MicroRNAs: A novel signature in the metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignant epithelial tumor, characterized by squamous cell differentiation, it is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The increased mortality rate of ESCC patients is predominantly due to the advanced stage of the disease when discovered, coupled with higher risk of metastasis, which is an exceedingly malignant characteristic of cancer, frequently leading to a high mortality rate. Unfortunately, there is currently no specific and effective marker to predict and treat metastasis in ESCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA molecules, approximately 22 nucleotides in length. miRNAs are vital in modulating gene expression and serve pivotal regulatory roles in the occurrence, progression, and prognosis of cancer. Here, we have examined the literature to highlight the intimate correlations between miRNAs and ESCC metastasis, and show that ESCC metastasis is predominantly regulated or regulated by genetic and epigenetic factors. This review proposes a potential role for miRNAs as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for metastasis in ESCC metastasis, with the ultimate aim of reducing the mortality rate among patients with ESCC.

Multitask Adversarial Networks Based on Extensive Nonlinear Spiking Neuron Models.

Deep learning technology has been successfully used in Chest X-ray (CXR) images of COVID-19 patients. However, due to the characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia and X-ray imaging, the deep learning methods still face many challenges, such as lower imaging quality, fewer training samples, complex radiological features and irregular shapes. To address these challenges, this study first introduces an extensive NSNP-like neuron model, and then proposes a multitask adversarial network architecture based on ENSNP-like neurons for chest X-ray images of COVID-19, called MAE-Net. The MAE-Net serves two tasks: (i) converting low-quality CXR images to high-quality images; (ii) classifying CXR images of COVID-19. The adversarial architecture of MAE-Net uses two generators and two discriminators, and two new loss functions have been introduced to guide the optimization of the network. The MAE-Net is tested on four benchmark COVID-19 CXR image datasets and compared them with eight deep learning models. The experimental results show that the proposed MAE-Net can enhance the conversion quality and the accuracy of image classification results.

Centennial loss of lake wetlands in the Yangtze Plain, China: Impacts of land use changes accompanied by hydrological connectivity loss.

Humans have played a fundamental role in altering lake wetland ecosystems, necessitating the use of diverse data types to accurately quantify long-term changes, identify potential drivers, and establish a baseline status. We complied high-resolution historical topographic maps and Landsat imagery to assess the dynamics of the lake wetlands in the Yangtze Plain over the past century, with special attention to land use and hydrological connectivity changes. Results showed an overall loss of 45.6 % (∼11,859.5 km2) of the lake wetlands over the past century. The number of lakes larger than 10 km2 decreased from 149 to 100 due to lake dispersion, vanishing, and shrinkage. The extent of lake wetland loss was 3.8 times larger during the 1930s-1970s than that in the 1970s-1990s. Thereafter, the lake wetland area remained relatively stable, and a net increase was observed during the 2010s-2020s in the Yangtze Plain. The significant loss of lake wetland was predominately driven by agricultural activities and urban land expansion, accounting for 81.1 % and 4.9 % of the total losses, respectively. In addition, the changes in longitudinal and lateral hydrological connectivity further exacerbated the lake wetland changes across the Yangtze Plain through isolation between lakes and the Yangtze River and within the lakes. A total of 130 lakes have been isolated from the Yangtze River due to the construction of sluices and dykes throughout the Yangtze Plain, resulting in the decrease in the proportion of floodplain marsh from 28.3 % in the 1930s to 8.0 % in the 2020s. Furthermore, over 260 sub-lakes larger than 1 km2 (with a total area of 1276.4 km2) are experiencing a loss of connectivity with their parent lakes currently. This study could provide an improved historical baseline of lake wetland changes to guide the conservation planning to wetland protection and prioritization area in the Yangtze Plain.

Influences of the Integrated Rice-Crayfish Farming System with Different Stocking Densities on the Paddy Soil Microbiomes.

