Autoantibodies to interferon alpha, nuclear antigens, cardiolipin, and beta 2 glycoprotein 1 in a Ugandan cohort and their relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Objective: Autoantibodies (AAbs) to interferon alpha, nuclear antigens, cardiolipin, and beta 2 glycoprotein 1, have been associated with COVID-19 severity. Despite relatively low COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in East and Central Africa, AAb prevalence in these populations remain understudied.

Methods: We evaluated AAb seroprevalence in 155 Ugandans, aged 40-50, using paired samples collected before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evaluation of a tumor marker gastrin-releasing peptide precursor in the patients with kidney injuries.

Gastrin-releasing peptide precursor (ProGRP) is a bioactive precursor of GRP and might play an important role as an emerging tumor marker in early cancer diagnosis. It might also be abnormal in the nonmalignant disease and renal function abnormalities. The present study was undertaken to investigate the changes of ProGRP levels in patients with kidney injuries, especially with chronic kidney disease (CKD), determine the upper reference intervals and clinical diagnostic value of ProGRP in CKD, and thus help oncologists in interpreting ProGRP levels and making clinical judgments of malignances.

Genetic variants of as potential predictors for perineural invasion of prostate cancer in a Taiwanese population.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2), which binds with high affinity to numerous RNA transcripts, is known to promote tumorigenesis and metastasis, including in prostate cancer (PCa). Several case-control studies investigated associations between polymorphisms and cancer progression. However, the effects of genetic variants on clinicopathological progression and biochemical recurrence (BCR) of PCa remain unclear.

Robot multi-target high performance grasping detection based on random sub-path fusion.

To address the challenge of grasping multi-target objects with uncertain shape, attitude, scale, and stacking, this study proposes a high-performance planar pixel-level grasping network called random sub-path grasp fusion network (RSPFG-Net). The paper introduces the agile grasping representation (AGR) strategy for dexterous grasping of target objects and constructs a Multi-objects Grasping Dataset (NEU-MGD). Secondly, the article introduces the Multi-Scale random sub-path fusion (MSRSPF) module.

Ovarian expression of functional MTTP and apoB for VLDL assembly and secretion in chickens.

In mammals, tissues other than liver and intestine are known to possess functional MTTP (microsomal triglyceride transfer protein) and apoB (apolipoprotein B) capable of VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) assembly. Birds are oviparous and possess unique capabilities in lipid biology to accommodate yolk formation through massive deposition of hepatically assembled yolk-targeted VLDLy into ovarian follicles. Following identifications of MTTP and ApoB expression within chicken ovarian stroma, granulosa, theca, and epithelial cells of various classes of follicles, we sought to define the functionality of ovarian MTTP and ApoB in VLDL assembly.

Exploring the high prevalence, comorbidities, and indicators of mild autonomous cortisol secretion in primary aldosteronism: a cohort study and systematic review.

Emerging evidence has suggested a significant prevalence of mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) among patients diagnosed with primary aldosteronism (PA). However, MACS's clinical characteristics and implications in PA patients remain largely unexplored. To investigate the prevalence, comorbidities, and indicators of MACS in PA patients, we conducted a retrospective cohort study including 874 PA patients with dexamethasone suppression test results in the Taiwan Primary Aldosteronism Investigators (TAIPAI) cohort between February 2011 and February 2024.

Adaptive calibration of Gafchromic EBT3 film using generalized additive neural networks.

In radiation therapy, precise dose distribution is essential for minimizing damage to normal tissues. Gafchromic EBT3 film is widely used to assure the quality of two-dimensional dosimetry but requires frequent recalibrations due to changes in sensitivity over time. This study presents a new calibration method using a Keras-based generalized additive neural network (GANN) to address film aging.

Sex-dependent alterations of colonic epithelial permeability: relevance to irritable bowel syndrome.

Introduction: Increased intestinal permeability is a possible pathophysiological mechanism of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Increased colonic epithelial permeability is associated with visceral nociception in rodents and abdominal pain severity in IBS patients. Although IBS is more common in women, most studies on IBS-associated epithelial dysfunction have largely overlooked sex as a biologic variable.

