Temporal trends, clinical characteristics and prognostic factors analysis of infective endocarditis: a multicenter ambispective cohort study in China.

Background: The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of infective endocarditis (IE) in mainland China, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, remain insufficiently understood. This study aims to examine temporal trends, clinical features, and factors influencing in-hospital mortality of IE in northern China from 2019 to 2023.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study included 961 patients diagnosed with IE between 2019 and 2023 across hospitals in Henan, Shandong, and Tianjin.

PGC7 maintains the pluripotency of F9 embryonic carcinoma cells by promoting Nanog translation.

Primordial germ cell 7 (PGC7) is prominently expressed in primordial germ cells (PGCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs), serving as a pivotal marker for discerning stem cell pluripotency. However, the role of PGC7 in regulating core pluripotency factors remains unclear. In this study, the expression dynamics of PGC7 and pluripotency- associated proteins are systematically evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis.

Somatosensory-Thalamic Functional Dysconnectivity Associated With Poststroke Motor Function Rehabilitation: A Resting-State fMRI Study.

Background: The thalamus plays a pivotal role in functional brain networks, yet its contribution to motor function recovery following stroke remains elusive. We aim to explore changes in thalamocortical functional connectivity poststroke and its correlation with motor function.

Methods: Thirty-nine subacute ischemic stroke patients and 32 healthy individuals underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Exploring early postoperative core symptoms in Chinese patients with primary liver cancer: a cross-sectional and longitudinal network analysis.

Background: Patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) experience a range of symptoms in the early postoperative period. Symptoms include cancer-related symptoms and adverse effects of treatment. Exploring the core symptoms and their dynamics in the early post-hepatectomy patients may help provide better symptom management programs.

Constructing High-Performance Composite Epoxy Resins: Interfacial π-π Stacking Interactions-Driven Physical Rolling Behavior of Silica Microspheres.

The intrinsic compromise between strength and toughness in composite epoxy resins significantly constrains their practical applications. In this study, a novel strategy is introduced, leveraging interfacial π-π stacking interactions to induce the "rolling behavior" of microsphere fillers, thereby facilitating efficient energy dissipation. This approach is corroborated through theoretical simulations and experimental validation.

259 alleviates hyperuricemia in rats by decreasing uric acid and modulating the gut microbiota.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic disease arising from abnormal purine metabolism. It contributes to an increased risk of kidney damage. The present study aimed to investigate the uric acid (UA)-lowering effects of 259 isolated from yak yogurt and explore its underlying mechanisms.

Centrality and bridge connections between cognitive emotion regulation strategies and professional identity among Chinese undergraduate nursing students: A network analysis.

Aim: To construct a network structure for cognitive emotion regulation among Chinese undergraduate nursing students and identify central nodes and to explore the bridge connections between cognitive emotion regulation strategies and professional identity from the perspective of network analysis.

Background: Undergraduate nursing students are currently in a poor psychological condition and cognitive emotion regulation strategies can help them use positive approaches to regulate their emotions. There may be a link between cognitive emotion regulation strategies and professional identity.

Macrophage WNK1 senses intracellular hypo-chlorine to regulate vulnerability to sepsis attack during hypochloremia.

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of death in critical patients worldwide and its occurrence is related to the excessive activation of macrophages. Chloride loss worsens the prognosis of patients with sepsis but the underlying mechanism is currently unclear. In this study, we founded that macrophages deficient in intracellular Cl secrete more inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α compared with control group.

Experimental Study on Dynamic Mechanical Performance of Post-Fire Concrete Confined by CFRP Sheets.

Impact tests on post-fire concrete confined by Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer/Plastic (CFRP) sheets were carried out by using Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) experimental setup in this paper, with emphasis on the effect of exposed temperatures, CFRP layers and impact velocities. Firstly, according to the measured stress-strain curves, the effects of experiment parameters on concrete dynamic mechanical performance such as compressive strength, ultimate strain and energy absorption are discussed in details. Additionally, temperature caused a softening effect on the compressive strength of concrete specimens, while CFRP confinement and strain rate play a hardening effect, which can lead to the increase in dynamic compressive strength by 1.

Exploring the Structural Plasticity Mechanism of Corticospinal Tract during Stroke Rehabilitation Based Automated Fiber Quantification Tractography.

Background: Corticospinal tract (CST) is the principal motor pathway; we aim to explore the structural plasticity mechanism in CST during stroke rehabilitation.

Methods: A total of 25 patients underwent diffusion tensor imaging before rehabilitation (T1), 1-month post-rehabilitation (T2), 2 months post-rehabilitation (T3), and 1-year post-discharge (T4). The CST was segmented, and fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusion (AD), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were determined using automated fiber quantification tractography.

Investigating the Effect of Different Types of Exercise on Upper Limb Functional Recovery in Patients with Right Hemisphere Damage Based on fNIRS.

To investigate the effects of functional occupational therapy (FOT) combined with different types of exercise on upper limb motor function recovery and brain function remodeling in patients with right hemisphere damage (RHD) by analyzing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Patients (n = 32) with RHD at Beijing Bo'ai Hospital were recruited and randomly allocated to receive either FOT combined with passive motion (N=16) or FOT combined with assisted active movement (N=16). The passive motion group (FOT-PM) received functional occupational therapy for 20 min and passive exercise for 10 min in each session, while the assisted active movement group (FOT-AAM) received functional occupational therapy for 20 min and assisted active exercise for 10 min.

