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Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing proteins play a critical role in immune responses in diverse organisms, but their function in bacterial systems remains to be fully elucidated. This study, focusing on Escherichia coli , addresses how TIR domain-containing proteins contribute to bacterial immunity against phage attack. Through an exhaustive survey of all E. coli genomes available in the NCBI database and testing of 32 representatives of the 90% of the identified TIR domain-containing proteins, we found that a significant proportion (37.5%) exhibit antiphage activities. These defense systems recognize a variety of phage components, thus providing a sophisticated mechanism for pathogen detection and defense. This study not only highlights the robustness of TIR systems in bacterial immunity, but also draws an intriguing parallel to the diversity seen in mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs), enriching our understanding of innate immune mechanisms across life forms and underscoring the evolutionary significance of these defense strategies in prokaryotes. Here, Wang et al survey Escherichia coli genomes to show that TIR domain-containing proteins in E. coli serve as robust anti-phage systems.

Small target detection has become an important part of space exploration missions. The existence of weak illumination and interference from the background of star charts in deep and distant space has brought great challenges to space target detection. In addition, the distance of space targets is usually far, so most of them are small targets in the image, and the detection of small targets is also very difficult. To solve the above problems, we propose a multi-scale feature fusion pyramid network. First, we propose the CST module of a CNN fused with Swin Transformer as the feature extraction module of the feature pyramid network to enhance the extraction of target features. Then, we improve the SE attention mechanism and construct the CSE module to find the attention region in the dense star map background. Finally, we introduce improved spatial pyramid pooling to fuse more features to increase the sensory field to obtain multi-scale object information and improve detection performance for small targets. We provide two versions and conducted a detailed ablation study to empirically validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the design of each component in our network architecture. The experimental results show that our network improved in performance compared to the existing feature pyramid.

To explore the therapeutic efficacy of intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) and extracorporeal urinary diversion (ECUD) after robot-assisted radical cystectomy for bladder cancer through systematic review. This study systematically retrieved electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang to include peer-reviewed studies comparing ICUD and ECUD after robot-assisted radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Relative risk (RR) and mean difference (MD) were used to represent the pooled effect size and estimate its 95% confidence interval (CI). This study included 15 studies with good quality, involving 5,370 patients undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Meta-analysis showed that ICUD reduced intraoperative bleeding volume by 64.12 ml (95% confidence interval [CI]: [−100.95, −27.29]), significantly decreased the risk of blood transfusion (RR: 0.40; 95% CI: [0.24, 0.68]) and gastrointestinal complications (odds ratio [OR]: 0.61; 95% CI: [0.47, 0.80]), with shorter postoperative time of exhaust (MD: −9.27; 95% CI: [−18.47, −0.08]) and oral intake (MD: −0.92; 95% CI: [−1.30, −0.54]). However, ICUD had a relatively longer surgical duration (MD: 30.84 min, 95% CI: [5.03, 56.66]). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference concerning the impact of ICUD and ECUD on the length of stay in the hospital (MD: −0.68d; 95% CI: [−1.79, 0.42]), overall complications (30-day: RR: 1.16; 95% CI: [0.93, 1.46]; and 90-day, RR: 0.85; 95% CI: [0.69, 1.04]) and readmission rate (30-day: RR: 0.96; 95% CI: [0.72, 1.27]; and 90-day: RR: 1.15; 95% CI: [0.80, 1.64]). ICUD after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy for bladder cancer exhibits obvious positive effects, especially in reducing the risk of blood transfusion and gastrointestinal complications, and shortening postoperative time of exhaust and oral intake. The findings in this meta-analysis should be confirmed by multiple high-quality studies in the future.

Spacecraft component detection is essential for space missions, such as for rendezvous and on-orbit assembly. Traditional intelligent detection algorithms suffer from drawbacks related to high computational burden, and are not applicable for on-board use. This paper proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based lightweight algorithm for spacecraft component detection. A lightweight approach based on the Ghost module and channel compression is first presented to decrease the amount of processing and data storage required by the detection algorithm. To improve feature extraction, we analyze the characteristics of spacecraft imagery, and multi-head self-attention is used. In addition, a weighted bidirectional feature pyramid network is incorporated into the algorithm to increase precision. Numerical simulations show that the proposed method can drastically reduce the computational overhead while still guaranteeing good detection precision.

