Anatomical prior-based vertebral landmark detection for spinal disorder diagnosis.

As one of fundamental ways to interpret spine images, detection of vertebral landmarks is an informative prerequisite for further diagnosis and management of spine disorders such as scoliosis and fractures. Most existing machine learning-based methods for automatic vertebral landmark detection suffer from overlapping landmarks or abnormally long distances between nearby landmarks against anatomical priors, and thus lack sufficient reliability and interpretability. To tackle the problem, this paper systematically utilizes anatomical prior knowledge in vertebral landmark detection.

Differential analysis of microRNAs in plasma exosomes in patients with cerebral ischemic stroke.

The high incidence, disability, mortality, and recurrence rates of cerebral infarction impose a heavy burden on both the Chinese and global populations. It is essential for the early diagnosis, prevention, and protection against brain cell injury. To identify differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in plasma exosomes of patients with cerebral ischemic stroke, determine relevant biomarkers, and explore their potential signaling pathways.

Rad-mediated inhibition of Ca1.2 channel activity contributes to uterine artery haemodynamic adaptation to pregnancy.

The striking increase of uterine blood flow during pregnancy is essential for normal fetal development as well as for cardiovascular well-being of the mother. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of pregnancy-mediated vasodilatation of the uterine artery are not fully understood. In this study, we test the hypothesis that Rad, a monomeric G protein, is a novel regulatory mechanism in inhibiting Ca1.

Convergent evolution of berberine biosynthesis.

Berberine is an effective antimicrobial and antidiabetic alkaloid, primarily extracted from divergent botanical lineages, specifically (Ranunculales, early-diverging eudicot) and (Sapindales, core eudicot). In comparison with its known pathway in species, its biosynthesis in species remains elusive. Using chromosome-level genome assembly, coexpression matrix, and biochemical assays, we identified six key steps in berberine biosynthesis from , including methylation, hydroxylation, and berberine bridge formation.

Vaccine-elicited and naturally elicited antibodies differ in their recognition of the HIV-1 fusion peptide.

Broadly neutralizing antibodies have been proposed as templates for HIV-1 vaccine design, but it has been unclear how similar vaccine-elicited antibodies are to their naturally elicited templates. To provide insight, here we compare the recognition of naturally elicited and vaccine-elicited antibodies targeting the HIV-1 fusion peptide, which comprises envelope (Env) residues 512-526, with the most common sequence being AVGIGAVFLGFLGAA. Naturally elicited antibodies bound peptides with substitutions to negatively charged amino acids at residue positions 517-520 substantially better than the most common sequence, despite these substitutions rarely appearing in HIV-1; by contrast, vaccine-elicited antibodies were less tolerant of sequence variation, with no substitution of residues 512-516 showing increased binding.

Mineralized Nanofiber Substrates Enabling High-Performance Dually Charged Nanofiltration Membranes with Enhanced Permeability.

Nanofiltration membranes (NFMs) with superior permeability and high rejection of both divalent anions and cations are highly desirable to meet the increasing separation demands of complex systems. Herein, we propose a three-in-one strategy to develop a state-of-the-art dually charged thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration membrane consisting of a positively charged electrospun nanofiber substrate (NFS) with surface mineralization and a negatively charged polyamide (PA) selective layer prepared by interfacial polymerization (IP). The highly hydrophilic mineralized nanofiber substrate not only effectively reduces the thickness of the PA selective layer but also crumples its structures by the abundant zirconia nanoparticles on the substrate surface, resulting in excellent water flux (15.

Pharmacokinetics of infigratinib and its active metabolites in Chinese patients with advanced gastric cancer harboring FGFR2 gene amplification.

Infigratinib, an FGFR1-3 selective oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has shown clinical activity in cancers with FGFR alterations. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of infigratinib and its major metabolites have been characterized in global populations. This study examined the PK profile of infigratinib and its metabolites in Chinese patients.

14-3-3 proteins inhibit autophagy by regulating SINAT-mediated proteolysis of ATG6 in Arabidopsis.

Background: Autophagy is a conserved cellular process crucial for recycling cytoplasmic components and maintaining cellular homeostasis in eukaryotes. During autophagy, the formation of a protein complex involving AUTOPHAGY-RELATED PROTEIN 6 (ATG6) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is pivotal for recruiting proteins involved in phagophore expansion. However, the intricate molecular mechanism regulating this protein complex in plants remains elusive.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Plus Mitral Valve Plasty May Not Provide More Advantage in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease and Moderate Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation: An Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of isolated off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) and of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) plus mitral valve plasty (MVP) in treating coronary heart disease with moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation to find a better surgical method.

Methods: Clinical data of 822 patients diagnosed with coronary heart disease and moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into the OPCABG and CABG+MVP groups according to surgical methods.

Economics of first-line treatment with tislelizumab in patients with nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of tislelizumab plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic (IIIB/IV) nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (nsq-NSCLC) in China.

Methods: A Markov model projected health outcomes and costs over a lifetime, with health states including progression-free survival, progressive disease, terminal progressive disease (TPD) and death. Data came from a Chinese phase III trial.

Polymeric Multivalent Fc Binding Peptides-Fabricated Clinical Compounding Bispecific Antibody Potentiates Dual Immunotherapy Targeting PD1 and CTLA-4.

Dual Opdivo plus Yervoy immunotherapy, targeting the immune checkpoints PD1 and CTLA-4, is successful in clinical use. However, it is associated with a high incidence of adverse events, and its therapeutic efficacy needs improving. In this study, polymeric multivalent Fc-binding peptides (PLG-Fc-III-4C) are employed to fabricate a bispecific antibody (PD1/CTLA-4 BsAb) to potentiate dual immunotherapy targeting PD1 and CTLA-4.

Body Roundness Index Trajectories and the Risk of Cancer: A Cohort Study.

Background: The body rounds index (BRI), an innovative obesity indicator integrating waist circumference (WC) and height, offers a two-dimensional assessment of obesity. The relationship between BRI trajectories and cancer has been overlooked in previous studies. This study aims to explore the association between BRI trajectories and the incidence of cancer.

A scoping review of interaction dynamics in minimally verbal autistic individuals.

Interaction dynamics provide information about how social interactions unfold over time and have implications for communication development. Characterizing social interaction in autistic people who are minimally verbal (MV) has the potential to illuminate mechanisms of change in communication development and intervention. The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate the current evidence characterizing interaction dynamics in MV autistic individuals, methods used to measure interaction dynamics in this population, and opportunities for future research.

PRC1 and CTCF-Mediated Transition from Poised to Active Chromatin Loops Drives Bivalent Gene Activation.

Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) and CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) are critical regulators of 3D chromatin architecture that influence cellular transcriptional programs. Spatial chromatin structures comprise conserved compartments, topologically associating domains (TADs), and dynamic, cell-type-specific chromatin loops. Although the role of CTCF in chromatin organization is well-known, the involvement of PRC1 is less understood.