Association of dementia with impaired kidney function and plasma biomarkers: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Emerging evidence has linked impaired kidney function with dementia in older adults, but the neuropathological pathways underlying their association remain poorly understood. We sought to examine the relationships of kidney function with dementia and plasma biomarkers in a Chinese rural population. METHODS: This population-based study used data from the baseline examination of the Multimodal Interventions to Delay Dementia and Disability in rural China (MIND-China) cohort (March-September 2018; n = 5715). Kidney function was assessed using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) based on serum creatinine level. Dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) were diagnosed according to the international criteria. Plasma biomarkers were measured using the SIMOA platform in a subsample (n = 1446). Data were analyzed using logistic, general linear, and mediation models. RESULTS: Of the 5715 participants, 306 were diagnosed with dementia, including 195 with AD and 100 with VaD. Impaired kidney function (eGFR <60 vs. ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2) was associated with multivariable-adjusted odds ratios of 2.24 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-3.46) for all-cause dementia, 1.85 (1.07-3.18) for AD, and 2.49 (1.16-5.22) for VaD. In the biomarker subsample, impaired kidney function was significantly associated with higher plasma amyloid-ß (Aß)40 (ß-coefficient = 54.36, 95% CI 43.34-65.39), Aß42 (ß-coefficient = 3.14, 95% CI 2.42-3.86), neurofilament light chain (ß-coefficient = 10.62, 95% CI 5.62-15.62), and total tau (ß-coefficient = 0.68, 95% CI 0.44-0.91), and a lower Aß42/Aß40 ratio (ß-coefficient = -4.11, 95% CI -8.08 to -0.14). The mediation analysis showed that plasma total tau significantly mediated 21.76% of the association between impaired kidney function and AD (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Impaired kidney function is associated with dementia and plasma biomarkers among rural-dwelling older Chinese adults, and the association with AD is partly mediated by plasma biomarkers for neurodegeneration.

Associations between cuprotosis-related genes and the spectrum of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: An exploratory study.

AIMS: To explore the associations between cuprotosis-related genes (CRGs) across different stages of liver disease in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analysed several bulk RNA sequencing datasets from patients with MAFLD (n = 331) and MAFLD-related HCC (n = 271) and two MAFLD single-cell RNA sequencing datasets. To investigate the associations between CRGs and MAFLD, we performed differential correlation, logistic regression and functional enrichment analyses. We also validated the findings in an independent Wenzhou PERSONS cohort of MAFLD patients (n = 656) used for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). RESULTS: GLS, GCSH and ATP7B genes showed significant differences across the MAFLD spectrum and were significantly associated with liver fibrosis stages. GLS was closely associated with fibrosis stages in patients with MAFLD and those with MAFLD-related HCC. GLS is predominantly expressed in monocytes and T cells in MAFLD. During the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver to metabolic-associated steatohepatitis, GLS expression in T cells decreased. GWAS revealed that multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms in GLS were associated with clinical indicators of MAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: GLS may contribute to liver inflammation and fibrosis in MAFLD mainly through cuprotosis and T-cell activation, promoting the progression of MAFLD to HCC. These findings suggest that cuprotosis may play a role in MAFLD progression, potentially providing new insights into MAFLD pathogenesis.

The interplay between persistent pathogen infections with tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy in cancer.

BACKGROUND: Chronic infections by pathogenic microorganisms play a significant role in cancer development, disrupting the body's immune system and microenvironment. This interference impairs the body's ability to eliminate these microorganisms promptly, allowing them to persist by evading immune defenses. AIMS: This study aimed to explore how chronic pathogenic infections influence the immune microenvironment, impacting tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and treatment strategies. Additionally, it seeks to investigate the effects of these infections on specific immune checkpoints and identify potential targets for immunotherapy. METHODS: We conducted searches, readings, and detailed analyses of key terms in databases like PubMed and Web of Science to evaluate the impact of chronic infections by pathogenic microorganisms on the immune microenvironment. RESULTS: Our analysis demonstrates a significant association between persistent chronic infections by pathogenic microorganisms and tumorigenesis. Notable impacts on the immune microenvironment include changes in immune cell function and the regulation of immune checkpoints, offering insights into potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. DISCUSSION: This study highlights the complex relationship between chronic infections and cancer development, presenting new opportunities for cancer immunotherapy by understanding their effects on the immune microenvironment. The influence of these infections on immune checkpoints emphasizes the crucial role of the immune system in cancer treatment. CONCLUSION: Chronic infections by pathogenic microorganisms greatly affect the immune microenvironment, tumorigenesis, and cancer treatment. Unraveling the underlying mechanisms can unveil potential targets for immunotherapy, improving our comprehension of the immune response to cancer and potentially leading to more effective cancer treatments in the future.

