Optic disc changes in Chinese patients with -associated autoinflammatory disease.

Objective: To investigate the optic disc changes (ODC) in Chinese patients with -associated autoinflammatory disease (-AID).

Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with -AID at the Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital between April 2015 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.

Results: A total of 20 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study.

AI: A transformative opportunity in cell biology.

The success of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms in predicting protein structure and more recently, protein interactions, demonstrates the power and potential of machine learning and AI for advancing and accelerating biomedical research. As cells are the fundamental unit of life, applying these tools to understand and predict cellular function represents the next great challenge. However, given the complexity of cellular structure and function, the diversity of cell types and the dynamic plasticity of cell states, the task will not be easy.

Performance and mechanism of glycerol-driven denitrifying phosphorus removal from low organic matter sewage.

The performance and mechanism of the glycerol-driven denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) process were investigated in low organic matter wastewater treatment using the modified anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (MAAO) system. The results revealed that denitrifying bacteria preferentially utilized glycerol, reducing nitrate interference on anaerobic phosphate release. Fermentation bacteria converted excess glycerol into available carbon sources, which were utilized by denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating organisms (DPAOs).

Temporal variation in the oral microbiome and the prediction of early childhood caries in different ethnicities.

Globally, early childhood caries (ECC) is a significant public health concern, necessitating effective prediction and prevention strategies. This study aimed to explore variations in the oral microbiome of saliva from pre-school Han and Uyghur children during ECC development and establish a predictive model based on temporal oral microbiome changes. Saliva samples were collected from a single kindergarten every three months over six months.

A theoretical study on excited-state dynamical properties and laser cooling of zinc monohydride including spin-orbit couplings.

By means of highly accurate and dynamical calculations, we identify a suitable laser cooling candidate that contains a transition metal element, namely zinc monohydride (ZnH). The internally contracted multireference configuration interaction method is employed to compute the five lowest-lying Λ-S states of ZnH with the spin-orbit coupling effects included, and very good agreement is obtained between our calculated and experimental spectroscopic data. Our findings show that the position of crossing point of the AΠ and BΣ states of ZnH is above the ' = 2 vibrational level of the AΠ state indicating that the crossings with higher electronic states will have no effect on laser cooling.

Micellar delivery systems of bioactive compounds for precision nutrition.

Rapid changes in lifestyle and the increasingly hectic pace of life have led to a rise in chronic diseases, such as obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, and cancer, posing significant threats to public health. In response to these challenges, precision nutrition (PN) has emerged as a secure and effective intervention aiming at human health and well-being. Bioactive compounds (bioactives), including carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, exhibit a range of beneficial properties, e.

Experimental Study on the Relationship Among Complex Resistivity, Water Saturation, and Salinity in the Jiaozuo Anthracite Reservoir.

In order to investigate the electrical response characteristics of anthracite coal reservoirs and their correlation with water saturation, salinity, and porosity, the complex resistivity of Zhaogu No. 2 mine anthracite coal was measured across a frequency range of 1 Hz to 100 kHz. The experimental findings indicate that as water saturation, salinity, and porosity increase, the amplitude of both the real and imaginary components of the complex resistance of the coal sample gradually decreases, leading to a decrease in the dispersion degree and an increase in the interface polarization frequency.

Start-up of glycerol-driven denitrifying phosphorus removal from wastewater: The effects of the microaerobic environment.

Glycerol, an abundant by-product of biodiesel production, represented a promising carbon source for enhancing nutrient removal from low C/N ratio wastewater. This study discovered a novel approach to initiate glycerol-driven denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) in situ by creating a short-term microaerobic environment within the aerobic zone. This approach facilitated the in-situ conversion of glycerol, which was subsequently utilized by denitrifying phosphate accumulating organisms (DPAOs) for DPR.

Local hydrogen bonding environment induces the deprotonation of surface hydroxyl for continuing ammonia decomposition.

There is still a paucity of fundamental understanding about the reaction of ammonia decomposition over TiO, especially the role of water. Herein, FPMD and DFT calculations were used to address this concern. The results reveal that ammonia decomposition in pure ammonia causes the hydroxylation of the surfaces and reduction of the proton acceptor sites, making proton transfer (PT) difficult, increasing the distances between the NH and O sites and changing the adsorption configurations of NH, which are not favourable for accepting protons from NH dissociation.

Perspectives on tracking data reuse across biodata resources.

Motivation: Data reuse is a common and vital practice in molecular biology and enables the knowledge gathered over recent decades to drive discovery and innovation in the life sciences. Much of this knowledge has been collated into molecular biology databases, such as UniProtKB, and these resources derive enormous value from sharing data among themselves. However, quantifying and documenting this kind of data reuse remains a challenge.

