Bevel-edge epitaxy of ferroelectric rhombohedral boron nitride single crystal.

Within the family of two-dimensional dielectrics, rhombohedral boron nitride (rBN) is considerably promising owing to having not only the superior properties of hexagonal boron nitride1-4-including low permittivity and dissipation, strong electrical insulation, good chemical stability, high thermal conductivity and atomic flatness without dangling bonds-but also useful optical nonlinearity and interfacial ferroelectricity originating from the broken in-plane and out-of-plane centrosymmetry5-23. However, the preparation of large-sized single-crystal rBN layers remains a challenge24-26, owing to the requisite unprecedented growth controls to coordinate the lattice orientation of each layer and the sliding vector of every interface. Here we report a facile methodology using bevel-edge epitaxy to prepare centimetre-sized single-crystal rBN layers with exact interlayer ABC stacking on a vicinal nickel surface. We realized successful accurate fabrication over a single-crystal nickel substrate with bunched step edges of the terrace facet (100) at the bevel facet (110), which simultaneously guided the consistent boron-nitrogen bond orientation in each BN layer and the rhombohedral stacking of BN layers via nucleation near each bevel facet. The pure rhombohedral phase of the as-grown BN layers was verified, and consequently showed robust, homogeneous and switchable ferroelectricity with a high Curie temperature. Our work provides an effective route for accurate stacking-controlled growth of single-crystal two-dimensional layers and presents a foundation for applicable multifunctional devices based on stacked two-dimensional materials.

Tracking cubic ice at molecular resolution.

Ice is present everywhere on Earth and has an essential role in several areas, such as cloud physics, climate change and cryopreservation. The role of ice is determined by its formation behaviour and associated structure. However, these are not fully understood1. In particular, there is a long-standing debate about whether water can freeze to form cubic ice-a currently undescribed phase in the phase space of ordinary hexagonal ice2-6. The mainstream view inferred from a collection of laboratory data attributes this divergence to the inability to discern cubic ice from stacking-disordered ice-a mixture of cubic and hexagonal sequences7-11. Using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy combined with low-dose imaging, we show here the preferential nucleation of cubic ice at low-temperature interfaces, resulting in two types of separate crystallization of cubic ice and hexagonal ice from water vapour deposition at 102 K. Moreover, we identify a series of cubic-ice defects, including two types of stacking disorder, revealing the structure evolution dynamics supported by molecular dynamics simulations. The realization of direct, real-space imaging of ice formation and its dynamic behaviour at the molecular level provides an opportunity for ice research at the molecular level using transmission electron microscopy, which may be extended to other hydrogen-bonding crystals.

Oxygen doping of cobalt-single-atom coordination enhances peroxymonosulfate activation and high-valent cobalt-oxo species formation.

The high-valent cobalt-oxo species (Co(IV)=O) is being increasingly investigated for water purification because of its high redox potential, long half-life, and antiinterference properties. However, generation of Co(IV)=O is inefficient and unsustainable. Here, a cobalt-single-atom catalyst with N/O dual coordination was synthesized by O-doping engineering. The O-doped catalyst (Co-OCN) greatly activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and achieved a pollutant degradation kinetic constant of 73.12 min-1 g-2, which was 4.9 times higher than that of Co-CN (catalyst without O-doping) and higher than those of most reported single-atom catalytic PMS systems. Co-OCN/PMS realized Co(IV)=O dominant oxidation of pollutants by increasing the steady-state concentration of Co(IV)=O (1.03 × 10-10 M) by 5.9 times compared with Co-CN/PMS. A competitive kinetics calculation showed that the oxidation contribution of Co(IV)=O to micropollutant degradation was 97.5% during the Co-OCN/PMS process. Density functional theory calculations showed that O-doping influenced the charge density (increased the Bader charge transfer from 0.68 to 0.85 e), optimized the electron distribution of the Co center (increased the d-band center from -1.14 to -1.06 eV), enhanced the PMS adsorption energy from -2.46 to -3.03 eV, and lowered the energy barrier for generation of the key reaction intermediate (*O*H2O) during Co(IV)=O formation from 1.12 to 0.98 eV. The Co-OCN catalyst was fabricated on carbon felt for a flow-through device, which achieved continuous and efficient removal of micropollutants (degradation efficiency of >85% after 36 h operation). This study provides a new protocol for PMS activation and pollutant elimination through single-atom catalyst heteroatom-doping and high-valent metal-oxo formation during water purification.