Associations between different insulin resistance indices and the risk of all-cause mortality in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is prevalent in individuals undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) and is related to increased susceptibility to coronary artery disease and initial peritonitis. In recent investigations, correlations have been found between indices of IR and the incidence of all-cause mortality in various populations. However, such correlations have not been detected among individuals undergoing PD. Hence, the present study's aim was to explore the connections between IR indices and the incidence of all-cause mortality in PD patients. METHODS: Peritoneal dialysis patients (n = 1736) were recruited from multiple PD centres between January 2010 and December 2021. Cox proportional hazards and restricted cubic spline regression models were used to evaluate the connections between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, triglyceride-glucose/body mass index (TyG-BMI), and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio and the occurrence of all-cause mortality. All three IR indices were integrated into the same model to assess the predictive stability. Furthermore, a forest plot was employed to display the findings of the subgroup analysis of PD patients. RESULTS: Overall, 378 mortality events were recorded during a median follow-up time of 2098 days. Among PD patients, a higher TyG index, TyG-BMI, and TG/HDL-C ratio were identified as independent risk factors for all-cause mortality according to Cox proportional hazards analyses (hazard ratio (HR) 1.588, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.261-2.000; HR 1.428, 95% CI 1.067-1.910; HR 1.431, 95% CI 1.105-1.853, respectively). In a model integrating the three IR indices, the TyG index showed the highest predictive stability. According to the forest plot for the TyG index, no significant interactions were observed among the subgroups. CONCLUSION: Significant associations were found between the TyG index, TyG-BMI, and TG/HDL-C ratio and the incidence of all-cause mortality among PD patients. The TyG index may be the most stable of the three surrogate IR markers. Finally, a correlation was identified between IR and the risk of all-cause mortality in patients undergoing PD.

Variations, effectiveness and its associated factors of a nationwide web-based hypertension management training project in China: insights from a government-led campaign for 1.2 million lay health workers.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of a large-scale, web-based, in-service hypertension management training project among lay health workers (LHWs) at primary care health (PHC) settings in China, and to examine the factors contributing to the variations of effectiveness. METHODS: We used data from a web-based national hypertension management training project implemented in 2018, it was designed to facilitate LHWs to learn, understand, and apply the relevant knowledge and skills in hypertension management through providing training courses by use of the web-based platform with unified standards. All LHWs were required to participate in the exams before and after training to acquire scores for the use of evaluating their performance of hypertension management knowledge. We first used descriptive analysis to present the variations of effectiveness in hypertension management knowledge among LHWs by important subgroups. Afterwards, we used multilevel logistic regression to examine the individual and regional factors contributing to the variations and quantify the magnitude of how these factors affected training effectiveness. RESULTS: There were 1,208,610 LHWs who completed training and were certificated. Nationally, the scores of LHWs increased significantly from 62.87 ± 21.14 out of 100 in the pre-test to 88.30 ± 11.31 in the post-test by 25.43 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 25.40-25.47). Training contents involved in antihypertensive medication showed the lowest score (54.36) in the pre-test and soared the most after training, up to 84.22 by 54.94%. Individual factors associated with disparities in the knowledge of hypertension management decreased substantially after training, which included sex, age, education, practice type, professional level, and hierarchy of working institutions. Geographical variations were shown at the provincial level, with the majority of them being explained by factors at the regional level. CONCLUSIONS: Accessible web-based training modality, government efforts, accompanied with experiences derived from the training, could be generalized to other low- and middle-income countries in facilitating the hypertension management capacity of LHWs. Localization and evaluation is warranted on the way to its further application.

