Identification of cotton pest and disease based on CFNet- VoV-GCSP -LSKNet-YOLOv8s: a new era of precision agriculture.

Introduction: The study addresses challenges in detecting cotton leaf pests and diseases under natural conditions. Traditional methods face difficulties in this context, highlighting the need for improved identification techniques. Methods: The proposed method involves a new model named CFNet-VoV-GCSP-LSKNet-YOLOv8s. This model is an enhancement of YOLOv8s and includes several key modifications: (1) CFNet Module. Replaces all C2F modules in the backbone network to improve multi-scale object feature fusion. (2) VoV-GCSP Module. Replaces C2F modules in the YOLOv8s head, balancing model accuracy with reduced computational load. (3) LSKNet Attention Mechanism. Integrated into the small object layers of both the backbone and head to enhance detection of small objects. (4) XIoU Loss Function. Introduced to improve the model's convergence performance. Results: The proposed method achieves high performance metrics: Precision (P), 89.9%. Recall Rate (R), 90.7%. Mean Average Precision (mAP@0.5), 93.7%. The model has a memory footprint of 23.3MB and a detection time of 8.01ms. When compared with other models like YOLO v5s, YOLOX, YOLO v7, Faster R-CNN, YOLOv8n, YOLOv7-tiny, CenterNet, EfficientDet, and YOLOv8s, it shows an average accuracy improvement ranging from 1.2% to 21.8%. Discussion: The study demonstrates that the CFNet-VoV-GCSP-LSKNet-YOLOv8s model can effectively identify cotton pests and diseases in complex environments. This method provides a valuable technical resource for the identification and control of cotton pests and diseases, indicating significant improvements over existing methods.

Comparative study of the peroneus tertius muscle in pigs based on the origin, course, insertion and innervation.

BACKGROUND: That the peroneus tertius muscle (PT) is a separate entity has been debated. PT has been reported to be part of the extensor digitorum longus muscle, part of the extensor digitorum brevis, or a separate muscle. While pigs have a PT as well as primates, there are no reports of its association with the extensor digitorum longus muscle or extensor digitorum brevis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we used gross dissection and Sihler's staining to determine the origin, course, insertion, and innervation of the pig PT. RESULTS: The PT and extensor digitorum longus muscles jointly originated from the femur and ran between the tibialis cranialis and peroneus longus muscles. The PT was inserted at the retinaculum of the metatarsal extensors, tarsal bone, and second metatarsal bone. The branches of the common fibular nerve to the extensor digitorum longus muscle were distributed to the PT. CONCLUSIONS: The innervations suggest that the PT and extensor digitorum longus muscles of the pig were derived from the same muscle mass during development but were named separately due to differences in their morphology. Furthermore, morphological features suggest that pig PT and human PT are probably different muscles.

Lensless imaging in one shot using the complex degree of coherence obtained by multiaperture interferences.

The van Cittert-Zernike theorem states that the Fourier transform of the intensity distribution function of a distant, incoherent source is equal to the complex degree of coherence. In this Letter, we present a method for measuring the complex degree of coherence in one shot by recording the interference patterns produced by multiple aperture pairs. The intensity of the sample is obtained by Fourier transforming the complex degree of coherence. The experimental verification by using a simple object is presented together with a discussion on how the method could be improved for imaging more complex samples.

Microbiological assessment of Suncus murinus bred and managed as laboratory animals.

Suncus murinus is gaining prominence as a laboratory animal; however, there is no generally accepted method for microbiological monitoring. This study aimed to apply non-serological microbiological monitoring of laboratory mice for S. murinus and identify the subdominant species obtained by culture methods for microbial assessment. Culture and PCR were used to test S. murinus for the laboratory mice test panels including 10 bacterial species and orthohantaviruses, all of which were negative. The species that grew sub-dominantly in rectal feces were identified as Aeromonas hydrophila, which is pathogenic to mammals. These results indicate that microbiological monitoring should be used to detect pathogens directly from S. murinus, not from sentinel animals, due to the host-specific microbial environment.

