Quaternion-Based Graph Convolution Network for Recommendation

Graph Convolution Network (GCN) has been widely applied in recommender systems for its representation learning capability on user and item embeddings. However, GCN is vulnerable to noisy and incomplete graphs, which are common in real world, due to its recursive message propagation mechanism. In the literature, some work propose to remove the feature transformation during message propagation, but making it unable to effectively capture the graph structural features. Moreover, they model users and items in the Euclidean space, which has been demonstrated to have high distortion when modeling complex graphs, further degrading the capability to capture the graph structural features and leading to sub-optimal performance. To this end, in this paper, we propose a simple yet effective Quaternion-based Graph Convolution Network (QGCN) recommendation model. In the proposed model, we utilize the hyper-complex Quaternion space to learn user and item representations and feature transformation to improve both performance and robustness. Specifically, we first embed all users and items into the Quaternion space. Then, we introduce the quaternion embedding propagation layers with quaternion feature transformation to perform message propagation. Finally, we combine the embeddings generated at each layer with the mean pooling strategy to obtain the final embeddings for recommendation. Extensive experiments on three public benchmark datasets demonstrate that our proposed QGCN model outperforms baseline methods by a large margin.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables. Submitted to ICDE 202

Neuro-Inspired Hierarchical Multimodal Learning

Integrating and processing information from various sources or modalities are critical for obtaining a comprehensive and accurate perception of the real world. Drawing inspiration from neuroscience, we develop the Information-Theoretic Hierarchical Perception (ITHP) model, which utilizes the concept of information bottleneck. Distinct from most traditional fusion models that aim to incorporate all modalities as input, our model designates the prime modality as input, while the remaining modalities act as detectors in the information pathway. Our proposed perception model focuses on constructing an effective and compact information flow by achieving a balance between the minimization of mutual information between the latent state and the input modal state, and the maximization of mutual information between the latent states and the remaining modal states. This approach leads to compact latent state representations that retain relevant information while minimizing redundancy, thereby substantially enhancing the performance of downstream tasks. Experimental evaluations on both the MUStARD and CMU-MOSI datasets demonstrate that our model consistently distills crucial information in multimodal learning scenarios, outperforming state-of-the-art benchmarks

MicroRNA-34a Attenuates Paclitaxel Resistance in Prostate Cancer Cells via Direct Suppression of JAG1/Notch1 Axis

Background/Aims: Treatment options for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) are limited and typically centered on paclitaxel-based chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether miR-34a attenuates chemoresistance to paclitaxel by regulating target genes associated with drug resistance. Methods: We used data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to compare miR-34a expression levels in prostate cancer (PC) tissues with normal prostate tissues. The effects of miR-34a inhibition and overexpression on PC proliferation were evaluated in vitro via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis, and cell-cycle assays. A luciferase reporter assay was employed to identify the interactions between miR-34a and specific target genes. To determine the effects of up-regulation of miR-34a on tumor growth and chemo-resistance in vivo, we injected PC cells overexpressing miR-34a into nude mice subcutaneously and evaluated the rate of tumor growth during paclitaxel treatment. We examined changes in the expression levels of miR-34a target genes JAG1 and Notch1 and their downstream genes via miR-34a transfection by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot assay. Results: miR-34a served as an independent predictor of reduced patient survival. MiR-34a was down-regulated in PC-3PR cells compared with PC-3 cells. The CCK-8 assay showed that miR-34a overexpression resulted in increased sensitivity to paclitaxel while miR-34a down-regulation resulted in chemoresistance to paclitaxel in vitro. A study of gain and loss in a series of functional assays revealed that PC cells expressing miR-34a were chemosensitive. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR-34a increased the sensitivity of PC-3PR cells to chemotherapy in vivo. The luciferase reporter assay confirmed that JAG1 and Notch1 were directly targeted by miR-34a. Interestingly, western blot analysis and qRT-PCR confirmed that miR-34a inhibited the Notch1 signaling pathway. We found that miR-34a increased the chemosensitivity of PC-3PR cells by directly repressing the TCF1/ LEF1 axis. Conclusion: Our results showed that miR-34a is involved in the development of chemosensitivity to paclitaxel. By regulating the JAG1/Notch1 axis, miR-34a or its target genes JAG1 or Notch1 might serve as potential predictive biomarkers of response to paclitaxel-based chemotherapy and/or therapeutic targets that will help to overcome chemoresistance at the mCRPC stage

