Artificial Channels Based on Bottlebrush Polymers: Enhanced Ion Transport Through Polymer Topology Control.

Synthetic structures mimicking the transport function of natural ion channel proteins have a wide range of applications, including therapeutic treatments, separation membranes, sensing, and biotechnologies. However, the development of polymer-based artificial channels has been hampered due to the limitation on available models. In this study, we demonstrate the great potential of bottlebrush polymers as accessible and versatile molecular scaffolds for developing efficient artificial ion channels. Adopting the bottlebrush configuration enhanced ion transport activity of the channels compared to their linear analogs. Matching the structure of lipid bilayers, the bottlebrush channel with a hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hydrophilic triblock architecture exhibited the highest activity among the series. Functionalized with urea groups, these channels displayed high anion selectivity. Additionally, we illustrated that the transport properties could be fine-tuned by modifying the chemistry of ion binding sites. This work not only highlights the importance of polymer topology control in channel design, but also reveals the great potential for further developing bottlebrush channels with customized features and diverse functionalities.

Investigation on the Nanopore Heterogeneity in Coals and its Influence on Methane Adsorption: A Multifractal Theory Study.

Coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs constitute a distinct class of dense organic rocks characterized by extremely low porosity and permeability. Conducting an in-depth investigation into pore heterogeneity assumes paramount importance for the exploration and development of CBM. This study focuses on the multifractal analysis of the pores with diameters below 300 nm in six coal samples sourced from the Junggar Basin and the Qinshui Basin in China. The analysis is based on a series of experiments involving CO2 adsorption, low-temperature N2 adsorption/desorption, and CH4 isothermal adsorption. This work delves into the influence of pore heterogeneity on gas adsorption capacity by linking the structural parameters to CH4 adsorption properties. The results indicate that both the micropores, as assessed through CO2 adsorption, and mesopores to macropores, measured via N2 adsorption, exhibit multifractal behavior. In contrast to micropores, the mesopores and macropores display stronger heterogeneity and lower connectivity. Generally, uniform and well-connected nanopores are anticipated to positively contribute to gas adsorption. However, there is a positive correlation between the Langmuir volume and the heterogeneity degree of micropores. This phenomenon is ascribed to the fact that the greater surface complexity in micropores involves a larger specific surface area and a higher abundance of adsorption sites. This research contributes to a more profound and precise comprehension of the heterogeneous pore structure within CBM reservoirs, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for the sustainable exploitation of CBM.

Exploring opportunities to strengthen rural tuberculosis health service delivery: a qualitative study with health workers in Tibet autonomous region, China.

OBJECTIVES: This qualitative study aimed to explore opportunities to strengthen tuberculosis (TB) health service delivery from the perspectives of health workers providing TB care in Shigatse prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region, China. DESIGN: Qualitative research, semi-structured in-depth interviews. SETTING: The TB care ecosystem in Shigatse, including primary and community care. PARTICIPANTS: Participants: 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted with village doctors (14), township doctors and nurses (14), county hospital doctors (7) and Shigatse Centre for Disease Control staff (2). RESULTS: The three main themes reported include (1) the importance of training primary and community health workers to identify people with symptoms of TB, ensure TB is diagnosed and link people with TB to further care; (2) the need to engage community health workers to ensure retention in care and adherence to TB medications; and (3) the opportunity for innovative technologies to support coordinated care, retention in care and adherence to medication in Shigatse. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of TB care could be improved across the care cascade in Tibet and other high-burden, remote settings by strengthening primary care through ongoing training, greater support and inclusion of community health workers and by leveraging technology to create a circle of care. Future formative and implementation research should include the perspectives of health workers at all levels to improve care organisation and delivery.

Characterization of a human induced pluripotent stem cell line (FDCHi015-A) derived from PBMCs of a patient harbouring ALDOB mutation.

Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disease associated with a mutation in the aldolase B gene on chromosome 9q31. In this study, we generated a human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line, FDCHi015-A, from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of a patient carrying the compound heterozygous mutations c.360_364delCAAA and c.1013C > T in exons 4 and 9 of the ALDOB gene, respectively. The iPSCs with the confirmed patient-specific mutation demonstrate pluripotency markers expression, a normal karyotype, and the ability to differentiate into derivatives of three germ layers.