Integrated rice-fish farming has emerged as a novel agricultural production pattern to address global food security challenges. Aiming to determine the optimal, scientifically sound, and sustainable stocking density of red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in an integrated rice-crayfish farming system, we employed Illumina high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to evaluate the impact of different stocking densities of red claw crayfish on the composition, diversity, function, and co-occurrence network patterns of soil bacterial communities. The high stocking density of red claw crayfish reduced the diversity and evenness of the soil bacterial community during the mid-culture stage. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi emerged as the most prevalent phyla throughout the experimental period. Low stocking densities initially boosted the relative abundance of Actinobacteria in the paddy soil, while high densities did so during the middle and final stages. There were 90 distinct functional groups identified across all the paddy soil samples, with chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy being the most abundant. Low stocking densities initially favored these functional groups, whereas high densities enhanced their relative abundances in the later stages of cultivation. Medium stocking density of red claw crayfish led to a more complex bacterial community during the mid- and final culture stages. The experimental period showed significant correlations with soil bacterial communities, with total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations emerging as primary factors contributing to the alterations in soil bacterial communities. In summary, our findings demonstrated that integrated rice-crayfish farming significantly impacted the soil microbiomes and environmental factors at varying stocking densities. Our study contributed to theoretical insights into the profound impact of integrated rice-crayfish farming with various stocking densities on bacterial communities in paddy soils.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Military Populations with Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review.

Background: Due to the limited role of chronic pain medication in military personnel and the distress caused to the military population, mindfulness-based therapy has been considered for the follow-up treatment of military personnel with chronic pain. The purpose of this review is to explore the effect and the implementation of mindfulness-based therapy for the military population with chronic pain. Methods: The keywords for the search included "mindfulness" AND ("pain" OR "chronic pain") AND ("military" OR "veteran"). The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to independently assess the risk of bias of the included randomized controlled trials, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to independently assess the risk of bias of the included case-control studies. Results: A total of 175 papers were identified; 65 duplicates were excluded, and 59 papers that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded after reading the titles and abstracts. The remaining 51 papers were read in full, 42 of which did not meet the inclusion criteria. Nine papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The nine studies included 507 veterans and 56 active-duty female military personnel. All pain interventions were mindfulness-based therapy, and all of them were integrated into or adapted from standard mindfulness courses. The results all showed that after mindfulness-based therapy, the relevant indicators improved. Conclusions: Mindfulness-based therapy is an effective treatment method for the military population with chronic pain. The review indicates that future research should focus on the best setting for mindfulness-based therapy, including the course content and time.

Mechanically Tough and Conductive Hydrogels Based on Gelatin and Z-Gln-Gly Generated by Microbial Transglutaminase.

Gelatin-based hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties and conductivities are desirable, but their fabrication is challenging. In this work, an innovative approach for the preparation of gelatin-based conductive hydrogels is presented that improves the mechanical and conductive properties of hydrogels by integrating Z-Gln-Gly into gelatin polymers via enzymatic crosslinking. In these hydrogels (Gel-TG-ZQG), dynamic π-π stacking interactions are created by the introduction of carbobenzoxy groups, which can increase the elasticity and toughness of the hydrogel and improve the conductivity sensitivity by forming effective electronic pathways. Moreover, the mechanical properties and conductivity of the obtained hydrogel can be controlled by tuning the molar ratio of Z-Gln-Gly to the primary amino groups in gelatin. The hydrogel with the optimal mechanical properties (Gel-TG-ZQG (0.25)) exhibits a high storage modulus, compressive strength, tensile strength, and elongation at break of 7.8 MPa at 10 °C, 0.15 MPa at 80% strain, 0.343 MPa, and 218.30%, respectively. The obtained Gel-TG-ZQG (0.25) strain sensor exhibits a short response/recovery time (260.37 ms/130.02 ms) and high sensitivity (0.138 kPa-1) in small pressure ranges (0-2.3 kPa). The Gel-TG-ZQG (0.25) hydrogel-based sensors can detect full-range human activities, such as swallowing, fist clenching, knee bending and finger pressing, with high sensitivity and stability, yielding highly reproducible and repeatable sensor responses. Additionally, the Gel-TG-ZQG hydrogels are noncytotoxic. All the results demonstrate that the Gel-TG-ZQG hydrogel has potential as a biosensor for wearable devices and health-monitoring systems.

