Abstract Background Previous studies on associations of alcohol use with memory decline showed inconclusive results. We examined these associations using longitudinal data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS) and explored whether these associations varied by sex and age group. Methods Memory function was assessed by delayed 10-word recall test (DWRT) and immediate 10-word recall test (IWRT) at both baseline (2003–2008) and follow-up (2008–2012) examinations, expressed as the mean annual change and mean annual rate...

Abstract Background Screening recommendations for colorectal cancer (CRC) are mainly based on family history rather than lifestyle risk factors. We aimed to assess and compare risk factors for colorectal neoplasm (CRN) and evaluate trends in neoplasm detection rates during the three rounds of screening from 2012 to 2020 in Tianjin, China. Methods This study was based on 89,535 first-recorded colonoscopies in Tianjin CRC screening program, 2012–2020. Of these, 45,380 individuals with complete family history and...

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) was performed to evaluate oxygen saturation (sO₂) of blood-mimicking phantoms, femoral arteries in beagles, and radial arteries in humans at various sO₂ plateaus. The accuracy (root mean square error) of PAI sO₂ compared with reference sO₂ was calculated. In blood-mimicking phantoms, PAI achieved an accuracy of 1.49% and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.09% within 25 mm depth, and good linearity (R = 0.968; p < 0.001) was obtained between PAI...

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) was performed to evaluate oxygen saturation (sO₂) of blood-mimicking phantoms, femoral arteries in beagles, and radial arteries in humans at various sO₂ plateaus. The accuracy (root mean square error) of PAI sO₂ compared with reference sO₂ was calculated. In blood-mimicking phantoms, PAI achieved an accuracy of 1.49% and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.09% within 25 mm depth, and good linearity (R = 0.968; p < 0.001) was obtained between PAI...

Abstract Background N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common posttranscriptional modification of RNA and plays critical roles in human cancer progression. However, the biological function of m6A methylation requires further studied in cancer, especially in tumor angiogenesis. Methods A public database was used to analyze the expression and overall survival of ALKBH5 and PVT1 in lung cancer patients. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were performed to detect cell proliferation, a transwell assay was used to assess...

The strong stochastic nonlinear impairment induced by random mode coupling appears to be a long-standing performance-limiting problem in the orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode division multiplexing (MDM) of intensity modulation direct detection (IM/DD) transmission systems. In this letter, we propose a Bayesian Neural Networks (BNN) nonlinear equalizer for an OAM-MDM IM/DD transmission with three modes. Unlike conventional Volterra and convolutional neural network (CNN) equalizers with fixed weight coefficients, the weights and biases of the BNN...

To achieve automated rock classification and improve classification accuracy, this work discusses an investigation of the combination of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and the use of one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1DCNN). As a result, in this paper, an improved Bayesian optimization algorithm has been proposed where the algorithm has been applied to automatic rock classification, using LIBS and 1DCNN to improve the efficiency of rock structure analysis carried out. Compared to other algorithms, the improved...

To achieve automated rock classification and improve classification accuracy, this work discusses an investigation of the combination of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and the use of one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1DCNN). As a result, in this paper, an improved Bayesian optimization algorithm has been proposed where the algorithm has been applied to automatic rock classification, using LIBS and 1DCNN to improve the efficiency of rock structure analysis carried out. Compared to other algorithms, the improved...

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have shown great proficiency in transforming low-resolution microscopic images into high-resolution images. However, training data remains a challenge, as large-scale open-source databases of microscopic images are rare, particularly three-dimensional (3D) data. Moreover, the long training times and the need for expensive computational resources have become a burden to the research community. We introduced a deep-learning-based self-supervised volumetric imaging approach, which we termed “Self-Vision”. The self-supervised approach requires no training data, apart...

Abstract Background Existing evidence links hearing loss to depressive symptoms, with the extent of association and underlying mechanisms remaining inconclusive. We conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the association of hearing loss with depressive symptoms and explored whether social isolation mediated the association. Methods Eight thousand nine hundred sixty-two participants from Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study were included. Data on self-reported hearing status, the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), social isolation and potential confounders were collected...

Tensile strained GeSn alloys are being extensively explored as a potential gain medium for lasers compatible with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Despite having achieved drastically improved lasing characteristics by harnessing tensile strain, the current methods of introducing a sizeable tensile strain into GeSn lasers require complex fabrication processes, thus reducing the viability of the lasers for practical applications. The geometric strain amplification is a simple technique that can concentrate residual and small tensile strain into...

Tensile strained GeSn alloys are being extensively explored as a potential gain medium for lasers compatible with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Despite having achieved drastically improved lasing characteristics by harnessing tensile strain, the current methods of introducing a sizeable tensile strain into GeSn lasers require complex fabrication processes, thus reducing the viability of the lasers for practical applications. The geometric strain amplification is a simple technique that can concentrate residual and small tensile strain into...

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) pave the way for fundamental research on atomically thin materials and optoelectronic devices. Due to their intrinsic 2D nature, few-layer TMDCs heterostructures exhibit several unique physical properties that are extremely sensitive to the number of layers. However, studies on the effects of interlayer coupling on excitons and valley polarization are still insufficient. Here, we investigate the polarization of the excitonics valley in MoS2-WS2 heterostructures using circular polarization-resolved photoluminescence. The valley...

