Prenatal diagnosis and family analysis of 17q12 microdeletion syndrome with fetal renal abnormalities.

Purpose: To analyze the prenatal diagnosis, parental verification, and pregnancy outcomes of three fetuses with 17ql2 microdeletion syndrome. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 46 singleton pregnancies with anomalies in the urinary system who underwent amniocentesis from Feb 2022 to October 2023 in the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital. These fetuses were subjected to chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and/or trio whole-exome sequencing (Trio-WES). We specifically evaluated these cases' prenatal renal ultrasound findings and clinical characteristics of the affected parents. Results: Three fetuses were diagnosed as 17q12 microdeletions, and the detection rate was 6.5% in fetuses with anomalies in the urinary system (3/46). The heterogeneous deletions range from 1.494 to 1.66 Mb encompassing the complete hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox B (HNF1B) gene. Fetuses with 17q12 deletion exhibited varied renal phenotypes. Moreover, the clinical phenotypes of the affected parents differed greatly in the two cases (case 2 and case 3) in which the deletion was inherited. For case 3, the mother manifested classic symptoms of 17q12 deletion syndrome as well as unreported characteristics, such as very high myopia. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate the necessity and significance of offering prenatal genetic testing when various renal anomalies are detected. In addition, our study broadens the phenotypic spectrum of 17q12 deletions. Most importantly, our findings may allow timely supportive genetic counseling and guidance for pregnancy in affected families, e.g., with the help of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).

Leisure-time physical activity and the incidence of atrial fibrillation in senior adults: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Whether physical activity could reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. This study was to investigate the relationship of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) with AF incidence among Chinese older adults. METHODS: A total of 3253 participants aged ≥60 years from the Guangzhou Heart Study were successfully followed between March 2018 and September 2019. LTPA was assessed using a modified Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. AF was ascertained by 12-lead electrocardiograms, 24-hour single-lead Holter and clinical examination. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to the estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) after adjustment for confounders, and the population-attributable fraction (PAF) was estimated. RESULTS: A total of 76 (2.34%) new-onset cases of AF were identified during a median of 31.13 months of follow-up. After adjustment for confounders, subjects who had LTPA at least 10.0 metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours/week had a 55% lower risk of developing AF (HR: 0.45, 95%CI: 0.25-0.81), and at least 20 MET-hours/week reduced the risk by 45% (HR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.34-0.92). At least 11% (PAF: 11%, 95%CI: 0%-20%) or 14% (PAF: 14%, 95%CI: 0%-26%) of AF cases could be avoided, respectively, if the subjects do LTPA at least 10 MET-hours/week or 20 MET-hours/week. A significant exposure-response trend was also observed between LTPA and AF risk (Plinear-trend = 0.002). For a specific LTPA, doing housework was associated with a 43% reduced risk, while engaging in ball games was associated with an increased risk. CONCLUSION: This prospective cohort study indicated that a higher LTPA volume was associated with a lower AF risk in Chinese older adults.

Silicon improves the drought tolerance in pepper plants through the induction of secondary metabolites, GA biosynthesis pathway, and suppression of chlorophyll degradation.

Drought stress caused by the global climate considerably disturbs plant yield and growth. Here, we explored the putative roles of silicon in repressing drought mechanisms in pepper and the prominent involvement of secondary metabolites, GA pathway, and photosystem II. Our research revealed that the transcript level of the flavonoid biosynthesis-associated genes, including the PAL, 4-CL, CHS, FLS-1, F3H and DFR, progressively induced in the pepper leaves treated with silicon during the drought stress duration. Moreover, the phenolic and flavonoid compounds extensively induced in the pepper plants. Furthermore, the pepper plants markedly inhibited chlorophyll catabolic-allied genes, senescence-related marker gene, and the Rbohs gene. Silicon application also sustained the membrane stability, supported via fewer electrolyte leakage processes and minor, O2- H2O2 and MDA levels during drought. Apart from this, the pepper plants significantly induced the expression level of the photosystem II-related genes, osmoprotectants pathway-associated genes, and antioxidant defense genes. Moreover, the GA biosynthesis genes were prompted, while the ABA signaling and biosynthesis genes were suppressed in the silicon-supplemented plants. These consequences infer that the role of Si supplementation on enhancing drought tolerance could be elucidated through the activation of secondary metabolites, flavonoid biosynthesis, osmoprotectants, GA pathway, the efficiency of PSII, and the suppression of chlorophyll degradation. Our research outcomes unveil new and remarkable characteristics of silicon supplementation and offer a series of candidate targets for improving the tolerance of pepper plants to drought stress.

