Integrative single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolomics decipher the imbalanced lipid-metabolism in maladaptive immune responses during sepsis

BackgroundTo identify differentially expressed lipid metabolism-related genes (DE-LMRGs) responsible for immune dysfunction in sepsis.MethodsThe lipid metabolism-related hub genes were screened using machine learning algorithms, and the immune cell infiltration of these hub genes were assessed by CIBERSORT and Single-sample GSEA. Next, the immune function of these hub genes at the single-cell level were validated by comparing multiregional immune landscapes between septic patients (SP) and healthy control (HC). Then, the support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) algorithm was conducted to compare the significantly altered metabolites critical to hub genes between SP and HC. Furthermore, the role of the key hub gene was verified in sepsis rats and LPS-induced cardiomyocytes, respectively.ResultsA total of 508 DE-LMRGs were identified between SP and HC, and 5 hub genes relevant to lipid metabolism (MAPK14, EPHX2, BMX, FCER1A, and PAFAH2) were screened. Then, we found an immunosuppressive microenvironment in sepsis. The role of hub genes in immune cells was further confirmed by the single-cell RNA landscape. Moreover, significantly altered metabolites were mainly enriched in lipid metabolism-related signaling pathways and were associated with MAPK14. Finally, inhibiting MAPK14 decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines and improved the survival and myocardial injury of sepsis.ConclusionThe lipid metabolism-related hub genes may have great potential in prognosis prediction and precise treatment for sepsis patients

Expert Consensus on Microtransplant for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Elderly Patients -Report From the International Microtransplant Interest Group

Recent studies have shown that microtransplant (MST) could improve outcome of patients with elderly acute myeloid leukemia (EAML). To further standardize the MST therapy and improve outcomes in EAML patients, based on analysis of the literature on MST, especially MST with EAML from January 1st, 2011 to November 30th, 2022, the International Microtransplant Interest Group provides recommendations and considerations for MST in the treatment of EAML. Four major issues related to MST for treating EAML were addressed: therapeutic principle of MST (1), candidates for MST (2), induction chemotherapy regimens (3), and post-remission therapy based on MST (4). Others included donor screening, infusion of donor cells, laboratory examinations, and complications of treatment

Mathematical Model of Constitutive Relation and Failure Criteria of Plastic Concrete under True Triaxial Compressive Stress

To establish the mathematic model of the constitutive relation and failure criteria of plastic concrete under true triaxial compressive stress, uniaxial compressive strength and true triaxial compressive strength of plastic concrete under three kinds of confining pressures with a size of 150 × 150 × 150 mm3 and a curing age of 540 days were tested, and the elastic modulus of plastic concrete with a size of 150 × 150 × 300 mm3 and a curing age of 90 days was tested. Based on the database, under uniaxial compressive stress tests and true triaxial compressive stress tests, the mathematic model of constitutive relation and the failure criteria of plastic concrete were investigated. It was observed that the strength of plastic concrete increased with confining stress. The mathematic model of constitutive relation in the form of the quartic polynomial is in good agreement with measured data. The general equations of failure criteria based on the octahedral stress-space under true triaxial compressive stress in the form of quadratic polynomial are well-fitting with experimental data. The mathematic model of constitutive relation and failure criteria of plastic concrete could provide the basis for a numerical simulation analysis of plastic concrete under true triaxial compressive stress, as well as promote the engineering application of plastic concrete

