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In recent years, the correlation mechanisms between geopolitical risks and financial markets have drawn considerable attention from both academic circles and investment communities. However, their multiscale, nonlinear interactive characteristics still require further investigation. To address this, this paper proposes a dynamic nonlinear causal information network combined with a wavelet transform model and the transfer entropy method. We select the geopolitical risk index, the US dollar index, Brent and WTI crude oil prices, COMEX gold futures, and London gold prices time series as the research objects. The results suggest that the network’s structure changes with time at different time scales. On the one hand, COMEX gold (London gold) acts as the major causal information transmitter (receiver) at all scales; both of their highest values appear at the mid-scale. The US dollar index plays a bridging role in information transmission, and this mediating ability decreases with increasing time scales. On the other hand, the fastest speed of causal information transmission is at the short scale, and the slowest speed is at the mid-scale. The complexity and systematic risk of causal network decrease with increasing time scales. Importantly, at the short-scale (D1), the information transmission speed slowed during the Russian–Ukrainian conflict and further decreased after the start of the Israel–Hamas conflict. Systematic risk has increased annually since 2018. This study provides a multiscale perspective to study the nonlinear causal relationship between geopolitical risk and financial markets and serves as a reference for policy-makers and investors.

MiR-122 is a liver-abundant miRNA, which is thought to harbor antitumorigenic activity. Elevated transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironment is a potent inducer for tumor metastasis. However, the involvement of miR-122 in regulation of TGF-β signaling and its implication in TGF-β-related HCC metastasis remains obscure. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-122 significantly enhanced the activities of the TGF-β pathway reporter, the levels of phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3, and the expression of mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin and vimentin) in HCC cells. Notably, miR-122 significantly promoted the migration and invasion in vitro and pulmonary metastasis of HCC cells in vivo . Mechanism investigations revealed that miR-122 directly suppressed the expression of RBM47, which was a novel RNA binding protein. RBM47 decreased the level of α v integrin (ITGAV) by promoting the degradation of mRNA via interacting with the AU-rich elements in its 3’UTR. Subsequently, the elevated ITGAV induced by miR-122 promoted activation of the latent TGF-β, thereby boosted the TGF-β signaling and then promoted cell motility. Taken together, miR-122 could promote metastasis of hepatoma cells by regulating RBM47-ITGAV-TGF-β signaling. These findings provide new insight into the regulatory network of miR-122, the complexity and robustness of TGF-β pathway and the mechanisms of HCC metastasis.

Cytidine is regarded as an early marker of colon cancer. The authors describe a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique to detect trace levels of cytidine in urine. The Raman band at 784 cm −1 can be acquired best. Compared to earlier methods, an improvement in detection sensitivity by a factor of 6.2 × 10 5 is achieved by using a magnetically induced method in which cytidine is captured in the vicinity of the SERS hot spots of the type Fe 3 O 4 /Au/Ag. Cytidine can be quantified at 1 nM levels by this method which is simple and reliable. Graphical Abstract Clusters consisting of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles and silver nanoparticles were prepared and used in a SERS based method for detection of cytidine in urine by using magnetic improvement. The lowest detectable concentration of cytidine are at the nM level.

MiR-122 is a liver-abundant miRNA, which is thought to harbor antitumorigenic activity. Elevated transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironment is a potent inducer for tumor metastasis. However, the involvement of miR-122 in regulation of TGF-β signaling and its implication in TGF-β-related HCC metastasis remains obscure. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-122 significantly enhanced the activities of the TGF-β pathway reporter, the levels of phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3, and the expression of mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin and vimentin) in HCC cells. Notably, miR-122 significantly promoted the migration and invasion in vitro and pulmonary metastasis of HCC cells in vivo. Mechanism investigations revealed that miR-122 directly suppressed the expression of RBM47, which was a novel RNA binding protein. RBM47 decreased the level of αv integrin (ITGAV) by promoting the degradation of mRNA via interacting with the AU-rich elements in its 3'UTR. Subsequently, the elevated ITGAV induced by miR-122 promoted activation of the latent TGF-β, thereby boosted the TGF-β signaling and then promoted cell motility. Taken together, miR-122 could promote metastasis of hepatoma cells by regulating RBM47-ITGAV-TGF-β signaling. These findings provide new insight into the regulatory network of miR-122, the complexity and robustness of TGF-β pathway and the mechanisms of HCC metastasis.

Cytidine is regarded as an early marker of colon cancer. The authors describe a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique to detect trace levels of cytidine in urine. The Raman band at 784 cm.sup.-1 can be acquired best. Compared to earlier methods, an improvement in detection sensitivity by a factor of 6.2 x 10.sup.5 is achieved by using a magnetically induced method in which cytidine is captured in the vicinity of the SERS hot spots of the type Fe.sub.3O.sub.4/Au/Ag. Cytidine can be quantified at 1 nM levels by this method which is simple and reliable.

