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ESG (environmental, social, and governance) has gained widespread recognition as a fundamental investment approach on a global scale. Demonstrating strong ESG performance has evolved into a vital strategic imperative for fostering sustainable corporate growth and bolstering competitiveness. Given their critical roles within companies, it is crucial for decision-makers to investigate the impact of executive overconfidence on ESG performance. Through an examination of Chinese A-share listed companies spanning the years 2009 to 2020, this research reveals a significant correlation between executive overconfidence and improved corporate ESG performance. Mechanism tests uncover that overconfident executives exhibit robust risk-taking abilities and a heightened drive to garner attention, both of which contribute to the enhancement of ESG performance. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that, in companies characterized by lower-quality accounting information, lower institutional shareholding ratios, ample cash flow, and increased government subsidies, the positive influence of executive overconfidence on ESG performance is even more pronounced. Furthermore, our investigation unveils that overconfident executives exert a positive impact on corporate ESG performance through three primary pathways: assuming responsibility for environmental protection (E), embracing social responsibility (S), and fortifying corporate governance (G). It is worth noting that this boost in ESG performance, in turn, translates into an enhancement of corporate value. Ultimately, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the economic ramifications of executive overconfidence and enriches the body of knowledge pertaining to the mechanisms for enhancing ESG performance.

The hair metabolome has been recognized as a valuable source of information in pregnancy research, as it provides stable metabolite information that could assist with studying biomarkers or metabolic mechanisms of pregnancy and its complications. We tested the hypothesis that hair segments could be used to reflect a metabolite profile containing information from both endogenous and exogenous compounds accumulated during the nine months of pregnancy. Segments of hair samples corresponding to the trimesters were collected from 175 pregnant women in New Zealand. The hair samples were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In healthy pregnancies, 56 hair metabolites were significantly different between the first and second trimesters, while 62 metabolites were different between the first and third trimesters (p < 0.05). Additionally, three metabolites in the second trimester hair samples were significantly different between healthy controls and women who delivered small-for-gestational-age infants (p < 0.05), and ten metabolites in third trimester hair were significantly different between healthy controls and women with gestational diabetes mellitus (p < 0.01). The findings from this pilot study provide improved insight into the changes of the hair metabolome during pregnancy, as well as highlight the potential of the maternal hair metabolome to differentiate pregnancy complications from healthy pregnancies.

To understand the molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis of pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma and explore potential therapeutic strategies, we investigated the genomic profiles and PD-L1 expression of 29 Chinese pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma patients at various stages. We performed capture-based targeted sequencing on tissue samples collected from 27 patients with sufficient samples using a panel consisting of 520 cancer-related genes, spanning 1.64 Mb of the human genome. We identified 184 somatic mutations in 109 genes from 26 patients. One patient had no mutations detected by this panel. Copy number variations were detected in 52% (14/27) of the patients, with a majority having advanced-stage disease (10/14). Except for the detection of ERBB2 amplification and KRAS mutation in two patients, no other classic lung cancer driver mutations were detected. Interestingly, 78% (21/27) of the patients had mutations in epigenetic regulators. Of the 184 mutations identified, 51 occurred in 29 epigenetics-related genes. Furthermore, we performed PD-L1 immunohistochemistry staining using the Dako 22C3 assay and demonstrated that 69% (20/29) of the cohort had positive PD-L1 expression, of which three patients received and benefited from a PD-1 inhibitor. In conclusion, we elucidated a distinct genomic landscape associated with pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma with no classic lung cancer driver mutation but an enrichment of mutations in epigenetic regulators. The detection of high PD-L1 expression and lack of any canonical druggable driver mutations raises the potential of checkpoint immunotherapy for pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma.

Background Previous studies on the relationship between interleukin-8 (IL-8) rs4073 polymorphism and sepsis susceptibility have covered contradictory results. Our purpose is to investigate whether this polymorphism confers a risk for sepsis using both experimental methods and meta-analysis. Methods In the current study, the authoritative databases including PubMed and Embase were carefully searched and reviewed. The search period spanned from the inception of each database until June 2024. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were adopted to compute the association strength. A total of 480 patients and 840 healthy individuals in older adults were selected. PCR-RFLP was applied to investigate the gene polymorphism including genotype frequency and allele frequency. Results In summary, no significant association was found by allele contrast (T vs. A: OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.75–1.62, P  = 0.606), homozygote comparison (TT vs. AA: OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 0.57–3.20, P  = 0.498), heterozygote comparison (AT vs. AA: OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 0.72–2.65, P  = 0.668), recessive genetic model (TT vs. AA/TA: OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.64–1.43, P  = 0.834), or dominant genetic model (TT/TA vs. AA: OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 0.68–2.79, P  = 0.380). Analysis of the IL-8 gene polymorphism revealed three genotypes: AA, TA, and TT. We found that TT genotype and T allele were significantly associated with sepsis risk in older adults (all p  < 0.05). Conclusion The meta-analysis indicates no positive findings. However, the present experimental study has demonstrated that the IL-8 rs4073 polymorphism contributes increased risk to sepsis for older adults from Zhejiang Province, China. Future studies are urgently needed to confirm our conclusion.