Bio-Skin-Inspired Flexible Pressure Sensor Based on Carbonized Cotton Fabric for Human Activity Monitoring.

With the development of technology, people's demand for pressure sensors with high sensitivity and a wide working range is increasing. An effective way to achieve this goal is simulating human skin. Herein, we propose a facile, low-cost, and reproducible method for preparing a skin-like multi-layer flexible pressure sensor (MFPS) device with high sensitivity (5.51 kPa-1 from 0 to 30 kPa) and wide working pressure range (0-200 kPa) by assembling carbonized fabrics and micro-wrinkle-structured Ag@rGO electrodes layer by layer. In addition, the highly imitated skin structure also provides the device with an extremely short response time (60/90 ms) and stable durability (over 3000 cycles). Importantly, we integrated multiple sensor devices into gloves to monitor finger movements and behaviors. In summary, the skin-like MFPS device has significant potential for real-time monitoring of human activities in the field of flexible wearable electronics and human-machine interaction.

Characterize molecular signatures and establish a prognostic signature of gastric cancer by integrating single-cell RNA sequencing and bulk RNA sequencing.

Gastric cancer is a significant global health concern with complex molecular underpinnings influencing disease progression and patient outcomes. Various molecular drivers were reported, and these studies offered potential avenues for targeted therapies, biomarker discovery, and the development of precision medicine strategies. However, it was posed that the heterogeneity of the disease and the complexity of the molecular interactions are still challenging. By seamlessly integrating data from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and bulk RNA sequencing (bulk RNA-seq), we embarked on characterizing molecular signatures and establishing a prognostic signature for this complex malignancy. We offered a holistic view of gene expression landscapes in gastric cancer, identified 226 candidate marker genes from 3 different dimensions, and unraveled key players' risk stratification and treatment decision-making. The convergence of molecular insights in gastric cancer progression occurs at multiple biological scales simultaneously. The focal point of this study lies in developing a prognostic model, and we amalgamated four molecular signatures (COL4A1, FKBP10, RNASE1, SNCG) and three clinical parameters using advanced machine-learning techniques. The model showed high predictive accuracy, with the potential to revolutionize patient care by using clinical variables. This will strengthen the reliability of the model and enable personalized therapeutic strategies based on each patient's unique molecular profile. In summary, our research sheds light on the molecular underpinnings of gastric cancer, culminating in a powerful prognostic tool for gastric cancer. With a firm foundation in biological insights and clinical implications, our study paves the way for future validations and underscores the potential of integrated molecular analysis in advancing precision oncology.

The changes prediction on terrestrial water storage in typical regions of China based on neural networks and satellite gravity data.

Accurate prediction of regional terrestrial water storage change (TWSA) is of great significance for water resources planning and management, and early warning of extreme climate disasters. Aiming at the problem that the conventional methods on prediction of TWSA time series are difficult to be accurate, the six typical regions are selected in China as examples, including the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (UYR), the southwest region (SWR), the Liaohe River Basin (LRB), the North China Plain (NCP), the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), and the Pearl River Basin (PRB). The mascon product from GRACE/GRACE-FO provided by CSR is used to extract TWSA time series in six typical areas. The improved Back Propagation (BP) neural network, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network and the latest Bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM-attention) neural network model based on attention mechanism are proposed to predict and analyze the regional TWSA. In the experiment, the selection of the optimal model parameters such as the number of hidden layer nodes and the number of hidden units of the neural network model is tested and analyzed in detail. Meanwhile, the model prediction results are compared with the traditional least squares method and random forest (RF) prediction method. The root mean square error (RMSE), determination coefficient (R2), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were used to evaluate the accuracy of the predicted results. The results show that the improved BP, LSTM and Bi-LSTM-attention neural network models all achieve higher prediction accuracy in UYR and SWR areas. RMSE is less than 2.641 cm, R2 is as high as 0.8 or more, NSE is above 0.6, and MAPE is within 0.1. Compared with the least square method, the RMSE of the predicted results from three neural network decreased by 0.998 cm, 0.700 cm and 0.7563 on average, and the R2 increased by 81.75%, 69.89% and 72% on average. Compared with RFML method, the RMSE from three neural network is reduced by 0.601 cm, 0.316 cm and 0.360, and R2 is increased by 38.20%, 24.60% and 27.06% on average. NSE and RMSE are improved to varying degrees in the above regions. It shows that the improved BP, LSTM and BiLSTM-attention model used can effectively predict TWSA. The research methods and results in this paper can provide important reference for the rational utilization of regional water resources and disaster risk assessment.

