Search Results (124,419)

Aberrant DNA methylation plays a crucial role in breast cancer progression by regulating gene expression. However, the regulatory pattern of DNA methylation in long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) for breast cancer remains unclear. In this study, we integrated gene expression, DNA methylation, and clinical data from breast cancer patients included in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We examined DNA methylation distribution across various lncRNA categories, revealing distinct methylation characteristics. Through genome-wide correlation analysis, we identified the CpG sites located in lncRNAs and the distally associated CpG sites of lncRNAs. Functional genome enrichment analysis, conducted through the integration of ENCODE ChIP-seq data, revealed that differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs) in lncRNAs were mostly located in promoter regions, while distally associated DMCs primarily acted on enhancer regions. By integrating Hi-C data, we found that DMCs in enhancer and promoter regions were closely associated with the changes in three-dimensional chromatin structures by affecting the formation of enhancer–promoter loops. Furthermore, through Cox regression analysis and three machine learning models, we identified 11 key methylation-driven lncRNAs (DIO3OS, ELOVL2-AS1, MIAT, LINC00536, C9orf163, AC105398.1, LINC02178, MILIP, HID1-AS1, KCNH1-IT1, and TMEM220-AS1) that were associated with the survival of breast cancer patients and constructed a prognostic risk scoring model, which demonstrated strong prognostic performance. These findings enhance our understanding of DNA methylation’s role in lncRNA regulation in breast cancer and provide potential biomarkers for diagnosis. Full article

Support vector regression (SVR) is a powerful kernel-based regression prediction algorithm that performs excellently in various application scenarios. However, for real-world data, the general SVR often fails to achieve good predictive performance due to its inability to assess feature contribution accurately. Feature weighting is a suitable solution to address this issue, applying correlation measurement methods to obtain reasonable weights for features based on their contributions to the output. In this paper, based on the idea of a Hilbert–Schmidt independence criterion least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (HSIC LASSO) for selecting features with minimal redundancy and maximum relevance, we propose a novel feature-weighted SVR that considers the importance of features to the output and the redundancy between features. In this approach, the HSIC is utilized to effectively measure the correlation between features as well as that between features and the output. The feature weights are obtained by solving a LASSO regression problem. Compared to other feature weighting methods, our method takes much more comprehensive consideration of weight calculation, and the obtained weighted kernel function can lead to more precise predictions for unknown data. Comprehensive experiments on real datasets from the University of California Irvine (UCI) machine learning repository demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article

This study investigated the differences in appearance quality among different soft japonica rice varieties based on grain shape, with a particular focus on the broad-ovate soft japonica rice varieties Nanjing 9108 and Nanjing 5718, as well as the slender soft japonica rice varieties Shangshida 19 and Jiahe 218, all sourced from the Yangtze River Delta. The results showed that the slender soft japonica rice varieties exhibited significantly superior appearance quality compared to the broad-ovate varieties. In the case of superior grains, the chalky grain rate of the broad-ovate soft japonica rice was 4307.79 percent higher than that of the slender varieties, and the degree of chalkiness was 8275.00 percent higher. For inferior grains, the chalky grain rate of the broad-ovate soft japonica rice was 238.34 percent higher than the slender varieties, and the degree of chalkiness was 339.96 percent higher. In contrast to the slender soft japonica rice, the broad-ovate varieties had a lower percentage of high-weight grains and a higher percentage of low-weight grains. Compared to the broad-ovate soft japonica rice, the slender varieties exhibited a faster grain-filling rate and shorter effective grain-filling days. Correlation analysis revealed that chalkiness had a significant negative correlation with grain length and aspect ratio. Simultaneously, chalkiness also showed a positive correlation with the number of effective grain-filling days while demonstrating a negative correlation with both the maximum and average grain-filling rates. The slender soft japonica rice exhibited a lower likelihood of developing chalkiness and higher grain-filling efficiency and developed a favorable grain weight distribution. These distinctive attributes significantly contribute to the superior appearance quality of the slender japonica soft rice. Full article

