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Background: Polygonatum sibiricum (PS), a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Liliaceae family, is widely distributed in China and other East Asian countries. PS has been used as food and medicine for thousands of years, and its rhizomes are rich in Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharides (PSP), which exhibit various bioactivities, yet their structural features and therapeutic mechanisms against ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unclear. Methods: A homogeneous polysaccharide, PSP-1b (57.45 kDa), was isolated from the rhizomes of PS via ion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography and structurally characterized using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. In vivo, its effects were evaluated in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse model of UC, while in vitro mechanisms were explored using macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Results: PSP-1b was identified as a neutral polysaccharide with minimal branching. Its primary structural backbone was largely composed of →4)-β-D-Galp-(1→ residues. A portion of these backbone residues was substituted at the O-6 position by side chains primarily composed of β-D-Galp-(1→ units. In vivo, PSP-1b significantly alleviated DSS-induced colitis by reducing inflammatory cytokine secretion, suppressing colonic macrophage infiltration, and reversing neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) deposition. In vitro, PSP-1b directly interacted with TLR4, inhibited the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway, and attenuated LPS- and NET-induced macrophage polarization and inflammation. Conclusions: PSP-1b as a promising candidate for functional foods or therapeutic agents targeting inflammatory bowel disease.

A simple,mild,and time-saving method is employed to synthesize Ag-SiO2 composite nanospheres with Ag nanoparticles uniformly distributed on the surface of SiO2 nanoparticles.The chemical elements and the morphology of Ag-SiO2 composite nanospheres were analyzed with transmission electron microscopy（TEM）,X-ray power diffraction（XRD）,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）.On the surface of Ag-SiO2 composite nanospheres,silane coupling agent（KH-550）is introduced as an intermediary to connect the surfaces of SiO2 nanospheres and Ag nanoparticles,which is also helpful for avoiding the aggregation of Ag nanoparticles.It is found that Ag-SiO2 composite nanospheres have very good catalytic properties for the reduction of organic dyes,which may have potential application in wastewater treatment.

Background Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by neutrophilia and NLRP3 inflammasome and macrophage activation. We investigated the role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the pathogenesis of AOSD, and explored the effect of NETs on activating NLRP3 inflammasome and proinflammatory macrophages. Methods The sera of 73 AOSD patients and 40 healthy controls were used to detect the level of cell-free DNA and NET-DNA complexes. NET formation ex vivo was analyzed using immunofluorescence and flow plates. The activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in THP-1 cells and proinflammatory macrophages stimulated with DNA purified from NETs was measured using RT-PCR, ELISA, Western blotting and flow cytometry. Results The levels of cell-free DNA and NET-DNA complexes were significantly increased in the circulation of patients with AOSD compared with healthy controls, and freshly isolated neutrophils from patients with AOSD were predisposed to high levels of spontaneous NET release. Interestingly, enhanced NET release was abrogated with NADPH oxidase inhibitors and a mitochondrial scavenger. Furthermore, DNA purified from AOSD NETs activated NLRP3 inflammasomes. NET DNA from AOSD also exerted a potent capacity to accelerate the activation of CD68 + CD86 + macrophages and increased the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Finally, the copy number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in NETs and plasma was significantly increased in AOSD patients, suggesting that mtDNA may be involved in the activation of NLRP3 and inflammatory macrophages. Conclusions These findings implicate accelerated NET formation in AOSD pathogenesis through activation of NLRP3 and proinflammatory macrophages, and identify a novel link between neutrophils and macrophages by NET formation in AOSD.

Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), an oral anaerobic commensal, has recently been identified as a crucial oncogenic contributor to colorectal cancer pathogenesis through its ectopic colonization in the gastrointestinal tract. Accumulating evidence reveals its multifaceted involvement in colorectal cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance to conventional treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. This perspective highlights recent advances in anti-Fn strategies, including small-molecule inhibitors, nanomedicines, and biopharmaceuticals, while critically analyzing the translational barriers in developing targeted antimicrobial interventions. We further propose potential strategies to overcome current challenges in Fn modulation, aiming to pave the way for more effective therapeutic interventions and better clinical outcomes.

PurposeIncreasing data have shown that biochar amendment can improve soil fertility and crop production, but there is little knowledge about whether biochar amendment can improve water infiltration in saline soils. We hypothesized that biochar amendment could promote water infiltration in saline soil. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of biochar amendment on water infiltration and find the suitable amendment rate and particle size of biochar as a saline soil conditioner.Materials and methodsWe measured water infiltration parameters in a coastal saline soil (silty loam) amended with non-sieved biochar at different rates (0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10%, w/w) or sieved biochar of different particle sizes (≤ 0.25 mm, 0.25–1 mm, and 1–2 mm) at 1 and 10% (w/w).Results and discussionCompared with the control, amending non-sieved biochar at 10% significantly decreased water infiltration into the saline soil (P < 0.05). In contrast, sieved biochar of ≤ 0.25 mm significantly improved water infiltration capacity, irrespective of the amendment rate. Sieved biochar of 1–2 mm was less effective to improve soil porosity and when amended at 10%, it even reduced the water infiltration capacity. The Philip model (R2 = 0.983–0.999) had a better goodness-of-fit than the Green-Ampt model (R2 = 0.506–0.923) for simulation of cumulative infiltration.ConclusionsAmending biochar sieved to a small particle size improved water infiltration capacity of the coastal saline soil compared with non-sieved biochar irrespective of the amendment rate. This study contributes toward improving the hydrological property of coastal saline soil and rationally applying biochar in the field.