Dasabuvir alleviates 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal injury through anti-senescence and anti-inflammatory.

5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) is a basic drug that is used to treat colorectal cancer. Patients who receive 5-Fu chemotherapy often experience side effects that affect the digestive system, such as intestinal injury and diarrhoea, which significantly affect patient compliance with anticancer treatment and quality of life. Therefore, identifying approaches to treat or prevent these side effects is urgent. Dasabuvir (DSV) is a hepatitis C virus inhibitor, but its impact on 5-Fu-induced intestinal injury remains unknown. Our study investigated the effects of DSV on 5-Fu-induced intestinal injury in HUVECs, HIECs and male BALB/c mice. We found that 5-Fu caused intestinal damage by inducing senescence, increasing inflammatory factor expression, and generating oxidative stress. Compared with 5-Fu treatment alone, DSV inhibited senescence by reducing senescence-ß-galactosidase (SA-ß-gal) activity, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP, including IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α) and senescence marker expression levels (p16, p21, and p53). Moreover, the anti-senescence effect of DSV was achieved by inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway. DSV increased antioxidant enzyme levels and alleviated intestinal tissue injury in mice. In addition, DSV suppressed the 5-Fu-induced increase the diarrhoea scores and ameliorated the weight loss, food intake and water intake of the mice. Overall, this study indicated that DSV could be used to treat chemotherapy-induced intestinal damage.

Analysis of the potential biological significance of glycosylation in triple-negative breast cancer on patient prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women, with its prognosis varying greatly according to its subtype. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst prognosis among all subtypes. Glycosylation is a critical factor influencing the prognosis of patients with TNBC. Our aim is to develop a tumor prognosis model by analyzing genes related to glycosylation to predict patient outcomes. METHODS: The dataset used in this study was downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) database, and predictive genes were identified through Cox one-way regression analysis. The model genes with the highest risk scores among the 18 samples were obtained by lasso regression analysis to establish the model. We analyzed the pathways affecting the progression of TNBC and discovered key genes for subsequent research. RESULTS: Our model was constructed using data from TCGA database and validated through Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve assessment. Our analysis revealed that a high expression of tumor-related chemokines in the high-risk group may be associated with poor tumor prognosis. Furthermore, we conducted a random survival forest analysis and identified two significant genes, namely DPM2 and PINK1, which have been selected for further investigation. CONCLUSION: The prognostic analysis model, developed based on the glycosylation genes in TNBC, exhibits excellent validation efficacy. This model is valuable for the prognostic analysis of patients with TNBC.

Study on the enantioselective behaviors, activity, toxicity and mechanism of novel SDHI fungicide benzovindiflupyr to reduce the environmental risks.

