Crescentic Glomerulonephritis and Portal Hypertension with Chronic Q Fever: A Case Report and Comprehensive Literature Review.

Q fever, an infectious zoonotic disease caused by , remains prevalent in China. Systemic infections can result in renal or hepatic complications; however, it is rare for both the kidneys and liver to be simultaneously affected. We present a case of a patient who exhibited fever, rapid deterioration in renal function, thrombocytopenia, and severe ascites.

Hypothalamic-hindbrain circuit for consumption-induced fear regulation.

To ensure survival, animals must sometimes suppress fear responses triggered by potential threats during feeding. However, the mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood. In the current study, we demonstrated that when fear-conditioned stimuli (CS) were presented during food consumption, a neural projection from lateral hypothalamic (LH) GAD2 neurons to nucleus incertus (NI) relaxin-3 (RLN3)-expressing neurons was activated, leading to a reduction in CS-induced freezing behavior in male mice.

Stage-specificity of STING activation in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma determines the efficacy of its agonism.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is an aggressive cancer with an extremely poor prognosis, and new treatment options are needed. Recently, immunotherapy has emerged as an efficient treatment against malignant tumors, but less effective in iCCA. Activation of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling could reignite immunologically inert tumors, but the expression and role of STING in iCCA remains to be determined.

Effect of dietary supplementation with recombinant human lysozyme on growth performance, antioxidative characteristics, and intestinal health in broiler chickens.

Lysozyme is often used as a feed additive to act as an antibacterial protein that boosts the immune system of livestock and poultry while protecting against pathogens. To investigate the effects of recombinant human lysozyme (rhLYZ) from Pichia pastoris and chlortetracycline on broiler chicken's production performance, antioxidant characteristics, and intestinal microbiota, a total of 200, 1-d-old male Arbor Acres broiler chickens (46.53 ± 0.

Distinct Circuits From the Central Lateral Amygdala to the Ventral Part of the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis Regulate Different Fear Memory.

Background: The ability to differentiate stimuli that predict fear is critical for survival; however, the underlying molecular and circuit mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Methods: We combined transgenic mice, in vivo transsynaptic circuit-dissecting anatomical approaches, optogenetics, pharmacological methods, and electrophysiological recording to investigate the involvement of specific extended amygdala circuits in different fear memory.

Results: We identified the projections from central lateral amygdala (CeL) protein kinase C δ (PKCδ)-positive neurons and somatostatin (SST)-positive neurons to GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) and glutamatergic neurons in the ventral part of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (vBNST).

Expression and characterization of α-L-arabinofuranosidase derived from Aspergillus awamori and its enzymatic degradation of corn byproducts with xylanase.

In this study, α-L-arabinofuranosidase (AF) from Aspergillus awamori was heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris X33, with a 1-fold increase in AF activity after codon and vector optimization. AF remained stable at 60-65 °C and displayed a broad pH stability range of 2.5-8.

Molecular and cellular evolution of the amygdala across species analyzed by single-nucleus transcriptome profiling.

The amygdala, or an amygdala-like structure, is found in the brains of all vertebrates and plays a critical role in survival and reproduction. However, the cellular architecture of the amygdala and how it has evolved remain elusive. Here, we generated single-nucleus RNA-sequencing data for more than 200,000 cells in the amygdala of humans, macaques, mice, and chickens.

Optimization of Compound Ratio of Exogenous Xylanase and Debranching Enzymes Supplemented in Corn-Based Broiler Diets Using In Vitro Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion and Response Surface Methodology.

This experiment aimed to explore the zymogram of endo-xylanase (EX) and debranching enzymes (arabinofuranosidase [EA] and ferulic acid esterase [EF]) supplemented in the corn−soybean meal-based diet of broilers. An in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion model was adopted. According to single-factor, completely random design, the optimal supplemental levels of individual carbohydrase were determined by reducing sugars (RS) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD).

Recognition method for the bionic camouflage click communication trains modulated by time delay difference.

Bionic camouflage covert underwater acoustic communication has recently attracted great attention. However, we have not found relevant methods or literature to recognize these bionic camouflage communication signals (BCCSs) in the area of anti-reconnaissance. Focused on recognizing the BCCSs, this article proposes a recognition method based on the statistics of inter-click intervals to recognize the camouflaged click communication train (CCCT), which is modulated by time delay difference (TDD).

An automated piecewise synthesis method for cetacean tonal sounds based on time-frequency spectrogram.

Bionic signal waveform design plays an important role in biological research, as well as bionic underwater acoustic detection and communication. Most conventional methods cannot construct high-similarity bionic waveforms to match complex cetacean sounds or easily modify the time-frequency structure of the synthesized bionic signals. In our previous work, we proposed a synthesis and modification method for cetacean tonal sounds, but it requires a lot of manpower to construct each bionic signal segment to match the tonal sound contour.

A Deep Mesencephalic Nucleus Circuit Regulates Licking Behavior.

Licking behavior is important for water intake. The deep mesencephalic nucleus (DpMe) has been implicated in instinctive behaviors. However, whether the DpMe is involved in licking behavior and the precise neural circuit behind this behavior remains unknown.

The Effect of Continuous Passive Motion in Patients Treated With Total Knee Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify the effectiveness of the continuous passive motion application on clinical outcomes after total knee arthroplasty, based on evidence from recently published high-quality randomized controlled trials.

