PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR 3b and transcription factor ABF3 modulate abscisic acid-dependent drought stress response in soybean.

The circadian system plays a pivotal role in facilitating the ability of crop plants to respond and adapt to fluctuations in their immediate environment effectively. Despite the increasing comprehension of PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATORs and their involvement in the regulation of diverse biological processes, including circadian rhythms, photoperiodic control of flowering, and responses to abiotic stress, the transcriptional networks associated with these factors in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) remain incompletely characterized. In this study, we provide empirical evidence highlighting the significance of GmPRR3b as a crucial mediator in regulating the circadian clock, drought stress response, and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway in soybeans. A comprehensive analysis of DNA affinity purification sequencing and transcriptome data identified 795 putative target genes directly regulated by GmPRR3b. Among them, a total of 570 exhibited a significant correlation with the response to drought, and eight genes were involved in both the biosynthesis and signaling pathways of ABA. Notably, GmPRR3b played a pivotal role in the negative regulation of the drought response in soybeans by suppressing the expression of abscisic acid-responsive element-binding factor 3 (GmABF3). Additionally, the overexpression of GmABF3 exhibited an increased ability to tolerate drought conditions, and it also restored the hypersensitive phenotype of the GmPRR3b overexpressor. Consistently, studies on the manipulation of GmPRR3b gene expression and genome editing in plants revealed contrasting reactions to drought stress. The findings of our study collectively provide compelling evidence that emphasizes the significant contribution of the GmPRR3b-GmABF3 module in enhancing drought tolerance in soybean plants. Moreover, the transcriptional network of GmPRR3b provides valuable insights into the intricate interactions between this gene and the fundamental biological processes associated with plant adaptation to diverse environmental conditions.

Molecular and biological characterization of a bunyavirus infecting the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens).

A negative-strand symbiotic RNA virus, tentatively named Nilaparvata lugens Bunyavirus (NLBV), was identified in the brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that NLBV is a member of the genus Mobuvirus (family Phenuiviridae, order Bunyavirales). Analysis of virus-derived small interfering RNA suggested that antiviral immunity of BPH was successfully activated by NLBV infection. Tissue-specific investigation showed that NLBV was mainly accumulated in the fat-body of BPH adults. Moreover, NLBV was detected in eggs of viruliferous female BPHs, suggesting the possibility of vertical transmission of NLBV in BPH. Additionally, no significant differences were observed for the biological properties between NLBV-infected and NLBV-free BPHs. Finally, analysis of geographic distribution indicated that NLBV may be prevalent in Southeast Asia. This study provided a comprehensive characterization on the molecular and biological properties of a symbiotic virus in BPH, which will contribute to our understanding of the increasingly discovered RNA viruses in insects.

Near-Infrared Dual-Modal Sensing of Force and Temperature in Total Knee Replacement Using Mechanoluminescent Phosphor of Sr3Sn2O7: Nd, Yb.

Knee replacement surgery confronts challenges including patient dissatisfaction and the necessity for secondary procedures. A key requirement lies in dual-modal measurement of force and temperature of artificial joints during postoperative monitoring. Here, a novel non-toxic near-infrared (NIR) phosphor Sr3Sn2O7:Nd, Yb, is designed to realize the dual-modal measurement. The strategy is to entail phonon-assisted upconversion luminescence (UCL) and trap-controlled mechanoluminescence (ML) in a single phosphor well within the NIR biological transmission window. The phosphor is embedded in medical bone cement forming a smart joint in total knee replacements illustrated as a proof-of-concept. The sensing device can be charged in vitro by a commercial X-ray source with a safe dose rate for ML, and excited by a low power 980 nm laser for UCL. It attains impressive force and temperature sensing capabilities, exhibiting a force resolution of 0.5% per 10 N, force detection threshold of 15 N, and a relative temperature sensitive of up to 1.3% K-1 at 309 K. The stability against humidity and thermal shock together with the robustness of the device are attested. This work introduces a novel methodological paradigm, paving the way for innovative research to enhance the functionality of artificial tissues and joints in living organisms.