Benzovindiflupyr (BEN) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing SDHI fungicides in recent years, but it is considered "very highly toxic" to aquatic fish, invertebrates and crustaceans (EC50 or LC50, 0.0035-0.056 mg/L, acute toxicity). The comprehensive study on bioactivity, toxicity, and degradation behaviors of BEN at the enantiomeric level would facilitate the development of a high-efficiency and low-risk application method. The bioactivities of 1S, 4R-(-)-BEN against five target pathogens (Alternaria alternata, Phoma multirostrata, Selerotium rolfsii, Magnaporthe oryzae, and Rhizoctonia solani) (EC50, 0.00562-0.329 mg/L, high-efficiency) were 6.7-1029 times higher than 1R, 4S-(+)-BEN, demonstrating significant enantioselectivity. For Danio rerio, 1S, 4R-(-)-BEN (LC50, 0.0360 mg/L, "very highly toxic") exhibited higher toxicity than 1 R, 4S-(+)-BEN, but the toxic interaction was concentration addition (TUrac, 0.94), indicating an enhanced toxicity in the presence of 1R, 4S-(+)-BEN. Molecular docking was employed to offer insights at the molecular level and elucidate the factors influencing enantioselectivity. The stronger binding affinity of 1S, 4R-(-)-BEN with SDH was in line with the quantitative experimental findings. The degradation of two BEN enantiomers in four different fruits followed the first-order degradation kinetics equation, and displayed enantioselectivity. The preferential degradation of 1R, 4S-(+)-BEN was found in pears and grapes, while varying enantioselectivity was found at different stages in tomatoes and watermelons. The residual concentrations of BEN in grapes were higher than the EU's MRL, which in the other three fruits were below the MRLs during the sampling. In conclusion, 1S, 4R-(-)-BEN proved to be the more effective monomer. Utilizing the pure monomer could not only reduce the dosage of racemate by about 44-59 %, but also mitigate the risk of introducing inefficient monomer into the environment (especially for fish).

Optical Surface-guided Radiation Therapy for Upper and Lower Limb Sarcomas: An Analysis of Setup Errors and Clinical Target Volume-To-Planning Target Volume Margins.

Purpose: To assess the clinical benefits of surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT) in terms of setup error, positioning time, and clinical target volume-to-planning target volume (CTV-PTV) margin in extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Methods and Materials: Fifty consecutive patients treated with radiation therapy were selected retrospectively. Treatment setup was performed with either laser-based imaging only (control group), or with laser-based and daily optical surface-based imaging (SGRT group). Pretreatment cone beam computed tomography images were acquired daily for the first 3 to 5 fractions and weekly thereafter, with the frequency adjusted as necessary. Translational and rotational errors were collected. CTV-PTV margin was calculated using the formula, 2.5Σ + 0.7σ. Results: Each group consisted of 10 and 15 upper and lower limb STSs, respectively. For patients with upper limb sarcomas, the translation errors were 1.64 ± 1.34 mm, 1.10 ± 1.50 mm, and 1.24 ± 1.45 mm in the SGRT group, and 1.48 ± 3.16 mm, 2.84 ± 2.85 mm, and 3.14 ± 3.29 mm in control group in the left-right, supero-inferior, and antero-posterior directions, respectively. Correspondingly, for patients with lower limb sarcomas, the translation errors were 1.21 ± 1.65 mm, 1.39 ± 1.71 mm, and 1.48 ± 2.10 mm in the SGRT group, and 1.81 ± 2.60 mm, 2.93 ± 3.28 mm, and 3.53 ± 3.75 mm in control group, respectively. The calculated CTV-PTV margins of the SGRT group and control group were 5.0, 3.8, 4.1 versus 5.9, 9.1, 10.1 mm for upper limb sarcomas; and 4.2, 4.7, 5.2 mm versus 6.3, 9.6, and 11.4 mm for lower limb sarcomas in the left-right, supero-inferior, and antero-posterior directions, respectively. Conclusions: Daily optical surface guidance can effectively improve the setup accuracy of extremity STS patients, and safely reduce the required CTV-PTV margins.