Mask-Shift-Inference: A novel paradigm for domain generalization.

Domain Generalization (DG) focuses on the Out-Of-Distribution (OOD) generalization, which is able to learn a robust model that generalizes the knowledge acquired from the source domain to the unseen target domain. However, due to the existence of the domain shift, domain-invariant representation learning is challenging. Guided by fine-grained knowledge, we propose a novel paradigm Mask-Shift-Inference (MSI) for DG based on the architecture of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). Different from relying on a series of constraints and assumptions for model optimization, this paradigm novelly shifts the focus to feature channels in the latent space for domain-invariant representation learning. We put forward a two-branch working mode of a main module and multiple domain-specific sub-modules. The latter can only achieve good prediction performance in its own specific domain but poor predictions in other source domains, which provides the main module with the fine-grained knowledge guidance and contributes to the improvement of the cognitive ability of MSI. Firstly, during the forward propagation of the main module, the proposed MSI accurately discards unstable channels based on spurious classifications varying across domains, which have domain-specific prediction limitations and are not conducive to generalization. In this process, a progressive scheme is adopted to adaptively increase the masking ratio according to the training progress to further reduce the risk of overfitting. Subsequently, our paradigm enters the compatible shifting stage before the formal prediction. Based on maximizing semantic retention, we implement the domain style matching and shifting through the simple transformation through Fourier transform, which can explicitly and safely shift the target domain back to the source domain whose style is closest to it, requiring no additional model updates and reducing the domain gap. Eventually, the paradigm MSI enters the formal inference stage. The updated target domain is predicted in the main module trained in the previous stage with the benefit of familiar knowledge from the nearest source domain masking scheme. Our paradigm is logically progressive, which can intuitively exclude the confounding influence of domain-specific spurious information along with mitigating domain shifts and implicitly perform semantically invariant representation learning, achieving robust OOD generalization. Extensive experimental results on PACS, VLCS, Office-Home and DomainNet datasets verify the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Case of idiopathic left ventricular summit premature ventricular contractions successfully treated by catheter ablation.

Key Clinical Message: CA of LVS premature beats complexes is difficult due to anatomical limitations. We report a patient with PVCs originating from the LVS region who was successfully ablated by ablation. Abstract: Catheter ablation (CA) of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) arising from the left ventricular summit (LVS) presents technical challenges due to the regional anatomy and frequently intramural site of origin. Herein, we demonstrated a case of a successful CA, originating from the LVS region. We further discussed the detailed anatomical background and clinical feasibility of CA as an alternative ablation route for PVCs originating from the LVS.

Infection and biogeographical characteristics of Paragonimus westermani and P. skrjabini in humans and animal hosts in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Paragonimiasis, primarily caused by Paragonimus westermani and P. skrjabini in China, is a common food-borne parasitic zoonosis. However, the national distribution of Paragonimus spp. infection and its associated environmental determinants remain poorly understood. In this paper, we summarize the infection of P. westermani and P. skrjabini and describe key biogeographical characteristics of the endemic areas in China. METHODS: Data on Paragonimus infection in humans and animal hosts were extracted from eight electronic databases, including CNKI, CWFD, Chongqing VIP, SinoMed, Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. All survey locations were georeferenced and plotted on China map, and scatter plots were used to illustrate the biogeographical characteristics of regions reporting Paragonimus infection. RESULTS: A total of 28,948 cases of human paragonimiasis have been documented, with 2,401 cases reported after 2010. Among the 11,443 cases with reported ages, 88.05% were children or adolescents. The pooled prevalence of P. skrjabini is 0.45% (95% CI: 0.27-0.66%) in snails, 31.10% (95% CI: 24.77-37.80%) in the second intermediate host, and 20.31% (95% CI: 9.69-33.38%) in animal reservoirs. For P. westermani, the pooled prevalence is 0.06% (95% CI: 0.01-0.13%) in snails, 52.07% (95% CI: 43.56-60.52%) in the second intermediate host, and 21.40% (95% CI: 7.82-38.99%) in animal reservoirs. Paragonimus are primarily distributed in regions with low altitude, high temperature, and high precipitation. In northeastern China, only P. westermani infections have been documented, while in more southern areas, infections of both P. westermani and P. skrjabini have been reported. CONCLUSIONS: Paragonimiasis remains prevalent in China, particularly among children and adolescents. Variations exist in the intermediate hosts and geographical distribution of P. westermani and P. skrjabini. Additionally, altitude, temperature, and precipitation may influence the distribution of Paragonimus.

