Observation of high-order imaginary Poynting momentum optomechanics in structured light.

The imaginary Poynting momentum (IPM) of light has been captivated as an unusual origin of optical forces. However, the IPM force is predicted only for dipolar magnetoelectric particles that are hardly used in optical manipulation experiments. Here, we report a whole family of high-order IPM forces for not only magnetoelectric but also generic Mie particles, assisted with their excited higher multipoles within. Such optomechanical manifestations derive from a nonlocal contribution of the IPM to the optical force, which can be remarkable even when the incident IPM is small. We observe the high-order optomechanics in a structured light beam, which, despite carrying no angular momentum, is able to set normal microparticles into continuous rotation. Our results provide unambiguous evidence of the ponderomotive nature of the IPM, expand the classification of optical forces, and open new possibilities for levitated optomechanics and micromanipulations.

EIF4G2 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression via IRES-dependent PLEKHA1 Translation Regulation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal cancer, and proteomic studies have shown increased protein diversity and abundance in HCC tissues, whereas the role of protein translation has not been extensively explored in HCC. Our research focused on key molecules in the translation process to identify a potential contributor in HCC. We discovered that EIF4G2, a crucial translation initiation factor, is significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and associated with poor prognosis. This study uniquely highlights the impact of EIF4G2 deletion, which suppresses tumor growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, polysome analysis and nascent protein synthesis assays revealed EIF4G2's role in regulating protein translation, specifically identifying PLEKHA1 as a key translational product. This represents a novel mechanistic insight into HCC malignancy. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and Dual-luciferase reporter assays further revealed that EIF4G2 facilitates PLEKHA1 translation via an IRES-dependent manner. Importantly, the synergistic effects of EIF4G2 depletion and PLEKHA1 reduction in inhibiting cell migration and invasion underscore the therapeutic potential of targeting this axis. This study not only advances our understanding of translational regulation in HCC but also identifies the EIF4G2-PLEKHA1 axis as a promising therapeutic target, offering new avenues for intervention in HCC treatment.

Enantioselective Optical Trapping of Multiple Pairs of Enantiomers by Focused Hybrid Polarized Beams.

Enantiomers (opposite chiral molecules) usually exhibit different effects when interacting with chiral agents, thus the identification and separation of enantiomers are of importance in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Here an optical approach is proposed to enantioselective trapping of multiple pairs of enantiomers by a focused hybrid polarized beam. Numerical results indicate that such a focused beam shows multiple local optical chirality of opposite signs in the focal plane, and can trap the corresponding enantiomers near the extreme value of optical chirality density according to the handedness of enantiomers. The number and positions of trapped enantiomers can be changed by altering the value and sign of polarization orders of hybrid polarized beams, respectively. The key to realizing enantioselective optical trapping of enantiomers is that the chiral optical force exerted on enantiomers in this focused field is stronger than the achiral optical force. The results provide insight into the optical identification and separation of multiple pairs of enantiomers and will find applications in chiral detection and sensing.

Peroxynitrite-activated fluorescent probe with two reaction triggers for pathological diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation of inflammation.

Excessive peroxynitrite (ONOO-) is closely related to the occurrence and progression of inflammation. Therefore, the development of an efficacious ONOO- activatable probe holds great potential for the early diagnosis of pathological inflammation, and the direct evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of active protectants. In this work, a new ONOO--activated fluorescent probe (SZP) which greatly improved the specificity and sensitivity (LOD = 8.03 nM) with large Stokes shift (150 nm) through introducing two reaction triggers (diphenyl phosphinate moiety, CC unsaturated bond) was rationally designed for rapid detecting ONOO- (within 2 min). The excellent properties of probe SZP enable it to realize the fluorescence-guided diagnosis of inflammation. More importantly, probe SZP has also been utilized to assess the anti-inflammatory efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) active ingredients for the remediation of inflammation by monitoring ONOO- fluctuation for the first time.

