Aerobic exercise improves verbal working memory sub-processes in adolescents: behavioral evidence from an N-back task.

Background: Studies on the effects of aerobic exercise on working memory (WM) have mainly concentrated on the overall effects, yet there is little knowledge on how moderate intensity aerobic exercise impacts the sub-processes of verbal WM (VWM) in adolescents. To address this gap, two experiments were conducted to explore the influence of aerobic exercise on the maintenance and updating sub-processes of VWM. Methods: In Experiment 1, a mixed experimental design of 2 (exercise habit: high vs. low) × 3 (memory load: 0-back vs. 1-back vs. 2-back) was used to compare VWM and its sub-processes in 40 adolescents. In Experiment 2, a 2 (group: intervention vs. control) × 3 (time point: pretest vs. 1st post-test vs. 18th post-test) × 3 (memory load: 0-back vs. 1-back vs. 2-back) mixed experimental design was used to investigate the acute and long-term effects of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on VWM and its sub-processes in 24 adolescents with low exercise habits. Results: The results of Experiment 1 showed that VWM performance and its sub-processes in the high exercise habit group were better than those in the low exercise habit group. The results of Experiment 2 showed that the effects of the long-term exercise intervention were superior to those of the acute exercise intervention, and both were superior to the pretest. Meanwhile, it was found that aerobic exercise intervention had a greater effect size on the updating sub-process of VWM. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results indicated that moderate intensity aerobic exercise could enhance the performance of VWM and its sub-processes in adolescents, and long-term intervention showed greater improvement effects compared to acute intervention, especially in the updating sub-process of VWM.

Synthesis of 1,2-Disubstituted C-Aryl Glycosides via Palladium/Norbornene Cooperative Catalysis.

The Catellani reaction offers an opportunity to address multiple chemical bonds in a single pot. However, it is still quite a challenge to construct fully substituted olefins via this strategy, especially in electron-rich, unstable, and highly functionalized glycals. Herein we report the first palladium-catalyzed Catellani reaction for the direct preparation of 1,2-disubstituted C-aryl glycosides from easily available 2-iodoglycals, bromoaryl, and alkene/alkyne substrates. This transformation exhibits a wide substrate scope, accommodating diverse functional groups and intricate molecular frameworks. This innovative reactivity offers an efficient pathway to valuable 1,2-disubstituted carbohydrate analogues and molecular building blocks, facilitating novel strategic bond disconnections and broadening the reactivity landscape of palladium catalysis.

A soybean bZIP transcription factor is involved in submergence resistance.

Although the functions of basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family transcription factors in the regulation of various abiotic stresses are beginning to be unveiled, the precise roles of bZIP proteins in plants coping with submergence stress remain unclear. Here we identified a bZIP gene GmbZIP71-4 from soybean, which localized in the nucleus. The GmbZIP71-4 over-expressed tabocco line showed reduced submergence resistance due to the decreased abscisic acid (ABA) content. GO and KEGG pathway analysis based on chromatin immunoprecipitation assay sequencing (ChIP-seq) indicated that the differences expressed genes between submergence treatment and control groups were specially enriched in plant hormone signal transduction items, especially those in response to ABA. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) demonstrated that GmbZIP71-4 bound to the promoter of GmABF2 gene, which is consistent with the ChIP-qPCR results. GmbZIP71-4 function as a negative regulator of soybean in responding to submergence stress through manipulating ABA signaling pathway. This findings will set a solid foundation for the understanding of submergence resistance in plants.

Synthesis of the Cyclopentane Core Skeleton of Cranomycin and Jogyamycin.

Cranomycin and jogyamycin, two aminocyclopentitol natural products, possess complex structures and potential medicinal properties. This review describes synthetic studies about the process of making an advanced intermediate of cranomycin and jogyamycin. This highly functionalized intermediate, featuring three contiguous amine-substituted stereocenters, was constructed from cyclopentadiene through a series of reactions including the nitroso Diels-Alder reaction, nitrogen radical cyclization reaction, 1,2-nitrogen migration, and stereoselective nitrogen addition.

Automatic Vertebral Rotation Angle Measurement of 3D Vertebrae Based on an Improved Transformer Network.