Epitaxial growth of a 100-square-centimetre single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride monolayer on copper.

The development of two-dimensional (2D) materials has opened up possibilities for their application in electronics, optoelectronics and photovoltaics, because they can provide devices with smaller size, higher speed and additional functionalities compared with conventional silicon-based devices1. The ability to grow large, high-quality single crystals for 2D components-that is, conductors, semiconductors and insulators-is essential for the industrial application of 2D devices2-4. Atom-layered hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), with its excellent stability, flat surface and large bandgap, has been reported to be the best 2D insulator5-12. However, the size of 2D hBN single crystals is typically limited to less than one millimetre13-18, mainly because of difficulties in the growth of such crystals; these include excessive nucleation, which precludes growth from a single nucleus to large single crystals, and the threefold symmetry of the hBN lattice, which leads to antiparallel domains and twin boundaries on most substrates19. Here we report the epitaxial growth of a 100-square-centimetre single-crystal hBN monolayer on a low-symmetry Cu (110) vicinal surface, obtained by annealing an industrial copper foil. Structural characterizations and theoretical calculations indicate that epitaxial growth was achieved by the coupling of Cu <211> step edges with hBN zigzag edges, which breaks the equivalence of antiparallel hBN domains, enabling unidirectional domain alignment better than 99 per cent. The growth kinetics, unidirectional alignment and seamless stitching of the hBN domains are unambiguously demonstrated using centimetre- to atomic-scale characterization techniques. Our findings are expected to facilitate the wide application of 2D devices and lead to the epitaxial growth of broad non-centrosymmetric 2D materials, such as various transition-metal dichalcogenides20-23, to produce large single crystals.

Transcriptome reveals the roles and potential mechanisms of lncRNAs in the regulation of albendazole resistance in Haemonchus contortus.

BACKGROUND: Haemonchus contortus (H. contortus) is the most common parasitic nematode in ruminants and is prevalent worldwide. H. contortus resistance to albendazole (ABZ) hinders the efficacy of anthelmintic drugs, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate this of drug resistance. Recent research has demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can exert significant influence as pivotal regulators of the emergence of drug resistance. RESULTS: In this study, transcriptome sequencing was conducted on both albendazole-sensitive (ABZ-sensitive) and albendazole-resistant (ABZ-resistant) H. contortus strains, with three biological replicates for each group. The analysis of lncRNA in the transcriptomic data revealed that there were 276 differentially expressed lncRNA (DElncRNA) between strains with ABZ-sensitive and ABZ-resistant according to the criteria of |log2Foldchange|≥ 1 and FDR < 0.05. Notably, MSTRG.12969.2 and MSTRG.9827.1 exhibited the most significant upregulation and downregulation, respectively, in the resistant strains. The potential roles of the DElncRNAs included catalytic activity, stimulus response, regulation of drug metabolism, and modulation of the immune response. Moreover, we investigated the interactions between DElncRNAs and other RNAs, specifically MSTRG.12741.1, MSTRG.11848.1, MSTRG.5895.1, and MSTRG.14070.1, involved in regulating drug stimulation through cis/trans/antisense/lncRNA‒miRNA-mRNA interaction networks. This regulation leads to a decrease (or increase) in the expression of relevant genes, consequently enhancing the resistance of H. contortus to albendazole. Furthermore, through comprehensive analysis of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) involved in drug resistance-related pathways, such as the mTOR signalling pathway and ABC transporter signalling pathway, the relevance of the MSTRG.2499.1-novel-m0062-3p-HCON_00099610 interaction was identified to mainly involve the regulation of catalytic activity, metabolism, ubiquitination and transcriptional regulation of gene promoters. Additionally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation indicated that the transcription profiles of six DElncRNAs and six DEmRNAs were consistent with those obtained by RNA-seq. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study allowed us to better understand the changes in the lncRNA expression profile of ABZ-resistant H. contortus. In total, these results suggest that the lncRNAs MSTRG.963.1, MSTRG.12741.1, MSTRG.11848.1 and MSTRG.2499.1 play important roles in the development of ABZ resistance and can serve as promising biomarkers for further study.