Hidden hotspots of amphibian biodiversity in China.

Identifying and protecting hotspots of endemism and species richness is crucial for mitigating the global biodiversity crisis. However, our understanding of spatial diversity patterns is far from complete, which severely limits our ability to conserve biodiversity hotspots. Here, we report a comprehensive analysis of amphibian species diversity in China, one of the most species-rich countries on Earth. Our study combines 20 y of field surveys with new molecular analyses of 521 described species and also identifies 100 potential cryptic species. We identify 10 hotspots of amphibian diversity in China, each with exceptional species richness and endemism and with exceptional phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic endemism (based on a new time-calibrated, species-level phylogeny for Chinese amphibians). These 10 hotspots encompass 59.6% of China's described amphibian species, 49.0% of cryptic species, and 55.6% of species endemic to China. Only four of these 10 hotspots correspond to previously recognized biodiversity hotspots. The six new hotspots include the Nanling Mountains and other mountain ranges in South China. Among the 186 species in the six new hotspots, only 9.7% are well covered by protected areas and most (88.2%) are exposed to high human impacts. Five of the six new hotspots are under very high human pressure and are in urgent need of protection. We also find that patterns of richness in cryptic species are significantly related to those in described species but are not identical.

Derivation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (FDCHi014-A) from PBMCs of a seven-year-old patient with a truncating NOVA2 variant (c.625del).

Neurodevelopmental disorder with or without autistic features and/or structural brain abnormalities (NEDASB) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by a heterozygous mutation in the NOVA2 gene on chromosome 19q13. Here, we describe the generation and characterization of an iPSC line derived from the peripheral blood of a 7-year-old patient carrying a novel heterozygous mutation in NOVA2 (c.625 del). The iPSCs with the confirmed patient-specific mutation were demonstrated by pluripotency markers, a normal karyotype, and the ability to differentiate into three germ layers. This NOVA2-mutant iPSC line could facilitate disease modeling and therapy development studies for NEDASB.

Generation of a human induced pluripotent stem cell line (FDCHi012-A) from a patient with DYRK1A-related intellectual disability syndrome carrying DYRK1A mutation (c.1024G > T).

DYRK1A haploinsufficiency causes a neurodevelopmental syndrome termed DYRK1A-related intellectual disability syndrome which is associated with a range of symptoms including microcephaly, epileptic seizures, and autism spectrum disorder. Here, we generated an induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) line with a de novo missense mutation (DYRKIA c.1024G > T) from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a patient with DYRK1A-related intellectual disability syndrome. This iPSC line showed normal karyotype, exhibited pluripotency, and has three embryonic germ layers differentiation capacity. This iPSC line will be of great use in investigating the disease mechanisms and drug screening for patients with DYRK1A-related intellectual disability syndrome.