GSDMB involvement in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm through regulation of macrophage non-canonical pyroptosis.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a dangerous condition affecting the aorta. Macrophage pyroptosis, phenotypic transformation, and apoptosis of aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) are pivotal mechanisms in AAA pathogenesis. This study explores how Gasdermin B (GSDMB) regulates macrophage non-canonical pyroptosis and its impact on the phenotypic transformation and apoptosis of ASMCs, thereby unveiling the role of GSDMB in AAA pathogenesis. Immunofluorescence analysis was used to assess the expression levels and localization of GSDMB, cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-4 (Caspase-4), and N-terminal of cleaved GSDMD (N-GSDMD) in AAA tissues. A cell model that mimics macrophage non-canonical pyroptosis was established by treating THP-1 cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). THP-1 cells with reduced or increased GSDMB were generated using small interfering RNA (siRNA) or plasmids. Co-culture experiments involving THP-1 cells and HASMCs were conducted to explore the impact of GSDMB on HASMCs. The mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) scavenger Mito-TEMPO lowered mtROS levels in THP-1 cells. Our findings revealed that GSDMB was significantly upregulated in AAA macrophages, which was accompanied by robust non-canonical pyroptosis. THP-1 cells showed non-canonical pyroptosis in response to LPS, which was accompanied by an increase in GSDMB. Further research demonstrated that altering GSDMB, either by knockdown or overexpression, can affect macrophage non-canonical pyroptosis as well as the phenotypic transformation and apoptosis of HASMCs. LPS-induced non-canonical pyroptosis in THP-1 cells was associated with an increase in mtROS, whereas Mito-TEMPO effectively decreased non-canonical pyroptosis and the expression of GSDMB. These findings suggest that GSDMB plays a role in AAA macrophage non-canonical pyroptosis, which influences the phenotypic transformation and apoptosis of HASMCs. The mtROS-Dynamin-Related Protein 1 (Drp1) axis is likely to regulate the GSDMB-mediated non-canonical pyroptosis.

Association Between Insomnia and Cognitive Frailty Among Older Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Multiple Mediating Effects of Depressive Symptoms and Social Support.

BACKGROUND: Older patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) are prone to insomnia. Studies have shown that insomnia affects the onset of cognitive frailty and is also strongly associated with depressive symptoms and social support. However, information on how these factors interact to influence cognitive frailty remains underexplored. OBJECTIVE: Our aim in this study was to explore the multiple mediating roles of depressive symptoms and social support in the relationship between insomnia and cognitive frailty. METHODS: We recruited 300 hospitalized older patients with CHF to participate in this study. The participants completed the Athens Insomnia Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, FRAIL Scale, and Social Support Rating Scale. The mediation hypothesis was tested using a multiple mediation model and bootstrapping method. RESULTS: In this study, 44% of the patients experienced insomnia, and 51.3% were in a state of cognitive frailty. Our main findings suggest that insomnia has an indirect effect on cognitive frailty through 2 pathways: the multiple mediating effects of depressive symptoms and social support, and a single mediating effect of depressive symptoms. The direct effect of insomnia on cognitive frailty is also significant. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients with CHF who experience insomnia tend to have more severe depressive symptoms, cognitive frailty, and poor social support. Thus, interventions to recognize insomnia early, improve depressive symptoms, and provide social support may reduce cognitive frailty in older patients with CHF. Longitudinal studies are necessary to further refine our findings and address the limitations of the current study.

Boosting Catalytic and Anti-fluorination Performance of the Ru/Vanadia-Titania Catalyst for the Oxidative Destruction of Freon by Sulfuric Acid Modification.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) exert a strong greenhouse effect and constitute the largest contributor to ozone depletion. Catalytic removal is considered an effective pathway for eliminating low-concentration CFCs under mild conditions. The key issue is the easy deactivation of the catalysts due to their surface fluorination. We herein report a comparative investigation on catalytic dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12) removal in the absence or presence of water over the sulfuric-acid-modified three-dimensionally ordered macroporous vanadia-titania-supported Ru (S-Ru/3DOM VTO) catalysts. The S-Ru/3DOM VTO catalyst exhibited high activity (T90% = 278 °C at space velocity = 40 000 mL g-1 h-1) and good stability within 60 h of on-stream reaction in the presence of 1800 ppm of water due to the improvements in acid site amount and redox ability that promoted the adsorption of CFC-12 and the activation of C-F bonds. Compared with the case under dry conditions, catalytic performance for CFC-12 removal was better over the S-Ru/3DOM VTO catalyst in the presence of water. Water introduction mitigated surface fluorination by the replenishment of hydroxyl groups, inhibited the formation of halogenated byproducts via the surface fluorine species cleaning effect, and promoted the reaction pathway of COX2 (X = Cl/F) → carboxylic acid → CO2.

