Search Results (2,258)

Background: This study demonstrates differences in the distribution of multiple cardiovascular biomarkers between non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and unstable angina (UA) patients. Diagnostic machine learning predictive models measured at the time of admission and 1/2 h post-admission, achieving competitive diagnostic predictive results. Objective: This study aims to explore the diagnostic value of changes in high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) levels in patients with suspected NSTEMI. Methods: A total of 267 patients presented with chest pain, requiring confirmation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) subtypes (NSTEMI vs. UA). Hs-cTnI and other cardiac markers, such as creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and Myoglobin (Myo), were analyzed. Machine learning techniques were employed to assess the application of hs-cTnI level changes in the clinical diagnosis of NSTEMI. Results: Levels of CK-MB, Myo, hs-cTnI measured at admission, hs-cTnI measured 1–2 h after admission, and NT-proBNP in NSTEMI patients were significantly higher than those in UA patients (p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between hs-cTnI and CK-MB, as well as Myo (R = 0.72, R = 0.51, R = 0.60). The optimal diagnostic model, Hybiome_1/2h, demonstrated an F1-Score of 0.74, an AUROC of 0.96, and an AP of 0.89. Conclusions: This study confirms the significant value of hs-cTnI as a sensitive marker of myocardial injury in the diagnosis of NSTEMI. Continuous monitoring of hs-cTnI levels enhances the accuracy of distinguishing NSTEMI from UA. The models indicate that the Hybiome hs-cTnI assays perform comparably well to the Beckman assays in predicting NSTEMI. Moreover, incorporating hs-cTnI measurements taken 1–2 h post-admission significantly enhances the model’s effectiveness. Full article

Background/Objectives: Elevating ketone levels with therapeutic nutritional ketosis can help to metabolically manage disease processes associated with epilepsy, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. Nutritional ketosis can be achieved with various dieting strategies such as the classical ketogenic diet, the modified Atkins diet, caloric restriction, periodic fasting, or the consumption of exogenous ketogenic supplements such as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). However, these various strategies can be unpleasant and difficult to follow, so that achieving and sustaining nutritional ketosis can be a major challenge. Thus, investigators continue to explore the science and applications of exogenous ketone supplementation as a means to further augment the therapeutic efficacy of this metabolic therapy. Methods: Here, we describe a structurally new synthetic triglyceride, glycerol tri-acetoacetate (Gly-3AcAc), that we prepared from glycerol and an acetoacetate precursor that produces hyperketonemia in the therapeutic range (2–3 mM) when administered to mice under both fasting and non-fasting conditions. Animal studies were undertaken to evaluate the potential effects of eliciting a ketogenic response systemically. Acute effects (24 h or less) were determined in male VM/Dk mice in both fasted and unfasted dietary states. Results: Concentration levels of β-hydroxybutyrate in blood were elevated (βHB; 2–3 mM) under both conditions. Levels of glucose were reduced only in the fasted state. No detrimental side effects were observed. Conclusions: Pending further study, this novel compound could potentially add to the repertoire of methods for inducing therapeutic nutritional ketosis. Full article

Cerasus humilis has been widely used as a key ecological improvement plant species in barren lands in Northern China; however, the soil improvement effects of long-term C. humilis planting have rarely been reported. Our study aimed to determine the effects of planting C. humilis after 3, 6, and 10 years on the physicochemical properties and microbial community structures of the rhizosphere soil. pH decreased significantly with increasing time. Organic matter (OM), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), total potassium (TK), and available potassium (AK) increased gradually from 3 to 10 years. Alkaline and total nitrogen increased significantly and peaked at 6 years. Alkaline phosphatase, urease, sucrase, and hydrogen peroxide activities peaked at 6 years and decreased. Significant differences occurred in C. humilis rhizosphere bacterial and fungal community diversity and richness. Ace, Chaol, Shannon, and Simpson indices indicated diversity and richness of bacterial and fungal communities peaked at 3 and 10 years, respectively. Soil physicochemical properties, except pH, were positively significantly correlated with microbial community structure. AK and TK were the main factors for bacteria and fungi, respectively, with time. Increases in C. humilis rhizosphere soil microbial community relative abundance may be attributed to beneficial bacteria (Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria) and fungi (Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Basidiomycota). Physicochemical and soil and microbial community structure properties gradually improved; however, with time, adequate nutritional supplementation was needed to prevent decreased microbial community richness and diversity. Full article