Identification and validation of immune-related methylated genes as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignancy occurring in the head and neck. Identification of immune-related methylated biomarkers might be helpful for NPC detection and prognostic evaluation. METHODS: A co-methylation network based on WGCNA was constructed to identify modules associated with NPC and immune cells. In combination with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and immune-related genes from ImmPort database, the candidate immune-related methylated genes (IRMGs) were obtained. RESULTS: Our combined analysis identified 12 IRMGs. Among them, both the methylation and mRNA expression of CCL28, CSK, and PRKCB were correlated with the infiltration of B cells. CD1D, CR2, and GDF10 were favorable markers. Demethylation experiments validated that downregulation of GDF10, PRKCB, SLC40A1, and TGFBR3 in NPC resulted from promoter hypermethylation. Additionally, a diagnostic model was developed and exhibited high discriminative accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: These results provided a group of immune-related methylated biomarkers that may help with the diagnosis and prognosis of NPC.

A new histopathological phenomenon: Pancreatic islet cell loss in the elderly population.

BACKGROUND: We observed the phenomenon of pancreatic islet cell loss (ICL) in our previous histopathological study. Multiple studies have reported that a decrease in ß-cells is correlated with diabetes or chronic pancreatitis. Few studies have reported ICL in a healthy population. METHODS: Thirty-three pancreatic tissue samples were obtained from cadavers (age: 65-104 years) who had never been diagnosed with any pancreatic diseases before death. The pancreatic body sections were used for an immunohistochemical study of pancreatic islet cells, and area calculations were performed using ImageJ to determine the degree of ICL and islet cell proportions. RESULTS: The proportion of ß-cells showed a downward trend as the degree of ICL increased (r=-0.414, P = 0.011), and the proportion of women with severe ICL was significantly higher than that of men with severe ICL (P = 0.016). The probability of severe ICL decreased with age in the population over 70 years of age (P = 0.069, linear correlation). Severe ICL may be associated with higher pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions (P = 0.059). CONCLUSION: The phenomenon of ICL in the elderly population was mainly due to pancreatic ß-cell reduction. It may be one of the direct causes of age-related diabetes.

Gut microbiota of Suncus murinus, a naturally obesity-resistant animal, improves the ecological diversity of the gut microbiota in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice.

BACKGROUND: The global population of obese individuals is increasing, affecting human health. High-fat diets are a leading cause of this epidemic, and animal models, such as mice, are often used in related research. Obese individuals have a different gut microbiota composition from non-obese ones, characterized by a sizeable population of certain bacteria associated with fat storage. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in regulating human physiological and metabolic functions. Links between obesity, high-fat diets and gut microbiota have become hot topics of discussion. Recently, research on the modulation of the gut microbiota has focused on fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which has been recognized as an effective method of studying the function of gut microbiota. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate how the gut microbiota of Suncus murinus, a naturally obesity-resistant animal, through FMT, affected the ecology of the gut microbiota of high-fat diet induced obese mice. METHODS: In this study, Suncus murinus was used as a donor for FMT. High-fat diet induced C57BL/6NCrSIc mice were used as recipients, the body weight changes were measured and changes in their gut flora were analyzed using a 16S rRNA gene analysis. RESULTS: The study found that, after the FMT procedure, the FMT group tended to have a lower body weight than the control group. At the phylum level, the most predominant phyla in all groups were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, while Deferribacteres was not detected in the FMT or antibiotic administration groups, and Bacteroidetes was not present in the antibiotic administration group. At the genus level, the FMT group had significantly lower OTU richness than the control group but greater diversity than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that FMT from Suncus murinus can help reorganize and improve the gut microbiota of mice in a balanced and diverse ecosystem.

Integrated network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and molecular docking to explore the mechanisms of berberine regulating autophagy in breast cancer.

Berberine exhibits anticancer efficacy against a variety of malignancies, including breast cancer (BRCA). However, the underlying mechanism is ambiguous. This study sought to explore the targets and the probable mechanism of berberine regulating autophagy in BRCA through network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and molecular docking. The targets of berberine and autophagy-modulated genes were derived from online databases, and the Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to identify the differentially expressed genes of BRCA. Then, through intersections, the autophagy-modulated genes regulated by berberine (AMGRBs) in BRCA were obtained. Next, we established a protein-protein interaction network using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database. Afterward, gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses were employed to explore the targets' biological functions. Additionally, molecular docking was conducted to verify the binding ability of berberine to the targets. Finally, to determine the prognostic value of AMGRBs in BRCA, we performed overall survival analyses. We identified 29 AMGRBs in BRCA, including CASP3, MTOR, AKT1, GSK3B, PIK3CA, and others. Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that the AMGRBs in BRCA were associated with autophagy regulation, negative regulation of catabolic process, macroautophagy, and other biological processes. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses indicated that AMGRBs in BRCA were involved in epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and others. Molecular docking results proved that berberine had strong binding affinities with AMGRBs in BRCA. Survival analyses indicated that ATM, HTR2B, LRRK2, PIK3CA, CDK5, and IFNG were associated with the prognosis of BRCA. This study identified the targets and pathways of berberine for regulating autophagy in BRCA, which contributed to a better understanding of berberine's function in BRCA and serve as a foundation and reference for further study and therapeutic application of berberine.