Hemostasis Using Prothrombin Complex Concentrate in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of present study was to comprehensívely explore the efficacy and safety of prothrombín complex concentrate (PCC) to treat massíve bleedíng in patíents undergoing cardiac surgery. METHODS: PubMed®, Embase, and Cochrane Líbrary databases were searched for studíes ínvestigating PCC administratíon duríng cardiac surgery published before September 10, 2022. Mean dífference (MD) wíth 95% confidence interval (CI) was applíed to analyze continuous data, and dichotomous data were analyzed as risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI. RESULTS: Twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with other non-PCC treatment regimens, PCC was not assocíated with elevated mortality (RR=1.18, 95% CI=0.86-1.60, P=0.30, I2=0%), shorter hospital stay (MD=-2.17 days; 95% CI=-5.62-1.28, P=0.22, I2=91%), reduced total thoracic drainage (MD=-67.94 ml, 95% CI=-239.52-103.65, P=0.44, I2=91%), thromboembolíc events (RR=1.10, 95% CI=0.74-1.65, P=0.63, I2=39%), increase ín atríal fibríllatíon events (RR=0.73, 95% CI=0.52-1.05, P=0.24, I2=29%), and myocardial infarction (RR=1.10, 95% CI=0.80-1.51, P=0.57, I2=81%). However, PCC use was associated with reduced intensive care unit length of stay (MD=-0.81 days, 95% CI=-1.48- -0.13, P=0.02, I2=0%), bleeding (MD=-248.67 ml, 95% CI=-465.36- -31.97, P=0.02, I2=84%), and intra-aortic balloon pump/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (RR=0.65, 95% CI=0.42-0.996, P=0.05, I2=0%) when compared with non-PCC treatment regimens. CONCLUSION: The use of PCC in cardiac surgery did not correlate with mortality, length of hospítal stay, thoracic drainage, atríal fibríllatíon, myocardíal ínfarction, and thromboembolíc events. However, PCC sígnificantly improved postoperatíve intensíve care unít length of stay, bleedíng, and intra-aortic balloon pump/ extracorporeal membrane oxygenation outcomes ín patients undergoing cardíac surgery.

Integrated rice-yellow catfish farming resulting in variations in the agricultural environment, rice growth performance, and soil bacterial communities.

Different rice production patterns exert varying comprehensive impacts on the agricultural environment. Integrated rice-fish farming, an advanced and rapidly developing agricultural production pattern, aims to improve resource utilization efficiency and enhance food productivity. To unravel the responses and internal interactions of the agricultural ecological environment to integrated rice-fish farming, we assessed and compared environmental factor, rice growth performance, and soil microbiome in both integrated rice-yellow catfish farming (IRYF) and rice monoculture (RM) systems. Our results revealed significant increases in the total nitrogen and ammonia concentrations in the paddy water and soil induced by the IRYF. Rice growth performance in the IRYF group surpassed that in the RM group. IRYF obviously impacted almost all dominant bacterial phyla, genera, and functional groups (top ten most abundant), enhancing the ability of bacteria to degrade and utilize organic matter. Additionally, IRYF led to noticeable reductions in the Shannon, Simpson, Chao 1, and Pielou_J indices. IRYF strengthened the interconnections between various taxonomic units in bacterial co-occurrence network, resulting in increased complexity, stability, and disturbance resistance in the soil bacterial community. IRYF notably facilitated the transition from a community assembly dominated by stochastic processes to one dominated by deterministic processes for the soil bacterial community. The deterministic process driving this transition was variable selection. All the environmental factors, except for soil nitrate, demonstrated relatively high contributions to alterations in soil bacterial communities, with environmental variables significantly positively correlated with the soil bacterial community in the IRYF group. Alterations in functionality, composition, and diversity of the soil bacterial community were clearly associated with most environmental variables and rice growth performance indices. Our research contributed to understanding the comprehensive impacts of integrated rice-fish farming on agricultural ecosystems and provide theoretical support for achieving the sustainable agricultural production and optimizing the rice production patterns.

Evaluation of transformation invariant loss function with distance equilibrium in prediction of imaging photoplethysmography characteristics.