Effectiveness of a comprehensive package based on electronic medication monitors at improving treatment outcomes among tuberculosis patients in Tibet: a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: WHO recommends that electronic medication monitors, a form of digital adherence technology, be used as a complement to directly observed treatment (DOT) for tuberculosis, as DOT is inconvenient and costly. However, existing evidence about the effectiveness of these monitors is inconclusive. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive package based on electronic medication monitors among patients with tuberculosis in Tibet Autonomous Region (hereafter Tibet), China. METHODS: This multicentre, randomised controlled trial recruited patients from six counties in Shigatse, Tibet. Eligible participants had drug-susceptible tuberculosis and were aged 15 years or older when starting standard tuberculosis treatment. Tuberculosis doctors recruited patients from the public tuberculosis dispensary in each county and the study statistician randomly assigned them to the intervention or control group based on the predetermined randomised allocation sequence. Intervention patients received an electronic medication monitor box. The box included audio medication-adherence reminders and recorded box-opening data, which were transmitted to a cloud-based server and were accessible to health-care providers to allow remote adherence monitoring. A linked smartphone app enabled text, audio, and video communication between patients and health-care providers. Patients were also provided with a free data plan. Patients selected a treatment supporter (often a family member) who was trained to support patients with using the electronic medication monitor and app. Patients in the control group received usual care plus a deactivated electronic medication monitor, which only recorded and transmitted box-opening data that was not made available to health-care providers. The control group also had no access to the app or trained treatment supporters. The primary outcome was a binary indicator of poor monthly adherence, defined as missing 20% or more of planned doses in the treatment month, measured using electronic medication monitor opening data, and verified by counting used medication blister packages during consultations. We recorded other secondary treatment outcomes based on national tuberculosis reporting data. We analysed the primary outcome based on the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered at ISRCTN, 52132803. FINDINGS: Between Nov 17, 2018, and April 5, 2021, 278 patients were enrolled into the study. 143 patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 135 patients to the control group. Follow-up ended when the final patient completed treatment on Oct 4, 2021. In the intervention group, 87 (10%) of the 854 treatment months showed poor adherence compared with 290 (37%) of the 795 months in the control group. The corresponding adjusted risk difference for the intervention versus control was -29·2 percentage points (95% CI -35·3 to -22·2; p<0·0001). Five of the six secondary treatment outcomes also showed clear improvements, including treatment success, which was found for 133 (94%) of the 142 individuals in the intervention arm and 98 (73%) of the 134 individuals in the control arm, with an adjusted risk difference of 21 percentage points (95% CI 12·4-29·4); p<0·0001. INTERPRETATION: The interventions were effective at improving tuberculosis treatment adherence and outcomes, and the trial suggests that a comprehensive package involving electronic medication monitors might positively affect tuberculosis programmes in high-burden and low-resource settings. FUNDING: TB REACH.

Difficulties in eating out of home while diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease: A qualitative interview study from China.

BACKGROUND: Meeting healthy dietary needs while eating out can be a challenging experience for adults with inflammatory bowel disease. This study examined the barriers experienced by adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when eating out. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the perceptions of people with IBD on eating out barriers. DESIGN: A qualitative study among individuals affected by IBD was conducted through semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: Sixteen adults from China were diagnosed with IBD between 6 months and 20 years prior to the study. They were recruited from four tertiary care hospitals in Nanjing, China. The participants completed a semi-structured interview between April and September 2022. Self-perceived difficulties with eating and drinking when eating out were varied. After thematic analysis of the data, five main themes emerged: limited access to healthy and hygiene food; no pleasure of food enjoyment; financial strain; not feeling loved, supported or understood; and coping strategies for not meeting demand. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the various barriers encountered by patients with inflammatory bowel disease when eating out. These findings will help people with IBD to encourage the formation of targeted health and well-being-related interventions. Knowledge of nutrition and diet should be provided in education and training programs administered to IBD.

Risk of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: predictive value of disease phenotype, disease activity and food literacy.

BACKGROUND: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a newly described eating disorder. Adequate levels of food literacy allow individuals to have adequate food choices. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of ARFID and the level of food literacy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to analyse the correlation between ARFID and food literacy. METHOD: This cross-sectional study screened for ARFID and assessed food literacy levels in patients with IBD attending four tertiary hospitals in China. ARFID risk was measured using the Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS). Food literacy was assessed using the Food Literacy Evaluation Questionnaire (Chinese version, FLEQ-Ch).The relationship between individual NIAS scores and food literacy variables was analysed to assess which food literacy aspect is positively or negatively associated with NIAS scores. Stepwise linear regression analysis was performed to identify the possible predictors of NIAS scores in patients with IBD. RESULT: A total of 372 IBD subjects completed the NIAS and FLEQ-Ch. The overall mean NIAS scores for the IBD cohort was 28.16 ± 8.03 (p < 0.01), and of the 372 participants, 123 (32.5%) had positive ARFID risk scores (≥ 10 NIAS-picky eating, ≥ 9 NIAS-poor appetite, and ≥ 10 NIAS-fear of negative consequences).The NIAS scores were inversely associated with food literacy levels (ß = - 0.299; p < 0.01).Disease phenotype, disease activity, and food literacy in patients with IBD provided valuable predictive insights for avoiding positive outcomes in ARFID. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the risk of ARFID in the cohort of patients with IBD is associated with their inadequate food literacy levels. Therefore, this study supports the notion that patients with IBD should be assessed for food literacy regardless of whether they are currently diagnosed with ARFID. Specifically, for early identification of those at risk for ARFID in IBD, disease phenotype, disease activity, and food literacy should be routinely considered in clinical practice.The food literacy awareness of patients must be investigated and improved to predict the risk occurrence of ARFID and encourage healthy eating behaviour.