The application of biochar can effectively enhance soil organic matter (SOM) and improve soil structure. Biomass power plant ash (BPPA) is also rich in essential nutrients for plants, with similar carbon content. Considering production cost and agricultural waste recycling, it is beneficial to apply BPPA to improve soil fertility and quality. However, it remains unclear whether its ameliorative effects surpass those of biochar in alkaline soils. In the study, we set up seven pot experiments of faba beans in sandy alkaline soils from the ancient region of the Yellow River, including the controls (CK), different amounts of acid-modified BPPA (A1, A2, A3), and the same amounts of acid-modified biochar (B1, B2, B3), to compare their effects on soil physiochemical properties and bacterial community structure. The results indicate that the application of both biochar and BPPA can improve soil physiochemical properties. At the same dosage, the biochar application outperformed BPPA treatment in terms of soil physical properties such as bulk density (BD), maximum water-holding capacity (FC), and soil capillary porosity (SP2). Conversely, BPPA treatment displayed advantages in chemical properties such as readily oxidizable organic carbon (ROOC), total nitrogen (TN), alkaline nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and electrical conductivity (EC). All the treatments enhanced the richness and diversity of bacterial communities, increasing the relative abundance of eutrophic groups such as Bacteroidota and Firmicutes while decreasing that of oligotrophic groups like Actinobacteriota. BPPA also increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, while the opposite was observed for biochar. Correlation analysis showed that the environmental factors such as soil pH, EC, TN, AK, SOM, and SP2 emerged as primary factors influencing the bacterial community structure of alkaline soils, significantly affecting their diversity and abundance. Among them, SP2 and SOM were the dominant physical and chemical factors, respectively. Overall, the application of both acid-modified BPPA and biochar can enhance the physiochemical properties of sandy alkaline soils, while the application of BPPA is superior for improving soil nutrient content and enhancing bacterial community structure. The study explores the potential mechanisms through which the application of acid-modified BPPA affects soil characteristics and microbial features, providing new insight into developing optimizing fertilization strategies for enhancing soil quality in the ancient region of the Yellow River. Full article

Leaf-trait variation has traditionally been focused on both within and among species along environmental gradients, while leaf age has received less attention. By measuring leaf morphological, stomatal, and stoichiometric traits of 40 coexisting woody species in temperate forest in northern China, we analyzed their variation pattern and the correlations among different plant life forms and leaf age. We found that leaf age has significant effects on leaf functional traits. The young leaves of both shrub and tree species revealed a lower stoma density (SD) and a higher stoma length (SL), stoma width (SW), and leaf N content (LNC) than mature leaves. Shrub species have a higher SLA and SD than tree species for both young and mature leaves. The traits of young leaves generally revealed a higher variation than those of mature leaves. Although correlations between traits are similar between young leaves and mature leaves, the slopes of the SLA–SD and SD–LNC relationships were significantly affected by leaf age. These findings elucidate the adaptive changes of leaf traits during leaf maturation and underscore the trade-off between stomatal safety and efficiency, as well as the trade-off between leaf hydraulic and economic traits in temperate woody species during leaf development. We conclude that variation in leaf traits with age may play a potentially important role in understanding the ecological function of woody species in temperate forests. Full article

Maternal nutrition during the critical period of pregnancy increases the susceptibility of offspring to the development of diseases later in life. This study aimed to analyze metabolite profiles to investigate the effect of maternal diet during pregnancy on changes in offspring plasma metabolites and to identify correlations with metabolic parameters. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to under- and overnutrition compared to controls, and their offspring were fed a standard diet after birth. Plasma metabolism was profiled in offspring at 16 weeks of age using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). We analyzed 80 metabolites to identify distinct metabolites and metabolic and neurodegenerative disease-associated metabolites that were sex-differentially altered in each group compared to controls (p < 0.05, VIP score > 1.0). Specifically, changes in 3-indolepropionic acid, anthranilic acid, linoleic acid, and arachidonic acid, which are involved in tryptophan and linoleic acid metabolism, were observed in male offspring and correlated with plasma leptin levels in male offspring. Our results suggest that fatty acids involved in tryptophan and linoleic acid metabolism, which are altered by the maternal diet during pregnancy, may lead to an increased risk of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases in the early life of male offspring. Full article