Synergistic associations of CD33 variants and hypertension with brain and cognitive aging among dementia-free older adults: A population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: CD33 rs3865444 and hypertension (HTN) are related to cognitive impairment, individually. However, little is known about their combined effects on cognitive function in older adults. METHODS: This population-based study included 4368 dementia-free participants (age ≥65 years) in the Multimodal Interventions to Delay Dementia and Disability in Rural China (MIND-China), with data available in 1044 persons for gray matter volume and 85 persons for cerebral blood flow (CBF). We used general linear regression and mediation models to examine the associations of rs3865444 and HTN with cognition, brain atrophy, and CBF. RESULTS: Among rs3865444 CC carriers, HTN and late-life HTN were significantly associated with impaired cognition. Midlife and late-life HTN were correlated with brain atrophy. CD33 rs3865444 CC moderated the mediation effect of gray matter volume on the association between HTN and global cognition. HTN was correlated with low CBF in rs3865444 CC carriers. DISCUSSION: There are synergistic associations of CD33 rs3865444 and HTN with brain and cognitive aging in dementia-free older adults.

Knockdown of long noncoding RNA AL161431.1 inhibits malignant progression of cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the most deadly cancers in the world. It usually has a bad prognosis and is challenging to identify in its early stages. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown in an increasing number of studies to be important in the control of signaling pathways, cell behaviors, and epigenetic modification that contribute to the growth of tumors. The purpose of this work was to examine the relationship between CCA and lncRNA AL161431.1. METHODS: Using TCGA clinical survival data, we evaluated the association between AL161431.1 expression and patient prognosis. Using the program cluster Profiler R, enrichment analysis was performed. Additionally, the association between immune cell infiltration and AL161431.1 expression was evaluated by a review of the TCGA database. Next, to ascertain if AL161431.1 influences tumor growth, migration, and invasion in CCA, functional in vitro assays were conducted. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to gauge AL161431.1 expression levels in CCA cells. Western blot was used to measure protein levels. RESULTS: In CCA, AL161431.1 was extremely expressed. The patients in the high-risk group had a significantly poorer overall survival (OS) than the patients in the low-risk group. A more thorough look at the TCGA data showed a relationship between high expression levels of AL161431.1 and increased infiltration of T cells, T helper cells, and NK CD56dim cells. Furthermore, AL161431.1 knockdown in CCA cells impeded invasion, migration, and proliferation and also lowered the expression of phosphorylated Smad2/Smad3 to restrain the TGFß/SMAD signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the lncRNA AL161431.1 activates the TGFß/SMAD signaling pathway to enhance CCA development and metastasis. AL161431.1 could be a novel target for cholangiocarcinoma treatment or a diagnostic marker.

Enhancing CO Tolerance in PEMFC Anodes via Thermal Oxidation Induced RuO2 Blocking Shell on a PtRu/C Catalyst.

CO poisoning in Pt-based anode catalysts significantly hampers the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance. Despite great advances in CO-tolerant catalysts, their effectiveness is often limited to fundamental three-electrode systems, which is inadequate for practical PEMFC applications. Herein, we present a straightforward thermal oxidation strategy for constructing a Ru oxide blocking layer on commercial PtRu/C through a one-step Ru-segregation-and-oxidation process. The resulting 0.7 nm thick Ru oxide layer effectively inhibits CO adsorption while maintaining hydrogen oxidation activity. PtRu@RuO2/C demonstrates exceptional CO tolerance, enduring 1% CO in rotating disk electrode tests, an ∼10-fold improvement compared to that of PtRu/C. Crucially, it retains high HOR activity and CO tolerance in PEMFC, with negligible polarization curve loss in the presence of 100 ppm CO. Notably, 85% HOR activity is retained after a 4 h stability test. This enhancement contributes to the Ru oxide layer decelerating CO adsorption kinetics, rather than promoting CO oxidation via the classic bifunctional mechanism.

