A metric and its derived protein network for evaluation of ortholog database inconsistency.

Background: Ortholog prediction, essential for various genomic research areas, faces growing inconsistencies amidst the expanding array of ortholog databases. The common strategy of computing consensus orthologs introduces additional arbitrariness, emphasizing the need to examine the causes of such inconsistencies and identify proteins susceptible to prediction errors.

Results: We introduce the Signal Jaccard Index (SJI), a novel metric rooted in unsupervised genome context clustering, designed to assess protein similarity.

Achieving Superior Thermoelectric Performance in Methoxy-Functionalized MXenes: The Role of Organic Functionalization.

Thermoelectric technology enables the direct and reversible conversion of heat into electrical energy without air pollution. Herein, the stability, electronic structure, and thermoelectric properties of methoxy-functionalized MC(OMe) (M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, and W) were systematically investigated using first-principles calculations and semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory. All MXenes, except those with M = Cr, Mo, and W, can be synthesized by substituting Cl- and Br-functionalized MXenes with deprotonated methanol, with stability governed by the M-O bond strength.

Effluent quality soft sensor for wastewater treatment plant with ensemble sparse learning-based online next generation reservoir computing.

Real-time monitoring of key quality variables is essential and crucial for stable and safe operations of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Next generation reservoir computing (NG-RC) has recently garnered significant attention in quality prediction, such as COD and BOD, as an effective alternative to traditional reservoir computing (RC), then is able to act as a data-driven soft sensor to twin a hardware sensor for quality variable measurements. Unlike RC, NG-RC does not require random sampling matrices to define the weights of recurrent neural networks and has fewer hyperparameters.

Critical assessment of nanopore sequencing for the detection of multiple forms of DNA modifications.

While nanopore sequencing is increasingly used for mapping DNA modifications, it is important to recognize false positive calls as they can mislead biological interpretations. To assist biologists and methods developers, we describe a framework for rigorous evaluation that highlights the use of false discovery rate with rationally designed negative controls capturing both general background and confounding modifications. Our critical assessment across multiple forms of DNA modifications highlights that while nanopore sequencing performs reliably for high-abundance modifications, including 5-methylcytosine (5mC) at CpG sites in mammalian cells and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in mammalian brain cells, it makes a significant proportion of false positive detections for low-abundance modifications, such as 5mC at CpH sites, 5hmC and N6-methyldeoxyadenine (6mA) in most mammal cell types.

Loureirin B Reduces Insulin Resistance and Chronic Inflammation in a Rat Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome by Upregulating GPR120 and Activating the LKB1/AMPK Signaling Pathway.

Polycystic ovary yndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic disorder in women, which is usually associated with insulin resistance (IR) and chronic inflammation. Loureirin B (LrB) can effectively improve insulin resistance and alleviate chronic inflammation, and in order to investigate the therapeutic effect of LrB on polycystic ovary syndrome with insulin resistance (PCOS-IR), we conducted animal experiments. A PCOS-IR rat model was established by feeding a high-fat diet combined with letrozole (1 mg/kg·d for 21 days).

Purified CD34+ Cells Transplantation in Patients with Angiitis-Induced Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: A Single-Center Retrospective Study over a 10-Year Period.

Background: Angiitis-induced chronic limb-threatening ischemia (AICLTI) is defined as chronic limb-threatening ischemia caused by thromboangiitis obliterans or other arteritis-related autoimmunological diseases. In the current study, we aimed to report the 10-year outcomes of AICLTI patients who underwent purified cluster of differentiation 34 positive (CD34) cells (PCCs) transplantation.

Methods: AICLTI patients who underwent PCCs transplantation at our center from May 2009 to September 2011 were retrospectively enrolled.

Origin and Geochemical Characterization of Groundwater from Coal Seam: A Case Study of Balasu Coalfield, Ordos Basin.

The hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater are of great significance for studying the source, development, and utilization of groundwater. This study investigated the characteristics of anions and cations, total dissolved solids (TDS), hydrochemical types, and hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of surface water and groundwater in the Balasu coalfield. By conducting experiments using inductively coupled plasma emission electron spectrometry, ion chromatography, acid-base titration, and gravimetric analysis, the characteristics of ion concentration and TDS in different aquifers were analyzed to determine the possible source of groundwater in C2 (number 2 coal seam in Yan'an Formation).

Research on a Corrosion Detection Method for Oil Tank Bottoms Based on Acoustic Emission Technology.

This paper presents an acoustic emission (AE) detection method for refined oil storage tanks which is aimed towards specialized places such as oil storage tanks with high explosion-proof requirements, such as cave oil tanks and buried oil tanks. The method utilizes an explosion-proof acoustic emission instrument to detect the floor of a refined oil storage tank. By calculating the time difference between the defective acoustic signal and the speed of acoustic wave transmission, a mathematical model is constructed to analyze the detected signals.

Co-delivery of paclitaxel and curcumin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for improved targeting of lung cancer: and investigation.