An Oxidative Cleavage-Based Cruciform DNA Nanostructure for In Vivo Hypochlorous Acid Visualization to Monitor Intestinal Inflammation.

Ulcerative colitis is a persistent inflammatory bowel disease characterized by inflammation and ulceration in the colon and gastrointestinal tract. It was indicated that the generation of hypochlorous acid (HClO) through the enzymatic activity of myeloperoxidase is significantly linked to ulcerative colitis. In this study, by assembling two hairpins (Hpa and Hpb) onto a quadrivalent cruciform DNA nanostructure, a novel HClO-activatable fluorescent probe was developed based on DNA nanomaterials (denoted MHDNA), which is sensitive, economic, simple, and stable. In the presence of HClO, the Trigger (T) was liberated from the MHDNA probe through a hydrolysis reaction between HClO and phosphorothioate (PS), which is modified on the MHDNA probe and has proved to exhibit particular susceptibility to the HClO. The liberated T subsequently initiated the opening of Hpa and Hpb to facilitate the catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) reaction, resulting in the changes of fluorescence and releasing T for recycled signal amplification to achieve sensitive detection of HClO (with a limit of detection 9.83 nM). Additionally, the MHDNA-based spatial-confinement effect shortens the physical distance between Hpa and Hpb and yields a high local concentration of the two reactive hairpins, achieving more rapid reaction kinetics in comparison to conventional CHA methods. Inspirationally, the MHDNA probe was effectively utilized for imaging HClO in ulcerative colitis mice, yielding valuable diagnostic insights for ulcerative colitis.

Facile and Ultrasensitive Food Allergen Quantification Using Microzone Paper-Based Mass Spectrometric Immunoassay.

Highly sensitive and rapid measurement of food allergens is essential to avoid unanticipated food allergies and to determine whether cross-contamination occurs in the food industry. Commercial immunoassay kits offer high specificity and convenience for allergen detection but still suffer limited quantitative sensitivity, accuracy, and stability based on the optical readout. In this work, a paper-based mass spectrometric immunoassay platform was constructed to achieve facile and highly sensitive quantification of peanut allergen, which combined the advantages of good specificity and accurate quantification from mass spectrometry and simplicity from a paper-based immunoassay. In this platform, a novel quaternary ammonium-based mass tag and a paper chip with a microzone were designed and developed, contributing to a large signal enhancement. This method was able to detect Ara h1 with a linear range of 0.1-100 ng mL-1 and a detection limit of 0.08 ng mL-1 in milk matrices. It has also been successfully applied to the accurate quantification of Ara h1 in six milk-related beverages, two biscuits, and two candy bars with complicated matrices and presented a low-concentration quantitation capability. This method gives a new type of mass spectrometric immunoassay for rapid and ultrasensitive allergen regulation in the food industry and for individual allergen differentiation research.

Interfacial Electronic Modulation of Mo5N6/Ni3S2 Heterojunction Array Boosts Electrocatalytic Alkaline Overall Water Splitting.

