Cross-circulation combined with rapidly deployable veno-venous bypass grafts for multi-organ biosystemic support in liver failure: Experimental studies.

BACKGROUND: Liver failure remains a critical clinical challenge with limited treatment options. Cross-circulation, the establishment of vascular connections between individuals, has historically been explored as a potential supportive therapy but with limited success. This study investigated the feasibility of combining cross-circulation with a rapidly deployable veno-venous bypass (VVB) graft for multi-organ support in a rat model of total hepatectomy, representing the most severe form of liver failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Y-shaped VVB graft was fabricated using coaxial electrospinning of PLCL/heparin nanofibers and magnetic rings for rapid anastomosis. After total hepatectomy in rats, the VVB graft was implanted to divert blood flow. Cross-circulation was then established between anhepatic and normal host rats. Hemodynamics, biochemical parameters, blood gases, and survival were analyzed across three groups: hepatectomy with blocked vessels (block group), hepatectomy with VVB only (VVB group), and hepatectomy with VVB and cross-circulation (VVB/cross-circulation group). RESULTS: The VVB graft exhibited suitable mechanical properties and hemocompatibility. VVB rapidly restored hemodynamic stability and mitigated abdominal congestion post-hepatectomy. Cross-circulation further ameliorated liver dysfunction, metabolic derangements, and coagulation disorders in anhepatic rats, significantly prolonging survival compared to the VVB group (mean 6.56±0.58 vs 4.05±0.51 h, P<0.05) and the block group (mean 1.01±0.05 h, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Combining cross-circulation with a rapidly deployed VVB graft provided effective multi-organ biosystemic support in a rat model of total hepatectomy, substantially improving the biochemical status and survival time. This approach holds promise for novel liver failure therapies and could facilitate liver transplantation procedures.

Mid-upper arm circumference predicts the risk of gestational diabetes in early pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: The present work aimed to assess the value of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) at 8 to 12 weeks in predicting the occurrence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: According to eligibility criteria, 328 women with singleton pregnancies who underwent routine antenatal check-ups at Qinhuangdao Maternal and Child Health Hospital from September 2017 to September 2020 were included. The patients were divided into the gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-GDM groups according to oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) data from gestation weeks 24 to 28. Clinical data were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors independently predicting GDM. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to analyze the value of MUAC in predicting the occurrence of GDM. The optimal cut-off points were calculated. RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis, pre-pregnancy weight, waist circumference, MUAC, UA, TG, and HDL-C independently predicted the occurrence of GDM (P < 0.05). MUAC retained statistical significance upon adjustment for various confounders (OR = 8.851, 95%CI: 3.907-20.048; P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis revealed good diagnostic potential for MUAC in GDM (AUC = 0.742, 95%CI: 0.684-0.800, P < 0.001), with a cut-off of 28.5 cm, sensitivity and specificity were 61% and 77%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women with MUAC >28.5 cm are prone to develop GDM during pregnancy, indicating that MUAC as an important predictive factor of GDM in early pregnancy.

Optimizing tradeoff strategies of soil microbial community between metabolic efficiency and resource acquisition along a natural regeneration chronosequence.

The tradeoff between community-level soil microbial metabolic efficiency and resource acquisition strategies during natural regeneration remains unclear. Herein, we examined variations in soil extracellular enzyme activity, microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2), and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) along a chronosequence of natural regeneration by sampling secondary forests at 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 100 years after rubber plantation (RP) clearance. The results showed that the natural logarithms of carbon (C)-, nitrogen (N)-, and phosphorus (P)-acquiring enzyme activities were 1:1.68:1.37 and 1:1.54:1.38 in the RP and secondary forests, respectively, thus demonstrating that microbial metabolism was co-limited by N and P. Moreover, the soil microbial C limitation initially increased (1-40 years) and later decreased (100 years). Overall, the qCO2 increased, decreased, and then increased again in the initial (< 10 years), middle (10-40 years), and late (100 years) successional stages, respectively. Except for specific P-acquiring enzyme activities, the changes in other indicators with natural regeneration were consistent in the dry and wet seasons. Both qCO2 and CUE were mainly predicted by microbial community composition and physiological traits. These results indicate that soil microbial communities could employ tradeoff strategies between metabolic efficiency and resource acquisition to cope with variations in resources. Our findings provide new information on tradeoff strategies between metabolic efficiency and resource acquisition during natural regeneration.