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. Early detection and precise treatment are of great significance to clinical decision‐making and patient prognosis. As an emerging imaging technology, dual‐energy computed tomography (DECT) has increasingly prominent advantages in multi‐parameter and quantitative analysis in assessing the benign and malignant, classification, and prognosis of lung cancer. Radiomics uses an automated high‐throughput method to extract a large number of quantitative features from medical images, quantify tumor heterogeneity, monitor tumor development and prognosis, and provide new ideas for the diagnosis and identification of lung cancer. This article will review the application progress of DECT post‐processing technology combined with radiomics in lung cancer diagnosis, identification, biomarker and gene prediction, and prognosis assessment.

We have proposed the Adaptive Sub-Band Compound (A-SBC) method, which uses subbands of different frequencies to improve the resolution by adaptive compounding. A-SBC effectively suppresses the sidelobe level by mainly utilizing the principle that the phases of subbands of different frequencies are inconsistent off-axis. There are many specific methods that can realize A-SBC. In this study, we propose three additional methods based on a previous application of A-SBC to multi-angle plane-wave beamforming. We evaluate these four methods through simulation and human carotid artery experiments.

The surrounding environment of a GNSS observation station is changed during a flood, and this results in a more serious multipath than in a normal environment. Considering that the multipath error is largely related to the pseudo-range multipath and CNR (Carrier-to-noise ratio) of the GNSS signal, the influence of floods on a pseudo-range multipath and CNR is analyzed in theory and through experiment. To ensure the accuracy of the analysis results, the ground track repeat period of GPS, GLONASS, and BDS satellites is investigated from the perspective of theory and skyplots. Two real cases study collected in Zhengzhou and Xinxiang, China, in 2021, are used to demonstrate the influence of floods on a pseudo-range multipath and CNR in detail. Experimental results show that the pseudo-range multipath of a GPS satellite performs more seriously during a flood. The maximum RMS increase rate is approximately 17.85%, and the average of all other satellites with a whole arc is approximately 6.55%. In addition, the CNR of three GNSS systems performs a decrease during a flood. For GPS and GLONASS satellites, the decrease performs more seriously at a high elevation angle than that at a low elevation angle. The maximum decrease is approximately 5 dB-Hz for the GPS satellite and approximately 7 dB-Hz for the GLONASS satellite. In terms of the BDS system, the CNR of all three orbital type satellites decreases during a flood. The average decrease is approximately 2 dB-Hz for BDS MEO and GEO satellites, and about 1 dB-Hz for the BDS IGSO satellite.

The CNR (Carrier-to-Noise Ratio) of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites is highly relevant to the multipath error. The multipath error is more serious in the flood environment since the reflection and diffraction coefficients of water are much higher compared to dry soil. Thus, the amplitude of CNR will decrease in the flood environment. In this study, the relationship between multipath error, flooding, and CNR is introduced in theory. Then, by using the characteristic of the orbital repetition period, the stability of CNR between 2 adjacent days in a static observation environment is demonstrated by 32 MGEX (Multi-GNSS Experiment) stations in different latitude and longitude regions of the world. The results show that the average RMS of different CNRs between two adjacent days is only about 0.62 dB-Hz. In addition, the correlation coefficient of CNRs between two adjacent days is analyzed. The correlation coefficient of the original signal CNR is 0.997. Moreover, after mitigating the influence of random noise and lower CNR, the correlation coefficients of the fitted CNRs larger than 40 dB-Hz can reach 0.999. Thus, based on the fluctuation in original CNR, fitted CNR, and seamless series characteristics of CNR, the whole flood process from occurrence to recession can be retrieved. A flood that occurred in Zhengzhou City, China, from DOY 200 to DOY 202, 2021 is used to demonstrate the process of retrieval. The experimental results indicate that the flood appeared at about 15:30 pm on DOY 200, reached a peak at approximately 8:30 am on DOY 202, and totally subsided at about 10:00 am on DOY 202. In conclusion, the CNR can be effectively used to retrieve the whole process of the flood, which lays a foundation for researching flood detection and warning based on GPS satellites.

Objective The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic evaluation of the diagnostic efficacy of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 4 benign and malignant breast lesions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics. Methods A systematic search identified relevant studies. Eligible studies were screened, assessed for quality, and analyzed for diagnostic accuracy. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses explored heterogeneity, while publication bias, clinical relevance and threshold effect were evaluated. Results This study analyzed a total of 11 studies involving 1,915 lesions in 1,893 patients with BI-RADS 4 classification. The results showed that the combined sensitivity and specificity of MRI radiomics for diagnosing BI-RADS 4 lesions were 0.88 (95% CI 0.83–0.92) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.72–0.84). The positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were 4.2 (95% CI 3.1–5.7), 0.15 (95% CI: 0.10–0.22), and 29.0 (95% CI 15–55). The summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90 (95% CI 0.87–0.92), indicating good diagnostic performance. The study found no significant threshold effect or publication bias, and heterogeneity among studies was attributed to various factors like feature selection algorithm, radiomics algorithms, etc. Overall, the results suggest that MRI radiomics has the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of BI-RADS 4 lesions and enhance patient outcomes. Conclusion MRI-based radiomics is highly effective in diagnosing BI-RADS 4 benign and malignant breast lesions, enabling improving patients’ medical outcomes and quality of life.