CD274 (PD-L1) negatively regulates M1 macrophage polarization in ALI/ARDS.

Background: Acute lung injury (ALI)/severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious clinical syndrome characterized by a high mortality rate. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ALI/ARDS remain incompletely understood. Considering the crucial role of immune infiltration and macrophage polarization in the pathogenesis of ALI/ARDS, this study aims to identify key genes associated with both ALI/ARDS and M1 macrophage polarization, employing a combination of bioinformatics and experimental approaches. The findings could potentially reveal novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of ALI/ARDS. Methods: Gene expression profiles relevant to ALI were retrieved from the GEO database to identify co-upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO and KEGG analyses facilitated functional annotation and pathway elucidation. PPI networks were constructed to identify hub genes, and differences in immune cell infiltration were subsequently examined. The expression of hub genes in M1 versus M2 macrophages was evaluated using macrophage polarization datasets. The diagnostic utility of CD274 (PD-L1) for ARDS was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis in a validation dataset. Experimental confirmation was conducted using two LPS-induced M1 macrophage models and an ALI mouse model. The role of CD274 (PD-L1) in M1 macrophage polarization and associated proinflammatory cytokine production was further investigated by siRNA-mediated silencing. Results: A total of 99 co-upregulated DEGs were identified in two ALI-linked datasets. Enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in immune-inflammatory pathways. The following top 10 hub genes were identified from the PPI network: IL-6, IL-1ß, CXCL10, CD274, CCL2, TLR2, CXCL1, CCL3, IFIT1, and IFIT3. Immune infiltration analysis revealed a significantly increased abundance of M1 and M2 macrophages in lung tissue from the ALI group compared to the control group. Subsequent analysis confirmed that CD274 (PD-L1), a key immunological checkpoint molecule, was highly expressed within M1 macrophages. ROC analysis validated CD274 (PD-L1) as a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of ARDS. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments supported the bioinformatics analysis and confirmed that the JAK-STAT3 pathway promotes CD274 (PD-L1) expression on M1 macrophages. Importantly, knockdown of CD274 (PD-L1) expression potentiated M1 macrophage polarization and enhanced proinflammatory cytokines production. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a significant correlation between CD274 (PD-L1) and M1 macrophages in ALI/ARDS. CD274 (PD-L1) functions as a negative regulator of M1 polarization and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages. These findings suggest potential new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of ALI/ARDS.

Current advances on the therapeutic potential of scutellarin: an updated review.

Scutellarin is widely distributed in Scutellaria baicalensis, family Labiatae, and Calendula officinalis, family Asteraceae, and belongs to flavonoids. Scutellarin has a wide range of pharmacological activities, it is widely used in the treatment of cerebral infarction, angina pectoris, cerebral thrombosis, coronary heart disease, and other diseases. It is a natural product with great research and development prospects. In recent years, with in-depth research, researchers have found that wild scutellarin also has good therapeutic effects in anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-virus, treatment of metabolic diseases, and protection of kidney. The cancer treatment involves glioma, breast cancer, lung cancer, renal cancer, colon cancer, and so on. In this paper, the sources, pharmacological effects, in vivo and in vitro models of scutellarin were summarized in recent years, and the current research status and future direction of scutellarin were analyzed.

Identification method of thyroid nodule ultrasonography based on self-supervised learning dual-branch attention learning framework.

Thyroid ultrasound is a widely used diagnostic technique for thyroid nodules in clinical practice. However, due to the characteristics of ultrasonic imaging, such as low image contrast, high noise levels, and heterogeneous features, detecting and identifying nodules remains challenging. In addition, high-quality labeled medical imaging datasets are rare, and thyroid ultrasound images are no exception, posing a significant challenge for machine learning applications in medical image analysis. In this study, we propose a Dual-branch Attention Learning (DBAL) convolutional neural network framework to enhance thyroid nodule detection by capturing contextual information. Leveraging jigsaw puzzles as a pretext task during network training, we improve the network's generalization ability with limited data. Our framework effectively captures intrinsic features in a global-to-local manner. Experimental results involve self-supervised pre-training on unlabeled ultrasound images and fine-tuning using 1216 clinical ultrasound images from a collaborating hospital. DBAL achieves accurate discrimination of thyroid nodules, with a 88.5% correct diagnosis rate for malignant and benign nodules and a 93.7% area under the ROC curve. This novel approach demonstrates promising potential in clinical applications for its accuracy and efficiency.

