Alginate oligosaccharide induces resistance against Penicillium expansum in pears by priming defense responses.

The research intended to explore the control ability of alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) on Penicillium expansum infection in pear fruit by priming response and its mechanism. The results showed that 100 mg L AOS treatment could significantly reduce the incidence of postharvest blue mold and the lesion diameter in pear fruits and maintain their quality. The defense responses induced by AOS treatment alone were relatively mild in pear fruits.

Enriched rehabilitation on brain functional connectivity in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment.

Objective: This study aims to observe the effect of enrichment rehabilitation (ER) on cognitive function in post-stroke patients and to clarify its underlying mechanism.

Methods: Forty patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to two groups: conventional medical rehabilitation (CM group) and ER intervention (ER group). All patients underwent assessments of overall cognitive function, attention function, and executive function within 24 h before the start of training and within 24 h after the 8 weeks of training.

Prediction of Pathologic Response in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Downstaging with Locoregional and Systemic Combination Therapy.

Background: The combination of locoregional and systemic therapy may achieve remarkable tumor response for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Objective: We aimed to investigate the correlation between radiologic and pathologic responses following combination therapy, evaluate their prognostic values, and to establish a non-invasive prediction system for pathologic response.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 112 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent locoregional and systemic combination therapy followed by liver resection or transplantation.

Exploring the binding mode of BBA protein anchored on defective graphene and evaluating the biocompatibility of two types of graphene with λ-repressor protein.

Since defects in nanomaterials are inevitable during experimental manipulation, investigating the interactions between defective materials and active biological proteins is crucial for evaluating the biocompatibility and biosafety of nanomaterials. This study employs molecular dynamics simulation techniques to investigate the interaction mechanisms between two types of graphene (ideal graphene and defective graphene) and two model proteins (BBA protein and λ-repressor protein). The simulation results indicate that both types of graphene exhibit superior biocompatibility with the λ-repressor protein compared to the BBA protein.

Mechanistic Insights into Kaempferol's Therapeutic Effects on Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Proteomic and Experimental Validation in Ovariectomized Rats.

Background: Postmenopausal Osteoporosis (PMOP) is characterized by decreased bone mass and deterioration of bone microarchitecture, leading to increased fracture risk. Current treatments often have adverse effects, necessitating safer alternatives. Kaempferol, a flavonoid identified as a key active component of the traditional Chinese medicine Yishen Gushu formula, has shown promise in improving bone health, but its mechanisms in PMOP treatment remain unclear.

Global impacts of land use on terrestrial carbon emissions since 1850.

Since the Industrial Revolution, significant changes in global land-use patterns have occurred, which have disrupted terrestrial carbon emissions. However, the disturbance processes, change trends, and distribution patterns are not clear. Therefore, the changes in terrestrial carbon emissions (E) caused by land-use change (LUC) since 1850 were analyzed in this study.

Evaluation of Plasma Neurodegenerative Biomarkers for Diagnosing Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy and Predicting Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy in Chinese Patients with Hepatic Cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: The performance of neurodegenerative biomarkers-neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), tau, and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1)-in diagnosing minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) has not been systematically evaluated, simultaneously, nor have their associations with the development of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). This study aimed to evaluate the performance of plasma NfL, GFAP, tau, and UCHL1 in diagnosing MHE and predicting the development of OHE in Chinese patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

Methods: In this prospective study, 124 patients with hepatic cirrhosis were recruited.

Prognostic assessment of early-stage liver cirrhosis induced by HCV using an integrated model of CX3CR1-associated immune infiltration genes.

Chemokine (C-X3-C motif) Receptor 1 (CX3CR1) primarily mediates the chemotaxis and adhesion of immune cells. However, its role in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced early-stage liver cirrhosis remains unexplored. GSE15654 was downloaded from the GEO database.

Investigating the mechanism of Tongfeng Qingxiao Formula for improving gouty arthritis based on the neutrophil extracellular trapping network.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a history of thousands of years in China. The Tongfeng Qingxiao Formula (TFQXF), after decoction and oral administration, has shown significant therapeutic effects on Gouty arthritis (GA). TCM is often considered an experiential medicine, lacking modern scientific research, and the efficacy of TFQXF faces the same issue.

Genomic identification of the gene family in apple and functional analysis of involved in flowering transition.

Unlabelled: Apple is a crucial economic product extensively cultivated worldwide. Its production and quality are closely related to the floral transition, which is regulated by intricate molecular and environmental factors. () is a transcription factor that is involved in regulating plant growth and development, with certain play significant roles in regulating flowering.

Heterogeneous blood pressure treatment effects on cognitive decline in type 2 diabetes: A machine learning analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Aim: We aimed to identify the characteristics of patients with diabetes who can derive cognitive benefits from intensive blood pressure (BP) treatment using machine learning methods.