The objective of this study was to develop nanotechnology-mediated paclitaxel (PAC) and curcumin (CUR) co-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (PAC-CUR-SLNs) for the treatment of lung cancer, which is a leading cause of death worldwide. Around 85 % cases of lungs cancer constitute non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PAC-CUR-SLNs were prepared via high pressure homogenization.

Deep learning-aided 3D proxy-bridged region-growing framework for multi-organ segmentation.

Accurate multi-organ segmentation in 3D CT images is imperative for enhancing computer-aided diagnosis and radiotherapy planning. However, current deep learning-based methods for 3D multi-organ segmentation face challenges such as the need for labor-intensive manual pixel-level annotations and high hardware resource demands, especially regarding GPU resources. To address these issues, we propose a 3D proxy-bridged region-growing framework specifically designed for the segmentation of the liver and spleen.

The impacts of national centralized drug procurement policy on drug utilization of medical institutions: an empirical study in a county-level hospital in China.

Purpose: Under the background of the regular implementation of the National Centralized Drug Procurement (NCDP) policy, this study aimed to assess the impacts of the NCDP policy on drug utilization of county-level medical institutions, and probe into the influencing factors of the changes in drug utilization.

Method: A pre-post study was applied using inpatient data from a county-level medical institution in Nanjing. Drug utilization behavior of medical institutions of 88 most commonly used policy-related drugs (by generic name, including bid-winning and bid-non-winning brands) was analyzed, and the substitution of bid-winning brands for brand-name drugs after policy intervention was evaluated.

Integrated serum pharmacochemistry and network pharmacology to explore the mechanism of Yi-Shan-Hong formula in alleviating chronic liver injury.

Background: Chronic liver injury (CLI) is a complex condition that requires effective therapeutic interventions. The Yi-Shan-Hong (YSH) formula is an empirically derived remedy that has shown effectiveness and safety in the management of chronic liver damage. However, the bioactive components and multifaceted mechanisms of YSH remain inadequately understood.

Engineering design and application of large-scale oil-based drilling cuttings treatment project.

Thermal phase separation technology is a new comprehensive treatment technology, which heats oil-based cuttings to a certain temperature to vaporize oil and water components. Based on a large oil-based drilling cuttings comprehensive utilization project, the engineering design and application effect of thermal phase separation technology were analysed. The practice shows that thermal phase separation technology can reduce the oil content of purified residue to 0.

Outcomes of Excimer Laser Ablation Combined with Drug-coated Balloon in Atherosclerotic Lesions of the Popliteal Artery.

Background: The treatment of atherosclerotic lesions in the popliteal artery is challenging. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of excimer laser ablation (ELA) combined with drug-coated balloon (DCB) for these lesions.

Methods: From June 2019 to December 2021, data of patients who underwent ELA combined with DCB in the popliteal artery were retrospectively reviewed.

Optimal P2Y inhibitor durations in older men and older women following an acute myocardial infarction: A nationwide cohort study using Medicare data.

Study Objective: Identify optimal P2Y inhibitor durations balancing ischemic-benefit and bleeding-risk outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in older men and women.

Design: Observational retrospective cohort with 2 years of follow-up, using clone-censor-weight marginal structural models to emulate randomization.

Setting: 20 % sample of US Medicare administrative claims data.

High-content analysis identified synergistic drug interactions between INK128, an mTOR inhibitor, and HDAC inhibitors in a non-small cell lung cancer cell line.

Background: The development of drug resistance is a major cause of cancer therapy failures. To inhibit drug resistance, multiple drugs are often treated together as a combinatorial therapy. In particular, synergistic drug combinations, which kill cancer cells at a lower concentration, guarantee a better prognosis and fewer side effects in cancer patients.

Endovascular Strategies and Outcomes for Aberrant Splenic Artery Aneurysms.

Objectives: Aberrant splenic artery aneurysms (ASAAs) located at the splenomesenteric trunk (SMT) and the celiacomesenteric trunk have a close anatomical relationship with the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). The aim of this study was to review our institutional experience of endovascular treatment for ASAAs and evaluate the long-term outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with ASAAs who underwent endovascular treatment between December 2006 and December 2022 was performed.

mEnrich-seq: methylation-guided enrichment sequencing of bacterial taxa of interest from microbiome.

Metagenomics has enabled the comprehensive study of microbiomes. However, many applications would benefit from a method that sequences specific bacterial taxa of interest, but not most background taxa. We developed mEnrich-seq (in which 'm' stands for methylation and seq for sequencing) for enriching taxa of interest from metagenomic DNA before sequencing.

Pathologic complete response prediction in breast cancer lesion segmentation and neoadjuvant therapy.

Objectives: Predicting whether axillary lymph nodes could achieve pathologic Complete Response (pCR) after breast cancer patients receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy helps make a quick follow-up treatment plan. This paper presents a novel method to achieve this prediction with the most effective medical imaging method, Dynamic Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI).

Methods: In order to get an accurate prediction, we first proposed a two-step lesion segmentation method to extract the breast cancer lesion region from DCE-MRI images.