Over 10% Efficient Sb2 (S,Se)3 Solar Cells Enabled by CsI-Doping Strategy.

Antimony selenosulfide (Sb2 (S,Se)3 ) is an emerging quasi-1D photovoltaic semiconductor with exceptional photoelectric properties. The low-symmetry chain structure contains complex defects and makes it difficult to improve electrical properties via doping method. This article reports a doping strategy to enhance the efficiency of Sb2 (S,Se)3 solar cells by using alkali halide (CsI) as the hydrothermal reaction precursor. It is found that the Cs and I ions are effectively doped and atomically coordinate with Sb ions and S/Se ions. The CsI-doping Sb2 (S,Se)3 absorbers exhibit enhanced grain morphologies and reduced trap densities. The consequential CsI-doping Sb2 (S,Se)3 based solar cells demonstrate favorable band alignment, suppressed carrier recombination, and improved device performance. An efficiency as high as 10.05% under standard AM1.5 illumination irradiance is achieved. This precursor-based alkali halide doping strategy provides a useful guidance for high-efficiency antimony selenosulfide solar cells.

Enhanced Electrostatic Safety and Thermal Compatibility of Special Powders Based on Surface Modification.

Electrostatic accumulation is associated with almost all powder-conveying processes which could bring about electrostatic discharges. In most cases of industrial accidents, electrostatic discharge is proven to be the primary source of ignition and explosion. Herein, a surface modification process of polyaniline (PANI) is proposed to construct highly exothermic special powders, namely, HMX@PANI energetic composites, with low charge accumulation for improving powder electrostatic safety. Pure HMX are encapsulated within the PANI-conductive polymer layer through simple hydrogen bonding. Simulation results demonstrate that the forming process of HMX/aniline structure is a spontaneously thermodynamical process. The resultant inclusion complex exhibits excellent thermal stability, remarkable compatibility and intensive heat release. Importantly, PANI possesses superior electrostatic mobility characteristics because of the π-conjugated ligand, which can significantly reduce the accumulated charges on the surface of energetic powders. Moreover, the modified explosive has a narrower energy gap, which will improve the electron transition by reducing the energy barrier. The electrostatic accumulation test demonstrates that HMX@PANI composites possess a trace electrostatic accumulation of 34 nC/kg, which is two orders of magnitude lower than that of pure HMX (-6600 nC/kg) and might indicate a higher electrostatic safety. In conclusion, this surface modification process shows great promise for potential applications and could be extensively used in the establishment of high electrostatic safety for special powders.

Responses of composition and metabolism of microbial communities during the remediation of black and odorous water using bioaugmentation and aeration.

This study elucidated the effect patterns of aeration and bioaugmentation on indigenous microbial communities, metabolites, and metabolic pathways in the remediation of black and odorous water. This is crucial for the precise formulation and targeted development of effective microbial consortia, as well as for tracking and forecasting the bioremediation of black and odorous water. The results confirmed that combining bioaugmentation with aeration markedly enhanced the degradation of COD, NH4+-N, and TN and the conversion of Fe and Mn. Aeration significantly increased the relative abundance of Flavobacterium and Diaphorobacter, and the positive interbacterial interaction in the effective microbial consortia EM31 gave the constituent strain Klebsiella and Bacillus a dominant niche in the bioaugmentation. Furthermore, bioaugmentation improved the capacity of the indigenous microbial consortia to utilize basic carbon source, particularly the utilization of L-glycerol, I-erythritol, glucose-1-phosphate, and the catabolism of cysteine and methionine. Moreover, during the remediation of black and odorous water by aeration and bioaugmentation, Glucosinolate biosynthesis (map00966), Steroid hormone biosynthesis (map00140), Folate biosynthesis (map00790), One carbon pool by folate (map00670), and Tyrosine metabolism (map00350) were identified as key functional metabolic pathways in microbial communities.