Identification of GmPT proteins and investigation of their expressions in response to abiotic stress in soybean.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Investigation the expression patterns of GmPT genes in response to various abiotic stresses and overexpression of GmPT11 in soybean hairy roots and Arabidopsis exhibited hypersensitivity to salt stress. Soybean is considered to be one of the significant oil crops globally, as it offers a diverse range of essential nutrients that contribute to human health. Salt stress seriously affects the yield of soybean through negative impacts on the growth, nodulation, reproduction, and other agronomy traits. The phosphate transporters 1(PHT1) subfamily, which is a part of the PHTs family in plants, is primarily found in the cell membrane and responsible for the uptake and transport of phosphorus. However, the role of GmPT (GmPT1-GmPT14) genes in response to salt stress has not been comprehensively studied. Here, we conducted a systematic analysis to ascertain the distribution and genomic duplications of GmPT genes, as well as their expression patterns in response to various abiotic stresses. Promoter analysis of GmPT genes revealed that six stress-related cis-elements were enriched in these genes. The overexpression of GmPT11 in soybean hairy roots and Arabidopsis exhibited hypersensitivity to salt stress, while no significant change was observed under low phosphate treatment, suggesting a crucial role in the response to salt stress. These findings provide novel insights into enhancing plant tolerance to salt stress.

Intestinal metabolite xylulose inhibits colorectal cancer by inducing apoptosis through the MAPK signalling pathway.

BACKGROUND: The intestinal metabolites are involved in the initiation, progression and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC). They are a potential source of agents for cancer therapy. Our previous study identified altered faecal metabolites between CRC patients and healthy volunteers. However, no specific metabolite was clearly illustrated for CRC therapy. RESULTS: We found that the level of xylulose was lower in the stools of CRC patients than in those of healthy volunteers. Xylulose inhibited cell growth without affecting the cell cycle by inducing apoptosis in CRC cells, which was evidenced by increased expression of the proapoptotic proteins C-PARP and C-Caspase3 and decreased expression of the antiapoptotic protein BCL-2 in CRC cells. Mechanistically, xylulose reduced the activity of the MAPK signalling pathway, represented by reduced phosphorylation of JNK, ERK, and P38. Furthermore, an ALI model was used to show the tumour killing ability of xylulose on human CRC spheres, as well as human colorectal adenoma (AD) spheres. CONCLUSION: Xylulose inhibits CRC growth by inducing apoptosis through attenuation of the MAPK signalling pathway. These results suggest that xylulose may serve as an effective agent for CRC therapy.

Identifying critical regulatory interactions in cell fate decision and transition by systematic perturbation analysis.

One of the most significant challenges in biology is to elucidate the roles of various regulatory interactions in cell fate decision and transition. However, it remains to be fully clarified how they cooperate and determine fate transition. Here, a general framework based on statistical analysis and bifurcation theory is proposed to identify crucial regulatory interactions and how they play decisive roles in fate transition. More exactly, specific feedback loops determine occurrence of bifurcations by which cell fate transition can be realized. While regulatory interactions in the feedback loops determine the direction of transition. In addition, two-parameter bifurcation analysis further provides detailed understanding of how the fate transition based on statistical analysis occurs. Statistical analysis can also be used to reveal synergistic combinatorial perturbations by which fate transition can be more efficiently realized. The integrative analysis approach can be used to identify critical regulatory interactions in cell fate transition and reveal how specific cell fate transition occurs. To verify feasibility of the approach, the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) network is chosen as an illustrative example. In agreement with experimental observations, the approach reveals some critical regulatory interactions and underlying mechanisms in cell fate determination and transitions between three states. The approach can also be applied to analyze other regulatory networks related to cell fate decision and transition.

Discovery and pharmacological characterization of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline derivatives as RORγ inverse agonists against prostate cancer.

The retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γ (RORγ) is regarded as an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of prostate cancer. Herein, we report the identification, optimization, and evaluation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline derivatives as novel RORγ inverse agonists, starting from high throughput screening using a thermal stability shift assay (TSA). The representative compounds 13e (designated as XY039) and 14a (designated as XY077) effectively inhibited the RORγ transcriptional activity and exhibited excellent selectivity against other nuclear receptor subtypes. The structural basis for their inhibitory potency was elucidated through the crystallographic study of RORγ LBD complex with 13e. Both 13e and 14a demonstrated reasonable antiproliferative activity, potently inhibited colony formation and the expression of AR, AR regulated genes, and other oncogene in AR positive prostate cancer cell lines. Moreover, 13e and 14a effectively suppressed tumor growth in a 22Rv1 xenograft tumor model in mice. This work provides new and valuable lead compounds for further development of drugs against prostate cancer.

