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A central and unified role of corticocortical feedback in parsing visual scenes
A 3.5-fold increase in the synchrony of extreme precipitation and temperature events across China from 1930 to 2022
The oncolytic adenovirus Ad-TD-nsIL12 in primary or progressive pediatric IDH wild-type diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma results of two phase I clinical trials
Comparative analysis of clinical features, methylation and immune microenvironment in pediatric and adult papillary craniopharyngiomas: results from a multicenter study
Abstract Papillary craniopharyngioma (PCP) was previously believed to occur only in adults. Sporadic pediatric PCP (PPCP), confirmed by detection of the BRAF V600E mutation, has been reported since 2018. The differences between PPCP and adult PCP (APCP) remain unclear. This comprehensive study aimed to enhance understanding of PPCP and elucidate the distinctions between PPCP and APCP. We conducted a systematic analysis of cases of PPCP and APCP, focusing on BRAF V600E mutation, methylation profiles, histology, cell proliferation, imaging features, immune microenvironment, and prognosis. This study compiled 17 cases of PPCP from 6 medical centers, constituting 3.11% of the total 546 PCP cases. Both PPCP and APCP cases exhibited the BRAF V600E mutation with no differences in methylation patterns. However, imaging showed PPCP was predominantly cystic and located beneath the diaphragma sellae with some progression to the sella. APCP typically manifested as solid lesions, primarily located in the suprasellar region, inferior to the third ventricle. PPCP histologically displayed extensive inflammatory cellular infiltration, suppurative change, and occasional small granular calcifications, whereas APCP was largely devoid of calcifications. Compared to APCP, PPCP exhibited significantly lower PD-L1 (an immune checkpoint protein expressed on tumor cells) expression and higher expression levels of CD38 (an immunosuppressive marker), S100A8/A9 (a neutrophil marker), and MPO (myeloperoxidase, a neutrophil marker). Additionally, stromal expression of CD163 (an M2 macrophage marker) was lower in PPCP compared to APCP, while CD68 (an M1 macrophage marker), CD3 (T cell marker), and CD20 (B cell marker) expression showed no significant difference. Ki-67 expression exhibited a banded pattern on PPCP epithelium, contrasting with a punctate pattern in APCP, with significantly higher levels observed in PPCP. Postoperative prognosis did not differ between PPCP and APCP. While driver genes and methylation profiles may not differentiate PPCP from APCP, substantial discrepancies exist in tumor location, histology, imaging features, cell proliferation, and immune microenvironment.
Biosynthesis and bioactivity of anti-inflammatory triterpenoids in Calendula officinalis
Abstract Plants have been central to traditional medicine for millennia, yet the precise metabolites responsible for their therapeutic properties often remain unidentified. In this work, we investigate the reported anti-inflammatory properties of Calendula officinalis (pot marigold), an ancient medicinal herb. We confirm C16-hydroxylated triterpenoids as key contributors to the anti-inflammatory activity of C. officinalis floral extracts and uncover a mechanism by which they act in modulating interleukin 6 release. Through biosynthetic pathway elucidation, we demonstrate that the oxidosqualene synthase catalysing the first committed step emerged early in Asteraceae evolution and identify residues governing product specificity. Further, we functionally characterise cytochrome P450s and acyltransferases responsible for downstream modifications. By reconstructing the complete biosynthetic pathway in the plant chassis Nicotiana benthamiana, we provide a basis for the future bioproduction of the anti-inflammatory components. Our work highlights how integrated studies of bioactivity and biosynthesis can unlock the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants.
Modeling behavioral intention of using health-related WeChat official accounts through ELM and SCT factors using the PLS-SEM approach
CD142-positive synovial fibroblasts drive meniscus destruction in rheumatoid arthritis
Arsenic trioxide regulates DYNAP through hsa-mir-573 and inhibits the proliferation of laryngeal cancer
Cationic alkyl chain length and nanoaggregate form of ionic liquids dominate biocompatibility and toxicity
Optimization of modified bentonite mycotoxin binders for enhanced adsorption efficiency under simulated gastric and intestinal conditions
Photomediated ion dynamics enables multi-modal learning, memory and sensing in ultralow-voltage organic electrochemical device
An efficient intelligent transportation system for traffic flow prediction using meta-temporal hyperbolic quantum graph neural networks
Cyborg insect factory: automatic assembly for insect-computer hybrid robot via vision-guided robotic arm manipulation of custom bipolar electrodes
Abstract Insect–computer hybrid robots offer strong potential for navigating complex terrains. This study identified the intersegmental membrane between the pronotum and mesothorax of the Madagascar hissing cockroach as an effective site for electrical stimulation to control direction and speed. A pair of bipolar electrodes was custom-designed, and an automatic assembly system was developed, integrating a robotic arm, vision-based site detection, and an insect fixation structure. The system achieved assembly in 68 s. Hybrid robots exhibited robust steering (over 70°) and deceleration (68.2% speed reduction) with performance comparable to manually assembled counterparts. Controlled navigation along an S-shaped path confirmed accurate directional control. Furthermore, a multi-agent system of four hybrid robots covered 80.25% of an obstructed terrain in 10 minutes and 31 seconds. This work demonstrates a scalable strategy for automating the fabrication of insect–computer hybrid robots, enabling efficient and reproducible assembly process while maintaining effective locomotion control.
A new low-rank adaptation method for brain structure and metastasis segmentation via decoupled principal weight direction and magnitude
4f-modified Ru-O polarity as a descriptor for efficient electrocatalytic acidic oxygen evolution
Development of a catalyst Co-pyrolysis process for producing pyrolysis oil and wax from cooking oil contaminated polypropylene plastic
Combatting virulent gut bacteria by inhibiting the biosynthesis of a two-component lanthipeptide toxin
Abstract The enterococcal cytolysin is a toxic, two-component ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) produced by pathogenic Enterococcus faecalis. Cytolysin-producing (C+) E. faecalis resides in the gut microbiome in a commensal role, but results in negative clinical outcomes in alcoholic hepatitis patients. To potentially combat cytolysin virulence, we report inhibitors of its maturation. An extracellular serine protease CylA that is essential for toxin activation is chosen as target. A series of α-aminopeptide boronic acids are designed and synthesized that block cytolysin maturation at low micromolar to nanomolar concentrations in vitro. A crystal structure of CylA provides insights into substrate recognition, autocatalytic activation of the enzyme, and toxin maturation. The inhibitors block hemolytic activity, reduce the amount of cytolysin, and attenuate expression of the cytolysin biosynthetic gene cluster without impeding cell growth. These studies provide a potential route to the development of treatments for cytolysin-induced disease states.
An efficient deep learning approach with frequency and channel optimization for underwater acoustic target recognition
Abstract Ship radiated noise (SRN) recognition is challenging due to environmental noise and the broad frequency range of underwater signals. Existing deep learning models often include irrelevant frequencies and use red, green, and blue (RGB) channel configurations in convolutional networks, which are unsuitable for SRN data and computationally intensive. To address these limitations, we propose FCResNet5, a neural network optimized for SRN classification. FCResNet5 adopts a streamlined architecture that focuses on the critical frequency band and applies frequency channelization to enhance spectral representation. Its compact design achieves greater computational efficiency while maintaining comparable accuracy. Ablation studies confirm the contribution of each component, and comparative results demonstrate that FCResNet5 offers a more efficient alternative to existing models without compromising performance.