Distinct virtual histology of grey matter atrophy in four neuroinflammatory diseases.

Gray matter (GM) atrophies were observed in multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (both anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-positive [AQP4+], and -negative [AQP4-] subtypes NMOSD), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). Revealing the pathogenesis of brain atrophy in these disorders would help their differential diagnosis and guide therapeutic strategies. To determine the neurobiological underpinnings of GM atrophies in multiple sclerosis, AQP4+ NMOSD, AQP4- NMOSD, and MOGAD, we conducted a virtual histology analysis that links T1-weighted image derived GM atrophy and gene expression using a multicenter cohort of 324 patients with multiple sclerosis, 197 patients with AQP4+ NMOSD, 75 patients with AQP4- NMOSD, 47 patients with MOGAD, and 2,169 healthy controls (HCs). First, interregional GM atrophy profiles across the cortical and subcortical regions were determined by Cohen's d between patients with multiple sclerosis, AQP4+ NMOSD, AQP4- NMOSD, MOGAD and HCs. Then, the GM atrophy profiles were spatially correlated with the gene expressions extracted from the Allen Human Brain Atlas, respectively. Finally, we explored the virtual histology of clinical feature relevant GM atrophy by subgroup analysis that stratified by physical disability, disease duration, number of relapses, lesion burden, and cognitive function. Multiple sclerosis showed severe widespread GM atrophy pattern, mainly involving subcortical nuclei and brainstem. AQP4+ NMOSD showed obvious widespread GM atrophy pattern, predominately located in occipital cortex as well as cerebellum. AQP4- NMOSD showed mild widespread GM atrophy pattern, mainly located in frontal and parietal cortices. MOGAD showed GM atrophy mainly involving the frontal and temporal cortices. High expression of genes specific to microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and endothelial cells in multiple sclerosis, S1 pyramidal cells in AQP4+ NMOSD, as well as S1 and CA1 pyramidal cells in MOGAD had spatial correlations with GM atrophy profiles were observed, while no atrophy profile related gene expression was found in AQP4- NMOSD. Virtual histology of clinical feature relevant GM atrophy mainly pointed to the shared neuronal and endothelial cells among the four neuroinflammatory diseases. The unique underlying virtual histology patterns were microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes for multiple sclerosis; astrocytes for AQP4+ NMOSD; and oligodendrocytes for MOGAD. Neuronal and endothelial cells were shared potential targets across these neuroinflammatory diseases. These findings might help their differential diagnosis and optimal therapeutic strategies.

Mapping macrostructural and microstructural brain alterations in patients with neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a rare complex neurodegenerative disorder presents with various radiological features. The study aimed to investigate the structural abnormalities in NIID using multi-shell diffusion MR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with adult-onset NIID and 32 healthy controls were included. Volumetric and diffusion MRI measures, including volume, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), intracellular volume fraction (ICVF), orientation dispersion index (ODI), and isotropic volume fraction (ISOVF) of six brain structures, including cortex, subcortical GM, cerebral WM, cerebellar GM and WM, and brainstem, were obtained and compared between NIID and healthy controls. Associations between MRI measures and clinical variables were investigated. RESULTS: Brain lesions of NIID included corticomedullary junction lesions on DWI, confluent leukoencephalopathy, lesions on callosum, cerebellar middle peduncle, cerebellar paravermal area and brainstem, and brain atrophy. Compared to healthy controls, NIID showed extensive volume loss of all the six brain regions (all p < 0.001); lower FA in cerebral WM (p < 0.001); higher MD in all WM regions; lower ODI in cortex (p < 0.001); higher ODI in subcortical GM (p < 0.001) and brainstem (p = 0.016); lower ICVF in brainstem (p = 0.001), and cerebral WM (p < 0.001); higher ISOVF in all the brain regions (p < 0.001). Higher MD of cerebellar WM was associated with worse cognitive level as evaluated by MoCA scores (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: NIID patients demonstrated widespread brain atrophy but heterogeneous diffusion alterations. Cerebellar WM integrity impairment was correlated with the cognitive decline. The findings of the current study offer a sophisticated picture of brain structural alterations in NIID.

High-carbon expansion or low-carbon intensive and mixed land-use? Recent observations from megacities in developing countries: A case study of Shanghai, China.

