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miRNome profile in blood samples upstream and downstream of the coronary lesion and arterial aortic root before and after angioplasty in subjects with chronic and acute coronary syndrome: A pilot observational study protocol (Plaque study)
Currently the mechanisms that lead an atherosclerotic plaque to become unstable and those that trigger the coagulative/thrombotic processes leading to acute coronary syndrome have yet to be clarified. It has been suggested a possible role of microRNAs in the physiopathology of the atherosclerotic process related to acute and chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, no data exists on the correlation between microRNAs expression in coronary (upstream and downstream of the coronary lesion) and arterial (at the aortic root level) blood from patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) before and after angioplasty. The study’s primary objective is to assess miRnome analysis in coronary and arterial blood sampling in ACS and CCS patients before and after angioplasty. The secondary objective is to analyze interleukin-6 and soluble ST2 levels in the peripheral plasma samples before and after angioplasty. Ten patients with ACS and ten patients with CCS will be enrolled. Coronary stenosis treated with angioplasty will be located in the proximal segments of the three main vessels: the anterior interventricular artery, the circumflex artery, and the right coronary artery. The angioplasty procedure will be performed according to standard clinical practice. Before and after angioplasty, blood samples upstream and downstream of the coronary lesion will be taken, arterial sampling at the aortic root level will be performed, and peripheral venous blood will be collected. The expression of serum microRNAs will be analyzed by Next-generation sequencing. Quantitative analysis of pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules such as interleukin-6 and the soluble form of the soluble ST2 will be performed on various blood samples. This study is registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov on October 30, 2023 (ID NCT06103357).
Prognostic impact of HER2-low expression in triple-negative breast cancer of high-grade special histological type and no special type
Interest in HER2-low breast cancer has grown in recent years due to advancements in novel anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugates. This study examined the impact of HER2-low expression on survival outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) of high-grade special histological type (ST) and no special type (NST) and investigated the prognostic significance of TNBC subtype (high-grade ST vs. NST) within HER2 0 and HER2-low expression subgroups. Clinicopathological and survival data of 504 patients with stage I-III TNBC, with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), were analyzed, including 400 patients with TNBC NST and 104 patients with high-grade TNBC ST. HER2-low status was not identified as an independent prognostic factor for survival in the overall cohort, nor within the high-grade TNBC ST and TNBC NST subgroups. Among patients who did not receive NAC, TNBC subtype (high-grade ST vs. NST) was independently associated with DDFS and DFS in the HER2 0 subgroup, but not in the HER2-low subgroup. Patients with HER2 0 high-grade TNBC ST exhibited significantly worse OS (p = 0.008), DDFS (p < 0.001), and DFS (p < 0.001) compared to those with HER2 0 TNBC NST. Among patients with either HER2 0 or HER2-low tumors treated with NAC, no significant survival difference was observed between high-grade TNBC ST and TNBC NST. These findings suggest that the prognostic impact of TNBC subtype (high-grade ST vs. NST) on survival outcomes may be modulated by HER2 status in a subset of TNBC patients.
Same-model and cross-model variability in knee cartilage thickness measurements using 3D MRI systems
Purpose Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) based three-dimensional analysis of knee cartilage has evolved to become fully automatic. However, when implementing these measurements across multiple clinical centers, scanner variability becomes a critical consideration. Our purposes were to quantify and compare same-model variability (between repeated scans on the same MRI system) and cross-model variability (across different MRI systems) in knee cartilage thickness measurements using MRI scanners from five manufacturers, as analyzed with a specific 3D volume analysis software. Methods Ten healthy volunteers (eight males and two females, aged 22–60 years) underwent two scans of their right knee on 3T MRI systems from five manufacturers (Canon, Fujifilm, GE, Philips, and Siemens). The imaging protocol included fat-suppressed spoiled gradient echo and proton density weighted sequences. Cartilage regions were automatically segmented into 7 subregions using a specific deep learning-based 3D volume analysis software. This resulted in 350 measurements for same-model variability and 2,800 measurements for cross-model variability. Results For same-model variability, 82% of measurements showed variability ≤0.10 mm, and 98% showed variability ≤0.20 mm. For cross-model variability, 51% showed variability ≤0.10 mm, and 84% showed variability ≤0.20 mm. The mean same-model variability (0.06 ± 0.05 mm) was significantly lower than cross-model variability (0.11 ± 0.09 mm) (p < 0.001). Conclusion This study demonstrates that knee cartilage thickness measurements exhibit significantly higher variability across different MRI systems compared to repeated measurements on the same system, when analyzed using this specific software. This finding has important implications for multi-center studies and longitudinal assessments using different MRI systems and highlights the software-dependent nature of such variability assessments.