Recovering high-quality glass fibers from end-of-life wind turbine blades through swelling-assisted low-temperature pyrolysis.

The recycling of end-of-life wind turbine blades has become a global environmental challenge driven by the rapid growth of wind power. Pyrolysis is a promising method for recovering glass fibers from these discarded blades, but traditional pyrolysis is often operated at high temperatures, which degrades the mechanical properties of recovered fibers. To address this issue, a swelling-assisted pyrolysis method was proposed to recover high-quality glass fibers from end-of-life wind turbine blades at low temperatures. The results confirmed that the decomposition of the resin matrix within the blade was significantly promoted at low temperatures in the swelling-assisted pyrolysis process, achieving a resin decomposition ratio of 76.8 % at 350 °C. This improvement was attributed to enhanced heat transfer and co-pyrolysis with acetic acid. Swelling could physically disrupt the cross-linked structure of the blade, creating a more porous and layered structure, thereby enhancing heat transfer during the pyrolysis process. Simultaneously, the co-pyrolysis with acetic acid could generate hydrogen radicals, which promoted the cracking of macromolecular oligomers into lighter products or gaseous alkanes. Consequently, the formation of pyrolysis char within the solid pyrolysis product was reduced, shortening the oxidation duration to 30 min. In comparison to traditional pyrolysis, the swelling-assisted pyrolysis process effectively suppressed the diffusion of surface defects over the recovered fibers, leading to promising improvements in their flexibility, elasticity, and mechanical properties, with tensile strength notably increased by 27.5 %. These findings provided valuable insights into recovering high-quality glass fibers from end-of-life wind turbine blades.

Diagnostic performance of Node Reporting and Data System (Node-RADS) for assessing mesorectal lymph node in rectal cancer by CT.

BACKGROUND: To compare the diagnostic performance of the Node-RADS scoring system and lymph node (LN) size in preoperative LN assessment for rectal cancer (RC), and to investigate whether the selection of size as the primary criterion whereas morphology as the secondary criterion for LNs can be considered the preferred method for clinical assessment. METHODS: Preoperative CT data of 146 RC patients treated with radical resection surgery were retrospectively analyzed. The Node-RADS score and short-axis diameter of size-prioritized LNs and the morphology-prioritized LNs were obtained. The correlations of Node-RADS score to the pN stage, LNM number and lymph node ratio (LNR) were investigated. The performances on assessing pathological lymph node metastasis were compared between Node-RADS score and short-axis diameter. A nomogram combined the Node-RADS score and clinical features was also evaluated. RESULTS: Node-RADS score showed significant correlation with pN stage, LNM number and LNR (Node-RADS of size-prioritized LN: r = 0.600, 0.592, and 0.606; Node-RADS of morphology-prioritized LN: r = 0.547, 0.538, and 0.527; Node-RADSmax: r = 0.612, 0.604, and 0.610; all p < 0.001). For size-prioritized LN, Node-RADS achieved an AUC of 0.826, significantly superior to short-axis diameter (0.826 vs. 0.743, p = 0.009). For morphology-prioritized LN, Node-RADS exhibited an AUC of 0.758, slightly better than short-axis diameter (0.758 vs. 0.718, p = 0.098). The Node-RADS score of size-prioritized LN was significantly better than that of morphology-prioritized LN (0.826 vs. 0.758, p = 0.038). The nomogram achieved the best diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.861) than all the other assessment methods (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Node-RADS scoring system outperforms the short-axis diameter in predicting lymph node metastasis in RC. Size-prioritized LN demonstrates superior predictive efficacy compared to morphology-prioritized LN. The nomogram combined the Node-RADS score of size-prioritized LN with clinical features exhibits the best diagnostic performance. Moreover, a clear relationship was demonstrated between the Node-RADS score and the quantity-dependent pathological characteristics of LNM.

MRI-based radiomics models predict cystic brain radionecrosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma after intensity modulated radiotherapy.

