Generation of recombinant bat chimeric influenza viruses.

<p>Although rescue attempts with a complete authentic set of either HL17NL10 or HL18NL11 genome segments resulted in the release of viral particles as evidenced by electron microscopy (HL17NL10 particle is shown), no viral growth was observed in various cell culture systems. In contrast, recombinant bat chimeric viruses encoding HA and NA of classical IAVs were highly infectious. Successful rescue of bat chimeric viruses requires bat virus specific packaging sequences (highlighted in blue and red), including the noncoding region and part of the bat virus gene segment 3′ and 5′ open reading frame.</p

Genetic screening for Bartter syndrome and Gitelman syndrome pathogenic genes among individuals with hypertension and hypokalemia

<p><b>Purpose</b>: Bartter syndrome (BS) and Gitelman syndrome (GS) are hereditary diseases characterized by hypokalemia with decreased or normal blood pressure (BP). However, BS or GS patients who present with elevated BP levels have been increasingly reported recently. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence of BS and GS among individuals with unexplained hypokalemia with hypertension in a clinical setting. <b>Methods</b>: Patients presented with unexplained hypertension and hypokalemia admitted to Hypertension Center of Fuwai Hospital from November 2015 to February 2017 were enrolled. High-throughput sequencing for five BS and GS causative genes were performed. Variants were classified using American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) consensus guidelines. <b>Results</b>: Thirty-four patients with unexplained hypertension and hypokalemia were included for genetic analysis. A total number of 10 rare variants were identified in six individuals (mutation detection rate, 17.65%). One homozygous variant carried by one of the 34 patients, <i>KCNJ1</i> c.941A> G (p.Tyr314Cys), were categorized as likely pathogenic variant and resulted in a diagnostic yield of 2.94%. Eight of the remaining nine variants were predicted to be deleterious by ≥ three bioinformatics software and may give additional potential diagnostic yields. <b>Conclusions</b>: This is the first study performing combined genetic screening for BS and GS pathogenic genes among individuals with unexplained hypertension and hypokalemia. Our data suggested that BS or GS may contribute to the etiology of patients presented with hypertension and hypokalemia. Genetic testing for BS and GS pathogenic genes are recommended to facilitate precision diagnoses and targeted treatment.</p

A cold-start recommendation method for We-map considering co-occurrence collaborative signals and contrastive learning

We-maps, augmenting traditional maps, confront cold-start problems with prevailing recommendation techniques. The Contrastive Collaborative Filtering (CCF) model tackles We-map's cold-start issues by harnessing co-occurrence signals from warm data in a contrastive framework, thereby refining embeddings through the integration of content and co-occurrence insights. This methodology engenders unique embeddings for We-map entities, utilizing contrastive learning to bridge semantic gaps and enable indirect knowledge transfer, effectively mitigating cold-start challenges. Experimental validation on We-map and various public datasets confirms the method's practicality in addressing cold-start recommendations for We-maps. The study offers a new path for efficient geospatial data dissemination.</p

Social-Economic Status and Cognitive Performance among Chinese Aged 50 Years and Older

<div><p>Background</p><p>Numerous population-based studies have suggested that socio-economic status (SES) is associated with cognitive performance, but few nationally representative epidemiological studies on cognitive performance with a large sample of older adults are available in China. And many studies explore the factors associated with cognitive performance, mainly focusing on individual level and more rarely on multiple levels that include the individual and community.</p><p>Methods</p><p>This study uses SAGE-China Wave 1 data which consisted of 13,157 adults aged 50 years and older to explore socioeconomic inequalities in the cognitive performance from a multilevel perspective (individual and community levels). The overall cognition score was based on the seven separate components of the cognition tests, including the four verbal recall trials, the verbal fluency test, the forward digit span test and the backward digit span test. Factor analysis was applied to evaluate and generate a single overall score. A two-level hierarchical linear model was used to evaluate the association between SES at these two levels and the overall cognition score adjusted for age, sex and marital status.</p><p>Results</p><p>At individual level, years of education was significantly associated with overall cognition score for both urban and rural dwellers. At the community level, a positive association was obtained between median household income and median years of education and overall cognition score among urban participants.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>A significant association between SES at both individual-level and community-level (only for urban area) and cognitive performance were found in this study of a national sample of 13,157 Chinese aged 50 years and older, even after adjusting for demographic characteristics. Identifying community-based SES variables that are associated with cognitive performance in the older population provides further evidence for the need to address community characteristics associated with deprivation.</p></div

Multilevel analysis of Overall Cognition Score and related factors.

<p>Multilevel analysis of Overall Cognition Score and related factors.</p

A Robust Near-Infrared Calibration Model for the Determination of Chlorophyll Concentration in Tree Leaves with a Calibration Transfer Method

<div><p>A method based on piecewise direct standardization was developed to directly predict leaf chlorophyll concentrations by correction of near-infrared spectra to construct a robust calibration model. Chinar, camphor, and gingko leaves collected from two growth intervals were evaluated. Spectral pretreatment methods and wavelength selection were investigated. The first derivative combined with stability competitive adaptive reweighted sampling before piecewise direct standardization provided the best performance. Under the optimized parameters, the root mean square error of prediction was significantly reduced by using piecewise direct standardization. This study demonstrates that the calibration model may be used to rapidly characterize chlorophyll concentrations across species and growth intervals.</p></div

Additional file 1 of Multilayer factors associated with excess all-cause mortality during the omicron and non-omicron waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: time series analysis in 29 countries

Supplementary Material

Direct Imaging of Protein Clusters in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Protein@metal–organic frameworks (P@MOFs) prepared by coprecipitation of protein, metal ions, and organic ligands represent an effective method for protein stabilization with a wide spectrum of applications. However, the formation mechanism of P@MOFs via the coprecipitation process and the reason why proteins can retain their biological activity in the frameworks with highly concentrated metal ions remain unsettled. Here, by a combined methodology of single molecule localization microscopy and clustering analysis, we discovered that in this process enzyme molecules form clusters with metal ions and organic ligands, contributing to both the nucleation and subsequent crystal growth. We proposed that the clusters played an important role in the retention of overall enzymatic activity by sacrificing protein molecules on the cluster surface. This work offers fresh perspectives on protein behaviors in the formation of P@MOFs, inspiring future endeavors in the design and development of artificial bionanocomposites with high biological activities

Large Daily Stock Variation Is Associated with Cardiovascular Mortality in Two Cities of Guangdong, China

<div><p>Objective</p><p>The current study aimed to examine the effects of daily change of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Index on cardiovascular mortality in Guangzhou and Taishan, China.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Daily mortality and stock performance data during 2006–2010 were collected to construct the time series for the two cities. A distributed lag non-linear model was utilized to examine the effect of daily stock index changes on cardiovascular mortality after controlling for potential confounding factors.</p><p>Results</p><p>We observed a delayed non-linear effect of the stock index change on cardiovascular mortality: both rising and declining of the stock index were associated with increased cardiovascular deaths. In Guangzhou, the 15–25 lag days cumulative relative risk of an 800 index drop was 2.08 (95% CI: 1.38–3.14), and 2.38 (95% CI: 1.31–4.31) for an 800 stock index increase on the cardiovascular mortality, respectively. In Taishan, the cumulative relative risk over 15–25 days lag was 1.65 (95% CI: 1.13–2.42) for an 800 index drop and 2.08 (95% CI: 1.26–3.42) for an 800 index rising, respectively.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Large ups and downs in daily stock index might be important predictor of cardiovascular mortality.</p></div

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