Cities have become significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Effective land management may be the solution to carbon neutrality targets for megacities with limited land resources. This paper takes Shanghai as a case study to investigate the regional land use dynamics and its impact on carbon emissions following the implementation of land conservation and intensive use policy. During 2010-2020, the land use pattern in Shanghai changed from the previous urban land expansion to a combination of industrial land reduction and woodland expansion. Meanwhile, the area proportion of land-use mixture grids increased from 90.50% to 92.28% with the spatial pattern of mixed types also changing. Furthermore, the notable land-use mixture does not necessarily lead to carbon emission reduction, but it can reduce carbon emission hotspots in industrial agglomerations by promoting the mixed use of industrial land and other land use types. However, megacities cannot achieve carbon balance through land use management alone. Due to the increasing carbon emission density of hybrid industrial land, the joint implementation of a land conservation and intensive use strategy with industrial and energy structure adjustments may be an effective way forward.

China's long march to malaria elimination: a case of adaptive management.

Since the 1950s, China has transitioned from a malaria pandemic country with tens of millions of annual cases, through phases of local control and elimination, to sustained national malaria elimination efforts. This marks the first time a country in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific region has been certified malaria-free in more than 3 decades. This article provides an innovative approach to understanding China's malaria elimination journey. A number of articles and commentaries have analysed the effectiveness of specific technical approaches implemented in China. Our argument is that we need to look beyond these, and consider the ways in which policy development and implementation capacities have been fostered to support the dynamic change management. The article makes a number of arguments. First is the pragmatic adaptiveness of policies and strategies-and implementation capacities. Second, China has invested in building systems as well as capacities to support the elimination of parasitic diseases, including malaria. Third, the country has both benefited from, and contributed to, global health collaboration on malaria elimination. The ongoing work by the authors is identifying a number of key factors.

Application of an innovative grid-based surveillance strategy to ensure elimination and prevent reintroduction of malaria in high-risk border communities in China.

Grid management is a grassroots governance strategy widely implemented in China since 2004 to improve the government's efficiency to actively find and solve problems among populated regions. A grid-based strategy surveillancing high-risk groups, including mobile and migrant populations (MMPs), in the China-Myanmar border region has played an indispensable role in promoting and consolidating the malaria elimination efforts by tracking and timely identification of potential importation or re-establishment of malaria among MMPs. A sequential mixed methods was implementated to explore the operational mechanism and best practices of the grid-based strategy including through the focus group discussions (FGDs), comparison of before and after the implementation of a grid-based strategy in the field sites, and data collection from the local health system.This paper distills the implementation mechanism and highlights the role of the grid-based strategy in the elimination and prevention of re-establishment of malaria transmission.

2,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl attenuated fast-twitch fibers and fiber size of skeletal muscle via disturbing thyroid hormone signaling and mitochondrial dynamics.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) affect multiple organs, and some of the effects are mediated by interfering with thyroid hormone (TH) signaling that regulates physiological processes in mammals. It remains unclear how PCBs affect skeletal muscle (SM). In our study, wistar rats were injected 2,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB118) intraperitoneally at 0, 10, 100, and 1000 µg/kg/day for 13 weeks, and C2C12 myoblasts were treated PCB118 (0, 0.25, 25, and 50 nM) for 24 h or 48 h. We found that myocyte cross-sectional area (MCSA) was reduced, MyHC IIa and MyHC IIb mRNA levels significantly decreased, and muscle strength was weakened in PCB118-exposed rats. TH receptor α (TRα) and iodothyronine deiodinase type 2 (DIO2) were upregulated after PCB118 exposure both in vivo and in vitro. Transmission electron microscopy showed significant mitochondrial abnormalities in PCB118-treated rats, and the expression of mitochondrial regulators such as PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and GTPase dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) were altered after PCB118 exposure. These results suggest that PCB118 could weaken muscle strength and attenuate fast-twitch fibers and fiber size of SM in rats. TH signaling, mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy were also disturbed by PCB118, which may contribute to the alternations of SM structure and function.

Sarcopenic obesity: research advances in pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria.

