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Functional dissection of the gene regulatory mechanism underlying variation in blood CD34+ cell levels at 1p36.23/ENO1
Abstract Understanding the genetic regulation of blood CD34 + cell levels could lead to better methods for stem cell mobilization and transplantation. Recently, in a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified 11 genetic associations with blood CD34 + cell levels. One of the most significant maps to an intergenic region between the ENO1 and RERE genes at chromosome 1p36.23. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, using functional fine-mapping, we identify rs10864368:C > T as a causal non-coding variant. Specifically, the rs10864368-T allele abrogates a binding site for the GATA2 transcription factor, leading to downregulation of ENO1 and RERE and lower CD34 + cell levels. Our data link a specific GATA2 target to the regulation of CD34 + cell levels, expanding on the role of GATA2 in human hematopoieisis.
Evaluation of the SLS CHARTER care model to support post-stroke care continuity and employment
Thermal and hydrodynamic characteristics of Therminol VP-1 oil flow across perforated conical hollow turbulence promoter in Scheffler dish receiver tube
Human health risk assessment of metals and metalloid in food crops harvested from crude oil impacted community in Niger Delta, Nigeria
The impact of PEEP-guided electrical impedance tomography on oxygenation and respiratory mechanics in moderate-to-severe ARDS: a randomized controlled trial
Flexible renewable integrated energy system capabilities to improve voltage stability with power quality and economic environmental operation of smart grid
Clinical and quality of life consequences of regimen switching delays in HIV management: a stratified cohort analysis
Abstract Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is shaped by a combination of HIV-related and non-HIV-related factors, including immunological and virological failure, HIV-associated comorbidities, and antiretroviral therapy (ART)-induced toxicity. Although HRQoL tends to improve during the first year of combination ART (cART), especially among those with advanced HIV, disparities persist. This cross-sectional analytical study assessed HRQoL in 321 PLWHA, of whom 310 were included in the final analysis. HRQoL was evaluated using the EQ-5D-5 L index. Of the participants, 121 (37.7%) had a high EQ-5D-5 L index value of 1, whereas 181 (58.9%) had an index value of less than 1. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the EQ-5D-5 L index and the recent CD4-T cell count (rs = 0.162, p = .004). Gender-based analysis showed males (0.85 ± 0.15) had significantly higher HRQoL scores compared to females (0.77 ± 0.16). Furthermore, delayed switching to second-line regimens was associated with suboptimal recovery in HRQoL. These findings highlight the importance of timely clinical decisions in switching the ART to a more potent regimen especially in resource poor settings.
A multi-dimensional evaluation method for flight cadets based on weighted Phi-CDP
A lightweight cryptographic algorithm incorporating path coloring of cartesian product of graphs
Heterogeneous graph neural network-based prediction of immune-related adverse events
Physics-guided transformer networks for interpretable prediction of gas–oil relative permeability in porous media
The PIK3C3/MAPK14 axis drives M1 polarization via autophagy Inhibition to exacerbate Sepsis-Induced acute lung injury
Forensic identification using siamese, transfer learning and custom deep learning models
Novel characterisation of microplastics and other contaminant particles using new scanning electron microscopy technologies
Abstract Scanning electron microscopy with combined backscattered electron and X-ray imaging (SEM-BEX) represents a new way to conduct direct visual assessment and elemental characterisation of particles in environmental samples up to 18× faster than standard scanning electron microscopy techniques. SEM-BEX provides all element maps combined with back-scattered electron microscopy, which allows the detection of the elemental composition of individual particles, such as microplastics and others, in a semi-automated fashion. Detection of characteristic elements leads to further quantification of specific particles. This provides improved versatility compared to the elemental scans provided by standalone energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) techniques and strongly increases multi-sample throughput speeds. The applications of this new technology for environmental contamination research include estimations on the morphology and distribution of microplastics and other particles alongside their interaction with micro-organisms and toxicity assessments by tracing the transport of trace metals through the environment on both contaminant (microplastics) and natural (suspended sediment) vectors. This study used filtered samples from the Cát Bà Islands of Viet Nam to assess the applicability of SEM-BEX to environmental contamination research, our results indicate that microplastics and other particles can be physically and chemically characterised across all samples down to a minimum particle size of 5 µm 2 , in addition, we show that SEM-BEX is particularly powerful for identifying transparent fragments that are otherwise missed by optical studies. Trace metals were also detected, including Cr, Ti, and Hg, which might be due to pigment composition in paints or plastics, or adsorbed onto particles from the environment. Ultimately, SEM-BEX has broad applications as a rapid screening tool for environmental assessments in identifying contamination hot-spots before conducting particle-specific analysis (such as Raman spectroscopy). Further potential also exists to accelerate screening using artificial intelligence machine learning.