Flood resilience through hybrid deep learning: Advanced forecasting for Taipei's urban drainage system.

The escalating impacts of climate change have intensified extreme rainfall events, placing urban drainage systems under unprecedented pressure and increasing flood risks. Addressing these challenges requires advanced flood mitigation strategies, optimized sewer operations, and responsive disaster management. This study leverages knowledge graphs to integrate diverse data sources, providing a comprehensive perspective on flood dynamics, and applies deep learning models within a Real-Time Urban Drainage Early Warning System to enhance flood management at Taipei City's Zhongshan Pumping Station in Taiwan.

Percutaneous intramyocardial septal radiofrequency ablation: a novel treatment for drug-refractory non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with severe septal hypertrophy.

Background: Patients with drug-refractory non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (NOHCM) lack effective invasive treatment options. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous intramyocardial septal radiofrequency ablation (PIMSRA, Liwen procedure) in patients with NOHCM and severe septal hypertrophy (≥28 mm).

Method: This single-arm, open-label, prospective study enrolled 20 adult patients with drug-refractory NOHCM between June 2017 and June 2023.

Effects of circPICALM-miR-132-PHKB regulated by METTL3 on proliferation of porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is ubiquitously expressed in highly differentiated eukaryotes, playing an extremely vital regulatory role in muscle growth and development. In this study, we identified circPICALM, a novel circRNA which consists of exons 5 to 9 of the PICALM gene, exhibiting differential expression in the longissimus dorsi muscle (LD) of adult (QA) and newborn (QN) Queshan Black pigs. CircPICALM is resistant to RNase R, mainly located in the cytoplasm with potential coding capacities.

La(OTf)-Catalyzed Benzannulation of 2-Arylidene-1-indene-1,3(2)-diones with Enamino Esters: Direct Access to Functionalized Fluorenone Derivatives.

An attractive method for the preparation of functional fluorenone derivatives has been developed via La(OTf)-catalyzed benzannulation of 2-arylidene-1-indene-1,3(2)-diones with enamino esters. The reaction involves Michael addition, intramolecular cyclization, dehydration, and aromatization in a one-step process and affords a wide range of functional fluorenone derivatives in moderate to good yields. Moreover, this protocol provides several advantages, including broad substrate scope, readily available materials, high atom economy, and applicability for large-scale synthesis.

Research on "theory of force-center" based on failure characteristics of different roadway sections and its application.

In high-stress deep mines prone to rock bursts, the significant deformation of roadway surrounding rock remains a critical scientific issue that urgently requires resolution. In this study, through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations, the failure mechanisms of different roadway sections are investigated, and the "force-center theory" is proposed. This hypothesis is validated by industrial experiments, yielding several key findings: (1) For any cross-sectional shape of the roadway, a unique peripheral circle will be formed, and the damaged area of the roadway section is mainly oriented towards the center of the peripheral circle.

A highland-adaptation variant near MCUR1 reduces its transcription and attenuates erythrogenesis in Tibetans.

To identify genomic regions subject to positive selection that might contain genes involved in high-altitude adaptation (HAA), we performed a genome-wide scan by whole-genome sequencing of Tibetan highlanders and Han lowlanders. We revealed a collection of candidate genes located in 30 genomic loci under positive selection. Among them, MCUR1 at 6p23 was a novel pronounced candidate.

Motor Imagery Decoding from EEG under Visual Distraction via Feature Map Attention EEGNet.

The investigation of motor imagery (MI)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) is vital to the domains of human-computer interaction and rehabilitation. Few existing studies on electroencephalogram(EEG) signals decoding based on MI consider any distractions. However, it is difficult for users to do a single MI task in real life, which is especially affected by visual distraction.

Comprehensive characterization and expression profiling of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase (SUS) family in Cucumis melo under the application of nitrogen and potassium.