The Association Between Diabetic Retinopathy and the Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration—The Kailuan Eye Study

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) and analyze whether DR is a risk factor for AMD. This population-based epidemiological study included 14,440 people from the Kailuan Eye Study in 2016, of whom 1,618 were patients with type 2 DM aged over 50 years, and 409 had DM with DR. We analyzed whether there were differences in the prevalence of AMD between DM with DR and DM without DR, and conducted a hierarchical statistical analysis according to different stages of DR. Using variable regression analysis, we explored whether DR constituted a risk factor for AMD. In the DM population, the prevalence of wet AMD in patients with DM with and without DR was 0. 3 and 0.2%, respectively, with no significant difference (P = 0.607). Meanwhile, the prevalence of dry AMD in patients with DM with and without DR was 20.8 and 16.0%, respectively, with a significant difference. In the subgroup analysis of dry AMD, the prevalence of early, middle, and late dry AMD in DM with DR was 14.4, 5.9, and 0.5%, respectively. In DM without DR, the prevalence of early, middle, and late dry AMD was 10.5, 4.8, and 0.7%, respectively (P = 0.031). In the subgroup analysis of DR staging, statistical analysis could not be performed because of the limited number of patients with PDR. In the variable regression analysis of risk factors for dry AMD, after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, DR constituted the risk factor for dry AMD. In conclusion, DM did not constitute a risk factor for AMD, and the prevalence of wet AMD and dry AMD in patients with DM and DR was higher than that in patients with DM without DR (among which dry AMD was statistically significant). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that DR is an independent risk factor for dry AMD. Reasonable control of DM and slowing down the occurrence and development of DR may effectively reduce the prevalence of AMD in patients with DM

Hepatocardiac or Cardiohepatic Interaction: From Traditional Chinese Medicine to Western Medicine

There is a close relationship between the liver and heart based on “zang-xiang theory,” “five-element theory,” and “five-zang/five-viscus/five-organ correlation theory” in the theoretical system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Moreover, with the development of molecular biology, genetics, immunology, and others, the Modern Medicine indicates the existence of the essential interorgan communication between the liver and heart (the heart and liver). Anatomically and physiologically, the liver and heart are connected with each other primarily via “blood circulation.” Pathologically, liver diseases can affect the heart; for example, patients with end-stage liver disease (liver failure/cirrhosis) may develop into “cirrhotic cardiomyopathy,” and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may promote the development of cardiovascular diseases via multiple molecular mechanisms. In contrast, heart diseases can affect the liver, heart failure may lead to cardiogenic hypoxic hepatitis and cardiac cirrhosis, and atrial fibrillation (AF) markedly alters the hepatic gene expression profile and induces AF-related hypercoagulation. The heart can also influence liver metabolism via certain nonsecretory cardiac gene-mediated multiple signals. Moreover, organokines are essential mediators of organ crosstalk, e.g., cardiomyokines link the heart to the liver, while hepatokines link the liver to the heart. Therefore, both TCM and Western Medicine, and both the basic research studies and the clinical practices, all indicate that there exist essential “heart-liver axes” and “liver-heart axes.” To investigate the organ interactions between the liver and heart (the heart and liver) will help us broaden and deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of both liver and heart diseases, thus improving the strategies of prevention and treatment in the future

The pan-liver network theory: From traditional chinese medicine to western medicine

