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Adoptive cell transfer of piezo-activated macrophage rescues immunosuppressed rodents from life-threating bacterial infections

NOS2 as a prognostic biomarker for early-onset colorectal cancer based on public data and clinical validation analysis

Author Correction: Reliability of high-quantity human brain organoids for modeling microcephaly, glioma invasion and drug screening

Degradation of PCDD/Fs from incineration of waste at low temperatures for resource utilization of fly ash

Desiccation as a suitable alternative to cold-storage of phyllosphere samples for DNA-based microbial community analyses

Abstract The study of microbial communities of the plant phyllosphere in remote locations using DNA-based approaches is limited by the challenges associated with their preservation in the field and during transportation. Freezing is a common DNA preservation strategy, but it may be unsuitable for leaf samples, or inaccessible in some locations. Other methods such as desiccation, ethanol or commercial preservatives are potential alternative DNA preservation methods for ambient temperature storage. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of desiccation (with silica gel packs), and of three preservation solutions (95% ethanol, RNAlater, LifeGuard) for the preservation of epiphytic phyllosphere communities of Populus tremuloides and Picea glauca at ambient indoor temperature (21 °C) for up to three weeks. We assessed effects on DNA concentration and quality and used metabarcoding to detect changes in bacterial and fungal communities between treatments over time. A secondary study was conducted on leaves of Populus grandidentata to further test the ability of the desiccation treatment to resolve differences between sampling sites. Silica gel packs were identified as effective ambient temperature preservative of phyllosphere bacterial and fungal communities. There were some changes in the communities compared to immediate extraction due to this treatment, but these changes did not affect the ability to distinguish tree species and sampling locations. Overall, our study supports the use of silica gel pack short term preservation at ambient temperature for phyllosphere samples intended for DNA-based microbial community analyses.

Hybridization potential and genetic influence of parental varieties on fruit size and set rate in Gleditsia sinensis

Correction for Luo et al., Bioluminescence imaging of Smad signaling in living mice shows correlation with excitotoxic neurodegeneration

A universal method for the purification of C2H2 zinc finger arrays

Zinc fingers (ZFs) are compact, modular, sequence-specific polynucleotide-binding domains uniquely suited for use as DNA probes and for the targeted delivery of effector domains for purposes such as gene regulation and editing. Despite recent advances in both the design and application of ZF-containing proteins, there is still a lack of a general method for their expression and purification. Here we describe a simple method, involving two chromatographic steps, for the production of homogeneous, functional ZF proteins in high yield (one milligram per liter of bacterial culture), and we demonstrate the generality of this method by applying it to a diverse set of eight C2H2-type ZF proteins. By incorporating a surface-exposed terminal cysteine residue that enables site-specific conjugation with maleimide-activated fluorophores, we confirm the suitability of these probes for in situ labeling of specific DNA sequences in human cells.

Spatial-temporal characteristics and influence factors of high-quality development of animal husbandry industry in China

The animal husbandry industry stands as a pillar of the agricultural sector. According to the defining characteristics of high-quality development in animal husbandry, this paper establishes a comprehensive evaluative indicator system. This system evaluates the quality of development in the industry from 2010 to 2022, including five key dimensions: output efficiency, product safety, resource conservation, environmental friendliness, and the level of scientific and technological &management. Results indicate a positive overall trend in the high-quality development of China’s animal industry throughout this period. Provinces exhibiting the highest average levels of development are, in descending order, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Anhui, Beijing, Fujian, Yunnan, Chongqing, Gansu, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Among these five dimensions, the level of environmental friendliness and the level of scientific and technological &management are better developed, while the level of resource conservation, the level of product safety, and the level of output efficiency are poorly developed. Regional differences have demonstrated a slight narrowing trend; however, the effect of intra-regional differences on the overall differences has remained relatively stable. In contrast, the effect of inter-regional differences on overall differences has gradually reduced, while the effect of hypervariable density has steadily increased, becoming the most significant factor. High-quality development in China’s animal industry exhibits a strong path dependency, with advancements typically occurring incrementally between adjacent levels and an insignificant probability of leapfrogging. The level of high-quality development in a given region is significantly influenced by the development levels observed in neighbouring regions, illustrating a phenomenon akin to the adage that One who is near vermilion is stained red, one who is near ink is stained black. Factors such as urbanisation rates, levels of scientific and technological innovation, transport infrastructure, levels of agricultural financial development, and population density all contribute positively to the high-quality development of China’s animal industry. At the same time, a larger share of animal husbandry in both the overall industrial sector and the agricultural industry further contributes to this high-quality development; whereas, GDP per capita and fiscal support for agriculture do not appear to have a significant effect.

