An ultra-high-performance tandem mass spectrometry method to quantify tryptophan metabolites in aqueous humor of primary angle-closure glaucoma patients.

This study presented the development and validation of a robust ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of tryptophan (TRP) and its nine metabolites in aqueous humor (AH) to explore the regulation of the TRP metabolic pathway in primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). The optimized UPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated good linearity (R² > 0.99), sensitivity (LLMI: 0.

A large language model for advanced power dispatch.

Power dispatch is essential for providing society with stable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly electricity. However, traditional methods falter as power systems grow in scale and complexity, struggling with multitasking, swift problem-solving, and human-machine collaboration. This paper introduces Grid Artificial Intelligent Assistant (GAIA), a pioneering Large Language Model (LLM) designed to assist with a variety of power system operational tasks, including operation adjustment, operation monitoring, and black start scenarios.

Characterization of Myrosinase-Mediated Glucosinolate Degradation Pathways in ZUST49.

Cruciferous vegetables are rich in glucosinolates that can be hydrolyzed by myrosinase into isothiocyanates (ITCs) with significant anticancer properties. In the absence of bacterial myrosinase, glucosinolates are excreted from the body in their inactive forms. However, the mechanisms underlying the bacterial breakdown of glucosinolates are not well understood.

Survey on Large Language Model-Enhanced Reinforcement Learning: Concept, Taxonomy, and Methods.

With extensive pretrained knowledge and high-level general capabilities, large language models (LLMs) emerge as a promising avenue to augment reinforcement learning (RL) in aspects, such as multitask learning, sample efficiency, and high-level task planning. In this survey, we provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature in LLM-enhanced RL and summarize its characteristics compared with conventional RL methods, aiming to clarify the research scope and directions for future studies. Utilizing the classical agent-environment interaction paradigm, we propose a structured taxonomy to systematically categorize LLMs' functionalities in RL, including four roles: information processor, reward designer, decision-maker, and generator.

MYO1F positions cGAS on the plasma membrane to ensure full and functional signaling.

Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP)-adenosine monophosphate (AMP) synthase (cGAS) detects viral or endogenous DNA, activating the innate immune response to infections and autoimmune diseases. Upon binding to double-stranded DNA, cGAS synthesizes 2'3' cGMP-AMP, which triggers type I interferon production. Besides its presence in the cytosol and nucleus, cGAS is found at the plasma membrane, although its significance remains unclear.

Higher stochasticity in comammox Nitrospira community assembly in upland soils than the adjacent paddy soils at a regional scale.

Understanding the assembly mechanisms of microbial communities, particularly comammox Nitrospira, in agroecosystems is crucial for sustainable agriculture. However, the large-scale distribution and assembly processes of comammox Nitrospira in agricultural soils remain largely elusive. We investigated comammox Nitrospira abundance, community structure, and assembly processes in 16 paired upland peanuts and water-logged paddy soils in south China.

Construction and characterization of microsatellite markers for the Schistosoma japonicum isolate from a hilly area of China based on whole genome sequencing.

Schistosoma japonicum had once caused the greatest disease burden in China and has still been transmitted in some hilly areas, for example, in Shitai of Anhui province, where rodents are projected to be the main reservoir. This may lead to a critical need of molecular tools with high efficiency in monitoring the dynamic of the rodent-associated S. japonicum, as an appropriate amount of schistosome input can re-establish its life cycle in a place with snails and then result in the re-emergence of schistosomiasis.

Population Genetics of Snails from New-Emerging Snail Habitats in a Currently Non-Endemic Area.

Schistosomiasis is still one of the most significant neglected tropical diseases worldwide, and China is endemic for . With its great achievement in schistosomiasis control, the government of China has set the goal to eliminate the parasitic disease at the country level by 2030. However, one major challenge is the remaining huge areas of habitats for the intermediate host .

Expert-Level Immunofixation Electrophoresis Image Recognition based on Explainable and Generalizable Deep Learning.

Background: Immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) is important for diagnosis of plasma cell disorders (PCDs). Manual analysis of IFE images is time-consuming and potentially subjective. An artificial intelligence (AI) system for automatic and accurate IFE image recognition is desirable.

In vivo efficiency of praziquantel treatment of single-sex Schistosoma japonicum aged three months old in mice.

Schistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease mainly caused by Schistosoma haematobium, S. japonicum and S. mansoni, and results in the greatest disease burden.

Surface Modification of Ultrafiltration Membranes with 1,4-Benzoquinone and Polyetheramines to Improve Fouling Resistance.

Membrane fouling remains a key challenge for membrane separations. Hydrophilic membrane surface modification can mitigate irreversible foulant deposition, thereby improving fouling resistance. We report new hydrophilic membrane coatings based on 1,4-benzoquinone and various commercially available polyetheramines.

Ethnic, geographic, and seasonal differences of vitamin D status among adults in south-west China.

Background: There are limited data on vitamin D status of Sichuan province, and no investigation has been carried out on the correlations of 25(OH)D and BTMs between healthy Hans and Tibetans of Sichuan province. This study aimed to examine 25(OH)D levels around Sichuan province and to assess differences by ethnicity, age, gender, sunlight exposure, geographic location, and seasons.

Methods: Blood samples from 2317 healthy adults aged of 18 to 75 years and of Han and Tibetan ethnicities were collected in six regions and during four seasons.

Modifying structural polymorphs and tuning electronic properties in pressure-stabilized binary Ir-Sb phases.

