Abstract Introduction: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) was recently recognized as an important cause of seasonal respiratory tract infections mainly in children and immunocompromised adults. The use of Charlson Comorbity index (CCI) to predict outcome in hospitalized patients has been validated in several settings. Objective: Describe the clinical characteristics of adult patients with HMPV infection, evaluate the value to the CCI in predicting outcome. Methods: Single center retrospective chart review study of hospitalized patients with HMPV infection in 2017. Results: 22 adult patients with a mean age of 65 years were reviewed. The mean CCI was 4.6±2.6. The overall mortality was 22%. Abnormal chest radiograph (CXR) was reported in 15 patients. CCI was not different between survivors and non survivors. Non survivors were more likely to have abnormal CXR and higher fever at the time of diagnosis, required mechanical ventilation or were treated for other concomitant infections. Conclusion: The average of CCI was 4.5 which was not significantly different between survivors and non survivors. Mortality rate was elevated at 22% and is likely associated with admission to the ICU and presence of another concomitant infection.

Choroid plexus papillary carcinoma (CPC) is a rare intracranial malignant tumor that originates from choroid plexus epithelium and is categorized as a malignant type of choroid plexus papillary tumor. It accounts for only about 0.05%-0.1% of all intracranial tumors [1]. CPC predominantly affects children, and a few cases are detected before or shortly after birth. The lateral ventricle and the third ventricle are the most common sites of choroid plexus tumors in children. CPC has a higher propensity to occur in the fourth ventricle in adults. Tumors are a rare occurrence in the cerebellopontine angle. Choroid plexus papillary tumors have the potential to disseminate via the cerebrospinal fluid. Currently, there is no literature reporting intraspinal choroid plexus papillary carcinoma. We present a case of a 6-year-old male who presented with headaches and was admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery in our hospital. The MRI of the head revealed a cerebellar mass, which was later confirmed as choroid plexus papillary carcinoma through postoperative pathology. Six months after discharge, the patient was admitted to the hospital again due to low back pain. MRI examination showed an intraspinal mass, which was confirmed as choroid plexus papillary carcinoma by postoperative pathology.

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is becoming more prevalent in females, but research into sex-dependent neural mechanisms underlying cocaine use is lacking. Accordingly, the main objective of the current study was to investigate sex-dependent differences in the neural correlates of cocaine and emotional cue reactivity within regular cocaine users (CUs) and non-cocaine-using controls (non-CUs). A cocaine and emotional cue-reactivity fMRI paradigm was completed by 31 male and 26 female CUs and 28 male and 26 female non-CUs. A region of interest analysis was performed to test for sex-specific differences in cocaine and emotional cue-induce activation of the dorsal striatum (DS), ventral striatum (VS), amygdala, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). Although there were no significant sex-dependent differences between CUs and non-CUs in neural cocaine and emotional cue reactivity, exploratory analyses demonstrated that the association between cocaine cue-induced activation of the DS and amygdala and cocaine use severity was significantly moderated by sex: while this association was positive female CUs, it was negative in male CUs. Similarly, the relationship between emotional cue-induced activation of the dACC and VS and years of regular cocaine use was also moderated by sex: while this association was negative in female CUs, it was positive in male CUs. While exploratory, the current findings highlight the importance of taking into account sex differences when studying the underlying mechanism of CUD, as this may pave the way for the identification of sex-specific treatment targets.

The unique landscape of Nepal supports diverse ecological niches that are home to valuable plants, benefiting various ethnic groups. Wild edible plants have been essential for the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities due to their affordability, ease of harvest, and renewable nature. However, climate change is altering the habitat, distribution, ecology, and phenology of plant species in the Himalayas. One such important species in Nepal is Arisaema costatum, which has multiple indigenous uses. Unfortunately, deforestation and land use changes have led to continuous changes in the distribution and habitats of wild edible plants. We conducted field research involving 280 quadrats (2×2 meters) and 210 interviews. By utilizing MaxEnt modeling and considering different climate change scenarios (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 4.5 and 8.5) as well as climatic predictors and species localities, we analyzed 196geospatial data points. This allowed us to evaluate the present suitable environment and predict potential habitats in 2050 and 2070. Our findings revealed that A. costatum is used as a vegetable by indigenous and local communities in the Nepal Himalayas. Traditional fermentation and detoxification techniques are employed for its preparation. The plant plays a vital role in household food and nutrition, income generation, and health security. Elevation, annual mean temperature (BIO-1), and precipitation during the warmest and coldest quarters (BIO-18 and BIO-19) were identified as the most influential factors for projecting the future distribution of A. costatum in the Nepal Himalayas. Approximately 14% (21121.75 km2) of Nepal’s land was found to be suitable habitat for this species, with the Gandaki, Bagmati, and Koshi provinces in the temperate regions particularly well-suited compared to other provinces. Given the anticipated loss of A. costatum habitats and the increasing temperatures due to climate change in the Nepal Himalayas, urgent integrated research and development programs are necessary to address this issue.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDPS) is a critical cybersecurity task that involves monitoring network traffic for malicious activity and taking appropriate action to stop it. However, insufficient training data or improperly chosen thresholds often limit the accuracy of such systems, resulting in high false positive rates. To improve the accuracy of an IDPS, blockchain technology can be used. Blockchain technology provides a secure, decentralized, immutable ledger that can track suspicious activity over time and identify intrusions globally. Security teams can use blockchain technology to create immutable records of suspicious activity, give users visibility into the system, and improve the accuracy of intrusion detection systems. In this paper, we propose a novel methodology to improve the accuracy of blockchain-based intrusion detection and prevention systems, which is based on combining different intrusion detection algorithms and using a blockchain-integrated architecture. Our experimental results show that the proposed system significantly increases the accuracy while reducing the false positive rate, opening up new opportunities for the development of highly accurate networks.