Brain volumes are related with motor skills at late childhood in children born extremely preterm
Background This study had three aims. First, we wanted to explore if there was difference in motor performance at 12 years of age in children born extremely preterm (EPT < 28 weeks of gestation) and at term. Our second aim was to study whether the volumes of motor networks and regions differed between those groups when they underwent brain scans at 10 years of age. Third, we investigated whether there were differences in the motor networks and regions of the brain in children born EPT who did or did not have motor impairment at 12 years of age. Methods In a Swedish national study, a subgroup of 42 children born before 27 weeks and 25 term-born controls underwent MRI at age 10. A neuroradiologist performed MRI acquisitions, and analyses focused on brain regions associated with motor function. At age 12, motor function was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition (MABC-2), conducted by a licensed physiotherapist. Examiners were blinded to group status. Motor function and motor-related brain volumes were compared between the EPT and control group, and between children born EPT with and without motor impairments. Results Findings revealed significantly reduced motor performance and smaller motor region volumes in EPT children compared to controls (p < 0.001). Among EPT children, those with motor impairment especially in aiming and catching, had notably smaller brain volume in the basal ganglia (mean difference:1.2 cm3, p = 0.049), cerebellum (mean difference:14.4 cm3, p < 0.001), motor execution (mean difference:3.7 cm3, p = 0.049) network and motor imagery network (mean difference 5.6 cm3, p = 0.049) than their EPT peers without such impairments. Cerebellar volume remained significant different between the groups when adjusting for birth weight and sex in a linear regression model, p = 0.02 (η2 = 0.17). Conclusion The results underscore the impact of extreme prematurity on motor function and brain structure, highlighting a specific link between reduced motor area volumes and impaired ball skills.
Validity of a 6-item movement control test battery for evaluation of movement control impairment in the lumbar spine
Background Patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) demonstrate movement control impairment (MCI) based on a 6-item motor control test (MCT) battery, suggesting its potential clinical utility. Objectives This study aimed to determine the criterion-related validity of the 6-item MCT battery in discriminating MCI among individuals with CNLBP, a history of low back pain (HxLBP), and no low back pain (NoLBP). Methods One hundred forty-one participants aged 20–40 years (47 participants per group) were recruited. The MCT battery (the waiter’s bow, pelvic tilt, sitting knee extension, quadruped rocking forward, quadruped rocking backward, prone knee flexion) was rated using different rating methods, including individual tests, summation, and direction-specific tests. A 2x2 contingency table using a known group against the rating result was used to calculate chi-square, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios for each pair separately. Results Chi-square tests demonstrated significant associations (P < 0.05) between MCT and CNLBP when compared against NoLBP. In addition, the waiter’s bow and flexion-specific tests demonstrated high sensitivity (81% and 72%, respectively), while sitting knee extension, prone knee flexion, and summation demonstrated high specificity (70%, 70%, and 89%, respectively). Conclusion Findings suggest the acceptable validity of the MCT battery when compared between CNLBP and NoLBP. The waiter’s bow and flexion-specific tests effectively ruled out individuals with NoLBP with negative results, while sitting knee extension, prone knee flexion, and summation effectively ruled in the individuals with CNLBP with positive results. These findings highlight the clinical utility of these tests in assessing MCI in the lumbar spine.