Bifunctional electrocatalysts with excellent activity and durability are highly desirable for alkaline overall water splitting, yet remain a significant challenge. In this contribution, palm-like Mo5N6/Ni3S2 heterojunction arrays anchored in conductive Ni foam (denoted as Mo5N6-Ni3S2 HNPs/NF) are developed. Benefiting from the optimized electronic structure configuration, hierarchical branched structure and abundant heterogeneous interfaces, the as-synthesized Mo5N6-Ni3S2 HNPs/NF electrode exhibits remarkably stable bifunctional electrocatalytic activity in 1 m KOH solution. It only requires ultralow overpotentials of 59 and 190 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm-2 for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1 m KOH solution, respectively. Importantly, the overall water splitting electrolyzer assembled by Mo5N6-Ni3S2 HNPs/NF exhibits an exceptionally low cell voltage (1.48 V@10 mA cm-2) and outstanding durability, surpassing most of the reported Ni-based bifunctional materials. Density functional theory (DFT) further confirms the heterostructure can optimize the Gibbs free energies of H and O-containing intermediates (OH, O, OOH) during HER and OER processes, thereby accelerating the catalytic kinetics of electrochemical water splitting. The findings provide a new design strategy toward low-cost and excellent catalysts for overall water splitting.

The oncogenic role and regulatory mechanism of ACAA2 in human ovarian cancer.

Acetyl-CoAacyltransferase2 (ACAA2) is a key enzyme in the fatty acid oxidation pathway that catalyzes the final step of mitochondrial ß oxidation, which plays an important role in fatty acid metabolism. The expression of ACAA2 is closely related to the occurrence and malignant progression of tumors. However, the function of ACAA2 in ovarian cancer is unclear. The expression level and prognostic value of ACAA2 were analyzed by databases. Gain and loss of function were carried out to explore the function of ACAA2 in ovarian cancer. RNA-seq and bioinformatics methods were applied to illustrate the regulatory mechanism of ACAA2. ACAA2 overexpression promoted the growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion of ovarian cancer, and ACAA2 knockdown inhibited the malignant progression of ovarian cancer as well as the ability of subcutaneous tumor formation in nude mice. At the same time, we found that OGT can induce glycosylation modification of ACAA2 and regulate the karyoplasmic distribution of ACAA2. OGT plays a vital role in ovarian cancer as a function of oncogenes. In addition, through RNA-seq sequencing, we found that ACAA2 regulates the expression of DIXDC1. ACAA2 regulated the malignant progression of ovarian cancer through the WNT/ß-Catenin signaling pathway probably. ACAA2 is an oncogene in ovarian cancer and has the potential to be a target for ovarian cancer therapy.

Watt-level all polarization-maintaining femtosecond fiber laser source at 1100 †nm.

We demonstrate a compact watt-level all polarization-maintaining (PM) femtosecond fiber laser source at 1100 nm. The fiber laser source is seeded by an all PM fiber mode-locked laser employing a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror. The seed laser can generate stable pulses at a fundamental repetition rate of 40.71 MHz with a signal-to-noise rate of >100 dB and an integrated relative intensity noise of only ∼0.061%. After two-stage external amplification and pulse compression, an output power of ∼1.47 W (corresponding to a pulse energy of ∼36.1 nJ) and a pulse duration of ∼251 fs are obtained. The 1100 nm femtosecond fiber laser is then employed as the excitation light source for multicolor multi-photon fluorescence microscopy of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably expressing red fluorescent proteins.

Low-noise mode-locking in a GHz repetition rate Tm3+-doped fiber laser.

We demonstrate a GHz repetition rate mode-locked Tm3+-doped fiber laser with low noise. Based on a home-made Tm3+-doped barium gallo-germanate fiber with reduced dispersion, a broad optical spectrum of mode-locking is achieved, and its amplified spontaneous emission quantum-limited timing jitter is largely suppressed. Besides, we carefully investigate the influence of the intracavity pump strength on the noise performance of the mode-locked pulses and find that manipulating the intracavity pump power can be an effective method for optimizing the timing jitter and relative intensity noise (RIN). Particularly, RIN, which originated from the relaxation oscillation, can be effectively suppressed by 33 dB at offset frequencies of >1 MHz. The integrated timing jitter and RIN are only 7.9 fs (10 kHz-10 MHz) and 0.05% (10 Hz-10 MHz), respectively.

