Convergent-Diffusion Denoising Model for multi-scenario CT Image Reconstruction.

A generic and versatile CT Image Reconstruction (CTIR) scheme can efficiently mitigate imaging noise resulting from inherent physical limitations, substantially bolstering the dependability of CT imaging diagnostics across a wider spectrum of patient cases. Current CTIR techniques often concentrate on distinct areas such as Low-Dose CT denoising (LDCTD), Sparse-View CT reconstruction (SVCTR), and Metal Artifact Reduction (MAR). Nevertheless, due to the intricate nature of multi-scenario CTIR, these techniques frequently narrow their focus to specific tasks, resulting in limited generalization capabilities for diverse scenarios.

Identification of QTLs and Key Genes Enhancing Lodging Resistance in Soybean Through Chemical and Physical Trait Analysis.

Lodging of soybean ( (L.) Merril.) significantly reduces seed yield and quality, particularly in high-yielding environments.

Pleiotropic Effects of PCSK9 Inhibitors on Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and ischemic stroke (IS) are the primary causes of mortality worldwide. Hypercholesterolemia has been recognized as an independent risk factor for CVD and IS. Numerous clinical trials have unequivocally demonstrated that reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) significantly mitigates the risk of both cardiac and cerebral vascular events, thereby enhancing patient prognosis.

Recent advances in mRNA-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapy is an innovative approach that delivers specific protein-coding information. By promoting the ribosomal synthesis of target proteins within cells, it supplements functional or antigenic proteins to treat diseases. Unlike traditional gene therapy, mRNA does not need to enter the cell nucleus, reducing the risks associated with gene integration.

Safety and efficacy of intraoperative radiation therapy using a low-energy X-ray source for resectable pancreatic cancer: an interim evaluation of an ongoing prospective phase II study.

Objective: The role of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in the management of resectable pancreatic cancer (RPC) remains unclear. To date, the application of IORT using a low-energy X-ray source has not been extensively investigated. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IORT using a 50 kV X-ray source in treating RPC.

The role of fecal microbiota transplantation in type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment.

In contemporary microbial research, the exploration of interactions between microorganisms and multicellular hosts constitutes a burgeoning field. The gut microbiota is increasingly acknowledged as a pivotal contributor to various disorders within the endocrine system, encompassing conditions such as diabetes and thyroid diseases. A surge in research activities has been witnessed in recent years, elucidating the intricate interplay between the gut microbiota and disorders of the endocrine system.

Mendelian randomization analysis reveals causal effects of migraine and its subtypes on early-onset ischemic stroke risk.

Previous observational studies have suggested at a potential link between migraine, particularly migraine with aura, and the susceptibility to early-onset ischemic stroke. We aimed to investigate the causal effects of genetically determined migraine and its subtypes on the risk of early-onset ischemic stroke using the two-sample Mendelian randomization method. Genetic instrumental variables associated with migraine and its subtypes were acquired from two sources with the largest sample sizes available.

HMOX1-LDHB interaction promotes ferroptosis by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction in foamy macrophages during advanced atherosclerosis.

Advanced atherosclerosis is the pathological basis for acute cardiovascular events, with significant residual risk of recurrent clinical events despite contemporary treatment. The death of foamy macrophages is a main contributor to plaque progression, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated that massive iron accumulation in advanced atherosclerosis promoted foamy macrophage ferroptosis, particularly in low expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) foamy macrophages.

Convergent Total Synthesis of Ixabepilone and Its Analogues Enabled by Highly Efficient Asymmetric Hydrogenations.

The convergent total synthesis of ixabepilone and its analogues in a 13-step longest linear sequence is reported. The crucial chiral centers at challenging C3-O, C8-C and C15-N positions on the scaffold of the ixabepilone were installed via highly efficient asymmetric hydrogenations (up to 95% yield and up to 99% e.e.

Highly Oriented WS Monolayers for High-Performance Electronics.

2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) semiconductors represent the most promising channel materials for post-silicon microelectronics due to their unique structure and electronic properties. However, it remains challenging to synthesize wide-bandgap TMDCs monolayers featuring large areas and high performance simultaneously. Herein, highly oriented WS monolayers are reproducibly synthesized through a templated growth strategy on vicinal C/A-plane sapphire wafers.

Gut microbiota has important roles in the obstructive sleep apnea-induced inflammation and consequent neurocognitive impairment.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a state of sleep disorder, characterized by repetitive episodes of apnea and chronic intermittent hypoxia. OSA has an extremely high prevalence worldwide and represents a serious challenge to public health, yet its severity is frequently underestimated. It is now well established that neurocognitive dysfunction, manifested as deficits in attention, memory, and executive functions, is a common complication observed in patients with OSA, whereas the specific pathogenesis remains poorly understood, despite the likelihood of involvement of inflammation.

