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Together with unstoppable trend of business going digitally global in recent years and the worldwide spread-out of COVID-19 since 2020, virtual teams have gradually garnered considerable attention in academia. Yet, the question of how to boost virtual team effectiveness remains underexplored. This study adopts a leadership perspective to examine the role of E-leadership in enhancing virtual team effectiveness. Gathered survey data from 74 virtual teams of Chinese manufacturing firms and employed an integrated fsQCA and NCA method, this study unravels two primary results. First, Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) identified the sufficient combinations of E-leadership dimensions to promote virtual team effectiveness. Second, Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) specifies the quantitative thresholds a E-leadership dimension’s value must be to render different levels of virtual team effectiveness. The conclusions of this research offer valuable insights into the theoretical and managerial implications of E-leadership in virtual teams.

Background: The effect of probiotic therapy on bacterial vaginosis (BV) is controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety associated with probiotic treatment for BV. Methods: We searched multiple databases covering up to 1 March 2018. Studies published as blinded randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparing treatment using probiotic versus active or placebo control in BV patients were included, with at least one-month follow-up. Random effects model and trial sequential analysis (TSA) were applied. Results: Ten studies (n = 2321) were included. Compared with placebo, the probiotics-only therapy resulted in a beneficial outcome both in clinical cure rate at the 30th day (risk ratio, RR = 2.57; 95% confidential interval, 95% CI: 1.96 to 3.37), and Nugent score (mean difference, MD = −2.71; 95% CI: −3.41 to −2.00). This effect decreased but remained significant after eight weeks. Probiotics-post-antibiotics therapy had a decreased effect only for a short term and possibly among studies with a mostly black study population. No extra adverse events were observed. The TSA suggested a larger sample size for effective evaluation of the probiotics as a supplementary remedy. Conclusions: Probiotic regimes are safe and may exhibit a short-term and long-term beneficial effect for BV treatment. The ethnic-specific result for the probiotic used after antibiotics is worthy of further study.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent; however, comprehensive and current epidemiological data remain scarce. This study examined the global, national, and regional burden of UTIs by sex, age, and socio-demographic index (SDI) from 1990 to 2021. The 2021 Global Burden of Disease study included age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardised prevalence rate (ASPR), age-standardised death rate (ASDR), and age-standardised disability-adjusted life years rate (ASDAR). The estimated annual percentage change was used to depict temporal trends, whereas Pearson correlation analysis explore its correlation with the human development index (HDI), the SDI, and age-standardised rates (ASRs). An autoregressive integrated moving average model forecasted the UTI burden trends. From 1990 to 2021, the number of UTI cases increased by 66.45%, reaching 4.49 billion cases, with an ASIR of 5,531.88 per 100,000 population. The greatest incidence of UTIs was seen in women and older adult men. Tropical Latin America and low–middle SDI regions exhibited the highest ASIR, ASPR, ASDR, and ASDAR, while East Asia showed the lowest. ASDR and ASDAR decreased with higher SDI levels. ASR and HDI were weakly positively correlated with ASDR and ASDAR. ASIR, ASPR, and ASDAR are projected to increase until 2050. The global burden of UTIs is rising and is influenced by geographical location, age, sex, and economic development, crucial for guiding medical practices and forming relevant policies.

This work integrates experimental and numerical methods to determine the process conditions under which the columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) occurred in M2 tool steel processed by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM). Single-tracks and multi-track pads were fabricated with twenty-eight P-V process conditions (P: laser power, V: scan speed). The resulting microstructures were of three types: mainly columnar, mixed columnar + equiaxed, or mainly equiaxed. The hardness (measured by nanoindentation) of the columnar microstructure was in 9 to 12 GPa, 20 to 30 pct higher than the hardness of equiaxed microstructure (if present) in the same melt pool. A CET model was used to determine the G-R thermal criteria (G: temperature gradient; R: solidification velocity) for equiaxed growth under LPBF solidification conditions. A P-V process map for microstructure prediction was calculated by combining a numerical model to calculate G and R with the CET criteria. The predicted map agreed with experimental results when melt pool shape was stable, i.e., no balling or bead-up occurred. The accuracy and applicability of such a process map for predicting equiaxed microstructure during LPBF processing was discussed.Graphic Abstract