PLD2 deletion ameliorates sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy by suppressing cardiomyocyte pyroptosis via the NLRP3/caspase 1/GSDMD pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SICM) is a life-threatening complication. Phospholipase D2 (PLD2) is crucial in mediating inflammatory reactions and is associated with the prognosis of patients with sepsis. Whether PLD2 is involved in the pathophysiology of SICM remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of PLD2 knockout on SICM and to explore potential mechanisms. METHODS: The SICM model was established using cecal ligation and puncture in wild-type and PLD2-knockout mice and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Transfection with PLD2-shRNA lentivirus and a PLD2 overexpression plasmid were used to interfere with PLD2 expression in H9C2 cells. Cardiac pathological alterations, cardiac function, markers of myocardial injury, and inflammatory factors were used to evaluate the SICM model. The expression of pyroptosis-related proteins (NLRP3, cleaved caspase 1, and GSDMD-N) was assessed using western blotting, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: SICM mice had myocardial tissue damage, increased inflammatory response, and impaired heart function, accompanied by elevated PLD2 expression. PLD2 deletion improved cardiac histological changes, mitigated cTNI production, and enhanced the survival of the SICM mice. Compared with controls, PLD2-knockdown H9C2 exhibits a decrease in inflammatory markers and lactate dehydrogenase production, and scanning electron microscopy results suggest that pyroptosis may be involved. The overexpression of PLD2 increased the expression of NLRP3 in cardiomyocytes. In addition, PLD2 deletion decreased the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins in SICM mice and LPS-induced H9C2 cells. CONCLUSION: PLD2 deletion is involved in SICM pathogenesis and is associated with the inhibition of the myocardial inflammatory response and pyroptosis through the NLRP3/caspase 1/GSDMD pathway.

Visual electrochemiluminescence from an all-solid-state electrochemical cell.

Visual electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emission from L012 and hydrogen peroxide is generated from an all-solid-state electrochemical cell with a polyacrylamide hydrogel as the solid electrolyte. The emission is strong enough to be visualized with the naked eye, which offers a new idea for the design of an all-solid-state ECL based sensor in air.

Phototransformation of Brominated Disinfection Byproducts and Toxicity Elimination in Sunlit-Ozonated Reclaimed Water.

Ozonation is universally used during water treatment but can form hazardous brominated disinfection byproducts (Br-DBPs). While sunlight exposure is advised to reduce the risk of Br-DBPs, their phototransformation pathways remain insufficiently understood. Here, sunlight irradiation was found to reduce adsorbable organic bromine by 63%. Applying high-resolution mass spectrometry, the study investigated transformations of dissolved organic matter in sunlit-ozonated reclaimed water, revealing the number and abundance of assigned formulas decreased after irradiation. The Br-DBPs with O/C < 0.6 and MW > 400 Da were decreased or removed after irradiation, with the majority being CHOBr compounds. The peak intensity reduction ratio of CHOBr compounds correlated positively with double bound equivalent minus oxygen ratios but negatively with O/C, suggesting that photo-susceptible CHOBr compounds were highly unsaturated. Mass difference analysis revealed that the photodegradation pathways were mainly oxidation aligned with debromination. Three typical CHOBr molecular structures were resolved, and their photoproducts were proposed. Toxicity estimates indicated decreased toxicity in these photoproducts compared to their parent compounds, in line with experimentally determined values. Our proposed phototransformation pathways for Br-DBPs enhance our comprehension of their degradation and irradiation-induced toxicity reduction in reclaimed water, further illuminating their transformation under sunlight in widespread environmental scenarios.

Assessing the Chemical-Free Oxidation of Trace Organic Chemicals by VUV/UV as an Alternative to Conventional UV/H2O2.

