Consumer or Decomposer? Behavioral and Morphological Diagnosis of White Grubs.

Determining the ecological role of insect larvae is crucial for pest control and resource utilization, which usually relies on accurate species identification. White grubs, the larvae of Scarabaeoidea, exhibit highly diverse behaviors but share a similar morphology, making identification challenging. In this study, an improved six-armed olfactometer was used to test the feeding preferences of two sympatric white grubs, and .

DSG2 promotes pancreatic cancer stem cell maintenance via support of tumour and macrophage cellular cross-talk.

Pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs) are a small population of cells in tumours that exhibit enhanced self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. CSCs proactively remodel the tumour microenvironment to maintain CSC stemness, which contributes to chemotherapy resistance. Compared with targeting PCSCs themselves, targeting the PCSC niche may be a novel strategy for pancreatic cancer (PC) therapy.

Chlorination-properties-performance of polyamide nanofiltration membranes for the rejection of emerging contaminants.

Polyamide nanofiltration (NF) membranes play important roles in water decontamination, especially in the context of widespread occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs) with severe environmental and health concerns. A common belief is that polyamide is vulnerable to chlorination, leading to the compromised separation performance. Nevertheless, how chlorination affects membrane separation capability of ECs such as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and antibiotics remains unclear.

A visual generalization gradient of conceptual stimuli based on fear acquisition in visual and auditory modalities.

This study investigates crossmodal fear generalization, testing whether conditioned fear spreads between different sensory modalities. Participants in the unimodal group were presented with visual stimuli-images of a sparrow (CS+) and a laptop (CS-)-while the crossmodal group received auditory stimuli-sparrow calls (CS+) and keyboard typing sounds (CS-). During the generalization phase, both groups were presented with conceptually similar visual stimuli (GSs) with varying similarity to the CS+ (e.

Effect of low-sodium, potassium-rich salt based on the Chinese modified DASH diet on home blood pressure monitoring in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes: a clinical trial.

Objective: to investigate the impact and safety of Chinese Modified Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (CM-DASH) combined with sodium-restricted formula salts on home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Material and methods: employing a semi-open randomized, controlled, single-blind trial, patients were allocated into four groups-Group A (control), Group B (52 % salt), Group C (23 % salt), and Group D (meal packs)-for an eight-week dietary intervention. Throughout the intervention, patients self-measured their blood pressure daily and were followed up weekly.

Executive functions modulate conditioned fear extinction and reinstatement: The differential roles of shifting, updating, and inhibition.

Conditioned fear learning is crucial for survival, and failure of fear extinction is closely related to the development of anxiety disorders. This study explores how different executive function (EF) subcomponents-shifting, updating, and inhibition-modulate conditioned fear extinction and reinstatement at both behavioral and neural levels. A total of 88 participants (age range: 17-23 years) completed the Stroop Task, Digit Size-Parity Switching Task, and Memory Updating Task to assess their executive function abilities.

Crystalline carbon nitride derived self-assembly composite membranes with enhanced self-cleaning performance toward dye/salt separation.

Membrane technology can realize the sustainable management of textile wastewater through dye/salt separation, but its practical implementation has long been hampered by membrane fouling. This work was to develop a novel carbon nitride based two-dimensional (2D) self-assembled membrane for efficient dye/salt separation with excellent photocatalytic self-cleaning performance toward azo dyes (e.g.

Hypoimmunogenic hPSC-derived cardiac organoids for immune evasion and heart repair.

Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiac therapies hold great promise for heart regeneration but face major translational barriers due to allogeneic immune rejection. Here, we engineered hypoimmunogenic hPSCs using a two-step CRISPR-Cas9 strategy: (1) B2M knockout, eliminating HLA class I surface expression, and (2) knock-in of HLA-E or HLA-G trimer constructs in the AAVS1 safe harbor locus to confer robust immune evasion. Hypoimmunogenic hPSCs maintained pluripotency, efficiently differentiated into cardiac cell types that resisted both T and NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity , and self-assembled into engineered cardiac organoids.

Clinical and Molecular Landscape of GLRA2 in X-Linked Early-Onset High Myopia.

Purpose: Variants in the GLRA2 gene have been linked to early-onset and nonsyndromic high myopia with a X-linked inheritance. This study aimed to elucidate clinical and genetic characteristics of GLRA2-associated early-onset high myopia (eoHM).

