Socio-economic status, mastery-approach goals and learning-related outcomes: Mediation and moderation

BACKGROUND

Socio-economic status is one of the most important factors shaping students' motivation and achievement but has seldom been explored in relation to achievement goals.

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate whether mastery-approach goals explain the link between SES and key learning-related outcomes (mediation) and whether SES modifies the relationship between mastery-approach goals and these outcomes (moderation).

SAMPLE

Data came from 595,444 students nested in 21,322 schools across 77 countries.

METHODS

Data were analysed using multilevel-moderated mediation analyses.

RESULTS

We found significant mediation and moderation. In terms of mediation, mastery-approach goals mediated the association between family SES and learning-related outcomes. However, a different pattern emerged for school SES, as students in higher SES schools had lower mastery-approach goals. In terms of moderation, we found that family SES strengthened the association between mastery-approach goals and learning-related outcomes. However, the association between mastery-approach goals and learning-related outcomes was weaker in higher SES schools.

CONCLUSION

Theoretical and practical implications for the achievement goal approach to achievement motivation are discussed.

Cooperative school climates are positively linked with socio-emotional skills: A Cross-National Study

BACKGROUND

Socio-emotional skills are critical to life outcomes such as achievement, well-being and job success. However, existing research has mostly focused on the consequences of socio-emotional skills, with less attention devoted to the role of school climate in the deployment of these skills.

AIMS

This study investigated the role of school climate in socio-emotional skills. More specifically, we investigated whether cooperative or competitive school climates are associated with students' socio-emotional skills.

SAMPLE

Our study utilized data from the OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills, collected from 10 cities across nine countries. Participants were 60,985 students, including 31,187 10-year-olds (49.70% females) and 29,798 15-year-olds (51.6% females).

METHODS

We conducted multilevel structural equation modelling to test whether cooperative and competitive climates were associated with socio-emotional skills. These skills include five broad domain skills and 15 more specific skills: task performance (self-control, responsibility and persistence), emotion regulation (stress resistance, emotional control and optimism), collaboration (empathy, trust and cooperation), open-mindedness (tolerance, curiosity and creativity) and engaging with others (sociability, assertiveness and energy).

RESULTS

Our findings indicated a positive relationship between a cooperative climate and socio-emotional skills. In contrast, the relationship between a competitive climate and socio-emotional skills was primarily negative.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the contrasting roles of cooperative and competitive climates in students' socio-emotional skills.

A Novel Mechanism of MSCs Responding to Occlusal Force for Bone Homeostasis

Alveolar bone, as tooth-supporting bone for mastication, is sensitive to occlusal force. However, the mechanism of alveolar bone loss after losing occlusal force remains unclear. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of nonhematopoietic (CD45-) cells in mouse alveolar bone after removing the occlusal force. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and endothelial cell (EC) subsets were significantly decreased in frequency, as confirmed by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. The osteogenic and proangiogenic abilities of MSCs were impaired, and the expression of mechanotransducers yes associated protein 1 (Yap) and WW domain containing transcription regulator 1 (Taz) in MSCs decreased. Conditional deletion of Yap and Taz from LepR+ cells, which are enriched in MSCs that are important for adult bone homeostasis, significantly decreased alveolar bone mass and resisted any further changes in bone mass induced by occlusal force changes. Interestingly, LepR-Cre; Yapf/f; Tazf/f mice showed a decrease in CD31hi endomucin (Emcn)hi endothelium, and the expression of some EC-derived signals acting on osteoblastic cells was inhibited in alveolar bone. Mechanistically, conditional deletion of Yap and Taz in LepR+ cells inhibited the secretion of pleiotrophin (Ptn), which impaired the proangiogenic capacity of LepR+ cells. Knockdown in MSC-derived Ptn repressed human umbilical vein EC tube formation in vitro. More important, administration of recombinant PTN locally recovered the frequency of CD31hiEmcnhi endothelium and rescued the low bone mass phenotype of LepR-Cre; Yapf/f; Tazf/f mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that occlusal force governs MSC-regulated endothelium to maintain alveolar bone homeostasis through the Yap/Taz/Ptn axis, providing a reference for further understanding of the relationship between dysfunction and bone homeostasis.

Small molecule drug discovery targeting the JAK-STAT pathway

The Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway functions as a central hub for transmitting signals from more than 50 cytokines, playing a pivotal role in maintaining hematopoiesis, immune balance, and tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of this pathway has been implicated in various diseases, including immunodeficiency, autoimmune conditions, hematological disorders, and certain cancers. Proteins within this pathway have emerged as effective therapeutic targets for managing these conditions, with various approaches developed to modulate key nodes in the signaling process, spanning from receptor engagement to transcription factor activation. Following the success of JAK inhibitors such as tofacitinib for RA treatment and ruxolitinib for managing primary myelofibrosis, the pharmaceutical industry has obtained approvals for over 10 small molecule drugs targeting the JAK-STAT pathway and many more are at various stages of clinical trials. In this review, we consolidate key strategies employed in drug discovery efforts targeting this pathway, with the aim of contributing to the collective understanding of small molecule interventions in the context of JAK-STAT signaling. We aspire that our endeavors will contribute to advancing the development of innovative and efficacious treatments for a range of diseases linked to this pathway dysregulation.

High humidity and NO2 co-exposure exacerbates allergic asthma by increasing oxidative stress, inflammatory and TRP protein expressions in lung tissue

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease with a high mortality rate and a rapidly increasing prevalence in recent decades that is closely linked to environmental change. Previous research found that high humidity (HH) and the traffic-related air pollutant NO2 both aggregated allergic asthma. Their combined effect and mechanisms on asthma exacerbation, however, are unknown. Our study aims to toxicologically clarify the role of HH (90%) and NO2 (5 ppm) on allergic asthma. Ninety male Balb/c mice were randomly assigned to one of six groups (n = 15 in each): saline control, ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized, OVA + HH, OVA + NO2, OVA + HH + NO2, and OVA + HH + NO2+Capsazepine (CZP). After 38 days of treatment, the airway function, pathological changes in lung tissue, blood inflammatory cells, and oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers were comprehensively assessed. Co-exposure to HH and NO2 exacerbated histopathological changes and airway hyperresponsiveness, increased IgE, oxidative stress markers malonaldehyde (MDA) and allergic asthma-related inflammation markers (IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-17), and upregulated the expressions of the transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels (TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPV4). Our findings show that co-exposure to HH and NO2 disrupted the Th1/Th2 immune balance, promoting allergic airway inflammation and asthma susceptibility, and increasing TRPV1 expression, whereas CZP reduced TRPV1 expression and alleviated allergic asthma symptoms. Thus, therapeutic treatments that target the TRPV1 ion channel have the potential to effectively manage allergic asthma.

Search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson to a pair of pseudoscalars in the μμbb and ττbb final states

A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson (H ) with a mass of 125Ge V to a pair of light pseudoscalars a 1 is performed in final states where one pseudoscalar decays to two b quarks and the other to a pair of muons or τ leptons. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at s = 13 Te V corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 recorded with the CMS detector is analyzed. No statistically significant excess is observed over the standard model backgrounds. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level (CL ) on the Higgs boson branching fraction to μ μ b b and to τ τ b b , via a pair of a 1 s. The limits depend on the pseudoscalar mass m a 1 and are observed to be in the range (0.17-3.3) × 10 - 4 and (1.7-7.7) × 10 - 2 in the μ μ b b and τ τ b b final states, respectively. In the framework of models with two Higgs doublets and a complex scalar singlet (2HDM+S), the results of the two final states are combined to determine upper limits on the branching fraction B ( H → a 1 a 1 → ℓ ℓ b b ) at 95% CL , with ℓ being a muon or a τ lepton. For different types of 2HDM+S, upper bounds on the branching fraction B ( H → a 1 a 1 ) are extracted from the combination of the two channels. In most of the Type II 2HDM+S parameter space, B ( H → a 1 a 1 ) values above 0.23 are excluded at 95% CL for m a 1 values between 15 and 60Ge V .

