Accuracy of virtual reality in automated measurement and diagnosis of strabismus.

Background: To explore the accuracy of VR technology for strabismus screening.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 191 subjects were included. Examinations included VR technology based on infrared, the cover-uncover test, and the prism alternating cover test (PACT) at various gaze positions, specifically at distances of 33 cm and 6 m.

Grain actives modulate gut microbiota to improve obesity-related metabolic diseases: A review.

Whole grain diet is considered to be related to the improvement of obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases. Many studies indicate that these active ingredients in grains can act as prebiotics to improve intestinal integrity and host metabolism, preventing obesity. In this review, the physiological role of gut microbiota (GM) in the human body and its relationship with obesity were first introduced.

Investigation of the protective mechanism of paeoniflorin against hyperlipidemia by an integrated metabolomics and gut microbiota strategy.

The prevalence of hyperlipidemia is gradually increasing globally, posing a serious threat to public health. Previous studies have shown that paeoniflorin (PF) effectively improved abnormal lipid metabolism in atherosclerotic mice. However, the anti-hyperlipidemia effect and potential mechanism of paeoniflorin remain unclear.

VvNAC17, a grape NAC transcription factor, regulates plant response to drought-tolerance and anthocyanin synthesis.

NAC transcription factors are unique to plants and play a role in stress. In this study, the VvNAC17 gene was isolated from grapes, and tested the functions of VvNAC17 under drought stress. The expression level of VvNAC17 in callus could be highly induced by drought stress.

Tunable WSe-MoSe Lateral Heterojunction Photodetector Based on Piezoelectric and Flexoelectric Effects.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with piezoelectric effects are ideal materials for future wearable devices. While enhancing the piezoelectric performance by forming vertical heterojunctions, shortcomings such as contamination at the heterojunction interface and limited built-in electric field width have been noticed. In this work, a lateral heterojunction of monolayer WSe-MoSe with type-II band alignment was employed to amplify the electromechanical optoelectronic efficiency.

Recent Advance in Single-Molecule Fluorescent Biosensors for Tumor Biomarker Detection.

The construction of biosensors for specific, sensitive, and rapid detection of tumor biomarkers significantly contributes to biomedical research and early cancer diagnosis. However, conventional assays often involve large sample consumption and poor sensitivity, limiting their further application in real samples. In recent years, single-molecule biosensing has emerged as a robust tool for detecting and characterizing biomarkers due to its unique advantages including simplicity, low sample consumption, ultra-high sensitivity, and rapid assay time.

Age-Related Hearing Impairment: Genome and Blood Methylome Data Integration Reveals Candidate Epigenetic Biomarkers.

Age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) is a major planetary health burden that is in need of precision medicine for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The present study was set out to identify candidate epigenetic markers for ARHI. Associations of genetically predicted DNA methylation levels with ARHI risk were evaluated using two sets of blood DNA methylation genetic prediction models in 147,997 cases and 575,269 controls of European descent.

Identification of SNPs and INDELS associated with duck egg quality traits through a genome-wide association analysis.

Egg quality traits are economically important in the poultry industry. To explore the genetic architecture and identify potential candidate genes, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for 13 egg quality traits using data from whole-genome sequencing of 299 Longyan Shan-ma female ducks, including 12 quantitative traits and one qualitative trait, eggshell color (ESC; white, light green, green). From estimation of pedigree genetic parameters, heritability (h) ranged from 0.

Global, regional, and national temporal trends in metabolism-related ischemic stroke mortality and disability from 1990 to 2021.

Background: Stroke ranks as the second leading cause of mortality and the third leading cause of disability worldwide. Nonetheless, the evolving burden of ischemic stroke attributable to various metabolic risk factors remains inadequately elucidated. A thorough grasp of these trends is crucial for a nuanced comprehension of stroke epidemiology and the formulation of effective preventive and interventional measures.

Treating chronic pulmonary heart disease with traditional Chinese medicine: Systematic evaluation and mechanistic insights into the resolving phlegm and activating blood approach.

Background: Chronic Pulmonary Heart Disease (CPHD) significantly impacts global health, especially among middle-aged and older adults. In China, the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) technique of Resolving Phlegm and Activating Blood (RPAB) is widely used to treat CPHD, although high-quality evidence supporting its efficacy remains limited.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to rigorously assess the clinical efficacy of RPAB for CPHD and elucidate the mechanisms underlying its primary herbal components.