Background Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent subtype of kidney cancer, representing about 70–80% of all renal cell carcinomas. Cuproptosis, a recently identified mode of cell death, has increasingly been linked to tumor initiation, progression, and drug resistance. Our study provides the first evidence that the histone acetyltransferase KAT2A regulates cuproptosis in ccRCC by modulating histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) acetylation. Methods Our study commenced by establishing, through in vitro and in vivo experiments including CCK8 assays, angiogenesis assays, and Western Blot analysis, that cabozantinib and cuproptosis inducers exhibit synergistic anticancer effects. Subsequently, whole-transcriptome sequencing identified DHRS2 as a key regulatory gene. A series of functional experiments, including colony formation assays, cell proliferation assays, EdU staining, mitochondrial membrane potential staining, and ROS detection, were then conducted to systematically validate the tumor-suppressive role of DHRS2 and its pro-cuproptosis activity.Further investigation, by analyzing co-expressed genes, led us to identify KAT2A as a downstream effector molecule. We employed RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and rescue experiments to confirm the interaction between DHRS2 and KAT2A. To elucidate the molecular mechanism, CHIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing) revealed that H3K27 acetylation promotes the transcription of GLS, a negative regulator of cuproptosis. This finding was subsequently validated through CHIP-qPCR and luciferase reporter gene assays. Results Our study reveals that in ccRCC, the combined treatment of cabozantinib and cuproptosis inducers leads to a significant upregulation of DHRS2. Functional experiments demonstrate that DHRS2 exerts a tumor-suppressive effect on ccRCC cells, effectively inhibiting their proliferation and growth. Mechanistically, DHRS2 post-transcriptionally represses KAT2A. Downregulation of KAT2A results in reduced H3K27 acetylation, which, as identified by CHIP-seq, leads to decreased transcriptional activation of its downstream target, GLS. As GLS acts as a negative regulator of cuproptosis, its diminished expression ultimately increases cuproptosis, thereby synergistically suppressing tumor growth. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that DHRS2 suppresses the transcription of KAT2A, leading to reduced H3K27 acetylation levels. This, in turn, diminishes the transcriptional activation of its downstream target, GLS, ultimately inhibiting tumor growth. These results suggest that the combination of cabozantinib and cuproptosis inducers holds promise as a novel therapeutic strategy for ccRCC.

Background Blood glucose levels that are too high or too low after traumatic brain injury (TBI) negatively affect patient prognosis. This study aimed to demonstrate the relationship between blood glucose levels and the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) in TBI patients. Methods This study was based on a randomized, dual-center, open-label clinical trial. A total of 208 patients who participated in the randomized controlled trial were followed up for 5 years. Information on the disease, laboratory examination, insulin therapy, and surgery for patients with TBI was collected as candidate variables according to clinical importance. Additionally, data on 5-year and 6-month GOS were collected as primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. For multivariate analysis, a generalized additive model (GAM) was used to investigate relationships between blood glucose levels and GOS. The results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). We further applied a two- piecewise linear regression model to examine the threshold effect of blood glucose level and GOS. Results A total of 182 patients were included in the final analysis. Multivariate GAM analysis revealed that a bell-shaped relationship existed between average blood glucose level and 5-year GOS score or 6-month GOS score. The inflection points of the average blood glucose level were 8.81 (95% CI: 7.43–9.48) mmol/L considering 5-year GOS as the outcome and were 8.88 (95% CI 7.43−9.74) mmol/L considering 6-month GOS score as the outcome. The same analysis revealed that there was also a bell relationship between average blood glucose levels and the favorable outcome group (GOS score ≥ 4) at 5 years or 6 months. Conclusion In a population of patients with traumatic brain injury, blood glucose levels were associated with the GOS. There was also a threshold effect between blood glucose levels and the GOS. A blood glucose level that is either too high or too low conveys a poor prognosis. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02161055 . Registered on 11 June 2014.