[Study on the inhibitory and pro-apoptotic effects of different concentrations of total tanshinone alone and in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors on human myeloid leukemia cell lines]

Objective: To explore the effect and investigate the molecular mechanism of different concentrations of total tanshinones alone and in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of human myeloid leukemia cell lines. Methods: K562 and Kasumi-1 cell lines were purchased from the Shanghai Cell Bank of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the TKIs-resistant strain K562/T315I cell line was constructed in Molecular Medicine Research Center, Beijing Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology. Logarithmic growth phase cells were taken and divided into intervention groups with total tanshinone of 0, 2.19, 4.38, 8.75, 17.50 and 35.00 μg/ml intervention groups, which were inoculated in 96-well plates at a density of 1×104 cells/well and exposed to the drug for 24 h, and a control group treated with dimethyl sulfoxide was also set up simultaneously. All experiments were repeated independently 3-5 times. The proliferative activity of the cells was assessed using the CCK-8 assay, the apoptotic rates were measured by flow cytometry, and the expression levels of apoptosis-regulating proteins Bcl-2 and Bax were analyzed by Western blotting. The cell lines treated and untreated with total tanshinone were subjected to transcriptome sequencing and gene set enrichment analysis to identify differentially expressed genes. Results: The half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 8.75 μg/ml total tanshinone at 24 h for K562, K562/T315I and Kasumi-1 cells were (4.11±0.02), (4.95±0.04) and (3.98±0.01) μg/ml, respectively. When combined with 0.25 μmol/L imatinib, 8.75 μg/ml total tanshinone could enhance the induction of apoptosis effects on K562 and K562/T315I cell lines. After being treated with 4.38, 8.75, and 17.50 μg/ml of total tanshinone for 24 h, compared with the control group, total tanshinone upregulated the expression level of Bax protein, downregulated the expression level of Bcl-2 protein, and decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio (all P<0.05). Total tanshinone inhibited the proliferation-related signaling pathway and DNA damage repair pathway of myeloid leukemia cell lines, and activated the signaling pathway that induces apoptosis in leukemia cells. Conclusion: Different concentrations of total tanshinoneinhibites proliferation and promote apoptosis in K562, Kasumi-1 and TKIs-resistant K562/T315I cell lines, and further enhance the anti-leukemic effect when combined with TKIs.

Children's food allergy: Effects of environmental influences and antibiotic use across critical developmental windows

BACKGROUND

Increasing studies linked outdoor air pollution (OAP), indoor environmental factors (IEFs), and antibiotics use (AU) with the first wave of allergies (i.e., asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema), yet the role of their exposures on children's second wave of allergy (i.e., food allergy) are unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between exposure to OAP and IEFs and childhood doctor-diagnosed food allergy (DFA) during the pre-pregnancy, prenatal, early postnatal, and current periods, and to further explore the effect of OAP and IEFs on DFA in children co-exposed to antibiotics.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study involving 8689 preschoolers was carried out in Changsha, China. Data on the health outcomes, antibiotic use, and home environment of each child were collected through a questionnaire. Temperature and air pollutants data were obtained from 8 and 10 monitoring stations in Changsha, respectively. Exposure levels to temperature and air pollutants at individual home addresses were calculated by the inverse distance weighted (IDW) method. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to assess the associations of childhood DFA with exposure to OAP, IEF, and AU.

RESULTS

Childhood ever doctor-diagnosed food allergy (DFA) was linked to postnatal PM10 exposure with OR (95% CI) of 1.18 (1.03-1.36), especially for CO and O3 exposure during the first year with ORs (95% CI) = 1.08 (1.00-1.16) and 1.07 (1.00-1.14), as well as SO2 exposure during the previous year with OR (95% CI) of 1.13 (1.02-1.25). The role of postnatal air pollution is more important for the risk of egg, milk and other food allergies. Renovation-related IAP (new furniture) and dampness-related indoor allergens exposures throughout all time windows significantly increased the risk of childhood DFA, with ORs ranging from 1.23 (1.03-1.46) to 1.54 (1.29-1.83). Furthermore, smoke-related IAP (environmental tobacco smoke [ETS], parental and grandparental smoking) exposure during pregnancy, first year, and previous year was related to DFA. Additionally, exposure to pet-related indoor allergens (cats) during first year and total plant-related allergens (particularly nonflowering plants) during previous year were associated with DFA. Moreover, exposure to plant-related allergy during first and previous year was specifically associated with milk allergy, while keeping cats during first year increased the risk of fruits/vegetables allergy. Life-time and early-life AU was associated with the increased risk of childhood DFA with ORs (95% CI) = 1.57 (1.32-1.87) and 1.46 (1.27-1.67), including different types food allergies except fruit/vegetable allergy.

CONCLUSIONS

Postnatal OAP, life-time and early-life IEFs and AU exposure played a vital role in the development of DFA, supporting the "fetal origin of childhood FA" hypothesis.

Determination of Spin-Parity Quantum Numbers of X(2370) as 0^{-+} from J/ψ→γK_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0}η^{'}

Based on (10087±44)×10^{6}  J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector, a partial wave analysis of the decay J/ψ→γK_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0}η^{'} is performed. The mass and width of the X(2370) are measured to be 2395±11(stat)_{-94}^{+26}(syst)  MeV/c^{2} and 188_{-17}^{+18}(stat)_{-33}^{+124}(syst)  MeV, respectively. The corresponding product branching fraction is B[J/ψ→γX(2370)]×B[X(2370)→f_{0}(980)η^{'}]×B[f_{0}(980)→K_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0}]=(1.31±0.22(stat)_{-0.84}^{+2.85}(syst))×10^{-5}. The statistical significance of the X(2370) is greater than 11.7σ and the spin parity is determined to be 0^{-+} for the first time. The measured mass and spin parity of the X(2370) are consistent with the predictions of the lightest pseudoscalar glueball.

Managing ischemic and necrotic incarcerated femoral hernia contents and their risk factors

PURPOSE

Incarcerated femoral hernia patients had high risk of hernia contents necrosis. We provide our experience of management ischemia and necrosis of hernia contents in emergency incarcerated femoral hernia patients, and to investigate its risk factors.

METHODS

This is a case-control study. Eighty-nine incarcerated femoral patients who underwent emergency surgery from January 2015 to December 2021 were included, and divided into normal group (60 cases) and ischemia/necrosis group (29 cases) according to the intraoperative condition of hernia contents. The surgical methods, intraoperative and postoperative conditions were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of ischemia and necrosis of hernia contents.

RESULTS

Open preperitoneal tension-free repair was the most commonly used surgical methods (68.5%) for incarcerated femoral patients. The utilization rate of laparoscopic repair in the ischemia/necrosis group was lower than that in the normal group (13.8% vs. 20.0%, P = 0.475). The proportion of mesh placement in the normal group was significantly higher than that in the ischemia/necrosis group (98.3% vs 65.5%, P < 0.001). The hernia contents resection rate (55.2% vs 1.7%), operation time (90 vs 40 min), intraoperative bleeding (5 vs 2 ml), ICU admission rate (31.0% vs 1.7%), and hospital stay (7 vs 4 d) were significantly higher in the ischemia/necrosis group than those in normal group. Results of multivariate logistic regression showed that incarceration time more than 9 h (aOR = 19.3, 95%CI: 1.9-192.9) was an independent risk factor for ischemia and necrosis of hernia contents in emergency incarcerated femoral hernia patients.

CONCLUSION

Open tension-free repair was the most commonly used surgical methods for emergency incarcerated femoral hernia patients. Ischemia and necrosis of hernia contents will increase bowel resection rate and prolong operation and hospital stay. Long incarceration time is an independent risk factor for ischemia and necrosis of hernia contents.

