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Background Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and anxiety frequently co-occur among young adults and represent an increasing mental health concern in China. Nevertheless, the psychological network underlying this comorbidity and the identification of potential intervention targets remain poorly understood. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 605 Chinese university freshmen to investigate the association between internet gaming disorder (IGD), anxiety. And the behavioral inhibition system (BIS)/ behavioral activation system (BAS) was examined as potential mediators of this relationship. Results Anxiety was positively associated with Internet gaming disorder (IGD), with the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) functioning as a complementary partial mediation. Complementary configurational and network analyses further identified heightened punishment/ reward sensitivity and loss of control over mind and behavior as key psychological symptoms linking IGD to anxiety. Conclusions These findings highlight anxiety’s central role in IGD, with an imbalance in reward and punishment sensitivity closely associated with the comorbidity. Intense gaming rewards reinforce the drive to continue playing, while cessation triggers negative emotions like anxiety. These results emphasize the need for interventions that promote healthier emotional regulation in individuals with IGD and comorbid anxiety.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly disease without effective treatment. Because glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) contribute to tumor resistance and recurrence, improved treatment of GBM can be achieved by eliminating GSCs through inducing their differentiation. Prior efforts have been focused on studying GSC differentiation towards the astroglial lineage. However, regulation of GSC differentiation towards the neuronal and oligodendroglial lineages is largely unknown. To identify genes that control GSC differentiation to all three lineages, we performed an image-based genome-wide RNAi screen, in combination with single-cell RNA sequencing, and identified ZNF117 as a major regulator of GSC differentiation. Using patient-derived GSC cultures, we show that ZNF117 controls GSC differentiation towards the oligodendroglial lineage via the Notch pathway. We demonstrate that ZNF117 is a promising target for GSC differentiation therapy through targeted delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing nanoparticles. Our study suggests a direction to improve GBM treatment through differentiation of GSCs towards various lineages. Improved treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) can be achieved by inducing differentiation of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs). Here, the authors show that zinc finger protein 117 (ZNF117) is a regulator of GSC differentiation via Notch signaling through interaction with JAG2, and can be targeted for therapy.

Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is an essential component of virus-activated signaling pathways that induce protective IFN responses. Its localization to the outer mitochondrial membrane suggests an important yet unexplained role for mitochondria in innate immunity. Here, we show that hepatitis A virus (HAV), a hepatotropic picornavirus, ablates type 1 IFN responses by targeting the 3ABC precursor of its 3Cpro cysteine protease to mitochondria where it colocalizes with and cleaves MAVS, thereby disrupting activation of IRF3 through the MDA5 pathway. The 3ABC cleavage of MAVS requires both the protease activity of 3Cpro and a transmembrane domain in 3A that directs 3ABC to mitochondria. Lacking this domain, mature 3Cpro protease is incapable of MAVS proteolysis. HAV thus disrupts host signaling by a mechanism that parallels that of the serine NS3/4A protease of hepatitis C virus, but differs in its use of a stable, catalytically active polyprotein processing intermediate. The unique requirement for mitochondrial localization of 3ABC underscores the importance of mitochondria to host control of virus infections within the liver.

In order to solve the problem of low accuracy of small target detection in traditional target detection algorithms, the YOLOX algorithm combined with Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) is proposed. The algorithm first uses CBAM on the shallow feature map to better focus on small target information, and the Focal loss function is used to regress the confidence of the target to overcome the positive and negative sample imbalance problem of the one-stage target detection algorithm. Finally, the Soft Non-Maximum Suppression (SNMS) algorithm is used for post-processing to solve the problem of missed detection in close range ship target detection. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of the proposed CBAM-YOLOX network target detection is improved by 4.01% and the recall rate is improved by 8.81% compared with the traditional YOLOX network, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Background: Capsaicin, the hot pepper agent, produces burning followed by desensitization. To treat localized itch or pain with minimal burning, low capsaicin concentrations can be repeatedly applied. We hypothesized that alternatively controlled release of capsaicin from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles desensitizes superficially terminating nociceptors, reducing burning. Methods: Capsaicin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared (single-emulsion solvent evaporation) and characterized (size, morphology, capsaicin loading, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release profile). Capsaicin-PLGA nanoparticles were applied to murine skin and evaluated in healthy human participants (n = 21) for 4 days under blinded conditions, and itch and nociceptive sensations evoked by mechanical, heat stimuli and pruritogens cowhage, β-alanine, BAM8-22 and histamine were evaluated. Results: Nanoparticles (loading: 58 µg capsaicin/mg) released in vitro 23% capsaicin within the first hour and had complete release at 72 h. In mice, 24 h post-application Capsaicin-PLGA nanoparticles penetrated the dermis and led to decreased nociceptive behavioral responses to heat and mechanical stimulation (desensitization). Application in humans produced a weak to moderate burning, dissipating after 3 h. A loss of heat pain up to 2 weeks was observed. After capsaicin nanoparticles, itch and nociceptive sensations were reduced in response to pruritogens cowhage, β-alanine or BAM8-22, but were normal to histamine. Conclusions: Capsaicin nanoparticles could be useful in reducing pain and itch associated with pruritic diseases that are histamine-independent.