Comparison of the chloroplast genomes and phylogenomic analysis of Elaeocarpaceae.

Background: Elaeocarpaceae is a vital family in tropical and subtropical forests. Compared with the important position of Elaeocarpaceae species in forest ecosystem and the concern of medicinal value, the most research on Elaeocarpaceae are classification and taxonomy. Molecular systematics has corrected the morphological misjudgment, and it belongs to Oxalidales. Phylogenetic and divergence time estimates of Elaeocarpaceae is mostly constructed by using chloroplast gene fragments. At present, although there are reports on the chloroplast structure of Elaeocarpaceae, a comprehensive analysis of the chloroplast structure of Elaeocarpaceae is lacking. Methods: To understand the variation in chloroplast sequence size and structure in Elaeocarpaceae, the chloroplast genomes of nine species were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform and further assembled and annotated with Elaeocarpus japonicus and Sloanea sinensis (family Elaeocarpaceae) as references. A phylogenomic tree was constructed based on the complete chloroplast genomes of the 11 species representing five genera of Elaeocarpaceae. Chloroplast genome characteristics were examined by using Circoletto and IRscope software. Results: The results revealed the following: (a) The 11 sequenced chloroplast genomes ranged in size from 157,546 to 159,400 bp. (b) The chloroplast genomes of Elaeocarpus, Sloanea, Crinodendron and Vallea lacked the rpl32 gene in the small single-copy (SSC) region. The large single-copy (LSC) region of the chloroplast genomes lacked the ndhK gene in Elaeocarpus, Vallea stipularis, and Aristotelia fruticosa. The LSC region of the chloroplast genomes lacked the infA gene in genus Elaeocarpus and Crinodendron patagua. (c) Through inverted repeat (IR) expansion and contraction analysis, a significant difference was found between the LSC/IRB and IRA/LSC boundaries among these species. Rps3 was detected in the neighboring regions of the LSC and IRb regions in Elaeocarpus. (d) Phylogenomic analysis revealed that the genus Elaeocarpus is closely related to Crinodendron patagua on an independent branch and Aristotelia fruticosa is closely related to Vallea stipularis, forming a clade with the genus Sloanea. Structural comparisons showed that Elaeocarpaceae diverged at 60 Mya, the genus Elaeocarpus diverged 53 Mya and that the genus Sloanea diverged 0.44 Mya. These results provide new insight into the evolution of the Elaeocarpaceae.

MiR-146a rs2910164 (G/C) polymorphism is associated with the development and prognosis of acute coronary syndromes: an observational study including case control and validation cohort.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The purpose of this study was to assess the association of miR-146a rs2910164 and miR-34b rs4938723 polymorphisms with the development and prognosis of ACS and to explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: A case-control study of 1171 subjects was included to determine the association of miR-146a rs2910164 and miR-34b rs4938723 polymorphisms with ACS risk. An additional 612 patients with different miR-146a rs2910164 genotypes, who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were included in the validation cohort and followed for 14 to 60 months. The endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). A luciferase reporter gene assay was used to validate the interaction of oxi-miR-146a(G) with the IKBA 3'UTR. Potential mechanisms were validated using immunoblotting and immunostaining. RESULTS: The miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism was significantly associated with the risk of ACS (Dominant model: CG + GG vs. CC, OR = 1.270, 95% CI (1.000-1.613), P = 0.049; Recessive model: GG vs. CC + CG, OR = 1.402, 95% CI (1.017-1.934), P = 0.039). Serum inflammatory factor levels were higher in patients with the miR-146a rs2910164 G allele than in those with the C allele. MiR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism in dominant model was associated with the incidence of MACE in post-PCI patients (CG + GG vs. CC, HR = 1.405, 95% CI (1.018-1.939), P = 0.038). However, the miR-34b rs4938723 polymorphism was not associated with the prevalence and prognosis of ACS. The G allele of miR-146a rs2910164 tends to be oxidized in ACS patients. The miRNA fractions purified from monocytes isolated from ACS patients were recognized by the 8OHG antibody. Mispairing of Oxi-miR-146a(G) with the 3'UTR of IKBA results in decreased IκBα protein expression and activation of the NF-κB inflammatory pathway. P65 expression was higher in atherosclerotic plaques from patients carrying the miR-146a rs2910164 G allele. CONCLUSION: The variant of miR-146a rs2910164 is closely associated with the risk of ACS in Chinese Han population. Patients carrying miR-146a rs2910164 G allele may have worse pathological change and poorer post-PCI prognosis, partly due to the oxidatively modified miR-146a mispairing with 3'UTR of IKBA and activating NF-κB inflammatory pathways.