Spartina alterniflora invasion benefits blue carbon sequestration in China

Spartina alterniflora has rapidly and extensively encroached on China's coastline over the past decades. Among the coastal areas invaded by S. alterniflora, at most 93% are mudflats. However, the effect of S. alterniflora invasion on soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of coastal mudflats has not been systematically studied on a national scale. Here, we quantified the nationwide changes in SOC stocks in coastal mudflats associated with S. alterniflora invasion between 1990 and 2020. We found that S. alterniflora invasion significantly enhanced SOC stocks in coastal China. Nonetheless, the benefit of S. alterniflora invasion of coastal SOC stock may be weakened by continuing human intervention. We found that S. alterniflora invading mudflats added 2.3 Tg SOC stocks to China's coastal blue carbon, while 1.78 Tg SOC stocks were lost mainly due to human activities, resulted in a net SOC stock gain of 0.52 Tg C. These findings overturned the traditionally thought that S. alterniflora invasion would reduce ecosystem services by highlighting that the historical invasion of S. alterniflora has broadly and consistently enhanced blue carbon stock in coastal China.

Interactive effects of exercise intensity and recovery posture on post-exercise hypotension

Post-exercise reduction in blood pressure, termed post-exercise hypotension (PEH), is relevant for both acute and chronic health reasons and potentially for peripheral cardiovascular adaptations. We investigated the interactive effects of exercise intensity and recovery postures (seated, supine, and standing) on PEH. Thirteen normotensive men underwent a VO2max test on a cycle ergometer and 5 exhaustive constant load trials to determine critical power (CP) and the gas exchange threshold (GET). Subsequently, work-matched exercise trials were performed at two discrete exercise intensities (10% > CP and 10% < GET), with one hour of recovery in each of three postures. For both exercise intensities, standing posture resulted in a more substantial PEH (all P < 0.01). For both standing and seated recovery postures, the higher exercise intensity led to larger reductions in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures (all P < 0.01), whereas in the supine recovery posture, the reduction in diastolic and mean arterial pressures was unaffected by prior exercise intensity (both P > 0.05). PEH is more pronounced during recovery from exercise performed above critical power versus below GET. However, the effect of exercise intensity on PEH is largely abolished when recovery is performed in the supine posture.

[A cross-sectional survey and analysis of influencing factors on the occurrence of post-burn psychological stress disorder in preschool children]

Objective: To explore the occurrence and influencing factors of post-burn psychological stress disorder in preschool children. Methods: This study was a multi-center cross-sectional survey. From January 2022 to February 2023, 85 preschool children (aged 1 to 6 years) with burns admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong Central Hospital, Suining Central Hospital, Guang'an People's Hospital, and Guangyuan Central Hospital who met the inclusion criteria were selected as respondents. A self-made general information questionnaire was used to investigate the children's general data including gender, age group, residential area, main caregiver and their education level, and family type, as well as the injury condition including cause of injury and burn severity. The Child Stress Disorders Checklist was used to investigate the occurrence of psychological stress disorder in children at 3 days to 1 month after injury, and the incidence rate was calculated. The children were classified according to their general data and injury condition, and the occurrence of psychological stress disorder in children at 3 days to 1 month after injury was recorded, and the influencing factors for post-burn psychological stress disorder in preschool children were screened. Results: A total of 85 questionnaires were distributed and 85 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 100%. Among the children, there were 45 boys and 40 girls, with most children aged 1 to 3 years. There were slightly more children in rural areas than in cities. About half of the children were mainly cared for by their parents and grandparents, respectively, and the education level of the main caregivers was mainly high school/technical secondary school. The family type was mainly core family and extended family. The main cause of injury was hydrothermal scald, and the severity of burns was mainly moderate. The incidence rate of psychological stress disorder in this group of children at 3 days to 1 month after injury was 34.12% (29/85). There were statistically significant differences in the occurrence of psychological stress disorder in children with different age groups, causes of injuries, and burn severity at 3 days to 1 month after injury (with χ2 values​​of 9.18, 7.80, and 25.47, respectively, P<0.05); there were no statistically significant differences in the occurrence of psychological stress disorder in children with different genders, residential area, main caregivers, main caregivers' education levels, or family types at 3 days to 1 month after injury (P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age group and burn severity were independent influencing factors for the occurrence of psychological stress disorder in preschool children after burns (with odds ratios of 8.21 and 33.99, respectively, and 95% confidence intervals of 1.57-43.04 and 5.55-207.93, respectively, P<0.05), the older the child and the more severe the burn, the higher the possibility of the occurrence of psychological stress disorder. Conclusions: The incidence rate of psychological stress disorder is high in preschool children after burns. Age group and burn severity are independent influencing factors for the occurrence of post-burn psychological stress disorder in this type of children.

Observation of Structures in the Processes e^{+}e^{-}→ωχ_{c1} and ωχ_{c2}

We present measurements of the Born cross sections for the processes e^{+}e^{-}→ωχ_{c1} and ωχ_{c2} at center-of-mass energies sqrt[s] from 4.308 to 4.951 GeV. The measurements are performed with data samples corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 11.0  fb^{-1} collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider storage ring. Assuming the e^{+}e^{-}→ωχ_{c2} signals come from a single resonance, the mass and width are determined to be M=(4413.6±9.0±0.8)  MeV/c^{2} and Γ=(110.5±15.0±2.9)  MeV, respectively, which is consistent with the parameters of the well-established resonance ψ(4415). In addition, we also use one single resonance to describe the e^{+}e^{-}→ωχ_{c1} line shape and determine the mass and width to be M=(4544.2±18.7±1.7)  MeV/c^{2} and Γ=(116.1±33.5±1.7)  MeV, respectively. The structure of this line shape, observed for the first time, requires further understanding.

Frequency Transmission of Oscillation from External Whole-Body Vibration Platform to the Larynx

PURPOSE

This study investigates (1) the presence of frequency transmission of oscillation from an external whole-body vibration (WBV) platform to the larynx; and (2) the factors that influence this frequency transmission.

METHODS

Thirty participants (mean age=22.3years) with normal voice were exposed to four frequency-intensity levels of WBV (10 Hz-10%, 10 Hz-20%, 20 Hz-10%, 20 Hz-20%) and were instructed to produce the natural vowel /a/ three times during each WBV setting. The frequency was extracted from the middle 1-second of each electroglottographic (EGG) signal after passing through a Hann band filter with a range of 6-24 Hz. Linear mixed-effects models were applied to determine the factors that influenced the absolute deviation of the frequency transmission.

RESULTS

All participants exhibit an extracted EGG frequency that aligns with the external WBV frequency, deviating by - 0.6 to 1.2 Hz. The absolute deviation of WBV frequency transmission is consistent for both sexes across various WBV settings, except the 10 Hz-10% setting where men tend to exhibit significantly higher deviations (P = 0.018).

CONCLUSION

Oscillations at a specific frequency are transmitted from an external WBV platform to the larynx. This study proposes the use of a "spring" system to investigate the effect of WBV on the larynx, and recommends further research to explore the potential of WBV in managing voice disorders.

Coupled-Channel Analysis of the χ_{c1}(3872) Line Shape with BESIII Data

We perform a study of the χ_{c1}(3872) line shape using the data samples of e^{+}e^{-}→γχ_{c1}(3872), χ_{c1}(3872)→D^{0}D[over ¯]^{0}π^{0}, and π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ collected with the BESIII detector. The effects of the coupled channels and the off-shell D^{*0} are included in the parametrization of the line shape. The line shape mass parameter is obtained to be M_{X}=(3871.63±0.13_{-0.05}^{+0.06})  MeV. Two poles are found on the first and second Riemann sheets corresponding to the D^{*0}D[over ¯]^{0} branch cut. The pole location on the first sheet is much closer to the D^{*0}D[over ¯]^{0} threshold than the other, and is determined to be 7.04±0.15_{-0.08}^{+0.07}  MeV above the D^{0}D[over ¯]^{0}π^{0} threshold with an imaginary part -0.19±0.08_{-0.19}^{+0.14}  MeV.

Observation of the Anomalous Shape of X(1840) in J/ψ→γ3(π^{+}π^{-}) Indicating a Second Resonance Near pp[over ¯] Threshold

Using a sample of (10087±44)×10^{6}  J/ψ events, which is about 45 times larger than that was previously analyzed, a further investigation on the J/ψ→γ3(π^{+}π^{-}) decay is performed. A significant distortion at 1.84  GeV/c^{2} in the line shape of the 3(π^{+}π^{-}) invariant mass spectrum is observed for the first time, which could be resolved by two overlapping resonant structures, X(1840) and X(1880). The new state X(1880) is observed with a statistical significance larger than 10σ. The mass and width of X(1880) are determined to be 1882.1±1.7±0.7  MeV/c^{2} and 30.7±5.5±2.4  MeV, respectively, which indicates the existence of a pp[over ¯] bound state.