Therapeutic effect of demethylated hydroxylated phillygenin derivative on Helicobacter pylori infection.

Modifying and transforming natural antibacterial products is a novel idea for developing new efficacious compounds. Phillygenin has an inhibitory effect on H. pylori. The aim of the present study was to prepare a phillygenin derivative (PHI-Der) through demethylation and hydroxylation. The minimum inhibitory concentration of 18 strains of H. pylori from different sources was 8-32 µg/mL in vitro, and the activity increased 2-8 times than that of phillygenin. PHI-Der could significantly inhibit the colonization of H. pylori in vivo, reduce the inflammatory response, and promote the repair of inflammatory damage. Further, we used SwissTargetPrediction to predict that its main targets are ALOX5, MCL1, and SLC6A4, and find that it can inhibit bacterial biofilm formation and reduce bacterial infection of cells. It can enhance the intracellular oxidative capacity of H. pylori to inhibit H. pylori growth. Further, it could prevent the oxidation of H. pylori-infected cells and reduce the inflammatory response, which plays a role in protection. In conclusion, compared to phillygenin, PHI-Der had better antibacterial activity and was more effective in treating H. pylori infection. It has characteristics of high safety, specificity, resistance to drug resistance and better antibacterial activity than phillygenin, it's a good antioxidant for host cells.

Fecal microbiota transplantation from Suncus murinus, an obesity-resistant animal, to C57BL/6NCrSIc mice, and the antibiotic effects in the approach.

Introduction: Important studies on the relationship of the intestinal microbial flora with obesity have uncovered profound changes in the composition of the gut microbiota in obese individuals. Animal studies successfully altered body phenotypes by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Methods: In this study, we analyzed the gut microbiome of Suncus murinus (S. murinus), a naturally obesity-resistant animal, and the changes of the gut flora of C57BL/6NCrSIc mice that received gut bacteria transplantation from S. murinus by 16S rRNA gene analysis method. And analyzed and discussed the possible impact of the use of antibiotics before transplantation on the outcome of transplantation. Results: Our results showed no significant changes in body weight in the FMT group compared to the control (AB) group, but large fluctuations due to antibiotics. There was no change in blood lipid levels between groups before and after FMT. The gut microbiota of S. murinus were enriched in Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, while Bacteroidetes were not detected, and fewer OTUs were detected in the intestine gut in comparison to other mouse groups. Statistically significant differences in alpha diversity were observed between the FMT group and other groups. Furthermore, a beta diversity analysis indicated an apparent structural separation between the FMT group and other groups. Conclusion: It was suggested that the gut flora of S. murinus was not well established in the gut trace of mice through FMT, and the administration of antibiotics before transplantation was an important factor affecting the overall composition of the gut flora. Although FMT of S. murinus failed to completely colonize the intestinal tract of the mice, it still had a certain effect on the establishment of the intestinal flora of the mice. The unpredictable effects of pre-transplantation antibiotics on the results of transplantation cannot be ignored.

Physics-enhanced neural network for phase retrieval from two diffraction patterns.

In this work, we propose a physics-enhanced two-to-one Y-neural network (two inputs and one output) for phase retrieval of complex wavefronts from two diffraction patterns. The learnable parameters of the Y-net are optimized by minimizing a hybrid loss function, which evaluates the root-mean-square error and normalized Pearson correlated coefficient on the two diffraction planes. An angular spectrum method network is designed for self-supervised training on the Y-net. Amplitudes and phases of wavefronts diffracted by a USAF-1951 resolution target, a phase grating of 200 lp/mm, and a skeletal muscle cell were retrieved using a Y-net with 100 learning iterations. Fast reconstructions could be realized without constraints or a priori knowledge of the samples.