The measurement of vertebral rotation angles serves as a crucial parameter in spinal assessments, particularly in understanding conditions such as idiopathic scoliosis. Historically, these angles were calculated from 2D CT images. However, such 2D techniques fail to comprehensively capture the intricate three-dimensional deformities inherent in spinal curvatures. To overcome the limitations of manual measurements and 2D imaging, we introduce an entirely automated approach for quantifying vertebral rotation angles using a three-dimensional vertebral model. Our method involves refining a point cloud segmentation network based on a transformer architecture. This enhanced network segments the three-dimensional vertebral point cloud, allowing for accurate measurement of vertebral rotation angles. In contrast to conventional network methodologies, our approach exhibits notable improvements in segmenting vertebral datasets. To validate our approach, we compare our automated measurements with angles derived from prevalent manual labeling techniques. The analysis, conducted through Bland-Altman plots and the corresponding intraclass correlation coefficient results, indicates significant agreement between our automated measurement method and manual measurements. The observed high intraclass correlation coefficients (ranging from 0.980 to 0.993) further underscore the reliability of our automated measurement process. Consequently, our proposed method demonstrates substantial potential for clinical applications, showcasing its capacity to provide accurate and efficient vertebral rotation angle measurements.

Effect of optimized thrombus aspiration on myocardial perfusion and prognosis in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objective: To investigate the impact of optimized thrombus aspiration on myocardial perfusion, prognosis, and safety in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention(primary PCI). Methods: A total of 129 patients with STEMI were randomly allocated into control group (Subgroup A and B) and experimental group(Subgroup C and D). Control group received percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA),thrombus aspiration and primary PCI. Experimental group received optimized thrombus aspiration and primary PCI. The number of thrombus aspiration was less than 4 times in Subgroup A and C. The number of thrombus aspiration was performed more than 4 times in Subgroups B and D. The classification of thrombi extracted, the TIMI flow grade, the incidence of no-reflow and slow flow, cTFC, TPI and CK-MB at 12 h and 24 h after stenting, ST segment resolution of ECG after stenting, NT-proBNP, LVEFat 24 h, 30 days and 180 days after stenting were compared between groups. The incidence of intraoperative and postoperative bleeding complications, stroke events and major cardiovascular events (MACE) were recorded and compared between groups. Results: The classification of thrombi extracted in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group. The TIMI flow grade of the experimental group was better than the control group after thrombus aspiration. After stenting, the advantage still existed, but the difference was not statistically significant. On cTFC, the experimental group was lower than the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant; After stenting the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group. The CK-MB at 12 h and 24 h of the experimental group was lower than the control group. After thrombus aspiration the incidence of no-reflow in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group; after stenting the incidence of no-reflow in the experimental group was still lower than the control group, but no statistically difference. After thrombus aspiration and stenting the incidence of slow flow in the experimental group were lower than that in the control group. After stenting, NT-proBNP at 24 h was lower in the experimental group than that in the control group, However, there was no statistical difference; after stenting, The NT-proBNP in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group at 30 days and 180 days. After stenting, LVEF of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group at 24 h and 30 days; superiority remained after 180 days but no statistical difference. There was no statistical difference between two groups for intraoperative and postoperative bleeding complications, stroke events, and MACE events. In Subgroup analysis,there was no significant difference in the classification of thrombi extracted, TIMI flow grade, cTFC, CK-MB,NT-proBNP and LVEF between group C and D, but group A was better than group B. Analysis of variance showed that the optimal number of suction was 4-5 times. Conclusions: Optimized thrombus aspiration can significantly improve myocardial perfusion and short-term and medium-term prognosis of STEMI patients after PCI, and reduce the incidence of slow flow and no-reflow. The optimal suction times were 4-5 times. Traditional aspiration method with more aspiration times is harmful to cardiac prognosis. Thrombus aspiration does not increase the incidence of stroke events and is safe.Clinical Trial Registration: identifier, ChiCTR2300073410.

Study of the Microstructure of Coal at Different Temperatures and Quantitative Fractal Characterization.

In order to understand the influence of underground coal fires on coal fractures and pores, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are combined to study the development of coal pore and fracture under high-temperature treatment and calculate the fractal dimension to analyze the relationship between the development of coal pore and fracture and the fractal dimension. The results show that the volume of pores and fractures of the coal sample (C200) treated at 200 °C (0.1715 mL/g) is greater than that of the coal sample (C400) treated at 400 °C (0.1209 mL/g), and both are greater than the original coal sample (RC) (0.1135 mL/g). The volume increase is mainly due to mesopores and macropores, and the proportions of mesopores and macropores in C200 were 70.15 and 59.97% in C400. The MIP fractal dimension shows a decreasing trend with the increase of temperature, and the connectivity of coal samples improved with the increase of temperature. The changes in volume and three-dimensional fractal dimension of C200 and C400 showed the opposite trend and are related to the different stress of coal matrix at different temperatures. The experimental SEM images confirm that the connectivity of coal fractures and pores improves with the increase of temperature. Based on the SEM experiment, the larger the fractal dimension, the more complex the surface is. The SEM surface fractal dimensions indicate that the surface fractal dimension of C200 is the smallest and that of C400 is the largest, which is consistent with the observations made by SEM. The combination of the two fractal dimensions is used to characterize the self-similarity of coal using the fractal dimension difference. When the temperature increased to 200 °C, the unordered expansion of the coal sample resulted in the largest fractal dimension difference and the lowest self-similarity. When heated to 400 °C, the fractal dimension difference of the coal sample is the smallest, and the microstructure of coal shows a regular groove-like development.