Impact of sex on outcomes in septic shock patients treated with hydrocortisone
Abstract Limited evidence exists regarding the influence of sex on the prognosis of patients with persistent septic shock following hydrocortisone treatment. This study aimed to examine sex-related differences in hydrocortisone treatment outcomes among critically ill patients with persistent septic shock. This is a retrospective cohort study conducted over 12 months, including critically ill adult patients who were admitted with persistent septic shock and were on vasopressors while receiving hydrocortisone. The primary outcome was twenty-eight-day mortality. The secondary outcomes included vasopressor support duration, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, hospital stay, renal replacement therapy (RRT) requirement, mechanical ventilation (MV) requirement, and seven-day mortality. In total, 621 patients were analyzed; of these, 59.3% were male. Male sex was linked to an elevated 28-day mortality risk according to univariate analysis (OR 1.543, 95% CI 1.112–2.141; p = 0.009) and multivariate adjustment (OR 1.604, 95% CI 1.142–2.253; p = 0.006). According to the Kaplan–Meier curves, a significant difference in 28-day mortality ( p = 0.008) was observed, with females exhibiting consistently higher cumulative survival rates. The initial analysis of secondary outcomes showed no differences, except for the requirement of renal replacement therapy (RRT); however, this association did not remain significant in multivariate analysis. This study underscores significant sex differences in the outcomes of patients with persistent septic shock treated with hydrocortisone, with males exhibiting higher 28-day mortality than females. In all measured secondary outcomes, no significant differences were detected. Trial registration : This investigation was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06537180, study ID: GBD-HYDRO, 31 July 2024).
Tunnel portal lining behavior in freeze–thaw conditions and innovative anti–freezing insulation structures
Intraarterial microbubble delivery enhances focused ultrasound induced blood brain barrier opening in the murine substantia nigra
Modeling, analysis, and experimental validation of a swash plate compressor for automotive air conditioning
Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive study of a swash plate compressor, integrating both theoretical modeling and experimental validation. A mathematical model is developed to precisely describe the swash plate’s motion and to derive the average power input to the compressor. This derivation considers the compressor’s geometric parameters and angular speed under various operating conditions. Complementary to the theoretical analysis, an experimental investigation of an automotive air conditioning system equipped with a swash plate compressor was conducted. Both theoretical and experimental findings consistently demonstrate that the average power consumed by the swash plate compressor is primarily dependent on the swash plate inclination angle, rotational speed, and system pressure. A key conclusion drawn from this research is the critical importance of a small swash plate inclination angle. Such an angle is shown to be essential for minimizing power losses attributed to friction between the slipper and the swash plate, thereby reducing the overall shaft power required by the compressor. Furthermore, for design scenarios demanding both a long stroke and minimal shaft power for the swash plate compressor, the present analysis provides a crucial framework for selecting the optimal inclination angle and stroke length. Experimental results indicate that achieving high coefficients of performance (COP) and volumetric efficiencies necessitates low rotational speeds, high cooling capacities, and a reduced shaft power per unit mass flow rate of refrigerant. The coefficient of performance relative to the corresponding Carnot cycle is observed to decrease hyperbolically with an increase in the shaft power per unit mass flow rate of refrigerant. Importantly, the calculated shaft power values from the theoretical model provides a reasonable approximations agreement with those obtained from a simulation program developed by the compressor’s manufacturer [8] across various operating conditions.