To address the issues of reduced system inertia and complex dynamic responses caused by the high proportion of renewable energy and power electronic equipment in new power systems, this article develops a transient coupling modeling method for communication networks and source-grid-load-storage based on a unified time scale and event-driven mechanism, aiming to improve system stability. First, a hybrid system modeling framework with a unified time scale is constructed. Leveraging high-precision global clock synchronization, this approach enables the coordinated solution of continuous power system states and discrete communication system events, achieving precise synchronization of information and energy flows on a microscopic time scale. Second, a dynamic modeling method for the communication network is designed, combining graph topology and queuing theory to accurately describe characteristics such as communication link delay, packet loss, and congestion. Furthermore, cyber-physical interface mapping rules are employed, along with timestamps and adaptive sampling mechanisms, to ensure accurate cross-system data encapsulation, transmission, and execution. Finally, a source-grid-load-storage-based coupled simulation framework is established. Through event-driven and unified time scale mechanisms, continuous integration of power system transient equations and discrete processing of communication events are simultaneously performed. Finally, a bidirectional closed-loop coupled simulation of “power-communication-power” is implemented on a co-simulation platform. Experiments show that the proposed method achieves an average stabilization time of 0.375 s, an average recovery rate of 1.711 Hz/second, a bandwidth utilization rate of 93.38%, and a message success rate of 99.08%. It also demonstrates excellent voltage recovery performance under multiple disturbance scenarios, with a short-circuit recovery time of only 0.12 s. This method effectively addresses the mismatch between information transmission delays and power transients, improving system stability and dynamic response capabilities. It also provides a technical path and theoretical support for the modeling of novel power systems and the deep integration and coordinated control of cyber-physical systems. Article Highlights A unified time-scale modeling framework enables precise synchronization of power system dynamics and communication events for deeper cyber-physical coupling. The method robustly enhances system stability and recovery speed, even under communication delays or disturbances, as shown through extensive simulation results. It offers a practical technical path for designing resilient next-generation power systems by efficiently managing communication resources in highly integrated networks.

Background: Although alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in emotional processing, the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. We hypothesized that specific deficits in activating and using emotion concepts would be associated with impairments in higher-order emotional processing in individuals with high levels of alexithymia. Methods: To elucidate these mechanisms, 20 high-alexithymia and 17 low-alexithymia young adults (Mage = 18.38, SDage = 0.77), identified according to the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, were included in this study to examine distinct neural and behavioral features between participants with different levels of alexithymia. Participants selected target facial expressions primed by emotion concepts from interferential faces while their event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. We modulated the clarity of emotion concepts and varied the relative working-memory load of the emotion concepts versus facial features to promote top-down or bottom-up processing. Results: Behaviorally, clear emotion concepts facilitated accurate target identification in both groups. Event-related potential results show that the high alexithymia group had reduced N400 amplitudes than the low-alexithymia group in the top-down domain processing condition (mean difference of 2.75 μV, 95% CI [0.40, 5.11], Cohen’s d = 0.54), indicating reduced cognitive resource allocation for deliberately activating emotion concepts. Conclusions: These findings suggest that individuals with high alexithymia have emotion deficits, potentially due to difficulty in the deliberate activation of emotion concepts. Our findings provide theoretical and clinical implications for affective science by highlighting a possible conceptual-processing mechanism through which alexithymia may be linked to the development and persistence of comorbid affective symptoms.

State estimation plays an important role in the monitoring and control of integrated electric–gas systems (IEGSs), but it faces limitations due to insufficient measurement configurations and low data redundancy in these systems; additional measurement configurations are needed to increase the overall system observability. Owing to the lack of suitable observability analysis methods, optimal measurement configurations for IEGSs remain underexplored. This paper presents an IEGS observability analysis method that incorporates gas flow dynamics via the Lie derivative. This method incorporates the complex topological structure of the gas network and the dynamic process of gas flow into the IEGS observability analysis. Furthermore, the measurement configuration problem for IEGSs considering gas flow dynamics is formulated as a rank‐constrained optimization problem. To handle the rank constraints effectively, an iterative cutting method is developed with convergence guarantees. Finally, the efficacy and practicality of the proposed methods are validated through case studies of varying scales. The proposed optimal measurement configuration model reduces measurement configuration costs while maintaining system observability.

Breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) is a devastating disease with dismal prognosis. Although chemotherapy is widely used for clinical management of most tumors, it is often ineffective for BCBM. Therefore, alternative approaches for improved treatment of BCBM are in great demand. Here, an innovative gene therapy regimen is reported that is designed for effective treatment of BCBM. First, poly(lactone‐co‐β‐amino ester) nanoparticles that are capable of efficient gene delivery are synthesized and are engineered for targeted delivery to BCBM through surface conjugation of AMD3100, which interacts with CXCR4 enriched in the tumor microenvironment. Next, an artificial gene, proMel, is designed for the expression of secretory promelittin protein, which has limited toxicity on its own but releases cytolytic melittin after activation by MMP‐2 accumulated in tumors. It is demonstrated that delivery of the proMel via the AMD3100‐conjugated nanoparticles effectively inhibits tumor progression in a BCBM mouse model. This study suggests a new direction to treat BCBM through targeted delivery of promelittin‐mediated gene therapy. Herein, a new generation of poly(lactone‐co‐β‐amino ester) is synthesized for gene delivery and an artificial gene, proMel, is designed for effective cancer gene therapy. The targeted delivery of proMel effective treatment of breast cancer brain metastases is demonstrated.