Perinatal outcomes and growth discordance of triplet pregnancies based on chorionicity: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The worldwide occurrence of triplet pregnancy is estimated to be 0.093%, with a natural incidence of approximately 1 in 8000. This study aims to analyze the neonatal health status and birth weight discordance (BWD) of triplets based on chorionicity from birth until discharge. METHODS: This was a retrospective study. We reviewed a total of 136 triplet pregnancies at our tertiary hospital between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2021. Maternal and neonatal outcomes, inter-triplet BWD, neonatal morbidity, and mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: Among all cases, the rates of intrauterine death, neonatal death, and perinatal death were 10.29, 13.07, and 24.26%, respectively. Thirty-seven of the cases resulted in fetal loss, including 13 with fetal anomalies. The maternal complications and neonatal outcomes of the 99 triplet pregnancies without fetal loss were compared across different chorionicities, including a dichorionic (DC) group (41 cases), trichorionic (TC) group (37 cases), and monochorionic (MC) group (21 cases). Neonatal hypoproteinemia (P < 0.001), hyperbilirubinemia (P < 0.019), and anemia (P < 0.003) exhibited significant differences according to chorionicity, as did the distribution of BWD (P < 0.001). More than half of the cases in the DC and TC groups had a BWD < 15%, while those in the MC group had a BWD < 50% (47.6%). TC pregnancy decreased the risk of neonatal anemia (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.084) and need for blood transfusion therapy after birth (AOR = 0.119). In contrast, a BWD > 25% increased the risk of neonatal anemia (AOR = 10.135) and need for blood transfusion after birth (AOR = 7.127). TC pregnancy, MCDA or MCTA, and BWD > 25% increased neonatal hypoproteinemia, with AORs of 4.629, 5.123, and 5.343, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The BWD differed significantly according to chorionicity. Additionally, TC pregnancies reduced the risk of neonatal anemia and need for blood transfusion, but increased the risk of neonatal hypoproteinemia. In contrast, the BWD between the largest and smallest triplets increased the risk of neonatal anemia and the need for blood transfusion. TC pregnancy, MCDA or MCTA, and BWD > 25% increased the risks of neonatal hypoproteinemia. However, due to the limited number of triplet pregnancies, further exploration of the underlying mechanism is warranted.

Serum lipidomic study of long-chain fatty acids in psoriasis patients prior to and after anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody treatment by quantitative GC‒MS analysis with in situ extraction.

BACKGROUND: Long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) are involved in regulating multiple physiological processes as signalling molecules. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is widely used to quantify LCFAs. However, current quantitative methods for LCFAs using GC-MS have demonstrated complicated issues. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, and its pathogenesis may be related to the overproduction of interleukin-17A (IL-17A). Clinical efficacy of anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment in psoriasis patients has been demonstrated. Recent studies suggest that LCFAs play varying roles in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. However, more comprehensive research is needed to illuminate the mechanism of LCFAs in psoriasis. METHODS: The established in situ derivatization method for analysing LCFAs with a GC-MS platform was utilized to conduct serum lipidomics analysis of healthy volunteers and psoriasis patients receiving pretherapy and posttreatment with of anti-IL-17A mAb. Imiquimod (IMQ)-treated wild type (WT) and T-cell receptor delta chain knock-out (Tcrd-/-) mice were used to investigate the correlation between IL-17A and abnormal changes in LCFAs in psoriasis patients. RESULTS: A rapid and sensitive in situ extraction derivatization method for quantifying LCFAs using GC-MS was established. Serum lipidomic results showed that psoriasis patients had higher levels of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) but lower levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and ω-3 PUFAs than healthy individuals, indicating impaired serum LCFA metabolism. Anti-IL-17A mAb treatment affected most of these LCFA changes. Analysis of LCFAs in IMQ-treated mice showed that LCFAs increased in the serum of WT mice, while there were no significant changes in the Tcrd-/- mice. SFAs increased in IMQ-treated WT mice, while MUFAs showed the opposite trend, and PUFAs did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: This study presented a dependable method for quantifying LCFAs that enhanced sensitivity and reduced analysis time. The lipidomic analysis results showed that anti-IL-17A mAb not only ameliorated skin lesions in psoriasis patients but also affected abnormal LCFAs metabolism. Furthermore, the study indicated a potential correlation between IL-17A and abnormal LCFA metabolism in psoriasis patients, which was supported by the alterations in serum LCFAs observed in IMQ-treated WT and Tcrd-/- mice.