Hormones synthesized by the adrenal reticulum protect bone density in premenopausal women with Cushing syndrome.

Background: Differences in bone metabolism between patients with adrenal Cushing's syndrome (ACS) and Cushing's disease (CD) have been noted, but the impact of steroid hormones on bone metabolism remains underexplored. The purpose of this study is to explore the differences in bone metabolism between the two subtypes of Cushing's syndrome and the correlation between hormones synthesized by the adrenal reticulum and bone metabolism.

Method: This retrospective study included 75 premenopausal women, consisting of 33 patients with CD and 42 patients with ACS.

Clinical characteristics and genetic analysis of four pediatric patients with Kleefstra syndrome.

Background: Kleefstra syndrome spectrum (KLEFS) is an autosomal dominant disorder that can lead to intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. KLEFS encompasses Kleefstra syndrome-1 (KLEFS1) and Kleefstra syndrome-2 (KLEFS2), with KLEFS1 accounting for more than 75%. However, limited information is available regarding KLEFS2.

Ecological risks of sulfonamides and quinolones degradation intermediates: Toxicity, microbial community, and antibiotic resistance genes.

The ecological risks posed by incompletely degraded antibiotic intermediates in aquatic environments warrant significant attention. This study investigated the degradation mechanisms of sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole) and quinolones (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin) during thermally activated persulfate (TAP) treatment. The main degradation mechanisms for sulfonamides involved S-N bond cleavage and -NH oxidation mediated by sulfate and hydroxyl radicals, whereas quinolone degradation occurred primarily through piperazine ring cleavage facilitated by a single linear oxygen.

Discovery of Novel Thiophene-Based Baloxavir Derivatives as Potent Cap-Dependent Endonuclease Inhibitors for Influenza Treatment.

The genetic recombination and antigenic variation of influenza viruses may decrease the efficacy of antiviral vaccines, highlighting the imperativeness of developing novel anti-influenza agents. Herein, a series of thiophene-based compounds were designed and synthesized as potent anti-influenza agents. Among them, exhibited an excellent anti-influenza activity (EC, H1N1 = 1.

Efficacy and Mechanism of Combining Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy in Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with about 85% of patients being diagnosed as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and most presenting with stage IV disease initially. With the continuous advancement of treatment strategies of oncology, immunotherapy with/without chemo-immunotherapy has become the first-line treatment for patients with stage IV NSCLC. However, a proportion of patients still develop resistance to the treatment regimen and experience local progression, and primary lung lesion progression is the main progression pattern of stage IV NSCLC.

Enhanced Electrical Performance of InAs Nanowire Field-Effect Transistors Based on the YO Isolation Layer.

Nanowire (NW) field-effect transistors (FETs) have great potential in next-generation integrated circuits. InAs NWs are suitable for N-type transistors because of their excellent electrical properties. However, unlike the Si/SiO system, the loose and defective native oxide of InAs is unable to passivate the channel surface and serve as an efficient isolation layer (IL) in the gate stack.

Activation of PAA at the Fe-N Sites by Boron Nitride Quantum Dots Enhanced Charge Transfer Generates High-Valent Metal-Oxo Species for Antibiotics Degradation.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on peracetic acid (PAA) offer a promising strategy to address antibiotic wastewater pollution. In this study, Fe-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) nanomaterials were used to construct Fe-N sites, and the electronic structure was tuned by boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs), thereby optimizing PAA activation for the degradation of antibiotics. The BNQDs-modified Fe-doped g-CN catalyst (BNQDs-FCN) achieved an excellent reaction rate constant of 0.

(+)-Borneol inhibits neuroinflammation and M1 phenotype polarization of microglia in epileptogenesis through the TLR4-NFκB signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effect of (+)-borneol on neuroinflammation and microglia phenotype polarization in epileptogenesis and its possible mechanism.

Methods: Based on mouse models of status epilepticus (SE) induced by pilocarpine, and treated with 15 mg/kg (+)-borneol, western-blot was used to detect the expressions of NeuN, Iba-1, TLR4, p65 and p-p65 in the hippocampus. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2.

Effect of inoculated sludge concentration on start-up of anammox reactor: Nitrogen removal performance and metabolic pathways.

The anammox process is efficient for nitrogen removal but faces challenges due to slow bacterial growth and limited inoculated sludge supply. This study examined the effects of different inoculated sludge concentrations (3.5, 7, and 14 g/L) on start-up and nitrogen metabolism in anammox reactors.

An accurate semi-empirical model for PMT pulse signal analysis.

The energy information of pulse signals is significantly important for applications such as computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and research on defects in condensed matter. Time-over-threshold (TOT) and multi-voltage threshold (MVT) are commonly used digitization methods in sampling pulse signal. However, both approaches rely on a mathematical model of the pulse signal to derive energy information.