Background Both the triglyceride glucose-waist height ratio (TyG-WHtR) index and elevated arterial blood pressure are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is uncertain whether the TyG-WHtR index can increase the risk of CVD by influencing arterial blood pressure, and the extent to which the TyG-WHtR index may mediate the association between arterial blood pressure and CVD. The purpose of this study is to evaluate complex association of the TyG-WHtR index and mean arterial pressure (MAP) with CVD. Methods All data in this study were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) free of CVD at baseline. CVD was defined as self-reporting heart disease and stroke. Cox proportional hazards model and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to analyze the association of the TyG-WHtR index and MAP with the risk of CVD. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the predictive performance of TyG-WHtR, MAP for CVD. Four-way decomposition method explored the mediating effects of the TyG-WHtR index and MAP in CVD. Results A total of 7976 participants were included in this study. The mean age of the participants was 58.68 ± 9.60 years, and 4263 (53.45%) were females. During a maximum follow-up of 7.0 years, 1326 (16.62%) people developed CVD. Both the TyG-WHtR index and MAP were signifcantly associated with CVD. The RCS regression analyses demonstrated a positive linear association of the TyG-WHtR index and MAP with the incidence of CVD. Compared with participants with TyG-WHtR < median and MAP < median, those with TyG-WHtR ≥ median and MAP ≥ median had the highest risk of CVD (HR 1.961; 95%CI 1.660–2.317). The combination of TyG-WHtR and MAP demonstrated incremental predictive utility over either biomarker alone, as evidenced by improvements in integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and net reclassification improvement (NRI). While absolute predictive performance remained moderate. Increased MAP signifcantly mediated 52.43% of the associations between TyG-WHtR index and CVD, and increased TyG-WHtR index signifcantly mediated 83.40% of the associations between MAP and CVD. Conclusion The combination of a higher TyG-WHtR index and a higher MAP was associated with the highest risk of CVD. The combined model of the TyG-WHtR index and MAP showed improved predictive ability, as indicated by IDI and NRI, although its overall predictive performance was still moderate. The MAP could partially mediate the association between TyG-WHtR index and CVD, as well as TyG-WHtR index could also partially mediate the association between MAP and CVD. These findings suggested that the combination of TyG-WHtR index and MAP helps identify populations at early risk of CVD and improve risk stratifcation. Graphical abstract

To describe the clinical features, treatment, and prognostic factors affecting recurrence and long-term adverse outcomes of myelin oligodendrocyte antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). In this retrospective cohort study, the records of patients diagnosed with MOGAD at Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital between January 2018 and March 2023 were analyzed, and factors associated with recurrence and poor long-term prognosis were identified using logistic regression. Of the 91 patients, 69 (76%) were new cases, 39 (43%) were female, and 47 (52%) were children (<18 years). Clinical manifestations included optic neuritis (ON) in 13 (14%), transverse myelitis (TM) in 14 (15%), brain disease in 37 (41%), and mixed encephalomyelitis in 27 (30%). The prevalence of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) was significantly higher in children than in adults (43% versus 18%, p = 0.012), whereas the prevalence of TM was significantly higher in adults (30% versus 2%, p < 0.001). Combined steroid and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment during hospitalization was more frequent in children than in adults (36% versus 11%, p = 0.006), and children had a better short-term prognosis than that in adults at discharge (median [interquartile range (IQR)]) Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS]: 1 [0-1] versus 2 [0-4.75], p = 0.007; Modified Rankin Score [mRS]: 1 [0-1] versus 1 [0-2], p = 0.006). Visual impairment was a risk factor for recurrence (odds ratio [OR]: 4.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24-14.38, p = 0.022). A higher EDSS score at discharge (OR: 5.05, 95% CI: 1.27-20.07, p = 0.021)and more previous episodes (OR: 9.24, 95% CI: 1.35-63.10, p = 0.023), were associated with a poor long-term prognosis; whereas steroid therapy for >5 weeks at first diagnosis (OR: 0.001, 95% CI: 0.00-0.33, p = 0.019) and type I isoelectric focusing pattern (OR: 0.004, 95% CI: 0.00-0.402, p = 0.043) were associated with favorable long-term prognosis. After the first episode, steroid maintenance for an appropriate period following discharge is important for achieving a favorable long-term prognosis, particularly in patients with a high EDSS score at discharge and those at a heightened risk of recurrence.

