Tag: pubmed

Nat Biotechnol. 2024 Nov 21. doi: 10.1038/s41587-024-02475-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Pooled single-cell CRISPR screens have profiled either gene expression or chromatin accessibility but not both modalities. Here we develop MultiPerturb-seq, a high-throughput CRISPR screening platform with joint single-nucleus chromatin accessibility, transcriptome and guide RNA capture using combinatorial indexing combined with droplet microfluidics to scale throughput and integrate all three modalities. We identify key differentiation genes in a rare pediatric cancer and establish ZNHIT1 as a potential target for cancer reprogramming therapy.

PMID:39572737 | DOI:10.1038/s41587-024-02475-x

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 21;14(1):28915. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-80469-0.

ABSTRACT

It is conventionally believed that macromolecules found in living cells, including DNA, RNA, and proteins, do not exhibit inherent light emission. However, recent studies have challenged this concept by demonstrating spontaneous light emission from nucleic acids under certain conditions and physiological temperatures. By noninvasive monitoring of barley genomic DNA and advanced statistical physics analyses, temperature-induced dynamic entropy fluctuations and fractal dimension oscillations were identified at a key organizational threshold. The study revealed evidence for non-equilibrium phase transitions, a noticeable photovoltaic current jump at zero bias voltage, and a proportional increase (scaling) of the photoinduced current corresponding to increasing amounts of DNA. In addition, we estimated DNA’s energy production rate at criticality and introduced an interferometer using coherent light emissions from the DNA-water interface. These findings suggest that DNA is a major source of ultraweak photon emission in biological systems.

PMID:39572702 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-80469-0

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 22;14(1):28925. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-80388-0.

ABSTRACT

To investigate the efficacy of endoscopic membranous nasolacrimal duct resection combined with retrograde lacrimal stent in the treatment of extremely inferior lacrimal duct obstruction. Retrospective cohort study at Nanchang University’s Affiliated Eye Hospital. Experimental Group: Endoscopic membranous nasolacrimal duct resection combined with retrograde lacrimal stent implantation; Control group: Conventional endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy combined with bicanalicular Silicone Stent implantation.The duration of the surgical procedure, postoperative comfort score, irrigation of the lacrimal passage after extubation, and Munk score of curative effect at six months post-operation were recorded. The data were quantified and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software. The symptoms of epiphora showed significant improvement following surgery. There were notable differences in operation time and postoperative comfort between the experimental group and the control group who underwent conventional endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in efficacy and lacrimal duct irrigation after extubation or at six months post-operation (P > 0.05). The cure rate of the experimental group reached 70%, while the control group achieved a cure rate of 78%. Furthermore, the effective rate in the experimental group was found to be 81%, whereas it was 89% in the control group.No evident complications were observed in the experimental group. The combination of endoscopic membranous nasolacrimal duct resection and retrograde lacrimal stent reduces the invasiveness of the lacrimal duct structure, shortens the operation time, improves patient comfort, and achieves favorable therapeutic outcomes. This approach is recommended for patients with extremely Inferior lacrimal duct obstruction .

PMID:39572700 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-80388-0

Nat Hum Behav. 2024 Nov 21. doi: 10.1038/s41562-024-02066-5. Online ahead of print.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:39572684 | DOI:10.1038/s41562-024-02066-5

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 21;14(1):28898. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-80653-2.

ABSTRACT

To compare the survival outcomes of patients with stage T2N0M0 esophageal cancer treated with surgery alone versus those treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. Patients with stage T2N0M0 esophageal cancer, who either underwent surgery alone or received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery, were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database covering the period from 2000 to 2020. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) between the two treatment groups were compared. A total of 583 patients were included: 267 (45.8%) received surgery alone, while 316 (54.2%) underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. Prior to propensity score matching, no significant differences were observed between the surgery alone and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy groups in terms of 5-year CSS (60.86% vs. 59.02%; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.79-1.29; P = 0.916) and OS (50.64% vs. 49.81%; HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.75-1.12; P = 0.375). After propensity score matching, the 5-year CSS (66.43% vs. 56.67%; HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.89-1.64; P = 0.225) and OS (56.49% vs. 47.37%; HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.85-1.40; P = 0.481) remained statistically similar between the two groups. Subgroup analyses of patients with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma revealed no significant differences in survival outcomes between the treatment modalities for either histological subtype. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery does not confer a survival advantage over surgery alone in patients with stage T2N0M0 esophageal cancer, irrespective of histological subtype.