Longitudinal, prospective cohort study of social relationships and self-rated health in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study cohort and ARIC/Jackson Heart Study (JHS) shared cohort
Introduction Social isolation and low social support are associated with low self-rated health (SRH) cross-sectionally, but few studies have assessed longitudinal associations. Aims Assess the associations of isolation, support, and different types of support with SRH trajectories over 28 years. Examine 10-year changes in isolation and support and their associations with 18-year SRH trajectories. Methods The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) are population-based prospective cohort studies with some shared participants. We included 10,855 ARIC participants (56% women, 24% Black, mean age 57 (standard deviation: 6) years) with one measure of isolation and support in ARIC (1990–1992), and a subset of 911 ARIC/JHS shared cohort participants with these measures again in JHS (2000–2004). Isolation was measured using the 10-item Lubben Social Network Scale in ARIC, and with 3 questions from the Berkman Social Network Index in JHS. Support was measured using the 16-item Interpersonal Support Evaluation List in both studies. SRH was measured annually and scored from 0–100. We used linear mixed effects models adjusted for confounders to assess these associations. Results In ARIC, high isolation was associated with lower SRH both at baseline and over follow-up, with SRH decreasing at a slightly greater rate for those with high isolation compared to low. High support was associated with greater SRH over 28 years compared to those with low support, but the rate of decline in SRH was similar. On average, over 10 years, support was stable and isolation increased in ARIC/JHS. Although confidence intervals were wide, 10-year maintenance of high/moderate support and increases in support were associated with greater SRH over time compared to decreases in support and stable low support. Conclusion Low isolation and high support at baseline and over 10 years may be positively associated with longitudinal SRH.
BI-SENT: bilingual aspect-based sentiment analysis of COVID-19 Tweets in Urdu language
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in over 600 million cases worldwide, and significantly impacted both physical and mental health, fostering widespread anxiety and fear. Consequently, the extensive use of online social networks to express emotions made sentiment analysis a crucial tool for understanding public sentiment. Traditionally, sentiment analysis in the Urdu language has focused on sentence-level analysis. However, aspect-level sentiment analysis is increasingly important and remains underexplored due to the challenges of the costly and time-consuming manual dataset annotation process. This study presents an innovative bilingual aspect-based sentiment analysis for Urdu and Roman Urdu using unsupervised methods. For Urdu, a syntactic rule-based approach achieves an accuracy of 83% in extracting aspect terms, marking a 5% improvement in F1-score over existing methods. For Roman Urdu, the study employs collocation patterns and topic modeling to identify and categorize key aspects, resulting in a perplexity score of –7 and a coherence score of 41. The results not only demonstrate the semantic coherence of the identified categories but also represent a significant advancement in aspect-level sentiment analysis by eliminating the need for manual annotation. This study offers new insights into the sentiments expressed during the pandemic, providing valuable feedback for policymakers and health organizations.
Whole-genome sequencing of Hyphopichia burtonii from isolated yeast recovered from zebra dove droppings in Thailand
This study aimed to characterize zoonotic yeasts from zebra dove (Geopelia striata) droppings in small farms in Songkhla province, Thailand. Four out of thirty-one isolates were found with morphology and biochemical test results like those of Cryptococcus spp. (12.9%) but they exhibited different results from the positive control in nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR); the first step with ITS1-ITS4 primers was negative, but the nested PCR step with CN4-CN5 was positive. All isolates were subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing. Only the Tip11 isolate showed high resistance to itraconazole and ketoconazole, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of >32.0 and 32.0 µg/mL, respectively, corresponding to high levels of minimum fungicidal concentrations for both drugs (>32 µg/mL). Consequently, Tip11 was selected as a representative of the contaminated isolates and subjected to whole-genome sequencing analysis. The results identified the Tip11 isolate as Hyphopichia burtonii (99.30% identity), with a genome length of 12,360,159 bp, a GC content of 35.16%, and 2,146 protein groups closely related to the Saccharomycetaceae family. It showed 43 candidates resistance genes of antifungal drugs mostly in azole and itraconazole group which related to the antifungal susceptibility testing. This is the first report of H. burtonii in zebra doves in Thailand. This yeast has been previously identified as a cause of human infection leading to peritonitis in Thailand, and its resistance to antifungal drugs may pose a public health risk. Therefore, the application of biosecurity measures on farms, such as regular removal of droppings and cage sanitization, should be implemented according to good agricultural practices.
