Variational Autoencoder-based Model Improves Polygenic Prediction in Blood Cell Traits.

Genetic prediction of complex traits, enabled by large-scale genomic studies, has created new measures to understand individual genetic predisposition. Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) offer a way to aggregate information across the genome, enabling personalized risk prediction for complex traits and diseases. However, conventional PRS calculation methods that rely on linear models are limited in their ability to capture complex patterns and interaction effects in high-dimensional genomic data.

An integrative review on the risk factors, prevention, and control strategies for carbapenem-resistant colonization in critically ill patients.

The presence of carbapenem-resistant (CR) has become one of the leading causes of life-threatening, hospital-acquired infections globally, especially with a notable prevalence in intensive care units (ICUs). The cross-transmission of microorganisms between patients and the hospital setting is crucial in the development of CR colonization and subsequent infections. Recent studies indicate that colonization typically precedes infection, suggesting the effectiveness and necessity of preventing CR colonization as a primary method to lower infection risks.

CRISPR-Cas9 Cytidine-Base-Editor Mediated Continuous Evolution in .

Filamentous fungi are important cell factories for producing chemicals, organic acids, and enzymes. Although several genome editing tools are available for filamentous fungi, few effectively enable continuous evolution for rational engineering of complex phenotype. Here, we present CRISPR-Cas9 cytidine-base-editor (CBE) assisted evolution by continuously delivering a combinatorial sgRNA library to filamentous fungi.

Revealing the catalytic oxidation mechanism of CO on α-FeO surfaces: an thermodynamic study.

Significant research efforts have been devoted to improving the efficiency of catalytic carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation over α-FeO-based catalysts, but details of the underlying mechanism are still under debate. Here we apply the thermodynamic method (AITM) within the density functional theory framework to investigate the phase diagram of α-FeO(0001) surfaces with various terminations and the catalytic mechanism of CO oxidation on these surfaces. By extending the conventional AITM to consider the charge state of surface defects, we build the phase diagram of α-FeO(0001) surfaces in relation to the Fermi energy as well as the oxygen chemical potential, which makes it possible to explain the influence of point defects on the surface morphology and to predict the existence of the experimentally observed functional sites such as the ferryl group (FeO) and oxygen vacancies.

Unveiling the Intratumor Microbiome in Liver Cancer: Current Insights and Prospective Applications.

The role of the gut microbiome in the development and progression of liver cancer has long been recognized. However, the presence of microbes in tumors that were previously considered sterile has only recently been discovered. The intratumor microbiome in liver cancer likely originates from various sources, including the gut, hematogenous spread from other mucosal locations, adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and co-metastasis with the tumor cells.

Association of iron deficiency with kidney outcome and all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease patients without anemia.

Background: Iron deficiency is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), even in those without anemia. However, the effects of iron deficiency on CKD progression and all-cause mortality in non-dialysis-dependent CKD (NDD-CKD) patients without anemia remain incompletely understood.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective nationwide cohort study included adult patients with non-anemia NDD-CKD from 24 hospitals across China.

China-UK Global Health Collaboration Project on Strengthening Public Health Capacity in Sierra Leone.

Since 2016, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has continued to conduct project to assist Sierra Leone in improving its public health capacity and building a laboratory for bacteriological and parasitic diseases. Firstly, we can understand the epidemiological characteristics, etiological characteristics and drug resistance of important infectious diseases in Africa through this project, and provide services and guarantees for the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Secondly, the project is to carry out scientific research cooperation on the monitoring and detection capacity of major infectious diseases, biosecurity, and prevention and control technologies for important infectious diseases.

Malpractice Liability Exposure and the Sports Medicine Team Physician: Caring for Professional Athletes in the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and National Hockey League.

Background: Orthopaedic surgeons play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of professional athletes. Despite the privilege of treating elite athletes, there exists great financial exposure to individual physicians in the event of a malpractice lawsuit.

Hypothesis/purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and model malpractice liability exposure of the sports medicine surgeon caring for athletes in the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL) with respect to player position and additional supplemental malpractice insurance needs.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis-Related Food Impaction: Distinct Demographics, Interventions, and Promising Predictive Models.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an increasingly common cause of food impaction.

Aims: This study aims to provide a nationwide analysis of food impaction in patients with or without EoE diagnosis, concentrating on patient demographics, interventions, outcomes, and development of predictive machine-learning models.

Methods: A retrospective assessment was conducted using Nationwide Emergency Department Sample data from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019.

Optimizing Assessment of Contraction Reserve in Ineffective Esophageal Motility: A Study of Upright Multiple Rapid Swallows.

Background/aims: Multiple rapid swallows (MRS) is a provocative test during high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) to evaluate contraction reserve (CR). This study aims to determine the prevalence of CR in patients with ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) and MRS performed in the upright position, and to assess the ideal number of MRS sequences.

Methods: We enrolled adult patients diagnosed with IEM according to the Chicago classification version 4.

Differences in tumor size, clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic profiles of central nervous system tumors among a racially diverse cohort: A retrospective case-control study.

Background: One avenue to improve outcomes among brain tumor patients involves the mitigation of healthcare disparities. Investigating clinical differences among brain tumors across socioeconomic and demographic strata, such can aid in healthcare disparity identification and, by extension, outcome improvement.

Methods: Utilizing a racially diverse population from Hawaii, 323 cases of brain tumors (meningiomas, gliomas, schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, and metastases) were matched by age, sex, and race to 651 controls to investigate the associations between tumor type and various demographic, socioeconomic, and medical comorbidities.