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) refers to an obesity disease accompanied by low skeletal muscle quality, strength and/or function, which is more common in the elderly and seriously affects their quality of life and can lead to falls, unstable walking, balance disorders and fractures in the elderly. The increase in aging populations and the various health problems and medical costs associated with SO have aroused widespread concern in society. However, the pathogenesis of SO has not been fully clarified and the diagnostic criteria are not uniform, meaning that there are inconsistent data on the prevalence of SO and the potential correlation between SO and health outcomes. Therefore, we review the research progress on delineating the pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria of SO, to assist in the early diagnosis and evaluation of SO and subsequent interventions.

Imported Schistosomiasis, China, 2010-2018.

China has made remarkable progress in reducing schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma japonicum over the past 7 decades but now faces a severe threat from imported schistosomiasis. Results from national surveillance during 2010-2018 indicate integrating active surveillance into current surveillance models for imported cases is urgently needed to achieve schistosomiasis elimination in China.

Venous sinus stenting improves cerebral autoregulation in a patient with venous sinus stenosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Venous sinus stenosis (VSS) is a type of cerebral venous vascular disease. Cerebral autoregulation is an indicator of cerebral arterial function. The cerebral circulatory system is composed of the venous system and arterial system. Impaired venous function may affect arterial function. Thus, cerebral venous stenosis may influence cerebral autoregulation. CASE PRESENTATION: In this case, a 50-year-old woman with transient blindness and headache was admitted to the hospital. The patient was diagnosed with VSS. A stent was placed at the stenosis. The stent released the intravenous pressure and remitted the patient's symptoms. Measurements of dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) were performed at 3 time points: before stenting, after stenting, and 3 months later. The dCA gradually improved after stenting. CONCLUSION: VSS may have an influence on cerebral autoregulation, and effective treatment improves cerebral autoregulation in patients with VSS.

Spatial structure of the microbiome in the gut of Pomacea canaliculata.

BACKGROUND: Gut microbes can contribute to their hosts in food digestion, nutrient absorption, and inhibiting the growth of pathogens. However, only limited studies have focused on the gut microbiota of freshwater snails. Pomacea canaliculata is considered one of the worst invasive alien species in the world. Elucidating the diversity and composition of the microbiota in the gut of P. canaliculata snails may be helpful for better understanding the widespread invasion of this snail species. In this study, the buccal masses, stomachs, and intestines were isolated from seven P. canaliculata snails. The diversity and composition of the microbiota in the three gut sections were then investigated based on high-throughput Illumina sequencing targeting the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. RESULTS: The diversity of the microbiota was highest in the intestine but lowest in the buccal mass. A total of 29 phyla and 111 genera of bacteria were identified in all of the samples. In general, Ochrobactrum, a genus of putative cellulose-degrading bacteria, was the most abundant (overall relative abundance: 13.6%), followed by Sediminibacterium (9.7%), Desulfovibrio (7.8%), an unclassified genus in the family Aeromonadaceae (5.4%), and Cloacibacterium (5.4%). The composition of the microbiota was diverse among the different gut sections. Ochrobactrum (relative abundance: 23.15% ± 7.92%) and Sediminibacterium (16.95 ± 5.70%) were most abundant in the stomach, an unclassified genus in the family Porphyromonadaceae (14.28 ± 7.29%) and Leptotrichia (8.70 ± 4.46%) were highest in the buccal mass, and two genera in the families Aeromonadaceae (7.55 ± 4.53%) and Mollicutes (13.47 ± 13.03%) were highest in the intestine. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity and composition of the microbiome vary among different gut sections of P. canaliculata snails. Putative cellulose-degrading bacteria are enriched in the gut of P. canaliculata.