Effect of vaccine hesitancy on female college students' willingness to receive the HPV vaccine in China: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the influencing factors of vaccine hesitancy on HPV vaccination willingness of female college students in order to promote the promotion of HPV vaccine in female college student population. METHODS: From September-October 2022, a convenience sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among freshman female students from four higher vocational colleges in Henan Province, China. The survey comprised a general information questionnaire, as well as inquiries regarding vaccine hesitancy and willingness to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. In PSM analyses, vaccine-hesitant students were matched with non-vaccine-hesitant students at a 1:1 ratio; subsequently, both univariate and multivariatble logistic regression analyses were applied to assess the impact of vaccine hesitancy on female university students' willingness to receive the HPV vaccine. RESULTS: The results revealed a vaccine hesitancy rate of 44.75% among female university students, with 82.9% expressing willingness to receive the HPV vaccine. The results of the multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis indicated vaccine hesitancy is a risk factor for HPV vaccination intentions among female university students [OR = 4.38, 95% CI (2.74, 6.99), P < 0.001]. Furthermore, the field of study (P = 0.01) and independently seeking information about the HPV vaccine (P = 0.04) were identified as factors influencing female university students' willingness to receive the HPV vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Non-vaccine-hesitant students were more likely to be willing to receive the HPV vaccine than vaccine-hesitant students. Healthcare providers and educators should focus on vaccine attitudes among female college students to reduce vaccine hesitancy and enhance community education on cervical cancer, HPV infection and prevention through multichannel campaigns.

Influence of Family-Learned Fear-of-Pain on Patients.

BACKGROUND: Fear-of-pain is a common feeling of patients and their family who experience or witness severe or chronic pain. Fear-of-pain may disturb patient's recovery, and also influence family support to assist patients' recovery. AIM: This study is to measure the level of family support for each patient; evaluate the extent of the supporting families' fear-of-pain; and identify possible interventions in family support and family fear-of-pain. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive research involved 77 participants in the orthopedics department of a tertiary hospital by convenience sampling. The online questionnaire includes general information, and scales of fear-of-pain, pain anxiety, pain vigilance and awareness, pain catastrophizing, and family support. T-test, Pearson correlation analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were used to analyze data. RESULTS: Most participants reported that they experienced a moderate-to-high level of fear-of-pain, pain anxiety, pain vigilance and awareness. A total of 15.6% of participants are at risk of pain catastrophizing. The family's pain vigilance and awareness, and fear-of-pain were often similar to those of the patient, and their levels of pain anxiety and catastrophizing were often higher than the patient's. Family support and families' fear-of-pain affect patients' feelings of pain and families' behavior in decision-making for patient recovery, necessitating the development of interventions for patients' families. CONCLUSIONS: Family members can develop the fear-of-pain from witnessing painful experiences and may exhibit fear-avoidance behaviors in deciding on patients' rehabilitation plan. Family support, including the type of relationship with families, and length of time family spent with the patient, had an effect on patients' pain and fear-of-pain.

Comparative Chloroplast Genomes Analysis Provided Adaptive Evolution Insights in Medicago ruthenica.

A perennial leguminous forage, Medicago ruthenica has outstanding tolerance to abiotic stresses. The genome of Medicago ruthenica is large and has a complex genetic background, making it challenging to accurately determine genetic information. However, the chloroplast genome is widely used for researching issues related to evolution, genetic diversity, and other studies. To better understand its chloroplast characteristics and adaptive evolution, chloroplast genomes of 61 Medicago ruthenica were assembled (including 16 cultivated Medicago ruthenica germplasm and 45 wild Medicago ruthenica germplasm). These were used to construct the pan-chloroplast genome of Medicago ruthenica, and the chloroplast genomes of cultivated and wild Medicago ruthenica were compared and analyzed. Phylogenetic and haplotype analyses revealed two main clades of 61 Medicago ruthenica germplasm chloroplast genomes, distributed in eastern and western regions. Meanwhile, based on chloroplast variation information, 61 Medicago ruthenica germplasm can be divided into three genetic groups. Unlike the phylogenetic tree constructed from the chloroplast genome, a new intermediate group has been identified, mainly consisting of samples from the eastern region of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi Province, and Hebei Province. Transcriptomic analysis showed that 29 genes were upregulated and three genes were downregulated. The analysis of these genes mainly focuses on enhancing plant resilience and adapting adversity by stabilizing the photosystem structure and promoting protein synthesis. Additionally, in the analysis of adaptive evolution, the accD, clpP and ycf1 genes showed higher average Ka/Ks ratios and exhibited significant nucleotide diversity, indicating that these genes are strongly positively selected. The editing efficiency of the ycf1 and clpP genes significantly increases under abiotic stress, which may positively contribute to plant adaptation to the environment. In conclusion, the construction and comparative analysis of the complete chloroplast genomes of 61 Medicago ruthenica germplasm from different regions not only revealed new insights into the genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships of Medicago ruthenica germplasm, but also highlighted the importance of chloroplast transcriptome analysis in elucidating the model of chloroplast responses to abiotic stress. These provide valuable information for further research on the adaptive evolution of Medicago ruthenica.

