Molecular condensates as roadblocks in plant defense.

The molecular mechanism of plant disease tolerance is less studied compared to disease resistance. In this issue of Cell Host &Microbe, Tang et al. revealed that Arabidopsis Hematopoietic protein-1 (HEM1) and Bax-inhibitor 1 (BI-1) condensates diminish disease tolerance by disrupting lipid homeostasis.

The Taping Game for the Complex G8 Glissonean Approach Is the Most Effective Technique for Laparoscopic Anatomic S8 Resection of Dandelion-Patterned Hepatic Pedicles.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic anatomic segment 8 resection (LAR-S8) remains a technical challenge due to the special location of S8 and the complex classification of the Glissonean pedicle of S8 (G8). Particularly for situations in which multiple grade 4 hepatic pedicles branch out from the same point at 360° in a dandelion pattern from the right anterior hepatic pedicle, effective methods for accurately locating the target G8 and the intersegmental plane between S8 and the adjacent hepatic segment remain lacking. METHODS: This report describes a LAR-S8 guided by the indocyanine green (ICG) negative-staining method using the "taping game for complex G8 Glissonean approach" in a patient with a typical dandelion-patterned G8. RESULTS: The operative time was 150 min, with a blood loss of 50 mL and no complications. The patient was discharged 5 days postoperatively. Regular follow-up evaluation during 24 months showed no recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The taping game is an effective method for S8 resection, especially for patients with complex G8 patterns such as the dandelion pattern.

Efficient ofloxacin degradation via peroxymonosulfate activation using an S-scheme MoS2/Co3O4 heterojunction composite under visible light: Performance and mechanistic insights.

Sulfate-radical-mediated photocatalysis technology peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation via visible light irradiation shows great promise for water treatment applications. However, its effectiveness largely depends on the bifunctional performance of photocatalysis and PMS activation provided by the catalysts. In this study, we successfully synthesized a novel S-scheme MoS2/Co3O4 (MC) heterojunction composite by a hydrothermal method and employed it for the first time to activate PMS for ofloxacin (OFX) degradation under visible light irradiation. The MC-5/PMS/Vis system achieved an impressive 85.11% OFX degradation efficiency within 1 min and complete OFX removal within 15 min under optimal conditions, with an apparent first-order kinetics rate constant of 0.429 min-1. Reactive species trapping experiments and electron spin resonance analysis identified 1O2, h+, and •O2- as the primary active species responsible for OFX degradation. Photoelectrochemical analyses and density functional theory calculations indicated the formation of a built-in electric field between MoS2 and Co3O4, which enhanced the separation and migration of photoinduced carriers. Additionally, the Co-Mo interaction further increased the yield of dominant reactive species, thereby boosting photocatalytic activity. This work underscores the potential of visible-light-assisted PMS-mediated photocatalysis using Co3O4-based catalysts for effective pollutant control.

Unveiling chlorine's role: How it shapes the formation and light-activated oxygen dynamics of chlorophenol-derived environmental persistent free radicals.

Environmental persistent free radicals (EPFRs) derived from chlorophenols, triggered by light or heat exposure, pose significant ecological concerns, yet the impact of chlorine substituents on EPFRs formation and reactivity remains inadequately understood. Through an intentional synthesis of chlorophenol-derived EPFRs with varying chlorine contents and positioning, we elucidated the role of chlorine in the photoactivation of molecular oxygen. Our combined experimental and theoretical analysis reveals that these EPFRs are primarily oxygen-centered phenoxy radicals, establishing a direct link between chlorine substitution patterns and their ability to activate molecular oxygen under visible light. Increased chlorine content enhances EPFRs formation by elevating the positive charge on the phenolic hydroxyl group's hydrogen atom, facilitating its removal. Moreover, the capability of EPFRs to activate molecular oxygen was directly correlated with chlorine content, with 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenol-derived EPFRs showcasing the highest activity. This activity is attributed to their structural propensity for TCSQ·- species generation. Furthermore, our study established a significant correlation between the toxicity and activity of EPFRs, emphasizing the critical role of halogen substituents in determining the reactivity of EPFRs. These insights contribute to our understanding of their environmental and toxicological ramifications, underscoring the imperative for continued research aimed at mitigating their detrimental impacts.