A comprehensive LC-MS study examined the venom components of the solitary scoliid wasp Scolia oculata. Online mass fingerprinting showed that crude venom contains 25 small molecules (amino acids, biogenic amines, and nucleosides/nucleotides) and 45 peptides with MW 400-2700. The small molecules were identified by elemental composition analysis, and peptide sequences were determined by ESI-MS/MS and MALDI-TOF/TOF MS analyses. As major peptide components, a known peptide, β-scoliidine (DYVTVKGFSPLRKA), and three new peptides, γ-scoliidine (YVTVKGFSPLR), δ-scoliidine (YVTVKGFSPLREP) and ε-scoliidine (DYVTVKGFSPLREP) were identified, all of which are closely homologous to each other. Once the neuroprotective effects of β-scoliidine have already been described, the other three new scoliidine peptides were analyzed against oxidative stress-induced toxicity in PC12 neuronal cells by mitochondrial metabolism assay, and the structure-activity relationship was evaluated. Interestingly, pre-treatment with ε-scoliidine increased the mitochondrial metabolism of PC12 cells (106 ± 3.6%; p = 0.007) exposed to H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in contrast to γ- and δ-scoliidines (77.6 ± 4.8 and 68.5 ± 4.1%, respectively) in compared to cells treated only H₂O₂ (75.8 ± 2.4%). These new peptides were also analyzed for enzyme inhibitor/substrate assays with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), neprilysin (NEP), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In these assays, only δ- and ε-scoliidines increased the AChE activity (128.7 ± 3.8%; p = 0.01; and 116.8 ± 3.8% p = 0.03; respectively) in relation to basal activity (100.1 ± 1.6%). In addition, the four peptides were analyzed through in silico analysis, and none of them demonstrated possible hemolytic and toxic activities. In our study, the comprehensive LC-MS and MS/MS analyses of Scolia oculate venom identified four major peptide components of the venom β-, γ-, δ- and ε-scoliidines, and small differences in their primary structures are important to their neuroprotective properties. Full article

Animal models that are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and develop clinical signs like human COVID-19 are desired to understand viral pathogenesis and develop effective medical countermeasures. The golden Syrian hamster is important for the study of SARS-CoV-2 since hamsters are naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. However, infected hamsters show only limited clinical disease and resolve infection quickly. In this study, we describe development of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transgenic hamsters as a model for COVID-19. During development of the model for SARS-CoV-2, we observed that different hACE2 transgenic hamster founder lines varied in their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 lethal infection. The highly susceptible hACE2 founder lines F0F35 and F0M41 rapidly progress to severe infection and death within 6 days post-infection (p.i.). Clinical signs included lethargy, weight loss, dyspnea, and mortality. Lethality was observed in a viral dose-dependent manner with a lethal dose as low as 1 × 10^0.15 CCID₅₀. In addition, virus shedding from highly susceptible lines was detected in oropharyngeal swabs on days 2–5 p.i., and virus titers were observed at 10^5.5−6.5 CCID₅₀ in lung and brain tissue by day 4 p.i.. Histopathology revealed that infected hACE2-hamsters developed rhinitis, tracheitis, bronchointerstitial pneumonia, and encephalitis. Mortality in highly susceptible hACE2-hamsters can be attributed to neurologic disease with contributions from the accompanying respiratory disease. In contrast, virus challenge of animals from less susceptible founder lines, F0M44 and F0M51, resulted in only 0–20% mortality. To demonstrate utility of this SARS-CoV-2 infection model, we determined the protective effect of the TLR3 agonist polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly (I:C)). Prophylactic treatment with Poly (I:C) significantly improved survival in highly susceptible hACE2-hamsters. In summary, our studies demonstrate that hACE2 transgenic hamsters differ in their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, based on the transgenic hamster founder line, and that prophylactic treatment with Poly (I:C) was protective in this COVID-19 model of highly susceptible hACE2-hamsters. Full article

Continuous movement monitoring helps quickly identify pig abnormalities, enabling immediate action to enhance pig welfare. However, continuous and precise monitoring of daily pig movement on farms remains challenging. We present an approach to automatically and precisely monitor the movement of group-housed pigs. The instance segmentation model YOLOv8m-seg was applied to detect the presence of pigs. We then applied a spatial moment algorithm to quantitatively summarize each detected pig’s contour as a corresponding center point. The agglomerative clustering (AC) algorithm was subsequently used to gather the pig center points of a single frame into one point representing the group-housed pigs’ position, and the movement volume was obtained by calculating the displacements of the clustered group-housed pigs’ center points of consecutive frames. We employed the method to monitor the movement of group-housed pigs from April to July 2023; more than 1500 h of top-down pig videos were recorded by a surveillance camera. The F1 scores of the trained YOLOv8m-seg model during training were greater than 90% across most confidence levels, and the model achieved an mAP50-95 of 0.96. The AC algorithm performs with an average extraction time of less than 1 millisecond; this method can run efficiently on commodity hardware. Full article

Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) are fundamental to many critical biological processes and are crucial in mediating essential cellular functions across diverse organisms, including bacteria, parasites, and viruses. A notable example is the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), which initiates a series of events leading to viral replication. Interrupting this interaction offers a promising strategy for blocking or significantly reducing infection, highlighting its potential as a target for anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies. This review focuses on the hACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interaction, exemplifying the latest advancements in peptide-based strategies for developing PPI inhibitors. We discuss various approaches for creating peptide-based inhibitors that target this critical interaction, aiming to provide potential treatments for COVID-19. Full article

In this research, the dietary fibers (DFs) from ginseng residue were extracted by employing three different extraction methods (alkaline: AL, acidic: AC, enzymatic: EN). The extracted DFs were characterized in terms of their structural and functional properties. The results clearly showed that, regardless of the extraction methods, all DF samples exhibited representative infrared spectral features. The DF extracted by AC (citric acid) had more porous structures with a looser configuration, in conjunction with high apparent viscosity, whereas the DF extracted by EN (α-amylase and protease) exhibited higher thermal stability. Moreover, the monosaccharide composition of the DF samples was significantly influenced by the extraction method type. The DF from ginseng residue extracted by AC had the highest functional properties, such as water holding capacity (8.16 g/g), oil holding capacity (3.99 g/g), water swelling capacity (8.13 g/g), cholesterol-absorption capacity (12.85 mg/g), bile acid absorption capacity (91.51 mg/g), nitrite ion absorption capacity (124.38 ug/g at pH 2.0), glucose absorption capacity (52.67 mg/g at 150 mmol/L), as compared to those of DF extracted by the EN and AL (sodium hydroxide) methods. Hence, ginseng residue-derived DF extracted by the AC method may be potentially employed in the preparation of functional food ingredients. Full article

At present, soil contaminated with arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) is escalating at an alarming rate, which is harmful to human health. In this study, Fe- and Mn-modified activated carbon (AC) and biochar (BC) were prepared and compared for the remediation of As- and Sb-contaminated soil. The effects on the speciation of As and Sb, soil pH, organic matter (SOM), and enzyme activity with various dosages and remediation times were investigated. The results showed that on the whole, the best stabilization effect of As and Sb was achieved with 3% FeMnBC. Furthermore, with increases in time and dosage, the immobilization effect on As and Sb was more significant. Fe/Mn-modified AC and BC enhanced soil pH, with 3% MnAC being particularly effective; 3% AC and 3% FeMnAC demonstrated the most pronounced enhancement in SOM. The modified carbon materials exhibited a dramatic increase in enzymatic activity. In particular, urease activity showed an increasing trend, and catalase activity first decreased and then increased over 30 days. Among the treatments, 3% MnAC showed the most significant enhancements in catalase and urease activities, whereas 1% FeMnBC had the most pronounced effect on increasing sucrase activity. This study provides theoretical support for the remediation of soil co-contaminated with As and Sb by Fe/Mn-modified AC and BC. Full article

Maternal cadmium exposure during pregnancy has been demonstrated to have detrimental effects on offspring development. However, the impact of maternal cadmium exposure on offspring oocytes remains largely unknown, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we found that maternal cadmium exposure during pregnancy resulted in selective alteration in epigenetic modifications of mouse oocytes in offspring, including a decrease in H3K4me2 and H4K12ac, as well as an increase in DNA methylation of H19. Although ROS levels and mitochondrial activity remain at normal levels, the DNA damage marker γH2AX was significantly increased and the DNA repair marker DNA-PKcs was remarkably decreased in offspring oocytes from maternal cadmium exposure. These alterations are responsible for the decrease in the quality of mouse oocytes in offspring induced by maternal cadmium exposure. As a result, the meiotic maturation of oocytes and subsequent early embryonic development are influenced by maternal cadmium exposure. RNA-seq results showed that maternal cadmium exposure elicits modifications in the expression of genes associated with metabolism, signal transduction, and endocrine regulation in offspring ovaries, which also contribute to the disorders of oocyte maturation and failures in early embryonic development. Our research provides direct evidence of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of cadmium reproductive toxicity in mouse germ cells. Full article