As a wireless ad hoc network, VANET is susceptible to various threats including eavesdropping and tampering, due to its insecure wireless channels. The group key agreement protocol is widely used in VANET due to its ability to allow participants to communicate securely in insecure network environments. However, excessive reliance on trusted authority (TA) in traditional group key protocols may cause single point of failure. Additionally, having a high computational and communication cost is a common phenomenon in existing protocols. To address the above issues, we have designed a lightweight group key agreement protocol using blockchain technology and Chinese remainder theorem(CRT). In our protocol, the blockchain technology is used to facilitate faster negotiation of group key between Roadside Units (RSUs) and vehicles within its communication range. To avoid Single point of failure, TA only provides services during the user joining and leaving phase. To reduce computational and communication costs during the identity authentication process, RSU can perform batch authentication on vehicles. At the same time, participating vehicles only need to obtain the correct session key from the return message broadcasted by the RSU. Our protocol also supports dynamic management of vehicles. We used formal security proof and performance analysis in our scheme, indicating that our scheme meets the basic security requirements of the block key protocol design in VANET. Meanwhile, the analysis of computational costs and communication burden shows that our scheme is more effective in VANET group scenarios.

Imminent rupture of infected aortic aneurysm presenting as lower back pain in an older patient: A case report Satoshi Takashima, Tadatsugu Morimoto, Takaomi Kobayashi, Hirohito Hirata, Tomohito Yoshihara, Masatsugu Tsukamoto, Masaaki Mawatari1 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University.Corresponding author: Tadatsugu MorimotoMailing address: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1- 1 Nabeshima, Saga, JapanTel: +81-95-234-2343Fax: +81-95-234-2059E-mail:sakiyuki0830@gmail.comConflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests to declare.【Cover letter】Editor-in-ChiefClinical case reportsDear Editor:I wish to submit a case report for publication in Clinical Case Reports, titled “Imminent rupture of infected aortic aneurysm presenting as lower back pain in an older patient: A case report.” This paper was co-authored by Tadatsugu Morimoto, Hirohito Hirata, Masatsugu Tsukamoto, Takaomi Kobayashi, Tomohito Yoshihara, and Masaaki Mawatari.This paper presents the clinical case of an elderly male patient who presented to our hospital with complaints of lower back pain and an infected aortic aneurysm at the time of his initial visit. The patient had poorly controlled type II diabetes mellitus. He presented to our hospital with back pain and numbness in the left lower extremity, which had increased gradually. Further examination revealed an infectious aortic aneurysm, and the patient was referred to the cardiovascular surgery department. We believe that this case makes a significant contribution to the literature because infective aortic aneurysms are rare and are expected to increase in the future due to an increase in the number of compromised hosts.Furthermore, we believe that there are lessons to be learned from the clinical course of our patient and that this paper will be of interest to the readers of your journal. We hope that the takeaway message will serve as a reminder to physicians regarding consideration of diagnosis of infectious aneurysms when patients present with lower back pain. A delayed diagnosis can have serious consequences and may lead to unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. We hope that the information provided in this report will aid in early detection and treatment of this disease.This manuscript has not been published or presented elsewhere in part or in entirety, and is not under consideration by another journal. We have read and understood your journal’s policies and believe that neither the manuscript nor the study violates any of these policies. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.Sincerely,Satoshi TakashimaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga, JapanTel: +81-95-234-2343Fax: +81-95-234-2059E-mail: stmh1156@gmail.com【Manuscript】Keywords: Infected abdominal aortic aneurysm, lower back pain, misdiagnosis●Introduction:Infected abdominal aortic aneurysm (IAAA) is a rare but potentially fatal sequela of infectious inflammatory disease of the aortic wall. However, it is rather an under-recognized disease. The incidence of IAAA has increased in the recent years due to the aging population and increasing number of immunocompromised hosts1. Early diagnosis and management of IAAA can improve the prognosis and survival. However, the diagnosis of IAAA is sometimes challenging in the early stages due to its varied clinical presentation, such as lower back pain2.Herein, we report the case of an older patient in whom a differential diagnosis of spinal degenerative disease was considered due to symptoms such as lower back pain, lower extremity pain, and numbness. However, the patient was ultimately diagnosed with IAAA.Case history and examination:A 63-year-old male patient presented to the orthopedic outpatient clinic with complaints of back pain and left leg numbness, which had gradually increased over the past month. The patient had a history of diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidemia, but had self-interrupted his medications. No other significant medical history was elicited by the patient.Physical examination revealed lower back pain and the patient was able to walk without experiencing any neurological deficits. He experienced swelling and local heat in the left lower limb without any erythematous changes or cold sensations in the right leg. The left dorsalis pedis artery was palpable; however, the right dorsal foot artery was poorly palpable.Investigations were performed to localize the source. His laboratory data showed marked elevation of white blood cells (26.9 × 