11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 inhibitor attenuates high-fat diet induced cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: High-fat diet (HFD) induces cardiac hypertrophy; however, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are yet unclear. In the present study, we investigated the roles of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11ß-HSD1), an amplifier of local glucocorticoid activity, in the pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were fed normal chow diet (NC) or HFD and examined the cardiac remolding and functional alteration by echocardiography and histology. Primary neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) treated with palmitic acid (PA) or infected by lentivirus were used for identifying the role by 11ß-HSD1 in cardiac hypertrophy. Genome microarray of NRCMs was performed to further reveal the mechanism underlying cardiac dysfunction. RESULTS: Palmitic acid induced hypertrophy in NRCMs that upregulated 11ß-HSD1 expression in cardiomyocytes, which led to a significant enlargement in the cell size and expression of cardiac hypertrophy-specific genes. Conversely, a remarkable decrease in cardiomyocytes size was detected in either BVT.2733 (a selective inhibitor of 11ß-HSD1)-treated or 11ß-HSD1-deficient NRCMs. Furthermore, both glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU486 and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist spironolactone markedly attenuated the 11ß-HSD1-induced cardiomyocytes hypertrophy. Genome microarray revealed that cAMP and calcium signaling pathways are potential downstream signaling pathways regulated by 11ß-HSD1 in cardiomyocytes hypertrophy. Similar to in vitro results, BVT.2733 strikingly attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and improved cardiac function in HFD-fed rats. CONCLUSION: 11ß-HSD1 acts as an important regulator that controls the cardiac remolding via both GR and MR and the pharmacological inhibition of 11ß-HSD1 could be a new therapeutic approach in preventing HFD-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Compromised dynamic cerebral autoregulation in patients with generalized anxiety disorder: a study using transfer function analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) usually present with various neurological symptoms, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to analyze the characteristics of dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) in patients with GAD. METHODS: Patients (aged ≥18 years) who were diagnosed with GAD were enrolled in this study. Medically and psychiatrically healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. Subjects received the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAMA) and 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) evaluation. Noninvasive continuous arterial blood pressure and bilateral middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity were recorded simultaneously from each subject. Transfer function analysis was used to derive the autoregulatory parameters, including phase difference, gain, and coherence function. RESULTS: A total of 57 patients with GAD and 40 healthy volunteers were enrolled. We found that the phase difference values were significantly compromised in patients with GAD. In the Spearman correlation analysis, the phase difference values were negatively correlated with the HAMA scores and the HAMD scores. In the multiple linear regression analysis, GAD is negatively correlated with the phase difference values, whereas age is positively correlated with the phase difference values. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the dCA was compromised in patients with GAD and negatively correlated with the score of anxiety. Improving the dCA may be a potential therapeutic method for treating the neurological symptoms of GAD patients.

Baicalein Enhances Migration and Invasion of Extravillous Trophoblasts via Activation of the NF-κB Pathway.

BACKGROUND Baicalein, one of the major flavonoids in the plant [i]Scutellaria baicalensis[/i], can regulate the invasive ability of cancer cells. The invasion of trophoblasts is similar to the invasion of tumor cells into host tissues. The appropriate invasion of trophoblast cells into the endometrium is an important factor for successful embryo implantation. In this research, we investigated the effect of baicalein on the invasion and migration of trophoblast cells and its possible molecular mechanism. MATERIAL AND METHODS We treated HTR-8/SVneo cells with different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 µM) of baicalein. The invasion and migration abilities of HTR-8/SVneo cells were studied. Protein levels and gene expression related to invasion and migration were analyzed by Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS Baicalein enhanced the migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells. In addition, gene expression and protein levels of MMP-9 in HTR-8/SVneo cells changed in the presence of baicalein. Moreover, the data show that baicalein activated the NF-κB pathway. Baicalein was also able to rescue effects of an NF-κB-specific inhibitor (JSH-23) on the migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, our results indicate that baicalein enhances migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells, which is important for successful pregnancy.

[Research progress on the asymmetric division in mammalian oocytes].

The mammalian oocyte maturation process consists of two consecutive asymmetric divisions, and produces three daughter cells of vastly different sizes: one larger egg cell and two smaller polar bodies. Asymmetric division is a typical feature of mammalian oocyte meiosis that results in a highly polar egg cell. The mitosis of the cell after fertilization exhibits restored symmetric division, but the polarity characteristics formed during meiosis of oocytes are preserved and affect the polarity of early embryos. In this review, we summarize the research progress on asymmetric division of mammalian oocytes in recent years, and mainly focus on the asymmetric division of cytoplasmic and the asymmetric division of nucleus, including the functions of chromosome and cytoskeleton in asymmetric division of mammalian oocytes, the redistribution of cytoplasmic organelles occurring in oocyte maturation, and chromosome nonrandom separation. We aim to demonstrate the main mechanism of asymmetry division in mammalian oocytes from both cellular and molecular levels.