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the liver is the “general organ” that is responsible for governing/maintaining the free flow of qi over the entire body and storing blood. According to the classic five elements theory, zang–xiang theory, yin–yang theory, meridians and collaterals theory, and the five–viscera correlation theory, the liver has essential relationships with many extrahepatic organs or tissues, such as the mother–child relationships between the liver and the heart, and the yin–yang and exterior–interior relationships between the liver and the gallbladder. The influences of the liver to the extrahepatic organs or tissues have been well-established when treating the extrahepatic diseases from the perspective of modulating the liver by using the ancient classic prescriptions of TCM and the acupuncture and moxibustion. In modern medicine, as the largest solid organ in the human body, the liver has the typical functions of filtration and storage of blood; metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, hormones, and foreign chemicals; formation of bile; storage of vitamins and iron; and formation of coagulation factors. The liver also has essential endocrine function, and acts as an immunological organ due to containing the resident immune cells. In the perspective of modern human anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology, the liver has the organ interactions with the extrahepatic organs or tissues, for example, the gut, pancreas, adipose, skeletal muscle, heart, lung, kidney, brain, spleen, eyes, skin, bone, and sexual organs, through the circulation (including hemodynamics, redox signals, hepatokines, metabolites, and the translocation of microbiota or its products, such as endotoxins), the neural signals, or other forms of pathogenic factors, under normal or diseases status. The organ interactions centered on the liver not only influence the homeostasis of these indicated organs or tissues, but also contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases (including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic [dysfunction]-associated fatty liver diseases, and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases), pulmonary diseases, hyperuricemia and gout, chronic kidney disease, and male and female sexual dysfunction. Therefore, based on TCM and modern medicine, the liver has the bidirectional interaction with the extrahepatic organ or tissue, and this established bidirectional interaction system may further interact with another one or more extrahepatic organs/tissues, thus depicting a complex “pan-hepatic network” model. The pan-hepatic network acts as one of the essential mechanisms of homeostasis and the pathogenesis of diseases

circPOLR1C Promotes the Development of Esophageal Cancer by Adsorbing miR-361-3p and Regulating Cancer Cell Apoptosis and Metastasis

Background. The effect of circular RNA-RNA polymerase I and III subunit C (circPOLR1C) on esophageal cancer (EC) has not been reported. Herein, this study is designed to unveil the effect and the regulatory mechanism of circPOLR1C on EC. Methods. The expression of circPOLR1C in EC tissues and cells was detected by qRT-PCR. Circular structure, stability, and cell localization of circPOLR1C were confirmed by qRT-PCR, RNase R, actinomycin D, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay. Cell function experiments, nude mouse xenograft, lung transplant model, and HE staining were performed to evaluate the effects of CircPOLR1C on EC in vitro and in vivo. A regulatory relationship between miR-361-3p and circPOLR1C was confirmed by qRT-PCR, circRNA in vivo precipitation, RIP, FISH, CircInteractome database, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and immunohistochemistry. Rescue experiments were applied to assess the effects of miR-361-3p and circPOLR1C on EC cells and tissues. Apoptosis- and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT)-related gene expressions were quantified by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Results. Highly expressed circPOLR1C in EC was related to tumor differentiation and invasion. circPOLR1C, which mainly exists in the cytoplasm, is a stable circular RNA. circPOLR1C silencing inhibited circPOLR1C expression and EC cell malignant function, while circPOLR1C overexpression promoted the growth of transplanted tumors and lung metastasis. The enrichment of miR-361-3p was higher than that of other targeted miRNAs. circPOLR1C adsorbed miR-361-3p to regulate apoptosis- and EMT-related genes and partially reversed the tumor suppressive effect of miR-361-3p, which was lowly expressed in EC tissues. Silencing the target genes of miR-361-3p also inhibited the malignant development of EC cells. Conclusion. circPOLR1C adsorbs miR-361-3p and regulates apoptosis- and EMT-related gene expressions to promote the development of EC

Author Correction: Modeling suggests fossil fuel emissions have been driving increased land carbon uptake since the turn of the 20th Century

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Modeling suggests fossil fuel emissions have been driving increased land carbon uptake since the turn of the 20th Century

Terrestrial vegetation removes CO2 from the atmosphere; an important climate regulation service that slows global warming. This 119 Pg C per annum transfer of CO2 into plants-gross primary productivity (GPP)-is the largest land carbon flux globally. While understanding past and anticipated future GPP changes is necessary to support carbon management, the factors driving long-term changes in GPP are largely unknown. Here we show that 1901 to 2010 changes in GPP have been dominated by anthropogenic activity. Our dual constraint attribution approach provides three insights into the spatiotemporal patterns of GPP change. First, anthropogenic controls on GPP change have increased from 57% (1901 decade) to 94% (2001 decade) of the vegetated land surface. Second, CO2 fertilization and nitro  gen deposition are the most important drivers of change, 19.8 and 11.1 Pg C per annum (2001 decade) respectively, especially in the tropics and industrialized areas since the 1970's. Third, changes in climate have functioned as fertilization to enhance GPP (1.4 Pg C per annum in the 2001 decade). These findings suggest that, from a land carbon balance perspective, the Anthropocene began over 100 years ago and that global change drivers have allowed GPP uptake to keep pace with anthropogenic emissions