Online Detection of Laser Welding Penetration Depth Based on Multi-Sensor Features.

The accurate online detection of laser welding penetration depth has been a critical problem to which the industry has paid the most attention. Aiming at the laser welding process of TC4 titanium alloy, a multi-sensor monitoring system that obtained the keyhole/molten pool images and laser-induced plasma spectrum was built. The influences of laser power on the keyhole/molten pool morphologies and plasma thermo-mechanical characteristics were investigated.

Advancing Photodynamic Antimicrobial Strategy: Sustainable Fabrication of Novel Lauryl Gallate-Chitosan Hydrophobic Films with Rapid Bacterial Capture and Biofilms Elimination Capabilities for Promoting Wound Healing.

Bioinspired photoactive composites, in terms of photodynamic inactivation, cost-effectiveness, and biosafety, are promising alternatives to antibiotics for combating bacterial infections while avoiding antibacterial resistance. However, the weak bacterial membrane affinity of the photoactive substrate and the lack of synergistic antibacterial effect remain crucial shortcomings for their antibacterial applications. Herein, we developed a hydrophobic film from food antioxidant lauryl gallate covalently functionalized chitosan (LG--CS conjugates) through a green radical-induced grafting reaction that utilizes synergistic bacteria capture, contact-killing, and photodynamic inactivation activities to achieve enhanced bactericidal and biofilm elimination capabilities.

Identification of Pancreatic Cancer Germline Risk Variants With Effects That Are Modified by Smoking.

Purpose: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a deadly disease most often diagnosed in late stages. Identification of high-risk subjects could both contribute to preventative measures and help diagnose the disease at earlier timepoints. However, known risk factors, assessed independently, are currently insufficient for accurately stratifying patients.

Evaluation of various carbon sources on ammonium assimilation and denitrifying phosphorus removal in a modified anaerobic-anoxic-oxic process from low-strength wastewater.

A pilot-scale continuous-flow modified anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (MAAO) process examined the impact of external carbon sources (acetate, glucose, acetate/propionate) on ammonium assimilation, denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR), and microbial community. Acetate exhibited superior efficacy in promoting the combined process of ammonia assimilation and DPR, enhancing both to 50.0 % and 60.

Body size, insulin sensitivity, metabolic health and risk of cardiovascular disease in Chinese adults: Insights from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort (4C) study.

Aims: To assess the excess risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated with different criteria for metabolic health, and the interplay of body size, insulin sensitivity and metabolic health with CVD risk.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective study involving 115 638 participants from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort (4C) Study. Metabolic health was defined using three different definitions: (1) insulin sensitivity defined by homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index; (2) absence of metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria; and (3) simultaneous absence of metabolic abnormalities (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia).

Genome-wide association study identifies high-impact susceptibility loci for HCC in North America.

Background And Aims: Despite the substantial impact of environmental factors, individuals with a family history of liver cancer have an increased risk for HCC. However, genetic factors have not been studied systematically by genome-wide approaches in large numbers of individuals from European descent populations (EDP).

Approach And Results: We conducted a 2-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) on HCC not affected by HBV infections.

Integration of ammonium assimilation with denitrifying phosphorus removal for efficient nutrient management in wastewater treatment.

Nutrient removal from sewage is transitioning to nutrient recovery. However, biological treatment technologies to remove and recover nutrients from domestic sewage are still under investigation. This study delved into the integration of ammonium assimilation with denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) as a method for efficient nutrient management in sewage treatment.

Changes in vegetation in China's drylands are closely related to afforestation compared with climate change.

The response of vegetation to climate change and human activities has attracted considerable attention. However, quantitative studies on the effects of climate change and human activities on dryland vegetation in different seasons remain unclear. This study investigated the impacts of precipitation, temperature, soil water storage (SWS) (top [0-7 cm], shallow [7-28 cm], and middle [28-100 cm] layers), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and afforestation on vegetation as well as their relative contribution rates during the rainy season ([RS], June to September), dry season ([DS], November to April), transition season ([TS], May and October), and all year period (AY) in China's drylands from 2001 to 2020 using the first-difference method.

Submuscular plating vs. elastic stable intramedullary nailing for diaphyseal femur fractures in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This review evaluates the safety and efficacy of submuscular plating (SMP) vs. elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) in the treatment of pediatric femur shaft fracture.

Method: Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of SMP and ESIN in pediatric shaft fracture were retrieved from five databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, OVID, and Web of Science) from inception to March 2023 using a systematic literature search strategy.