Mediating role of grip strength between depression symptoms and cognitive function: A cross-sectional study among older adults with diabetes in rural areas
Older adults with diabetes are at an increased risk for both depression and cognitive decline. Depression symptoms have been linked to poorer cognitive function. Grip strength, an indicator of physical function, may play a role in this relationship. However, the specific mechanisms connecting depression, grip strength, and cognitive function in older adults with T2DM in rural areas are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to analyze the mediating role of grip strength in the relationship between depression symptoms and cognitive function. This Cross-sectional study was conducted from April to July 2023 in rural areas of China. To compare characteristics between male and female participants, one-way ANOVA and Chi-squared tests were used. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to examine the relationships between depression symptoms, grip strength, and cognitive function, adjusting for potential confounders. Bootstrap analysis, with 5000 resamples, was employed to assess the mediating role of grip strength in the relationship between depression symptoms and cognitive function. The study included 898 older adults with T2DM, with an average age of 69.73 years. Depression symptoms were found to be negatively associated with cognitive function. Grip strength was identified as a mediator in this relationship. Bootstrap analysis confirmed the partial mediating effect of grip strength, explaining 9% of the total effect of depression symptoms on cognitive function. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms between depression symptoms and cognitive function, elucidating the mediating role of grip strength in this association.
The effects of multimodal cocktail analgesic local injection in postoperative pain control after laminoplasty: A study protocol of a prospective randomized controlled trial
Background Laminoplasty is the most widely used surgical technique for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. This surgery can cause severe postoperative pain; if not controlled, recovery or rehabilitation may be delayed. Therefore, effective control of postoperative pain is crucial. This randomized prospective study aims to evaluate the effects of a multimodal cocktail injection on postoperative pain and the efficacy of the protocol in patients undergoing posterior laminoplasty for cervical myelopathy. Methods This single-center prospective randomized controlled trial focuses on patients diagnosed with cervical myelopathy or radiculopathy. This study will include patients aged 20–80 years who underwent laminoplasty. Participants will be divided into two groups: one group will receive a multimodal cocktail local injection during surgery and the other group will receive a local injection of normal saline only. The study is scheduled for a 3 month follow-up. The primary outcome measure will be the visual analog scale (VAS) score. Secondary outcome measures will be opioid and rescue analgesic consumption, time of initial analgesic requirement, adverse effects, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and neck disability index (NDI) scores. Results and conclusions This is the first prospective randomized controlled trial to analyze the effects and safety of multimodal cocktail injections after cervical laminoplasty. Through this study, we anticipate that the demonstration of potential usefulness of multimodal cocktail analgesic injections in various aspects of spinal surgery, thereby this will provide a protocol for intraoperative cocktail injection. Trial registration This trial was registered at the (https://www.clinicaltrial.gov), (NCT06113497) on 11/12/2023.