103/L) and C-reactive protein (17.96 mg/dL; normal range < 0.3 mg/dL), along with increased glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value (9.4%; normal range < 6.0%), Aspartate Aminotransferase (155 U/L; normal range <30 U/L), alanine transaminase (ALT) (93 U/L; normal range < 42 U/L), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (437 U/L; normal range < 64 U/L) levels were also markedly elevated indicating severe infection, DM and liver dysfunction. Fever, back pain, and elevated C-reactive protein levels were suggestive of pyogenic spondylitis. Therefore, lumbar spine radiography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examination were performed. However, lumbar spine radiography and MRI revealed no findings suggestive of pyogenic spondylitis (Figure 1). Based on these results, hepatobiliary system disease was suspected and a medicine specialist was consulted. The patient was admitted due to the suspicion of liver abscess, and underwent detailed examination and treatment.Differential diagnosis, investigation, and treatmentContrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a pseudoaneurysm in the descending aorta. The surrounding soft tissues showed a small amount of gas in the L3/4 intervertebral space and above and below them, suggesting a left psoas abscess and L3/4 vertebral spondylodiscitis (Figure 2). On reviewing the radiograph and MRI, we realized that we had missed the imminent rupture of an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm (IAAA) (Figure 1). Blood cultures were positive for Gram-negative rods, and the microorganism was identified as Escherichia coli. Based on these findings, the patient was ultimately diagnosed with a left psoas abscess and septic shock secondary to IAAA. Ceftriaxone (CTRX) (2.0 g) was administered every 12 h. Pazufloxacin (PZFX) (1.0 g) was added every 12 h to allow tissue penetration. After the initiation of antibiotic therapy, no worsening tendency was observed. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that the isolate was susceptible to cefazolin (CEZ) at the minimal inhibitory concentrationvalue. Therefore, 2.0 g of CTRX being administered every 12 h was replaced with 1.0 g of CEZ every 6 h.●Outcome and follow-upFour days later, fever and back pain worsened again. Subsequent antibiotic treatment was continued, and the fever stabilized. Laboratory data showed an improvement in white blood cell count (14.5 × 103/L) and C-reactive protein levels (3.56 mg/dL; normal range < 0.3 mg/dL). However, CT revealed a ruptured IAAA despite the patient being fully alert. An emergency surgery was performed (Figure 3). The patient underwent aorto-right external iliac bypass, femoro-femoral bypass, enterectomy, and colostomy. He was managed in the Intensive Care Unit post-surgery, but was in a state of circulatory failure since the end of the surgery. The patient was confirmed dead on the fourth postoperative day.●Discussion:IAAA was first described by Osler in 1885 as an aneurysm caused by a bacterial embolus from infective endocarditis3. The concept has since been broadened to include all aneurysms caused by infections along with those caused by the addition of infection to an existing aneurysm4. IAAA is rare, accounting for 0.7%-3% of all aortic aneurysms, and is difficult to treat. The hospital mortality rate of patients with infected aortic aneurysms is high, ranging between 5-44%5,6. In the past, bacteremia from infective endocarditis and infective emboli were the main sources of infection. However, with the increasing prevalence of atherosclerosis and medically induced arterial injury (catheters and surgery) associated with aging and an increasing number of easily infected hosts such as those with diabetes, malignancy, and collagen disease, the incidence of IAAA has been reported to increase7.Correct and early medical examination and treatment are essential because IAAA is characterized by a faster rate of enlargement8 and a higher frequency of rupture due to its multifocal nature9, in comparison to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, while AAA is often accompanied by severe symptoms, such as abdominal pain, impaired consciousness, and abnormal blood pressure, most cases of IAAA rupture are confined to the retroperitoneum, and rupture into the abdominal cavity is extremely rare10. Back pain is often the main symptom in IAAA rather than abdominal pain11. There have been a few cases of IAAA wherein physicians and spine surgeons engaged in lower back pain treatment, and a correct diagnosis was not reached. Therefore, physicians and spine surgeons should be aware of the possibility of IAAA when the patient complains of persistent back pain even after the administration of treatment for symptomatic relief. According to reports by various authors, rupture or impending rupture of an AAA should be suspected when (1) the patient is a middle-aged or older male with a history of an abdominal mass; (2) the pain is severe, with a definite onset time and a component of lateral abdominal pain; (3) there is no tenderness in the lumbar spine or surrounding soft tissues and no neurological symptoms; (4) the iliopsoas muscle shadow is abnormal on radiography; and (5) a beating mass is detected in the abdomen9. Palpation of the abdominal mass is recommended in patients with atypical lower back pain9.The present case involved an older male patient who did not present with lumbar spinal tenderness or neurological symptoms. Remarkably, an abdominal examination was not conducted; therefore, the presence of an abdominal mass was not initially established. Regrettably, the possibility of IAAA, which could have been a potential diagnosis, was not initially considered. In addition, as in the present case, missed imaging findings can also be problematic. IAAA is difficult to diagnose because the main symptom is fever, and the patient presents with a variety of symptoms, including thoracoabdominal pain and back pain, depending on the location of the aneurysm12. IAAAs are easily overlooked when fever is not the primary symptom. Blood investigations showing signs of infection, such as increased white