Altered functional connectivity of resting-state networks and the correlation with clinical characteristics in intermittent exotropia adult patients: a resting-state magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: The pathogenesis of intermittent exotropia (IXT) remains unclear. The study aims to investigate alterations of resting-state networks (RSNs) in IXT adult patients using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data to explore the potential neural mechanisms.

Methods: Twenty-six IXT adult patients and 22 age-, sex-, handedness-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent fMRI scanning and ophthalmological examinations.

ROK family regulator NagC promotes prodigiosin biosynthesis independent of -acetylglucosamine in sp. ATCC 39006.

Unlabelled: sp. ATCC 39006 is an important model strain for the study of prodigiosin production, whose prodigiosin biosynthesis genes () are arranged in an operon. Several transcription factors have been shown to control the transcription of the operon.

Functional studies on tandem carbohydrate-binding modules of a multimodular enzyme possessing two catalytic domains.

Unlabelled: Although functional studies on carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) have been carried out extensively, the role of tandem CBMs in the enzyme containing multiple catalytic domains (CDs) is unclear. Here, we identified a multidomain enzyme (Lc25986) with a novel modular structure from lignocellulolytic bacterial consortium. It consists of a mannanase domain, two CBM65 domains (LcCBM65-1/LcCBM65-2), and an esterase domain.

CuS-ZnS-CdS ternary heteronanoplates with efficient carrier transfer for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Incorporating precise morphology control and efficient carrier separation into single-nanoparticle heterojunctions to achieve high photocatalytic efficiency remains a significant challenge. Here, we synthesized CuS-ZnS-CdS ternary heteronanoplates (HNPs) with a continuous sublattice structure using cation exchange reactions. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) confirms that ternary heterojunction enhances carrier separation efficiency, demonstrating both rapid separation (∼0.

The global regulation of c-di-GMP and cAMP in bacteria.

Nucleotide second messengers are highly versatile signaling molecules that regulate a variety of key biological processes in bacteria. The best-studied examples are cyclic AMP (cAMP) and bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), which both act as global regulators. Global regulatory frameworks of c-di-GMP and cAMP in bacteria show several parallels but also significant variances.

Effect of Plastic Stents Following Lumen-Apposing Metal Stent Placement on Recurrence of Pancreatic Fluid Collections in Disconnected Pancreatic Duct Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aim: Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) are preferred to initial drainage in pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) patients with disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome (DPDS) in recent years. However, unlike plastic stents, the long-term placement of LAMS is not recommended due to a high risk of local complications. This meta-analysis attempted to evaluate the effect of using plastic stents for prolonged drainage after LAMS removal on recurrence of PFCs in DPDS.

Age-related enhancement of the association between episodic memory and gray matter volume in medial temporal and frontal lobes.

Background: Episodic memory (EM) deteriorates as a result of normal aging as well as Alzheimer's disease. The neural underpinnings of such age-related memory impairments in older individuals are not well-understood. Although previous research has unveiled the association between gray matter volume (GMV) and EM in the elderly population, such findings exhibit variances across distinct age cohorts.

Actively tunable laser action in GeSn nanomechanical oscillators.

Mechanical forces induced by high-speed oscillations provide an elegant way to dynamically alter the fundamental properties of materials such as refractive index, absorption coefficient and gain dynamics. Although the precise control of mechanical oscillation has been well developed in the past decades, the notion of dynamic mechanical forces has not been harnessed for developing tunable lasers. Here we demonstrate actively tunable mid-infrared laser action in group-IV nanomechanical oscillators with a compact form factor.

Effects of cycloplegia on crystalline lens morphology and location in acute acquired concomitant esotropia.

Purpose: The study aims to compare morphology and location of crystalline lens between acute acquired concomitant esotropia (AACE) patients and control subjects, both before and after cycloplegia.

Methods: This is a prospective and observational clinical study. Morphological and locational parameters of the crystalline lens in 53 AACE patients and 32 control subjects were assessed before and after cycloplegia using CASIA2 system, which represents the latest swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography.

Multiple coronary heart diseases are risk factors for mental health disorders: A mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous observational studies have suggested associations between Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and Mental Health Disorders (MHD). However, the causal nature of these relationships has remained elusive.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to elucidate the causal relationships between eight distinct types of CHD and six types of MHD using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.