Objective: To construct radiomics models based on MRI at different time points for the early prediction of cystic brain radionecrosis (CBRN) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: A total of 202 injured temporal lobes from 155 NPC patients with radiotherapy-induced temporal lobe injury (RTLI) after intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were included in the study. All the injured lobes were randomly divided into the training (n = 143) and validation (n = 59) sets. Radiomics models were constructed by using features extracted from T2WI at two different time points: at the end of IMRT (post-IMRT) and the first-detected RTLI (first-RTLI). A delta-radiomics feature was defined as the percentage change in a radiomics feature from post-IMRT to first-RTLI. The radiomics nomogram was constructed by combining clinical risk factors and radiomics signatures using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Predictive performance was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC) from receiver operating characteristic analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: The post-IMRT, first-RTLI, and delta-radiomics models yielded AUC values of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76-0.92), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.94), and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.67-0.87), respectively. The nomogram exhibited the highest AUC of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85-0.97) and sensitivity of 0.82 compared to any single radiomics model. From the DCA, the nomogram model provided more clinical benefit than the radiomics models or clinical model. Conclusion: The radiomics nomogram model combining clinical factors and radiomics signatures based on MRI at different time points after radiotherapy showed excellent prediction potential for CBRN in patients with NPC.

Crystal structure characterization, Hirshfeld surface analysis, and DFT calculation studies of 1-(6-amino-5-nitro-naphthalen-2-yl)ethanone.

The title compound, C12H10N2O3, was obtained by the de-acetyl-ation reaction of 1-(6-amino-5-nitro-naphthalen-2-yl)ethanone in a concentrated sulfuric acid methanol solution. The mol-ecule comprises a naphthalene ring system bearing an acetyl group (C-3), an amino group (C-7), and a nitro group (C-8). In the crystal, the mol-ecules are assembled into a two-dimensional network by N⋯H/H⋯N and O⋯H/H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions. n-π and π-π stacking inter-actions are the dominant inter-actions in the three-dimensional crystal packing. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions are from O⋯H/H⋯O (34.9%), H⋯H (33.7%), and C⋯H/H⋯C (11.0%) contacts. The energies of the frontier mol-ecular orbitals were computed using density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP-D3BJ/def2-TZVP level of theory and the LUMO-HOMO energy gap of the mol-ecule is 3.765 eV.

Correlation between vertebral bone mineral density and multi-level virtual non-calcium imaging parameters from dual-layer spectral detector computed tomography.

Background: Virtual non-calcium (VNCa) imaging based on dual-energy computed tomography (CT) plays an increasingly important role in diagnosing spinal diseases. However, the utility of VNCa technology in the measurement of vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) is limited, especially the VNCa CT value at multiple calcium suppression levels and the slope of VNCa curve. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to explore the correlation between vertebral BMD and new VNCa parameters from dual-layer spectral detector CT. Methods: The dual-layer spectral detector CT and quantitative CT (QCT) data of 4 hydroxyapatite (HAP) inserts and 667 vertebrae of 234 patients (132 male and 102 female) who visited a university teaching hospital between April and May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The BMD values of 3 vertebrae (T12, L1, and L2) and inserts were measured using QCT, defined as QCT-BMD. The VNCa CT values and the slope λ of the VNCa attenuation curve of vertebrae and inserts were recorded. The correlations between VNCa parameters (VNCa CT value, slope λ) and QCT-BMD were analyzed. Results: For the vertebrae, the correlation coefficient ranged from -0.904 to 0.712 (all P<0.05). As the calcium suppression index (CaSI) increased, the correlation degree exhibited a decrease first and then increased, with the best correlation (r=-0.904, P<0.001) observed at the index of 25%. In contrast, the correlation coefficient for the inserts remained relatively stable (r=-0.899 to -1, all P<0.05). For the vertebrae, the values of 3 slopes λ (λ1, λ2, and λ3) derived from the VNCa attenuation curve were 6.50±1.99, 3.75±1.15, and 2.04±0.62, respectively. Regarding the inserts, the λ1, λ2, and λ3 values were 11.56 [interquartile range (IQR): 2.40-22.62], 6.68 (IQR: 1.39-13.49), and 3.63 (IQR: 0.75-7.8), respectively. For the vertebrae, all 3 correlation coefficients between 3 slopes λ and QCT-BMD were 0.956 (all P<0.05). For the inserts, the 3 correlation coefficients were 0.996, 0.998, and 1 (all P<0.05), respectively. Conclusions: A promising correlation was detected between VNCa CT parameters and QCT-BMD in vertebrae, warranting further investigation to explore the possibility of VNCa imaging to assess BMD.