blood cell counts and elevated C-reactive protein levels, along with positive blood cultures and the presence of soft tissue infiltration around the aorta, as shown on CT or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), may lead to a diagnosis of IAAA. IAAA does not present with serious symptoms in the early stages, and back pain is the main complaint in 44% cases; therefore, orthopedicians are likely to be involved. However, in cases of lower back pain without the primary complaint of fever, abdominal examinations and blood investigations are rarely performed, and orthopedic surgeons tend to focus only on their area of expertise in diagnostic imaging13,14. Focusing on the spine and spinal cord, without paying attention to the soft tissues that appear in the imaging, can lead to overlooking serious diseases such as IAAA. In the present case, the diagnosis was made on the same day as the patient was suspected of a serious disease and internal medicine and radiology department was consulted, although it had been missed at the time of the initial visit. It should be noted that physicians treating lower back pain tend to look at the ABC (Alignment, Bone, Cartilage) but miss the soft tissues15. It is necessary to review images from the edges to ensure that entities such as aortic disease, neoplastic lesions of the spine, and hip disease are not missed during this process.●Consent:Written informed consent for the publication of this case report (including photographs, case progress, and data) was obtained from the patient’s relatives.【Author Contributions】ST and TM designed and outlined the main conceptual ideas. TY and TK collected the data. MT, MT, and HH. aided in the interpretation of the results and worked on the manuscript. MM supervised this study. ST wrote the manuscript with the support of MT, M.T, and HH. All the authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.【Funding Information】No funds, grants, or other support was received.【COI statement】The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.【Data availability statement】Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed in the current study.【ORCID】Satoshi Takashima: 0009-0009-5013-5812.【References】1. Huang J., Cano, et al. Infected aneurysm of the native aorta due to coccidioides posadasii. Infectiou Disease Society of America 2021; 8(6)2. Ng J.H., Heng K.W.J. Infected native aortic aneurysm with spondylodiscitis in an elderly septic man with back pain. BMJ Case Rep 2021; 14(2)3.　　Lucas R.B.,Lucia R.,Aida R.,Manuel M. Mycotic Aortic Aneurysms. Aortic Aneurysm and Aortic Dissection 20184.　　Cheng-Hsin Lin., Ron-Bin Hsu. Primary Infected Aortic Aneurysm. Acta Cardiol Sin 2014; 30(6): 514-5215. Corvera J.S., Blitzer D., Copeland H., Murphy D., Hess P.J., Jr., Pillai S.T., Fehrenbacher, J.W. Repair of thoracic and thoracoabdominal mycotic aneurysms and infected aortic grafts using allograft. Ann Thorac Surg. 2018;106:1129–1135.6. Sharma A., Pawar P., Raju R., Ayappan M.K., Mathur K. Neo aortoiliac system repair of Burkholderia cepacia infected mycotic aneurysm with impending rupture. Indian J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2018;5:129.7.　 Okada K, Yamanaka K, Sakamoto T, et al. In situ total aortic arch replacement for infected distal aortic arch aneurysms with penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2014; 148: 2096-100.8.　　Shao CC, McFarland GE, Beck AW. Emergent repair of infected aortic aneurysm with contained rupture using a femoral vein neoaortoiliac system. J Vasc Surg Cases Innov Tech 2021; 7(3): 502-5059.　 Padmanabhan C, Poddar A. Infections of the aorta: Indian J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2022; 38: 101-114.10.　 Tang T, Boyle J.R., et al. Inflammatory Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms 2005; 29(4): 353-36211. 　 Patelis N, Nana P, Spanos K, et al. The association of spondylitis and aortic aneurysm: Ann Vasc Surg 2021; 76: 555-56412.　 Garrity BM, Sugarman E, Pulley S. Abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture presenting with focal weakness and altered mental status: Int J Emerg Med 2022; 15(1): 2813. 　Waindim F, Crim J. MRI of difficult discs: Clin Radiol 2023; 78(3): 201-20814.　Onder O, Yarasir Y, Azizova A, Durhan G, Onur MR, Ariyurek OM. Errors discrepancies and underlying bias in radiology with case examples: a pictorial review. Insights imaging 2021; 12(1): 5115.　Goes PCK, Pathria MN. Radiographic/MR imaging correlation of the shoulder. Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am 2019; 27(4): 575-585【Figure/Table】Figure 1Radiographic and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine before treatment.Lumbar spine radiograph and (B) MRI showing no findings suggestive of discitis or vertebral body destructive lesions at the time of the initial examination. We observed the presence of an imminent rupture of the infected abdominal aortic aneurysm (white arrow) on reexamination.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China has not released the annual number of students studying abroad. This paper first proposes a monthly indicator, network public opinion factors for studying abroad, by the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) method using the daily search data of Baidu Index of study abroad keywords from 2011 to 2022. Then Mixed Data Sampling (MIDAS) regression is implemented for nowcasting the annual growth rate of the number of Chinese students studying abroad from 2020 to 2022. Finally, we evaluated the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the annual number of students studying abroad by comparing the prediction results of the MIDAS model and the Grey model. According to the results of MIDAS model, the predicted number of Chinese students studying abroad in 2020, 2021 and 2022 are respectively 756600, 737171, 803022, and the annual growth rate are respectively 7.548%, - 2.568%, 8.933%. The sharp decline in 2021 means the COVID-19 pandemic has a serious adverse effect on international student mobility, and the rapid rebound in 2022 shares one sign of a possible rapid growth of the number of Chinese students studying abroad comeback.