Excessive dietary restriction is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in severe cases can lead to Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).ARFID is a new eating disorder that has been proposed in recent years. Studies have shown that food literacy can influence patients' eating behaviour to some extent. Research on the risk factors associated with ARFID is necessary to better understand why people with IBD develop ARFID and to inform programmes aimed at reducing these risk factors. In our study, we found that disease phenotype, disease activity, and food literacy in patients with IBD provided valuable predictive insights for avoiding positive outcomes in ARFID. These factors can provide valuable perspectives for healthcare providers and patients at this critical juncture in the disease dietary management process. Therefore, this study supports the notion that patients with IBD should be assessed for food literacy regardless of whether they are currently diagnosed with ARFID. Specifically, for early identification of those at risk for ARFID in IBD, disease phenotype, disease activity, and food literacy should be routinely considered in clinical practice.

Micron-sized H2MoO3/PANI for superfast proton batteries in frozen electrolyte through Grotthuss mechanism.

Aqueous proton battery is considered as a promising candidate for the electrochemical energy storage system with the merits of safety, environmental benignity, fast kinetics and low cost. The realization of these advantages relies on the development of suitable and easy-access electrode materials. Herein, micron-sized H2MoO3/Polyaniline (PANI) is developed as a high-rate and stable anode material in proton battery. Contrary to the pseudocapacitive nature of most anode materials, the H2MoO3/PANI presents diffusion-controlled charge storage mechanism with both high capacity and high rate-capability. The H2MoO3/PANI electrode shows a rather high capacity of 268.2 mAh g-1 at 1.0 A g-1, and a surprisingly high rate-capability with ∼50% capacity retention even at an extremely high current density of 200.0 A g-1. Detailed analyses demonstrate the Grotthuss mechanism of ultrafast proton conduction in H2MoO3/PANI. The constructed proton full cell based on H2MoO3/PANI delivers a high energy density of 42.1 Wh kg-1 at 800.0 W kg-1. Impressively, the proton full cell shows fast proton transportation even in the frozen electrolyte, and ∼70% of the room temperature capacity is retained at -20 °C. These excellent proton storage behaviors provide insights into the practical applications of micron-sized electrode materials in proton batteries at low temperatures.

Mobile-based program improves healthy eating of ulcerative colitis patients: A pilot study.

Background: Dietary management plays a crucial role in the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). While various e-services provide dietary advice, the long-term dietary management requires continuous monitoring and dynamic adjustment to accommodate the evolving nature of the disease and meet the patients' nutritional needs. Consequently, the development of a novel dietary management tool that incorporates diet tracking, personalized nutritional feedback, and evidence-based advice becomes imperative. This study aims to address this need by developing a WeChat applet called "HealthyGut" specifically designed for the dietary management of UC patients, and evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy. Methods: A total of 134 UC patients were equally allocated into the intervention group (receiving a 12-week mobile-based dietary management via HealthyGut) and control group (receiving a paper-based food diary and routine advice). The feasibility outcomes were recruitment, retention, engagement, satisfaction, and acceptability in the intervention group. Dietary intakes were effective outcomes. Results: Both groups had satisfactory retention rates (89.6% and 77.6%, respectively). The System Usability Scale in the intervention group yielded "good usability" with a mean score of 79.63 (SD 7.39), and all participants reported good user experiences and perceived benefits after using HealthyGut. At week 12, intervention responders reported significantly higher daily energy intake than control group (Z = -3.089, p = 0.002). Conclusions and Implications: The results display that HealthyGut as a dietary management tool is feasible and accepted by UC patients, and it may help them make healthier food choices. Larger sample studies should be considered in the future.