Time-lapse ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, combined with automated infiltration experiments, provide a non-invasive approach for investigating the distribution of infiltrated water within the soil medium and creating three-dimensional images of the wetting bulb. This study developed and validated an experimental protocol aimed at quantifying and visualizing water distribution fluxes in layered soils under both unsaturated and saturated conditions. The 3D images of the wetting bulb significantly enhanced the interpretation of infiltration data, enabling a detailed analysis of water movement through the layered system. We used the infiltrometer data and the Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters (BEST) method to determine soil capacitive indicators and evaluate the physical quality of the upper soil layer. The field survey involved conducting time-lapse GPR surveys alongside infiltration experiments between GPR repetitions. These experiments included both tension and ponding tests, designed to sequentially activate the soil matrix and the full pore network. The results showed that the soil under study exhibited significant soil aeration and macroporosity (represented by AC and p_MAC), while indicators related to microporosity (such as PAWC and RFC) were notably low. The RFC value of 0.55 m³ m⁻³ indicated the soil’s limited capacity to retain water relative to its total pore volume. The PAWC value of 0.10 m³ m⁻³ indicated a scarcity of micropores ranging from 0.2 to 30 μm in diameter, which typically hold water accessible to plant roots within the total porosity. The saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, K_s, values ranged from 192.2 to 1031.0 mm h⁻¹, with a mean of 424.4 mm h⁻¹, which was 7.9 times higher than the corresponding unsaturated hydraulic conductivity measured at a pressure head of h = −30 mm (K₋₃₀). The results indicated that the upper soil layer supports root proliferation and effectively drains excess water to the underlying limestone layer. However, this layer has limited capacity to store and supply water to plant roots and acts as a restrictive barrier, promoting non-uniform downward water movement, as revealed by the 3D GPR images. The observed difference in hydraulic conductivity between the two layers suggests that surface ponding and overland flow are generated through a saturation excess mechanism. Water percolating through the soil can accumulate above the limestone layer, creating a shallow perched water table. During extreme rainfall events, this water table may rise, leading to the complete saturation of the soil profile. Full article

Dioryctria abietella Denis Schiffermuller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is an oligophagous pest that mainly damages Pinaceae plants. Here, we investigated the effects of the Bacillus thuringiensis 2913 strain (Bt 2913), which carries the Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, and Vip3Aa genes, on the D. abietella midgut transcriptome at 6, 12, and 24 h after infection. In total, 7497 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the midgut transcriptome of D. abietella larvae infected with Bt 2913. Among these DEGs, we identified genes possibly involved in Bt 2913-induced perforation of the larval midgut. For example, the DEGs included 67 genes encoding midgut proteases involved in Cry/Vip toxin activation, 74 genes encoding potential receptor proteins that bind to insecticidal proteins, and 19 genes encoding receptor NADH dehydrogenases that may bind to Cry1Ac. Among the three transcriptomes, 88 genes related to metabolic detoxification and 98 genes related to immune defense against Bt 2913 infection were identified. Interestingly, 145 genes related to the 60S ribosomal protein were among the DEGs identified in the three transcriptomes. Furthermore, we performed bioinformatic analysis of zonadhesin, GST, CYP450, and CarE in the D. abietella midgut to determine their possible associations with Bt 2913. On the basis of the results of this analysis, we speculated that trypsin and other serine proteases in the D. abietella larval midgut began to activate Cry/Vip prototoxin at 6 h to 12 h after Bt 2913 ingestion. At 12 h after Bt 2913 ingestion, chymotrypsin was potentially involved in degrading the active core fragment of Vip3Aa toxin, and the detoxification enzymes in the larvae contributed to the metabolic detoxification of the Bt toxin. The ABC transporter and several other receptor-protein-related genes were also downregulated to increase resistance to Bt 2913. However, the upregulation of 60S ribosomal protein and heat shock protein expression weakened the resistance of larvae to Bt 2913, thereby enhancing the expression of NADH dehydrogenase and other receptor proteins that are highly expressed in the larval midgut and bind to activating toxins, including Cry1Ac. At 24 h after Bt 2913 ingestion, many activated toxins were bound to receptor proteins such as APN in the larval midgut, resulting in membrane perforation. Here, we clarified the mechanism of Bt 2913 infection in D. abietella larvae, as well as the larval immune defense response to Bt 2913, which provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent control of D. abietella using B. thuringiensis. Full article