Comparative Analysis of Chloroplast Pan-Genomes and Transcriptomics Reveals Cold Adaptation in Medicago sativa.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennial forage legume that is widely distributed all over the world; therefore, it has an extremely complex genetic background. Though population structure and phylogenetic studies have been conducted on a large group of alfalfa nuclear genomes, information about the chloroplast genomes is still lacking. Chloroplast genomes are generally considered to be conservative and play an important role in population diversity analysis and species adaptation in plants. Here, 231 complete alfalfa chloroplast genomes were successfully assembled from 359 alfalfa resequencing data, on the basis of which the alfalfa chloroplast pan-genome was constructed. We investigated the genetic variations of the alfalfa chloroplast genome through comparative genomic, genetic diversity, phylogenetic, population genetic structure, and haplotype analysis. Meanwhile, the expression of alfalfa chloroplast genes under cold stress was explored through transcriptome analysis. As a result, chloroplast genomes of 231 alfalfa lack an IR region, and the size of the chloroplast genome ranges from 125,192 bp to 126,105 bp. Using population structure, haplotypes, and construction of a phylogenetic tree, it was found that alfalfa populations could be divided into four groups, and multiple highly variable regions were found in the alfalfa chloroplast genome. Transcriptome analysis showed that tRNA genes were significantly up-regulated in the cold-sensitive varieties, while rps7, rpl32, and ndhB were down-regulated, and the editing efficiency of ycf1, ycf2, and ndhF was decreased in the cold-tolerant varieties, which may be due to the fact that chloroplasts store nutrients through photosynthesis to resist cold. The huge number of genetic variants in this study provide powerful resources for molecular markers.

Vascular Electrical Stimulation with Wireless, Battery-Free, and Fully Implantable Features Reduces Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation Through Sirt1-Mediated Autophagy.

Electrical stimulation (ES) is a safe and effective procedure in clinical rehabilitation with few adverse effects. However, studies on ES for atherosclerosis (AS) are scarce because ES does not provide a long-term intervention for chronic disease processes. Battery-free implants and surgically mounted them in the abdominal aorta of high-fat-fed Apolipoprotein E (ApoE-/- ) mice are used, which are electrically stimulated for four weeks using a wireless ES device to observe changes in atherosclerotic plaques. Results showed that there is almost no growth of atherosclerotic plaque at the stimulated site in AopE-/- mice after ES. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of Thp-1 macrophages reveal that the transcriptional activity of autophagy-related genes increase substantially after ES. Additionally, ES reduces lipid accumulation in macrophages by restoring ABCA1- and ABCG1-mediated cholesterol efflux. Mechanistically, it is demonstrated that ES reduced lipid accumulation through Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1)/Autophagy related 5 (Atg5) pathway-mediated autophagy. Furthermore, ES reverse autophagic dysfunction in macrophages of AopE-/- mouse plaques by restoring Sirt1, blunting P62 accumulation, and inhibiting the secretion of interleukin (IL)-6, resulting in the alleviation of atherosclerotic lesion formation. Here, a novel approach is shown in which ES can be used as a promising therapeutic strategy for AS treatment through Sirt1/Atg5 pathway-mediated autophagy.

Convergent molecular evolution of thermogenesis and circadian rhythm in Arctic ruminants.

The muskox and reindeer are the only ruminants that have evolved to survive in harsh Arctic environments. However, the genetic basis of this Arctic adaptation remains largely unclear. Here, we compared a de novo assembled muskox genome with reindeer and other ruminant genomes to identify convergent amino acid substitutions, rapidly evolving genes and positively selected genes among the two Arctic ruminants. We found these candidate genes were mainly involved in brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and circadian rhythm. Furthermore, by integrating transcriptomic data from goat adipose tissues (white and brown), we demonstrated that muskox and reindeer may have evolved modulating mitochondrion, lipid metabolism and angiogenesis pathways to enhance BAT thermogenesis. In addition, results from co-immunoprecipitation experiments prove that convergent amino acid substitution of the angiogenesis-related gene hypoxia-inducible factor 2alpha (HIF2A), resulting in weakening of its interaction with prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2 (PHD2), may increase angiogenesis of BAT. Altogether, our work provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in Arctic adaptation.