[Clinical characteristics, pathology, and prognosis of children with diffuse endocapillary proliferative Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis]. / å„¿ç«¥å¼¥æ¼«æ€§æ¯›ç»†è¡€ç®¡å† å¢žç”Ÿæ€§ç´«ç™œæ€§è‚¾ç‚Žçš„ä¸´åºŠã€ç— ç†åŠé¢„åŽ.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical characteristics, pathology, and prognosis of children with diffuse endocapillary proliferative Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (DEP-HSPN). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical, pathological, and prognosis data of 44 children with DEP-HSPN and 765 children without DEP-HSPN. The children with DEP-HSPN were diagnosed by renal biopsy in Jiangxi Provincial Children's Hospital from January 2006 to December 2021. RESULTS: Among the 809 children with purpura nephritis, 44 (5.4%) had DEP-HSPN, with a mean age of (8±3) years, and there were 29 boys (65.9%) and 15 girls (34.1%). Compared with the non-DEP-HSPN group, the DEP-HSPN group had a significantly shorter time from onset to renal biopsy and a significantly higher proportion of children with respiratory infection or gross hematuria, and most children had nephrotic syndrome. The DEP-HSPN group had significantly higher levels of 24-hour urinary protein, urinary protein grading, microscopic hematuria grading, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen and significantly lower levels of serum albumin and complement C3 (P<0.05). The DEP-HSPN group had a higher pathological grading, with predominant deposition of IgA in the mesangial area and capillary loops, and higher activity scores in the modified semi-quantitative scoring system (P<0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the renal complete remission rate between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Children with DEP-HSPN have a rapid onset, severe clinical manifestations and pathological grading, and high activity scores in the modified semi-quantitative scoring system. However, most of the children with DEP-HSPN have a good prognosis, with a comparable renal complete remission rate to the children without DEP-HSPN.

Comparative study on clinicopathological features and prognosis of IgA vasculitis nephritis and IgA nephropathy in children.

BACKGROUND: IgA vasculitis nephritis (IgAVN) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN) share several clinical and pathological characteristics, though distinctions also exist. Their interrelation, however, remains undefined. This study investigates the clinicopathological divergences and prognostic disparities in pediatric patients with IgAVN and IgAN. METHODS: Our study encompasses 809 pediatric patients with IgAVN and 236 with IgAN, all of whom underwent kidney biopsy. We utilized the Semiquantitative Classification (SQC) scoring system to juxtapose the pathologies of the two conditions, and performed a COX regression analysis to examine factors influencing their prognoses. RESULTS: Both patient groups demonstrated a predominance of males. A seasonality was observed, with a higher incidence of IgAN in the summer, and IgAVN in the fall (P < 0.0001). Patients with IgAN exhibited more severe tubulointerstitial injury, higher chronicity index, and total biopsy scores compared to those with IgAVN (P < 0.0001). Mesangial deposition intensity of complement C3, and the rate of pure IgA deposition, were found to be greater in patients with IgAVN compared to those with IgAN (P < 0.0001). The intensity of IgA deposition was also significantly higher in IgAVN patients (P = 0.003). IgAVN demonstrated a superior prognosis, with a higher rate of kidney remission (P < 0.0001). COX regression analysis indicated that interstitial fibrosis, as identified in the SQC pathology system, was associated with the prognosis of both conditions. Furthermore, the findings suggest that IgA deposition levels (IgA + + and IgA + + +) could potentially influence the prognosis of IgAVN. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to IgAVN, IgAN manifests more severely with regard to renal impairment, interstitial damage, and prognosis. The disparities in immune complex deposition levels and locations within the kidneys support the hypothesis of IgAVN and IgAN as distinct diseases. Interstitial fibrosis may serve as a key pathological indicator within the SQC system associated with kidney prognosis in children with IgAVN and IgAN. The degree of IgA deposition could also be linked with the prognosis of IgAVN.