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Cushing syndrome (CS) is an endocrine-metabolic disorder characterized by hypercortisolism. Elevated cortisol levels can induce a hypercoagulable state, increasing the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Both pituitary-origin Cushing disease (CD) and adrenal-origin non-adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent CS are primarily treated with surgery. The dual impact of surgery and the underlying disease further elevates the risk of VTE, potentially leading to pulmonary embolism, which poses a severe threat to patient survival. Additionally, CS patients in a hypercoagulable state have a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases and VTE, and even mortality compared with the general population. Untreated active CS patients have a 17.8-fold increased risk of VTE compared to the general population. In recent years, the relationship between the hypercoagulable state in CS and VTE has garnered increasing attention from clinicians. A better understanding of the clinical epidemiological characteristics, pathophysiological mechanisms, and clinical prevention and treatment of VTE and pulmonary embolism in CS can provide valuable references for the standardized use of prophylactic anticoagulant therapy in CS patients.

Diagnosis and Management of Aggressive/Refractory Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors.

The majority of acromegaly and gigantism are caused by growth hormone-secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Most cases can be cured or controlled by surgery, medical therapy, and/or radiotherapy. However, a few of these tumors are resistant to traditional therapy and always have a poor prognosis. The title aggressive/refractory is used to differentiate them from pituitary carcinomas. To date, there is no definitive conclusion on how to diagnose aggressive/refractory growth hormone-secreting PitNETs, which may have slowed the process of exploring new therapeutical strategies. We summarized the literature described diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Potential disease markers and prospective therapies were also included.

Role of ROS signaling in the plant defense against vascular pathogens.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a collective term for highly reactive oxygen derivatives, including singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions, and hydrogen peroxide. In plants, ROS are produced in apoplasts, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes. Although ROS are toxic when their levels exceed a certain threshold, low-concentration ROS can serve as essential signaling molecules for plant growth and development, as well as plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Various aspects of the role of ROS in plants have been discussed in previous reviews. In this review, we first summarize recent progress in the regulatory mechanisms of apoplastic ROS signaling and then propose its potential roles in plant defense against vascular pathogens to provide new ideas for the prevention and control of vascular diseases.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasms of the pancreas (SPNs): diagnostic accuracy of CT and CT imaging features.

PURPOSE: To summarize the abdominal computed tomography (CT) imaging and clinicopathological data of patients with SPNs of the pancreas and analyze the accuracy of preoperative CT diagnosis and features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2006 and June 2023, CT images of 120 histopathologically proven SPNs in the pancreas were retrospectively reviewed. Fifteen features, including age, sex, and CT-determined features, were included in a multiple stepwise regression analysis. The correlations between features and SPNs, including odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 120 patients, the diagnostic accuracy of CT was 43.3%. The baseline CT results of patients with a correct diagnosis and misdiagnosis revealed significant differences in sex (P = 0.043), age (P = 0.004), boundary (P = 0.037) and encapsulation (P = 0.002) between the two groups. The preoperative imaging diagnostic accuracy was significantly greater in females than in males (47.9% vs. 25.0%, P = 0.043). The immunohistochemical indices did not significantly differ between the two groups. The results of univariate analysis revealed significant differences in sex (P = 0.048), age (P = 0.014), tumor length (P = 0.023), tumor boundaries (P = 0.039) and capsule type (P = 0.003). The results of multivariate analysis revealed that encapsulation was closely related to the diagnostic accuracy of CT (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of CT in the diagnosis of SPNs is low, but a length‒diameter ratio of the tumor approaching 1.0, encapsulation and clear boundaries are important CT-determined features. The capsule is an independent CT predictor in the diagnosis of SPNs.

Novel Anoxic-Anaerobic-Oxic process successfully enriched anammox bacteria under actual municipal wastewater.

Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) exhibits promise for wastewater treatment,but the enrichment of anammox bacteria (AnAOB) in municipal wastewater treatment plants is a significant challenge. This study constructed a novel Anoxic-Anaerobic-Oxic (AAnO) process with a pure biofilm anoxic zone fed with actual fluctuating municipal wastewater and operated for six months to enrich AnAOB at ambient temperature. High-throughput sequencing (HTS), qPCR, and fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that AnAOB were successfully enriched in the anoxic biofilms, reaching 1.56 % relative abundance on day 75 detected by HTS. During the period from day 130 to day 186, the anammox process contributed to 55.8 ± 19.2 % of the nitrogen removal in the anoxic zone. Phylogenetic analysis revealed this AnAOB species was closely related to Candidatus Brocadia fulgida. This study provides technical support for the application of anammox in mainstream wastewater.