This research pursues a systematic review and meta-analysis concerning the cardiovascular event risk prediction models for maintenance hemodialysis patients. Through systematic literature searching, the titles and abstracts of 23,707 related papers were initially screened, ultimately including 16 papers covering 17 prediction models. The results reveal that among these models, a total of 16 predictive variables were chosen at least twice, with age, diabetes history, and history of cardiovascular disease being the primary predictors. Regarding model validation, 14 models underwent internal validation, 3 models underwent external validation, while 3 models were not subjected to any form of validation. Additionally, calibration testing was performed on 14 models. Risk of bias assessment showed that only 1 model was rated as low risk bias, while the other models were rated as high risk bias due to issues with study cohort characteristics and methodology. Meta-analysis results showed that the combined C-statistic for 13 prediction models was 0.80 (95%CI = 0.74, 0.86), and no significant publication bias was detected. Thus, future construction and validation of prediction models should strictly follow reliable methodological standards and enhance external validation to provide more reliable evidence-based guidance for predicting cardiovascular event risk in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Renal fibrosis is one of the main pathological features of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and its treatment has been a hot research topic. Recent studies have shown that stem cell therapy can repair renal pathological changes and slow the progression of CKD. In addition, a large number of experiments have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially Chinese medicine compound preparations, has the advantage of multitargeting interventions to improve renal fibrosis. Therefore, stem cell therapy combined with TCM is expected to provide new therapeutic ideas and measures to solve kidney problems. This article reviews the current status of TCM combined with stem cell therapy for CKD, discusses existing problems, and proposes future prospects.

Objective To investigate the association between hypothyroidism and incident chronic kidney disease and identify potential mediators. Methods This study included a retrospective cohort and Mendelian randomization analysis. Data were obtained from the UK Biobank and FinnGen via the Integrative Epidemiology Unit Open Genome-Wide Association Studies Project. After exclusions, 439,381 participants were included. The risk of incident chronic kidney disease was the primary outcome. Associations were assessed using Fine and Gray models as well as stratified and sensitivity analyses, and the cumulative risk was presented using Kaplan–Meier curves. For Mendelian randomization analyses, causal effects were estimated using the inverse-variance weighted method. Mendelian randomization–Egger regression, Mendelian randomization–pleiotropy residual sum and outlier test, weighted median method, and weighted mode method were used to assess the robustness of the causal estimates. Mediation analysis was conducted to explore the effects of body mass index, inflammatory factors, and senescence-associated secretory phenotype proteins. Results Hypothyroidism was associated with a higher risk of incident chronic kidney disease (hazard ratio: 1.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.19–1.53). Mendelian randomization analysis supported a causal effect (odds ratio: 8.23, 95% confidence interval: 3.22–21.00). Absolute risk differences increased over time (5 years, 1.10; 8 years, 1.80; 10 years, 2.40; and 12 years, 3.13). Body mass index and obesity partially mediated this effect. Senescence-associated secretory phenotype proteins were also identified as important mediators, including transforming growth factor-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta, transforming growth factor-beta receptors 2 and 3, growth differentiation factor 15, C-X-C motif chemokine-10, matrix metalloproteinase 1, and matrix metalloproteinase 9. Conclusions Hypothyroidism was associated with incident chronic kidney disease. Obesity and senescence-associated secretory phenotype proteins may mediate this relationship.

Background The metabolic benefits of bariatric surgery that contribute to the alleviation of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have been reported. However, the processes and mechanisms underlying the contribution of lipid metabolic reprogramming after bariatric surgery to attenuating MASLD remain elusive. Methods A case–control study was designed to evaluate the impact of three of the most common adipokines (Nrg4, leptin, and adiponectin) on hepatic steatosis in the early recovery phase following sleeve gastrectomy (SG). A series of rodent and cell line experiments were subsequently used to determine the role and mechanism of secreted adipokines following SG in the alleviation of MASLD. Results In morbidly obese patients, an increase in circulating Nrg4 levels is associated with the alleviation of hepatic steatosis in the early recovery phase following SG before remarkable weight loss. The temporal parameters of the mice confirmed that an increase in circulating Nrg4 levels was initially stimulated by SG and contributed to the beneficial effect of SG on hepatic lipid deposition. Moreover, this occurred early following bariatric surgery. Mechanistically, gain- and loss-of-function studies in mice or cell lines revealed that circulating Nrg4 activates ErbB4, which could positively regulate fatty acid oxidation in hepatocytes to reduce intracellular lipid deposition. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the rapid effect of SG on hepatic lipid metabolic reprogramming mediated by circulating Nrg4 alleviates MASLD.

