exacerbate AAA through aggravate vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) senescence by downregulating Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) expression and activity. Vinpocetine as a selective inhibitor of PDE1 and a clinical medication for cerebral vasodilation, it is unclear whether vinpocetine can rely on SIRT1 to alleviate AAA. This study showed that pre-treatment with vinpocetine remarkably prevented aneurysmal dilation and reduced aortic rupture in elastase-induced AAA mice. In addition, the elastin degradation, MMP (matrix metalloproteinase) activity, macrophage infiltration, ROS production, collagen fibers remodeling, and VSMCs senescence were decreased in AAA treated with vinpocetine. While these effects were unable to exert in VSMCs-specific SIRT1 knockout AAA mice. Accordingly, we revealed that vinpocetine suppressed migration, proliferation, and senescence in VSMCs. Moreover, vinpocetine reduced SIRT1 degradation by inhibiting lysosome-mediated autophagy. In conclusion, this study indicated that vinpocetine may be as a potential drug for therapy AAA through alleviate VSMCs senescence via the SIRT1-dependent pathway.

The molecular mechanisms underlying optical isomer arbutin permeating the skin: The molecular interaction between arbutin and skin components.

Arbutin, a typical optical isomer, has garnered widespread acclaim in the whitening cosmetics for its favorable efficacy and safety. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying α-arbutin and ß-arbutin permeating across the skin have not elucidated clearly yet. Herein we aimed to unveil how α-arbutin and ß-arbutin interacted with keratin or SC lipids, further demonstrating their relationship with their drug permeability. We found that α-arbutin displayed significantly higher drug accumulation into the porcine skin than ß-arbutin within 24 h through in vitro permeation test. Moreover, α-arbutin predominantly induced the alternations of secondary structure of amide II during the drug permeation, which was favorable for α-arbutin permeation. On the contrary, ß-arbutin exhibited an observable effect on the stretching vibration of SC lipids, possessing a significantly stronger mixing energy, binding energy and compatibility with ceramide (Cer) than that of α-arbutin, which ultimately restricted its permeation. Interestingly, free fatty acids and ceramides of the SC lipids specifically utilized its oxygen atom of carboxyl group to dock the arbutin molecules, enhancing their affinity with ß-arbutin, as confirmed by molecular simulation and 13Carbon Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Nevertheless, a favorable compatibility between α-arbutin and keratin was observed. It was emphasized that the distinct spatial configuration and opposite optical rotation of arbutin was the leading factor impacting the intermolecular force between arbutin and the SC, and resulted in a diverse drug permeation. In cellular and in vivo skin pharmacokinetic studies, α-arbutin also possessed a higher cellular uptake and topical bioavailability than ß-arbutin. This study revealed the transdermal permeation mechanisms of optical isomer arbutin at the molecular levels, providing methodological reference for the investigations of permeation behaviors of other isomers with similar spatial configuration.

Novel insights into post-marketing AEs associated with leuprorelin: A comprehensive analysis utilizing the FAERS database.

Purpose: This research focused on meticulously tracking and identifying adverse reactions associated with leuprorelin, a drug prescribed for conditions such as prostate cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and early-onset puberty. The main objective was to enhance patient safety and offer informed guidance on the appropriate use of this treatment. Methods: From the first quarter of 2004 to the fourth quarter of 2023, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on a significant number of adverse event reports (AERs) from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. Data mining with dismutation analysis was conducted to quantify signals associated with adverse events (AEs) related to leuprorelin, utilizing powerful algorithms such as ROR, PRR, BCPNN, and EBGM. Results: A total of 102 positive reaction terms (PT) spanning 24 System Organ Classes (SOCs) were identified from an analysis of 60,709 reports associated with leuprorelin use. Notably, several previously unrecognized adverse reactions were uncovered, including Artificial Menopause, Ovarian Adhesion, Follicular Cystitis, Intercepted product preparation error, among others. These findings underscore the importance of exercising additional vigilance regarding the potential adverse effects of leuprorelin, such as Abscess Sterile, Injection site granuloma, Intercepted medication error, and Bulbospinal muscular atrophy congenital. Conclusions: This research has successfully uncovered new and unforeseen signals associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs) following leuprorelin administration. The study provides valuable insights into the intricate connection between ADRs and leuprorelin usage. The results underscore the crucial significance of continuous surveillance and meticulous monitoring to promptly identify and manage AEs, ultimately enhancing patient safety and well-being while undergoing leuprorelin therapy.

A dynamic model to predict early occurrence of acute kidney injury in ICU hospitalized cirrhotic patients: a MIMIC database analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a tool for predicting the early occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in ICU hospitalized cirrhotic patients. METHODS: Eligible patients with cirrhosis were identified from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care database. Demographic data, laboratory examinations, and interventions were obtained. After splitting the population into training and validation cohorts, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model was used to select factors and construct the dynamic online nomogram. Calibration and discrimination were used to assess nomogram performance, and clinical utility was evaluated by decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: A total of 1254 patients were included in the analysis, and 745 developed AKI. The mean arterial pressure, white blood cell count, total bilirubin level, Glasgow Coma Score, creatinine, heart rate, platelet count and albumin level were identified as predictors of AKI. The developed model had a good ability to differentiate AKI from non-AKI, with AUCs of 0.797 and 0.750 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Moreover, the nomogram model showed good calibration. DCA showed that the nomogram had a superior overall net benefit within wide and practical ranges of threshold probabilities. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic online nomogram can be an easy-to-use tool for predicting the early occurrence of AKI in critically ill patients with cirrhosis.

Bioinspired deformation computational design method for muscle-driven soft robots using MPM.