Monitoring changes in human HRV (Heart Rate Variability) holds significant importance for protecting life and health.. Studies have shown that Imaging Photoplethysmography (IPPG) based on ordinary color cameras can detect the color change of the skin pixel caused by cardiopulmonary system. Most researchers employed deep learning IPPG algorithms to extract the Blood Volume Pulse (BVP) signal, analyzing it predominantly through the Heart Rate (HR). However, this approach often overlooks the inherent intricate time-frequency domain characteristics in the BVP signal, which cannot be comprehensively deduced solely from HR. The analysis of HRV metrics through the BVP signal is imperative. APPROACH: In this paper, the transformation invariant loss function with distance equilibrium (TIDLE) loss function is applied to IPPG for the first time, and the details of BVP signal can be recovered better. In detail, TIDLE is tested in four commonly used IPPG deep learning models, which are DeepPhys, EfficientPhys, Physnet and TS_CAN, and compared with other three loss functions, which are MAE, MSE, NPCC. MAIN RESULTS: The experiments demonstrate that MAE and MSE exhibit suboptimal performance in predicting LF/HF across the four models, achieving the Statistic of Mean Absolute Error (MAES) of 25.94% and 34.05%, respectively. In contrast, NPCC and TIDLE yielded more favorable results at 13.51% and 11.35%, respectively. Taking into consideration the morphological characteristics of the BVP signal, on the two optimal models for predicting HRV metrics, namely DeepPhys and TS_CAN, the Pearson coefficients for the BVP signals predicted by TIDLE in comparison to the gold-standard BVP signals achieved values of 0.627 and 0.605, respectively. In contrast, the results based on NPCC were notably lower, at only 0.545 and 0.533, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE: This paper contributes significantly to the effective restoration of the morphology and frequency domain characteristics of the BVP signal.

Association of advanced glycation end products with ear lobe crease: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have demonstrated a significant association between the presence of the ear lobe crease (ELC) and cardiovascular disease. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) can affect the structures and functions of proteins and contribute to the development of diabetic complications. However, few studies have reported the relationship between AGEs and ELC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of skin autofluorescence (SAF)-AGEage (SAF-AGEs × age/100) with ELC. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 6500 eligible participants from two communities in Beijing. Skin autofluorescence (SAF) was used to measure skin AGEs (SAF-AGEs). SAF-AGEage was defined as AGEs × age/100. Binary logistic regression analysis and linear regression analysis nested in logistic models were applied to test outcomes. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of ELC with an average age of 62.7 years participants was 57.1% (n = 3714). Age, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, and lipoprotein cholesterol were all greater in participants with ELC. ELC-positive participants had higher prevalence of coronary heart disease. Logistic analysis showed a significantly positive relationship between quartiles of SAF-AGEage and ELC (odds ratio [OR] 1.526, 95% CI 1.324-1.759; OR 2.072, CI 1.791-2.396; and OR 2.983, CI 2.551-3.489) for the multivariate-adjusted models, respectively. Stratified research revealed that those with a history of diabetes, hypertension, or coronary heart disease experienced the connection between SAF-AGEage and ELC. CONCLUSION: ELC is associated with coronary heart disease, and the SAF-AGE has a potential role in ELC development in elder people.

MXene/TPU Hybrid Fabrics Enable Smart Wound Management and Thermoresponsive Drug Delivery.

Thermoresponsive wound dressings with real-time monitoring and on-demand drug delivery have gained significant attention recently. However, such smart systems with stable temperature adjustment and drug release control are still lacking. Here, a novel smart fabric is designed for wound management with thermoresponsive drug delivery and simultaneously temperature monitoring. The triple layers of the fabrics are composed of the drug-loaded thermoresponsive nanofiber film, the MXene-optimized joule heating film, and the FPCB control chip. The precise and stable temperature stimulation can be easily achieved by applying a low voltage (0-4 V) to the heating film, achieving the temperature control ranging from 25 to 130 °C. And the temperature of the wound region can be monitored and adjusted in real time, demonstrating an accurate and low-voltage joule heating capability. Based on that, the drug-loaded film achieved precise thermoresponsive drug release and obtained significant antibacterial effects in vitro. The in vivo experiments also proved the hybrid fabric system with a notable antibacterial effect and accelerated wound healing process (about 30% faster than the conventional gauze group).

Gut phageome: challenges in research and impact on human microbiota.

