HBV Precore G1896A Mutation Promotes Malignancy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Activating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to Enhance Aerobic Glycolysis.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) precore G1896A mutation is closely associated with poor prognosis of liver disease. We previously revealed that the G1896A mutation could enhance HBV replication and promote hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. However, the in-depth mechanisms by which this mutation promotes the malignancy of HCC still need to be explored.

Field Calibration of the Optical Properties of Pedestrian Targets in Autonomous Emergency Braking Tests Using a Three-Dimensional Multi-Faceted Standard Body.

To address the growing need for field calibration of the optical properties of pedestrian targets used in autonomous emergency braking (AEB) tests, a novel three-dimensional multi-faceted standard body (TDMFSB) was developed. A camera-based analytical algorithm was proposed to evaluate the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) characteristics of pedestrian targets. Additionally, a field calibration method applied in AEB testing scenarios (CPFAO and CPLA protocols) on one new and one aged typical pedestrian target of the same type revealed a 21% decrease in the BRDF uniformity of the aged target compared to the new one, confirming optical degradation due to repeated "crash-scatter-reassembly" cycles.

Hierarchical Multi-Scale Mamba with Tubular Structure-Aware Convolution for Retinal Vessel Segmentation.

Retinal vessel segmentation plays a crucial role in diagnosing various retinal and cardiovascular diseases and serves as a foundation for computer-aided diagnostic systems. Blood vessels in color retinal fundus images, captured using fundus cameras, are often affected by illumination variations and noise, making it difficult to preserve vascular integrity and posing a significant challenge for vessel segmentation. In this paper, we propose HM-Mamba, a novel hierarchical multi-scale Mamba-based architecture that incorporates tubular structure-aware convolution to extract both local and global vascular features for retinal vessel segmentation.

Association Between Serum per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Iron Status Biomarkers in a Representative Sample of U.S. Adults: NHANES 2013-2018.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) comprise a class of man-made compounds widely utilized in manufacturing everyday consumer products. Experimental studies indicate that PFAS may interfere with iron regulation by hindering absorption or inducing oxidative stress. Nonetheless, epidemiological studies examining the association between PFAS exposure and a broad spectrum of iron-related biomarkers remain scarce.

Synergistic integration of extracellular vesicles and metal-organic frameworks: unlocking new opportunities in disease diagnosis and therapy.

The combination of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a cutting-edge strategy in nanomedicine, leveraging the immune evasion, targeting capabilities, and biocompatibility of EVs with the high loading capacity and tunable functionality of MOFs. This review comprehensively discusses the latest advancements in the EV-MOF collaborative system, including its combined form and preparation process, focusing on its synergistic applications in disease diagnosis and treatment. EV-MOF platforms have demonstrated enhanced sensitivity in biosensing and bioimaging, offering new avenues for early cancer detection using signal amplification and fluorescence imaging technologies.

Novel homozygous variants in ASTL and WEE2 responsible for female infertility characterized by abnormal fertilization.

Purpose: To identify the disease-causing gene behind infertile couples with female infertility and abnormal fertilization.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used to identify variants in disease-causing genes in 119 infertile couples with abnormal fertilization. Molecular modeling and functional analysis were used to evaluate the pathogenic effects of the variants.

Gait biomechanics and postural adaptations in forward head posture: a comparative cross-sectional study.

Background: Forward head posture (FHP) is a common postural deviation in the sagittal plane. Despite the growing interest in FHP, research on gait biomechanics in individuals with FHP remains scarce. This study aimed to investigate gait biomechanics in FHP, with a gait performance-based craniovertebral angle (CVA) cut-off.

Building of zinc borate@bamboo cellulose composite aerogels with excellent acoustic performance and thermal insulation inspired by breakwater.

The noise pollution and climate warming have attracted more and more attention due to the rapid development of urbanization and industry. The preparation of lightweight aerogels with excellent acoustic performance, thermal insulation, and flame retardancy can quickly adapt to practical environments. Inspired by the breakwater, ZB@BC aerogels were successfully synthesized by sol-gel process, freeze-drying, and adsorption and precipitation.

Reservoir-Engineered Squeezed Lasing through the Parametric Coupling.

We report the first experimental demonstration of squeezed lasing in a reservoir-engineered optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The OPO provides a basis of squeezed states and parametric amplification in lasing emission, whose vacuum reservoir is coupled to a squeezed vacuum generated by a second OPO. With a precisely controlled squeezing angle and strong squeezing injection, the parametric interaction in the first OPO is exponentially enhanced.

Untargeted plasma metabolite detection in sudden sensorineural hearing loss: identifying key metabolic signatures.

Background: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a common otological disorder with complex etiologies and unclear pathophysiology. This study aimed to detect and analyze plasma metabolites in SSNHL, identify potential biomarkers, and uncover underlying metabolic mechanisms.

Methods: A cohort of 64 SSNHL, classified into four subtypes (low-frequency, high-frequency, flat and total deafness type), and 53 normal controls (NC) were recruited.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase adaptor KLHL8 targets ZAR1 to regulate maternal mRNA degradation in oocytes.