Background: Sugars are not only important biomacromolecules that play vital roles in plant growth, development and environmental stress tolerance, but they also provide carbon skeletons for the synthesis of other macromolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids. Sugar-related proteins play key roles in the movement of sugars from source tissues (such as leaves) to sink tissues (such as fruits), ultimately influencing fruit development. However, the evolutionary dynamics of this important sugar-related gene family in the Cucumis melo (C.

Astrocytic GluN2A alleviates sleep deprivation-induced elevation of Aβ through regulating neprilysin and AQP4 via the calcineurin/NFAT pathway.

Sleep disorders can increase amyloid beta (Aβ) burden in the brain and are linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. The precise mechanism by which sleep disturbances elevate Aβ levels is unclear. Our previous study has demonstrated that knocking down encoding gene Grin2a of astrocytic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors GluN2A subunit could aggravate sleep deprivation (SD)-induced elevation of Aβ, indicating a protective role of astrocytic GluN2A in SD; but the underlying mechanism needs to be further elucidated.

[ Pills improves depression-like behavior in rats by regulating neurotransmitters, inhibiting inflammation and oxidation and modulating intestinal flora].

Objectives: To explore the bioactive components in Pills (JWXYP) and their mechanisms for alleviating depression-like behaviors.

Methods: The active compounds, key targets, and pathways of JWXYP were identified using TCMSP and TCMIP databases. Thirty-six SD rats were randomized equally into 6 groups including a control group and 5 chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression groups.

Structure-and-embedding-based centrality on network fragility in hypergraphs.

Revealing the critical nodes is crucial to maintain network safety. Various methods have been proposed to identify the vital nodes and, recently, have been generalized from ordinary networks to hypergraphs. However, many existing methods did not consider both the hypergraph structure and embedding.

Environmental drivers of spatial variation in tropical forest canopy height: Insights from NASA's GEDI spaceborne LiDAR.

Forest canopy height is a fundamental ecosystem property-influencing patterns of forest carbon storage and forest ecosystem responses to climate variability and change. Previous studies have analyzed environmental drivers influencing spatial variation in canopy height at landscape-to-regional scales; however, far less is known about the environmental determinants underlying regional and global scale variation in forest canopy height. Using the canopy height metrics products from Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a space-borne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) instrument specifically designed to characterize forest structure, we analyze the environmental correlates of spatial variation of global tropical forest canopy height.

Impact of FcRn antagonism on vaccine-induced protective immune responses against viral challenge in COVID-19 and influenza mouse vaccination models.

Antagonism of the neonatal Fc receptor through an engineered antibody Fc fragment, such as efgartigimod, results in a decrease in immunoglobulin G levels. This approach is being evaluated as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of IgG-mediated autoimmune diseases. Our goal was to evaluate the impact of mFc-ABDEG, a mouse-adapted antibody Fc fragment with a mode of action highly similar to efgartigimod, on vaccine-induced protective immune responses against viral infections.

Clinical observation of probiotics combined with mesalazine and Yiyi Baitouweng Decoction retention enema in treating mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis.

Objective: The purpose of this article was to unravel the clinical efficacy of probiotics combined with mesalazine and Yiyi Baitouweng Decoction retention enema in the treatment of mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: Eighty-six mild-to-moderate UC patients were selected as study subjects and randomized into the control group (treated with mesalazine enteric-coated tablets [Salofalk]) and the observation group (treated with mesalazine enteric-coated tablets, Bifidobacterium Tetravaccine Tablets, and Yiyi Baitouweng Decoction retention enema). The clinical efficacy, colonoscopy score, serum levels of inflammatory factors, and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and peripheral blood eosinophil percentages as predictive indicators for eosinophilic chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps.

Purpose: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has a high incidence rate and different endotypes. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency is common in patients with eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (ECRSwNP and nECRSwNP, respectively). This study explored the relationship between serum 25(OH)D levels and CRS risk and determined the value of combining serum 25(OH)D with peripheral blood markers in distinguishing between ECRSwNP and nECRSwNP.