Development and Validation of a Blood-Biomarker-Based Predictive Model for HBV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Objective: This study aims to explore the optimal predictors of HBV-associated HCC using Lasso, and establish a prediction model.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent CBC and CRP testing between January 2016 and March 2024. The study population comprised 5441 cases divided into three cohorts: non-HBV-infected (1333 cases), HBV-infected (1023 cases), and HBV-associated HCC (3085 cases).

The effect of the initial temperature, pressure, and shape of carbon nanopores on the separation process of SiO molecules from water vapor by molecular dynamics simulation.

Today, with the advancement of science in nanotechnology, it is possible to remove dust nanostructures from the air breathed by humans or other fluids. In the present study, the separation of SiO molecules from HO vapor is studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. This research studied the effect of initial temperature, nanopore geometry, and initial pressure on the separation of SiO molecules.

Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus infection among women in Jingzhou, China: a population-based study of 51,720 women.

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide with a serious threat to women's health. Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) has been identified as the main cause of cervical cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and genotype distribution of HR-HPV among women in Jingzhou, Hubei province, China, which is critical for the government to formulate the precision strategies of cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccine innoculation.

Characteristics of hematological parameters on admission in COVID-19 Omicron variant infected in Chinese population: a large-scale retrospective study.

Background: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, currently the most prevalent strain, has rapidly spread in Jingzhou, China, due to changes in the country's epidemic prevention policy, resulting in an unprecedented increase in cases. Previous studies reported hematological parameters' predictive value in COVID-19 severity and prognosis, but their relevance for early diagnosis in patients infected by the Omicron variant, particularly in high-risk pneumonia cases, remains unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate these parameters as early warning indicators for Omicron-infected patients in fever clinics and those with pulmonary infections (PI).

Genetic variation of E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 16 from central China.

Background: Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is an important factor in the development of cervical cancer, and human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) is the most common HR-HPV type worldwide. The oncogenic potential of HPV-16 is closely related to viral sequence variation.

Methods: In order to clarify the variant characteristics of HPV-16 E6 and E7 genes in central China, E6 and E7 sequences of 205 HPV-16 positive samples were amplified by polymerase chain reaction.

Genetic diversity and functional implication of the long control region in human papillomavirus types 52, 58, and 16 from Central China.

Object: High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is a main reason for cervical cancer. The long control region (LCR) of the genome plays a variety of roles in the transcription of the virus.

Methods: LCR sequences were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confirmed by DNA sequencing.

Association of and gene polymorphisms with the risk and progression of cervical lesions in HPV-infected women.

Toll-like receptors involved in tumor-associated inflammatory response, this study aimed to investigate the role of and gene polymorphisms in the risk and progression of HPV-related cervical lesions. A total of 220 cervical lesion patients and 227 healthy controls were enrolled. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Association of TLR4 and TLR9 gene polymorphisms with cervical HR-HPV infection status in Chinese Han population.

Background: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) may be involved in the natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In our study, we aimed to investigate the association of TLR4 (rs10116253, rs1927911, rs10759931) and TLR9 (rs187084, rs352140) gene polymorphisms with cervical persistent high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection, as well as multiple HR-HPV infections.

Methods: A total of 269 study subjects were enrolled and grouped by retrospectively analyzing the HR-HPV testing results and other clinical data of 2647 gynecological outpatients from Jingzhou Hospital Affiliated to Yangtze University.

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders and time-of-day-dependent memory deficiency in Presenilin1/2 conditional knockout mice with long noncoding RNA expression profiling changes.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients exhibit sleep and circadian disturbances prior to the onset of cognitive decline, and these disruptions worsen with disease severity. However, the molecular mechanisms behind sleep and circadian disruptions in AD patients are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated sleep pattern and circadian rhythms in Presenilin-1/2 conditional knockout (DKO) mice.

Metabolic Characteristics of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and the Effects on Pregnancy Outcomes.

Objective: To describe the metabolic characteristics of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and assess their effects on perinatal outcomes.

Methods: A two-center nested case‒control study was designed, including 192 pregnant women with GDM and 191 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Serum glucose and insulin concentrations based upon the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were measured.

Genetic variants of the GLP-1R gene affect the susceptibility and glucose metabolism of gestational diabetes mellitus: a two-center nested case‒control study.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common complication during pregnancy, occurring under the combined action of environmental and genetic factors. Genetic variants of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) have been reported to affect insulin secretion and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to explore the role of GLP-1R polymorphisms in GDM and glucose metabolism.

Social deficits via dysregulated Rac1-dependent excitability control of prefrontal cortical neurons and increased GABA/glutamate ratios.