Effectiveness of onsite and online education in enhancing knowledge and use of human immunodeficiency virus pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: Enhancing awareness and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is vital to curb human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) spread. High-risk behaviors prevalent among sexually transmitted infection clinic outpatients underscore the need for increased PrEP/PEP education in this group. AIM: To investigate the effects of both onsite and online health education on the knowledge of, and willingness to use, PrEP and PEP among individuals receiving PEP services. METHODS: Participants were drawn from a cohort study on PEP service intervention at an STD/AIDS outpatient clinic in designated HIV/AIDS hospitals in Beijing, conducted from January 1 to June 30, 2022. Health education was provided both onsite and online during follow-up. Surveys assessing knowledge of, and willingness to use, PrEP/PEP were administered at baseline and again at 24 wk post-intervention. RESULTS: A total of 112 participants were enrolled in the study; 105 completed the follow-up at week 24. The percentage of participants with adequate knowledge of, and willingness to use, PrEP significantly increased from 65.2% and 69.6% at baseline to 83.8% and 82.9% at the end of the intervention (both P < 0.05). Similarly, those with adequate knowledge of, and willingness to use, PEP increased from 74.1% and 77.7% at baseline to 92.4% and 89.5% at week 24 (P < 0.05). Being between 31 years and 40 years of age, having a postgraduate degree or higher, and reporting a monthly expenditure of RMB 5000 or more were found to be significantly associated with knowledge of PrEP and PEP (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings show that both onsite and online health education significantly improved the knowledge of, and increased willingness to use, PrEP and PEP in individuals utilizing PEP services.

Indocyanine Green Fluorescence-Guided Laparoscopic Anatomical Segmentectomy of Liver Segment 6: Surgical Strategy and Technical Details.

BACKGROUND: Because of the complex anatomy of the right posterior hepatic pedicle, there have been few reports on standardized laparoscopic portal territory staining-guided anatomical resection of liver segment 6 (LPTAR-S6). This study aimed to elucidate the indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence staining methods for LPTAR-S6. PATIENTS AND METHODS: LPTAR-S6 can be performed using positive and negative fluorescence staining approaches. We implemented these two approaches for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Descriptions of the surgical strategy and technical details are presented. RESULTS: Two patients safely underwent LPTAR-S6 using a preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction plan. The intraoperative ICG fluorescence staining effect was satisfactory, and the anatomical landmarks were fully exposed. CONCLUSIONS: A detailed preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction plan, complete intraoperative application of real-time laparoscopic ultrasound guidance, and ICG fluorescence staining can result in accurate transection of the liver parenchyma during LPTAR-S6.

Mst1/Hippo signaling pathway drives isoproterenol-induced inflammatory heart remodeling.

Isoproterenol (ISO) administration is a well-established model for inducing myocardial injury, replicating key features of human myocardial infarction (MI). The ensuing inflammatory response plays a pivotal role in the progression of adverse cardiac remodeling, characterized by myocardial dysfunction, fibrosis, and hypertrophy. The Mst1/Hippo signaling pathway, a critical regulator of cellular processes, has emerged as a potential therapeutic target in cardiovascular diseases. This study investigates the role of Mst1 in ISO-induced myocardial injury and explores its underlying mechanisms. Our findings demonstrate that Mst1 ablation in cardiomyocytes attenuates ISO-induced cardiac dysfunction, preserving cardiomyocyte viability and function. Mechanistically, Mst1 deletion inhibits cardiomyocyte apoptosis, oxidative stress, and calcium overload, key contributors to myocardial injury. Furthermore, Mst1 ablation mitigates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial fission, both of which are implicated in ISO-mediated cardiac damage. Additionally, Mst1 plays a crucial role in modulating the inflammatory response following ISO treatment, as its deletion suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and neutrophil infiltration. To further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying ISO-induced myocardial injury, we conducted a bioinformatics analysis using the GSE207581 dataset. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed significant enrichment of genes associated with DNA damage response, DNA repair, protein ubiquitination, chromatin organization, autophagy, cell cycle, mTOR signaling, FoxO signaling, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and nucleocytoplasmic transport. These findings underscore the significance of Mst1 in ISO-induced myocardial injury and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for mitigating adverse cardiac remodeling. Further investigation into the intricate mechanisms of Mst1 signaling may pave the way for novel therapeutic interventions for myocardial infarction and heart failure.

A SAR Ship Detection Method Based on Adversarial Training.

SAR (synthetic aperture radar) ship detection is a hot topic due to the breadth of its application. However, limited by the volume of the SAR image, the generalization ability of the detector is low, which makes it difficult to adapt to new scenes. Although many data augmentation methods-for example, clipping, pasting, and mixing-are used, the accuracy is improved little. In order to solve this problem, the adversarial training is used for data generation in this paper. Perturbation is added to the SAR image to generate new samples for training, and it can make the detector learn more abundant features and promote the robustness of the detector. By separating batch normalization between clean samples and disturbed images, the performance degradation on clean samples is avoided. By simultaneously perturbing and selecting large losses of classification and location, it can keep the detector adaptable to more confrontational samples. The optimization efficiency and results are improved through K-step average perturbation and one-step gradient descent. The experiments on different detectors show that the proposed method achieves 8%, 10%, and 17% AP (Average Precision) improvement on the SSDD, SAR-Ship-Dataset, and AIR-SARShip, compared to the traditional data augmentation methods.