A document by Sophia Spungin. Click on the document to view its contents.

Purpose: This research examines the connection between social media influencers and consumer buying intent in a longitudinal study studying the historical difference pre and post covid 19. This article utilizes the concepts of source reliability and TRA to determine what aspects of influencers—such as Trustworthiness and credibility influence consumers’ purchase decisions of health related products. Methodology: This study’s data collection used a Google Form survey of 28 predetermined questions. In total, 324 valid questionnaires were submitted by the respondents. The vast majority of these respondents were students. With the help of the Smart PLS 4 program, the study performed a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis of the data. The result was late cross-validated using Artificial Neural Network ANN. Findings: The data shows a positive correlation between an Influencer’s credibility and consumer decisions. The influencers’ credibility is the most critical factor in determining whether they will purchase. In particular, credibility is the most crucial factor influencing a customer’s purchase. This research shows that people’s (students’) reactions to influential figures have evolved. The Trustworthiness of influencers is a bigger draw for them. Originality: This research studied the influence of social media influencers before covid and after covid by collecting data before covid (a general study), then collecting data after covid and then comparing the result using Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) in smart PLS 4. Practical Implications: Successful social media influencer marketing is attributed to the expertise and credibility of the influencer, the product’s match within the influencer’s specialty, and the engagement of the target audience. Using this information, marketers can identify relevant influencers for their products and develop campaigns that appeal to the requirements and desires of their target demographic.

