The Influence of Financial Agglomeration on the Export Trade in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: An Analysis Based on Mediation Effect of Technological Innovation

So far, the relation between financial agglomeration and export trade is complex and there are few related studies. However, research on this topic will be of great value to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (the Greater Bay Area). This paper aims to use the mediation model to analyze the role of technological innovation as an mediator variable between financial agglomeration and export trade. Based on the relevant data of the Greater Bay Area from 2009 to 2018, regression analysis was performed using the three equations of the mediation model. The mediator variable was then replaced to conduct a robustness test, and it was found that there is indeed an mediation effect; technological innovation acts as an mediator variable between financial agglomeration and export trade. Therefore, it can be concluded that the financial agglomeration in the Greater Bay Area can effectively promote technological innovation, while technological innovation will inhibit exports to a certain extent

miR-27b Suppresses Endothelial Cell Proliferation and Migration by Targeting Smad7 in Kawasaki Disease

Background/Aims: Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in Kawasaki disease (KD). Our previous study demonstrated that hsa-miR-27b-3p (miR-27b) was up-regulated in KD serum. However, the specific role of miR-27b in KD remains unclear. We aimed to investigate that miR-27b could be a biomarker and therapeutic target for KD treatment. As well, the specific mechanism of miR-27b effecting endothelial cell functions was studied. Methods: The expression of miR-27b and Smad7 was measured by qRT-PCR. Gain-of-function strategy was used to observe the effect of miR-27b on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) proliferation and migration. Bioinformatics analyses were applied to predict miR-27b targets and then we verified Smad7 by a luciferase reporter assay. Western blot was performed to detect the protein expression of Smad7, PCNA, MMP9, MMP12 and TGF-β-related genes. Results: We confirmed that miR-27b was shown to be dramatically up-regulated in KD serum and KD serum-treated HUVECs and that elevated expression of miR-27b suppressed the proliferation and migration of HUVECs. Furthermore, our results verified that miR-27b mediated cell functions by affecting the TGF-β via targeting Smad7 in HUVECs. Conclusion: These results suggested that up-regulated miR-27b had a protective role in HUVECs proliferation and migration via targeting Smad7 and affecting TGF-β pathway. Therefore, miR-27b represented a potential biomarker for KD and may serve as a promising therapeutic target for KD treatment

Association of multiple blood metals with thyroid function in general adults: A cross−sectional study

IntroductionThyroid function has a large impact on humans’ metabolism and is affected by iodine levels, but there is a scarcity of studies that elucidate the association between thyroid function and other elements.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study on 1,067 adults to evaluate the associations of the common essential metals with thyroid function in adults living in an iodine-adequate area of China. Serum free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and blood metals (zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, and calcium) were measured. Further, the thyroid hormone sensitivity indexes, FT3:FT4 ratio, and thyrotropin T4 resistance index (TT4RI) were calculated. Linear regression, quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression methods were used to explore the association of metals with thyroid function.ResultsWe found that the TSH levels correlated with copper (negative) and zinc (positive). Iron and copper were positively associated with FT3 and FT4 levels, respectively. Iron (positive) and copper (negative) were correlated with the FT3:FT4 ratio. Furthermore, we found that manganese was inversely correlated with TT4RI, while zinc was positively correlated.DiscussionOur findings suggest that manganese, iron, copper, and zinc levels were strongly correlated with thyroid function, and patients with thyroid disorders are recommended to measure those metals levels

A Semantically Aware Multi-View 3D Reconstruction Method for Urban Applications

The task of 3D reconstruction of urban targets holds pivotal importance for various applications, including autonomous driving, digital twin technology, and urban planning and development. The intricate nature of urban landscapes presents substantial challenges in attaining 3D reconstructions with high precision. In this paper, we propose a semantically aware multi-view 3D reconstruction method for urban applications which incorporates semantic information into the technical 3D reconstruction. Our research primarily focuses on two major components: sparse reconstruction and dense reconstruction. For the sparse reconstruction process, we present a semantic consistency-based error filtering approach for feature matching. To address the challenge of errors introduced by the presence of numerous dynamic objects in an urban scene, which affects the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) process, we propose a computation strategy based on dynamic–static separation to effectively eliminate mismatches. For the dense reconstruction process, we present a semantic-based Semi-Global Matching (sSGM) method. This method leverages semantic consistency to assess depth continuity, thereby enhancing the cost function during depth estimation. The improved sSGM method not only significantly enhances the accuracy of reconstructing the edges of the targets but also yields a dense point cloud containing semantic information. Through validation using architectural datasets, the proposed method was found to increase the reconstruction accuracy by 32.79% compared to the original SGM, and by 63.06% compared to the PatchMatch method. Therefore, the proposed reconstruction method holds significant potential in urban applications

RSV recombinant candidate vaccine G1F/M2 with CpG as an adjuvant prevents vaccine-associated lung inflammation, which may be associated with the appropriate types of immune memory in spleens and lungs