Low-pressure mercury lamps with high-purity quartz can emit both vacuum-UV (VUV, 185 nm) and UV (254 nm) and are commercially available and promising for eliminating recalcitrant organic pollutants. The feasibility of VUV/UV as a chemical-free oxidation process was verified and quantitatively assessed by the concept of H2O2 equivalence (EQH2O2), at which UV/H2O2 showed the same performance as VUV/UV for the degradation of trace organic contaminants (TOrCs). Although VUV showed superior H2O activation and oxidation performance, its performance highly varied as a function of light path length (Lp) in water, while that of UV/H2O2 proportionally decreased with decreasing H2O2 dose regardless of Lp. On increasing Lp from 1.0 to 3.0 cm, the EQH2O2 of VUV/UV decreased from 0.81 to 0.22 mM H2O2. Chloride and nitrate hardly influenced UV/H2O2, but they dramatically inhibited VUV/UV. The competitive absorbance of VUV by chloride and nitrate was verified as the main reason. The inhibitory effect was partially compensated by •OH formation from the propagation reactions of chloride or nitrate VUV photolysis, which was verified by kinetic modeling in Kintecus. In water with an Lp of 2.0 cm, the EQH2O2 of VUV/UV decreased from 0.43 to 0.17 mM (60.8% decrease) on increasing the chloride concentration from 0 to 15 mM and to 0.20 mM (53.5% decrease) at 4 mM nitrate. The results of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of VUV/UV oxidation in comparison to UV/H2O2, which underscores the suitability and efficiency of chemical-free oxidation with VUV/UV.

Causality of the gut microbiome and atherosclerosis-related lipids: a bidirectional Mendelian Randomization study.

AIMS: Recent studies have indicated an association between intestinal flora and lipids. However, observational studies cannot indicate causality. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potentially causal relationships between the intestinal flora and blood lipids. METHODS: We performed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal relationship between intestinal flora and blood lipids. Summary statistics of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for the 211 intestinal flora and blood lipid traits (n = 5) were obtained from public datasets. Five recognized MR methods were applied to assess the causal relationship with lipids, among which, the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) regression was used as the primary MR method. A series of sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the causal estimates. RESULTS: The results indicated a potential causal association between 19 intestinal flora and dyslipidemia in humans. Genus Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae, Parasutterella, Terrisporobacter, Parabacteroides, Class Erysipelotrichia, Family Erysipelotrichaceae, and order Erysipelotrichales were associated with higher dyslipidemia, whereas genus Oscillospira, Peptococcus, Ruminococcaceae UCG010, Ruminococcaceae UCG011, Dorea, and Family Desulfovibrionaceae were associated with lower dyslipidemia. After using the Bonferroni method for multiple testing correction, Only Desulfovibrionaceae [Estimate = -0.0418, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9362-0.9826, P = 0.0007] exhibited stable and significant negative associations with ApoB levels. The inverse MR analysis did not find a significant causal effect of lipids on the intestinal flora. Additionally, no significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy for IVs was observed in the analysis. CONCLUSION: The study suggested a causal relationship between intestinal flora and dyslipidemia. These findings will provide a meaningful reference to discover dyslipidemia for intervention to address the problems in the clinic.

Methane gas sensor based on direct absorption spectroscopy and the laser self-heating effect.

In this paper, a methane detection sensor based on direct absorption spectroscopy and the self-heating effect of lasers is proposed, which abandons the traditional method of relying on a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) to ensure stable gas concentration detection. The sensor can achieve stable concentration measurement in the temperature range of -10∘ to 40°C without the need for a TEC, which greatly simplifies the structure of the sensor and reduces the cost. The results of gas concentration calibration experiments show that the sensor has a good linear correlation (R 2=0.9993). Long-term continuous detection experiments show that the sensor maintains a relative detection error between -2.667% and 4.3% over the full test temperature range. In addition, signal-to-noise ratio analysis experiments further determine that the minimum detection limit of the sensor for methane gas is 27.33p p m⋅m (1σ). Given its advantages of simple structure, low cost, high accuracy, and stability, this methane detection sensor is well suited for natural gas leakage monitoring in home environments and can also be widely used in industrial safety detection and environmental monitoring applications. This technology provides a cost-effective solution for domestic and industrial methane detection.

Determinants of health poverty vulnerability in rural areas of Western China in the post-poverty relief era: an analysis based on the Anderson behavioral model.