Background: Cardiac troponin I (TnI) is a specific marker of myocardial damage used in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). TnI levels can also be elevated in patients without ACS, which is linked to a worse prognosis and mortality. We evaluated the clinical implications and prognostic significance of serum TnI levels in critically ill non-cardiac patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary-level hospital. Materials and Methods: A three-year retrospective study including the years 2017–2020 was conducted to evaluate in-hospital mortality during ICU stay and mortality rates at 28 and 90 days, as well as one and two years after admission, in 557 patients admitted to the medical ICU for non-cardiac causes. Results: TnI levels were elevated in 206 (36.9%) patients. Patients with elevated TnI levels were significantly older and had higher rates of comorbidities, including chronic heart failure, coronary heart disease, and chronic kidney disease (p < 0.05 for all). Patients with elevated TnI levels required more invasive mechanical ventilation, vasopressor infusion, and dialysis in the ICU and experienced more shock within the first 72 h (p = 0.001 for all). High TnI levels were associated with higher Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II (27.6 vs. 20.3, p = 0.001) and Sequential Organ Failure assessment (8.8 vs. 5.26, p = 0.001) scores. Elevated TnI levels were associated with higher mortality rates at 28 days (58.3% vs. 19.4%), 90 days (69.9% vs. 35.0%), one year (78.6% vs. 46.2%), and two years (82.5% vs. 55.6%) (p < 0.001 for all). Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that high TnI levels were a strong independent predictor of mortality at all time points: 28 days (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.108–1.3, p < 0.001), 90 days (OR = 1.207, 95% CI: 1.095–1.33, p = 0.001), one year (OR = 1.164, 95% CI: 1.059–1.28, p = 0.002), and two year (OR = 1.119, 95% CI: 1.026–1.22, p = 0.011). Multivariate analysis revealed that age, albumin level, APACHE II score, and requirements for dialysis and vasopressor use in the ICU were important predictors of mortality across all timeframes, but elevated TnI levels were not. Conclusions: Elevated TnI levels in critically ill non-cardiac patients are markers of disease severity. While elevated TnI levels were significant predictors of mortality in the univariate analysis, they lost significance in the multivariate model when adjusted for other factors. Patients with elevated TnI levels had higher mortality rates across all timeframes, from 28 days to two years. Full article

In this paper, a signal conditioner intended for use in variable impedance sensors is presented. First, an inductive linear displacement sensor design is described, and the signal conditioner discrete realization is presented. Second, based on this system’s requirements, the integrated conditioner is proposed. The conditioner comprises an amplifier, a tunable band-pass filter, and a precision high-frequency AC-DC converter. It is designed in a low-cost AMS 0.35 µm CMOS process. The presented conditioner measures the sensor’s impedance magnitude by using a simplified variation of the sensor voltage and current vector measurement. It can be used for the real-time measurement of fast sensors, having small output impedance. The post-layout simulation results show that the integrated conditioner has an inductance measurement range from 10 nH to 550 nH with a nonlinearity of 1.2%. The operating frequency in this case was 8 MHz, but the circuit can be easily adjusted to different operating frequencies (due to the tunable filter). The designed IC area is 500 × 330 μm², and the total power consumption is 93.8 mW. Full article

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 virus continuously acquires mutations, leading to the emergence of new variants. Notably, the effectiveness of global vaccination efforts has significantly declined with the rise and spread of the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant. Methods: The study used virological, immunological and histological research methods, as well as methods of working with laboratory animals. In this study, we evaluated the Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), an adenoviral vaccine developed by the N.F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, and conducted experiments on hemizygous K18-ACE2-transgenic F1 mice. The variants studied included B.1.1.1, B.1.1.7, B.1.351, B.1.1.28/P.1, B.1.617.2, and B.1.1.529 BA.5. Results: Our findings demonstrate that the Sputnik V vaccine elicits a robust humoral and cellular immune response, effectively protecting vaccinated animals from challenges posed by various SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, we observed a notable reduction in vaccine efficacy against the B.1.1.529 (Omicron BA.5) variant. Conclusions: Our results indicate that ongoing monitoring of emerging mutations is crucial to assess vaccine efficacy against new SARS-CoV-2 variants to identify those with pandemic potential. If protective efficacy declines, it will be imperative to develop new vaccines tailored to current variants of the virus. Full article