Phillygenin Inhibits Helicobacter pylori by Preventing Biofilm Formation and Inducing ATP Leakage.

With the widespread use and abuse of antibiotics, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has become seriously drug resistant. The development of new antibiotics is an important way to solve H. pylori's drug resistance. Screening antibacterial ingredients from natural products is a convenient way to develop new antibiotics. Phillygenin, an effective antibacterial component, was selected from the natural product, forsythia, in this study. Its minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for 18 H. pylori strains was 16-32 µg/ml. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of H. pylori G27 was 128 µg/ml; the higher the drug concentration and the longer the time, the better the sterilization effect. It was non-toxic to gastric epithelial cell (GES)-1 and BGC823 cells at the concentration of 100 µg/ml. It presented a better antibacterial effect on H. pylori in an acidic environment, and after 24 days of induction on H. pylori with 1/4 MIC of phillygenin, no change was found in the MIC of H. pylori. In the mechanism of action, phillygenin could cause ATP leakage and inhibit the biofilm formation; the latter was associated with the regulation of spoT and Hp1174 genes. In addition, phillygenin could regulate the genes of Nhac, caggamma, MATE, MdoB, flagellinA, and lptB, leading to the weakening of H. pylori's acid resistance and virulence, the diminishing of H. pylori's capacity for drug efflux, H. pylori's DNA methylation, the initiation of human immune response, and the ATP leakage of H. pylori, thus accelerating the death of H. pylori. In conclusion, phillygenin was a main ingredient inhibiting H. pylori in Forsythia suspensa, with a good antibacterial activity, high safety, strong specificity, better antibacterial effect under acidic conditions, and low risk of resistance development by H. pylori. Its mechanism of action was mainly associated with inhibiting the biofilm formation and resulting in ATP leakage. In addition, phillygenin was shown to be able to reduce the acid resistance and virulence of H. pylori.

Pathologic role of peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 in pulmonary artery remodeling.

Peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 is crucial for cell proliferation, but its role in pulmonary artery remodeling (PAR) is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the expression and contribution of Pin1 in PAR. Treatment with Pin1 inhibitor Juglone or Pin1-specific siRNAs ameliorated the expression of Pin1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) in vitro, and Juglone treatment arrested the cell cycle at the G1 phase. Treatment with transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) also enhanced Pin1 expression and PASMC proliferation. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that Pin1 and PCNA expression levels were increased and positively correlated with each other in PAR samples from humans and monocrotaline-treated Sprague-Dawley rats; these proteins were mainly localized in arteries undergoing remodeling, as well as inflammatory cells, and hyperplastic bronchial epithelial cells. Intraperitoneal injection of Juglone also led to morphologic and hemodynamic changes in PAR rats. Additionally, PAR rats displayed higher serum and lung TGF-ß1 levels compared with controls, while administration of Juglone to PAR rats suppressed serum and lung TGF-ß1 levels. The findings in this study suggest that TGF-ß1 and Pin1 constitute a positive feedback loop, which plays an important role in the pathophysiology of PAR.

Early genetic diagnosis of clarithromycin resistance in Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND: The drug resistance rate of clinical Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) isolates has increased. However, the mechanism of drug resistance remains unclear. In this study, drug-resistant H. pylori strains were isolated from different areas and different populations of Chinese for genomic analysis. AIM: To investigate drug-resistant genes in H. pylori and find the genes for the early diagnosis of clarithromycin resistance. METHODS: Three drug-resistant H. pylori strains were isolated from patients with gastritis in Bama County, China. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of clarithromycin, metronidazole, and levofloxacin were determined and complete genome sequencing was performed with annotation. Hp1181 and hp1184 genes were found in these strains and then detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The relationships between hp1181 or hp1184 and clarithromycin resistance were ascertained with gene mutant and drug-resistant strains. The homology of the strains with hp26695 was assessed through complete genome detection and identification. Differences in genome sequences, gene quantity, and gene characteristics were detected amongst the three strains. Prediction and analysis of the function of drug-resistant genes indicated that the RNA expression of hp1181 and hp1184 increased in the three strains, which was the same in the artificially induced clarithromycin-resistant bacteria. After gene knockout, the drug sensitivity of the strains was assessed. RESULTS: The strains showing a high degree of homology with hp26695, hp1181, and hp1184 genes were found in these strains; the expression of the genes hp1184 and hp1181 was associated with clarithromycin resistance. CONCLUSION: Hp1181 and hp1184 mutations may be the earliest and most persistent response to clarithromycin resistance, and they may be the potential target genes for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of clarithromycin resistance.