Methods: Variants in 17 genes reported to contribute to eoHM, including GLRA2, were evaluated for pathogenic level based on in silico prediction, associated phenotypes, and cosegregation analysis.

The community succession mechanisms and interactive dynamics of microorganisms under high salinity and alkalinity conditions during composting.

Microorganisms drive organic matter degradation and humification during composting. However, the mechanisms underlying microbial community succession and their interactions under saline-alkali stress are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the microbial community assembly processes and microbial niche dynamics during composting in the high-saline-alkaline region.

Healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitude and practice towards ischemic bowel disease.

Background: Ischemic bowel disease (IBD) is a critical condition caused by reduced blood flow to the intestines, leading to tissue damage and potentially severe complications. Early recognition and timely management are essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing morbidity and mortality associated with IBD.

Aim: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of healthcare professionals regarding IBD.

Serum uric acid trajectories and risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in China: a 2019-2021 cohort health survey.

Objective: To investigate the associations between serum uric acid (UA) trajectories and the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in large cohort survey 2019-2021.

Methods: This cohort health survey included 11,644 participants without MASLD before January 1, 2021. Among them, 5578 (47.

Anti-glycaemic effect of the Chinese modified DASH diet combined with 23% low-sodium salt in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes: a clinical trial.

Background: Although many previous trials have formalized the blood glucose-lowering effect of the DASH diet, relevant reports in China remain limited. This study aimed to explore the anti-hyperglycaemic effect of the Chinese Modified Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet combined with 23% low-sodium salt and meal packs in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled single-blinded trial with a semi-open design; 100 participants were randomly assigned to Group A (control), Group B (23% low-sodium salt), and Group C (meal packs) for 8 weeks of dietary intervention.

Intolerance of uncertainty enhances adolescent fear generalization in both perceptual-based and category-based tasks: fNIRS studies.

Fear generalization undergoes marked changes during adolescence, which may relate to the high prevalence of anxiety disorders. While intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a key factor that amplifies fear generalization, its impact and neural basis in adolescence remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of IU on perceptual-based (n = 72) and category-based (n = 68) fear generalization in adolescents aged 12-15 years.

The relationship between leukocyte telomere length and risk of depression and anxiety: Evidence from UK Biobank.

Background: Telomere length is a cellular aging marker implicated in various health outcomes. A growing body of evidence suggests a link between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mental health outcomes. However, there have been no studies focused on the relationship between LTL and the future risk of depression and anxiety.

De novo design of miniprotein antagonists of cytokine storm inducers.

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), commonly known as cytokine storm, is an acute systemic inflammatory response that is a significant global health threat. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) are key pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in CRS and are hence critical therapeutic targets. Current antagonists, such as tocilizumab and anakinra, target IL-6R/IL-1R but have limitations due to their long half-life and systemic anti-inflammatory effects, making them less suitable for acute or localized treatments.

Exaggerated sensitivity to threat and reduced medial prefrontal engagement during threat generalization in reactive aggressive adolescents.

Aggressive adolescents tend to exhibit abnormal fear acquisition and extinction, and reactive aggressive adolescents are often more anxious. However, the relationship between fear generalization and reactive aggression (RA) remains unknown. According to Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) scores, 61 adolescents were divided into two groups, namely, a high RA group (N = 30) and a low aggression (LA) group (N = 31).

Energy harvesting from acid mine drainage using a highly proton/ion-selective thin polyamide film.

A huge chemical potential difference exists between the acid mine drainage (AMD) and the alkaline neutralization solution, which is wasted in the traditional AMD neutralization process. This study reports, for the first time, the harvest of this chemical potential energy through a controlled neutralization of AMD using H-conductive films. Polyamide films with controllable thickness achieved much higher H conductance than a commercially available cation exchange membrane (CEM).

A negative feedback loop between TET2 and leptin in adipocyte regulates body weight.

Ten-eleven translocation (TET) 2 is an enzyme that catalyzes DNA demethylation to regulate gene expression by oxidizing 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, functioning as an essential epigenetic regulator in various biological processes. However, the regulation and function of TET2 in adipocytes during obesity are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that leptin, a key adipokine in mammalian energy homeostasis regulation, suppresses adipocyte TET2 levels via JAK2-STAT3 signaling.