Genome-wide association mapping and gene expression analysis reveal candidate genes for grain chalkiness in rice.

Grain chalkiness is the main factor determining the market value of rice. Reducing chalkiness is an important breeding goal for genetic improvement of high quality rice. Identification of QTLs or genes controlling chalkiness is the prerequisite for molecular breeding in rice. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study to identify QTLs associated with grain chalkiness including percentage of grains with chalkiness (PGWC) and degree of endosperm chalkiness (DEC) in 450 rice accessions consisting of 300 indica and 150 japonica rice in two environments. A total of 34 QTLs were identified, including 14 QTLs for PGWC and 20 QTLs for DEC. Among them, seven QTLs were commonly identified in two environments, and eight QTLs were simultaneously related to two traits. Based on the haplotype analysis, LD decay analysis, RNA-sequencing, qRT-PCR confirmation and haplotype comparisons, four genes (LOC_Os10g36170, LOC_Os10g36260, LOC_Os10g36340 and LOC_Os10g36610) were considered as the candidate genes for qDEC-10c1w,2wj , which could be identified in both environments and had the most significant p-value among the newly identified QTLs. These results provided new insight into the genetic basis of grain chalkiness and gene resources for improving quality by molecular breeding in rice.

Compound shougong powder inhibits the malignant phenotype of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by targeting the DNA damage repair pathway.

OBJECTIVES: Compound Shougong Powder (SGS), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, has been used to treat cancer for many years with remarkable efficacy. However, the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of SGS in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not completely clear. METHODS: The survival and metastasis of HCC cells were examined by CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, Wound-healing and Transwell assay. The anti-tumour effect of SGS was studied using hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry. RNA sequencing was applied to detect the underlying mechanism. Comet DNA, qRT-PCR and WB experiments were performed for validation. In addition, HCC nude mouse model was constructed to detect SGS effect in vivo. KEY FINDINGS: SGS inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells and induced apoptosis in vitro. In addition, SGS also suppressed tumour growth in a nude mouse model of HCC in a dose-dependent manner. RNA sequencing of the suitably treated HCC cells revealed significant changes in the expression levels of genes involved in the DNA damage repair pathway. The sequencing results were verified by Comet DNA, qRT-PCR, WB assays and molecular docking. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, SGS inhibits the malignant phenotype of HCC cells by down-regulating DNA repair genes and consequently inducing DNA damage.

Bioinspired Total Synthesis of Complex Nucleoside Antibiotics A201A, A201D and A201E.

Herein, bioinspired total syntheses of A201A, A201D, and A201E based on a previously reported biosynthetic pathway are presented. The challenging 1,2-cis-furanoside, a core structure of the A201 family, was obtained by remote 2-quinolinecarbonyl-assisted glycosylation. We accomplished the total synthesis of A201A and A201E based on the critical 1,2-cis-furanoside moiety through late-stage glycosylation without any interference from basic dimethyl adenosine. We also confirmed the absolute configuration of A201E by total synthesis. This modular synthesis strategy enables efficient preparation of A201 family antibiotics, allowing the study of their structure-activity relationships and mode of action. This study satisfies the increasing demand for developing novel antibiotics inspired by the A201 family.

The grain yield regulator NOG1 plays a dual role in latitudinal adaptation and cold tolerance during rice domestication.

Rice originated in tropical and subtropical regions and is distributed worldwide. Low temperature is one of the most critical abiotic stresses affecting grain yield and geographical distribution of rice. It is vital to elucidate the molecular mechanism of chilling tolerance in rice for ensuring cereals production. Previously we isolated the domestication-related gene NOG1 which affects rice grain number and yield. In this study, we specified that rice varieties harboring high-yielding NOG1 allele are more distributed in low-latitude regions. Additionally, we observed NOG1 influences the chilling tolerance of rice. Through genome-wide transcriptional analysis after cold treatment at 10°C, there were 717 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in nog1 near-isogenic lines compared with the control Guichao 2, including 432 up-regulated DEGs and 284 down-regulated DEGs. Gene ontology annotations and KEGG enrichment analysis of DEGs showed that various biological processes and signaling pathways were related to cold stress, such as lipid metabolism and genetic information processing. These results provide new insights into the mechanism of chilling tolerance in rice and the molecular basis of environmental adaptation during rice domestication.