PMID:39572671 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-80653-2

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 21;14(1):28860. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79650-2.

ABSTRACT

Recent research has demonstrated a relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and gastrointestinal cancers, but the causality of these associations remains uncertain. This investigation sought to elucidate whether there is a potential causal relationship between the intake of fruits and vegetables and the risk of gastrointestinal cancers. Employing two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR), this research explored the causative influence of consuming fruits (fresh and dried) and vegetables (salads/raw and cooked) on the susceptibility to gastrointestinal cancers. The UK Medical Research Council-Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MRC-IEU) provided the summary statistics for these exposure variables, while the summary statistics for outcome data came from four other data sources. Univariable and multivariable MR were performed using inverse variance-weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted media (WM), and Lasso model methods. Besides, multiple methods were employed for sensitivity analyses to guarantee the robustness of the findings, including MR-Egger intercept, Cochran’s Q test, and MR-PRESSO. Furthermore, the Phenoscanner V2 database was employed to identify possible confounders. The main analysis of univariable MR found that dried fruit consumption provided protection against pancreatic and oral cavity/pharyngeal cancers. However, this correlation becomes non-significant when potential confounders such as smoking, drinking, and body mass index (BMI) are accounted for. Furthermore, neither univariate nor multivariate MR analyses revealed enough data to prove a causal relationship between the intake of fresh fruit, vegetables (including salad/raw and cooked), and gastrointestinal cancers. There is insufficient evidence for a causal association between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and the occurrence of gastrointestinal cancers. Further empirical research is needed to corroborate these dietary factors’ role in the etiology of gastrointestinal cancers.

PMID:39572657 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-79650-2

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 21;14(1):28906. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-80135-5.

ABSTRACT

Expansive soils have a high tendency for volume change in case of fluctuations in moisture content, potentially causing significant damage to light structures, particularly road pavements. This paper investigates the influence of waste paper sludge ([Formula: see text]) as an alternative sustainable stabilizer on the volume change behavior of expansive road subgrade soils of different origins. For this purpose, [Formula: see text] was added to the expansive soils at ratios of 3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, and 15% by dry weight of the soils. A series of Atterberg’s limit, swelling, shrinkage, compaction, and consolidation tests were performed on pure soils and soil specimens with [Formula: see text] to attain a comprehensive understanding of the role that [Formula: see text] plays in the volume change behavior of expansive soils. The experimental test results showed that the addition of [Formula: see text] led to a considerable decrease in the plasticity and swell-shrink potentials of subgrade soils. The consolidation settlement of expansive road subgrades was also reduced to some extent with [Formula: see text]. Moreover, the statistical analysis of the test data indicated a significant relationship among different swelling-shrinkage parameters. The experimental results presented here suggest that the [Formula: see text] may be a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable stabilizer to reduce the volume change sensitivity of expansive road subgrade soils.

PMID:39572644 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-80135-5

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 21;14(1):28822. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79435-7.

ABSTRACT

The preparation of sintered NdFeB magnets is complex, time-consuming, and costly. Data-driven machine learning methods can enhance the efficiency of material synthesis and performance optimization. Traditional machine learning models based on mathematical and statistical principles are effective for structured data and offer high interpretability. However, as the scale and dimensionality of the data increase, the computational complexity of models rises dramatically, making hyperparameter tuning more challenging. By contrast, neural network models possess strong nonlinear modeling capabilities for handling large-scale data, but their decision-making and inferential processes remain opaque. To enhance interpretability of neural network, we collected 1,200 high-quality experimental data points and developed a multi-head attention regression model by integrating an attention mechanism into the neural network. The model enables parallel data processing, accelerates both training and inference speed, and reduces reliance on feature engineering and hyperparameter tuning. The coefficients of determination for remanence and coercivity are 0.97 and 0.84, respectively. This study offers new insights into machine learning-based modeling of structure-property relationships in materials and has potential to advance the research of multimodal NdFeB magnet models.