The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in maintaining our health. Fluctuations in the diversity and structure of the gut microbiota have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several metabolic and inflammatory conditions. Dietary patterns, medication, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity can all influence the abundance of different types of microbiota in the gut, which in turn can affect the health of individuals. Intestinal phages are an essential component of the gut microbiome, but most studies predominantly focus on the structure and dynamics of gut bacteria while neglecting the role of phages in shaping the gut microbiome. As bacteria-killing viruses, the distribution of bacteriophages in the intestine, their role in influencing the intestinal microbiota, and their mechanisms of action remain elusive. Herein, we present an overview of the current knowledge of gut phages, their lifestyles, identification, and potential impact on the gut microbiota.

MHIF-MSEA: a novel model of miRNA set enrichment analysis based on multi-source heterogeneous information fusion.

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in the regulation of diverse biological processes across various organisms. Despite not encoding proteins, miRNAs have been found to have significant implications in the onset and progression of complex human diseases. Methods: Conventional methods for miRNA functional enrichment analysis have certain limitations, and we proposed a novel method called MiRNA Set Enrichment Analysis based on Multi-source Heterogeneous Information Fusion (MHIF-MSEA). Three miRNA similarity networks (miRSN-DA, miRSN-GOA, and miRSN-PPI) were constructed in MHIF-MSEA. These networks were built based on miRNA-disease association, gene ontology (GO) annotation of target genes, and protein-protein interaction of target genes, respectively. These miRNA similarity networks were fused into a single similarity network with the averaging method. This fused network served as the input for the random walk with restart algorithm, which expanded the original miRNA list. Finally, MHIF-MSEA performed enrichment analysis on the expanded list. Results and Discussion: To determine the optimal network fusion approach, three case studies were introduced: colon cancer, breast cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The experimental results revealed that the miRNA-miRNA association network constructed using miRSN-DA and miRSN-GOA exhibited superior performance as the input network. Furthermore, the MHIF-MSEA model performed enrichment analysis on differentially expressed miRNAs in breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. The achieved p-values were 2.17e(-75) and 1.50e(-77), and the hit rates improved by 39.01% and 44.68% compared to traditional enrichment analysis methods, respectively. These results confirm that the MHIF-MSEA method enhances the identification of enriched miRNA sets by leveraging multiple sources of heterogeneous information, leading to improved insights into the functional implications of miRNAs in complex diseases.

Metal- and light-free decarboxylative direct C-H alkylation of heteroarenes at room temperature.

This study reports a metal- and light-free decarboxylative C-H alkylation of heteroarenes at room temperature. The reaction generates various primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl radicals and functionalizes seven different privileged scaffolds widely present in bioactive molecules. During this process, one equivalent of hypervalent iodine(III) carboxylates (HICs) plays dual roles as an alkyl radical precursor and an oxidant.

Cytological, Physiological, and Transcriptomic Analyses of the Leaf Color Mutant Yellow Leaf 20 (yl20) in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.).

Leaf color mutants are ideal materials for studying chlorophyll metabolism, chloroplast development, and photosynthesis in plants. We discovered a novel eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) mutant yl20 (yellow leaf 20) that exhibits yellow leaves. In this study, we compared the leaves of the mutant yl20 and wild type (WT) plants for cytological, physiological, and transcriptomic analyses. The results showed that the mutant yl20 exhibits abnormal chloroplast ultrastructure, reduced chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, and lower photosynthetic efficiency compared to the WT. Transcriptome data indicated 3267 and 478 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between WT and yl20 lines in the cotyledon and euphylla stages, respectively, where most DEGs were downregulated in the yl20. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed the "plastid-encoded plastid RNA polymerase complex" and the "chloroplast-related" terms were significantly enriched. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis demonstrated that the significantly enriched DEGs were involved in flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, etc. We speculated that these DEGs involved in significant terms were closely related to the leaf color development of the mutant yl20. Our results provide a possible explanation for the altered phenotype of leaf color mutants in eggplant and lay a theoretical foundation for plant breeding.

Combination therapy with venetoclax and azacitidine for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes with DDX41 mutations.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with DEAD-box helicase 41 (DDX41) mutations have been reported to be treated effectively with lenalidomide; however, there are no randomized studies to prove it. Venetoclax and azacitidine are safe and effective in high-risk MDS/AML. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of venetoclax and azacitidine combination therapy in eight consecutive MDS patients with DDX41 mutations at our centre from March 2021 to November 2023. We retrospectively analyzed the genetic features and clinical characteristics of these patients. Our findings suggest that MDS patients with DDX41 mutation may benefit from the therapy, for six subjects received this regimen as initial therapy and five of the six subjects achieved complete remission.