Study of association between corneal shape parameters and axial length elongation during orthokeratology using image-pro plus software

BACKGROUND

The aim was to validate the correlation between corneal shape parameters and axial length growth (ALG) during orthokeratology using Image-Pro Plus (IPP) 6.0 software.

METHODS

This retrospective study used medical records of myopic children aged 8-13 years (n = 104) undergoing orthokeratology. Their corneal topography and axial length were measured at baseline and subsequent follow-ups after lens wear. Corneal shape parameters, including the treatment zone (TZ) area, TZ diameter, TZ fractal dimension, TZ radius ratio, eccentric distance, pupil area, and pupillary peripheral steepened zone(PSZ) area, were measured using IPP software. The impact of corneal shape parameters at 3 months post-orthokeratology visit on 1.5-year ALG was evaluated using multivariate linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

ALG exhibited significant associations with age, TZ area, TZ diameter, TZ fractal dimension, and eccentric distance on univariate linear regression analysis. Multivariate regression analysis identified age, TZ area, and eccentric distance as significantly correlated with ALG (all P < 0.01), with eccentric distance showing the strongest correlation (β = -0.370). The regressive equation was y = 1.870 - 0.235a + 0.276b - 0.370c, where y represents ALG, a represents age, b represents TZ area, and c represents eccentric distance; R2 = 0.27). No significant relationships were observed between the TZ radius ratio, pupillary PSZ area, and ALG.

CONCLUSIONS

IPP software proves effective in capturing precise corneal shape parameters after orthokeratology. Eccentric distance, rather than age or the TZ area, significantly influences ALG retardation.

Study of the f_{0}(980) and f_{0}(500) Scalar Mesons through the Decay D_{s}^{+}→π^{+}π^{-}e^{+}ν_{e}

Using e^{+}e^{-} collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.33  fb^{-1} recorded by the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies between 4.128 and 4.226 GeV, we present an analysis of the decay D_{s}^{+}→π^{+}π^{-}e^{+}ν_{e}, where the D_{s}^{+} is produced via the process e^{+}e^{-}→D_{s}^{*±}D_{s}^{∓}. We observe the f_{0}(980) in the π^{+}π^{-} system and the branching fraction of the decay D_{s}^{+}→f_{0}(980)e^{+}ν_{e} with f_{0}(980)→π^{+}π^{-} measured to be (1.72±0.13_{stat}±0.10_{syst})×10^{-3}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The dynamics of the D_{s}^{+}→f_{0}(980)e^{+}ν_{e} decay are studied with the simple pole parametrization of the hadronic form factor and the Flatté formula describing the f_{0}(980) in the differential decay rate, and the product of the form factor f_{+}^{f_{0}}(0) and the c→s Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V_{cs}| is determined for the first time to be f_{+}^{f_{0}}(0)|V_{cs}|=0.504±0.017_{stat}±0.035_{syst}. Furthermore, the decay D_{s}^{+}→f_{0}(500)e^{+}ν_{e} is searched for the first time but no signal is found. The upper limit on the branching fraction of D_{s}^{+}→f_{0}(500)e^{+}ν_{e}, f_{0}(500)→π^{+}π^{-} decay is set to be 3.3×10^{-4} at 90% confidence level.

Single-cell analysis reveals a unique microenvironment in peri-implantitis

AIM

This study aimed to reveal the unique microenvironment of peri-implantitis through single-cell analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Herein, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of biopsies from patients with peri-implantitis (PI) and compared the results with healthy individuals (H) and patients with periodontitis (PD).

RESULTS

Decreased numbers of stromal cells and increased immune cells were found in the PI group, which implies a severe inflammatory infiltration. The fibroblasts were found to be heterogeneous and the specific pro-inflammatory CXCL13+ sub-cluster was more represented in the PI group, in contrast to the PD and H groups. Furthermore, more neutrophil infiltration was detected in the PI group than in the PD group, and cell-cell communication and ligand-receptor pairs revealed most neutrophils were recruited by CXCL13+ fibroblasts through CXCL8/CXCL6-CXCR2/CXCR1. Notably, our study demonstrated that the unique microenvironment of the PI group promoted the differentiation of monocyte/macrophage lineage cells into osteoclasts, which might explain the faster and more severe bone resorption in the progression of PI than PD.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, this study suggests a unique immune microenvironment of PI, which may explain the differences between PI and PD in the clinic. These outcomes will aid in finding new specific and effective treatments for PI.

Efficacy and safety of intrathecal pemetrexed for TKI-failed leptomeningeal metastases from EGFR+ NSCLC: an expanded, single-arm, phase II clinical trial

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intrathecal pemetrexed (IP) for treating patients with leptomeningeal metastases (LM) from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who progressed from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment in an expanded, prospective, single-arm, phase II clinical study (ChiCTR1800016615).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with confirmed NSCLC-LM who progressed from TKI received IP (50 mg, day 1/day 5 for 1 week, then every 3 weeks for four cycles, and then once monthly) until disease progression or intolerance. Objectives were to assess overall survival (OS), response rate, and safety. Measurable lesions were assessed by investigator according to RECIST version 1.1. LM were assessed according to the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) criteria.

RESULTS

The study included 132 patients; 68% were female and median age was 52 years (31-74 years). The median OS was 12 months (95% confidence interval 10.4-13.6 months), RANO-assessed response rate was 80.3% (106/132), and the most common adverse event was myelosuppression (n = 42; 31.8%), which reversed after symptomatic treatment. The results of subgroup analysis showed that absence of brain parenchymal metastasis, good Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score, good response to IP treatment, negative cytology after treatment, and patients without neck/back pain/difficult defecation had longer survival. Gender, age, previous intrathecal methotrexate/cytarabine, and whole-brain radiotherapy had no significant influence on OS.

CONCLUSIONS

This study further showed that IP is an effective and safe treatment method for the EGFR-TKI-failed NSCLC-LM, and should be recommended for these patients in clinical practice and guidelines.

Observation of D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}a_{0}(980)^{+} in the Amplitude Analysis of D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}η

We perform for the first time an amplitude analysis of the decay D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}η and report the observation of the decay D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}a_{0}(980)^{+} using 2.93  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector. As the only W-annihilation-free decay among D to a_{0}(980) pseudoscalar, D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}a_{0}(980)^{+} is the ideal decay in extracting the contributions of the W-emission amplitudes involving a_{0}(980) and to study the final-state interactions. The absolute branching fraction of D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}η is measured to be (1.27±0.04_{stat}±0.03_{syst})%. The branching fractions of intermediate processes D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}a_{0}(980)^{+} with a_{0}(980)^{+}→π^{+}η and D^{+}→π^{+}K[over ¯]_{0}^{*}(1430)^{0} with K[over ¯]_{0}^{*}(1430)^{0}→K_{S}^{0}η are measured to be (1.33±0.05_{stat}±0.04_{syst})% and (0.14±0.03_{stat}±0.01_{syst})%, respectively.

Observation of Significant Flavor-SU(3) Breaking in the Kaon Wave Function at 12<Q^{2}<25 GeV^{2} and Discovery of the Charmless Decay ψ(3770)→K_{S}^{0}K_{L}^{0}

We present cross sections for the reaction e^{+}e^{-}→K_{S}^{0}K_{L}^{0} at center-of-mass energies ranging from 3.51 to 4.95 GeV using data samples collected in the BESIII experiment, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 26.5  fb^{-1}. The ratio of neutral-to-charged kaon form factors at large momentum transfers (12 Collapse

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Observation of WWγ Production and Search for Hγ Production in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The observation of WWγ production in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} is presented. The observed (expected) significance is 5.6 (5.1) standard deviations. Events are selected by requiring exactly two leptons (one electron and one muon) of opposite charge, moderate missing transverse momentum, and a photon. The measured fiducial cross section for WWγ is 5.9±0.8(stat)±0.8(syst)±0.7(modeling)  fb, in agreement with the next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics prediction. The analysis is extended with a search for the associated production of the Higgs boson and a photon, which is generated by a coupling of the Higgs boson to light quarks. The result is used to constrain the Higgs boson couplings to light quarks.