Background Vine cutting propagation in yams offers a transformative approach to conventional tuber-dependent cultivation, with enhanced tuber yield and quality. Adventitious root (AR) formation is a critical prerequisite for vine cutting survival, with substantial variability among yam varieties. However, relatively little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that restrict the application of cutting propagation in recalcitrant varieties. In this study, we integrated rooting rate comparisons, anatomical observations, phytohormone content determination, and transcriptomic profiling to elucidate the developmental mechanisms influencing AR formation. Results The adventitious rooting capacity of Dioscorea polystachya was significantly different from that of Dioscorea alata . Six D. alata cultivars showed rooting efficiencies exceeding 70%. In contrast, D. polystachya variety RuiChang Shan Yao (RCSY) exhibited a recalcitrant phenotype with a rooting rate of less than 5%. Phenotypic evaluation identified the AR formation phase from 0 to 12 days after cutting (DAC). Anatomical observations indicated AR initiation within the phloem tissues by two DAC, followed by complete penetration of the cortical and epidermal layers by four DAC in D. alata . Temporal phytohormone profiling showed higher auxin levels in Gan Bai Yu (GBY) and Gan Zi Yun (GZY) than in RCSY during AR formation. Transcriptomic profiling analysis of GBY and GZY at 0, 2, 4, and 8 DAC identified 9,680 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Integrated with hormonal and rooting data, weighted gene co-expression network analysis delineated AR-associated modules (saddlebrown, magenta, orange). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment underscored starch and sucrose metabolism (31 DEGs) and hormone signal transduction (18 DEGs) as central pathways. Exogenous application of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid enhanced the rooting rate. Sucrose and starch accumulation were positively associated with AR competence in GBY, GZY, and the recalcitrant RCSY. Cross-species analysis identified 39 conserved DEGs in RCSY, including six auxin-responsive genes (one IAA16 , one ARF9 , two ARR11 , one SAUR50, one SAUR32 ), two cytokinin-responsive genes (two RR9 ), a GA-related gene (one GID1C ), six ABA-related genes (two PYL10 , one AHG1 , two ABF ), and 24 starch and sucrose metabolism-related genes ( SUS7 , HXK1, FRK2 , SS2 , TPPs , DPEP , GLUs , and BGLUs ), which implied their roles in AR regulation. Conclusions These findings identify the key molecular drivers of AR formation in yams, offering new insights into rooting recalcitrance and strategies for optimizing clonal propagation in agricultural species.

Heat stress can cause testicular damage and affect male fertility. Tanshinone IIA (TSA) is a monomer substance derived from plants, with antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. Whether it can repair testicular damage caused by heat stress is unclear. This study aims to construct a mouse testicular heat stress injury model and intervene with TSA. Various methods such as histopathology, high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, and molecular biology were used to investigate whether TSA can alleviate heat stress-induced testicular injury and its mechanism. Results showed that heat stress significantly reduced the diameter of the mouse seminiferous tubules, increased cell apoptosis in the testicular tissue, and significantly decreased testosterone levels. After TSA intervention, testicular morphology and cell apoptosis improved significantly, and testosterone secretion function was restored. High-throughput transcriptome sequencing found that key differentially expressed genes between the HS group and the control and TSA groups clustered in the apoptosis and TGFβ signaling pathways. Using western blot technology, we found that the HS group upregulated TGFβ1/Smad2/Smad3 pathway protein expression, causing cell apoptosis, testicular tissue organic lesions, and affecting testicular secretion function. Through TSA intervention, we found that it can inhibit TGFβ1/Smad2/Smad3 pathway protein expression, thereby restoring testicular damage caused by heat stress. This study confirms that TSA can effectively restore testicular damage caused by heat stress in mice, possibly by inhibiting the TGFβ1/Smad2/Smad3 pathway to suppress apoptosis.