Abstract Background Pancreatic signet ring cell carcinoma (PSRCC) is a rare tumour subtype with poorly understood epidemiological characteristics and prognosis. We attempted to comprehensively characterise the epidemiology and survival outcomes of PSRCC. Methods Patients diagnosed with PSRCC between 2000 and 2018 were identified using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Stat 8.3.9.2 software. Age-adjusted incidence and survival were calculated. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the differences between survival curves were compared using...

The strong stochastic nonlinear impairment induced by random mode coupling appears to be a long-standing performance-limiting problem in the orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode division multiplexing (MDM) of intensity modulation direct detection (IM/DD) transmission systems. In this letter, we propose a Bayesian Neural Networks (BNN) nonlinear equalizer for an OAM-MDM IM/DD transmission with three modes. Unlike conventional Volterra and convolutional neural network (CNN) equalizers with fixed weight coefficients, the weights and biases of the BNN...

Abstract Background We evaluated the prognostic role of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) systems in stage II and stage III colon cancer patients during different postoperative periods. We also assessed whether patients aged ≥75 could benefit from chemotherapy. Methods This retrospective study was conducted across three medical centers in China. Kaplan–Meier survival methods and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the differences in overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates. Propensity score matching...

Background:The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality among persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is poorly understood.Objective:To investigate the association between SES and mortality risk in PwMS.Methods:From health-administrative data, we identified 12,126 incident MS cases with a first demyelinating event (MS ‘onset’) occurring between 1994 and 2017. Cox proportional hazard model assessed the association between socioeconomic status quintiles (SES-Qs) at MS onset and all-cause mortality.Results:Lower SES-Qs were associated with higher mortality risk; adjusted hazard ratios:...

Background:Little is known about polypharmacy and multiple sclerosis (MS).Objectives:To estimate polypharmacy prevalence in a population-based MS cohort and compare persons with/without polypharmacy.Methods:Using administrative and pharmacy data from Canada, we estimated polypharmacy prevalence (⩾5 concurrent medications for >30 consecutive days) in MS individuals in 2017. We compared the characteristics of persons with/without polypharmacy and described the number of polypharmacy days, the most common medication classes contributing to polypharmacy and hyper-polypharmacy prevalence (⩾10 medications).Results:Of 14,227 included individuals...

Abstract Background Dengue is the fastest spreading arboviral disease, posing great challenges on global public health. A reproduceable and comparable global genotyping framework for contextualizing spatiotemporal epidemiological data of dengue virus (DENV) is essential for research studies and collaborative surveillance. Methods Targeting DENV-1 spreading prominently in recent decades, by reconciling all qualified complete E gene sequences of 5003 DENV-1 strains with epidemiological information from 78 epidemic countries/areas ranging from 1944 to 2018, we established and...

Abstract Background Birth weight is considered not only to undermine future growth, but also to induce lifelong diseases; the aim of this study is to explore the relationship between birth weight and adult bone mass. Methods We performed multivariable regression analyses to assess the association of birth weight with bone parameters measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and by quantitative ultrasound (QUS), independently. We also implemented a systemic Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the...

Body colour is an important economic trait for commercial fishes. Recently, a new colour morph displaying market-favoured yellow skin (termed as yellow-mutant, YM) of Northern snakehead (Channa argus) was discovered in China. We confirmed that YM snakehead is an albino with complete loss of melanin in the skin and eyes by histological and ultrastructural observations, and inherited as a recessive Mendelian trait. By applying genomic analysis approaches, in combination with gene knockdown and rescue experiments,...

Abstract Background We performed phenome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis (MR-PheWAS), two-sample MR analysis, and systemic review to comprehensively explore the health effects of milk consumption in the European population. Methods Rs4988235 located upstream of the LCT gene was used as the instrumental variable for milk consumption. MR-PheWAS analysis was conducted to map the association of genetically predicted milk consumption with 1081 phenotypes in the UK Biobank study (n=339,197). The associations identified in MR-PheWAS were examined by...

PurposeOver the past 12 years, vertebral body tethering (VBT) has been gradually promoted for treating scoliosis, but there are few published studies, with only short-term follow-up. This study aimed to systematically review VBT efficacy and safety for treating scoliosis.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies on VBT treatment of scoliosis published up to November 2021. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias...

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) pave the way for fundamental research on atomically thin materials and optoelectronic devices. Due to their intrinsic 2D nature, few-layer TMDCs heterostructures exhibit several unique physical properties that are extremely sensitive to the number of layers. However, studies on the effects of interlayer coupling on excitons and valley polarization are still insufficient. Here, we investigate the polarization of the excitonics valley in MoS2-WS2 heterostructures using circular polarization-resolved photoluminescence. The valley...

Abstract Background Pancreatic signet ring cell carcinoma (PSRCC) is a rare tumour subtype with poorly understood epidemiological characteristics and prognosis. We attempted to comprehensively characterise the epidemiology and survival outcomes of PSRCC. Methods Patients diagnosed with PSRCC between 2000 and 2018 were identified using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Stat 8.3.9.2 software. Age-adjusted incidence and survival were calculated. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the differences between survival curves were compared using...