Arthritis increases the risk of erectile dysfunction: Results from the NHANES 2001-2004.

Objective: This study assessed the association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and arthritis. Methods: Weighted logistic regression and subgroup analyses were used to investigate the association between arthritis incidence and ED among participants in the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. Results: Among the participants, 27.8% and 18.5% had a self-reported history of ED and arthritis, respectively. ED was associated with arthritis (odds ratio [OR]=4.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.20-4.99; p<0.001], which remained significant after adjustment (OR=1.42, 95% CI: 1.00-1.96; p<0.001). Stratified by type of arthritis, after full adjustment, osteoarthritis remained significant (OR=1.11; 95% CI: 1.03-1.20; p=0.017), and rheumatoid arthritis (OR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.93-1.13; p= 0.5) and other arthritis (OR=1.04, 95% CI: 0.98-1.11; p=0.2) were not significantly correlated with ED. Multiple inference analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. Conclusion: Our study showed that arthritis was strongly associated with ED. There is an urgent need to raise awareness and conduct additional research on the reasons behind this association in order to implement more scientific and rational treatment programs for patients with ED and arthritis.

Predicting MET exon 14 skipping mutation in pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma by whole-tumour texture analysis combined with clinical and conventional contrast-enhanced computed tomography features.

Background: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a rare, highly malignant type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a poor prognosis. Targeted drugs for MET exon 14 (METex14) skipping mutation can have considerable clinical benefits. This study aimed to predict METex14 skipping mutation in PSC patients by whole-tumour texture analysis combined with clinical and conventional contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) features. Methods: This retrospective study included 56 patients with PSC diagnosed by pathology. All patients underwent CECT before surgery or other treatment, and both targeted DNA- and RNA-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) were used to detect METex14 skipping mutation status. The patients were divided into two groups: METex14 skipping mutation and nonmutation groups. Overall, 1,316 texture features of the whole tumour were extracted. We also collected 12 clinical and 20 conventional CECT features. After dimensionality reduction and selection, predictive models were established by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Models were evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC), and the clinical utility of the model was assessed by decision curve analysis. Results: METex14 skipping mutation was detected in 17.9% of PSCs. Mutations were found more frequently in those (I) who had smaller long- or short-axis diameters (P=0.02, P=0.01); (II) who had lower T stages (I, II) (P=0.02); and (III) with pseudocapsular or annular enhancement (P=0.03). The combined model based on the conventional and texture models yielded the best performance in predicting METex14 skipping mutation with the highest AUC (0.89). The conventional and texture models also had good performance (AUC =0.83 conventional; =0.88 texture). Conclusions: Whole-tumour texture analysis combined with clinical and conventional CECT features may serve as a noninvasive tool to predict the METex14 skipping mutation status in PSC.

Accuracy, safety, and diagnostic prediction of percutaneous renal mass biopsy and subsequent changes in treatment.

Introduction: The incidence of renal tumours is increasing annually, and imaging alone cannot meet the diagnostic needs. Aim: This single-centre study aimed to evaluate the predictors of diagnostic imaging-guided percutaneous renal mass biopsy (PRMB), its accuracy and safety, and subsequent changes to the treatment plan. Material and methods: We retrospectively collected the clinical data of patients who had undergone PRMB. The diagnosis rate, pathological data, and complications were analysed. Potential predictors of a diagnostic PRMB were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Changes to the treatment plan due to PRMB results were also analysed. Results: A total of 158 patients were included in this study. The univariate analysis showed that higher tumour diameter (OR = 1.223, 95% CI: 1.018-1.468, p = 0.031) and number of biopsy cores ≥ 2 (OR = 6.125, 95% CI: 2.006-18.703, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with diagnostic biopsy, and multivariate analysis results showed that higher tumour diameter (OR = 1.215, 95% CI: 1.008-1.463, p = 0.041) was an independent predictor of diagnostic biopsy. A nomogram including tumour diameter and number of biopsy cores was constructed to predict diagnostic biopsy. Compared with postoperative pathology, the concordance between biopsy and postoperative pathology at identifying malignancies, histologic type, and histologic grade were 100% (47/47), 85.1% (40/47), and 54.1% (20/37), respectively. The treatment plans of 15 patients (9.5%) changed based on the PRMB results. Fourteen patients (8.9%) had minor complications (Clavien-Dindo classification < 2). Conclusions: Our results suggest that tumour diameter was an independent predictor of diagnostic biopsy. Furthermore, PRMB can be accurately and safely performed and may guide clinical decision-making for patients with renal tumours.