Transcriptional Regulation of Female and Male Flower Bud Initiation and Development in Pecan (Carya illinoensis).

Pecan (Carya illinoensis) nuts are delicious and rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial for human health. Their yield is closely related to several factors, such as the ratio of female and male flowers. We sampled and paraffin-sectioned female and male flower buds for one year and determined the stages of initial flower bud differentiation, floral primordium formation, and pistil and stamen primordium formation. We then performed transcriptome sequencing on these stages. Our data analysis suggested that FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 play a role in flower bud differentiation. J3 was highly expressed in the early stage of female flower buds and may play a role in regulating flower bud differentiation and flowering time. Genes such as NF-YA1 and STM were expressed during male flower bud development. NF-YA1 belongs to the NF-Y transcription factor family and may initiate downstream events leading to floral transformation. STM promoted the transformation of leaf buds to flower buds. AP2 may have been involved in the establishment of floral meristem characteristics and the determination of floral organ characteristics. Our results lay a foundation for the control and subsequent regulation of female and male flower bud differentiation and yield improvement.

Using intermittent moving aeration to repair hypereutrophic pond: nutrient removal efficiency and microbial diversity analysis.

This study presents a novel perspective on the control of eutrophication by moving aeration through a ten-month pilot field study. Moving aeration significantly reduced the relative abundance of class Cyanobacteria by 14.01%, effectively preventing cyanobacteria from predominating in the overlying water. As a result, the deposition of TOC, N, and P in the surface of the sediment decreased by 90%, 73%, and 93% in comparison to the control group. The analysis of microbial community structure based on 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing showed that the order Bacillales and Micrococcales contributed to nitrogen removal significantly increased by 19.44% and 3.94%, respectively, while the order Steroidobacterales, Rhizobiales, and Microtrichales involved in the immobilization of carbon and nitrogen were significantly decreased by 4.03%, 2.69%, and 2.3% in the aeration group, respectively. Variation in the number of functional microorganisms based on the MPN method revealed that moving aeration promoted the growth of nitrifying bacteria and denitrifying bacteria. These findings demonstrated that moving aeration is effective in repairing eutrophic water and eliminating endogenous N pollutants.

Recent Advances on the Biological Study of Pharmaceutical Cocrystals.