The inverted U-shaped relationship between epinephrine and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients' survival with compensation of lymphocyte.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between epinephrine and cancer can be dose-dependent in in vivo study. Whether it is the same in human body still needs verification. METHOD: We used frozen human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tissues to detect epinephrine content and analyzed its relationship with survival using the K-M method and Cox regression. Disturbance of blood cell count and C-reactive protein and identification of related potent intermediary factors were also analyzed. RESULTS: K-M plot and Cox regression all showed the inverted U-shaped relationship between epinephrine and PDAC survival. Lymphocyte adjustment can increase the HRs of epinephrine for PDAC death by >10%. CONCLUSION: Epinephrine played an anti-tumor or pro-tumor effect depending on the specific concentration. Circulating lymphocyte count was elevated and might acted as a compensation pathway to reduce the pro-tumor effect of epinephrine to PDAC.

Enhanced oxygen reduction activity of α-MnO2 by NH3 plasma treatment.

Oxygen vacancies and heteroatom doping play important role in oxygen reduction activity of metal oxides. Developing efficient modification method is one of the key issues in catalysts research. Room temperature plasma treatment, with the advantages of mild working conditions, no emissions and high efficiency, is a new catalyst modification method developed in recent years. In this work, hydrothermal synthesized α-MnO2 nanorods are treated in NH3 plasma at room temperature. In the reducing atmosphere, oxygen vacancies and N doping are achieved simultaneously on the surface. The NH3 plasma etched MnO2 demonstrate a significant enhanced oxygen reduction activity with half-wave potential of 0.84 V, limiting current density of 6.32 mA cm-2 and transferred electrons number of 3.9. The Mg-air battery with N-MnO2 display a maximum power density of 76.3 mW cm-2 as well as stable discharge performance. This work provides new ideas for preparing efficient and cost-effective method to boost the catalysts activity. .

Measuring high-speed train delay severity: Static and dynamic analysis.

This paper focuses on optimizing the management of delayed trains in operational scenarios by scientifically categorizing train delay levels. It employs static and dynamic models grounded in real-world train delay data from high-speed railways. This classification aids dispatchers in swiftly identifying and predicting delay extents, thus enhancing mitigation strategies' efficiency. Key indicators, encompassing initial delay duration, station impacts, average station delay, delayed trains' cascading effects, and average delay per affected train, inform the classification. Applying the K-means clustering algorithm to standardized delay indicators yields an optimized categorization of delayed trains into four levels, reflecting varying risk levels. This static classification offers a comprehensive overview of delay dynamics. Furthermore, utilizing Markov chains, the study delves into sequential dynamic analyses, accounting for China's railway context and specifically addressing fluctuations during the Spring Festival travel rush. This research, combining static and dynamic approaches, provides valuable insights for bolstering railway operational efficiency and resilience amidst diverse delay scenarios.

Fucoidan MF4 from Fucus vesiculosus inhibits Lewis lung cancer via STING-TBK1-IRF3 pathway.

Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide of marine origin found in brown algae and sea cucumbers, has been identified as a neuroprotective compound. In this study, a novel fucoidan MF4 was extracted from Fucus vesiculosus and isolated using Q-Sepharose fast-flow ion-exchange chromatography. The physicochemical properties of MF4 were characterized. MF4 is primarily composed of fucose, xylose, galactose, glucose, and mannose in a molar ratio of 12.3: 4.9: 1.1: 1.0: 1.1, with an average molecular weight of 67.7 kDa. Notably, MF4 demonstrated suppression of LLC tumor growth in vivo. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that MF4 enhanced the expression of type I interferon-associated downstream genes in macrophages. Furthermore, MF4 increased the levels of phosphorylated TBK1 and IRF3 proteins in vitro. By activating the STING-TBK1-IRF3 signaling pathway, MF4 may enhance the antitumor activity of macrophages. Taken together, MF4 has promising potential as an antitumor and immunomodulatory agent.