A Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Approach for Critical Node Identification in Complex Networks.

Correctly identifying influential nodes in a complex network and implementing targeted protection measures can significantly enhance the overall security of the network. Currently, indicators such as degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, H-index, and K-shell are commonly used to measure node influence. Although these indicators can identify critical nodes to some extent, they often consider node attributes from a narrow perspective and have certain limitations.

An Investigation into the Viability of Portable Proximal Sensor X-Ray Fluorescence Data for Assessing Heavy Metal Contamination in Urban Soils: A Case Study in Changchun, China.

In order to validate the applicability of pXRF for rapid in situ detection of heavy metals in urban soils and to accurately obtain an assessment of soil quality in Changchun, a city in northeast China, 164 soil samples from within the main urban area of Changchun were collected for pXRF analysis. The main stable elements Si and Ti were used to establish a matrix effect correction model, and the values of Cr (64.2 mg⋅kg), Cu (43.

Liquidambaric acid inhibits the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by targeting PPARα-RXRα to down-regulate fatty acid metabolism.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignant tumor of the liver. As the global obesity rate rises, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most rapidly increasing cause of HCC. Consequently, the regulation of lipid metabolism has become a crucial target for the prevention and treatment of HCC.

Spinosad blocks CHRNA5 mediated EGFR signaling pathway activation to inhibit lung adenocarcinoma proliferation.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with high incidence and low survival rates. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play an important role in the progression of LUAD. In this study, a screening of 17 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor allosteric agents revealed that spinosad effectively suppressed the proliferation of LUAD cells.

Application of the partial least square regression method in determining the natural background of soil heavy metals: A case study in the Songhua River basin, China.

The "background" is an essential index for identifying anthropogenic inputs and potential ecological risks of soil heavy metals. However, the lithology of bedrock can cause significant spatial variation in the natural background of soil elements, posing considerable difficulties in estimating background values. In this study, an attempt was made to calculate the natural background through regression analysis of soil chemical composition, and reasonably evaluate the impact of lithology.

Cyclo[2]pyridine[8]pyrrole: An Expanded Porphyrinoid with Three Closed-Shell Oxidation States.

We report here an expanded porphyrinoid, cyclo[2]pyridine[8]pyrrole, , that can exist at three closed-shell oxidation levels. Macrocycle was synthesized via the oxidative coupling of two open chain precursors and fully characterized by means of NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies, MS, and X-ray crystallography. Reduction of the fully oxidized form (, blue) with NaBH produced either the half-oxidized (, teal) or fully reduced forms (, pale yellow), depending on the amount of reducing agent used and the presence or absence of air.

Unraveling the allosteric mechanisms of prolyl endopeptidases for celiac disease therapy: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations.

Prolyl endopeptidases (PEP) from Sphingomonas capsulata (sc) and Myxococcus xanthus (mx) selectively degrade gluten peptides in vitro, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for celiac disease. However, the mechanisms governing the interaction of these enzymes with their substrates remain unclear. In this study, conventional molecular dynamics simulations with a microsecond timescale and targeted molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the native states of mxPEP and scPEP enzymes, as well as their allosteric binding with a representative substrate, namely, Z-Ala-Pro-p-nitroanilide (pNA).

LncRNA CYP4A22-AS1 promotes the progression of lung adenocarcinoma through the miR-205-5p/EREG and miR-34c-5p/BCL-2 axes.

Objectives: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) exhibits a higher fatality rate among all cancer types worldwide, yet the precise mechanisms underlying its initiation and progression remain unknown. Mounting evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert significant regulatory roles in cancer development and progression. Nevertheless, the precise involvement of lncRNA CYP4A22-AS1 in LUAD remains incompletely comprehended.

Role of the EM clustering method in determining the geochemical background of As and Cr in soils: a case study in the north of Changchun, China.

Determining the geochemical background for heavy metals is vital in soil management activities. Although many statistical methods for geochemical background determination have been proposed, the multi-population problem of geochemical data, primarily regional ones, derived mainly from mixing multiple populations belonging to various geological sources or processes, needs to be better addressed. In this study, the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm was employed to separate multiple populations in a 1:250,000 scale regional geochemical data set of soils in a lithologically complex region in the north of Changchun, China.

Environmental contamination and health risk assessment of potentially toxic trace metal elements in soils near gold mines - A global meta-analysis.

Gold mining is the most important anthropogenic source of heavy metal emissions into the environment. Researchers have been aware of the environmental impacts of gold mining activities and have conducted studies in recent years, but they have only selected one gold mining site and collected soil samples in its vicinity for analysis, which does not reflect the combined impact of all gold mining activities on the concentration of potentially toxic trace elements (PTES) in nearby soils at a global scale. In this study, 77 research papers from 24 countries were collected from 2001 to 2022, and a new dataset was developed to provide a comprehensive study of the distribution characteristics, contamination characteristics, and risk assessment of 10 PTEs (As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in soils near the deposits.

Isopimaric acid, an ion channel regulator, regulates calcium and oxidative phosphorylation pathways to inhibit breast cancer proliferation and metastasis.

Breast cancer is the globally most common malignant tumor and the biggest threat to women. Even though the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are progressing continually, a large number of breast cancer patients eventually develop a metastatic tumor, especially triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Recently, metal ion homeostasis and ion signaling pathway have become important targets for cancer therapy.

Pyridazine-bridged expanded rosarin and semi-rosarinogen.