Influence of Cu Content Variation on the Tribological Properties of Ni60CuMo with Sandwich-Structured Composite Coatings by Laser Cladding.

To enhance the tribological properties of the coatings and to inhibit cracking, sandwich-structured composite coatings were fabricated, consisting of a Ni60CuMo/IN718 transition layer and a Ni60CuMo/Ni-coated Cu wear-resistant layer with four different Ni-coated Cu contents. The results indicate that the transition layer inhibits the crack formation in the coating, and the refined grain structure stabilizes its average hardness at approximately 485 HV. Increasing the Cu content in the wear-resistant layer exacerbates the segregation of the Cu-rich solid solution phases and refines the in situ-generated CrC, TiC, and NbC phases.

Constructing Three-Dimensional Porous SnS/RGO as Superior-Rate and Long-Life Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Tin-based sulfides, possessing a unique layered structure and a high theoretical capacity, stand as highly prospective contenders for anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, the pronounced volume expansion that occurs during lithium storage and poor capacity retention have limited its progress toward commercialization. Herein, we designed and prepared a SnS/RGO composite with a three-dimensional porous structure by sulfurizing the SnO(OH)/GO precursor.

Understanding low-threshold mode-locking at multi-GHz repetition rate.

Continuous-wave mode-locking at multi-GHz repetition rates is achieved in an ultrashort laser cavity at critical pulse energies 100 times lower than predicted by conventional theory. The authors reveal that dynamic gain depletion and recovery between consecutive round-trips is the key factor behind a low-pulse-energy transition from Q-switched mode-locking (QSML) to continuous-wave mode-locking (CWML). As well as providing new insight into gain dynamics, the results suggest a practical route to low-threshold lasing at very high-repetition rates.

Radiofrequency Coblation Inferior Turbinoplasty with Modified UPPP for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome.

To compare the efficacy of surgical treatment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) involving a standalone modified uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (mUPPP) and radiofrequency coblation inferior turbinoplasty with mUPPP. In this study, a retrospective analysis of 79 OSAHS patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy and oropharyngeal obstruction undergoing surgical treatment was performed. According to the different surgical methods, the patients were divided into 2 groups (Group A and Group B).

Clostridium difficile-derived membrane vesicles promote fetal growth restriction via inhibiting trophoblast motility through PPARγ/RXRα/ANGPTL4 axis.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a common complication of pregnancy, which seriously endangers fetal health and still lacks effective therapeutic targets. Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is associated with fetal birth weight, and its membrane vesicles (MVs) are pathogenic vectors.

COVID-19 outbreaks caused by different SARS-CoV-2 variants: a descriptive, comparative study from China.

Objectives: To understand the epidemic characteristics of various SARS-CoV-2 variants, we mainly focus on analyzing general epidemic profiles, viral mutation, and evolution of COVID-19 outbreaks caused by different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) in China as of August 2022.

Methods: We systematically sorted out the general epidemic profiles of outbreaks caused by various SARS-CoV-2 VOCs in China, compared the differences of outbreaks caused by Delta and Omicron VOCs, and analyzed the mutational changes of subvariants between the same outbreak and different outbreaks.

Findings: By 15 August 2022, a total of 2, 33, and 124 COVID-19 outbreaks caused by Alpha, Delta, and Omicron VOCs, respectively, were reported in different regions of China.

Regulation of the phenolic release and conversion in oats (Avena sativa L.) by co-microbiological fermentation with Monascus anka, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus subtilis.

Microbial fermentation is an effective method to improve the functional activity of oats (Avena sativa L.), while there are some limitations to the advantages of single microbial fermentation. In this study, a microbial co-culture fermentation system with Monascus anka, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus subtilis to release and conversion oat phenolics was established.

A recurrent neural circuit in Drosophila temporally sharpens visual inputs.

A critical goal of vision is to detect changes in light intensity, even when these changes are blurred by the spatial resolution of the eye and the motion of the animal. Here, we describe a recurrent neural circuit in Drosophila that compensates for blur and thereby selectively enhances the perceived contrast of moving edges. Using in vivo, two-photon voltage imaging, we measured the temporal response properties of L1 and L2, two cell types that receive direct synaptic input from photoreceptors.

Double-target magnetic stimulation attenuates oligodendrocyte apoptosis and oxidative stress impairment after spinal cord injury via GAP43.

Background Context: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes neural circuit interruption and permanent functional damage. Magnetic stimulation in humans with SCI aims to engage residual neural networks to improve neurological functional, but the detailed mechanism remains unknown.

Purpose: This study evaluates functional recovery and neural circuitry improvements in rodent with double-target (brain and spinal cord) magnetic stimulation (DTMS) treatment and explores the effect of DTMS on the modulation of glial cells in vivo and in vitro.

Selective cesium extraction from highly saline solution using hybrid capacitive deionization with zinc-doped manganese hexacyanoferrate electrode.

Recently, hybrid capacitive deionization (HCDI) has garnered significant attention for its potential in the selective extraction of cesium (Cs) from radioactive wastewater and salt lakes, which is crucial for resolving the supply-demand imbalance of cesium resources and eliminating radioactive contamination. However, developing HCDI electrodes capable of effectively separating and extracting Cs remains a significant challenge. In this work, we proposed an innovative strategy involving the doping of inactive metal ions to develop zinc-doped manganese hexacyanoferrate (ZMFC) as an HCDI cathode.

Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation over the supplementary motor area on motor function in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Motor dysfunction profoundly affects individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) targeting the supplementary motor area (SMA), a critical region for movement-related processing, offers a promising approach to enhance motor function for PD.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of NIBS over the SMA (SMA-NIBS) in alleviating motor symptoms in PD.