Hydrogen Bonds and In situ Photoinduced Metallic Bi0/Ni0 Accelerating Z-Scheme Charge Transfer of BiOBr@NiFe-LDH for Highly Efficient Photocatalysis.

For heterojunction system, the lack of stable interfacial driving force and definite charge transfer channel makes the charge separation and transfer efficiency unsatisfactory. The photoreaction mechanism occurring at the interface also receives less attention. Herein, a 2D/2D Z-scheme junction BiOBr@NiFe-LDH with large-area contact featured by short interface hydrogen bonds and strong interfacial electric field (IEF) is synthesized, and in situ photoinduced metallic species assisting charge transfer mechanism is demonstrated. The hydrogen bonds between O atoms from BiOBr and H atoms from NiFe-LDH induce a significant interfacial charge redistribution, establishing a robust IEF. Notably, during photocatalytic reaction, Bi0 and Ni0 are in situ performed in heterojunction, which separately act as electron transport mediator and electron trap to further accelerate charge transfer efficiency up to 71.2 %. Theoretical calculations further demonstrate that the existence of Bi0 strengthens the IEF. Therefore, high-speed spatial charge separation is realized in Bi0/BiOBr@Ni0/NiFe-LDH, leading to a prominent photocatalytic activity with a tetracycline removal ratio of 88.3 % within 7 min under visible-light irradiation and the presence of persulfate, far exceeding majority of photocatalysts reported previously. This study provides valid insights for designing hydrogen bonding heterojunction systems, and advances mechanistic understanding on in situ photoreaction at interfaces.

The dual nature of working memory deficits: methamphetamine abusers have more impaired social working memory capacity than canonical working memory capacity.

Social working memory (WM) temporarily retains and manipulates various aspects of social information. Extensive research has highlighted impaired social cognitive functions in individuals with substance addiction. However, the specific deficit in social WM within this population remains notably understudied. Bridging this gap, we investigated social WM capacity using biological motion (BM) stimuli in methamphetamine (MA) abusers compared to an inmate control group, alongside contrasting these findings with their canonical WM deficits. Across two studies, we recruited female MA abusers (N = 80) undergoing post-isolation rehabilitation within a mandatory confinement circumstance. To ensure a pertinent comparison, we recruited female inmates (N = 80) subjected to comparable confinement. Results show substantial BM WM impairment in MA abusers, yet non-BM WM remains mostly intact. These findings highlight a pronounced social WM deficit in MA abusers, surpassing their canonical WM deficit relative to inmate controls. This suggests a distinct dissociation between social and canonical WM processing.

Deubiquitination of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) by USP21 negatively regulates Th17 cells differentiation.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a key transcription factor that modulates the differentiation of T helper 17 (Th17) cells. How AhR is regulated at the post-translational level in Th17 cells remains largely unclear. Here we identify USP21 as a newly defined deubiquitinase of AhR. We demonstrate that USP21 interacts with and stabilizes AhR by removing the K48-linked polyubiquitin chains from AhR. Interestingly, USP21 inhibits the transcriptional activity of AhR in a deubiquitinating-dependent manner. USP21 deubiquitinates AhR at the K432 residue, and the maintenance of ubiquitination on this site is required for the intact transcriptional activity of AhR. Moreover, the deficiency of USP21 promotes the differentiation of Th17 cells both in vitro and in vivo. Consistently, adoptive transfer of USP21 deficient naïve CD4+ T cells elicits more severe colitis in Rag1-/- recipients. Therefore, our study reveals a novel mechanism in which USP21 deubiquitinates AhR and negatively regulates the differentiation of Th17 cells.

Clinical Observation of Acupuncture Combined with Biofeedback Electrical Stimulation in the Treatment of Female Stress Urinary Incontinence.