Trajectories of anxiety and depression among Chinese men who have sex with men on pre-exposure prophylaxis: a group-based trajectory model approach.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression can influence adherence to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). However, there is limited research on the temporal dynamics of anxiety and depression among men who have sex with men (MSM) using PrEP. METHODS: From December 2018 to November 2020, we administered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to participants in the China Real-World Oral Intake of PrEP (CROPrEP) to measure their anxiety and depression levels. The group-based trajectory model (GBTM) depicted the dynamic changes of anxiety and depression scores over time. RESULTS: A total of 1023 MSM were included, with 4523 follow-up assessments. The GBTM categorized the trajectories into three distinct patterns: consistently low (54.8% for anxiety, 60.7% for depression), consistently moderate (39.3% for anxiety, 31.4% for depression), and high but bell-shaped (5.9% for anxiety, 7.9% for depression). Higher anxiety levels were associated with being aged 18-30 years old, earning less than US$619 per month, female-identifying, adopting the bottom sexual role with men, and having two or more anal sex partners in the past three months; similarly, higher depression levels correlated with a monthly income under US$619, female-identifying, sexual behavior as bottom and a positive syphilis at baseline. PrEP adherence was notably lower in the high but bell-shaped anxiety and depression group compared to the other groups, particularly at the 12th-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Close monitoring of anxiety and depression levels in MSM on PrEP is crucial. Provision of targeted mental health support is essential to enhance PrEP effectiveness.

Pregnancy outcomes in patients complicated with pre-excitation syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnant women with pre-excitation syndrome are more likely to develop supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) during pregnancy and delivery, leading to an increased risk of adverse events. METHOD: This was a retrospective study of 309 pregnancies in 280 women (29 women had two pregnancies in this series) with pre-excitation syndrome who delivered at West China Second University Hospital from June 2011 to October 2021. All the 309 pregnant women with pre-excitation syndrome were divided into SVT and non-SVT groups to analyze the cardiac and obstetric complications. RESULTS: Among the included pregnant women in the past 10 years, the prevalence of pre-excitation syndrome was 0.24% (309/127725). There were 309 cases with pre-excitation syndrome in all hospitalized pregnant women. Among them, 62 (20.1%, 62/309) had a history of SVT. In the 62 cases with SVT during pregnancy, 22 (35.5%) cases had a history of SVT. Gestational diabetes mellitus was associated with SVT during pregnancy. The cesarean section rate was 88.7% in the SVT group, which was significantly higher than that in the non-SVT group (64.8%) (P < 0.001). Cases with SVT during pregnancy had more cardiac and obstetric complications. Four fetal deaths were recorded in the SVT group. Additionally, 29 women experienced two pregnancies during the study period, among whom, five received radiofrequency ablation after the first delivery and obtained better outcomes in the second pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The adverse outcomes such as cardiac complications, maternal and fetal complications (PROM, prematurity, SGA, fetal distress, etc.) in pregnant women with pre-excitation syndrome were closely related to SVT, with possible risk factors including history of SVT before pregnancy, cardiac function, heart organic abnormalities, and gestational diabetes mellitus.

High resolution imaging of acoustic orbital angular momentum wave based on orthogonal matching tracking.