Objective: The study assessed autistic spectrum disordered (ASD) children and adults all possessing retained primitive reflexes compared with a control group that did not. Methods: qEEG spectral and qEEG functional connectivity analysis was performed. An examination was performed for the presence or absence of RPRs, before and after an intervention based on TENS unilateral stimulation. Results: The results support long-range under-connectivity and short-range over-connectivity in ASD, with abnormal lateralization in ASD, specifically an elevated left-over-right qEEG functional connectivity ratio. Conclusion: We hypothesize, based on these findings, that ASD is characterized by a general tendency toward an underexpression of low-band, wide-spread integrative processes that are compensated by more localized, high-frequency, regionally dispersed activity. Clinical improvement and the absence of RPRs may be linked to variations in qEEG frequency bands and a more optimized brain networks, resulting in more developmentally appropriate long-range connectivity links, primarily in the right hemisphere. Significance: Clinical improvement and the disappearance of RPRs may be associated with a new balance in qEEG frequency bands and a more optimized organization of the brain networks, improving long-range connectivities, mainly in the right hemisphere.

When memorizing an integrated object such as a Kanizsa figure, the completion of parts into a coherent whole is attained by grouping processes which render a whole-object representation in visual working memory (VWM). The present study measured event-related potentials (ERPs) and oscillatory amplitudes to track these processes of encoding and representing multiple features of an object in VWM. To this end, a change detection task was performed, which required observers to memorize both the orientations and colors of six ‘pacman’ items while inducing configurations of the pacmen that systematically varied in terms of their grouping strength. The results revealed an effect of object configuration in VWM despite physically constant visual input: change detection for both orientation and color features was more accurate with increased grouping strength. At the electrophysiological level, the lateralized ERPs and alpha activity mirrored this behavioral pattern. Perception of the orientation features gave rise to the encoding of a grouped object as reflected by the amplitudes of the PPC. The grouped object structure, in turn, modulated attention to both orientation and color features as indicated by the enhanced N1pc and N2pc. Finally, during item retention, the representation of individual objects and the concurrent allocation of attention to these memorized objects were modulated by grouping, as reflected by variations in the CDA amplitude and a concurrent lateralized alpha suppression, respectively. These results indicate that memorizing multiple features of grouped, to-be-integrated objects involves multiple, sequential stages of processing, providing support for a hierarchical model of object representations in VWM.

Individuals are apt to link various characteristics of an object or event through different sensory experiences. We conducted an electrophysiological study to examine the in-depth cognitive processing mechanisms underlying the visual search process in multisensory attention. A pilot study with two questionnaires was conducted to screen experimental materials and establish the color-flavor combinations. In the experimental study, the participants were prompted with a flavor label and asked to choose the one with it from the following four beverage bottle images. The behavioral results showed that searching for a color-flavor weak association target was slower than for a strong association one in the color-flavor congruent condition, opposite to the incongruent condition. The ERP component analysis detected smaller N2 and larger P3 and LPC amplitudes for the color-flavor incongruent targets than for the congruent targets. A further time-frequency analysis elicited that the color-flavor congruent and strong association targets evoked lower parietal theta power (range: 200–800 ms, 4–8 Hz) than the incongruent and weak association targets, respectively. Overall, our research indicated that (1) the color-flavor congruency and association strength interactively impacted the visual search efficiency, (2) the attentional switch from external stimuli to internal memory is necessary for efficient visual search, and (3) the parietal region plays a critical role in attentional processing and memory retrieval. These findings shed light on the intricate cognitive processes involved in visual search and the underlying neurocognitive dynamics.

Doxorubicin, a first-line anticancer drug for osteosarcoma treatment, has been the subject of recent research exploring the mechanisms behind its chemoresistance and its ability to enhance cell migration at sublethal concentrations. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), a type IV collagenase and zinc-dependent endopeptidase, is well-known for degrading the extracellular matrix and promoting cancer metastasis. Our previous work demonstrated that nuclear MMP-2 regulates ribosomal RNA transcription via histone clipping, thereby controlling gene expression. Additionally, MMP-2 activity is regulated by the non-receptor tyrosine kinase and oncogene, Src, which plays a crucial role in cell adhesion, invasion, and metastasis. Src kinase is primarily regulated by two endogenous inhibitors: C-terminal Src kinase (Csk) and Csk homologous kinase (CHK/MATK). In this study, we reveal that the MMP-2 gene acts as an upstream regulator of Src kinase activity by suppressing its endogenous inhibitor, CHK/MATK, in osteosarcoma cells. We also show that enhanced osteosarcoma cell migration which is induced by sublethal concentrations of doxorubicin can be overcome by inactivating the MMP-2 gene or overexpressing CHK/MATK. Our findings highlight the MMP-2 gene as a promising additional target for combating cancer cell migration and metastasis. This is due to its impact on the gene and protein expression of the tumor suppressor CHK/MATK in osteosarcoma. By targeting the MMP-2 gene, we can potentially enhance the effectiveness of doxorubicin treatment and reduce chemoresistance in osteosarcoma.