Status and associations of transition shock among nursing students during clinical practice: A cross-sectional study

Aim This study aimed to investigate the current state and influencing factors of transition shock among nursing students during clinical practice. Background Transition shock among nursing students can significantly impact their academic performance and well-being. Understanding the key factors contributing to this shock is crucial for developing effective support strategies and improving overall educational outcomes. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on October 8–28, 2022 at four tertiary Class A hospitals in Changsha, Hunan Province, located in south-central China. A convenience sample of 620 full-time nursing students was surveyed to collect demographic information and assess their transition shock levels using the transition shock scale. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression. STROBE checklist was used for the methodology in this study. Results A total of 564 nursing students were ultimately included in the study. The average overall transition shock score was 46 (41, 52). Attitude toward the nursing profession had an independent influence on nursing students’ transition shock (p < 0.05). Additionally, the number of night shifts, choosing nursing as the first choice, being class leaders, education level, future plans, school scale, and monthly household income contributed to different dimensions of transition shock (p < 0.05). Conclusion and implications for nursing policy Nursing students experience moderate transition shock, with attitude towards nursing as a key influencing factor. Clinical managers should implement targeted measures to better support nursing students improve their attitudes.

Access to clean energy in Africa revisited: The roles of women empowerment, corruption control, FDI and sectoral growth

One of the key contributors to climate change is energy consumption, with the type of energy used having implications on the natural environment and health of users. To promote environmental sustainability and sustainable development, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 aims to achieve accessibility, and affordability of clean and modern forms of energy for all. This study aims to investigate the effects of women empowerment, corruption control, foreign direct investment, and sectoral growth on access to clean energy in Africa, as well as the effects of the interrelatedness of these factors on clean energy access. Using data on 32 countries in Africa from 2002 to 2021 and rigorous econometric techniques, the study finds that women empowerment and corruption control significantly increase access to clean energy in Africa while sectoral analyses show varying effects of growth in the different sectors on clean energy accessibility. Furthermore, it is found that corruption control is not able to reverse situations of adverse effects of some variables on access to clean energy in some cases, likely due to the low levels of corruption control in Africa. The results suggest that African countries could enhance access to clean energy for its citizens and harness the full potential of clean energy, to promote sustainable development and improve the lives of their population, by empowering women, fighting corruption, and cultivating balanced economic growth.