In order to adapt to complex and changing environments, animals have a wide variety of locomotor forms, which has inspired the investigation of their deformation and driving mechanisms. In this paper, we propose a computational design method for muscle-driven soft robots to satisfy desired deformations, aiming to mimic the deformation behavior of muscle-driven animals in nature. In this paper, we generate the ideal muscle-driven layout for the soft robot by inputting an initial shape and a desired shape, so that it can closely achieve the desired deformation. The material point method is utilized to simulate the soft medium so as to achieve the effect of coupling and coordinated deformation of arbitrary shapes. Our method efficiently searches for muscle layouts corresponding to various deformations and realizes the deformation behaviors of a variety of bio-inspired robots, including soft robots such as bionic snakes, frogs, and human faces. Experimental results show that for both the bionic snake and frog soft robots, the overlap of the geometric contour regions between the actual and simulated deformations is more than 90%, which validates the effectiveness of the method. In addition, the global muscle distributions of the bionic snake and human face soft robots during motion are generated and validated by effective simulation.

Predicting gastric cancer response to anti-HER2 therapy or anti-HER2 combined immunotherapy based on multi-modal data.

The sole use of single modality data often fails to capture the complex heterogeneity among patients, including the variability in resistance to anti-HER2 therapy and outcomes of combined treatment regimens, for the treatment of HER2-positive gastric cancer (GC). This modality deficit has not been fully considered in many studies. Furthermore, the application of artificial intelligence in predicting the treatment response, particularly in complex diseases such as GC, is still in its infancy. Therefore, this study aimed to use a comprehensive analytic approach to accurately predict treatment responses to anti-HER2 therapy or anti-HER2 combined immunotherapy in patients with HER2-positive GC. We collected multi-modal data, comprising radiology, pathology, and clinical information from a cohort of 429 patients: 310 treated with anti-HER2 therapy and 119 treated with a combination of anti-HER2 and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors immunotherapy. We introduced a deep learning model, called the Multi-Modal model (MuMo), that integrates these data to make precise treatment response predictions. MuMo achieved an area under the curve score of 0.821 for anti-HER2 therapy and 0.914 for combined immunotherapy. Moreover, patients classified as low-risk by MuMo exhibited significantly prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival (log-rank test, P < 0.05). These findings not only highlight the significance of multi-modal data analysis in enhancing treatment evaluation and personalized medicine for HER2-positive gastric cancer, but also the potential and clinical value of our model.

Ambient temperature and the risk of childhood epilepsy hospitalizations: Potentially neglected risk of temperature extremes and modifying effects of air pollution.

PURPOSE: Extreme temperatures and air pollution are increasingly important risk factors for human health in the background of climate change, with limited evidence available for neurological disorders. This study intended to investigate the short-term effects of extreme temperatures on childhood epilepsy and explore the potential modifying effect of air pollution. METHODS: Daily childhood epilepsy hospitalization, meteorological and air pollution data were collected from 10 cities in Anhui Province of China during 2016-2018. We firstly employed a space-time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression model to fit the short-term relationship between temperature and epilepsy. Then, we conducted stratified analyses by the level of air pollution and individual characteristics. RESULTS: Both extreme heat and extreme cold increased the risk of hospitalization for childhood epilepsy. The effect of extreme heat [97.5th vs. minimum hospitalization temperature (MHT)] on hospitalization was acute and emerged at lag0 [OR: 1.229 (95 %CI: 1.035 to 1.459)], while the effect of extreme cold (2.5th vs. MHT) was delayed and appeared at lag5 [OR: 1.098 (95 %CI: 1.043 to 1.156)]. We also found children aged 6-18 years were more susceptible to extreme cold than children aged 0-5 years. Besides, extreme heat and cold effects differed by the level of air pollutants. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that extreme temperatures might be the novel but currently neglected risk factor for childhood epilepsy, and air pollution could further amplify the adverse effect of temperature.

Early diagnosis of Cladosporium fulvum in greenhouse tomato plants based on visible/near-infrared (VIS/NIR) and near-infrared (NIR) data fusion.

Plant diseases can inflict varying degrees of damage on agricultural production. Therefore, identifying a rapid, non-destructive early diagnostic method is crucial for safeguarding plants. Cladosporium fulvum (C. fulvum) is one of the major diseases in tomato growth. This work presents a method of data fusion using two hyperspectral imaging systems of visible/near-infrared (VIS/NIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for the early diagnosis of C. fulvum in greenhouse tomatoes. First, hyperspectral images of samples at health and different times of infection were collected. The average spectral data of the image regions of interest were extracted and preprocessed for subsequent spectral datasets. Then different classification models were established for VIS/NIR and NIR data, optimized through various variable selection and data fusion methods. The principal component analysis-radial basis function neural network (PCA-RBF) model established using low-level data fusion achieved optimal results, achieving accuracies of 100% and 99.3% for calibration and prediction, respectively. Moreover, both the macro-averaged F1 (Macro-F1) values reached 1, and the geometric mean (G-mean) values reached 1 and 1, respectively. The results indicated that it was feasible to establish a PCA-RBF model by using the hyperspectral technique with low-level data fusion for the early detection of C. fulvum in greenhouse tomatoes.

Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis presenting as an uncommon mass in the lung: A rare case report and literature review.

A comprehensive diagnostic approach, including immunohistochemistry, is crucial for confirming pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis in adults. Individualized treatment with dynamically adjusted chemotherapy based on therapeutic response leads to significant absorption of lesions and symptom alleviation. Regular follow-up and timely treatment adjustments according to the patient's condition are essential in managing this rare disease.