To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with biofeedback electrical stimulation on female stress urinary incontinence. Ninety patients diagnosed in a hospital between January 2020 and January 2021 were randomly divided into three groups (A, B and C). Group A was treated with biofeedback electrical stimulation, 3 times a week for 30 min for 15 times. Group B used acupuncture treatment, including Guanyuan, Qihai, Zhongji, Zusanli, Sanyinjiao and Yinlingquan, once a day, Monday-Friday, 30 min each, for a total of 10 times. Group C was treated with acupuncture combined with biofeedback electrical stimulation. All three groups were combined with pelvic floor muscle training. Following treatment, the changes in class I and II muscle fibre strength, ICI-Q-SF score and urine leakage in the 1-hour pad test were compared. Prior to treatment, there was no significant difference in the general data of the three patient groups, as well as class I and II muscle fibre strength, ICI-Q-SF score and 1-hour urinary pad test (P > 0.05). Following treatment, class I and II muscle fibre strength in groups A and C improved compared with before, with statistical significance (P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in group B (P > 0.05). In the three groups, ICI-Q-SF scores and 1-hour urinary pad test results were lower compared with before (P < 0.05), with those in group C better than those in groups A and B (P < 0.05). The treatment efficiency of the three patient groups was 86.7%, 83.3% and 96.7%, respectively. Combined acupuncture and biofeedback electrical stimulation can improve pelvic floor muscle strength, urine leakage and quality of life, and can be superior to biofeedback and acupuncture treatment alone.

Cardiometabolic multimorbidity, peripheral biomarkers, and dementia in rural older adults: The MIND-China study.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence has emerged that cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) is associated with dementia, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. METHODS: This population-based study included 5704 older adults. Of these, data were available in 1439 persons for plasma amyloid-ß (Aß), total tau, and neurofilament light chain (NfL) and in 1809 persons for serum cytokines. We defined CMM following two common definitions used in previous studies. Data were analyzed using general linear, logistic, and mediation models. RESULTS: The presence of CMM was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) (p < 0.05). CMM was significantly associated with increased plasma Aß40, Aß42, and NfL, whereas CMM that included visceral obesity was associated with increased serum cytokines. The mediation analysis suggested that plasma NfL significantly mediated the association of CMM with AD. DISCUSSION: CMM is associated with dementia, AD, and VaD in older adults. The neurodegenerative pathway is involved in the association of CMM with AD. HIGHLIGHTS: The presence of CMM was associated with increased likelihoods of dementia, AD, and VaD in older adults. CMM was associated with increased AD-related plasma biomarkers and serum inflammatory cytokines. Neurodegenerative pathway was partly involved in the association of CMM with AD.

A 64 × 128 3D-Stacked SPAD Image Sensor for Low-Light Imaging.

Low-light imaging capabilities are in urgent demand in many fields, such as security surveillance, night-time autonomous driving, wilderness rescue, and environmental monitoring. The excellent performance of SPAD devices gives them significant potential for applications in low-light imaging. This article presents a 64 (rows) × 128 (columns) SPAD image sensor designed for low-light imaging. The chip utilizes a three-dimensional stacking architecture and microlens technology, combined with compact gated pixel circuits designed with thick-gate MOS transistors, which further enhance the SPAD's photosensitivity. The configurable digital control circuit allows for the adjustment of exposure time, enabling the sensor to adapt to different lighting conditions. The chip exhibits very low dark noise levels, with an average DCR of 41.5 cps at 2.4 V excess bias voltage. Additionally, it employs a denoising algorithm specifically developed for the SPAD image sensor, achieving two-dimensional grayscale imaging under 6 × 10-4 lux illumination conditions, demonstrating excellent low-light imaging capabilities. The chip designed in this paper fully leverages the performance advantages of SPAD image sensors and holds promise for applications in various fields requiring low-light imaging capabilities.

[Dynamic Response of Aerobic Denitrification Bacteria to Water Quality in Baiyangdian Lake Under Different Hydrological Scenarios].