Clinical practice of the transrectal shear-wave elastography in benign prostatic hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the practical value of the transrectal two-dimensional shear-wave elastography (SWE) in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: Consecutive male participants with and without BPH constituted the BPH and control group respectively were enrolled prospectively between March and December 2022. Transrectal conventional ultrasound and SWE examinations for the prostate were performed on these participants. Data of quantitative stiffness of the transitional zone (TZ) and peripheral zone (PZ) of prostate, volume of prostate (VP) and volume of TZ (VTZ) and prostate specific androgen (PSA), etc., were collected. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between quantitative stiffness data and other clinical parameters. RESULTS: There were 200 participants evaluated, including 100 healthy participants and 100 BPH patients. For every one-year increment in age, it was correlated with 0.50 kPa increasement of TZ stiffness. VP and VTZ were correlated with TZ stiffness. Higher TZ stiffness was associated with higher free prostate specific antigen (PSA) and total PSA. CONCLUSIONS: The prostate is stiffer and larger in BPH group compared to control group. Quantitative stiffness of the TZ was related with age, VP, VTZ and PSA.

A reversible implantable memristor for health monitoring applications.

Conventional implantable electronics based on von Neumann architectures encounter significant limitations in computing and processing vast biological information due to computational bottlenecks. The memristor with integrated memory-computing and low power consumption offer a promising solution to overcome the computational bottleneck and Moore's law limitations of traditional silicon-based implantable devices, making them the most promising candidates for next-generation implantable devices. In this work, a highly stable memristor with an Ag/BaTiO3/MnO2/FTO structure was fabricated, demonstrating retention characteristics exceeding 1200 cycles and endurance above 1000 s. The device successfully exhibited three-stage responses to biological signals after implantation in SD (Sprague-Dawley) rats. Importantly, the memristor perform remarkable reversibility, maintaining over 100 cycles of stable repetition even after extraction from the rat. This study provides a new perspective on the biomedical application of memristors, expanding the potential of implantable memristive devices in intelligent medical fields such as health monitoring and auxiliary diagnostics.

An NIR Type I Photosensitizer Based on a Cyclometalated Ir(III)-Rhodamine Complex for a Photodynamic Antibacterial Effect toward Both Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Type I photosensitizers offer an advantage in photodynamic therapy (PDT) due to their diminished reliance on oxygen levels, thus circumventing the challenge of hypoxia commonly encountered in PDT. In this study, we present the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of a novel type I photosensitizer derived from a cyclometalated Ir(III)-rhodamine complex. Remarkably, the complex exhibits a shift in absorption and fluorescence, transitioning from "off" to "on" states in aprotic and protic solvents, respectively, contrary to initial expectations. Upon exposure to light, the complex demonstrates the effective generation of O2- and ·OH radicals via the type I mechanism. Additionally, it exhibits notable photodynamic antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, demonstrated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. This research offers valuable insights for the development of novel type I photosensitizers.

Revealing the Synergistic Effect of Cation and Anion Vacancies on Enhanced Fenton-Like Reaction: The Electron Density Modulation of O 2p-Co 3d Bands.

Defect engineering is considered as a flexible and effective mean to improve the performance of Fenton-like reactions. Herein, a simple method is employed to synthesize Co3O4 catalysts with Co-O vacancy pairs (VP) for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Multi-scaled characterization, experimental, and simulation results jointly revealed that the cation vacancies-VCo contributed to enhanced conductivity and anion vacancies-VO provided a new active center for the 1O2 generation. Co3O4-VP can optimize the O 2p and Co 3d bands with the strong assistance of synergistic double vacancies to reduce the reaction energy barrier of the "PMS → Co(IV) = O → 1O2" pathway, ultimately triggering the stable transition of mechanism. Co3O4-VP catalysts with radical-nonradical collaborative mechanism achieve the synchronous improvement of activity and stability, and have good environmental robustness to favor water decontamination applications. This result highlights the possibility of utilizing anion and cation vacancy engineering strategies to rational design Co3O4-based materials widely used in catalytic reactions.

Coupling Relationships between the Brain and the Central Pattern Generator Based on a Fractional-Order Extended Hindmarsh-Rose Model.