Spatio-temporal patterns of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the aboveground parts of plants in alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau: Insights from a multi-faceted analysis
Uncertainties in spatio-temporal patterns of nitrogen, phosphorus, especially carbon of the aboveground parts of plants limit our predictions of plant carbon sequestration capacity, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. This study quantified the spatio-temporal patterns of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the aboveground parts of plant communities in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in 2000–2022. The spatially averaged carbon content, nitrogen content, phosphorus content, carbon pool, nitrogen pool, phosphorus pool, carbon-nitrogen ratio, carbon-phosphorus ratio and nitrogen-phosphorus ratio were 29.96%, 1.56%, 0.32%, 28.44 g C m-2, 0.82 g N m-2, 0.07 g P m-2, 30.39, 271.16 and 9.59, respectively. Climate change and human activities jointly led to increases of 0.71%, 0.28%, 10.28%, 11.05%, 10.29%, 2.36%, 8.46% and 0.42% in the spatially averaged carbon content, nitrogen content, carbon pool, nitrogen pool, phosphorus pool, carbon-nitrogen ratio, carbon-phosphorus ratio and nitrogen-phosphorus ratio, while resulting in a 1.64% decrease in the phosphorus content. There were no relationships between the changes of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and their temporal stability. Under the influence of pure climate change, the changes of nitrogen and phosphorus pools decreased with the increase of nitrogen and phosphorus pools. Under the influence of pure human activities, the changes of nitrogen and phosphorus contents decreased with the increase of nitrogen and phosphorus contents. Therefore, the average carbon content of the aboveground parts of plant communities was < 45%, which was related to the unique climate and soil conditions of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The greater the temporal stability of plant carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, the relative change was not always smaller, which might be because the changes of plant carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus were also affected by other factors (e.g., species competition). Climate change homogenized the spatial distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus pools, and human activities homogenized the spatial distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus contents.
Dynamic economic emission dispatch of combined heat and power system based on multi-objective differential evolution algorithm
Engineering frequently deals with multi-objective optimization problems. In the scheduling of combined heat and power systems, the competing goals of economic cost and pollutant emission are challenging for conventional single-objective algorithms to handle, necessitating the use of effective multi-objective optimization algorithms. The research design improves the multi-objective differential evolution algorithm, which is constructed by making the scaling factor and crossover probability change adaptively, adopting non-dominated sorting, combining the congestion distance calculation to deal with multi-objectives, adding elite populations and quadratic mutation links, and so on. Based on this algorithm, the dynamic economic emission dispatch model of combined heat and power system is constructed to optimize the economic and environmental benefits of the system. The results revealed that the improved multi-objective differential evolution algorithm in Zitzler-Deb-Thiele 1 function test had generational distance of 0.0513, inverted generational distance of 0.3265, and hyper volume metric of 0.1301. Its Pareto optimal frontier fitted the standard curve better and was uniformly distributed, giving better performance. It was applied to solving dynamic economic emission dispatch model for combined heat and power system and compared with time-varying multi-objective PSO algorithm and others. Based on the ieee 30-node system deployment, it contained two cogeneration units, seven generator units, and one heating unit. The improved multi-objective differential evolution algorithm optimized the fuel cost as low as $2300590 and the pollution emission as low as 200285 kg. Its Pareto optimal frontier distribution was better, and it performed better in the hyper volume metric and inverted generational distance metrics. The research demonstrates that the improved multi-objective differential evolution algorithm can effectively balance operational cost and performance, achieving reduced fuel cost and pollution emissions. Furthermore, it exhibits strong adaptability and optimization capabilities in practical engineering applications, enhancing system operation efficiency and reducing pollution.