PMID:39572633 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-79435-7

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 21;14(1):28910. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-68690-3.

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study is to utilize optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) techniques for the purpose of identifying abnormalities in retinal and conjunctival vascular density among patients afflicted with renal hypertension. From October 2022 to October 2023, a cohort of sixteen patients diagnosed with renal hypertension (RH), comprising a total of 32 eyes, was selected from the Department of Nephrology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. Concurrently, a group of sixteen healthy individuals, carefully matched in characteristics, was recruited from volunteers at the Ophthalmology Research Center and designated as the healthy controls (HCs) group. Optical coherence tomography angiography was employed to assess and examine the superficial vascular plexus (SVP) and deep vascular plexus (DVP) of the macular retina in both eyes. Subsequently, a comparative analysis was conducted between the two groups, focusing on the superficial and deep retinal microvessels (MIR), macrovascular (MAR), and total microvascular (TMI). The present study employed the central annuli segmentation method (C1-C6), the hemispheric segmentation method (SL, IL, SR, IR), and the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (S, I, L, R) to evaluate deviations in retinal blood vessel density. The investigation aimed to examine the association between blood vessel density and TMI in conjunctival capillaries. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in macular retinal vascular density was observed between the two groups based on the OCTA data. Specifically, in SVP, the density of TMI, MIR, and MAR in the RH group was significantly lower compared to the HCs group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the deep density of TMI and MIR in DVP of the RH group was significantly lower than that of the HCs group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, using the hemispheric segmentation method, both the superficial and deep retina showed a significant reduction in the density of SL, SR and IL regions (p < 0.05). In the ETDRS method, there was a significant decrease in superficial and deep retinal S, I, and L in the RH group (p < 0.05). When applying the central annuli segmentation methods, the RH group exhibited a significant decrease in the superficial retinal C1-3 region (p < 0.05) and a noticeable reduction in the deep retina in the C1-4 region (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a higher positive likelihood ratio was observed in the deep SL and superficial C2 region. There was a positive correlation between conjunctival capillary density and the region of TMI in depth. The results of the OCTA investigation revealed a significant disparity in the density of superficial and deep retinal blood vessels between RH group and the HCs group. Additionally, a notable correlation was observed between the depth of TMI and the density of conjunctival capillaries. These findings highlight the potential of retinal OCTA as a valuable tool for early detection and image-assisted diagnosis of retinopathy progression in patients with RH.

PMID:39572632 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-68690-3

Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 21;14(1):28818. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-78910-5.

ABSTRACT

This paper studied the spatial distribution and influencing factors of heavy metals (HMs) such as Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd and As in the soil of Linzhou County in the Lhasa River basin. By collecting 504 surface soil samples, using descriptive statistics, Kriging interpolation and geoaccumulation index methods, combined with the geographic detector model, the spatial distribution characteristics of soil HMs content and its interaction with 19 environmental factors were systematically analyzed.The results showed that the content of heavy metals in the soil in this area was generally higher than the background value of soil in Lhasa, especially Cd and As, which showed strong spatial heterogeneity, suggesting the existence of specific pollution sources.Although the average HMs content was lower than the soil pollution risk screening value, the As, Cd, Pb and Zn contents at some sampling points exceeded the standard, indicating a high pollution risk in some local areas.The spatial distribution of HMs was uneven, with high-value areas of Pb, Zn and Cd mainly concentrated in the west, Cu concentrated in the northwest, while high-value areas of Cr and Ni were similar, mainly concentrated in the west and central regions. Correlation analysis and geodetector models revealed that traffic pollution and soil texture characteristics were the main environmental factors affecting the spatial variation of soil HMs content, and the distance from national highways and urban roads had a particularly significant relationship with Sc and TK.The study provided a scientific basis for the prevention and control of HMs pollution in soil in high-altitude and cold areas, and recommends targeted environmental management and restoration measures.

PMID:39572627 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-78910-5