The role and application of small extracellular vesicles in glioma.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are cell-derived, nanometer-sized particles enclosed by a lipid bilayer. All kinds of biological molecules, including proteins, DNA fragments, RNA, lipids, and metabolites, can be selectively loaded into sEVs and transmitted to recipient cells that are near and distant. Growing shreds of evidence show the significant biological function and the clinical significance of sEVs in cancers. Numerous recent studies have validated that sEVs play an important role in tumor progression and can be utilized to diagnose, stage, grading, and monitor early tumors. In addition, sEVs have also served as drug delivery nanocarriers and cancer vaccines. Although it is still infancy, the field of basic and translational research based on sEVs has grown rapidly. In this review, we summarize the latest research on sEVs in gliomas, including their role in the malignant biological function of gliomas, and the potential of sEVs in non-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, i.e., as nanocarriers for drug or gene delivery and cancer vaccines.

Engineering the Blackbody Absorption of the Au-Branch-on-Au-Plate Heterostructures.

Utilizing the strong ligand control effects of l-cysteine (l-Cys), the growth of Au on Au triangular nanoplate (AuTN) seeds was continuously tuned from layer-by-layer (the Frank-van der Merwe) to layer-plus-island (the Stranski-Krastanov), and island (the Volmer-Weber) growth modes, leading to the formation of a series of Au-on-AuTN heterostructures. Within the window of VW growth mode (featured by the growth of Au spikes and branches on AuTNs), the effective localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) coupling led to the selective strengthening of the "valley" absorptions, leading to smooth and flat absorption curves. Interestingly, through engineering the number/density, size, and branching degree of the Au branches, except for the black color, full spectrum absorption within 400-1300 nm wavelength was achieved on Au-branch-on-AuTN structures. Mechanistic studies revealed that the blackbody absorption property of the Au-branch-on-AuTN originates from the well-balanced intraparticle LSPR couplings among the neighboring Au branches. The tunable blackness and the full spectrum absorption property made the Au-branch-on-AuTN heterostructure a suitable candidate for various plasmonic-related applications, such as a wide spectrum light absorber, photoacoustic imaging contrast agent, and photothermal therapy medium. In addition, our strong ligand control in Au-branch-on-AuTN heterostructures could be extended to other hybrid systems with diverse material combinations, so long as to find the proper strong ligand.

Epitaxy of Antimonene Thin Films with Screw Dislocations for the Application of Saturable Absorbers.

The exotic optoelectronic properties of antimonene, including strain-induced tunable bandgaps, broad nonlinear refractive response, etc., have evoked profound upsurges for decades. As the screw dislocations break the crystal symmetry and modify interlayer coupling, it is highly desirable to investigate the optical prospects of antimonene with screw dislocations. Herein, controllable epitaxy of spiral ß-antimonene is achieved on Fe3GaTe2 substrates. By fine-tuning growth temperatures, the evolutions of spiral ß-antimonene with non-centrosymmetric stacking are investigated via scanning tunneling microscopy. The effects of interfacial strain and dislocation motion during screw-dislocation-driven growth are also studied. Additionally, a modulation depth of 40.8% and mode locking at 1558 nm with a pulse width of 290 fs are observed in Er-doped pulsed fiber lasers generated with spiral Sb-based saturable absorbers, revealing superior performance that far outstrips reported Sb-based saturable absorbers to date. Our work sheds light on the preparation of Sb films with screw dislocations and demonstrates a promising approach toward fabricating ultrafast optical devices.

Surface Modification of Polyurethane Sponge with Zeolite and Zero-Valent Iron Promotes Short-Cut Nitrification.

Partial nitrification-Anammox (PN-A) is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and efficient method for removing ammonia (NH4+-N) pollutants from water. However, the limited accumulation of nitrite (NO2--N) represents a bottleneck in the development of PN-A processes. To address this issue, this study developed a composite carrier loaded with nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) and zeolite to enhance NO2--N accumulation during short-cut nitrification. The modified composite carrier revealed electropositive, hydrophilicity, and surface roughness. These surface characteristics correlate positively with the carrier's total biomass adsorption capacity; the initial adsorption of microorganisms by the composite carrier was increased by 8.7 times. Zeolite endows the carrier with an NH4+-N adsorption capacity of 4.50 mg/g carrier. The entropy-driven ammonia adsorption process creates an ammonia-rich microenvironment on the surface of the carrier, providing effective inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). In tests conducted with a moving bed biofilm reactor and a sequencing batch reactor, the composite carrier achieved a 95% NH4+-N removal efficiency, a NO2--N accumulation efficiency of 78%, and a doubling in total nitrogen removal efficiency. This composite carrier enhances NO2--N accumulation by preventing biomass washout, inhibiting NOB, and enriching PN-A functional bacteria, suggesting its potential for large-scale, stable PN-A applications.