Differences in soil nutrient and microbial characteristics between invasive Ageratina adenophora and native plant communities
Much emphasis has been placed on the negative consequences of alien species on resident ecosystems. Nevertheless, quantitative studies on the effects of invasive and native plant communities on soil nutrients and microbial features were rarely conducted. This study investigated soil microbes and soil nutrients associated with different degrees of Ageratina adenophora invasion and plant communities (Gramineae and Dicotyledons). The correlations between soil microbes and soil nutrients were analyzed. The findings indicated that the invasion of A. adenophora markedly elevated the levels of soil total nitrogen (TN), nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), available potassium (AK) and available phosphorus (AP), while decreasing the concentrations of soil total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) in comparison with those in non-invaded areas. The concentrations of NO3--N, NH4+-N, and AK in strongly invasive plant communities were significantly greater than those in the Gramineae and Dicotyledon groups. The soil microbial richness of the A. adenophora invasive plant community was higher than that of the native plant community. In contrast, the soil microbial evenness was lower than that of the native plant community, but the soil microbial dominance increased with the increasing degree of A. adenophora invasion. Meanwhile, the number of soil bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, potassium-solubilizing bacteria and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria in the invasive plant community increased significantly with increasing degree of A. adenophora invasion. The soil microbial richness of the invasive plant community dominated by A. adenophora was higher than that of the native plant community. In contrast, soil microbial evenness was reduced in the invasive community compared to the native plant community, while microbial dominance increased with the extent of A. adenophora invasion. The number of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, potassium-solubilizing bacteria and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria in the soil of the invasive plant community increased significantly. Furthermore, the variation trend of the Simpson diversity index (D) was that of the Shannon diversity index (H) of the soil microbes in this study. The McIntosh diversity index (U) showed a consistent decrease with the increasing degree of A. adenophora invasion. Moreover, after the correlation coefficients between soil microbes and nutrients were analyzed, we found that there was a significant positive correlation between soil nutrients and microbial richness in both the A. adenophora invasive community and the native plant community. Compared with plant communities, A. adenophora invasion can greatly alter the soil nutrient and microbial characteristics and the trade-offs of soil nutrients supply and demand, which may facilitate growth. The soil microbial diversity in different communities may be important factors that led to changes of soil nutrients. A. adenophora altered the trade-offs of soil nutrients supply and demand by changing the composition and diversity of soil microbes, which may be a critical ecological mechanism of the successful invasion of the exotic weed A. adenophora successful invasion.
Spatial distribution of stunting among breast feeding children in Sub-Sahara Africa
Background Malnutrition is still a major global public health issue, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where millions of children suffer from stunting, a chronic form of the disease. In addition to limiting physical growth, stunting also impedes social and cognitive development, which frequently has long-term effects. Stunting is still incredibly common in SSA, with notable regional variations, despite international efforts to address hunger. Moreover, no studies have been conducted to assess the spatial distribution of stunting at the SSA level. Therefore, to pinpoint high-burden areas and guide focused treatments; this study intends to investigate the spatial distribution of stunting among breastfeeding children in SSA. Methods The demographic and Health Survey data from 31 SSA nations were used for this study. The investigation included a total of 174,586 breastfeeding children. Stunting clustering and geographic patterns were evaluated using Geographic Information Systems and spatial analytic methods such as Getis-Ord Gi* and Global Moran’s I. Stunting prevalence in unsampled areas was predicted using spatial interpolation (Kriging techniques). For the participants, descriptive statistics were calculated. Result Stunting prevalence in SSA varied from 17.63% to 53.68%, with Madagascar (39.43%), Burundi (42.40%), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (53.68%) having the highest rates. Significant clustering of stunting was found by spatial analysis (Moran’s I: 0.639, p < 0.001), with hotspots primarily located in Central and Eastern Africa, such as Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Southern Africa, cold locations like Namibia and South Africa were found to have lower stunting rates. Conclusion The significant regional variability in the prevalence of stunting among nursing children in SSA was highlighted by this study. In order to address underlying variables including poverty, food insecurity, and limited access to healthcare, the findings highlighted the necessity of region-specific public health initiatives. To lessen the burden of stunting and its long-term effects, improved geospatial surveillance systems are crucial for locating high-risk locations and directing the distribution of resources.
New fixed points of mixed monotone operators with applications to nonlinear integral equations
In this paper, first we recall and present some basic results about cone and partial order within the framework of Banach spaces. Next, by means of the properties of cone and monotone iterative techniques, some new fixed point theorems of mixed monotone operators with certain concavity and convexity are obtained without any compactness or continuity condition. Further, the main results are applied to two classes of nonlinear functional integral equations on unbounded regions. Our results extend and generalize previous findings.