[Analysis of transfusion effect of different platelet matching schemes in patients with platelet transfusion refractoriness]

Objective: To analyze the transfusion effect of different platelet matching schemes in patients with platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR). Methods: A total of 94 patients with PTR received by Taiyuan Blood Center from January to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 26 males and 68 females, aged 53(34,66) years. Platelet antibody screening was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For patients with positive human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class Ⅰ antibodies, Luminex platform liquid chip assay was used to identify the specificity of antibodies, and platelets with missing allelic expression antigen corresponding to their specific antibodies were found in the platelet donor gene database established in our laboratory. For patients with negative class HLA-Ⅰ antibody screening, medium and high-resolution HLA-A and B alleles were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction restriction sequence specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO), and the compatible platelets were searched from the platelet donor gene database by HLA cross-reactive group genotype matching scheme or directly selected by serological cross-matching. The PCI compliance rate and total transfusion effective rate of different mismatch site groups and different matching scheme groups were statistically analyzed. Results: Platelet antibody was detected in 39 of 94 PTR patients with a positive rate of 41.5%, and all of them were HLA-Ⅰ antibodies, and 1 case was accompanied by human platelet antigen (HPA) antibody. A total of 134 times of compatible platelets were supplied to 39 patients with HLA-Ⅰ antibody positive by using antibody avoidance matching method. And the total effective rate of transfusion was 97.8% (131/134); The PCI compliance rates of HLA-A antigen mismatch, HLA-B antigen mismatch and HLA-A and B antigen mismatch groups were 81.6% (31/38), 86.5% (32/37) and 78.6% (22/28), respectively. The total effective rate of transfusion was 97.4% (37/38), 94.6% (35/37) and 100% (28/28), respectively, with no statistical significance (all P>0.05). A total of 118 times of compatible platelets were provided by HLA antigen cross-reaction group genotype matching and serological cross-matching, 90 transfusion effects were collected during follow-up, and the total effective rate was 76.7% (69/90). Conclusion: The combination of different platelet matching schemes can improve the PCI compliance rate and the total effective rate of transfusion in PTR patients.

New Structures in the J/ψJ/ψ Mass Spectrum in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search is reported for near-threshold structures in the J/ψJ/ψ invariant mass spectrum produced in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV from data collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 135  fb^{-1}. Three structures are found, and a model with quantum interference among these structures provides a good description of the data. A new structure is observed with a local significance above 5 standard deviations at a mass of 6638_{-38}^{+43}(stat)_{-31}^{+16}(syst)  MeV. Another structure with even higher significance is found at a mass of 6847_{-28}^{+44}(stat)_{-20}^{+48}(syst)  MeV, which is consistent with the X(6900) resonance reported by the LHCb experiment and confirmed by the ATLAS experiment. Evidence for another new structure, with a local significance of 4.7 standard deviations, is found at a mass of 7134_{-25}^{+48}(stat)_{-15}^{+41}(syst)  MeV. Results are also reported for a model without interference, which does not fit the data as well and shows mass shifts up to 150 MeV relative to the model with interference.

Investigation of the ΔI=1/2 Rule and Test of CP Symmetry through the Measurement of Decay Asymmetry Parameters in Ξ^{-} Decays

Using (10087±44)×10^{6}  J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector, numerous Ξ^{-} and Λ decay asymmetry parameters are simultaneously determined from the process J/ψ→Ξ^{-}Ξ[over ¯]^{+}→Λ(pπ^{-})π^{-}Λ[over ¯](n[over ¯]π^{0})π^{+} and its charge-conjugate channel. The precisions of α_{Λ0} for Λ→nπ^{0} and α[over ¯]_{Λ0} for Λ[over ¯]→n[over ¯]π^{0} compared to world averages are improved by factors of 4 and 1.7, respectively. The ratio of decay asymmetry parameters of Λ→nπ^{0} to that of Λ→pπ^{-}, ⟨α_{Λ0}⟩/⟨α_{Λ-}⟩, is determined to be 0.873±0.012_{-0.010}^{+0.011}, where the first and the second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The ratio is smaller than unity more than 5σ, which signifies the existence of the ΔI=3/2 transition in Λ for the first time. Besides, we test for CP symmetry in Ξ^{-}→Λπ^{-} and in Λ→nπ^{0} with the best precision to date.

Non-KAM classical chaos topology for electrons in superlattice minibands determines the inter-well quantum transition rates

We investigate the quantum-classical correspondence for a particle tunnelling through a periodic superlattice structure with an applied bias voltage and an additional tilted harmonic oscillator potential. We show that the quantum mechanical tunnelling rate between neighbouring quantum wells of the superlattice is determined by the topology of the phase trajectories of the analogous classical system. This result also enables us to estimate, with high accuracy, the tunnelling rate between two spatially displaced simple harmonic oscillator states using a classical model, and thus gain new insight into this generic quantum phenomenon. This finding opens new directions for exploring and understanding the quantum-classical correspondence principle and quantum jumps between displaced harmonic oscillators, which are important in many branches of natural science.

Observation of D_{s}^{+}→η^{'}μ^{+}ν_{μ}, Precision Test of Lepton Flavor Universality with D_{s}^{+}→η^{(')}l^{+}ν_{l}, and First Measurements of D_{s}^{+}→η^{(')}μ^{+}ν_{μ} Decay Dynamics

By analyzing 7.33  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} annihilation data collected at center-of-mass energies between 4.128 and 4.226 GeV with the BESIII detector, we report the observation of the semileptonic decay D_{s}^{+}→η^{'}μ^{+}ν_{μ}, with a statistical significance larger than 10σ, and the measurements of the D_{s}^{+}→ημ^{+}ν_{μ} and D_{s}^{+}→η^{'}μ^{+}ν_{μ} decay dynamics for the first time. The branching fractions of D_{s}^{+}→ημ^{+}ν_{μ} and D_{s}^{+}→η^{'}μ^{+}ν_{μ} are determined to be (2.235±0.051_{stat}±0.052_{syst})% and (0.801±0.055_{stat}±0.028_{syst})%, respectively, with precision improved by factors of 6.0 and 6.6 compared to the previous best measurements. Combined with the results for the decays D_{s}^{+}→ηe^{+}ν_{e} and D_{s}^{+}→η^{'}e^{+}ν_{e}, the ratios of the decay widths are examined both inclusively and in several ℓ^{+}ν_{ℓ} four-momentum transfer ranges. No evidence for lepton flavor universality violation is found within the current statistics. The products of the hadronic form factors f_{+,0}^{η^{(')}}(0) and the c→s Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V_{cs}| are determined. The results based on the two-parameter series expansion are f_{+,0}^{η}(0)|V_{cs}|=0.452±0.010_{stat}±0.007_{syst} and f_{+,0}^{η^{'}}(0)|V_{cs}|=0.504±0.037_{stat}±0.012_{syst}, which help to constrain present models on f_{+,0}^{η^{(')}}(0). The forward-backward asymmetries are determined to be ⟨A_{FB}^{η}⟩=-0.059±0.031_{stat}±0.005_{syst} and ⟨A_{FB}^{η^{'}}⟩=-0.064±0.079_{stat}±0.006_{syst} for the first time, which are consistent with the theoretical calculation.