Background/Objectives: Terson Syndrome (TS) is a rare entity consisting of an intraocular hemorrhage secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) or intracerebral hemorrhage (IH). This study aimed to retrospectively describe the experience of the Ophthalmology Unit of Policlinico Gemelli, Rome, in the management of TS. Methods: Twenty-four eyes of 19 patients (10 males—53%; 9 females—47%; mean age of 44.73 ± 12.49 years) with TS who had pars plana vitrectomy between 2011 and 2024 were included. The primary outcome was the mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) 1–3 months after surgery. The secondary outcome was the correlation of post-operative BCVA with the timing of vitrectomy (early vs. late, ≤100 or >100 days). Results: The time between diagnosis and surgery ranged from 33 to 284 days (median = 102 days, interquartile range IQR = 74–161). Baseline BCVA ranged from 6 to 50 ETDRS letters with a median of 17 letters (IQR = 15–25) and significantly increased after surgery, with a median value of 80 (IQR = 70–85). The BCVA percentage improvement had a median of 325% (IQR = 300–431%). No differences in post-operative BCVA were found between patients who underwent early or late vitrectomy. One vitrectomy was complicated by an endophthalmitis. Conclusions: Although no clear guidelines exist on managing TS, vitrectomy significantly improves BCVA, and a delay in surgical intervention does not necessarily worsen the functional outcome. However, an early vitrectomy could improve the stimuli perception, facilitating the rehabilitation process. Full article

Background: Inflammation and immune cell dysfunction are critical facilitators of endometriosis pathophysiology. Macrophages are renowned for stimulating lesion growth, vascularization, innervation, and pain generation. By combining macrophages and endometriotic cells, we determined if resveratrol and its natural analogs can target the immune dysregulation and oxidative imbalance in endometriosis. Methods: After treatment with compounds (5, 10, 25 µM), we evaluated the expression of key inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, cytokines release, and ROS production by applying q-PCR, ELISA, Cytometric Beads Array, and multiplexed fluorogenic staining and flow cytometry analysis with bioimaging. Results: The results showed that endometriosis-related macrophages treated with stilbenes have impaired expression of pro-inflammatory markers (IL6, IL8, IL1B, TNF, CCL2, CXCL10, PTGS2). The effect of resveratrol, pterostilbene, and piceatannol was observed, especially in reducing IL1B, CCL2, and CXCL10 genes up to 3.5-, 5-, and 7.7-fold at 25 µM, respectively. Also, with piceatannol or polydatin exposure, the IL-6 decrease was noticeable. This study reported an antioxidant effect by reducing ROS-positive cells from 96% to 48% by pterostilbene. Results from flow cytometry correlated with the transcript activation of detoxification enzymes (SOD, GPX). Conclusions: Prospects for potential therapy based on regulating the immune microenvironment and reducing the accumulation of free radicals with stilbenes application were described in the article. Full article

In public security policing, where pressure is constant, effective decision-making and emotion regulation are critical, especially for leaders. These processes significantly impact upon work results, performance, officials’ health, employee well-being, and the organizational environment. This study aims to broaden the understanding of decision-making styles and emotion-regulation strategies used by police officials in the Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP). We surveyed 138 Portuguese high-ranking police officials using two self-response questionnaires, namely the Emotion Regulation in the Workplace (ReTrab) and the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire (MDMQ), both translated, adapted, and validated for the Portuguese police context. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, followed by correlations to explore the relationship between emotion-regulation strategies and decision-making styles. Finally, through a regression analysis, the potential impact of this relationship was assessed. The results reveal that specific emotion-regulation strategies, except for adaptive ones, significantly influence and modify the decision-making styles of PSP officials. Dysfunctional and maladaptive emotion-regulation strategies lead to less adaptive decision-making styles, while functional strategies promote more adaptive styles. These findings have theoretical and practical implications, offering valuable insights for targeted training programs and interventions in the law-enforcement sector, benefiting the police personnel, the communities they serve, and public perceptions about police. Full article

