Impact of solid fuel use on asthma prognosis and consistent peak expiratory flow changes: Evidence from China by Yuexi Chen, Shuojia Xie, Xirong Chen, Xiaowen Zhong, Linhang Yang, Weitong Lin, Junfeng Huang, Ruchong Chen

“…The survival analysis demonstrated that, when contrasted with non-asthmatic individuals using cleaner fuel, the risk of all-cause mortality was 1.63 times higher (95 % CI = 1.33, 2.00, p < 0.001) in asthmatic individuals regularly using solid fuels. …”
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Breeding for Heat Tolerant Aromatic Rice Varieties and Identification of Novel QTL Regions Associated with Heat Tolerance During Reproductive Phase by QTL-Seq by Surangkana Chimthai, Sulaiman Cheabu, Wanchana Aesomnuk, Siriphat Ruengphayak, Siwaret Arikit, Apichart Vanavichit, Chanate Malumpong

“…Regarding the QTL-seq results, the qSF2.1 region ranged from 311 051 to 3 929 422 bp on chromosome 2, was identified based on the highest contrasting SNP index between the heat-susceptible and tolerant bulks. …”
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Epidermal stem cell derived exosomes-induced dedifferentiation of myofibroblasts inhibits scarring via the miR-203a-3p/PIK3CA axis by Shixin Zhao, Haoran Kong, Dahu Qi, Yushuang Qiao, Yu Li, Zhiming Cao, Hanwen Wang, Xuefeng He, Hengdeng Liu, Hao Yang, Suyue Gao, Tao Liu, Julin Xie

“…After in vitro and in vivo treatment with EpiSC-EVs, we assessed antifibrotic effects through scratch assays, collagen contraction assays, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence. …”
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An automated platform for simultaneous, longitudinal analysis of engineered neuromuscular tissues for applications in neurotoxin potency testing by Jacob W. Fleming, Molly C. McCloskey, Kevin Gray, David R. Nash, Vincent Leung, Christos Michas, Shawn M. Luttrell, Christopher Cavanaugh, Julie Mathieu, Shawn Mcquire, Mark Bothwell, David L. Mack, Nicholas A. Geisse, Alec S.T. Smith

“…We present a turnkey iPSC-based model of the NMJ employing channelrhodopsin-2 expression within the motor neuron (MN) population driving muscle contraction in response to blue light. MNs co-cultured with engineered skeletal muscle tissues produced twitch forces of 34.7 ± 22.7 µN in response to blue light, with a response fidelity > 92 %. …”
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Elevated Serum Extracellular Vesicle‐Packaged SPARC in Hypertension: A Cross‐Sectional Study in a Middle‐Aged and Elderly Population by Xueying Chen, Han Guo, Xinwei Li, Yang Liu, Xinxin Li, Zhengshuo Cui, Huijuan Ma, Jianxun He, Zhechun Zeng, Huina Zhang

“…Our findings revealed that the levels of SPARC derived from serum EVs were markedly elevated in individuals with hypertension, averaging 20.60 ng/mL (p < 0.01), when contrasted with the levels observed in normotensive subjects, which were 14.25 ng/mL (p < 0.01) in average. …”
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A global Corynebacterium diphtheriae genomic framework sheds light on current diphtheria reemergence by Hennart, Mélanie, Crestani, Chiara, Bridel, Sébastien, Armatys, Nathalie, Brémont, Sylvie, Carmi-Leroy, Annick, Landier, Annie, Passet, Virginie, Fonteneau, Laure, Vaux, Sophie, Toubiana, Julie, Badell, Edgar, Brisse, Sylvain

“…Phylogenetic lineages Gravis and Mitis contrasted strikingly in their pathogenicity-associated genes. …”
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Projected distribution patterns of Alpinia officinarum in China under future climate scenarios: insights from optimized Maxent and Biomod2 models by Yong Kang, Yong Kang, Fei Lin, Junmei Yin, Junmei Yin, Yongjie Han, Min Zhu, Yuhua Guo, Fenling Tang, Yamei Li

“…Through Multivariate environmental similarity surface (MESS) and most dissimilar variable (MoD) analyses revealed that increased climate variability under high emission scenarios, especially in ssp585, led to large-scale habitat contraction due to rising temperatures and unstable precipitation patterns. …”
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Oral behaviors in Chinese temporomandibular disorder patients: insights from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses by Tiqian Liu, Tiqian Liu, Adrian Ujin Yap, Adrian Ujin Yap, Adrian Ujin Yap, Yanyu Sun, Yanyu Sun, Yunhao Zheng, Yunhao Zheng, Tianqi Wang, Tianqi Wang, Shiya Zeng, Shiya Zeng, Zhen Liu, Xin Xiong, Xin Xiong