Estrogen receptor β (ERβ), a nuclear hormone receptor, plays multifaceted roles in tumorigenesis, including transcriptional regulation and noncoding RNA signaling. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), ERβ is frequently overexpressed and associated with enhanced angiogenesis, a hallmark of aggressive tumor progression. However, the mechanisms linking ERβ signaling to the post‐transcriptional and post‐translational regulation of angiogenic drivers remain poorly defined. In this study, circAHNAK is identified as a direct downstream effector of ERβ and is significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissues. Elevated circAHNAK in ccRCC cells promotes angiogenesis‐related phenotypes in HUVECs by stabilizing ADAM17, a metalloprotease known to facilitate tumor angiogenesis. Mechanistically, ERβ enhances circAHNAK expression by transcriptionally activating its host gene. CircAHNAK binds to FMR1, preventing USP10‐mediated deubiquitination of FMR1 at Lys593 and thereby accelerating FMR1 proteasomal degradation. In turn, loss of FMR1 impairs the recognition of m⁶A‐modified transcripts, thereby blocking METTL14‐mediated m⁶A‐dependent decay of ADAM17 mRNA. Consequently, ADAM17 accumulates in ccRCC cell‐derived exosomes, driving angiogenesis in ccRCC. Overall, these findings define a novel ERβ/circAHNAK/FMR1/ADAM17 axis that integrates USP10‐mediated deubiquitination with FMR1‐mediated m⁶A modification to promote ADAM17 expression and angiogenesis in ccRCC. Targeting this pathway may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for ccRCC. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma, estrogen receptor β (ERβ) upregulates circAHNAK, which competitively binds USP10 to prevent FMR1 deubiquitination, leading to FMR1 degradation. Loss of FMR1 hinders m⁶A‐dependent decay of ADAM17 mRNA, resulting in ADAM17 accumulation in tumor exosomes and enhanced angiogenesis. This ERβ/circAHNAK/FMR1/ADAM17 axis offers a new therapeutic target.

Objective This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the oblique-axis plane in ultrasound-guided internal jugular vein puncture. Methods We searched Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for relevant randomized clinical trials comparing the oblique axis with the short axis in ultrasound-guided internal jugular vein puncture. Results Five randomized clinical trials were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled meta-analysis showed that the incidence of arterial puncture in the oblique-axis group was significantly lower than that in the short-axis group. No significant difference was found in the first-pass success rate between the oblique-axis group and short-axis group. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the puncture success rate or number of attempts required between the two groups. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided internal jugular vein puncture using the oblique-axis plane reduced the risk of arterial puncture, but no difference was found in the first-pass success rate, puncture success rate, or number of attempts required.

The air-based 1-3 piezoelectric composite transducers are designed and fabricated in order to solve the acoustic impedance matching problem. Firstly, a finite element model using honeycomb structure as the piezoelectric composite matrix is built to reduce the acoustic impedance of the sensitive element. Three important factors, volume fraction of piezoelectric materials φ , the thickness h , and the size s of the square cross section of piezoelectric column, are examined and verified in simulation. Then, according to the result of simulation, the piezoelectric composites and the air-coupled transducers are fabricated. The honeycomb structures of resin are produced by the method of 3D printing technology, with the volume fraction of air being 30%. The impedance characteristics and the excitation/reception performance of the air-coupled transducers are measured and optimized. Meanwhile, a scanning experiment is carried out to demonstrate the crack detection process in monocrystalline silicon. A 0 mode of Lamb waves is excited and collected. The location and size of the defect will be determined by calculating the correlation coefficients of the received signals and reference signals. Finally, a 15 mm × 0.5 mm × 0.5 mm scratch is clearly distinguished.

The static response of Micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) double-layer simply-supported beams made of quasicrystalline (QC) and crystal (C) is studied considering the influence of nonlocal scale effects. In light of the theory of nonlocal elasticity for QCs, the closed responses of phonon, phason, and electric fields are derived using the state vector formula and propagator matrix method. Calculation results indicate that theoretical responses are consistent with the simulation ones via the finite element. Among the three micro-distributed forces, the magnitude of their effects is in order of electric field, Casimir, and van der Waals micro-forces. The rising van der Waals and Casimir micro-forces elevates the displacement with the stress of beams. The displacement decreases slowly when nonlocal scale parameters grow. The phonon displacement of microbeams with C/QC stacking order is larger than the corresponding value of QC/C stacking order. This paper’s results support the design and evaluation of MEMS structures containing QCs.