Materials And Methods: Using data from the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Memory in Diabetes (ACCORD-MIND) study, 1349 patients with type 2 diabetes who underwent BP treatment (intensive treatment targeting a systolic BP <120 mmHg vs. standard treatment targeting <140 mmHg) were included in the machine learning analysis.

TssL2 of T6SS2 is required for mobility, biofilm formation, wrinkly phenotype formation, and virulence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus SH112.

Type VI secretion system 2 (T6SS2) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus is required for cell adhesion and autophagy in macrophages; however, other phenotypes conferred by this T6SS have not been thoroughly investigated. We deleted TssL2, a key component of T6SS2 assembly, to explore the role of the T6SS2 in environmental adaptation and virulence. TssL2 deletion reduced Hcp2 secretion, suggesting that TssL2 played an important role in activity of functional T6SS2.

Insulin resistance links dysbiosis of gut microbiota with cognitive impairment in first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia.

This study aimed to explore the relationship among gut microbiota imbalance, the homeostasis model of assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). We conducted a case-control study involving 189 first-episode, drug-naïve SCZ patients and 115 healthy controls (HCs). Main methods adopted included metagenomics analysis, glucose metabolism assessment, and cognitive function evaluation using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB).

Sex Difference and Socioeconomic Inequity in Chinese People With Hypertension: National Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Background: Sex differences in blood pressure (BP) levels and hypertension are important and the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in sex differences in hypertension remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of SES on sex differences of hypertension in a nationally representative survey study.

Methods: A total of 98,658 participants aged ≥18 years who have lived in their current residence for ≥6 months were recruited from 162 study sites across mainland China.

Evaluation indicators of Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes for gouty arthritis with damp heat accumulation and the effect of administering Tongfeng Qingxiao formula.

Objective: To evaluate the indicators of an animal model of gouty arthritis (GA) with dampness heat accumulation and the intervention effect of Tongfeng Qingxiao formula (, TFQXF).

Methods: Seventy-two healthy adult Sprague?Dawley male rats were selected and randomly divided into a normal group, model group, low-dose group, medium-dose group, high-dose group, and diclofenac group using a random number table method, with 12 rats in each group. After group intervention, the general condition of the rats in each group was monitored and recorded, and the swelling index was measured.

Diabetes in China part 2: prevention, challenges, and progress.

During the past 40 years, the prevalence of diabetes in China has increased from less than 1·0% in 1980 to 12·4% in 2018, an increase in line with the rapid growth of the nation's economy. To address such a burden, the Healthy China 2030 initiative and subsequent Action Plan, including a diabetes prevention and control campaign, were launched. A shift from a disease-centred approach to a health-centred approach and from treatment to prevention is the core of the Action Plan and diabetes management in China.

Diabetes in China part 1: epidemiology and risk factors.

The prevalence of diabetes in China is rapidly increasing. China now has the largest number of people living with diabetes worldwide, accounting for approximately one-quarter of the global diabetes population. Since the late 1970s, China has experienced profound changes and rapid economic growth, leading to shifts in lifestyle.

Lumbrokinase (LK) ameliorates diabetic kidney disease renal fibrosis through regulating snail via m6A RNA methyltransferase 3.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanisms of lumbrokinase (LK) on diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Kidney tissue samples from DKD patients and normal controls were collected from hospitals. The type 2 diabetic nephropathy model was induced in db/db mice.

Effect of stress on study skills self-efficacy in Nursing students: the chain mediating role of general self-efficacy and self-directed learning.

Background: The purpose of the study is to explore the current level of nursing students' study skills self-efficacy, and whether general self-efficacy and self-directed learning ability mediate the relationship between perceived stress (including positive stress and negative stress) and study skills self-efficacy.

Methods: The survey was conducted among 1,289 nursing students including 795 students from Jinzhou Medical University and 494 students from Dalian University. Participants completed a self-designed questionnaire, which included the Study Skills Self-Efficacy Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Self-Directed Learning Instrument, gender, age, academic year, and other demographic characteristics.

DNA and RNA sequencing reveal the role of rare bacterial taxa in constructed wetlands: Insights into community activities, ecological functions, and assembly processes.

Microorganisms are essential for the functioning of constructed wetlands (CWs), yet the role of rare bacterial taxa in CWs remains poorly understood. In this study, the community structure, metabolic activities, ecological functions, and assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterial taxa in CWs were examined using DNA and RNA high-throughput sequencing. Our results revealed that Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia, and Actinobacteria exhibited high diversity and sequence abundance.

Suppression of quantum dissipation: a cooperative effect of quantum squeezing and quantum measurement.

The ability to isolate a quantum system from its environment is of fundamental interest and importance in optical quantum science and technology. Here we propose an experimentally feasible scheme for beating environment-induced dissipation in an open two-level system coupled to a parametrically driven cavity. The mechanism relies on a novel, to the best of our knowledge, cooperation between light-matter coupling enhancement and frequent measurements.