“…Exploratory factor analysis, along with confirmatory factor analysis, was applied to waking-state oral behaviors, revealing two key factors: Chinese non-functional (C-NFA) and functional (C-FA) oral activities. Items were contrasted with those of Italian TMDs patients (I-NFA and I-FA), and subscale scores were computed, compared, and correlated using Kruskal Wallis and Post-hoc and Spearman’s rank-order correlation (α = 0.05).ResultsVariations in NFA and FA items were observed between Chinese and Italian TMDs patients. …”
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COVID-19 among staff and their family members of a healthcare research institution in Bangladesh between March 2020 and April 2021: a test-negative case–control study by Subhasish Das, Mustafa Mahfuz, Shah Mohammad Fahim, Tahmeed Ahmed, Shams E Arifeen, Md Ashraful Alam, Mustafizur Rahman, John D Clemens, S M Tafsir Hasan, Ishita Mostafa, Monira Sarmin, Shahana Parveen

“…Multivariable logistic regression was done to identify the factors associated with COVID-19 positivity by contrasting test positives with test negatives.Result Forty-three per cent of the participants were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. …”
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The emerging role of blood-based biomarkers in early detection of colorectal cancer: A systematic review by Faris Shweikeh, Yuhao Zeng, Abdur Rahman Jabir, Erica Whittenberger, Saurav P. Kadatane, Yuting Huang, Mohamad Mouchli, Dani Ran Castillo

“…Protein biomarkers, contrasted with established cancer markers, unveiled notable candidates like Irisin and ANXA2, with AUCs surpassing 0.96. …”
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Duckweed: a starch-hyperaccumulating plant under cultivation with a combination of nutrient limitation and elevated CO2 by Ling Guo, Ling Guo, Yang Fang, Songhu Wang, Yao Xiao, Yanqiang Ding, Yanling Jin, Xueping Tian, Anping Du, Zhihua Liao, Kaize He, Shuang Chen, Yonggui Zhao, Li Tan, Zhuolin Yi, Yuqing Che, Lanchai Chen, Jinmeng Li, Leyi Zhao, Peng Zhang, Zhengbiao Gu, Fangyuan Zhang, Yan Hong, Qing Zhang, Hai Zhao

“…In this study, we integrated whole-genome sequencing, epigenomics, transcriptomics, enzyme activity, and composition variation to elucidate the mechanisms of efficient starch accumulation in duckweed in terms of starch accumulation and carbon partitioning, regulation of the expression of genes in the starch metabolic pathway, and sucrose biosynthesis and transportation.Results and discussionAlthough Landoltia punctata exhibits dramatic gene family contraction, its starch content and productivity reached 72.2% (dry basis) and 10.4 g m-2 d-1, respectively, in 10 days, equivalent to a yield of 38.0 t ha-1 y-1, under nutrient limitation treatment with elevated CO2 levels. …”
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Morphological, Physiological, and Molecular Responses to Heat Stress in Brassicaceae by Iram Batool, Ahsan Ayyaz, Tongjun Qin, Xiaofen Wu, Weiqi Chen, Fakhir Hannan, Zafar Ullah Zafar, Muhammad Shahbaz Naeem, Muhammad Ahsan Farooq, Weijun Zhou

“…While such studies are limited in <i>B. napus</i>, contrasting trends in gene expression have been observed across different species and cultivars, suggesting these genes play a complex role in heat stress tolerance. …”
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Impact of water transfer on socioeconomic drought in China: A new approach based on production and consumption by Junlin Qu, Changhai Qin, Jiaxuan Chang, Yong Zhao, Hao Wang, Fan He

“…Considering the full demand for water resources, this paper evaluates the mitigation of socioeconomic drought by water transfer from a contrasting perspective of production and consumption. …”
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Neuromuscular electrical stimulation training induces myonuclear accretion and hypertrophy in mice without overt signs of muscle damage and regeneration by Aurélie Fessard, Aliki Zavoriti, Natacha Boyer, Jules Guillemaud, Masoud Rahmati, Peggy Del Carmine, Christelle Gobet, Bénédicte Chazaud, Julien Gondin