Iron deficiency affects oxygen transport and activates HIF1 signaling pathway to regulate phenotypic transformation of VSMC in aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: Aortic dissection (AD) is a macrovascular disease which is pathologically characterized by aortic media degeneration.This experiment aims to explore how iron deficiency (ID) affects the function of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and participates in the occurrence and development of AD by regulating gene expression. METHODS: The relationship between iron and AD was proved by Western-blot (WB) and immunostaining experiments in human and animals. Transcriptomic sequencing explored the transcription factors that were altered downstream. WB, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to demonstrate whether ID affected HIF1 expression through oxygen transport. HIF1 signaling pathway and phenotypic transformation indexes were detected in cell experiments. The use of the specific HIF1 inhibitor PX478 further demonstrated that ID worked by regulating HIF1. RESULTS: The survival period of ID mice was significantly shortened and the pathological staining results were the worst. Transcriptomic sequencing indicated that HIF1 was closely related to ID and the experimental results indicated that ID might regulate HIF1 expression by affecting oxygen balance. HIF1 activation regulates the phenotypic transformation of VSMC and participates in the occurrence and development of AD in vivo and in vitro.PX478, the inhibition of HIF1, can improve ID-induced AD exacerbation.

Enhancing bone regeneration and immunomodulation via gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel-encapsulated exosomes from osteogenic pre-differentiated mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) have emerged as promising candidates for cell-free therapy in tissue regeneration. However, the native osteogenic and angiogenic capacities of MSC-Exos are often insufficient to repair critical-sized bone defects, and the underlying immune mechanisms remain elusive. Furthermore, achieving sustained delivery and stable activity of MSC-Exos at the defect site is essential for optimal therapeutic outcomes. Here, we extracted exosomes from osteogenically pre-differentiated human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) by ultracentrifugation and encapsulated them in gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel to construct a composite scaffold. The resulting exosome-encapsulated hydrogel exhibited excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility, facilitating sustained delivery of MSC-Exos. Osteogenic pre-differentiation significantly enhanced the osteogenic and angiogenic properties of MSC-Exos, promoting osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs and angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Furthermore, MSC-Exos induced polarization of Raw264.7 cells from a pro-inflammatory phenotype to an anti-inflammatory phenotype under simulated inflammatory conditions, thereby creating an immune microenvironment conducive to osteogenesis. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis revealed that MSC-Exos activate the p53 pathway through targeted delivery of internal microRNAs and regulate macrophage polarization by reducing DNA oxidative damage. Our study highlights the potential of osteogenic exosome-encapsulated composite hydrogels for the development of cell-free scaffolds in bone tissue engineering.

3D residual attention hierarchical fusion for real-time detection of the prostate capsule.

BACKGROUND: For prostate electrosurgery, where real-time surveillance screens are relied upon for operations, manual identification of the prostate capsule remains the primary method. With the need for rapid and accurate detection becoming increasingly urgent, we set out to develop a deep learning approach for detecting the prostate capsule using endoscopic optical images. METHODS: Our method involves utilizing the Simple, Parameter-Free Attention Module(SimAM) residual attention fusion module to enhance the extraction of texture and detail information, enabling better feature extraction capabilities. This enhanced detail information is then hierarchically transferred from lower to higher levels to aid in the extraction of semantic information. By employing a forward feature-by-feature hierarchical fusion network based on the 3D residual attention mechanism, we have proposed an improved single-shot multibox detector model. RESULTS: Our proposed model achieves a detection precision of 83.12% and a speed of 0.014 ms on NVIDIA RTX 2060, demonstrating its effectiveness in rapid detection. Furthermore, when compared to various existing methods including Faster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Faster R-CNN), Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD), EfficientDet and others, our method Attention based Feature Fusion Single Shot Multibox Detector (AFFSSD) stands out with the highest mean Average Precision (mAP) and faster speed, ranking only below You Only Look Once version 7 (YOLOv7). CONCLUSIONS: This network excels in extracting regional features from images while retaining the spatial structure, facilitating the rapid detection of medical images.