[Diagnostic value of high frequency oscillation in localization of type Ⅱ focal cortical dysplasia epilepsy]

Retrospective analysis was conducted on 9 patients with type Ⅱ focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) who underwent stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) implantation in the Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from November 2020 to February 2023. The onset area, onset time, and frequency of high-frequency oscillations (HFO) were analyzed and the correlation of HFOs with interictal, preictal, and ictal periods. SEEG recordings of 80-500 Hz HFOs were observed in both interictal and ictal periods in 9 patients, with 6 patients exhibiting fast ripples (FR) in the range of 250-500 Hz. Surgical resection of the seizure onset area and FR-generating electrodes was performed, and postoperative follow-up for over 2 years indicated Engel I in 5 cases. 6 patients showed continuous discharge during the preictal period, and the distribution index of continuous discharge was positively correlated with seizure frequency. HFOs in the range of 80-500 Hz were present in all four seizure onset patterns during the ictal period. The onset area and FR-emitting electrode were surgically removed in 6 patients with continuous discharge and overlapping HFOs during the preictal period, with 5 cases of Engel I. Type Ⅱ FCD discharges exhibited complexity, high discharge indices, and a close association with HFOs. Compared with the spike wave, the electrode range of HF is more limited, and the incidence of HF before attack is significantly increased, which is closely correlated with the onset area. The simultaneous occurrence of HFO and the spike waves has higher diagnostic value than the individual occurrence, effectively enhancing surgical efficacy.

Determination of the Σ^{+} Timelike Electromagnetic Form Factors

Based on data samples collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the process e^{+}e^{-}→Σ^{+}Σ[over ¯]^{-} is studied at center-of-mass energies sqrt[s]=2.3960, 2.6454, and 2.9000 GeV. Using a fully differential angular description of the final state particles, both the relative magnitude and phase information of the Σ^{+} electromagnetic form factors in the timelike region are extracted. The relative phase between the electric and magnetic form factors is determined to be sinΔΦ=-0.67±0.29(stat)±0.18(syst) at sqrt[s]=2.3960  GeV, ΔΦ=55°±19°(stat)±14°(syst) at sqrt[s]=2.6454  GeV, and 78°±22°(stat)±9°(syst) at sqrt[s]=2.9000  GeV. For the first time, the phase of the hyperon electromagnetic form factors is explored in a wide range of four-momentum transfer. The evolution of the phase along with four-momentum transfer is an important input for understanding its asymptotic behavior and the dynamics of baryons.

[Study based on the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 gene polymorphism and acetaminophen-induced liver injury]

Objective: To explore the association between aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene polymorphisms and abnormal liver function-induced by acetaminophen (APAP) drugs. Methods: An ALDH2 gene knockout mouse model was constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. The obtained heterozygous mice were mated with opposite sex of heterozygotes. Genomic DNA was extracted from the tail of the offspring mouse. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to determine the ALDH2 genotype. APAP was further used to induce acute drug-induced liver injury models in wild-type and ALDH2 knockout mice. Blood and liver tissues of mice were collected for liver function index, HE staining, F4/80 immunohistochemistry, and other detections. The intergroup mean was compared using a one-way ANOVA. The LSD- t test was used for pairwise comparison. Results: ALDH2 knockout mice were bred successfully. The genotyping of the offspring was segregated into the wild-type (ALDH2(+/+)), heterozygous mutant (ALDH2(+/-)), and homozygous mutant (ALDH2(-/-)), respectively. Biochemical and histological results after APAP modeling showed that the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (TBil) was not significantly increased in the blank control group (P < 0.05), while the ALT, AST,ALP, and TBil were all elevated in the APAP experimental group. The levels of ALT (P  = 0.004), AST (P = 0.002), and TBil (P = 0.012) were significantly elevated among the mutant group compared to those in the wild-type group, and the expression levels of these indicators were also significantly elevated among the homozygous mutant group compared to those in the heterozygous mutant group (P = 0.003, 0 and 0.006). In addition, the ALP levels were higher in the heterozygous mutation group than those in the homozygous mutant group (P = 0.085) and wild-type group mice, but the difference was only statistically significant compared to wild-type mice (P = 0.002). HE staining results showed that mice in the APAP experimental group had hepatocyte degeneration, necrosis, and increased inflammatory cell infiltration, which was mostly evident in mutant mice. Simultaneously, the F4/80 immunohistochemical staining results showed that brown granules were visible in the liver tissue of APAP experimental group mice, and its expression levels were significantly enhanced compared to the blank control group. Conclusion: APAP-induced liver function abnormalities were associated with the ALDH2 gene polymorphism. The liver injury symptoms were increased in ALDH2 mutant mice following APAP modeling, and the ALDH2 gene defect may alleviate, to some extent, APAP-induced liver function abnormalities.

Preconceptional, pregnant, and postnatal exposure to outdoor air pollution and indoor environmental factors: Effects on childhood parasitic infections

BACKGROUND

Parasitic infections (PIs) are common and pose substantial health hazards in children globally, but the fundamental environmental variables exposure during crucial time window(s) are unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To identify key indoor and outdoor environmental factors leading to childhood PIs throughout critical time window(s).

METHODS

A combined cross-sectional and retrospective cohort study was performed on 8689 children residing in Changsha, China. Data was acquired pertaining to the health status and environmental exposure of the children in their homes. Personal exposure to outdoor air pollutants at the residential address during the preconceptional, perinatal, and postnatal periods was computed using data from ten air quality monitoring stations. An analysis of the relationships between childhood PIs and both indoor and outdoor factors was conducted using a multiple logistic regression model.

RESULTS

Childhood PIs were associated with outdoor CO and ozone (O3) exposure during the 10th-12th months prior to pregnancy, with ORs (95 % CI) of 1.68 (1.24-2.27) and 1.60 (1.15-2.22), respectively; childhood PIs were also associated with CO exposure during one year prior to pregnancy and the first trimester in utero [ORs = 1.57 (1.14-2.15) and 1.52 (1.17-1.97)]. Childhood PIs were found to be associated with PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy and the first year, with odds ratios of 1.51 (1.14-2.00) and 1.95 (1.22-3.12) per IQR increase in pollutant exposure, respectively. Exposures to smoke, renovation-related indoor air pollution (IAP), dampness and plant-related indoor allergens in the early life and past year were all associated with childhood PI, with odds ratios (95 % CI) ranging from 1.40 (1.01-1.95) for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during pregnancy to 1.63 (1.12-2.37) for mold/damp stains in the past year. In terms of PI risk, the early life and present periods were critical time windows for outdoor and indoor exposures, respectively. Certain individuals were more vulnerable to the PI risk associated with both indoor and outdoor exposures. Antibiotic use during child's lifetime and early years increased and decreased the PI risk of exposure to outdoor and indoor environments, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to outdoor air pollution in early life and indoor environments in the past year were found to be associated with childhood PI.

Coupling of cylindrospermopsin and pho-harboring Verrucomicrobia supports the formation of Raphidiopsis blooms in low-phosphorus waters

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) can induce phytoplankton community to secrete alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which is one of the important strategies for the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Raphidiopsis to thrive in extremely low-phosphorus (P) waters. However, how bacterioplankton community, another major contributor to ALPs in waters, couples to Raphidiopsis through CYN, and the role of this coupling in supporting the dominance of Raphidiopsis in nature remain largely unknown. Here, we conducted microcosm experiments to address this knowledge gap, using a combination of differential filtration-based and metagenomics-based methods to identify the sources of ALPs. We found that, compared with algal-derived ALPs, bacteria-derived ALPs exhibited a more pronounced and sensitive response to CYN. This response to CYN was enhanced under low-P conditions. Interestingly, we found that Verrucomicrobia made the largest contribution to the total abundance of pho genes, which encode ALPs. Having high gene abundance of the CYN-sensing PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, Verrucomicrobia's proportion increased with higher concentrations of CYN under low-P conditions, thereby explaining the observed increase in pho gene abundance. Compared with other cyanobacterial genera, Raphidiopsis had a higher abundance of the pst gene. This suggests that Raphidiopsis exhibited a greater capacity to uptake the inorganic P generated by ALPs secreted by other organisms. Overall, our results reveal the mechanism of CYN-induced ALP secretion and its impact on planktonic P-cycling, and provide valuable insights into the role of CYN in supporting the formation of Raphidiopsis blooms.

Search for Scalar Leptoquarks Produced via τ-Lepton-Quark Scattering in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The first search for scalar leptoquarks produced in τ-lepton-quark collisions is presented. It is based on a set of proton-proton collision data recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1}. The reconstructed final state consists of a jet, significant missing transverse momentum, and a τ lepton reconstructed through its hadronic or leptonic decays. Limits are set on the product of the leptoquark production cross section and branching fraction and interpreted as exclusions in the plane of the leptoquark mass and the leptoquark-τ-quark coupling strength.