Effect of power training on physical functional performance of patients with Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Introduction Parkinson’s disease (PD) is becoming more prevalent, highlighting the urgency of developing treatments to minimize its effects on muscular strength and physical function. Power training (PT) is a potential approach that may improve endurance and muscular power, essential for maintaining functional ability in PD. Objective To compare the effect of PT versus control or other physical activity (PA) interventions on physical functional performance (PFP) in PD patients. Methods We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, PEDro, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials comparing PT to a control group or another PA intervention in PD patients. PFP was the primary outcome. Pooled effect estimates were calculated from baseline to endpoint scores. Results From 21,558 results, four studies were included in the meta-analysis due to their moderate to high methodological quality. PT showed no significant effect on PFP outcomes compared to control groups (TUG: ES, −0.281; 95% CI, −0.693 to 0.130; P = 0.180; I2:0%; PWS: ES, 0.748; 95% CI, −0.768 to 2.265; P = 0.333; I2:88%; FWS: ES, 0.420; 95% CI, −0.950 to 1.791; P = 0.548; I2:83%; SLS: ES, 0.161; 95% CI, −0.332 to 0.655; P = 0.521; I2:0%). No differences were found between PT and alternative interventions (TUG: ES, 0.132; 95% CI, −0.394 to 0.657; P = 0.623; I2:0%; BBA: ES, 0.057; 95% CI, −0.430 to 0.544; P = 0.820; I2:0%). Conclusion PT did not improve PFP compared to control or alternative interventions. More studies are needed to explore PT effects (e.g., higher volume, intensity, and combined types) in PD patients.

A Proteomics-Based Approach for Prediction of Different Cardiovascular Diseases and Dementia

BACKGROUND: Many studies have explored whether individual plasma protein biomarkers improve cardiovascular disease risk prediction. We sought to investigate the use of a plasma proteomics-based approach in predicting different cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: Among 51 859 UK Biobank participants (mean age, 56.7 years; 45.5% male) without cardiovascular disease and with proteomics measurements, we examined the primary composite outcome of fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease, stroke, or heart failure (major adverse cardiovascular events), as well as additional secondary cardiovascular outcomes. An exposome-wide association study was conducted using relative protein concentrations, adjusted for a range of classic, demographic, and lifestyle risk factors. A prediction model using only age, sex, and protein markers (protein model) was developed using a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator–regularized approach (derivation: 80% of cohort) and validated using split-sample testing (20% of cohort). Their performance was assessed by comparing calibration, net reclassification index, and c statistic with the PREVENT (Predicting Risk of CVD Events) risk score. RESULTS: Over a median 13.6 years of follow-up, 4857 participants experienced first major adverse cardiovascular events. After adjustment, the proteins most strongly associated with major adverse cardiovascular events included NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide; hazard ratio [HR], 1.68 per SD increase), proADM (pro-adrenomedullin; HR, 1.60), GDF-15 (growth differentiation factor-15; HR, 1.47), WFDC2 (WAP four-disulfide core domain protein 2; HR, 1.46), and IGFBP4 (insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 4; HR, 1.41). In total, 222 separate proteins were predictors of all outcomes of interest in the protein model, and 86 were selected for the primary outcome specifically. In the validation cohort, compared with the PREVENT risk factor model, the protein model improved net reclassification (net reclassification index +0.09), and c statistic (+0.051) for major adverse cardiovascular events. The protein model also improved the prediction of other outcomes, including ASCVD ( c statistic +0.035), myocardial infarction (+0.023), stroke (+0.024), aortic stenosis (+0.015), heart failure (+0.060), abdominal aortic aneurysm (+0.024), and dementia (+0.068). CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of targeted protein biomarkers produced superior prediction of aggregated and disaggregated cardiovascular events. This study represents proof of concept for the application of targeted proteomics in predicting a range of cardiovascular outcomes.

Retraction: Nanocurcumin Prevents Hypoxia Induced Stress in Primary Human Ventricular Cardiomyocytes by Maintaining Mitochondrial Homeostasis

Genetically Predicted IL-18 Inhibition and Risk of Cardiovascular Events: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Class-aware feature attention-based semantic segmentation on hyperspectral images