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) wave has shown great potential for improving radar imaging and underwater communication performance due to its helical wavefront phase and infinite orthogonal modes. However, there are currently no known applications of this technology in underwater imaging. In this paper, we employed acoustic OAM wave for underwater imaging and established transceiver signal models using the uniform circular array. We concurrently achieved two-dimensional imaging of azimuth and elevation angles, which differs from radar imaging. We proposed a matching process for the echo signal in the modal domain, the OAM wave beam image's sidelobe decreased by 7.9 dB in the elevation direction and 6.1 dB in the azimuth direction compared to the plane wave, with the mainlobe decreased by 0.2° in the elevation direction and 0.4° in the azimuth direction. Furthermore, this paper introduced OAM wave high-resolution image reconstruction based on the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm. Finally, we implemented broadband acoustic OAM wave for underwater imaging and introduced an image reconstruction method based on the modal domain OMP algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the use of OAM wave in underwater imaging is feasible, and the proposed scheme can achieve high-resolution imaging.

BBX9 forms feedback loops with PIFs and BBX21 to promote photomorphogenic development.

Light is one of the most essential environmental factors that tightly and precisely control various physiological and developmental processes in plants. B-box CONTAINING PROTEINs (BBXs) play central roles in the regulation of light-dependent development. In this study, we report that BBX9 is a positive regulator of light signaling. BBX9 interacts with the red light photoreceptor PHYTOCHROME B (phyB) and transcription factors PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORs (PIFs). phyB promotes the stabilization of BBX9 in light, while BBX9 inhibits the transcriptional activation activity of PIFs. In turn, PIFs directly bind to the promoter of BBX9 to repress its transcription. On the other hand, BBX9 associates with the positive regulator of light signaling, BBX21, and enhances its biochemical activity. BBX21 associates with the promoter regions of BBX9 and transcriptionally up-regulates its expression. Collectively, this study unveiled that BBX9 forms a negative feedback loop with PIFs and a positive one with BBX21 to ensure that plants adapt to fluctuating light conditions.

[Charcoal-frying process and quality markers of Sanguisorbae Radix based on hemostatic effect].

Studies have reported that the hemostatic effect of Sanguisorbae Radix(SR) is significantly enhanced after processing with charcoal. However, the standard components(tannins and gallic acid) specified in the Chinese Pharmacopeia decrease in charcoal-fried Sanguisorbae Radix(CSR), which is contrast to the enhancement of the hemostatic effect. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize the charcoal-frying process of SR based on its hemostatic efficacy and comprehensively analyze the components of SR and its processed products, thus exploring the material basis for the hemostatic effect. The results indicated that SR processed at 250 ℃ for 14 min(14-min CSR) not only complied with the description in the Chinese Pharmacopeia but also demonstrated improved blood-coagulating and blood-adsorbing effects compared with raw SR(P<0.05). Moroever, 14-min CSR reduced the bleeding time in the rat models of tail snipping, liver bleeding, and muscle injury, surpassing both raw and excessively fried SR(16 min processed) as well as tranexamic acid(P<0.05). Ellagitannin, ellagic acid, methyl gallate, pyrogallic acid, protocatechuic acid, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu, and Zn contributed to the hemostatic effect of CSR over SR. Among these substances, ellagitannin, ellagic acid, Mg, and Ca had high content in the 14 min CSR, reaching(106.73±14.87),(34.86±4.43),(2.81±0.23), and(1.21±0.23) mg·g~(-1), respectively. Additionally, the color difference value(ΔE~*ab) of SR processed to different extents was correlated with the content of the aforementioned hemostatic substances. In summary, this study optimized the charcoal-frying process as 250 ℃ for 14 min for SR based on its hemostatic effect. Furthermore, ellagic acid and/or the powder chromaticity are proposed as indicators for the processing and quality control of CSR.

Light-Driven C-C Coupling for Targeted Synthesis of CH3 COOH with Nearly 100 % Selectivity from CO2.