BACKGROUND: The states of the central nervous system (CNS) can be classified into subcritical, critical, and supercritical states that endow the system with information capacity, transmission capabilities, and dynamic range. A further investigation of the relationship between the CNS and the central pattern generators (CPG) is warranted to provide insight into the mechanisms that govern the locomotion system. METHODS: In this study, we established a fractional-order CPG model based on an extended Hindmarsh-Rose model with time delay. A CNS model was further established using a recurrent excitation-inhibition neuronal network. Coupling between these CNS and CPG models was then explored, demonstrating a potential means by which oscillations generated by a neural network respond to periodic stimuli. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: These simulations yielded two key sets of findings. First, frequency sliding was observed when the CPG was sent to the CNS in the subcritical, critical, and supercritical states with different external stimulus and fractional-order index values, indicating that frequency sliding regulates brain function on multiple spatiotemporal scales when the CPG and CNS are coupled together. The main frequency range for these simulations was observed in the gamma band. Second, with increasing external inputs the coherence index for the CNS decreases, demonstrating that strong external inputs introduce neuronal stochasticity. Neural network synchronization is then reduced, triggering irregular neuronal firing. Together these results provide novel insight into the potential mechanisms that may underlie the locomotion system.

Recovering carbon fibers from waste CFRPs via pyrolysis-oxidation method: Implications for reuse in remanufactured materials.

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) have gained widespread usage due to their promising physiochemical properties, while this causes large amounts of waste CFRPs worldwide. In this study, carbon fibers were successfully recovered from waste CFRPs through the pyrolysis-oxidation method, and the recovered fibers were reused in remanufacturing the secondary generation CFRPs. Moreover, the individual and interactive effects of pyrolysis-oxidation recovering parameters on the mechanical strength of the resulting remanufactured CFRPs (reCFRPs) were investigated. The recovered carbon fibers displayed surface chemical structures similar to virgin fibers but with high contents of oxygen-containing bonds. The tensile strength retention (TSR) of the reCFRPs was primarily influenced by oxidation temperature. Notably, a higher oxidation temperature, especially exceeding 560 °C, amplified the impact of oxidation duration on the TSR value. Similarly, concerning interlaminar shear strength retention (ISSR), the oxidation stage had a more substantial effect compared to the pyrolysis stage. As the oxidation temperature increased from 500 °C to 600 °C, the ISSR value initially increased and then decreased, irrespective of variations in pyrolysis parameters. Additionally, through integrating the response surface methodology (RSM) analysis and multi-island genetic algorithm (MIGA) global optimization, three recovery strategies, along with the corresponding processing parameters, were proposed to meet diverse requirements. The conclusions could provide valuable insights for optimizing the recovery and reuse of carbon fibers from waste CFRPs.

Revolution in Cancer Treatment: How Are Intelligently Designed Nanostructures Changing the Game?

Nanoparticles (NPs) are extremely important tools to overcome the limitations imposed by therapeutic agents and effectively overcome biological barriers. Smart designed/tuned nanostructures can be extremely effective for cancer treatment. The selection and design of nanostructures and the adjustment of size and surface properties are extremely important, especially for some precision treatments and drug delivery (DD). By designing specific methods, an important era can be opened in the biomedical field for personalized and precise treatment. Here, we focus on advances in the selection and design of nanostructures, as well as on how the structure and shape, size, charge, and surface properties of nanostructures in biological fluids (BFs) can be affected. We discussed the applications of specialized nanostructures in the therapy of head and neck cancer (HNC), which is a difficult and aggressive type of cancer to treat, to give an impetus for novel treatment approaches in this field. We also comprehensively touched on the shortcomings, current trends, and future perspectives when using nanostructures in the treatment of cancer.

Single-cell profiling of response to neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy in surgically resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy (NAT) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is challenged by the intricate interplay within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Unveiling the immune landscape of ESCC in the context of NAT could shed light on heterogeneity and optimize therapeutic strategies for patients. METHODS: We analyzed single cells from 22 baseline and 24 post-NAT treatment samples of stage II/III ESCC patients to explore the association between the immune landscape and pathological response to neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 combination therapy, including pathological complete response (pCR), major pathological response (MPR), and incomplete pathological response (IPR). RESULTS: Single-cell profiling identified 14 major cell subsets of cancer, immune, and stromal cells. Trajectory analysis unveiled an interesting link between cancer cell differentiation and pathological response to NAT. ESCC tumors enriched with less differentiated cancer cells exhibited a potentially favorable pathological response to NAT, while tumors enriched with clusters of more differentiated cancer cells may resist treatment. Deconvolution of transcriptomes in pre-treatment tumors identified gene signatures in response to NAT contributed by specific immune cell populations. Upregulated genes associated with better pathological responses in CD8 + effector T cells primarily involved interferon-gamma (IFNγ) signaling, neutrophil degranulation, and negative regulation of the T cell apoptotic process, whereas downregulated genes were dominated by those in the immune response-activating cell surface receptor signaling pathway. Natural killer cells in pre-treatment tumors from pCR patients showed a similar upregulation of gene expression in response to IFNγ but a downregulation of genes in the neutrophil-mediated immunity pathways. A decreased cellular contexture of regulatory T cells in ESCC TME indicated a potentially favorable pathological response to NAT. Cell-cell communication analysis revealed extensive interactions between CCL5 and its receptor CCR5 in various immune cells of baseline pCR tumors. Immune checkpoint interaction pairs, including CTLA4-CD86, TIGIT-PVR, LGALS9-HAVCR2, and TNFSF4-TNFRSF4, might serve as additional therapeutic targets for ICI therapy in ESCC. CONCLUSIONS: This pioneering study unveiled an intriguing association between cancer cell differentiation and pathological response in esophageal cancer patients, revealing distinct subgroups of tumors for which neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy might be effective. We also delineated the immune landscape of ESCC tumors in the context of clinical response to NAT, which provides clinical insights for better understanding how patients respond to the treatment and further identifying novel therapeutic targets for ESCC patients in the future.