Near-Unity Emitting, Widely Tailorable, and Stable Exciton Concentrators Built from Doubly Gradient 2D Semiconductor Nanoplatelets.

The strength of electrostatic interactions (EIs) between electrons and holes within semiconductor nanocrystals profoundly affects the performance of their optoelectronic systems, and different optoelectronic devices demand distinct EI strength of the active medium. However, achieving a broad range and fine-tuning of the EI strength for specific optoelectronic applications is a daunting challenge, especially in quasi two-dimensional core-shell semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs), as the epitaxial growth of the inorganic shell along the direction of the thickness that solely contributes to the quantum confined effect significantly undermines the strength of the EI. Herein we propose and demonstrate a doubly gradient (DG) core-shell architecture of semiconductor NPLs for on-demand tailoring of the EI strength by controlling the localized exciton concentration via in-plane architectural modulation, demonstrated by a wide tuning of radiative recombination rate and exciton binding energy. Moreover, these exciton-concentration-engineered DG NPLs also exhibit a near-unity quantum yield, high photo- and thermal stability, and considerably suppressed self-absorption. As proof-of-concept demonstrations, highly efficient color converters and high-performance light-emitting diodes (external quantum efficiency: 16.9%, maximum luminance: 43,000 cd/m2) have been achieved based on the DG NPLs. This work thus provides insights into the development of high-performance colloidal optoelectronic device applications.

Acacetin alleviates energy metabolism disorder through promoting white fat browning mediated by AC-cAMP pathway

Acacetin (ACA), a flavone isolated from Chinese traditional medical herbs, has numerous pharmacological activities. However, little is known about the roles in white fat browning and energy metabolism. In the present study, we investigated whether and how ACA would improve energy metabolism in vivo and in vitro. ACA (20 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to the mice with obesity induced by HFD for 14 consecutive days (in vivo); differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with ACA (20 µmol/L and 40 µmol/L) for 24 h (in vitro). The metabolic profile, lipid accumulation, fat-browning and mitochondrial contents, and so on were respectively detected. The results in vivo showed that ACA significantly reduced the body weight and visceral adipose tissue weight, alleviated the energy metabolism disorder, and enhanced the browning-related protein expressions in adipose tissue of rats. Besides, the data in vitro revealed that ACA significantly reduced the lipid accumulation, induced the expressions of the browning-related proteins and cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), and increased the mitochondrium contents, especially enhanced the energy metabolism of adipocytes; however, treatment with beta-adrenergic receptor blocker (propranolol, Pro) or adenyl cyclase (AC) inhibitor (SQ22536, SQ) abrogated the ACA-mediated effects. The data demonstrate that ACA alleviates the energy metabolism disorder through the pro-browning effects mediated by the AC-cAMP pathway. The findings would provide the experimental foundation for ACA to prevent and treat obesity and related metabolism disorders. (AU)

Ferroptosis-Related Immune Genes in Hematological Diagnosis of Parkinson's Diseases.

Emerging evidence suggested that ferroptosis and immune activation, as well as their interactions, played a crucial role in the occurrence and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, whether this interaction could serve as the basis for a hematological diagnosis of PD remained poorly understood. This study aimed to construct a novel hematological model for PD diagnosis based on the ferroptosis-related immune genes. The brain imaging of PD patients was obtained from the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University. We used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to identify the optimal signature ferroptosis-related immune genes based on six gene expression profile datasets of substantia nigra (SN) and peripheral blood of PD patients. Then we used the support vector machine (SVM) classifier to construct the hematological diagnostic model named Ferr.Sig for PD. Gene set enrichment analysis was utilized to execute gene functional annotation. The brain imaging and functional annotation analysis revealed prominent iron deposition and immune activation in the SN region of PD patients. We identified a total of 17 signature ferroptosis-related immune genes using LASSO method and imported them to SVM classifier. The Ferr.Sig model exhibited a high diagnostic accuracy, and its area under the curve (AUC) for distinguishing PD patients from healthy controls in the training and internal validation cohort reached 0.856 and 0.704, respectively. We also used the Ferr.Sig into other external validation cohorts, and a comparable AUC with the internal cohort was obtained, with the AUC of 0.727 in Scherzer's cohort, 0.745 in Roncagli's cohort, and 0.778 in Meiklejohn's cohort. Furthermore, the diagnostic performance of Ferr.Sig was not interfered by the other neurodegenerative diseases. This study revealed the value of ferroptosis-related immune genes in PD diagnosis, which may provide a novel direction and strategy for the development of novel biomarkers with less invasiveness, low cost, and high accuracy for PD screening and diagnosis.

Impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation coverage variation in mountainous and hilly areas in Central South of Shandong Province based on tree-ring.

Introduction: It is of great significance to understand the characteristics and influencing factors of vegetation coverage variation in the warm temperate zone. As a typical region of the warm temperate zone in eastern China, the mountainous and hilly region in central-south Shandong Province has fragile ecological environment and soil erosion problem. Studying on vegetation dynamics and its influencing factors in this region will help to better understand the relationship between climate change and vegetation cover change in the warm temperate zone of eastern China, and the influence of human activities on vegetation cover dynamics. Methods: Based on dendrochronology, a standard tree-ring width chronology was established in the mountainous and hilly region of central-south Shandong Province, and the vegetation coverage from 1905 to 2020 was reconstructed to reveal the dynamic change characteristics of vegetation cover in this region. Secondly, the influence of climate factors and human activities on the dynamic change of vegetation cover was discussed through correlation analysis and residual analysis. Results and discussion: In the reconstructed sequence, 23 years had high vegetation coverage and 15 years had low vegetation coverage. After low-pass filtering, the vegetation coverage of 1911-1913, 1945-1951, 1958-1962, 1994-1996, and 2007-2011 was relatively high, while the vegetation coverage of 1925-1927, 1936-1942, 2001-2003, and 2019-2020 was relatively low. Although precipitation determined the variation of vegetation coverage in this study area, the impacts of human activities on the change of vegetation coverage in the past decades cannot be ignored. With the development of social economy and the acceleration of urbanization, the vegetation coverage declined. Since the beginning of the 21st century, ecological projects such as Grain-for-Green have increased the vegetation coverage.

Hologenomic insights into mammalian adaptations to myrmecophagy.

Highly specialized myrmecophagy (ant- and termite-eating) has independently evolved multiple times in species of various mammalian orders and represents a textbook example of phenotypic evolutionary convergence. We explored the mechanisms involved in this unique dietary adaptation and convergence through multi-omic analyses, including analyses of host genomes and transcriptomes, as well as gut metagenomes, in combination with validating assays of key enzymes' activities, in the species of three mammalian orders (anteaters, echidnas and pangolins of the orders Xenarthra, Monotremata and Pholidota, respectively) and their relatives. We demonstrate the complex and diverse interactions between hosts and their symbiotic microbiota that have provided adaptive solutions for nutritional and detoxification challenges associated with high levels of protein and lipid metabolisms, trehalose degradation, and toxic substance detoxification. Interestingly, we also reveal their spatially complementary cooperation involved in degradation of ants' and termites' chitin exoskeletons. This study contributes new insights into the dietary evolution of mammals and the mechanisms involved in the coordination of physiological functions by animal hosts and their gut commensals.

Generation of a human induced pluripotent stem cell line (FDCHi010-A) from a patient with Xia-Gibbs syndrome carrying AHDC1 mutation (c.2062C > T).

A human induced pluripotent stem cell line (iPSC), FDCHi010-A, was derived from the peripheral blood of a 3-year-old patient with the c.2062C > T (p.R688*) mutation in the AHDC1 gene. The established cell line displayed a typical human embryonic stem cell-like morphology, exhibited a normal euploid karyotype, and fully expressed pluripotency markers. In addition, it retained the ability to differentiate to three germ layers. This cell line with a specific mutation may provide a useful tool for studying the pathogenesis and drug therapy screening of Xia-Gibbs syndrome caused by the AHDC1 gene.