As a low-risk, low-cost, but high-reward route, cocrystallization of drugs with appropriate coformers is applied to improve the physiochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of drugs. Currently, most researchers concentrate their efforts on the preparation, characterization, and improvement of physicochemical properties of pharmaceutical cocrystals. On the contrary, the biological study of pharmaceutical cocrystals has not attracted wide attention of researchers. In this review, we have focused on recent advances reporting the biological studies of pharmaceutical cocrystals. The covered areas consist of the solubility and permeability, the pharmacokinetics study, metabolism and distribution, pharmacodynamics research, and the toxicological evaluation of pharmaceutical cocrystals. Besides, discussions have been made on the in vivo-in vitro correlations for pharmaceutical cocrystals, the enhancement of efficiency and reduction of toxicity for pharmaceutical cocrystals, and the interaction between APIs and coformers in pharmaceutical cocrystals and marketed pharmaceutical cocrystals as well as their biological studies. At the same time, some problems such as the amount of animal samples, the number and distribution of blood sampling points, investigation on the pharmacokinetics of physical mixtures containing APIs and coformers, and the consideration of species differences should be taken into account. Although pharmaceutical cocrystals face some challenges in clarifying the characteristics of metabolism and distribution, revealing potential pharmacological mechanism, and evaluating safety, cocrystal engineering is still considered a green and promising approach to developing valuable new drugs.

Survival nomogram for endometrial cancer with lung metastasis: A SEER database analysis.

Purpose: The lung is the most common distant metastatic organ in patients with endometrial cancer (EC) but is rarely reported. This study examines the association between clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS) in EC with lung metastasis. Methods: Patients with EC who had accompanying lung metastasis were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2010 and 2017. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and assess OS outcomes related to EC with lung metastasis. A Cox proportional hazards nomogram model for OS was constructed and validated. The calibration plot, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the discriminative ability and clinical benefit of the novel nomogram. Kaplan-Meier curves and scatter diagram analysis were used to investigate the risk stratifications of the nomogram. Results: Overall, 1542 EC patients with lung metastasis between 2010 and 2017 were included and randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. A nomogram model was constructed using the clinical characteristics of tumor grade, histological type, surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant radiation, brain metastasis and liver metastasis. The concordance indexes (C-indexes) were 0.750 (95% CI, 0.732-0.767) and 0.743 (95% CI, 0.719-0.767) for the training cohort and validation cohort, respectively. Calibration plots and DCA showed good clinical applicability of the nomogram. The areas under the curves (AUCs) were 0.803 and 0.766 for 1-year and 3-year OS, respectively, indicating that the nomogram model had a stable discriminative ability. An online calculator of our nomogram is available on the internet at https://endometrialcancer.shinyapps.io/DynNomapp/. Additionally, patients in the high-risk group had a significantly worse OS than those in the low-risk group. Conclusion: An easy-to-use, highly accurate nomogram was developed for predicting the prognosis of EC patients with lung metastasis.

Insight into the Formation of Cocrystal and Salt of Tenoxicam from the Isomer and Conformation.

Tenoxicam (TNX) is a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that shows a superior anti-inflammatory effect and has the advantages of a long half-life period, a fast onset of action, a small dose, complete metabolism, and good tolerance. Some compounds often have tautomerism, and different tautomers exist in different crystalline forms. TNX is such a compound and has three tautomers. TNX always exists as the zwitterionic form in cocrystals. When the salt is formed, TNX exists in the enol form, which exhibits two conformations depending on whether a proton is gained or lost. Currently, the crystal structure of the keto form is not in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). Based on the analysis of existing crystal structures, we derived a simple rule for what form of TNX exists according to the pKa value of the cocrystal coformer (CCF) and carried out validation tests using three CCFs with different pKa values, including p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS), 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid (DNB), and 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB). The molecular surface electrostatic potential (MEPS) was combined with the pKa rule to predict the interaction sites. Finally, two new cocrystals (TNX-PAS and TNX-DNB) and one salt (TNX-DHB) of TNX were obtained as expected. The differences between the cocrystals and salt were distinguished by X-ray diffraction, vibration spectra, thermal analysis, and dissolution measurements. To further understand the intermolecular interactions in these cocrystals and salt, the lattice energy and energy decomposition analysis (EDA) were used to explain them from the perspective of energy. The results suggest that the melting point of the CCF determines that of the cocrystal or salt, the solubility of the CCF itself plays an important role, and the improvement of the solubility after salt formation is not necessarily better than that of API or its cocrystals.

Evolution of urban black and odorous water: The characteristics of microbial community and driving-factors.

