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To compare the economic burden of disease and quality of life in patients with premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED). A convenience sampling method was used, and self-designed general information questionnaire, disease economic burden questionnaire, and SF-12 quality of life questionnaire were used to investigate 494 patients with ED and 285 patients with PE who attended a tertiary hospital in Taiyuan City from October 2021 to May 2023, and the relevant data were analysed using SPSS26.0 statistical software. The direct, indirect, intangible, and total economic burdens of the two groups were compared, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05), and the direct, indirect, intangible, and total economic burdens of ED patients were higher than those of PE patients; the scores of the two groups in the dimensions of PF (physical function), RP (role physical), RE (role emotion), and MH (mental health) as well as in the MCS (mental component score), and overall quality of life scores, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05), with ED patients having lower quality of life scores than PE patients. Compared with PE patients, ED patients have a heavier economic burden of disease and lower quality of life, suggesting that the government and relevant departments of society should pay attention to the economic burden of disease and quality of life of ED patients and take appropriate measures to improve them.

The human genome contains a sophisticated array of elements that regulate gene activity and organismal functions. Developing a large window foundation model capable of efficiently processing long sequence inputs is essential yet challenging for decoding the multi-layered and complex landscape of the cis-regulatory elements. Here, we introduce OmniReg-GPT, a generative foundation model designed for the low-resource pretraining of long genomic sequences by optimized attention mechanism. During pretraining, OmniReg-GPT captures the complete distribution of regulatory elements across nucleotide to megabase scales with efficient training speed and memory usage. We demonstrate exceptional performance in downstream regulotary applications spanning the entire spectrum of genomic scales, including various cis-regulatory elements identification, context dependent gene expression prediction, single-cell chromatin accessibility analysis, and 3D chromatin contact modeling. As a generative model, OmniReg-GPT also holds the potential to generate candidate cell-type-specific enhancers through prompt engineering. Overall, OmniReg-GPT extends the boundaries of foundation models in the genomic field, and provides a valuable pretraining model resource which can be extensively applied for genomic researches. Understanding long-range genomic regulation is a key challenge for DNA foundation models. Here, authors develop OmniReg-GPT with a hybrid local-global attention architecture, enabling efficient analysis of multi-scale regulatory features across long DNA sequences.

According to the location of portal blood flow, CEPS is divided into: (A) SMV and SV into IVC, (B) SMV and SV into the left renal vein, and (C) SMV and SV into the iliac vein; according to the source of shunt entrance, type II CEPS is classified into type IIa (derived from PV branches), type IIb (derived from PV trunk, bifurcation, or spleen–intestinal confluence), and type IIc (derived from the mesenteric vein, gastric vein, or SV); according to the end of shunt cavity, CEPS is divided into extrahepatic portosystemic shunt, portal cava, portohepatic, persistent ductus venosus; according to the degree of intrahepatic portal venous system dysplasia, CEPS is classified into mild, moderate, and severe. Genitourinary malformations, digestive system malformations, musculoskeletal defects, and other conditions (cutaneous hemangiomas, Goldhar syndrome, Caroli syndrome, Turner syndrome, and Down syndrome) have also been reported. Because of the lack of specificity in the biological and clinical manifestations of CEPS, ancillary examinations, especially imaging examinations, are essential for the diagnosis, classification, and screening of related complications of CEPS. Doppler ultrasound can show the abnormal relationship between PV and other veins, liver morphology, liver nodules, and other malformations, and it is noninvasive, economic, and practical, which can be used as a preliminary screening of CEPS, especially in prenatal screening. [6] In detecting small vessel branches, computed tomography angiography (CTA) has a higher spatial resolution than MR imaging, in addition, CT can image all abnormal vessels at one breath hold and can be used in patients who are not operated on or have specific contraindications.

In tunnel blasting, an analytical solution for dynamic stress in the surrounding rock of adjacent tunnels is critical for dynamic response analysis, mechanical evaluations, and crack propagation control. Previous studies on stress field analytical solutions primarily modeled rock as a linear elastic material, focusing mainly on the P-wave effects from instantaneous detonation. Based on Heelan’s short cylindrical cavity model, this paper derives an analytical solution for blast-induced dynamic stresses in adjacent tunnel rock, incorporating both induced SV-waves and a rock mass damage factor through rigorous theoretical analysis. Numerical case studies and field measurements were used to analyze stress propagation during tunnel blasting, and theoretical results were compared with measured data. The key findings were as follows: Radial stress > axial stress > hoop stress. All three stresses decay with increasing distance and damage factor, following an inversely proportional relationship with distance. Radial stress decays faster than axial and hoop stresses. Stress also decays exponentially over time, with the peak occurring after the transverse wave arrival. The theoretical results show approximately 10% deviation from the existing empirical formulas, while field measurements closely match the theoretical model, showing consistent stress trends and an average error of 7.02% (radial), 7.56% (axial) and 7.05% (hoop), confirming the reliability of the proposed analytical solution.

Luteolin, a natural flavonoid, exerts broad immunomodulatory effects across multiple immune cell populations, positioning it as a promising candidate for treating inflammatory diseases, infections, and cancer. This review synthesizes current evidence on luteolin’s effects on T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. Luteolin promotes the differentiation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and suppresses pro-inflammatory T helper 17 (Th17) and Th2 responses, thereby restoring immune balance in sepsis, allergies, and autoimmunity. In macrophages, it skews polarization toward the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype via the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/STAT6 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) pathways, while inhibiting nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation. Neutrophil functions are dampened by reduced oxidative stress, adhesion molecule expression, and induction of apoptosis. Luteolin may enhance NK-cell cytotoxicity and DC-mediated antigen presentation while curbing eosinophil and basophil activation in allergic disorders. Despite preclinical successes, future research should prioritize mechanistic insights, structural optimization, and clinical translation to unlock luteolin’s full therapeutic potential.

