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The aim was to assess the differences in the burden and risk factors of female cancers among women aged 20–94 years across regions and countries, in order to provide a reference for formulating tailored interventions. The study analyzed the incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study. Age-period-cohort model evaluated the effects of the age, period, and cohort on the burden, and negative binomial regression explored the association of the socio-demographic index (SDI) with the burden. From 1990 to 2021, regional and national incidence, deaths, and DALYs of female cancers varied markedly. Overall, SDI was significantly positively associated with the incidence of female cancers, except for cervical cancer (with a negative relationship). High body-mass index as the leading risk factor of uterine cancer contributed to the higher burden, such as in the USA and higher SDI regions. Diet high in red meat, unsafe sex, and high body-mass index were the leading risk factors for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and uterine cancer, respectively; however, other socioeconomic and cultural factors should be considered, such as in the rural areas of China and lower SDI regions. A slightly increasing trend in the burden of breast cancer in the recent birth cohorts indicated the effect of generational experiences. The disease burden of female cancers has increased and varies with SDI levels and regions. The findings provide new insights into the development of targeted preventive measures for the specific region from the perspective of social and cultural context.

Since May 2022, cases of monkeypox, a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), have been increasingly reported worldwide. There are, however, no proven therapies or vaccines available for monkeypox. In this study, several multi-epitope vaccines were designed against the MPXV using immunoinformatics approaches. Three target proteins, A35R and B6R, enveloped virion (EV) form-derived antigens, and H3L, expressed on the mature virion (MV) form, were selected for epitope identification. The shortlisted epitopes were fused with appropriate adjuvants and linkers to vaccine candidates. The biophysical andbiochemical features of vaccine candidates were evaluated. The Molecular docking and molecular dynamics(MD) simulation were run to understand the binding mode and binding stability between the vaccines and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs). The immunogenicity of the designed vaccines was evaluated via immune simulation. Five vaccine constructs (MPXV-1-5) were formed. After the evaluation of various immunological and physicochemical parameters, MPXV-2 and MPXV-5 were selected for further analysis. The results of molecular docking showed that the MPXV-2 and MPXV-5 had a stronger affinity to TLRs (TLR2 and TLR4) and MHC (HLA-A*02:01 and HLA-DRB1*02:01) molecules, and the analyses of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation have further confirmed the strong binding stability of MPXV-2 and MPXV-5 with TLRs and MHC molecules. The results of the immune simulation indicated that both MPXV-2 and MPXV-5 could effectively induce robust protective immune responses in the human body. The MPXV-2 and MPXV-5 have good efficacy against the MPXV in theory, but further studies are required to validate their safety and efficacy.

Digital twin (DT) technology has become an effective means of industrial digital transformation due to its ability to realize virtual-real mapping, data fusion, etc. In recent years, the application of DT technology to the assembly process of complex mechanical products in multiple fields can effectively overcome the drawbacks of the current assembly method, which is a new strategy for achieving high-precision and high-efficiency intelligent assembly. However, there are few reviews of DT’s intelligent assembly technology and application for complex mechanical products. Based on the composition of the DT assembly system, the paper systematically summarizes the critical technologies of DT assembly, including DT model representation of the assembly objects, DT model construction of the assembly process, and DT data collection/management. The application of the DT assembly model based on virtual and real fusion in online monitoring, quality prediction, process planning, real-time control, etc. is comprehensively reviewed. Finally, the challenges faced by DT intelligent assembly of complex mechanical products are described, and future research directions are predicted.

Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease caused by bacteria, is characterized by localized reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, leading to an inflammatory response, which in turn leads to the destruction of periodontal supporting tissues. Therefore, antibacterial, scavenging ROS, reducing the inflammatory response, regulating periodontal microenvironment, and alleviating alveolar bone resorption are effective methods to treat periodontitis. In this study, we developed a ROS-responsive injectable hydrogel by modifying hyaluronic acid with 3-amino phenylboronic acid (PBA) and reacting it with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to form a borate bond. In addition, the ROS-responsive hydrogel encapsulated the antibacterial agent minocycline hydrochloride (MH) and Fe-Quercetin anti-inflammatory nanoparticles (Fe-Que NPs) for on-demand drug release in response to the periodontitis microenvironment. This hydrogel (HP-PVA@MH/Fe-Que) exhibited highly effective antibacterial properties. Moreover, by modulating the Nrf2/NF-κB pathway, it effectively eliminated ROS and promoted macrophage polarization to the M2 phenotype, reducing inflammation and enhancing the osteogenic differentiation potential of human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) in the periodontal microenvironment. Animal studies showed that HP-PVA@MH/Fe-Que significantly reduced alveolar bone loss and enhanced osteogenic factor expression by killing bacteria and inhibiting inflammation. Thus, HP-PVA@MH/Fe-Que hydrogel had efficient antibacterial, ROS-scavenging, anti-inflammatory, and alveolar bone resorption-alleviation abilities, showing excellent application potential for periodontitis healing. Graphical abstract

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), a severe hemorrhagic stroke, induces cerebral oxidative stress and severe secondary neurological injury. Curcumin was demonstrated to inhibit oxidative stress in the brain after ICH. However, the pharmacological mechanism needs further research. We used an intrastriatal injection of autologous blood to make the rat ICH model, and then the rat was treated with curcumin (100 mg/kg/day). Modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) and corner test results showed that curcumin could significantly promote the neurological recovery of ICH rats. Meanwhile, curcumin could substantially reduce ROS and MDA in the tissues around intracranial hematoma and prevent GSH depletion. To explore the pharmacological molecular mechanism of curcumin, we used HAPI cells and primary rat cortical microglia for in vitro experiments. In vitro , heme-treated cells were used as the cell model of ICH to explore the molecular mechanism of inhibiting oxidative stress by curcumin treatment. The results showed that curcumin significantly inhibited heme-induced oxidative stress, decreased intracellular ROS and MDA, and promoted Nrf2 and its downstream antioxidant gene (HO-1, NQO1, and Gpx4) expression. These results suggest that curcumin inhibits oxidative stress by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Here, our results indicate that curcumin can promote the inhibition of oxidative stress in microglia by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and promoting neurological recovery after ICH, providing a new therapeutic target for clinical treatment of ICH.

The Western North Pacific Subtropical High (WNPSH) regulates East Asian climate in summer. Anomalous WNPSH causes floods, droughts and heat waves in China, Japan and Korea. The potential change of the WNPSH under global warming is concerned by Asian people, but whether the WNPSH would be enhanced or weakened remains inconclusive. Based on the multi-model climate change projection from the 5th phase of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), we show evidences that the WNPSH tends to weaken and retreat eastward in the mid-troposphere in response to global warming, accompanied by an eastward expansion of East Asian rain belt along the northwestern flank of WNPSH. Weakened meridional temperature gradient on the northern flank of WNPSH and the associated thermal wind account for the weakened WNPSH in the mid troposphere. We recommend the WNPSH be measured by eddy geopotential height ( He ) instead of traditionally used geopotential height, especially in climate change studies.

Due to the low winter temperatures in rural areas of Northeast China, biomass fuels are widely used for heating and cooking, resulting in increased concentrations of PAHs in rural indoor areas during the heating period and threatening human health. Therefore, exploring the pollution characteristics, source localization, and risk assessment of indoor PAHs in rural Northeast China is of great significance for improving rural indoor air quality. In this study, PAHs were collected from a residential building in rural Northeast China for one consecutive year (January 2020–December 2020), and their concentrations were determined to explore the distribution patterns and sources of PAHs to further assess the carcinogenic risk of PAHs to humans. The results of the study showed that the average concentration of indoor PAHs in rural areas during the heating period (93.02 ng/m3) was about 1.81 times higher than that of the non-heating period (51.26 ng/m3). The main sources of PAHs were mixed combustion of biomass and coal, motor vehicle emissions, and domestic waste combustion. The level of indoor PAHs pollution has posed a carcinogenic risk to the health of the rural population in the Northeast.