Infrared and Visible Image Fusion with Significant Target Enhancement.

Existing fusion rules focus on retaining detailed information in the source image, but as the thermal radiation information in infrared images is mainly characterized by pixel intensity, these fusion rules are likely to result in reduced saliency of the target in the fused image. To address this problem, we propose an infrared and visible image fusion model based on significant target enhancement, aiming to inject thermal targets from infrared images into visible images to enhance target saliency while retaining important details in visible images. First, the source image is decomposed with multi-level Gaussian curvature filtering to obtain background information with high spatial resolution. Second, the large-scale layers are fused using ResNet50 and maximizing weights based on the average operator to improve detail retention. Finally, the base layers are fused by incorporating a new salient target detection method. The subjective and objective experimental results on TNO and MSRS datasets demonstrate that our method achieves better results compared to other traditional and deep learning-based methods.

A reaction rate measurement experimental program of China experimental fast reactor.

The study of the nuclear reaction rate distribution in the MOX core of China Experimental Fast Reactor is a necessary condition for obtaining the operating license. From the characteristics of core structure, both the principle of experimental and experimental system are studies, emphasized on the scheme design such as the size of foils, the irradiation power and counting rate. Firstly, based on the Monte Carlo Code（MCNP）and NJOY codes, the distribution of reaction rates is obtained. MCNP is a general-purpose Monte Carlo N-Particle code that can be used for neutron, photon, electron, and so on. The NJOY nuclear data processing system is a comprehensive computer code package for producing to cross sections and related nuclear parameters from ENDF/B VIII.0 evaluated nuclear data. Secondly, the activity measurement of foils was obtained by HPGE, then the reaction rate is determined by data processing. It is worth mentioning that the experimental reactivity introduction has a negligible effect on the reactor core by MCNP. Finally, a set of activation experiment scheme that is suitable for CEFR MOX core is formed, which serves as a guide to carry out activation method experiments.

Site-selective C-H alkylation of myo-inositol via organic photoredox catalysis.

Site-selective photoredox reactions with aromatic olefins enable direct alkylation of unprotected myo-inositol at C4. The efficacy of these reactions can be finely tuned by modifying the structures of HAT reagents. These reactions open the possibility of selective C-H alkylations of myo-inositol without the need for multi-step protection-deprotection strategies.

Effects of N6-Methyladenosine Modification on Cancer Progression: Molecular Mechanisms and Cancer Therapy.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a major internal epigenetic modification in eukaryotic mRNA, which is dynamic and reversible. m6A is regulated by methylases ("writers") and demethylases ("erasers") and is recognized and processed by m6A-binding proteins ("readers"), which further regulate RNA transport, localization, translation, and degradation. It plays a role in promoting or suppressing tumors and has the potential to become a therapeutic target for malignant tumors. In this review, we focus on the mutual regulation of m6A and coding and non-coding RNAs and introduce the molecular mechanism of m6A methylation involved in regulation and its role in cancer treatment by taking common female malignant tumors as an example.

Roles of Major RNA Adenosine Modifications in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer malignancy worldwide and is known to have poor prognosis. The pathogenesis behind the development of HNSCC is not fully understood. Modifications on RNA are involved in many pathophysiological processes, such as tumor development and inflammation. Adenosine-related RNA modifications have shown to be linked to cancer and may play a role in cancer occurrence and development. To date, there are at least 170 different chemical RNA modifications that modify coding and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). These modifications affect RNA stability and transcription efficiency. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of the four major RNA adenosine modifications (N6-Methyladenosine, N1-Methyladenosine, Alternative Polyadenylation Modification and A-to-I RNA editing) and their potential molecular mechanisms related to HNSCC development and progression. We also touch on how these RNA modifications affect treatment of HNSCCs.

Automatic measurement of axial vertebral rotation in 3D vertebral models.