BACKGROUND: Although China has eliminated absolute poverty, the effects of sickness still pose a threat to the prospect of returning to poverty in western rural areas. However, poverty governance extends beyond solving absolute poverty, and should enhance the family's ability to resist risks, proactively identify the existence of risks, and facilitate preventive measures to reduce the probability of falling into poverty again. This study aimed to assess the health poverty vulnerability of rural households in western China and decompose its determinants. METHODS: Based on survey data from 2022, the three-stage feasible generalized least squares method was used to calculate the health poverty vulnerability index. Then, Anderson's health behavior theory model was extended to analyse various influencing factors using binary logistic regression, and the contribution of each influencing factor was decomposed using the Shapley index. Finally, Tobit regression and the censored least absolute deviations estimation (clad) method were used to test the model's robustness. RESULTS: A total of 5455 families in the rural Ningxia region of western China were included in the study. The health poverty vulnerability index of the sample population in 2022 was 0.3000 ± 0.2223, and families with vulnerability ≥0.5 accounted for 16.9% of the sample population. From the Anderson behavioral model, the three models including propensity, enabling, and demand factors had the best fit, and the AIC and BIC values were the smallest. The Shapley decomposition showed that the dimensions of the propensity factor, number of residents, age and educational level of the household head, and dependency ratio were the most important factors influencing vulnerability to health poverty. Tobit regression and the clad method proved the reliability of the constructed model through a robustness test. CONCLUSION: Rural areas still face the risk of becoming poor or falling into poverty owing to residents' health problems. Health poverty alleviation should gradually change from a focus on treatment to prevention, and formulate a set of accurate and efficient intervention policies from a forward-looking perspective to consolidate the results of health poverty alleviation and prevent widescale poverty return.

Biportal endoscopic bone graft repair and percutaneous screw fixation for lumbar spondylolysis-technical note and clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Lumbar spondylolysis involves a bony defect in the vertebral pars interarticularis, predominantly affecting the lower lumbar spine. This condition is a significant etiological factor in lumbar instability and recurrent lower back pain, particularly in young individuals. While conservative treatments are the primary intervention, they often fail to provide relief, necessitating surgical approaches. Notwithstanding, executing bone grafting and fixation in the pars interarticularis defect simultaneously through minimally invasive surgery remains challenging. METHOD: This study elucidates the biportal endoscopic spinal surgery (BESS) technique, innovatively applied for bone graft repair and percutaneous cannulated screw fixation in a patient with lumbar spondylolysis. We offer a detailed walkthrough of the technical procedures supplemented with follow-up radiographic evidence. RESULTS: The BESS technique facilitated meticulous clearance of the defect site, coupled with bone grafting and cannulated screw fixation, effectively addressing lumbar spondylolysis through a minimally invasive approach. This method holds promise for achieving substantial osseous fusion at the vertebral pars interarticularis defect site. CONCLUSION: The BESS procedure for lumbar spondylolysis ensures a clean and prepared defect site for grafting and encourages successful osseous fusion, spotlighting its potential as a viable surgical strategy in managing this condition.

Analysis of lncRNA-related studies of ivermectin-sensitive and -resistant strains of Haemonchus contortus.

In this study, 858 novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were predicted as sensitive and resistant strains of Haemonchus contortus to ivermectin. These lncRNAs underwent bioinformatic analysis. In total, 205 lncRNAs significantly differed using log2 (difference multiplicity) > 1 or log2 (difference multiplicity) < - 1 and FDR < 0.05 as the threshold for significant difference analysis. We selected five lncRNAs based on significant differences in expression, cis-regulation, and their association with the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. These expressions of lncRNAs, namely MSTRG.12610.1, MSTRG.8169.1, MSTRG.6355.1, MSTRG.980.1, and MSTRG.9045.1, were significantly downregulated. These findings were consistent with the results of transcriptomic sequencing. We further investigated the relative expression of target gene mRNAs and the regulation of mRNA and miRNA, starting with lncRNA cis-regulation of mRNA, and constructed a lncRNA-mRNA-miRNA network regulation. After a series of statistical analyses, we finally screened out UGT8, Unc-116, Fer-related kinase-1, GGPP synthase 1, and sart3, which may be involved in developing drug resistance under the regulation of their corresponding lncRNAs. The findings of this study provide a novel direction for future studies on drug resistance targets.