With the advancement of China’s industrial construction, the field of engineering management has also attracted more attention. However, China’s engineering management major is currently in a growing stage due to the issue of the opening years, and the teaching and practice setting of each course is also in an immature stage, which makes China’s engineering management majors present more and more problems. The truancy rate has been increasing year by year, the students’ dominant position in the class has become objectified, and their trust in teachers has decreased. Students’ learning shows the characteristics of individualization and diversity. Higher requirements are put forward for teachers’ teaching quality, and schools lack an effective supervision mechanism. In order to solve these problems better, it is imperative to reform and innovate the course teaching of engineering management majors. The core of engineering education accreditation is to confirm that engineering graduates meet established quality standards recognized by the industry. It is a unique method to test whether the course teaching of engineering management majors is qualified and attracts many scholars to discuss it. Engineering education accreditation has attracted many scholars to discuss it because it is a unique means to test the qualifications of engineering management students’ course teaching. This study was based on an in-depth exploration of the teaching practice of engineering management courses and combines artificial intelligence with an engineering education certification. Through the research and analysis of colleges and universities, the research finally showed that the engineering management professional course teaching of engineering education certification under the background of artificial intelligence can promote the attendance of students in school by about 20%. The achievement of course teaching objectives has increased by about 13% and the comprehensive ability level of graduates has increased by about 8%. It improved the overall level of students and the teaching quality and efficiency of engineering management courses and also promoted the development of college education so that today’s engineering management graduates can better meet the needs of today’s society.

The gut microbiome plays a fundamental role in host health and the fecal metabolome can be analysed to assess microbial activity and can be used as an intermediate phenotype monitoring the host-microbiome relationship. However, there is no established extraction protocol to study the fecal metabolome of giant pandas. The aim of this research is to optimize extraction of the fecal metabolome from adult and baby pandas for high throughput metabolomics analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fecal samples were collected from eight adult pandas and a pair of twin baby pandas. Six different extraction solvents were investigated and evaluated for their reproducibility, metabolite coverage, and extraction efficiency, particularly in relation to the biochemical compound classes such as amino acids, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, fatty acids, secondary metabolites, and vitamin and cofactors. Our GC-MS results demonstrated that the extraction solvents with isopropanol: acetonitrile: water (3:2:2 ratio) and 80% methanol were the most appropriate for studying the fecal metabolome of adult and baby giant pandas respectively. These extraction solvents can be used in future study protocols for the analysis of the fecal metabolome in giant pandas.

Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disease characterized by the destruction of periodontal supporting tissues. Traditional treatment methods, including scaling and root planing, have limited effectiveness in restoring damaged periodontal tissues, necessitating the exploration of new periodontitis treatment strategies. Recently, the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has made some progress in periodontitis treatment. However, scholars have found that exogenous MSCs undergo substantial apoptosis shortly after transplantation, complicating the understanding of MSCs’ specific mechanisms of action in periodontitis treatment. Notably, recent studies have reported that cells post-apoptosis can exert therapeutic effects through apoptotic vesicles (ApoVs). Several studies have confirmed that ApoVs derived from MSCs (MSC-ApoVs) have potential therapeutic effects in various disease models through immunomodulation, inflammation suppression, tissue regeneration, and drug delivery. Considering that immunomodulation, inflammatory response, and tissue regeneration are core objectives of periodontitis treatment, MSC-ApoVs show broad application prospects. This review discusses the research progress and application potential of MSC-ApoVs in the field of periodontitis treatment and compares their significant advantages over traditional stem cell transplantation techniques. This review also deepens our understanding of the mechanisms of action of MSC-ApoVs and guides us in their future clinical applications in periodontitis treatment. Graphical abstract Illustration depicts MSC-apovs tailoring and effects MSC-apovs on functions of various cells present in periodontal tissues which indicate tremendous application potential of MSC-apovs in periodontitis treatment. Created by figdraw