[Pathogenic agents causing acute respiratory tract infections in pediatric patients in Spring, 2023, in Beijing]

Objective: To explore the pathogenic agents of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children in Beijing. Methods: In the cross-sectional study, 3 groups of children from different departments were enrolled from Feb 6th, 2023 (6th week) to May 28th (21th week), 2023, including influenza-like case group from emergency department for nucleic acid testing of influenza virus (Flu) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV), the outpatient ARI group under nucleic acid testing for Flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), and parainfluenza virus (PIV), and the inpatient ARI group under nucleic acid testing for Flu, RSV, HMPV, ADV, human bocavirus (HBoV), Rhinovirus (Rh), PIV, coronavirus (HCoV), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) and Chlamydia pneumonia (Cp). Results: There were 320 influenza-like cases enrolled, including 192 males and 128 females, aged 4.7 (3.6, 6.9) years, and 117 cases (36.6%) positive for Flu A, which contained similar proportion of pandemic H1N1 (H1N1) 47.0% (55/117) and H3N2 53.0% (62/117), and 13 cases for HMPV 4.1% (13/320). The rate of Flu reached its peak at the 10th week, with H1N1 as the predominant one from the 6th to 9th week (10.0%-50.0%) and then H3N2 from the 10th to 16th week (15.0%-90.0%). HMPV was detected from the 15th week 5.0% (1/20), and then reached to 30.0% (6/20) at the 20th week. In the outpatient ARI group, 7 573 were enrolled, including 4 131 males and 3 442 females, aged 4.0 (2.1, 5.3) years, and the highest positive rate for RSV 32.9% (2 491/7 573), followed by Flu A 12.1% (915/7 573). The dominant one was Flu A in weeks 6-14 (23.2%-74.7%), then RSV in the 15th week 24.8% (36/145). In the inpatient ARI group, 1 391 patients were enrolled, including 804 males and 587 females, aged 3.3 (0.4, 5.8) years, and the highest positive rate for Rh 18.7% (260/1 391), followed by RSV 12.4% (173/1 391), Flu A 10.2% (142/1 391, of which 116 cases (81.7%) were H1N1, and 26 cases (18.3%) were H3N2) and HMPV 3.1% (43/1 391). H1N1 was detected from the 7th week 10% (6/60), to peak in the 11th week 31.8% (21/66). H3N2 was detected from the 8th week 1.5% (1/68), and then kept in low level. The proportion of H1N1 among Flu was 81.7% (116/142) in the inpatient ARI group. RSV was detected from 12th week 1.3% (1/80), reaching 30.4% (35/115) at 19th week. The positive rate of HMPV reached 12.1% (14/116) at 21th week. Conclusions: In the spring of 2023, the first one in Beijing is the Flu epidemic, with H1N1 being the predominant one in the early stage and H3N2 in the later stage. Then, there is a postponed RSV epidemic and an increased HMPV detection. In addition, nucleic acid testing for outpatient children should be strengthened to provide early warning of epidemics.

[Establishment and efficiency test of a clinical prediction model of bronchopulmonary dysplasia associated pulmonary hypertension in very premature infants]

Objective: To develop a risk prediction model for identifying bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) associated pulmonary hypertension (PH) in very premature infants. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 626 very premature infants whose gestational age <32 weeks and who suffered from BPD were collected from October 1st, 2015 to December 31st, 2021 of the Seventh Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital as a modeling set. The clinical data of 229 very premature infants with BPD of Hunan Children's Hospital from January 1 st, 2020 to December 31st, 2021 were collected as a validation set for external verification. The very premature infants with BPD were divided into PH group and non PH group based on the echocardiogram after 36 weeks' corrected age in the modeling set and validation set, respectively. Univariate analysis was used to compare the basic clinical characteristics between groups, and collinearity exclusion was carried out between variables. The risk factors of BPD associated PH were further screened out by multivariate Logistic regression, and the risk assessment model was established based on these variables. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under curve (AUC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were used to evaluate the model's discrimination and calibration power, respectively. And the calibration curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of the model and draw the nomogram. The bootstrap repeated sampling method was used for internal verification. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the clinical practicability of the model was used. Results: A total of 626 very premature infants with BPD were included for modeling set, including 85 very premature infants in the PH group and 541 very premature infants in the non PH group. A total of 229 very premature infants with BPD were included for validation set, including 24 very premature infants in the PH group and 205 very premature infants in the non PH group. Univariate analysis of the modeling set found that 22 variables, such as artificial conception, fetal distress, gestational age, birth weight, small for gestational age, 1 minute Apgar score ≤7, antenatal corticosteroids, placental abruption, oligohydramnios, multiple pulmonary surfactant, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS)>stage Ⅱ, early pulmonary hypertension, moderate-severe BPD, and hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) all had statistically significant influence between the PH group and the non PH group (all P<0.05). Antenatal corticosteroids, fetal distress, NRDS >stage Ⅱ, hsPDA, pneumonia and days of invasive mechanical ventilation were identified as predictive variables and finally included to establish the Logistic regression model. The AUC of this model was 0.86 (95%CI 0.82-0.90), the cut-off value was 0.17, the sensitivity was 0.77, and the specificity was 0.84. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed that P>0.05. The AUC for external validation was 0.88, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test suggested P>0.05. Conclusions: A high sensitivity and specificity risk prediction model of PBD associated PH in very premature infants was established. This predictive model is useful for early clinical identification of infants at high risk of BPD associated PH.

[Psychological problems in breast cancer patients should be taken seriously]

With the transformation of the biopsychosocial medical model, psychological problems and related interventions for breast cancer patients have received more and more attention. Patients often have various psychological problems, in diagnosis, treatment, and even in the state of disease-free survival, such as anxiety and depression, which not only seriously reduces the quality of life, but also affects the follow-up treatment and increases the risk of recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, physicians should perform routine psychological screening and appropriate intervention for patients. In recent years, psychological intervention has gradually become an important part of comprehensive breast cancer treatment, in which cognitive behavior therapy can alleviate patients' anxiety and sleep disorders, mindfulness therapy can treat patients' anxiety, depression and fear of cancer recurrence, and psychoeducational support is mainly used to address patients' mood disorders and sexual dysfunction. Improving patients' compliance with treatment and quality of life is the main goal of psychological intervention for breast cancer patients.

Pan-Asian adapted ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with gastric cancer

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with gastric cancer (GC), published in late 2022 and the updated ESMO Gastric Cancer Living Guideline published in July 2023, were adapted in August 2023, according to previously established standard methodology, to produce the Pan-Asian adapted (PAGA) ESMO consensus guidelines for the management of Asian patients with GC. The adapted guidelines presented in this manuscript represent the consensus opinions reached by a panel of Asian experts in the treatment of patients with GC representing the oncological societies of China (CSCO), Indonesia (ISHMO), India (ISMPO), Japan (JSMO), Korea (KSMO), Malaysia (MOS), the Philippines (PSMO), Singapore (SSO), Taiwan (TOS) and Thailand (TSCO), coordinated by ESMO and the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (JSMO). The voting was based on scientific evidence and was independent of the current treatment practices, drug access restrictions and reimbursement decisions in the different Asian regions represented by the 10 oncological societies. The latter are discussed separately in the manuscript. The aim is to provide guidance for the optimisation and harmonisation of the management of patients with GC across the different regions of Asia, drawing on the evidence provided by both Western and Asian trials, whilst respecting the differences in screening practices, molecular profiling and age and stage at presentation. Attention is drawn to the disparity in the drug approvals and reimbursement strategies, between the different regions of Asia.