Effects of Water and Nitrogen Control on the Growth Physiology, Yields, and Economic Benefits of Lycium barbarum Plants in a Lycium barbarum + Alfalfa System.

In the production of economic forests, there are common issues such as excessive application of water and fertilizer, redundant plant growth, and low economic benefits. Reasonable water and fertilizer management can not only help address these problems but also improve the absorption and use efficiency of water and fertilizer resources by plants, promoting the green and efficient development of the fruit and forestry industry. In order to explore a suitable water and nitrogen management mode for Lycium barbarum, field experiments were conducted in this study from 2021 to 2022. Specifically, four irrigation modes (according to the proportion ratio of soil moisture content to field moisture capacity θf, 45-55% θf (W1, severe water deficiency), 55-65% θf (W2, moderate water deficiency), 65-75% θf (W3, mild water deficiency), and 75-85% θf (W4, sufficient irrigation)) and four nitrogen application levels (0 kg·ha-1 (N0, no nitrogen application), 150 kg·ha-1 (N1, low nitrogen application level), 300 kg·ha-1 (N2, medium nitrogen application level), and 450 kg·ha-1 (N3, high nitrogen application level)) were set up to analyze the influences of water and nitrogen control on the plant height, stem diameter, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic characteristics and yield, and economic benefits of Lycium barbarum in the Lycium barbarum + Alfalfa system. The study results show that the plant height and stem diameter increment of Lycium barbarum increase with the irrigation amount, increasing first and then decreasing with the increase in the nitrogen application level. Meanwhile, the chlorophyll contents in Lycium barbarum continuously increase throughout their growth periods, with Lycium barbarum treated with W4N2 during all growth periods presenting the highest contents of chlorophyll. In a Lycium barbarum + Alfalfa system, the daily variation curve of the Lycium barbarum net photosynthetic rate presents a unimodal pattern, with maximum values of the daily average net photosynthetic rate and daily carboxylation rate appearing among W4N2-treated plants (19.56 µmol·m-2·s-1 and 157.06 mmol·m-2·s-1). Meanwhile, the transpiration rates of Lycium barbarum plants continuously decrease with the increased degree of water deficiency and decreased nitrogen application level. W1N2-treated plants exhibit the highest leaf daily average water use efficiency (3.31 µmol·s-1), presenting an increase of 0.50-10.47% in efficiency compared with plants under other treatments. The coupling of water and nitrogen has significantly improved the yields and economic benefits of Lycium barbarum plants, with W4N2-treated and W3N2-treated plants presenting the highest dried fruit yield (2623.07 kg·ha-1) and net income (50,700 CNY·ha-1), respectively. Furthermore, compared with other treatment methods, these two treatment methods (W4N2 and W3N2) exhibit increases of 4.04-84.08% and 3.89-123.35% in dried fruit yield and net income indexes, respectively. Regression analysis shows that, in a Lycium barbarum + Alfalfa system, both high yields and economic benefits of Lycium barbarum plants can be achieved using an irrigation amount of 4367.33-4415.07 m3·ha-1 and a nitrogen application level of 339.80-367.35 kg·ha-1. This study can provide a reference for improving the productivity of Lycium barbarum plants and achieving a rational supply of water and nitrogen in Lyciun barbarum + Alfalfa systems in the Yellow River Irrigation Area of Gansu, China, and other similar ecological areas.