In this study, the flow condensation of R-410A within 18 square microchannels arranged horizontally in parallel was experimentally investigated. All components of pressure drop, including expansion, contraction, deceleration, and friction, were quantified specifically for microchannels. The test conditions included saturation temperature, vapor quality, and mass flux, ranging from 18.86 to 24.22 bar, 0.09 to 0.92, and 200 to 445 kg/m²·s, respectively. The frictional pressure loss made up approximately 92.89% of the overall pressure reduction. The findings demonstrate that the pressure drop rises with higher mass flux and a lower saturation temperature. By comparing with correlations and semi-empirical models outlined in the literature across various scales, specimen types, and refrigerant media, correlations developed for two-phase adiabatic flows in multi-channel configurations can effectively predict the pressure drop in microchannel condensation processes. The model introduced by Sakamatapan and Wongwises demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy, with a mean absolute deviation of 8.4%. Full article

The paper discusses the results of the concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter, in the PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ fractions, acquired by two low-cost sensors. The research was carried out from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, in Palermo, Sicily. The results obtained from two systems equipped with the same sensor model were compared. Excellent linear correlation was observed between the results, with differences in measurements falling within instrumental accuracy. Two instruments equipped with different sensors, models Novasense SDS011 and Plantower PMSA003, were placed at the same site. These were complemented by a weather station to measure meteorological parameters. Upon comparing the atmospheric particulate matter concentrations measured by the two instruments, it was observed that there was a good linear correlation for PM_2.5 and a poor linear correlation for PM₁₀. Additionally, the PMSA003 sensor appeared to consistently record higher concentrations than the SDS011 sensor. During periods influenced by natural sources and/or anthropogenic activities at the regional and/or local scale, i.e., the dispersal of Saharan sands, forest fires, and local events using fireworks, abnormal concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter were detected. Despite the inherent limitations in precision and accuracy, both low-cost instruments were able to identify periods with abnormal concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter, regardless of their source or type. Full article

This study aimed to validate the automated temporal analysis of countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) using MMPose, a markerless pose estimation framework, by comparing it with the gold-standard 3D marker-based motion capture system. Twelve participants performed five CMJ trials, which were simultaneously recorded using the marker-based system and two smartphone cameras capturing both sides of the body. Key kinematic points, including center of mass (CoM) and toe trajectories, were analyzed to determine jump phases and temporal variables. The agreement between methods was assessed using Bland–Altman analysis, root mean square error (RMSE), and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), while consistency was evaluated via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 3,1) and two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Cohen’s effect size (d) quantified the practical significance of differences. Results showed strong agreement (r > 0.98) with minimal bias and narrow limits of agreement for most variables. The markerless system slightly overestimated jump height and CoM vertical velocity, but ICC values (ICC > 0.91) confirmed strong reliability. Cohen’s d values were near zero, indicating trivial differences, and no variability due to recording side was observed. Overall, MMPose proved to be a reliable alternative for in-field CMJ analysis, supporting its broader application in sports and rehabilitation settings. Full article