Maternal protein homeostasis and timely degradation of maternal mRNAs are essential for meiotic cell-cycle progression and subsequent embryonic development, but the mechanisms of maternal protein degradation are poorly understood. Here, we show that KLHL8, a substrate adaptor of Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligases, is highly expressed in mouse oocytes and co-localizes with mitochondria. Oocyte-specific deletion of Klhl8 causes oocyte maturation defects and female infertility.

Evaluation of ecological drought in northwest China by integrating ecological water budget and vegetation status.

Global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of drought events, posing profound threats to ecosystems. Ecological drought is a multifaceted process in terrestrial ecosystems, characterized by the impairment of vegetation eco-physiological functions due to water stress. However, current ecological drought assessments primarily focus on ecological water supply and demand, often overlooking the status of vegetation growth.

Complement Proteins Identify Rapidly Progressive Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Introduction: Mechanisms underlying diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression remain incompletely understood. This study used untargeted and targeted mass spectrometry-based proteomics in 2 independent cohorts to capture rapidly progressive DKD.

Methods: We conducted untargeted and targeted mass spectrometry on urine samples from Korean patients with type 2 diabetes and biopsy-confirmed diabetic nephropathy (SNUH-DN cohort; = 64) and a DKD subgroup of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC-T2D; = 282), respectively.

Pathogenic variants in DLGAP5 cause female infertility characterized by oocyte maturation arrest and embryonic arrest.

Study Question: Can new genetic factors responsible for oocyte defects be identified in infertile women, especially for those with spindle assembly defects?

Summary Answer: We identified homozygous and compound heterozygous variants of DLGAP5 in three infertile individuals from two independent families.

What Is Known Already: Some genes have been found to be responsible for female infertility with oocyte maturation defects. During mitosis, DLGAP5 is involved in promoting microtubule polymerization and spindle formation.

Highly-Sensitive Implantable NIR Phototransistor for One-Click Pain Relief Activation.

The increasing prevalence of chronic neuralgic pain in expanding populations has created urgent demands for robust pain relief technology. Their sporadic and unpredictable nature, however, presents significant challenge for on-demand inhibition of nerve transduction. Here, implantable near-infrared pain relief controllers are reported that leverage stretchable organic phototransistors with IDTBT/Y6 bulk-heterojunction, offering high responsiveness and reduce charge trapping to trigger detectivity of up to 9.

ROS-Responsive Nanosystem Targeted Co-Delivery YC-1 and Regorafenib to Alleviate Hypoxia Enhancing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy.

Purpose: The current treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is confronted with anoxic drug resistance and significant side effects. To address these issues, a Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-responsive and targeted nano drug delivery system named REG/YC-1@PTP-RGD NPs (RYP-RGD NPs) was designed for the co-delivery of Regorafenib (REG) and the hypoxia inhibitor 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1).

Methods: RYP-RGD NPs were fabricated through the self-assembly method.

A pair of GPI-anchored proteins regulate soybean immunity and disease resistance in coordination with GmLMM1 and GmRALFs.

Plant cell-surface-localized pattern recognition receptors and co-receptors recognize conserved microbial patterns to initiate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), which confers moderate and broad-spectrum resistance to most pathogens. For instance, the FLS2 receptor recognizes bacterial flagellin (or epitope flg22) by forming a complex with its co-receptor BAK1. Malectin-like receptor-like kinases (RLKs) interact with several GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) to recognize rapid alkalinization factor (RALF) peptides, thereby regulating multiple physiological processes.

High-performance pressure sensors based on MXene@CNT coaxial nanofiber-coated yarns for multipoint motion detection and health monitoring.

The rapid advancement of technology has driven the development of smart wearable devices, and yarn-based pressure sensors, which can improve the accuracy of multi-point pressure recognition, have received great attention. However, the fabrication of high-sensitivity yarn arrays remains a challenge. In this study, coaxial nanofiber-coated yarns through TPU electrospinning and MXene@CNT loading are presented and fabricated to operate in a crossed-node mode, offering excellent sensing performance.

Light-driven secondary structural remodeling in biomimetic nanosystem to enhance tumor chemo-phototherapy.

The integration of chemotherapy and phototherapy for treating advanced liver cancer has gained considerable attention. However, challenges such as short drug retention times significantly impact patient prognosis. We introduce a light-triggered nanosystem that employs molecular aggregation control for PTT and sustained chemotherapy.

Computational modeling of blunt force trauma to the atlanto-occipital joint: Implications for Forensic Pathology.

Background: The biomechanical response of the atlanto-occipital joint to blunt force trauma is an under-researched area in forensic pathology. This study investigates the joint's behavior under various impact scenarios using computational modeling, aiming to provide insights for enhancing postmortem examinations and injury analysis in forensic investigations.

Materials And Methods: A computational model of the atlanto-occipital joint was developed, incorporating ligament properties, muscle forces, and equations of motion.

Evaluating the efficacy of three classical EEG paradigms in the discrimination of bipolar depression.

Objective: Given the lack of consensus regarding the optimal EEG paradigm for identifying bipolar depression (BD), this study sought to systematically evaluate the efficacy of three classic EEG paradigms-eyes open, eyes closed, and free viewing-in diagnosing BD.

Methods: EEGs were collected from 28 individuals diagnosed with BD and 42 healthy controls(HCs) across three experimental conditions: eyes closed, eyes open, and free viewing. Sociodemographic data and neuropsychological testing were also collected.