Mechanical biomimetic silk nano fiber-magnesium ion complex/hydroxyethylcellulose/glycerol hydrogel dressing with angiogenic capacity for accelerating scarless diabetic wound healing.

Quick scarless healing remains a key issue for diabetic wounds. Here, a stretchable elastomeric hydrogel dressing composed of hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), silk nano fiber-magnesium ion complex (Mg2+-SNF) and glycerol (Gly) was developed to optimize mechanical niche, anti-inflammatory and angiogenic behavior simultaneously. The composite hydrogel dressing exhibited skin-like elasticity (175.1 ± 23.9 %) and modulus (156.7 ± 2.5 KPa) while Mg2+-SNF complex endowed the dressing with angiogenesis, both favoring quick scarless skin regeneration. In vitro cell studies revealed that the hydrogel dressing stimulated fibroblast proliferation, endothelial cell migration and vessel-like tube formation, and also induced anti-inflammatory behavior of macrophages. In vivo results revealed accelerated healing of diabetic wounds. The improved granulation ingrowth and collagen deposition suggested high quality repair. Both thinner epidermal layer and low collagen I/III ratio of the regenerated skin confirmed scarless tissue formation. This bioactive hydrogel dressing has promising potential to address the multifaceted challenges of diabetic wound management.

vEpiNet: A multimodal interictal epileptiform discharge detection method based on video and electroencephalogram data.

To enhance deep learning-based automated interictal epileptiform discharge (IED) detection, this study proposes a multimodal method, vEpiNet, that leverages video and electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Datasets comprise 24 931 IED (from 484 patients) and 166 094 non-IED 4-second video-EEG segments. The video data is processed by the proposed patient detection method, with frame difference and Simple Keypoints (SKPS) capturing patients' movements. EEG data is processed with EfficientNetV2. The video and EEG features are fused via a multilayer perceptron. We developed a comparative model, termed nEpiNet, to test the effectiveness of the video feature in vEpiNet. The 10-fold cross-validation was used for testing. The 10-fold cross-validation showed high areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) in both models, with a slightly superior AUROC (0.9902) in vEpiNet compared to nEpiNet (0.9878). Moreover, to test the model performance in real-world scenarios, we set a prospective test dataset, containing 215 h of raw video-EEG data from 50 patients. The result shows that the vEpiNet achieves an area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) of 0.8623, surpassing nEpiNet's 0.8316. Incorporating video data raises precision from 70% (95% CI, 69.8%-70.2%) to 76.6% (95% CI, 74.9%-78.2%) at 80% sensitivity and reduces false positives by nearly a third, with vEpiNet processing one-hour video-EEG data in 5.7 min on average. Our findings indicate that video data can significantly improve the performance and precision of IED detection, especially in prospective real clinic testing. It suggests that vEpiNet is a clinically viable and effective tool for IED analysis in real-world applications.

Unlocking the potential: A novel prognostic index signature for acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by challenges in treatment, including drug resistance and frequent relapse. Recent research highlights the crucial roles of tumor microenvironment (TME) in assisting tumor cell immune escape and promoting tumor aggressiveness. This study delves into the interplay between AML and TME. Through the exploration of potential driver genes, we constructed an AML prognostic index (AMLPI). Cross-platform data and multi-dimensional internal and external validations confirmed that the AMLPI outperforms existing models in terms of areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves, concordance index values, and net benefits. High AMLPIs in AML patients were indicative of unfavorable prognostic outcomes. Immune analyses revealed that the high-AMLPI samples exhibit higher expression of HLA-family genes and immune checkpoint genes (including PD1 and CTLA4), along with lower T cell infiltration and higher macrophage infiltration. Genetic variation analyses revealed that the high-AMLPI samples associate with adverse variation events, including TP53 mutations, secondary NPM1 co-mutations, and copy number deletions. Biological interpretation indicated that ALDH2 and SPATS2L contribute significantly to AML patient survival, and their abnormal expression correlates with DNA methylation at cg12142865 and cg11912272. Drug response analyses revealed that different AMLPI samples tend to have different clinical selections, with low-AMLPI samples being more likely to benefit from immunotherapy. Finally, to facilitate broader access to our findings, a user-friendly and publicly accessible webserver was established and available at http://bioinfor.imu.edu.cn/amlpi. This server provides tools including TME-related AML driver genes mining, AMLPI construction, multi-dimensional validations, AML patients risk assessment, and figures drawing.