Urban black blooms that are primarily caused by organic carbon are deleterious environmental problems. However, detailed studies on the microbial characteristics that form urban black blooms are lacking. In this study, we observed the composition, diversity, and function of bacterial community in the overlying water and sediments during the occurrence and remediation of urban black blooms using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis. First, we found that pivotal consortia in the overlying water increased significantly during the formation of black blooms, including the genera Acidovorax, Brevundimonas, Pusillimonas, and Burkholderiales involved in the degradation of refractory organics, as well as the genera Desulfovibrio, Dechloromonas, and Rhizobium related to the production of black and odorous substances. An RDA analysis revealed that chemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation reduction potential were related to the changes in microbial community composition. Furthermore, aeration was found to accelerate the removal of ammonia nitrogen and enhance the function of microbial community by stimulating the growth of order Planktomycetes during the remediation of black blooms, but aeration substantially damaged the microbial diversity and richness. Therefore, the health of the aquatic ecosystem should be comprehensively considered when aeration is applied to restore polluted waterbodies. Notably, we observed a large number of pathogenic bacteria in urban black blooms, which emphasizes the importance of treating domestic sewage so that it is harmless. Together, these findings provide new insights and a basis to prevent and manage urban black blooms.

Targeting nutrient metabolism with FDA-approved drugs for cancer chemoprevention: Drugs and mechanisms.

Proliferating cancer cells exhibit metabolic alterations and specific nutritional needs for adapting to their rapid growth. These changes include using aerobic glycolysis, lipid metabolic disorder, and irregular protein degradation. It may be useful to target metabolic abnormalities for cancer chemoprevention. Epidemiological and mechanism-related studies have indicated that many FDA-approved anti-metabolic drugs decrease tumor risk, inhibit tumor growth, or enhance the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs. Drugs targeting nutrient metabolism have fewer side effects with long-term use compared to chemotherapeutic drugs. The characteristics of these drugs make them promising candidates for cancer chemoprevention. Here, we summarize recent discoveries of the chemo-preventive effects of drugs targeting nutrient metabolic pathways and discuss future applications and challenges. Understanding the effects and mechanisms of anti-metabolic drugs in cancer has important implications for exploring strategies for cancer chemoprevention.

The complete chloroplast genome of Elaeocarpus japonicus Sieb. et Zucc. (Elaeocarpaceae).

The complete chloroplast genome of Elaeocarpus japonicus Sieb. et Zucc. was reported in this study. The cp genome was 157,639 bp in length including two inverted repeats (IRs) of 27,437 bp, which were separated by large single copy (LSC) and small single copy (SSC) of 85,784 bp and 16,981 bp, respectively. The GC content was 37.2%. The genome encoded 111 functional genes, including 77 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic tree showed that E. japonicus representing Elaeocarpaceae is sister to Averrhoa carambola representing Oxalidaceae with strong support.

Ovary-Specific Transcriptome and Essential Role of Nanos in Ovary Development in the Oriental Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae).

We used transcriptome analysis to research ovary development in Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). The ovary transcriptome of B. dorsalis yielded 66,463,710 clean reads that were assembled into 23,822 unigenes. After aligning to the Nr database in NCBI, 15,473 (64.95%) of the unigenes were matched to identified proteins. As determined by BLAST search, 11,043 (46.36%), 6,102 (25.61%), and 12,603 (52.90%) unigenes were each allocated to clusters via gene ontology, orthologous groups, and SwissProt, respectively. The Kyoto encyclopedia database of genes and genomes (KEGG) was further used to annotate these sequences, and 11,068 unigenes were mapped to 255 known pathways. Afterward, the genes that were possibly involved in oogenesis and ovary development were obtained from the transcriptome data and analyzed. Interestingly, seven ovary-specific genes were identified, including a Nanos gene that is involved in maintaining the primordial germ cells in many insects. Therefore, we further focused on the function of the BdNanos gene, and the gene was injected into B. dorsalis. As expected, the knocking down of Nanos gene expression led to significant inhibition of ovary development, suggesting an important role of this gene in the reproductive process of B. dorsalis. In summary, the present study provides an important reference for identifying the molecular mechanisms of oogenesis and ovary development in B. dorsalis. The BdNanos gene is crucial for ovary development in B. dorsalis and is therefore a potential new pest control target.