“…Each NMES training session consisted of 80 isometric contractions delivered at ∼15% of maximal tetanic force to avoid muscle damage. …”
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Methodological advances in seismic noise imaging of the Alpine area by Paul, Anne, Pedersen, Helle A., Bodin, Thomas, Kästle, Emanuel, Soergel, Dorian, Alder, Chloé, Lu, Yang, Nouibat, Ahmed

“…Our findings include detailed mapping of strong and abrupt Moho depth changes under the Western Alps, contrasting orientations of fast velocity directions between the upper and lower Alpine crust, and the absence of significant radial anisotropy everywhere in the European crust and shallow upper mantle, except in the Apenninic lower crust. …”
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BAFF and APRIL immunotherapy following Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination enhances protection against pulmonary tuberculosis in mice by Min Xie, Chen-Yu Tsai, Joshua Woo, Frank Nuritdinov, Melissa Cristaldo, Narineh M. Odjourian, Rosleine Antilus-Sainte, Maureen Dougher, Martin Gengenbacher, Martin Gengenbacher

“…Changes in cellular immune responses were accompanied by reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles and a contraction of the leukocyte population in lungs. Importantly, mice receiving BCG vaccination followed by BAFF or APRIL immunotherapy exhibited superior long-term protection against pulmonary tuberculosis relative to controls that received only BCG.ConclusionIn summary, our findings demonstrate that combining BCG vaccination with B cell targeted immunomodulatory therapies can improve long-term protection against pulmonary tuberculosis, highlighting the continued relevance and underutilized potential of BCG as a vaccine platform.…”
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Decorin, an exercise-induced secretory protein, is associated with improved prognosis in breast cancer patients but does not mediate anti-tumorigenic tissue crosstalk in mice by Marit Hjorth, Casey L. Egan, Guilherme D. Telles, Martin Pal, David Gallego-Ortega, Oliver K. Fuller, Emma D. McLennan, Ryan D. Gillis, Tae Gyu Oh, George E.O. Muscat, Surafel Tegegne, Michael S.M. Mah, Joanna Skhinas, Emma Estevez, Timothy E. Adams, Matthew J. McKay, Mark Molloy, Kevin I. Watt, Hongwei Qian, Paul Gregorevic, Thomas R. Cox, Pernille Hojman, Julie Midtgaard, Jesper F. Christensen, Martin Friedrichsen, Renato V. Iozzo, Erica K. Sloan, Brian G. Drew, Jørgen F.P. Wojtaszewski, Martin Whitham, Mark A. Febbraio

“…We identify the proteoglycan decorin as a contraction-induced secretory factor that systemically increases in patients with breast cancer immediately following exercise. …”
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Multiomics profiling reveals the benefits of gamma-delta (γδ) T lymphocytes for improving the tumor microenvironment, immunotherapy efficacy and prognosis in cervical cancer by Xiaofeng Wang, Chen Li, Jie Chen, Zhiqiang Wu, Zhen Zhang, Junyi Li, Lu Yu, Yong Guan, Yuhan Zhang, Yuanjie Cao, Yancheng Liu, Hui Bai, Shaochuan Liu, Miaomiao Gao, Chenglu Lu, Zhen Tao, Zhiyong Yuan

“…Recent studies have indicated that γδ T cells play contrasting roles in tumor microenvironments—promoting tumor progression in some cancers (eg, gallbladder and leukemia) while suppressing it in others (eg, lung and gastric). γδ T cells are mainly enriched in peripheral mucosal tissues. …”
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An initial exploration of core collection construction and DNA fingerprinting in Elymus sibiricus L. using SNP markers by Xinrui Li, Xinrui Li, Xinrui Li, Daping Song, Mingfeng Li, Daxu Li, Minghong You, Yan Peng, Jiajun Yan, Shiqie Bai

“…In China, the wild germplasm resources of E. sibiricus are abundant, and they are shaped by similar and contrasting climatic conditions to form distinct populations, which enrich the genetic diversity of E. sibiricus. …”
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Development of the cultural tailoring score (CTS): a scoring instrument to assess cultural tailoring of health messaging by Claudia Parvanta, Kayleigh Murray, Samantha Boddupalli, Natalie Erasme, Rheese McNab, Vijay Prajapati, Arabel Severe, Aura Reyes, Richard Harner, Rhonda Holliday

“…Background Cultural tailoring of health information has been associated with better health outcomes in minority populations. While contractors and partner organizations are asked to produce culturally appropriate materials, there are no government-endorsed metrics to assess the “cultural content” of health communication materials.Aims To fill this implementation gap we created a cultural tailoring score that can be used to guide creation or pretesting of health communication materials. …”
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