Correlation between PD-L1 expression status and efficacy of immunotherapy as second-line or later-line therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the correlation between tumor proportionality scores (TPS) and the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as the second or subsequent line therapies for individuals who received diagnoses of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: The retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of a total of 143 patients who received diagnoses of stage IIIB/IV NSCLC and were admitted to our hospital from the beginning of 2019 to the end of September 2022. The follow-up period ended on 01 January 2023.

Carbon dots derived from expired drugs based ratiometric fluorescent sensor for horseradish peroxidase in fruits and vegetables and screening inhibitors.

Household storage of pharmaceuticals to extract raw materials synthesized from carbon points facilitates the utilization of solid waste resources. A novel ratiometric fluorescence sensing technique was developed to ascertain the presence of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in fruits and vegetables. The method employed a fluorescent probe, synthesized from expired amoxicillin (referred to as carbon dots, or A-CDs), serving as a reference fluorophore.

High-throughput droplet microfluidics screening and genome sequencing analysis for improved amylase-producing Aspergillus oryzae.

Background: The exceptional protein secretion capacity, intricate post-translational modification processes, and inherent safety features of A. oryzae make it a promising expression system. However, heterologous protein expression levels of existing A.

The marine Penicillium sp. GGF16-1-2 metabolite dicitrinone G inhibits pancreatic angiogenesis by regulating the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome.

Citrinin derivatives have been found to have various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antioxidant effects. Dicitrinone G (DG) was a new citrinin dimer isolated from marine-derived fungus Penicillium sp. GGF 16-1-2 which has potential activity.

Robust and accurate pulmonary nodule detection with self-supervised feature learning on domain adaptation.

Medical imaging data annotation is expensive and time-consuming. Supervised deep learning approaches may encounter overfitting if trained with limited medical data, and further affect the robustness of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) on CT scans collected by various scanner vendors. Additionally, the high false-positive rate in automatic lung nodule detection methods prevents their applications in daily clinical routine diagnosis.

Spatial and temporal coupling characteristics of industrial structure optimization and air quality in Chinese cities and multi-scale driver analysis.

This paper takes the panel data of 283 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2020 as the research sample, measures the comprehensive index of industrial structure optimization and air quality by using GRA-TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation method, explores the spatial and temporal divergence characteristics of industrial structure optimization and air quality and the spatial and temporal evolution pattern of coupled and coordinated development by using ArcGIS spatial analysis and coupled coordination degree model, and analyzes the driving factors of coupled coordination degree of industrial structure optimization and air quality by combining multi-scale geographically weighted regression model. The study found the following: (1) The overall level of China's urban industrial structure is low, and shows an obvious eastern > central > western decreasing trend; urban air quality has a strong spatial clustering and spatial locking effect. (2) During the study period, the coupling coordination degree of industrial structure optimization and air quality showed an inverted "W" shape fluctuation from 2011 to 2020.

Experience in developing innovative practical ability for Master of Nursing Specialist degree program in China: A qualitative descriptive study of postgraduates.

Background: Nursing talent training should be adjusted in accordance with policies and regulations, the priority areas of health care, the development of nursing disciplines, and changes in nurses' roles. Experience from nursing education stakeholders indicates that postgraduate education faces numerous challenges. Thus, it is necessary to discuss postgraduates' experience in cultivating innovative practical ability.

Efficacy of immunotherapy as second-line or later-line therapy and prognostic significance of KRAS or TP53 mutations in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Objective: In this retrospective study, we aimed to assess the relationship between mutations in the Kirsten rats sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS )/ tumor protein p53 (TP53 ) genes and the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy as a second-line or later-line treatment for patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 143 patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC who were admitted to the Cancer Hospital of Harbin Medical University between January 2019 and September 2022. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis was performed to analyze the survival outcomes.

AI-Driven Robust Kidney and Renal Mass Segmentation and Classification on 3D CT Images.

Early intervention in kidney cancer helps to improve survival rates. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) is often used to diagnose renal masses. In clinical practice, the manual segmentation and quantification of organs and tumors are expensive and time-consuming.

Nonlinear and spatial spillover effects of urbanization on air pollution and ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin.

Based on Panel data collected from 2011 to 2020 targeted to 50 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin, this paper adopted standard deviation ellipse and spatial Dubin model to explore the nonlinear effects and spatial spillover effects of urbanization on air pollution and ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the degree of air pollution in the southeast of the Yellow River Basin is higher than that in the northwest of the Yellow River Basin, the distribution range of air pollution is shrinking, the concentration of ecological resilience is enhanced, and the ecological environment is developing for the better. There is a significant U-shaped relationship between urbanization and air pollution in the Yellow River Basin, and an inverted U-shaped relationship between urbanization and ecological resilience.

Survival and risk factors among upper tract urothelial carcinoma patients after radical nephroureterectomy in Northeast China.

Objective: The study objective was to investigate the prognostic risk factors related to overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Patients were then divided into different risk groups (based on their number of prognostic risk factors), and specific postoperative treatment plans were formulated for patients in different risk groups.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 401 patients with UTUC who underwent RNU between 2010 and 2020.

Coupled process of in-situ sludge fermentation and riboflavin-mediated nitrogen removal for low carbon wastewater treatment.

Volatile fatty acid recovery from waste activated sludge (WAS) was highly suggested to supplement carbon source for nitrogen removal. However, it was not easy to separate them from the metabolites under the ex-situ fermentation. In this study, in-situ WAS fermentation combined in the denitrification system was established to treat low carbon wastewater (COD/TN = 4), and riboflavin was employed as a redox mediator.