Experimental and theoretical investigation on the conductivity of complex fracture network in unconventional gas reservoirs
With the depletion of conventional oil and gas resources, unconventional oil and gas resources have become crucial as alternative hydrocarbon sources. Unconventional gas reservoirs typically have low porosity and permeability, requiring reservoir stimulation to create complex fracture network. Unlike single fracture, the fracture network exhibits complicated structures due to multiple fractures and their various distribution manners. To study the conductivity of complex fracture network, a new conductivity chamber is designed based on the discretized fracture network model. Experiments and orthogonal analysis are conducted to investigate the effect of critical influential factors such as fracture network structure, fracture height, proppant concentration, proppant diameter, and proppant type on the conductivity of complex fracture network. The experimental results demonstrate that compared to the single fracture, the conductivity of T-shape, F-shape, E-shape, ╪-shape, and Ɨ-shaped fracture networks increased by 49%, 131%, 150%, 188%, and 201%, respectively. Closure pressure and secondary fracture distribution significantly impact the conductivity of complex fracture network. Proppant diameter and proppant concentration also have substantial effects. Compared with existing experimental studies focusing on single fracture conductivity, this study presents experimental research on the conductivity of complex fracture network, thereby addressing a research gap in this field. Through synergistic integration of the Kozeny-Carman hydrodynamic theory with the hydraulic-electrical analogy principle, an innovative model of fracture network conductivity is formulated. The advantage of the proposed fracture network conductivity model lies in its systematic integration of theoretical analysis with experimental validation methodologies, effectively bridging the gap between computational predictions and laboratory observations. This study provides valuable insights for optimizing volume fracturing in tight reservoirs, facilitating their rapid and efficient development.
Correlations of gait kinematics and cognitive skills in Parkinson disease
Cognitive impairments and gait disturbances are often concurrent in Parkinson disease (PD), but the extent to which specific cognitive deficits relate to gait abnormalities remains unclear, especially in early-stage PD. To address this gap, we conducted an observational correlational study to determine if cognitive performance in distinct domains is associated with gait kinematics in PD. This study included a cohort of 19 individuals with early-stage PD who underwent gait analysis with a three-dimensional marker-less motion capture system (Theia Markerless Inc., Kingston, ON, CA) during three conditions: single-task walking, cognitive dual-task walking, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Cognitive abilities were assessed using computerized tests (Creyos, Toronto, ON, CA) of working memory (WM), response inhibition (RI), and mental rotation (MR). We found that higher WM scores significantly correlated with better gait performance under dual-task conditions, including faster gait velocity (r = 0.6524, p = 0.0025), longer stride length (r = 0.6758, p = 0.0015), higher toe clearance (r = 0.5234, p = 0.0215), and greater hip range of motion (ROM) (r = 0.6803, p = 0.0014). Similarly, better MR ability was associated with longer stride length (r = 0.5178, p = 0.0231) and greater hip ROM (r = 0.4886, p = 0.0338) during dual-task walking. Furthermore, superior WM and MR performance were linked to faster TUG completion times, particularly during the second walking phase of the TUG (WM: r = −0.682, p = 0.0013; MR: r = −0.6755, p = 0.002). These results indicate that WM and MR may be linked to gait performance in PD, especially during cognitively challenging walking tasks. These findings may have clinical, rehabilitative, and neuroscientific utility for those involved in the study and management of PD.
Association between the ferritin level and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study
Objective Iron is increasingly recognized to influence glucose metabolism. However, evidence about the linkage between body iron stores and the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is still inconclusive. We aimed to prospectively investigate the association of serum ferritin concentrations with GDM. Methods We studied 847 women from Peking University International Hospital from December 2017 to March 2019. Serum ferritin concentrations were measured three times during pregnancy (gestational weeks 6–12, 24–28 and 32–34). GDM was diagnosed by a 75-g oral-glucose-tolerance test (OGTT) at 24–28 weeks’ gestation. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the influence of serum ferritin at the first and second trimester on the risk of developing GDM. Results Among 847 participants, 73 women (8.6%) developed GDM. The median (IQR) of serum ferritin concentrations were 50.6 (32.4–75.5) ng/mL at gestational weeks 6–12, 19.7 (12.0–28.4) ng/mL at gestational weeks 24–28 and 19.4 (11.4–27.2) ng/mL at gestational weeks 32–34. The median serum ferritin concentrations were all significantly higher in women with GDM than those without GDM at the first, second and third trimester. Ferritin concentrations were positively correlated with the risk of GDM; the adjusted OR (95% CI) for highest vs lowest quartile was 2.97 (1.36, 6.51) at the first trimester and 2.64 (1.26, 5.54) at the second trimester. Conclusions Elevated serum ferritin concentrations in the first and second trimester during pregnancy are both independently associated with increased risk of GDM.