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major respiratory pathogen in infants. The early formalin-inactivated RSV not only failed to protect infants against infection, but also was associated with enhanced pulmonary inflammatory disease upon natural infection. A safe and effective vaccine should prevent the inflammatory disease and provide protection. Immune memory is the cornerstone of vaccines. In this study, we evaluated three types of immune memory T cells, antibodies, and lung inflammation of a vaccine candidate G1F/M2, which includes a neutralizing epitope fragment of RSV G protein and a cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope of M2 protein, with toll-like receptor 9 agonist CpG2006 as an adjuvant by intranasal (i.n.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) immunization protocols. The results indicated that immunization of mice with G1F/M2 + CpG i.p. induced significantly higher level of CD4+ or CD8+ central memory (TCM), Th1-type effector memory (TEM), and balanced ratio of IgG1/IgG2a, but lower level of lung tissue-resident memory (TRM), compared with immunization with G1F/M2 + CpG i.n., G1F/M2 i.n., or G1F/M2 i.p. Following RSV challenge, the mice immunized with G1F/M2 + CpG i.p. showed higher level of Th1-type responses, remarkably suppressed inflammatory cytokines and histopathology in lungs, compared with mice immunized with G1F/M2 + CpG i.n., G1F/M2 i.n., or G1F/M2 i.p. These results suggested that high level of TCM and Th1 type of TEM in spleens may contribute to inhibition of lung inflammation, while high level of TRM in lungs and lack of or weak Th1-type immune memory in spleens may promote lung inflammation following RSV challenge

Astragaloside IV Ameliorates Myocardial Infarction Induced Apoptosis and Restores Cardiac Function

Background!#!Type 2 diabetes mellitus increases the risk of cardiovascular disease including myocardial infarction (MI). Inflammation and apoptosis have been implicated in the pathophysiology of MI. In the present study, the effects of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) on MI in diabetic mice were evaluated.!##!Methods!#!High glucose/high fat (HG/HF) and hypoxia culture condition were established to mimic diabetic condition. After administration of AS-IV to H9c2 myocytes, the cell apoptosis, viability, and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways were detected. MI was induced in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. After administration of AS-IV to mice, cardiac function, cardiac fibrosis, inflammation, and activation of MAPK signaling pathway were detected.!##!Results!#!Astragaloside IV treatment significantly inhibited HG/HF and hypoxia-induced apoptosis of H9c2. AS-IV inhibited activation of JNK and p38 signaling pathway while promoting the activation of EKR signaling pathway. AS-IV treatment rescued cardiac function, suppressed cardiac fibrosis and inflammation, and differently regulated the activation of MAPK signaling pathways.!##!Conclusion!#!Astragaloside IV prevented apoptosis and restored cardiac function in MI, which may be due to the regulation of MAPK signaling pathway in diabetes

The Association between Prenatal Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Exposure and Neurobehavioral Problems in Offspring: A Meta-Analysis

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during pregnancy has been suggested to be associated with neurobehavioral problems in offspring. However, current epidemiological studies on the association between prenatal PFAS exposure and neurobehavioral problems among offspring, especially attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to study the relationship between PFAS exposure during pregnancy and ADHD and ASD in offspring based on meta-analyses. Online databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, were searched comprehensively for eligible studies conducted before July 2021. Eleven studies (up to 8493 participants) were included in this analysis. The pooled results demonstrated that exposure to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) was positively associated with ADHD in the highest quartile group. Negative associations were observed between perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and ADHD/ASD, including between perfluorononanoate (PFNA) and ASD. There were no associations found between total PFAS concentration groups and neurobehavioral problems. The trial sequential analyses showed unstable results. Our findings indicated that PFOA and PFOS exposure during pregnancy might be associated with ADHD in offspring and that prenatal PFOS and PFNA exposure might be associated with ASD in offspring. According to the limited evidence obtained for most associations, additional studies are required to validate these findings

Dynamics and Numerical Simulation of Contaminant Diffusion for a Non-Flushing Ecological Toilet

The poor indoor air quality (IAQ) of severely polluted toilets is associated with increased risk of severe disease. This study aimed to evaluate the overall IAQ according to the contaminant removal efficiency, volume average concentration, and breathing zone control level. The characteristics of contaminant transmission in a non-flushing ecological toilet (NFET) were analyzed using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology, and the proposed model was further validated based on experimental measurements. Both an orthogonal experimental design and CFD were used to analyze factors such as exhaust fan position (EFP), air change rate per hour (ACH), natural vent location (NVL), and grid height (G-h). The EFP and ACH were demonstrated to be the dominant factors affecting the IAQ, whereas NVL and G-h were found to play key roles. Single-factor analysis based on the significance levels of the ACH, EFP, and NVL was conducted using the CFD methodology to define three exhaust behaviors—namely, “ineffective”, “enhanced”, and “excessive”. These results provide key insights that may be used to improve the IAQ of NFETs

Identifying Rare Genetic Variants of Immune Mediators as Risk Factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects more than 1% of children, and there is no viable pharmacotherapeutic agent to treat the core symptoms of ASD. Studies have shown that children with ASD show changes in their levels of immune response molecules. Our previous studies have shown that ASD is more common in children with folate receptor autoantibodies. We also found that children with ASD have abnormal gut immune function, which was characterized by a significant increase in the content of immunoglobulin A and an increase in gut-microbiota-associated epitope diversity. These studies suggest that the immune mechanism plays an important role in the occurrence of ASD. The present study aims to systematically assess gene mutations in immune mediators in patients with ASD. We collected genetic samples from 72 children with ASD (2–12 years old) and 107 healthy controls without ASD (20–78 years old). We used our previously-designed immune gene panel, which can capture cytokine and receptor genes, the coding regions of MHC genes, and genes of innate immunity. Target region sequencing (500×) and bioinformatics analytical methods were used to identify variants in immune response genes associated with patients with ASD. A total of 4 rare variants were found to be associated with ASD, including HLA-B: p.A93G, HLA-DQB1: p.S229N, LILRB2: p.R322H, and LILRB2: c.956-4C>T. These variants were present in 44.44% (32/72) of the ASD patients and were detected in 3.74% (4/107) of the healthy controls. We expect these genetic variants will serve as new targets for the clinical genetic assessment of ASD, and our findings suggest that immune abnormalities in children with ASD may have a genetic basis