Platymeris biguttatus Linnaeus 1767

Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus 1767) (Figs. 1–38) Cimex biguttatus Linnaeus 1767: 725. Reduvius biguttatus: Fabricius 1775: 731. Cimex guineensis Gmelin 1790: 2198. Patymeris (sic) biguttata: Laporte 1833: 78. Platymeris biguttata: Burmeister 1835: 233; Maldonado-Capriles 1990: 428. Platymerus (sic) biguttatus: Amyot & Serville 1843: 334. Platymeris biguttatus Fabricius (sic): Stål 1859: 188. Platymeris biguttata var. guttastipennis (sic): Schouteden 1931: 137. Redescription. Coloration: Black, shining. Eyes, ocelli, spots on external side of ocelli, tarsi brown; subapical portion of femora yellowish; two spots on basal portion of fore wings whitish (Fig. 1). Structure: Body large-sized. Leg and abdomen beneath clothed with long and short setae; antennae, lateral and ventral surfaces of head, dorsal surface of anteocular portion, rostrum clothed with short setae; fore and mid trochanters ventrally, basal portion of femora ventrally, apical portion of tibiae bilaterally densely clothed with red brown short setae. Head long, obviously longer than the length of anterior pronotal lobe; eyes large, bilaterally prominent, slightly wider than collar; anteocular region longer than postocular; processes between antennae tumescent; longitudinal depression between eyes shallow; ocellar area prominent; first segment of rostrum as long as second (Fig. 2); anterior pronotal lobe sculptured, much shorter than posterior lobe; posterior pronotal lobe tumescent in middle, postero-lateral margins of posterior pronotal lobe slightly concave, lateral angles spinous, posterior margin of posterior pronotal lobe nearly straight; scutellum concave in the middle, apical spine tilted, lateral spine erect; membrane not reaching tip of abdomen (Fig. 1); spongy furrow of fore and mid tibiae developed, as long as one third of each tibia. Pygophore oblong, ventral surface clothed with setae, median process triangular (Figs. 3, 4); parameres club-shaped, bent, apex tumescent and with a hooked process, sub-apical portion with several long setae, distal half ventrally and dorsally with short setae (Figs. 6–8); basal plate developed and curled, basal plate bridge slender, basal plate prolongation wide (Figs. 9-11); phallosoma distinctly asymmetrical (Figs. 9, 10, 12, 13); dorsal phallotheca sclerite reaching tip of phallosoma in resting condition; struts reaching apex of phallosoma (Fig. 12), bent to left; lateral endosoma processes asymmetrical, left process much larger than right one (Figs. 9, 10, 12, 13). Measurements [ 3 (n= 7)/Ƥ(n= 8), in mm ]: Body length 32.5–32.63 / 34.13–34.75; abdomen width 10.50– 11.25 / 10.88–11.88. Length head 4.73–4.84 / 5.16–5.27; length anteocular portion 2.04–2.15 / 2.26–2.37; length postocular portion 0.97–1.08 / 1.12–1.40; interocellar space 0.25–0.50 / 0.45–0.70; length synthlipsis 1.63–1.75 / 1.70–1.95; length antennal segments I–IV= 2.50 / 2.50, 8.13–8.63 / 8.20–8.70, 6.13–6.57 / 6.85 –7.00, 3.75–4.20 / 4.15–4.30; length rostral segments I–III= 2.13–2.50 / 2.38–2.56, 2.25–2.38 / 2.38–2.45, 1.10–1.38 / 1.13–1.46; length anterior pronotal lobe 2.50–3.13 / 2.63–3.25; length posterior lobe 5.00– 5.14 / 5.10–5.35; width thorax 9.88–10.75 / 10.00– 11.15; length hemelytron 20.63–21.75 / 20.75–22.25.Published as part of Li, Hu, Zhao, Guangyu, Cao, Liangming, Xu, Kang & Cai, Wanzhi, 2010, Taxonomic and bionomic notes on the white spot assassin bug Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Reduviinae), pp. 47-56 in Zootaxa 2644 on page 48, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19867

Open-end investment funds and VaR as risk measure of equity and balanced funds in Republic of Croatia

Financijske institucije poput banaka, mirovinskih fondova, investicijskih fondova, brokerskih kuća, osiguravajućih društava i drugih financijskih institucija koriste metode procjene izloženosti tržišnom riziku kako bi minimizirale potencijalne gubitke. Regulatorna tijela pojedinih država također nameću financijskim institucijama pravila i praksu upravljanja rizikom kako bi osigurali sigurnost financijskog sustava. Bankama je primjerice određena razina adekvatnosti kapitala s obzirom na izračun rizičnosti vrijednosti (VaR). Osim toga, mogućnost ostvarenja visokih prinosa značajno je utjecala na popularizaciju mjera rizika. Navedeno proizlazi iz činjenice kako visoki prinosi nose sa sobom i visoki rizik te je zbog toga potrebno uvesti različite mjere rizika. To je slučaj i kod dioničkih i mješovitih investicijskih fondova kod kojih postoji mogućnost ostvarivanja viših prinosa, nego putem oročenih depozita u bankama. Mjere rizika, a među njima i VaR, kvantificiraju rizik koji je do sada bio kvalitativna kategorija. Na taj način se potencijalnim investitorima omogućava da brojčano iskažu rizik pojedinog ulaganja što im u konačnici olakšava investicijsku odluku. Osim prošlih prinosa, na temelju kojih se mogu prognozirati očekivani budući prinosi, investitori će prilikom donošenja odluke o investiranju na raspolaganju imati i mjere rizičnosti. Konačna odluka će ovisiti o dobivenim rezultatima, ali i o subjektivnim karakteristikama pojedinog investitora odnosno averziji prema riziku. U radu je objašnjen pojam VaR-a kao mjere rizika i analiziran izračun VaR-a dioničkih i mješovitih investicijskih fondova u Republici Hrvatskoj primjenom povijesne simulacije i metode varijance/kovarijance za razdoblje od dvanaest mjeseci, kao i usporedba navedenih metoda.Financial institutions like banks, pension funds, investment funds, brokerage houses, insurance houses and other financial institutions use different measures to estimate market risk exposure in order to minimize potencial losses. Regulatory institutions of individual states also impose rules and practice in risk management to financial institutions in order to insure safety of financial system. For example, banks are determined capital adequancy ratio level considering value at risk calculation (VaR). Besides, possibility of achieving high investment returns has significantly influenced on risk measures popularization. That is the result of a fact that high investment returns go together with high risk and because of that fact it is necessary to introduce different risk measures. That is the case with equity and balanced investment funds which have possibility of achieving investment returns higher than saving deposits in banks. Risk measures, among them VaR, quantify risk which was, up until now, qualitative category. In that way the potential investors are enabled to numerically state risk of each investment which ultimately facilitates investment decision. Beside past returns, on which future returns can be forecasted, before making investment decision, investors have risk measures available. Final decision will depend on gained results, but also on subjective characteristics of each investor, respectively on his aversion to risk. In this paper, term VaR as one of risk measures was explained, and VaR calculation of equity and balanced investment funds in Croatia with application of historical simulation and parametric method for twelve month period was analized, as well as comparison of these methods