Background and Purpose: In major depressive disorder (MDD), exploration of biomarkers will be helpful in diagnosing the disorder as well as in choosing a treatment, and predicting the treatment response. Currently, tRNA-derived small ribonucleic acids (tsRNAs) have been established as promising non-invasive biomarker candidates that may enable a more reliable diagnosis or monitoring of various diseases. Herein, we aimed to explore tsRNA expression together with functional activities in MDD development. Experimental Approach: Serum samples were obtained from patients with MDD and healthy controls, and small RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to profile tsRNA expression. Dysregulated tsRNAs in MDD were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The diagnostic utility of specific tsRNAs and the expression of these tsRNAs after antidepressant treatment was analyzed. Key Results: In total, 38 tsRNAs were significantly differentially expressed in MDD samples relative to healthy individuals (34 upregulated and 4 downregulated). qRT-PCR was used to validate the expression of six tsRNAs that were upregulated in MDD (tiRNA-1:20-chrM. Ser-GCT, tiRNA-1:33-Gly-GCC-1, tRF-1:22-chrM.Ser-GCT, tRF-1:31-Ala-AGC-4-M6, tRF-1:31-Pro-TGG-2, and tRF-1:32-chrM. Gln-TTG). Interestingly, serum tiRNA-Gly-GCC-001 levels exhibited an area under the ROC curve of 0.844. Moreover, tiRNA-Gly-GCC-001 is predicted to suppress brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. Furthermore, significant tiRNA-Gly-GCC-001 downregulation was evident following an eight-week treatment course and served as a promising baseline predictor of patient response to antidepressant therapy. Conclusion and Implications: Our current work firstly found that tiRNA-Gly-GCC-001 is a promising MDD biomarker candidate that can predict patient responses to antidepressant therapy.

Approximatively 25 chemical elements are essential for the maintenance, growth and reproduction of all living organisms. Hence, the movement, distribution, and relative proportions of those elements on the landscape should influence the structure and functioning of biological communities. Yet our basic understanding for the spatial distribution of elements across landscapes is limited. Here, we propose to apply tools from community and landscape ecology to study spatial patterns in elements. We illustrate this framework using tree leaves elemental composition and demonstrate how spatial grain and spatial dissimilarity of elements interact leading to predictable patterns in elemental distributions at various spatial scales. Meanwhile, further analysis revealed that potassium and calcium are the most important elemental contributors to spatial dissimilarity in leaf elements, raising new questions about their role in, or response to, distributions of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Our framework provides a way to integrate abiotic and biotic processes, demonstrating how we can use community metrics to investigate variability of individual elements across landscapes. We conclude by hypothesizing that changes in the evenness or beta-diversity of elements should reflect the structure of biotic communities, providing a long-sought mechanistic link between community and ecosystem processes that can be measured directly in the field.

Understanding how plant fitness varies along natural gradients is critical for predicting responses to environmental change. However, individual vital rates are often used as fitness proxies without knowing how other vital rates vary. To address this gap, we investigated how water availability, plant-plant interactions and heterogeneity in shade and soil influenced emergence, survival, seed production, and population growth rates of nine annual plant species in semi-arid Western Australia. We sowed plots of seeds across a reserve, removed all neighbouring plants from half of the interaction neighbourhoods and altered precipitation using rainout shelters. We found high consistency among species' responses to abiotic and biotic factors. Most species exhibited opposing responses of different vital rates along a natural abiotic gradient which translated to neutral trends in population growth rates across the gradient. This research demonstrates the importance of demographic trade-offs and pitfalls of measuring a single vital rate as a fitness proxy.

Enabling real-time monitoring and control of the biomanufacturing processes through product quality insights continues to be an area of focus in the biopharmaceutical industry. The goal is to manufacture products with the desired quality attributes. To realize this rigorous attribute-focused Quality by Design (QbD) approach, it’s critical to support the development of processes that consistently deliver high-quality products and facilitate product commercialization. Time delays associated with off-line analytical testing can limit the speed of process development. Thus, developing and deploying analytical technology is necessary to accelerate process development. In this study, we have developed the Micro Sequential Injection (µSI) process analyzer and the Automatic Assay Preparation Platform (A2P2) system. These innovations address the unmet need for an automatic, online, real-time sample acquisition and preparation platform system for in-process monitoring, control, and release of biopharmaceuticals. These systems can also be deployed in laboratory areas as an off-line analytical system and on the manufacturing floor to enable rapid testing and release of products manufactured in a GMP environment.