This research explores an innovative approach to segment hyperspectral images. Aclass-aware feature-based attention approach is combined with an enhanced attention-based network, FAttNet is proposed to segment the hyperspectral images semantically. It is introduced to address challenges associated with inaccurate edge segmentation, diverse forms of target inconsistency, and suboptimal predictive efficacy encountered in traditional segmentation networks when applied to semantic segmentation tasks in hyperspectral images. First, the class-aware feature attention procedure is used to improve the extraction and processing of distinct types of semantic information. Subsequently, the spatial attention pyramid is employed in a parallel fashion to improve the correlation between spaces and extract context information from images at different scales. Finally, the segmentation results are refined using the encoder-decoder structure. It enhances precision in delineating distinct land cover patterns. The findings from the experiments demonstrate that FAttNet exhibits superior performance compared to established semantic segmentation networks commonly used. Specifically, on the GaoFen image dataset, FAttNet achieves a higher mean intersection over union (MIoU) of 77.03% and a segmentation accuracy of 87.26% surpassing the performance of the existing network.

Measure Apolipoprotein B If We Believe What We Say About Precision Medicine

How value perspectives influence decision-making in the South African private healthcare sector: A cross-sectional comparative study

Background Every healthcare clinical event aims to create value at a certain cost. This value has been defined as the outcome achieved (the degree to which a care event achieved a clinical goal) divided by the cost incurred (determined by the combined price charged by the care provides) to generate the outcome. Subsequently, patient experience has been included as a third factor contributing to value of care, but its value and relationship relative to clinical outcome and event cost is not well understood. This cross-sectional comparative study explored the relative importance of 1) clinical outcome, 2) event cost, and 3) patient experience as they relate to the value of care in the South African private healthcare context. Materials and methods Using a value perspectives survey, healthcare consumers (n = 662) and healthcare providers (n = 318) distributed 100 points between the three factors according to how they perceived their value. They were then asked to assess the value of the three factors across six clinical scenarios progressing in clinical severity. Results For all scenarios, all participants valued patient experience above event cost, but lower than clinical outcome. However, there were significant differences between consumers and providers in the relative value assigned to each of the three factors. These values changed as the severity of the surgical and medical scenarios changed. Patient experience was consistently assigned a higher value than event cost, thereby making a strong argument for its inclusion into the healthcare value equation. Conclusion Both South African healthcare consumers and providers assigned significant value to patient experience across a range of clinical scenarios. These findings suggest that patient experience should be included as a factor in the Value Care Index (VCI) where VCI = (Outcome ÷ Cost) x Patient Experience.

A Win for Clinical Evidence: The First Head-to-Head Trial of Interventional Strategies for the Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism

Cultural adaptation, translation and validation of the conflict in adolescence dating relationship inventory (CADRI) in the Greek language

Background Dating violence (DV) is a major public health problem with serious consequences for the young population. The Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory (CADRI) is the most internationally used tool to measure DV. However, no tool has been translated, culturally adapted, or validated in the Greek context to assess the prevalence of DV in the Greek population. Aim To culturally adapt, validate, and translate the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory (CADRI) in the Greek language to ensure its reliability and cultural and linguistic validity in the Greek population. Methods A cross-cultural adaptation process and cross-sectional study were carried out. There were two phases in the research. First, face validity was assessed after the first phase of translation, which included cross-cultural item adaptation, content validation and expert review of the instrument. In the second stage, the scale’s psychometric qualities were assessed on a sample of nursing college students. A CADRI instrument was used to assess DV. Results The final sample comprised a total of 177 university students. The internal consistency and reliability were good (>0.7), with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.889 for the violence perpetrated subscale and 0.925 for the violence suffered subscale, indicating strong correlations between the total item scores. After exploratory factor analysis was performed, the structure obtained was similar to the original structure. Furthermore, 88.7% of university students perpetrated DV in the last year on their partners, and 90.7% suffered DV, with verbal and emotional violence the most common types. Conclusion This study provides robust evidence of the validity and reliability of the CADRI for measuring DV in the Greek university population. Additionally, the high prevalence makes it necessary to create DV prevention plans and further research, especially among nursing students. Impact Validation of the CADRI in Greece will increase the knowledge of DV in this population, which lacks validated instruments. Public contribution The results obtained with the CADRI can be applied to the prevention of DV in young people.