Cytidine is regarded as an early marker of colon cancer. The authors describe a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique to detect trace levels of cytidine in urine. The Raman band at 784 cm can be acquired best. Compared to earlier methods, an improvement in detection sensitivity by a factor of 6.2 × 10 is achieved by using a magnetically induced method in which cytidine is captured in the vicinity of the SERS hot spots of the type Fe O /Au/Ag. Cytidine can be quantified at 1 nM levels by this method which is simple and reliable. Graphical Abstract Clusters consisting of magnetite (Fe O ) nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles and silver nanoparticles were prepared and used in a SERS based method for detection of cytidine in urine by using magnetic improvement. The lowest detectable concentration of cytidine are at the nM level.

Radiation-induced brain necrosis (RBN) is a serious complication of intracranial as well as skull base tumors after radiotherapy. In the past, due to the lack of effective treatment, radiation brain necrosis was considered to be progressive and irreversible. With better understanding in histopathology and neuroimaging, the occurrence and development of RBN have been gradually clarified, and new treatment methods are constantly emerging. In recent years, some scholars have tried to treat RBN with bevacizumab, nerve growth factor, and gangliosides and have achieved similar results. Some cases of brain necrosis can be repairable and reversible. We aimed to summarize the incidence, pathogenesis, and treatment of RBN.

River sediments serve as a source and sink of potential heavy metal pollutants and offer crucial information for aquatic ecosystem health. Heavy metal pollution is a serious issue in global river systems and impacts humans via the food chain. In order to explore the distribution level of heavy metals in the water quality of the Yellow River in China. This study analyzed eight heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Pb, and Cd) in sediments from six typical urban areas in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River using three evaluation. The enrichment factor, geo- accumulation index, and potential ecological risk. This study results show that the contents of Cr and Cd are relatively high in the six cities. Among them, Weinan and Luoyang are two cities with serious heavy metal pollution among the six typical cities. This study has certain guiding significance for relevant partial governance and pollution prevention.

Background/Objectives: A non-toxic nano-platform which can increase drug-loading rate and synergistically increase antitumor effect is very ideal. This study provides the concept that a combination of photothermal therapy with chemotherapy and anti-inflammatory therapy will be achieved by ablation of the local tumor, robust strategies for the suppression of distant tumors with enhanced antitumor therapy outcomes. Methods: In this study, the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin (DDP) and the anti-inflammatory drug Aspirin-DL-Lysine (ADL) were loaded into a hollow porous nanomaterial zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), which was then coated with polydopamine, in order to form near-infrared absorption organic nanoparticles DDP-ADL@ZIF-8@PDA with excellent photothermal conversion efficiency. The antitumor efficacy of the nanodrug was evaluated through physicochemical characterization, cell biology studies, and animal experiments. Results: Photothermal therapy (PTT) of polydopamine combined with DDP and ADL can reduce inflammation and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and enhance antitumor effect. The results showed that the combined therapy could effectively eliminate the primary tumor, shrink the distant tumor, and inhibit the metastasis of the tumor. PTT in combination with chemotherapy and anti-inflammatory therapy can inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors, significantly reducing tumor immunosuppression by eliminating bone marrow-derived suppressor cells and increasing levels of cytotoxic T lymphocyte. Conclusions: This study successfully developed a DDP-ADL@ZIF-8@PDA nanomedicine for effective drug delivery, synergistic photothermal therapy, and anti-inflammatory attenuated immunotherapy to enhance treatment of human cervical cancer xenografts in mice. Overall, the combination of photothermal therapy with chemotherapy and anti-inflammatory therapy on a nano-platform has great potential for antitumor therapy applications.

Underground coal mining activities are highly prone to triggering ground subsidence. Currently, research on the impact of multiple factors—including varying degrees of ground subsidence caused by underground coal mining and associated changes in soil mechanical composition—on soil erosion in the Yili region of Xinjiang remains relatively limited. Therefore, this study selected the No. 4 Coal Mine in Yili, Xinjiang as the research area. Soil samples were collected from areas with varying degrees of ground subsidence, and their mechanical composition and organic matter content were measured. The EPIC model was applied to analyze the impact of subsidence severity on soil erodibility. Results indicate that subsidence increases the sand fraction mass, promoting sandy soil formation. Compared to non-subsidence areas, subsidence zones exhibit an increase in sand content ranging from 0.33% to 4.02%, with the most pronounced sandification occurring in severely subsided areas. Concurrently, subsidence causes a decline in soil organic matter content, with reductions ranging from 0.18 g·kg –1 to 3.96 g·kg –1 . Under the combined influence of the mining area’s unique geological environment and subsidence morphology, the soil erodibility K-value in the study area showed a clear negative correlation with subsidence severity. The soil K-values in mild, moderate, and severe subsidence areas decreased by 0.59%, 0.73%, and 2.82%, respectively. This study provides a basis for identifying soil erosion zones and predicting erosion rates caused by underground coal mining in the Yili region of Xinjiang.