Brain metastases (BMs) usually develop in breast cancer (BC) patients. Thus, the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) are of great importance in designing therapeutic strategies to treat or prevent BCBM. The present study attempted to identify novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of BCBM. Two datasets (GSE125989 and GSE100534) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in cases of BC with and without brain metastasis (BM). A total of 146 overlapping DEGs, including 103 up-regulated and 43 down-regulated genes, were identified. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were mainly enriched for functions including extracellular matrix (ECM) organization and collagen catabolic fibril organization. Using protein–protein interaction (PPI) and principal component analysis (PCA) analysis, we identified ten key genes, including LAMA4, COL1A1, COL5A2, COL3A1, COL4A1, COL5A1, COL5A3, COL6A3, COL6A2, and COL6A1. Additionally, COL5A1, COL4A1, COL1A1, COL6A1, COL6A2, and COL6A3 were significantly associated with the overall survival of BC patients. Furthermore, COL6A3, COL5A1, and COL4A1 were potentially correlated with BCBM in human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) expression. Additionally, the miR-29 family might participate in the process of metastasis by modulating the cancer microenvironment. Based on datasets in the GEO database, several DEGs have been identified as playing potentially important roles in BCBM in BC patients.

Background Drought is a major abiotic stress affecting maize development and growth. Unravelling the molecular mechanisms underlying maize drought tolerance and enhancing the drought tolerance of maize is of great importance. However, due to the complexity of the maize genome and the multiplicity of drought tolerance mechanisms, identifying the genetic effects of drought tolerance remains great challenging. Results Using a mixed linear model (MLM) based on 362 maize inbred lines, we identified 40 associated loci and 150 candidate genes associated with survival rates. Concurrently, transcriptome analysis was conducted for five drought - tolerant and five drought - sensitive lines under Well-Watered (WW) and Water-Stressed (WS) conditions. Additionally, through co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified five modules significantly associated with the leaf relative water content (RWC) under drought treatment. By integrating the results of GWAS, DEGs, and WGCNA, four candidate genes ( Zm00001d006947 , Zm00001d038753 , Zm00001d003429 and Zm00001d003553 ) significantly associated with survival rate were successfully identified. Among them, ZmGRAS15 ( Zm00001d003553 ), a GRAS transcription factor considered as a key hub gene, was selected for further functional validation. The overexpression of ZmGRAS15 in maize could significantly enhance drought tolerance through regulating primary root length at the seedling stage. Conclusion This study provides valuable information for understanding the genetic basis of drought tolerance and gene resources for maize drought tolerance breeding.

In this study, geopolymers were prepared using ladle furnace slag (LFS) and fly ash (FA), and hydrothermal treatment was then used to synthesize bulk zeolite molecular sieves with gismondine, zeolite-P1, and sodalite phases. The effect of the synthesis conditions on the crystalline phases of the zeolite molecular sieves was investigated by XRD. The results showed that the best zeolite molecular sieves were prepared with an LFS: FA ratio of 4: 6, a curing temperature of 40 °C, a curing time of 12 h, a sodium silicate modulus (Ms) of 1.4, a NaOH concentration of 4 mol/L, a hydrothermal temperature of 120 °C, and a hydrothermal time of 12 h. On this basis, the products were analyzed by SEM, N 2 adsorption, and FT-IR. The results showed that the synthesized zeolite molecular sieves had mesoporous properties, and the degree of polymerization and cross-linking of the silica-aluminate gel were enhanced after hydrothermal treatment. In addition, the formation mechanism of the zeolite molecular sieves was explored through the changes of the silica-alumina during zeolite formation. This paper is the first to use the hydrothermal conversion of zeolite molecular sieves from LFS-FA based polymers to provide some guidance for the resource utilization of LFS and FA.