Axial Vertebral Rotation (AVR) is a significant indicator of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). A host of methods are provided to measure AVR on coronal plane radiographs or 3D vertebral model. This paper provides a method of automatic AVR measurement in 3D vertebral model that is based on point cloud segmentation neural network and the tip of the spinous process searching algorithm. An improved PointNet using multi-input and attention mechanism named Multi-Input PointNet is proposed, which can segment the upper and lower endplates of the vertebral model accurately to determine the transverse plane of vertebral model. An algorithm is developed to search the tip of the spinous process according to the special structure of vertebrae. AVR angle is measured automatically using the midline of vertebral model and projection ofy-axis on the transverse plane of vertebral model based on points obtained above. We compare automatic measurement results with manual measurement results on different vertebral models. The experiment shows that automatic results can achieve accuracy of manual measurement results and the correlation coefficient of them is 0.986, proving our automatic AVR measurement method performs well.

Prevalence and modifiable risk factors of degenerative valvular heart disease among elderly population in southern China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and modifiable risk factors of degenerative valvular heart disease (DVHD) among elderly population in southern China. METHODS: A stratified multistage sampling method was used to recruit subjects. The contents of the survey included the questionnaire, laboratory examination, echocardiography, and other auxiliary examinations. The possible risk factors of DVHD were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 3538 subjects ≥ 65 years of age were enrolled. One thousand three hundred and seven subjects (36.9%) were diagnosed with DVHD. Degenerative was the most common etiology of VHD. Prevalence of DVHD increased with advancing age. The prevalence of DVHD differed by living region (χ 2 = 45.594, P < 0.001), educational level ( χ 2 = 50.557, P < 0.001), and occupation ( χ 2 = 36.961, P < 0.001). Risk factors associated with DVHD included age (two-fold increased risk for each 10-year increase in age), elevated level C-reactive protein (OR = 1.346, 95% CI: 1.100-1.646), elevated level low density lipoprotein (OR = 1.243, 95% CI: 1.064-1.451), coronary artery disease (OR = 1.651, 95% CI: 1.085-2.513), smoking (OR = 1.341, 95% CI: 1.132-1.589), and hypertension (OR = 1.414, 95% CI: 1.221-1.638). Other significant risk factors included reduced or elevated level red blood cell (OR = 1.347, 95% CI: 1.031-1.761; OR = 1.599, 95% CI: 1.097-2.331; respectively), elevated level platelets (OR = 1.891, 95% CI: 1.118-3.198), elevated level uric acid (OR = 1.282, 95% CI: 1.112-1.479), and stroke (OR: 1.738, 95% CI = 1.085-2.513). CONCLUSIONS: The survey characterized the baseline conditions of DVHD cohort of elderly population in Guangzhou city. The established and emerging risk factors for DVHD may represent challenges and opportunities for therapy.

The Psychometric Properties of Translating Self-Efficacy Belief: Perspectives From Chinese Learners of Translation.

Understanding learners' translating self-efficacy belief helps predict their ability to cope and translation performance during their career. Despite this connection, the assessment of self-efficacy during learning has been largely overlooked in translation research. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to examine belief in self-efficacy in a sample of Chinese translation learners. Scale items were collected and refined based on an expert-panel consensus opinion. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis across two independent samples (Sample I = 193 and Sample II = 247) revealed and validated a three-dimensional structure: efficacy in internal competence, efficacy in psycho-physical competence, and efficacy in external competence. These findings provide supporting evidence for scale applications in educating translators.

Involvement of TCF7L2 in generation of morphine-induced antinociceptive tolerance and hyperalgesia by modulating TLR4/ NF-κB/NLRP3 in microglia.

Morphine is an opioid agonist and a nonselective mu, kappa and delta receptor agonist. It is a commonly used analgesic drug for the treatment of acute and chronic pain as well as cancer pain. Morphine is particularly important to address the problem of morphine tolerance. Tcf7l2, known as a risk gene for schizophrenia and autism, encodes a member of the LEF1/TCF transcription factor family. TCF7L2 is an important transcription factor that is upregulated in neuropathic pain models. However, the relationship between TCF7L2 and morphine tolerance has not been reported. In this study, we found that morphine tolerance led to the upregulation of TCF7L2 in the spinal cord, and also led to the upregulation of TCF7L2 expression in glial cells, which promoted inflammation related signal, and activated TLR4 / NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway. In addition, TCF7L2 regulated microglial cell activation induced by chronic morphine treatment. Mechanically, we found that TCF7L2 transcriptionally regulated TLR4 expression, and the depletion of TCF7L2 alleviated morphine tolerance induced by chronic morphine treatment, and further alleviated pain hypersensitivity induced by chronic morphine treatment. We therefore suggested that TCF7L2 regulates the activation of TLR4/ NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in microglia, and is involved in the formation of morphine tolerance. Our results provide a new idea for the regulation mechanism of morphine tolerance.