Prevalence of distributed generation drives the emergence of the ‘Virtual Power Plant (VPP)’ paradigm. A VPP aggregates distributed energy resource and can operate as a conventional power plant. In recent years, a large portion of renewable energy sources are installed in the commercial/industrial/residential building side, and their potentials and flexibilities can be aggregated in the VPP context. Nevertheless, building‐side energy resources are usually managed by building energy management systems (BEMSs) with autonomous objectives and policies, making them hardly to be directly controlled by the VPP energy management system as the state‐of‐the‐art VPP. This study systematically presents a building VPP (BVPP) architecture that aggregates building‐side energy resources through the communication between the VPP energy management system and autonomous BEMSs. The implementation technologies, key components, and operation modes of BVPPs are discussed. Case studies are reported to demonstrate the effectiveness of BVPP in different operational conditions.

Background. Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory chronic skin disease characterized by chronic inflammation in the dermis, parakeratosis, and excessive epidermal growth. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of immune responses. Although differential expression of miRNAs has been reported in certain inflammatory autoimmune diseases, their role in psoriasis has not been fully illuminated. Our aims were to confirm plasma miRNA expression signatures in psoriasis and to examine their potential influence on psoriasis pathogenesis. Methods. A miRNome PCR array was used to analyse the plasma of psoriasis patients and healthy donors. We performed miRNA pathway enrichment and target gene network analyses on psoriasis plasma samples. Results. We found several specific plasma miRNA signatures relevant to psoriasis. The miRNAs targeted pathways associated with psoriasis, such as the VEGF, MAPK, and WNT signaling pathways. Network analysis revealed pivotal deregulated plasma miRNAs and their relevant target genes and pathways regulating psoriasis pathogenesis. Conclusions. This study analysed the expression of plasma miRNAs and their target pathways, elucidating the pathogenesis of psoriasis; these results may be used to design novel therapeutic strategies and to identify diagnostic biomarkers for psoriasis.

Invadopodia, dynamic cancer cell protrusions, deform and degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) to facilitate invasion. Intracellular calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) are critical second messengers involved in cancer cells migration, proliferation, and apoptosis, but their role in invadopodia dynamics remains unclear. Here, we propose a chemo-mechanical model integrating Ca 2+ transmembrane transport, myosin contractility, adhesion dynamics, actin polymerization, and membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) hydrolysis. We find that increased invadopodia length elevates membrane tension, activating mechanosensitive channels and raising intracellular Ca 2+ levels, aligning with experimental observations. Our model reveals that invadopodia oscillatory and monotonic dynamics are governed by actin polymerization and myosin recruitment, with Ca 2+ transport enhancing dynamics via myosin recruitment and reciprocal effects on Ca 2+ transport. Furthermore, by incorporating MT1-MMP-mediated ECM degradation in our model, we find that ECM degradation promotes invadopodia extension and elevates Ca 2+ levels, which shifts the invadopodia dynamics from monotonic to oscillatory. Overall, our model offers a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding Ca 2+ transport and invadopodia dynamics in cancer cells. Cancer cells use invadopodia to invade surrounding tissues. This theoretical model demonstrates how calcium transmembrane transport and extracellular matrix degradation enhance invadopodial oscillatory growth by mediating cell-matrix force transmission.

A unified optimal power flow (OPF) model for AC/DC grids integrated with natural gas systems is proposed for the real-time scheduling of power systems. Herein, the primary physical couplings underlying this coordinated system are modeled and investigated. In addition, the uncertainties of gas loads are considered when studying the role of gas supply for gas-fired units in power system operations. The nonlinear gas system constraints are converted to the second-order cone forms that allow for the use of the Benders decomposition techniques and the interior-point method to obtain the optimal solution. The numerical results of the modified IEEE 118-bus test system that integrates the Belgium 20-node natural gas system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The effects of gas demand uncertainties on the optimal schedule of thermal generators are investigated as well.

Targeted at the machining production line balancing problem, based on the precedence constraint relation of the present machining task, this article suggests adding practical constraints such as advanced station preparations, post-auxiliary tasks, and tool changing. The study introduced ‘tight’ and ’or’ constraints to bring the problem definition closer to the actual situation. For this problem, a mixed-integer programming model was constructed in this study. The model redefines the machining and auxiliary processing tasks and adds new time constraints to the station. The model considers two optimisation objectives: the number of stations and the machining line balancing rate. In view of the complexity of the problem, heuristic task set filtering mechanisms were designed and added to the ant colony optimisation, to satisfy the above compound and complex constraints. The processing task chain was constructed using the rules of ant colony pheromone accumulation and a random search mechanism. The study designed a Gantt chart generation module to improve the usability and visibility of the program. Ultimately, through an actual case study of a complex box part including 73 processing elements and realising the design and planning of machining production lines that meet complex constraints by substituting algorithms, the balance rates of several groups of optimisation schemes were higher than 90%, which showed that the algorithm is effective and has a good economy and practicability.