Preferences for Artificial Intelligence Clinicians Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Discrete Choice Experiment and Propensity Score Matching Study.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) methods can potentially be used to relieve the pressure that the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted on public health. In cases of medical resource shortages caused by the pandemic, changes in people's preferences for AI clinicians and traditional clinicians are worth exploring. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to quantify and compare people's preferences for AI clinicians and traditional clinicians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess whether people's preferences were affected by the pressure of pandemic. METHODS: We used the propensity score matching method to match two different groups of respondents with similar demographic characteristics. Respondents were recruited in 2017 and 2020. A total of 2048 respondents (2017: n=1520; 2020: n=528) completed the questionnaire and were included in the analysis. Multinomial logit models and latent class models were used to assess people's preferences for different diagnosis methods. RESULTS: In total, 84.7% (1115/1317) of respondents in the 2017 group and 91.3% (482/528) of respondents in the 2020 group were confident that AI diagnosis methods would outperform human clinician diagnosis methods in the future. Both groups of matched respondents believed that the most important attribute of diagnosis was accuracy, and they preferred to receive combined diagnoses from both AI and human clinicians (2017: odds ratio [OR] 1.645, 95% CI 1.535-1.763; P<.001; 2020: OR 1.513, 95% CI 1.413-1.621; P<.001; reference: clinician diagnoses). The latent class model identified three classes with different attribute priorities. In class 1, preferences for combined diagnoses and accuracy remained constant in 2017 and 2020, and high accuracy (eg, 100% accuracy in 2017: OR 1.357, 95% CI 1.164-1.581) was preferred. In class 2, the matched data from 2017 were similar to those from 2020; combined diagnoses from both AI and human clinicians (2017: OR 1.204, 95% CI 1.039-1.394; P=.011; 2020: OR 2.009, 95% CI 1.826-2.211; P<.001; reference: clinician diagnoses) and an outpatient waiting time of 20 minutes (2017: OR 1.349, 95% CI 1.065-1.708; P<.001; 2020: OR 1.488, 95% CI 1.287-1.721; P<.001; reference: 0 minutes) were consistently preferred. In class 3, the respondents in the 2017 and 2020 groups preferred different diagnosis methods; respondents in the 2017 group preferred clinician diagnoses, whereas respondents in the 2020 group preferred AI diagnoses. In the latent class, which was stratified according to sex, all male and female respondents in the 2017 and 2020 groups believed that accuracy was the most important attribute of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals' preferences for receiving clinical diagnoses from AI and human clinicians were generally unaffected by the pandemic. Respondents believed that accuracy and expense were the most important attributes of diagnosis. These findings can be used to guide policies that are relevant to the development of AI-based health care.

Transcriptome Profile Changes Associated With Heat Shock Reaction in the Entomopathogenic Nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae.

The entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae has been used for control of soil insects. However, S. carpocapse is sensitive to environmental factors, particularly temperature. We studied an S. carpocapse group that was shocked with high temperature. We also studied the transcriptome-level responses associated with temperature stress using a BGIseq sequencing platform. We de novo assembled the reads from the treatment and control groups into one transcriptome consisting of 43.9 and 42.9 million clean reads, respectively. Based on the genome database, we aligned the clean reads to the Nr, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases and analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Compared with the control, the heat-shocked group had significant differential expression of the heat shock protein (HSP) family, antioxidase [glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)], monooxygenase (P450), and transcription factor genes (DAF-16 and DAF-2). These DEGs were demonstrated to be part of the Longevity pathway and insulin/insulin-like signaling pathway. The results revealed the potential mechanisms, at the transcriptional level, of S. carpocapsae under thermal stress.