[Substitution saturation analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene of Angiostrongylus cantonensis].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the substitution saturation of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COX1) gene of Angiostrongylus cantonensis. METHODS: One hundred and thirty A. cantonensis adult worms were collected from 33 sampling sites and used to amplify the complete sequence of COX1 gene. The nucleotide diversity, the number of haplotypes and the number of mutations were calculated by DnaSP software after sequence alignment. The distribution of base substitutions was characterized. The level of nucleotide substitution saturation was evaluated by plotting transitions and transversions against pairwise genetic distance. RESULTS: A total of 130 complete COX1 sequences of 1 577 bp were obtained. One hundred seventy-one nucleotides were found to be variable, resulting in 39 haplotypes with a diversity of 0.8114. The nucleotide diversity was 0.02841. Mutations were evenly distributed along the COX1 gene and did not show significant clustering. The analysis of COX1 gene showed that the amount of substitutions was increasing with the extension of genetic distance, and transitions outnumbered transversions; the increase rate was 0.76, and 0.16, respectively. The substitution rate was markedly different among the three codon positions: the maximum rate was found at the third codon position, followed by the first position, and the second position. The analysis of COX1 gene among 7 members of Metastrongyloidea showed that transversions outnumbered transitions when the genetic distance was more than 0.15. When the number of transitions exceeded 6%, a plateau was reached; while the transvertions increased linearly. CONCLUSION: No substitution saturation is found in mitochondrial COX1 gene of A. cantonensis. Therefore, the substitutions at each codon position could be considered in phylogeny analysis.

[Investigation on the species distribution and infection status of host snails of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Shanghai].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the species distribution and infection status of host snails of Angiostongylus cantonensis in Shanghai. METHODS: From August 2012 to October 2014, 10 districts or counties were selected for this investigation in Shanghai, including Jiading, Qingpu, Putuo, Baoshan, Yangpu, Minhang, Songjiang, Jinshan, Chongming, and Pudong. All of the snails were examined by lung-microscopy and tissue homogenate methods. RESULTS: Totally 1074 snail samples were identified, belonging to 8 families, 10 species, including Pomacea canaliculata (133), Achatina fulica (25), Cipangopaludina chinensis (183), Bellamya aeruginosa (78), Physa acuta (349), Radix swinhoei (224), Bradybaena similaris (45), B. ravida sieboldiana (32), Limax flavus (2), and Philomycus bilineatus (3). A. fulica was sold in market, and was not found in the field. The natural population of P. canaliculata was found in the field in Jinze Town of Qingpu District. A. cantonensis larvae were not detected. CONCLUSION: No snails were found to be infected with A. cantonensis in Shanghai. Attention needs to be paid to the monitoring of P. canaliculata.

Global outreach and networking promotion to accelerate tropical diseases elimination.

Cooperation and networking are powerful tools in the combating against tropical diseases. Cooperation on a global scale is essential due to the transboundary nature of tropical diseases. Networking plays a pivotal role in facilitating such cooperation. Both cooperation and networking can foster innovation in disease control programmes. Collaborative research can lead to the development of new drugs and vaccines, while shared surveillance data can enable the early detection and control of disease epidemics. Therefore, consensus of cooperation and networking has been reached during the 7th Symposium on Surveillance-Response Systems Leading to Tropical Diseases Elimination, which reflected in the two documents, i.e., Consensus for Transboundary Tropical Diseases Control, and Action Consensus of the Network of WHO Collaborating Centres Related to NTDs. These documents will improve the efforts in the fighting against tropical diseases through collective actions to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Risk factors and predictive model for mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation admitted to the intensive care unit.

Hematological malignant tumors represent a group of major diseases carrying a substantial risk to the lives of affected patients. Risk factors for mortality in critically ill patients have garnered substantial attention in recent research endeavors. The present research aimed to identify factors predicting intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Furthermore, the present study analyzed and compared the mortality rate between patients undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Haplo-SCT) and those undergoing identical sibling donor (ISD) transplantation. A total of 108 patients were included in the present research, 83 (76.9%) of whom underwent Haplo-SCT. ICU mortality was reported in 58 (53.7%) patients, with the values of 55.4 and 48.0% associated with Haplo-SCT and ISD, respectively (P=0.514). The mortality rate of patients undergoing Haplo-SCT was comparable to that of patients undergoing ISD transplantation. The present study found that reduced hemoglobin, elevated total bilirubin, elevated brain natriuretic peptide, elevated fibrinogen degradation products, need for vasoactive drugs at ICU admission, need for invasive mechanical ventilation and elevated APACHE II scores were independent risk factors for ICU mortality. Among patients presenting with 5-7 risk factors, the ICU mortality reached 100%, significantly exceeding that of other patients. The present research revealed that ICU mortality rates remain elevated among patients who underwent allo-HSCT, especially those presenting multiple risk factors. However, the outcome of patients undergoing Haplo-SCT were comparable to those of patients undergoing ISD transplants.