Design: Two reviewers retrieved platforms of PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL independently, for identifying eligible randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of continuous passive motion applied after total knee arthroplasty for knee osteoarthritis. Subgroup meta-analyses were performed for all syntheses based on the follow-up intervals.

[Effects of fertilization and planting patterns on soil aggregate and carbon distribution in farmland of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China].

Based on a long-term experiment in the Changwu Agro-ecological Experimental Station in Xianyang, Shaanxi, China, we examined the effects of fertilization and planting patterns on soil aggregate quantity, aggregate stability and total carbon and organic carbon distribution in different aggregate fractions through dry and wet sieving methods, as well as the TOC combustion method. There were ten treatments, including uncultivated (R), wheat continuous cropping (CK/W), wheat-corn rotation (L), and nitrogen fertilizer (N), phosphorus fertilizer (P), nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer (NP), organic fertilizer (M), nitrogen and organic fertilizer (NM), phosphorus and organic fertilizer (PM), nitrogen and phosphorus and organic fertilizer (NPM) for CK/W. The results showed that fertilizer application and planting patterns affected soil aggregate distribution and stability, the contents and contribution rates of total C and organic C.

Fully Affine Invariant Methods for Cross-Session Registration of Calcium Imaging Data.

two-photon microscopy permits simultaneous recording of the activity of the same neuronal population across multiple sessions in days or weeks, which is crucial for addressing many fundamental questions of neuroscience. The field-of-view (FOV) alignment is a necessary step for identifying the same neurons across multiple imaging sessions. Accurate FOV alignment becomes challenging in the situations of image blurring, insufficient common neurons, or uneven background brightness.

The protective role of Neuregulin1-ErbB4 signaling in a chronic social defeat stress model.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent debilitating psychiatric disease and a serious public health problem worldwide. Brain structural MRI and postmortem studies on patients with depression have revealed changes in the anatomy and functionality in various brain regions, including the amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex (PFC). The alterations in these brain regions could be a result, in part, of the dysregulation of the neurotrophic factors.

[Effects of long-term fertilization on soil organic phosphorus fractions and wheat yield in farmland of Loess Plateau].

Understanding the effects of long-term fertilization on soil organic phosphorus fractions and wheat yield in the Loess Plateau can provide theoretical support for improving phosphorus conversion, utilization, and rational use of fertilizer. We examined the effects of different fertilizer treatments on soil organic phosphorus fractions, wheat yield and soil properties of a farmland in the long-term (1984-2016) positioning test station of Changwu loess soil. There were eight treatments, including no fertilizer (CK), single application of nitrogen fertilizer (N), single application of phosphorus fertilizer (P), application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer (NP), single application of organic fertilizer (M), nitrogen combined with organic fertilizer (MN), phosphorus combined with organic fertilizer (MP), nitrogen and phosphorus combined with organic fertilizer (MNP).

Self-Contained High-SNR Underwater Acoustic Signal Acquisition Node and Synchronization Sampling Method for Multiple Distributed Nodes.

Aiming at the application demand in underwater noise monitoring, observation of marine animal, antisubmarine and underwater target localization, a high-SNR underwater acoustic signal acquisition (UASA) node that combines a self-contained acquisition system and floating platform is designed to improve the acquisition performance of a single UASA node, and a high-accuracy synchronization sampling method among multiple distributed UASA nodes based on master-slave dual phase-locked loops (MSDPLL) is proposed to improve the synchronization sampling accuracy. According to the equivalent model of hydrophone and application requirements, low noise signal conditioning circuit and large-capacity data storage modules are designed. Based on the long-term monitoring requirements for underwater acoustic signal and distributed positioning requirements for underwater targets, the structure of a single UASA node is designed and MSDPLL is developed for high-accuracy synchronization sampling among multiple UASA nodes.

Modeling and Experimental Testing of an Unmanned Surface Vehicle with Rudderless Double Thrusters.

Motion control of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) is a crucial issue in sailing performance and navigation costs. The actuators of USVs currently available are mostly a combination of thrusters and rudders. The modeling for USVs with rudderless double thrusters is rarely studied.

Prediction of Forelimb Reach Results From Motor Cortex Activities Based on Calcium Imaging and Deep Learning.

Brain-wide activities revealed by neuroimaging and recording techniques have been used to predict motor and cognitive functions in both human and animal models. However, although studies have shown the existence of micrometer-scale spatial organization of neurons in the motor cortex relevant to motor control, two-photon microscopy (TPM) calcium imaging at cellular resolution has not been fully exploited for the same purpose. Here, we ask if calcium imaging data recorded by TPM in rodent brain can provide enough information to predict features of upcoming movement.

Rostral and Caudal Ventral Tegmental Area GABAergic Inputs to Different Dorsal Raphe Neurons Participate in Opioid Dependence.

Both the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) are involved in affective control and reward-related behaviors. Moreover, the neuronal activities of the VTA and DRN are modulated by opioids. However, the precise circuits from the VTA to DRN and how opioids modulate these circuits remain unknown.

Bio-Inspired Covert Active Sonar Strategy.

The covertness of the active sonar is a very important issue and the sonar signal waveform design problem was studied to improve covertness of the system. Many marine mammals produce call pulses for communication and echolocation, and existing interception systems normally classify these biological signals as ocean noise and filter them out. Based on this, a bio-inspired covert active sonar strategy was proposed.