The synthesis of the pyridazine-bridged expanded rosarin 1 and a reduced precursor, semi-rosarinogen 2, is reported. A single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 and theoretical calculations show that both 1 and 2 have distorted structures. Expanded rosarin 1 and its precursor 2 can differentiate various thiols in organic solvents by means of species-specific colour changes and reaction times.

Primary pulmonary extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma: a case report and literature review.

Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is rare lymphoma subtype with a very poor prognosis. ENKTL in the lung is strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and is extremely rare; only a few cases have been reported. In the present study, we report a case that a 40-year-old male who presented with cough, sputum and intermittent fever for one month.

Effects of dietary stachyose levels on caecal skatole concentration, hepatic cytochrome P450 mRNA expressions and enzymatic activities in broilers.

Effects of dietary supplemental stachyose on caecal skatole concentration, hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP450, CYP) mRNA expressions and enzymatic activities in broilers were evaluated. Arbor Acre commercial mixed male and female chicks were assigned randomly into six treatments. The positive control (PC) diet was based on maize-soyabean meal, and the negative control (NC) diet was based on maize-non-soyabean meal.

Correlation between the pK and nuclear shielding of α-hydrogen of ketones.

The α-H acidity is an important chemical property of ketones that has attracted much research interest. Theoretical prediction of pK for ketone α-H is significant. In this work, we theoretically studied the nuclear shielding of various α-Hs in a set of ketones and that of the corresponding enolic hydroxyl Hs in tautomeric enol forms.

Multiple halide anion doped layered bismuth terephthalate with excellent photocatalysis for pollutant removal.

In order to improve the photocatalytic activities of layered MOF bismuth terephthalate, five multiple halide anion doped bismuth terephthalate composites were prepared by doping three or four halide anions each with a molar ratio of X/Bi (X = F, Cl, Br, I) at 0.25. The F, Cl, Br codoped and F, Cl, Br, I codoped bismuth terephthalate composites exhibit 41 and 35 times higher photocatalytic degradation activities for RhB, 7 and 6 times higher for salicylic acid than that of bismuth terephthalate.

Alda‑1, an aldehyde dehydrogenase‑2 agonist, improves long‑term survival in rats with chronic heart failure following myocardial infarction.

Alda‑1, an aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) agonist, has been demonstrated to reduce injury caused by acute myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemia/reperfusion. The present study aimed to investigate whether oral administration of Alda‑1 improved long‑term survival of rats with chronic heart failure (CHF) post‑MI. MI model rats treated daily with Alda‑1 exhibited an increase in 20‑week survival rate compared with untreated MI rats.

Correlations between the H NMR chemical shieldings and the pK values of organic acids and amines.

The acid dissociation constants and H NMR chemical shieldings of organic compounds are important properties that have attracted much research interest. However, few studies have explored the relationship between these two properties. In this work, we theoretically studied the NMR chemical shifts of a series of carboxylic acids and amines in the gas phase and in aqueous solution.

Fasudil inhibits neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions by regulating the expressions of GRP78 and BMPR2.

Regulation of leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions and of vascular permeability plays a critical role in the maintenance of functional pulmonary microvascular barriers. Little is yet known about the effect of the Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor fasudil on leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions or the underlying mechanism. In the present study, as evaluated using co-culture systems of neutrophils and human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs), fasudil dose-dependently suppressed neutrophil chemotaxis by decreasing the production of chemotactic factors in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated HPMECs.

Risk Assessment and Source Identification of 17 Metals and Metalloids on Soils from the Half-Century Old Tungsten Mining Areas in Lianhuashan, Southern China.

Mining activities always emit metal(loid)s into the surrounding environment, where their accumulation in the soil may pose risks and hazards to humans and ecosystems. : This paper aims to determine of the type, source, chemical form, fate and transport, and accurate risk assessment of 17 metal(loid) contaminants including As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ag, B, Bi, Co, Mo, Sb, Ti, V, W and Sn in the soils collected from an abandoned tungsten mining area, and to guide the implementing of appropriate remediation strategies. : Contamination factors () and integrated pollution indexes () and enrichment factors () were used to assess their ecological risk and the sources were identified by using multivariate statistics analysis, spatial distribution investigation and correlation matrix.

A Practical System for High-Throughput Screening of Mutants of Bacillus fastidiosus Uricase.

For high-throughput screening (HTS) of Bacillus fastidiosus uricase mutants, a practical system was proposed. By error-prone PCR with final 1.5 mM MnCl, two focused libraries of mutants for A1-V158 and V150-D212 were generated separately.

Pulmonary Fungal Diseases in Immunocompetent Hosts: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis of 35 Subjects.

Background: Pulmonary fungal disease is an emerging issue in immunocompetent patients, for whom the characteristics are only partially understood.

Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective study of histologically verified pulmonary fungal disease in Eastern China from 2006 to 2014 to understand the demographics, clinical manifestations, therapeutic approaches, and factors associated with prognosis in this population. All cases were diagnosed according to the 2008 European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases Mycoses Study Group definition criteria.

[Analysis of pathogenic spectrum and risk factors in 165 non-transplant patients with invasive fungal disease].

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of and risk factors for invasive fungal disease, and therefore to improve the early diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections.

Methods: The clinical data of invasive fungal disease in 165 patients without transplantation from 2006 to 2012 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The diagnosis was based on the following guidelines: diagnosis and treatment guidelines of critically ill patients with invasive fungal infection (2007), diagnostic criteria and treatment principle of invasive fungal infection in patients with hematopathy/malignant tumors (fourth edition, 2013), diagnostic criteria and treatment principle of invasive pulmonary fungal infection (draft, 2006).