Complex wavefront sensing based on coherent diffraction imaging using vortex modulation.

Phase retrieval seeks to reconstruct the phase from the measured intensity, which is an ill-posed problem. A phase retrieval problem can be solved with physical constraints by modulating the investigated complex wavefront. Orbital angular momentum has been recently employed as a type of reliable modulation. The topological charge l is robust during propagation when there is atmospheric turbulence. In this work, topological modulation is used to solve the phase retrieval problem. Topological modulation offers an effective dynamic range of intensity constraints for reconstruction. The maximum intensity value of the spectrum is reduced by a factor of 173 under topological modulation when l is 50. The phase is iteratively reconstructed without a priori knowledge. The stagnation problem during the iteration can be avoided using multiple topological modulations.

Complex wavefront sensing based on alternative structured phase modulation.

Spatial light modulators (SLMs), which generate varying phase modulation, are widely used in coherent diffraction imaging. Random patterns are uploaded on the SLM to modulate the measured wavefront. However, a random pattern is highly complex and requires a reliable SLM. In addition, the uncorrelated terms generated from the random modulations need to be sufficiently captured using an imaging sensor with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to avoid stagnation during iterations. We propose an alternative structured phase modulation (ASPM) method. The modulations are composed of orthogonally placed phase bars that introduce uncorrelated modulations. The ASPM modulation can act as the phase grating; in addition, the modulated intensities are concentrated, which can be captured with a high SNR. The complexity of the ASPM patterns is significantly reduced, which is helpful for utilizing the SLM to generate reliable phase modulation.

Application of traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has a high rate of infection and antibiotic resistance and poses a serious threat to human life. One of the main strategies to overcome drug resistance is to develop new treatment plans. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that is commonly used to treat many diseases in China can reduce drug resistance and increase the eradication rate of H. pylori. In this paper, we review the research progress on TCM in the treatment of H. pylori infection. The mechanism of action of TCM is reviewed and research and applications of TCM in the treatment of H. pylori are demonstrated. Finally, we discuss problems confronting the use of TCM for the treatment of H. pylori infection and propose possible solutions. In addition, the plans of TCM in H. pylori treatment were also screened: Dampness-heat syndrome in the spleen and stomach, deficiency of spleen and stomach, and cold-heat complicated syndrome, and the effective components therein are studied. The antibacterial effect of TCM is relatively slow; for rapid improvement of the treatment effect of refractory H. pylori gastritis, we provide an appropriate treatment regime combining TCM and Western medicine with immune-regulatory and synergistic antibacterial effects.

Prediction Biomarkers Associated with Lymph Node Metastasis and Prognosis were Identified in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma via Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prediction biomarkers associated with prognosis and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are needed to facilitate clinicians in choosing appropriate therapies. OBJECTIVE: We hope to identify key genes associated with LNM and prognosis in PTC. METHODS: GSE29265, GSE33630, GSE3467, GSE3678 and GSE58545 gene expression profiles were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between PTC tissues and normal thyroid tissues were selected with the GEO2R tool, and common DEGs among the five datasets were integrated with Venn software online. A proteinprotein interaction (PPI) network of the common DEGs was visualized. We analyzed the PPI network and determined core genes using the Cytoscape software. Furthermore, we employed UALCAN to verify the expression and promoter methylation status of the core genes in thyroid carcinoma (THCA). Additionally, the Kaplan-Meier plotter online tool was used to analyze the relationship between overall survival and core gene expressions in THCA. RESULTS: TNS3, DUSP6, DUSP4 and PTPRE were identified as core genes. Expression of these 4 genes and the promoter methylation status of DUSP4 and PTPRE were strongly associated with LNM (P<0.05). High expression of 3 genes (DUSP6, DUSP4 and PTPRE) was related to a significantly better survival than low expression of the 3 genes in THCA. In contrast, high TNS3 expression was related to significantly worse survival (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: TNS3, DUSP6, DUSP4, PTPRE and DUSP4 and PTPRE promoter methylation status might be useful predictive biomarkers of LNM in PTC. Additionally, these genes may be prognostic biomarkers in PTC.