Targeted synthesis of acetic acid (CH3 COOH) from CO2 photoreduction under mild conditions mainly limits by the kinetic challenge of the C-C coupling. Herein, we utilized doping engineering to build charge-asymmetrical metal pair sites for boosted C-C coupling, enhancing the activity and selectivity of CO2 photoreduction towards CH3 COOH. As a prototype, the Pd doped Co3 O4 atomic layers are synthesized, where the established charge-asymmetrical cobalt pair sites are verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy spectra. Theoretical calculations not only reveal the charge-asymmetrical cobalt pair sites caused by Pd atom doping, but also manifest the promoted C-C coupling of double *COOH intermediates through shortening of the coupled C-C bond distance from 1.54 to 1.52 Å and lowering their formation energy barrier from 0.77 to 0.33 eV. Importantly, the decreased reaction energy barrier from the protonation of two*COOH into *CO intermediates for the Pd-Co3 O4 atomic layer slab is 0.49 eV, higher than that of the Co3 O4 atomic layer slab (0.41 eV). Therefore, the Pd-Co3 O4 atomic layers exhibit the CH3 COOH evolution rate of ca. 13.8 µmol g-1 h-1 with near 100% selectivity, both of which outperform all previously reported single photocatalysts for CO2 photoreduction towards CH3 COOH under similar conditions.

Evaluation of immune microenvironment in IgG4-related sialadenitis.

IgG4-related sialadenitis is a systemic autoimmune disease that can lead to fibro-inflammatory conditions. This study aims to investigate the immune microenvironment and potential signaling pathways associated with IgG4-related sialadenitis. Datasets related to IgG4-related sialadenitis were retrieved from the GEO database. Immune cell infiltration analysis was conducted using the Cell-type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) method. Differentially immune-related expressed genes (DIEG) and immune-related functional enrichment were identified. Moreover, potential treatment targets for IgG4-related sialadenitis were predicted using The Connectivity Map. Only two datasets from GEO were included for further analysis. The CIBERSORT results indicated dominant immune cell populations in IgG4-related sialadenitis, including CD8+ T cells, resting NK cells, monocytes, and naïve B cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Additionally, high abundance of plasma cells was observed in labial salivary gland tissues. Furthermore, a total of 42 DIEGs were identified, with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling via the NF-Kappa B signaling pathway and the p53 signaling pathway being highly enriched. Autophagy inhibitors and DNA topoisomerase inhibitors were strongly associated with potential targets for the treatment of IgG4-related sialadenitis (P<0.05). This study reveals altered immune microenvironment in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and labial salivary gland tissues in IgG4-related sialadenitis. Autophagy inhibitors and DNA topoisomerase inhibitors show promise as potential targets for treating IgG4-related sialadenitis, providing a novel therapeutic strategy for this disease.

Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Pregnancy Complicated with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a life-threatening disease with significant maternal morbidity and mortality. Methods: To assess pregnancy and neonatal outcomes and determine the risk factors for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with pulmonary hypertension (PH), a retrospective analysis was carried out examining 71 pregnancies in patients with PH who delivered at a tertiary care center in West China between January 2011 and May 2016. Results: One pregnancy resulted in spontaneous abortion and six resulted in terminated abortions. Cardiac complications were encountered in 16.9% including three maternal mortalities. At least one pregnancy complication occurred in 28.2% of all the pregnancies. Diagnosis after the third trimester, severe PH and/or right ventricular systolic dysfunction were predictive of adverse fetal/neonatal events. A history of prior cardiac events and right ventricular systolic dysfunction and/or baseline New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV were the main predictive factors of adverse maternal cardiac events. Conclusions: In our study, we found that PH poses high risks for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. A detailed pre-pregnancy baseline assessment is strongly recommended in women with PH to identify those with the highest risk and subsequently guide clinical management.

A novel two-layer fuzzy neural network for solving inequality-constrained ℓ1-minimization problem with applications.

In this paper, we propose a novel two-layer fuzzy neural network model (TLFNN) for solving the inequality-constrained ℓ1-minimization problem. The stability and global convergence of the proposed TLFNN model are detailedly analyzed using the Lyapunov theory. Compared with the existing three-layer neural network model (TLNN) recently designed by Yang et al., the proposed TLFNN model possesses less storage, stronger robustness, faster convergence rate and higher convergence accuracy. These advantages are illustrated by some numerical experiments, where it is shown that the TLFNN model can achieve a convergence accuracy of 10-13 within 5s while the TLNN model can only acquire 10-6 in 105s when some random coefficient matrices are applied. Since the linear equality-constrained conditions can be equivalently transformed into double inequality-constrained ones, some simulation experiments for sparse signal reconstruction show that the proposed TLFNN model also has less convergence time and stronger robustness than the existing state-of-the-art neural network models for the equality-constrained ℓ1-minimization problem.