Increasing carbon and nutrient burial rates in mangroves coincided with coastal aquaculture development and water eutrophication in NE Hainan, China

Mangroves sequester and store large area-specific quantities of blue carbon (C) and essential nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P). Quantifying C and nutrient burial rates in mangroves across a centennial time span and relating these rates to mangrove habitat is fundamental for elucidating the role of mangroves in carbon and nutrient budgets and their responses to environmental changes. However, relevant data are very limited in China. In this study, we used the radionuclides (210Pb and 137Cs) to determine chronologies and C, N and P burial rates in two mangrove forests located at different geomorphologic settings in NE Hainan Island, China. We found that the temporal patterns of C, N and P burial rates since 1900 fitted a quadratic function with a notable increase after 1960s in both mangroves, which coincided with the rapid development of coastal aquaculture since 1960s in NE Hainan and the subsequent coastal water eutrophication in this area. Sediment accretion rate (SAR) and mass accumulation rate (MAR) stayed relatively steady in the open-coastal mangroves, while they increased exponentially in the estuarine mangroves since 1900. The estuarine mangroves had significantly higher SAR and C, N and P burial rates than the open-coastal mangroves. C, N and P burial rates averaged at 141.52 g m-2 a-1, 6.27 g m-2 a-1 and 1.14 g m-2 a-1, respectively in the estuarine core, and these rates averaged at 61.71 g m-2 a-1, 3.71 g m-2 a-1 and 0.43 g m-2 a-1, respectively in the open-coastal core. The results suggest that estuarine mangroves may be more capable of surviving accelerating sea level rise under climate change and play a greater role in C accumulation and nutrient filtering under anthropogenic nutrient enrichment than marine-dominated mangroves. Blue C burial may be enhanced by coastal water eutrophication, but such a relationship needs to be tested in further studies.

Copper(II)-infused porphyrin MOF: maximum scavenging GSH for enhanced photodynamic disruption of bacterial biofilm

Bacterial biofilm infection is a serious obstacle to clinical therapeutics. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) plays a dynamic role in combating biofilm infection by utilizing reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced bacterial oxidation injury, showing advantages of mild side effects, spatiotemporal controllability and little drug resistance. However, superfluous glutathione (GSH) present in biofilm and bacteria corporately reduces ROS levels and seriously affects PDT efficiency. Herein, we have constructed a Cu2+-infused porphyrin metal-organic framework (MOF@Cu2+) for the enhanced photodynamic combating of biofilm infection by the maximum depletion of GSH. Our results show that the released Cu2+ from porphyrin MOF@Cu2+ could not only oxidize GSH in biofilm but also consume GSH leaked from ROS-destroyed bacteria, thus greatly weakening the antioxidant system in biofilm and bacteria and dramatically improving the ROS levels. As expected, our dual-enhanced PDT nanoplatform exhibits a strong biofilm eradication ability both in vitro and in an in vivo biofilm-infected mouse model. In addition, Cu2+ can promote biofilm-infected wound closing by provoking cell immigration, collagen sediment and angiogenesis. Besides, no apparent toxicity was detected after treatment with MOF@Cu2+. Overall, our design offers a new paradigm for photodynamic combating biofilm infection.

Search for Inelastic Dark Matter in Events with Two Displaced Muons and Missing Transverse Momentum in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search for dark matter in events with a displaced nonresonant muon pair and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is performed using an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} of proton-proton (pp) collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV produced by the LHC in 2016-2018. No significant excess over the predicted backgrounds is observed. Upper limits are set on the product of the inelastic dark matter production cross section σ(pp→A^{'}→χ_{1}χ_{2}) and the decay branching fraction B(χ_{2}→χ_{1}μ^{+}μ^{-}), where A^{'} is a dark photon and χ_{1} and χ_{2} are states in the dark sector with near mass degeneracy. This is the first dedicated collider search for inelastic dark matter.

[Updates on immunotherapy of gastrointestinal cancers and practical challenges]

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are the most common tumors of the digestive system, and their high morbidity and cancer-related mortality dramatically threaten the health of the population. With the researching progress of immunotherapy, its use in the treatment of GI cancers in the perioperative and advanced stages is becoming more and more important. Currently, immunotherapy has become the standard first-line treatment for MSI-H late-stage colorectal cancer, while in the first-line treatment of late-stage gastric cancer, immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy and HER2-targeted drugs (in HER2-positive patients) has also achieved significant efficacy and long-term survival benefits. Advances in immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment and in the second- and later-line treatment of late-stage GI cancers have demonstrated its promising therapeutic potential. However, there is still an urgent need for future studies to explore more immunotherapy combination strategies for patients with GI cancers, especially with MSS colorectal cancers.

[Echocardiographic two-dimensional strain evaluation of right ventricular function in healthy adults]

Objective: To explore the feasibility of using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography for measuring right ventricular strain and function in healthy adults, and to analyze the impact of age and gender. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. Healthy adults who underwent physical examination in the Physical Examination Center of Beijing Hospital from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021 were included. Two researchers independently measured various right ventricular longitudinal strain indices using the Echopac software, including (global longitudinal strain (GLS), apical longitudinal strain (ALS), midventricle longitudinal strain (MLS), basal longitudinal strain (BLS), free wall GLS (FWGLS), free wall ALS (FWALS), free wall MLS (FWMLS) and free wall BLS (FWBLS)) as well as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricle-fraction of area change (RVFAC). The above indicators were taken as the average of two physicians. The consistency of the measurements by two physicians was evaluated by the within-group correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: A total of 233 subjects were included, including 137 males, aged (58.5±14.2) years. ICC values was all above 0.8 with excellent agreement. The values of FWGLS and GLS in healthy adults were -26.63% and -21.89%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in TAPSE ((2.06±0.41)cm vs. (2.10±0.39)cm, P=0.510) and RVFAC ((51.17±9.91)% vs. (50.89±8.65)%, P=0.826) between males and females. The values of various right ventricular long axis strain indicators (GLS, ALS, MLS, BLS, FWGLS, FWMLS, FWMLS, FWBLS) in females aged 18 to 40 and 41 to 65 years were higher than those in males of the same age (all P<0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in the values of various right ventricular long axis strain indicators between the sexes in subjects aged 65 years and above (all P>0.05). In females, the right ventricular GLS, ALS, MLS, FWGLS, FWALS, FWMLS, and FWBLS values in the groups aged 18 to 40 and 41 to 65 years were significantly higher than those in the group aged 65 years and above (all P<0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were found in these indices among different age groups in males (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Using two-dimensional speckle tracking technology in echocardiography to measure right ventricular strain indicators is feasible and highly reproducible. Gender and age have an impact on right ventricular strain indicators.

First Measurement of the Decay Asymmetry in the Pure W-Boson-Exchange Decay Λ_{c}^{+}→Ξ^{0}K^{+}

Based on 4.4  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} annihilation data collected at the center-of-mass energies between 4.60 and 4.70 GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the pure W-boson-exchange decay Λ_{c}^{+}→Ξ^{0}K^{+} is studied with a full angular analysis. The corresponding decay asymmetry is measured for the first time to be α_{Ξ^{0}K^{+}}=0.01±0.16(stat)±0.03(syst). This result reflects the noninterference effect between the S- and P-wave amplitudes. The phase shift between S- and P-wave amplitudes has two solutions, which are δ_{p}-δ_{s}=-1.55±0.25(stat)±0.05(syst)  rad or 1.59±0.25(stat)±0.05(syst)  rad.

Facile and Widely Applicable Route to Self-Adaptive Emissivity Modulation: Energy-Saving Demonstration with Transparent Wood

The cooling power provided by radiative cooling is unwanted during cold hours. Therefore, self-adaptive regulation is desired for radiative cooling, especially in all-weather applications. However, current routes for radiative cooling regulation are constrained by substrates and complicated processing. Here, self-adaptive radiative cooling regulation on various potential substrates (transparent wood, PET, normal glass, and cement) was achieved by a Fabry-Perot structure consisting of a silver nanowires (AgNWs) bottom layer, PMMA spacer, and W-VO2 top layer. The emissivity-modulated transparent wood (EMTW) exhibits an emissivity contrast of 0.44 (ε8-13-L = ∼0.19 and ε8-13-H = ∼0.63), which thereby yields considerable energy savings across different climate zones. The emissivity contrast can be adjusted by varying the spinning parameters during the deposition process. Positive emissivity contrast was also achieved on three other industrially relevant substrates via this facile and widely applicable route. This proves the great significance of the approach to the promotion and wide adoption of radiative cooling regulation concept in the built environment.