Agitated saline microbubbles (MBs) is a common contrast agent for determining right-to-left shunt (RLS) by the contrast Transcranial Doppler (c-TCD). The size of the generated bubbles is not standardized in clinical practice. The microbubbles were generated using the recommended manual method by reciprocating motion through two syringes. The bubble size distributions (BSD) were measured using the microscopic shadow imaging technique. The results show that the diameter of MBs is mainly distributed between 10-100 µm, the mean bubble size is between 21-34 μm, the Sauter mean diameter (D 32) is mainly between 50-300 μm, and the standard deviation (SD) is between 6-17 μm in 60 experiments. It provides a more accurate basis for the recommended manual method instability. The high variance values of the BSD indicate that the manual method has low stability and repeatability. The results of this study can be useful for further improvement of the reliability of c-TCD in detecting RLS. Research Highlights This study provided the first detailed descriptions of the size distribution of microbubbles in a flowing contrast agent by the microscopic shadow imaging technique. It reveals significant differences in the bubble size of manual foaming during repeated manipulations for each individual and between individuals.

Title of manuscript : Forme fruste of scleroderma and autoimmune hearing loss in a young adult with X linked agammaglobulinemia Authors-Munish Arora, Allergy Immunology Unit, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research, Chandigarh, IndiaPallavi Nadig, Allergy Immunology Unit, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research, Chandigarh, IndiaSanchi Chawla, Allergy Immunology Unit, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research, Chandigarh, IndiaSaniya Sharma, Allergy Immunology Unit, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research, Chandigarh, IndiaAmit Rawat, Allergy Immunology Unit, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research, Chandigarh, IndiaRamandeep S. Virk, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research, Chandigarh, IndiaAnkur Kumar Jindal, Allergy Immunology Unit, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research, Chandigarh, India.

Objectives To determine fertility outcomes after diagnosing genital tuberculosis followed by anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) and response to different subfertility treatment modalities. Hysteroscopy and laparoscopy data were also analysed to determine whether or not starting ATT early on in the course of tuberculosis treatment was more effective. Study design Among the infertile women, presented in department Reproductive Medicine in Bansal Hospital, Bhopal from Feb 2014 to June 2022, who underwent diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy, 1083 women having positive finding(s) suggestive of tuberculosis were received anti-tubercular therapy for at least six months. Retrospectively, we analysed the pregnancy outcome of these women after receiving anti-tubercular therapy followed by different subfertility treatments. Results In vitro fertilization (IVF) was a primary modality of treatment. 551(55.88%) women undergoing IVF with their oocytes resulted in 348(63.15%) clinical pregnancies, 264(47.91%) ongoing pregnancies, 84(15.24%) first-trimester miscarriages, and live birth in 246(44.64%) women. Clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, and live birth rate all show a statistically significant (P = 0.039) improvement when illness is diagnosed early through hystero-laparoscopy and treated with ATT, followed by fertility therapy. Conclusions Diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy may be performed to examine high-risk infertile individuals by analysing the reproductive system, including tubal factor. This helps choose a treatment strategy and forecast its success. This study shows that if ATT initiated at early stage as suggested by endoscopy findings IVF reproductive outcomes equivalent to the background population. Late-stage ATT results are often quite dismal, despite the fact that IVF and other adjuvant therapy may improve fertility.

An unusual case of eccrine porocarcinoma on the axilla with nodal involvementSabita Maharjan1, Oshan Shrestha1, Reetu Baral1, Amit Bhattarai21Department of Pathology, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal2Department of General Surgery, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, NepalCorrespondence:Sabita Maharjan, Department of Pathology, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, 56700, Nepal, Tel: +9779841034653; Email: sabimaharzan@gmail.comKey words: Dermatology, General surgery, Oncology

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Contact among animals is crucial for various ecological processes, including social behaviors, disease transmission, and predator-prey interactions. However, the distribution of contact events across time and space is heterogeneous, influenced by environmental factors and biological purposes. Previous studies have assumed that areas with abundant resources and preferred habitats attract more individuals and, therefore, lead to more contact. To examine the accuracy of this assumption, we used a use-available framework to identify landscape factors influencing contact locations. Our study focused on two wild pig populations in Florida and Texas, USA. We employed a contact-resource selection function (RSF) model, where contact locations were defined as used points and locations without contact as available points. By comparing the contact RSF with a population-level RSF, we assessed the factors driving both habitat selection and contact. We found that the landscape predictors (e.g., wetland, linear features, and food resources) played different roles in habitat selection and contact processes for wild pigs in both study areas. This indicates that pigs interacted with their landscapes differently when choosing habitats compared to when they encountered other individuals. Consequently, relying solely on the spatial overlap of individual or population-level RSF models may lead to a misleading understanding of contact-related ecology. Our findings challenge prevailing assumptions about contact and introduce innovative approaches to better understand the ecological drivers of spatially explicit contact. By accurately predicting the spatial distribution of contact events, we can enhance our understanding of ecological processes and their spatial dynamics.