Fast photostable expansion microscopy using QDots and deconvolution
Expansion microscopy (ExM) enables sub-diffraction imaging by physically expanding labeled tissue samples. This increases the tissue volume relative to the instrument point spread function (PSF), thereby improving the effective resolution by reported factors of 4 - 20X. However, this volume increase dilutes the fluorescence signal, reducing both signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and acquisition speed. This paper proposes and validates a method for mitigating these challenges. We overcame the limitations of ExM by developing a fast photo-stable protocol to enable scalable widefield three-dimensional imaging with ExM. We combined widefield imaging with quantum dots (QDots). Widefield imaging provides a significantly faster acquisition of a single field-of-view (FOV). However, the uncontrolled incoherent illumination induces photobleaching. We mitigated this challenge using QDots, which exhibit a long fluorescence lifetime and improved photostability. First, we developed a protocol for QDot labeling. Next, we utilized widefield imaging to obtain 3D image stacks and applied deconvolution, which is feasible due to reduced scattering in ExM samples. We show that increased transparency, which is a side-effect of ExM, enables widefield deconvolution, dramatically reducing the acquisition time for three-dimensional images compared to laser scanning microscopy. The proposed QDot labeling protocol is compatible with ExM and provides enhanced photostability compared to traditional fluorescent dyes. Widefield imaging significantly improves SNR and acquisition speed compared to conventional confocal microscopy. Combining widefield imaging with QDot labeling and deconvolution has the potential to be applied to ExM for faster imaging of large three-dimensional samples with improved SNR.
The sports nutrition knowledge of large language model (LLM) artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots: An assessment of accuracy, completeness, clarity, quality of evidence, and test-retest reliability
Background Generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are increasingly utilised in various domains, including sports nutrition. Despite their growing popularity, there is limited evidence on the accuracy, completeness, clarity, evidence quality, and test-retest reliability of AI-generated sports nutrition advice. This study evaluates the performance of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude’s basic and advanced models across these metrics to determine their utility in providing sports nutrition information. Materials and methods Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, chatbots were tested with simple and detailed prompts in two domains: Sports nutrition for training and Sports nutrition for racing. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess interrater agreement and chatbot performance was assessed by measuring accuracy, completeness, clarity, evidence quality, and test-retest reliability. In Experiment 2, chatbot performance was evaluated by measuring the accuracy and test-retest reliability of chatbots’ answers to multiple-choice questions based on a sports nutrition certification exam. ANOVAs and logistic mixed models were used to analyse chatbot performance. Results In Experiment 1, interrater agreement was good (ICC = 0.893) and accuracy varied from 74% (Gemini1.5pro) to 31% (ClaudePro). Detailed prompts improved Claude’s accuracy but had little impact on ChatGPT or Gemini. Completeness scores were highest for ChatGPT-4o compared to other chatbots, which scored low to moderate. The quality of cited evidence was low for all chatbots when simple prompts were used but improved with detailed prompts. In Experiment 2, accuracy ranged from 89% (Claude3.5Sonnet) to 61% (ClaudePro). Test-retest reliability was acceptable across all metrics in both experiments. Conclusions While generative AI chatbots demonstrate potential in providing sports nutrition guidance, their accuracy is moderate at best and inconsistent between models. Until significant advancements are made, athletes and coaches should consult registered dietitians for tailored nutrition advice.