Rutting is a significant form of pavement distress that arises from irreversible strains accumulating along wheel paths, directly impacting pavement safety. This research investigates the effectiveness of nanocarbon-coated micronized calcium carbonate powder as a modified filler to mitigate rutting, utilizing numerical methods via finite element software. The study specifically examines the addition of 5% by weight of this modified filler to the asphalt mix. To validate the numerical results, laboratory wheel-tracking tests were conducted on samples incorporating both conventional and modified fillers. The findings reveal that the modified calcium carbonate filler enhances the asphalt’s resistance to rutting, with the 5% inclusion demonstrating a marked improvement in durability and performance. The study also underscores the necessity of characterizing the elastic and visco-plastic properties of materials through rigorous testing methods, such as elastic modulus and dynamic creep tests, to better understand their behavior under load. Numerical analysis based on linear elastic conditions was prioritized over viscous conditions to effectively compare the results of these specialized materials. The strong correlation between the numerical simulations and laboratory results reinforces the effectiveness of finite element methods in predicting pavement behavior and optimizing asphalt mixtures. Full article

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the circulating levels of asprosin, clusterin, zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (ZAG), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) in patients with T2DM in relation to microvascular and macrovascular complications. Measuring these biomarkers may provide insight into the pathophysiology of T2DM and indicate novel targets for the therapy of diabetes-related complications. Methods: A total of 260 subjects consisting of four groups: healthy controls (Group-1), T2DM patients without complications (Group-2), T2DM patients with microvascular complications (Group-3), and T2DM patients with macrovascular complications (Group-4). Results: The mean age of all subjects was 52.96 ± 6.4, 127 of whom were male. Asprosin, clusterin, and NF-κB levels were significantly higher, while ZAG and PPAR-γ levels were significantly lower in diabetic patients than healthy subjects (p < 0.01, for all). Asprosin (p < 0.01), clusterin (p < 0.01), and NF-κB (p: 0.002) levels were significantly higher and PPAR-γ (p < 0.01) level was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in Group-3 than Group-2. Asprosin (p < 0.01) and NF-κB (p: 0.011) levels were significantly higher while ZAG (p < 0.01) level was significantly lower in Group-4 than Group-2. Serum ZAG level was found lower in Group-4 than in Group-3 (p = 0.037). Further, the biomarkers presented significant correlation with biomarkers like HbA1c and HOMA-IR. It was observed that increasing serum asprosin, clusterin, and NF-κB levels and decreasing serum PPAR-γ levels were effective in the development of microvascular complications while the increased asprosin levels and decreased ZAG levels had a significant effect on the development of macrovascular complications in the binary logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: This study confirms that altered levels of asprosin, clusterin, ZAG, NF-κB, and PPAR-γ are associated with T2DM and its complications. These biomarkers reflect the pathophysiological processes of metabolic disturbance and inflammation in T2DM and, therefore, have the potential for use in targeted interventions to prevent and manage diabetes-related complications. Full article

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) may play a role in mammary gland development, milk production and secretion in mammals. Due to the limited number of scientific reports on the expression of HIF genes in colostrum cells, it was decided to examine the expression of HIF1A, HIF3A and EPAS1 in the these cells, collected from 35 patients who voluntarily agreed to provide their biological material for research, were informed about the purpose of the study and signed a consent to participate in it. The expression of HIF genes was assessed using qPCR. Additionally, the influence of clinical parameters (method of delivery, occurrence of stillbirths in previous pregnancies, BMI level before pregnancy and at the moment of delivery, presence of hypertension during pregnancy, presence of Escherichia coli in vaginal culture, iron supplement and heparin intake during pregnancy) on the gene expression was assessed, revealing statistically significant correlations. The expression of HIF1A was 3.5-fold higher in the case of patients with the presence of E. coli in vaginal culture (p = 0.041) and 2.5 times higher (p = 0.031) in samples from women who used heparin during pregnancy. Approximately 1.7-fold higher expression of the EPAS1 was observed in women who did not supplement iron during pregnancy (p = 0.046). To our knowledge, these are the first studies showing the relationship between HIF expression in cells from breast milk and the method of delivery and health condition of women giving birth. The assessment of HIF expression requires deeper examination in a larger study group, and the results of further studies will allow to determine whether HIF can become biomarkers in pregnancy pathology states. Full article