The search for novel structures and chemical stoichiometry of binary Ir-Sb compounds is of great importance in view of their catalytic applications. Based on the results of swarm structure searching technique combined with density functional theory, we proposed the hitherto unknown Ir-Sb phase diagram in a wide pressure range with various chemical compositions. Besides two ambient pressure phases of IrSb-Im3̄ and IrSb-2/, five novel phases of IrSb-2/, IrSb-1̄, IrSb-4̄21, IrSb-4/ and IrSb- were identified at high pressures.

Single-cell RNA-sequencing of migratory breast cancer cells: discovering genes associated with cancer metastasis.

Considerable evidence suggests breast cancer metastasis arises from cells undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). Using a microfluidic device that enriches migratory breast cancer cells with enhanced capacity for tumor formation and metastasis, we identified genes differentially expressed in migratory cells by high-throughput single-cell RNA-sequencing. Migratory cells exhibited overall signatures of EMT and CSCs with variable expression of marker genes, and they retained expression profiles of EMT over time.

Phase transition and electronic properties of skutterudite-type IrP under high pressure.

Binary skutterudite-type IrP3 possesses a unique structural configuration that exhibits unusual electronic, thermoelectric, and dynamical properties and can be applied in thermoelectric generators; IrP3 has unique square (P4) rings stacked with a relatively loose arrangement and thus has been expected to exhibit fascinating evolution in the bonding patterns and electronic properties under high pressure. Herein, we systematically investigated the global energetically stable structures of IrP3 under ambient- and high-pressure conditions using the swarm intelligence-based structure searching technique in combination with first-principles calculations. Our theoretical prediction shows that the skutterudite-type structure with the Im3[combining macron] symmetry is most stable under ambient conditions.

Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell Engulfment Reveals Metastatic Advantage in Breast Cancer.

Twenty percent of breast cancer (BC) patients develop distant metastasis for which there is no cure. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) in the tumor microenvironment were shown to stimulate metastasis, but the mechanisms are unclear. Here, we identified and quantified cancer cells engulfing stromal cells in clinical samples of BC metastasis by dual immunostaining for EZH2 and ALDH1 expression.

Hydro-Seq enables contamination-free high-throughput single-cell RNA-sequencing for circulating tumor cells.

Molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) at single-cell resolution offers great promise for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics from simple liquid biopsy. Recent development of massively parallel single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides a powerful method to resolve the cellular heterogeneity from gene expression and pathway regulation analysis. However, the scarcity of CTCs and the massive contamination of blood cells limit the utility of currently available technologies.

Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 (PAI1) Promotes Actin Cytoskeleton Reorganization and Glycolytic Metabolism in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Migration and invasion of cancer cells constitute fundamental processes in tumor progression and metastasis. Migratory cancer cells commonly upregulate expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1), and PAI1 correlates with poor prognosis in breast cancer. However, mechanisms by which PAI1 promotes migration of cancer cells remain incompletely defined.

Functional Isolation of Tumor-Initiating Cells using Microfluidic-Based Migration Identifies Phosphatidylserine Decarboxylase as a Key Regulator.

Isolation of tumor-initiating cells currently relies on markers that do not reflect essential biologic functions of these cells. We proposed to overcome this limitation by isolating tumor-initiating cells based on enhanced migration, a function tightly linked to tumor-initiating potential through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We developed a high-throughput microfluidic migration platform with automated cell tracking software and facile recovery of cells for downstream functional and genetic analyses.

Selective Photomechanical Detachment and Retrieval of Divided Sister Cells from Enclosed Microfluidics for Downstream Analyses.

Considerable evidence suggests that self-renewal and differentiation of cancer stem-like cells, a key cell population in tumorgenesis, can determine the outcome of disease. Though the development of microfluidics has enhanced the study of cellular lineage, it remains challenging to retrieve sister cells separately inside enclosed microfluidics for further analyses. In this work, we developed a photomechanical method to selectively detach and reliably retrieve target cells from enclosed microfluidic chambers.

The effects of salt concentration and foulant surface charge on hydrocarbon fouling of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) microfiltration membrane.

The effects of inorganic salts and organic hydrocarbons on membrane fouling are often investigated independently. However, in many cases, these foulants are commonly found together, and such mixtures are rarely the subject of fouling studies. In this study, crude oil-in-water emulsions were formulated at three different added NaCl concentrations, 0, 10 and 10 M.

Macrophages Enhance Migration in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells via RhoC GTPase Signaling.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most lethal form of breast cancer. All IBC patients have lymph node involvement and one-third of patients already have distant metastasis at diagnosis. This propensity for metastasis is a hallmark of IBC distinguishing it from less lethal non-inflammatory breast cancers (nIBC).

Scaling and automation of a high-throughput single-cell-derived tumor sphere assay chip.

Recent research suggests that cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are the key subpopulation for tumor relapse and metastasis. Due to cancer plasticity in surface antigen and enzymatic activity markers, functional tumorsphere assays are promising alternatives for CSC identification. To reliably quantify rare CSCs (1-5%), thousands of single-cell suspension cultures are required.

Single Cell Proteolytic Assays to Investigate Cancer Clonal Heterogeneity and Cell Dynamics Using an Efficient Cell Loading Scheme.

Proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is critical in cancer invasion, and recent work suggests that heterogeneous cancer populations cooperate in this process. Despite the importance of cell heterogeneity, conventional proteolytic assays measure average activity, requiring thousands of cells and providing limited information about heterogeneity and dynamics. Here, we developed a microfluidic platform that provides high-efficiency cell loading and simple valveless isolation, so the proteolytic activity of a small sample (10-100 cells) can be easily characterized.