Precision Prediction for Dengue Fever in Singapore: A Machine Learning Approach Incorporating Meteorological Data.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to improve dengue fever predictions in Singapore using a machine learning model that incorporates meteorological data, addressing the current methodological limitations by examining the intricate relationships between weather changes and dengue transmission. METHOD: Using weekly dengue case and meteorological data from 2012 to 2022, the data was preprocessed and analyzed using various machine learning algorithms, including General Linear Model (GLM), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithms. Performance metrics such as Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and R-squared (R2) were employed. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2022, there was a total of 164,333 cases of dengue fever. Singapore witnessed a fluctuating number of dengue cases, peaking notably in 2020 and revealing a strong seasonality between March and July. An analysis of meteorological data points highlighted connections between certain climate variables and dengue fever outbreaks. The correlation analyses suggested significant associations between dengue cases and specific weather factors such as solar radiation, solar energy, and UV index. For disease predictions, the XGBoost model showed the best performance with an MAE = 89.12, RMSE = 156.07, and R2 = 0.83, identifying time as the primary factor, while 19 key predictors showed non-linear associations with dengue transmission. This underscores the significant role of environmental conditions, including cloud cover and rainfall, in dengue propagation. CONCLUSION: In the last decade, meteorological factors have significantly influenced dengue transmission in Singapore. This research, using the XGBoost model, highlights the key predictors like time and cloud cover in understanding dengue's complex dynamics. By employing advanced algorithms, our study offers insights into dengue predictive models and the importance of careful model selection. These results can inform public health strategies, aiming to improve dengue control in Singapore and comparable regions.

Exploring the key deteriorative microorganisms on ancient ivories unearthed from the Sanxingdui Ruins site during temporary cold storage.

Introduction: The ancient ivories unearthed from the Sanxingdui Ruins site are valuable cultural relics, however, the microbial biodeterioration on ivories during temporary cold storage poses a great threat to their later long-term preservation. Methods: Here, the combination of high-throughput sequencing and biochemical assays was applied for the in-depth investigation of the key deteriorative microorganisms colonizing on the ivories and the tracing of their origin, as well as the assessment of the ethanol disinfection impact on the microbial communities on ivories. Results: It was observed that the surfaces of ivories were scattered by the fungal patches of white, dark grey, and hedge green colors during cold storage. The high-throughput sequencing results showed that the genera Mortierella (38.51%), Ilyonectria (14.43%), Penicillium (1.15%), and Aspergillus (1.09%) were the dominant fungi, while Pseudomonas (22.63%), Sphingopyxis (3.06%), and Perlucidibaca (2.92%) were the dominant bacteria on ivories. The isolated Aspergillus A-2 resulted in the highest amount of calcium releasing from the degradation of hydroxyapatite (HAP), the main component of ivory, by the organic acids produced, including oxalic acid and citric acid. The fast expectation-maximization for microbial source tracking (FEAST) analysis revealed that the majority of the fungi (57.45%) and bacteria (71.84%) colonizing on the ivories were derived from the soils surrounding ivories in the sacrifice pits, indicating soils as the primary source for the spoilage microbes growing on ivories. The dominant strains could degrade cellulose, the key components of wet cotton towels commonly applied on ivories for moisture maintenance, aiding the spoilage microbes colonizing on ivories. Notably, the ivory disinfection with 75% ethanol during the cleansing significantly decreased the relative abundance of the dominant genera of Ilyonectria, Aspergillus, and Pseudomonas, with Mortierella becoming the dominant one on ivories. Discussion: Together, the fungi, particularly Aspergillus and Penicillium, played a significant role in the microbial biodeterioration of unearthed ancient ivories by producing the organic acids. These results may improve the control of the microbial biodeterioration and develop more efficient strategies for the long-time conservation of unearthed ancient ivories and other cultural relics.