In order to explore the evolution law and driving mechanism of aerobic denitrification bacteria in Baiyangdian Lake under different hydrological scenarios, based on water quality survey and high-throughput sequencing technology, this study conducted a water quality factor analysis and aerobic denitrification bacteria α-diversity analysis, species composition, and network analysis. The results showed that the water body of Baiyangdian Lake was weakly alkaline, with the highest T and the lowest DO in the rainy season and the lowest T and the highest DO in the freezing season. There were significant differences between NH4+-N, NO2--N, NO3--N, TN, permanganate index, Fe, and Mn in Baiyangdian water under different hydrological scenarios (P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference in TP under different hydrological scenarios (P > 0.05). The largest category in water bodies under different hydrological scenarios was Proteobacteria, and the genera with a higher relative abundance were Magnetospirillum, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Azospirillum, and Bradyrhizobium. In addition, within the aerobic denitrifying bacteria community, there were significant differences in α-diversity (P < 0.001), with the highest abundance of microbial communities occurring during the freezing period, and the highest diversity and evenness of microbial communities during the dry and freezing periods. According to the RDA and Mantel analyses, the water quality driving factors of flora were different under different hydrological scenarios. The water quality driving factors of flora in the dry season were pH, NO3--N, NO2--N, and permanganate index; the driving factors of flora in the rainy season were pH, T, DO, NO2--N, and TP; the driving factors of flora in the normal season were NO2--N, Fe, and permanganate index; and the driving factors of flora in the freezing season were NO3--N and NONO2--N. Network analysis showed that there were temporal differences in species related to water quality driving factors. The genera related to water quality driving factors during the dry season were Magnetospirillum, Aeromonas, and Azoarcus, whereas the genera related to the rainy season were Magnetospirillum, Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas. The genera related to the normal season were Magnetospirillum, Pseudomonas, and Limnohabitans, and the genera related to the freezing period were Magnetospirillum, Azoarcus, and Pseudomonas. The relationship between key water quality factors (mainly T, DO, NO3--N, and permanganate index) and aerobic denitrification flora in different hydrological scenarios was gradually changing with time. In conclusion, the study on the evolution characteristics of aerobic denitrification bacteria in Baiyangdian Lake under different hydrological scenarios and the driving mechanism of environmental factors could provide a basis for understanding the evolution mechanism of aerobic denitrification bacteria in the natural environment.

Serum bile acid profiles are associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: An exploratory study.

AIM: To analyse the association between serum bile acid (BA) profile and heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). METHODS: We enrolled 163 individuals with biopsy-proven MAFLD undergoing transthoracic echocardiography for any indication. HFpEF was defined as left ventricular ejection fraction >50% with at least one echocardiographic feature of HF (left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, abnormal left atrial size) and at least one HF sign or symptom. Serum levels of 38 BAs were analysed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Among the 163 patients enrolled (mean age 47.0 ± 12.8 years, 39.3% female), 52 (31.9%) and 43 (26.4%) met the HFpEF and pre-HFpEF criteria, and 38 serum BAs were detected. Serum ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and hyocholic acid (HCA) species were lower in patients with HFpEF and achieved statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons. Furthermore, decreases in glycoursodeoxycholic acid and tauroursodeoxycholic acid were associated with HF status. CONCLUSIONS: In this exploratory study, specific UDCA and HCA species were associated with HFpEF status in adults with biopsy-confirmed MAFLD.

Regioselective epitaxial growth of metallic heterostructures.

Constructing regioselective architectures in heterostructures is important for many applications; however, the targeted design of regioselective architectures is challenging due to the sophisticated processes, impurity pollution and an unclear growth mechanism. Here we successfully realized a one-pot kinetically controlled synthetic framework for constructing regioselective architectures in metallic heterostructures. The key objective was to simultaneously consider the reduction rates of metal precursors and the lattice matching relationship at heterogeneous interfaces. More importantly, this synthetic method also provided phase- and morphology-independent behaviours as foundations for choosing substrate materials, including phase regulation from Pd20Sb7 hexagonal nanoplates (HPs) to Pd8Sb3 HPs, and morphology regulation from Pd20Sb7 HPs to Pd20Sb7 rhombohedra and Pd20Sb7 nanoparticles. Consequently, the activity of regioselective epitaxially grown Pt on Pd20Sb7 HPs was greatly enhanced towards the ethanol oxidation reaction; its activity was 57 times greater than that of commercial Pt/C, and the catalyst showed increased stability (decreasing by 16.3% after 2,000 cycles) and selectivity (72.4%) compared with those of commercial Pt/C (56.0%, 18.2%). This work paves the way for the design of unconventional well-defined heterostructures for use in various applications.