Identifying symptom-specific convergent mechanisms for neurodevelopmental disorders is a promising strategy in advancing therapies. Here, we show that bidirectional dysregulation of Rac1 activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dictates shared social deficits in mice. Selective upregulation or downregulation of Rac1 activity in glutamatergic or fast-spiking GABAergic neurons results in excessive or inadequate control of excitability combined with a decrease in glutamate or an increase in GABA concentrations and an increase in the GABA/glutamate ratio, which is responsible for social deficits.

Genetic variability of E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 58 in Jingzhou, Hubei Province of central China.

Background: Cervical cancer is a common malignant tumor in women, with a high mortality rate, has great harm to women's health. Long-term and persistent infection of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is the main reason of the occurrence and development of cervical cancer.

Methods: The infection rate of HPV-58 is higher in the Jingzhou area.

Genetic variation of E6, E7, and L1 genes of human papillomavirus 51 from central China.

The incidence of cervical cancer is closely related to high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV). Women in Jingzhou had relatively high susceptibility to HPV-51, whose ratio was 9.61% (456/4743) among HR-HPV-positive samples and ranked fifth in all analyzed HR-HPV types.

Noncognitive species-typical and home-cage behavioral alterations in conditional presenilin 1/presenilin 2 double knockout mice.

Impairments in activities of daily living (ADL) are common clinical symptoms of human Alzheimer's disease (AD). Describing the ADL in AD animal models might provide more insights into the mechanism/treatment of the disease. Here, we demonstrated that the forebrain presenilin 1(Psen1)/presenilin 2 (Psen2) conditional double knockout (DKO) mice exhibited deficits in nest building, marble burying and food burrowing starting at 3 months old and worsening at later ages.

autopsych: An R Shiny tool for the reproducible Rasch analysis, differential item functioning, equating, and examination of group effects.

In this paper, we present autopsych, a novel online tool that allows school assessment experts, test developers, and researchers to perform routine psychometric analyses and equating of student test data and to examine the effect of student demographic and group conditions on student test performance. The app extends current open-source software by providing (1) extensive embedded result narration and summaries for written reports, (2) improved handling of partial credit data via customizable item-person Wright maps, (3) customizable item- and person-flagging systems, (4) item-response theory model constraints and controls, (5) many-facets Rasch analysis to examine item bias, (6) Rasch fixed item equating for mapping student ability across test forms, (7) tabbed spreadsheet outputs and immediate options for secondary data analysis, (8) customizable graphical color schemes, (9) extended ANOVA analysis for examining group differences, and (10) inter-rater reliability analyses for the verifying the consistency of rater scoring systems. We present the app's architecture and functionalities and test its performance with simulated and real-world small-, medium-, and large-scale assessment data.

Chinese Pre-service Music Teachers' Perceptions of Augmented Reality-Assisted Musical Instrument Learning.

Given the rapid growth of music technology, this study reports Chinese pre-service music teachers' perceptions of musical instrument learning assisted by augmented reality (AR). In this study, we conducted a small-scale case study with six pre-service teachers enrolled in a music teacher training programme at a comprehensive university in China. Participants engaged in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews after hands-on experiences with an AR-based piano learning app.

Genetic variation of E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus 52 from Central China.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignant tumor in women worldwide and is closely related to human papillomavirus (HPV). Women have the highest susceptibility to HPV-52 type in Jingzhou, China. In this study, E6-E7 sequences of 183 HPV-52 positive samples were amplified by a polymerase chain reaction and sequenced.

USF3 modulates osteoporosis risk by targeting WNT16, RANKL, RUNX2, and two GWAS lead SNPs rs2908007 and rs4531631.

Osteoporotic fractures cause major morbidity and mortality in the aging population. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified USF3 as the novel susceptibility gene of osteoporosis. However, the functional role in bone metabolism and the target gene of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor USF3 are unclear.

Reconsolidation of a post-ingestive nutrient memory requires mTOR in the central amygdala.

The central control of feeding behavior and metabolic homeostasis has been proposed to involve a form of post-ingestive nutrient learning independent of the gustatory value of food. However, after such learning, it is unknown which brain regions or circuits are activated to retrieve the stored memory and whether this memory undergoes reconsolidation that depends on protein synthesis after its reactivation through retrieval. In the present study, using a conditioned-flavor-preference paradigm by associating flavors with intra-gastric infusion of glucose to minimize the evaluation of the taste of food, we show that retrieval of the post-ingestive nutrient-conditioned flavor memory stimulates multiple brain regions in mice, including the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA).