Search Results (1,484)

Background/Objectives: This systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis evaluated interventions targeting lower-limb proprioception after stroke, examined their underlying therapeutic mechanisms and assessment methods, and proposed a mechanism-oriented classification framework for organizing the existing evidence. Methods: Randomized parallel-group and randomized crossover studies involving adults with stroke and reporting lower-limb proprioception outcomes were eligible. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE via Ovid were searched through 31 March 2026. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool. Interventions were classified as peripheral, central, or combined peripheral and central mechanisms according to predefined operational criteria. Assessment methods and testing procedures were summarized, and comparable joint position reproduction (JPR) angle-error outcomes were synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis. Results: Nineteen studies involving 657 participants were included, of which 10 contributed to the exploratory meta-analysis. Considerable heterogeneity was observed across intervention mechanisms, proprioception measures, and testing procedures. Using a random-effects model, the overall pooled effect showed a statistically significant improvement in proprioception outcomes in favor of the intervention groups (SMD = −0.78, 95% CI −1.30 to −0.25, p = 0.004). However, substantial between-study heterogeneity remained (I² = 82%), and the 95% prediction interval crossed the null value, indicating uncertainty in the range of effects that might be observed in future comparable studies. No statistically significant differences were found between the mechanism subgroups. The certainty of evidence for the primary proprioceptive outcome was rated as very low. Conclusions: The proposed mechanism-oriented classification provides a structured approach for organizing heterogeneous lower-limb proprioceptive interventions after stroke, but it requires further validation. The quantitative findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating because of substantial heterogeneity, methodological variability, and very low certainty of evidence. Standardized assessment protocols and higher-quality randomized studies are needed to further evaluate proprioceptive rehabilitation after stroke. Full article

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is associated with multiple extrahepatic complications, but its relationship with peripheral neuropathy, even without co-existing type 2 diabetes (T2D), remains poorly understood. Furthermore, to what extent addressing liver and metabolic health would be associated with improvements in small nerve fibre morphology (that mediate neuropathy) is unknown. We investigated the relationship between liver health and small nerve fibre morphology in adults with MASLD before and after diet-induced weight loss and improvements in liver health. Methods: Adults with MASLD (n = 12) and controls without MASLD or T2D (n = 16) underwent anthropometry, biochemistry, transient elastography (TE) and corneal confocal microscopy (CCM). Participants with MASLD then completed a 12-week low-calorie diet (LCD; Counterweight-Plus, ~850 kcal/day) with repeat assessments including multi-organ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). TE quantified hepatic steatosis (controlled attenuation parameter, CAP), while MRI measured hepatic and pancreatic fat (proton density fat fraction, PDFF) and fibroinflammation (iron-corrected T1, cT1). Neuropathy was assessed using validated questionnaires and CCM-derived corneal nerve fibre density (CNFD), branch density (CNBD) and fibre length (CNFL). The primary outcome measure was change in liver PDFF. Associations between hepatic and neuropathy measures were assessed using correlation and multivariable linear regression. Results: Compared with controls, MASLD participants had higher liver fat and metabolic dysfunction, with reduced CNFD (25.7 vs. 28.4 fibres/mm², p = 0.03) and CNFL (14.1 vs. 17.1 mm/mm², p = 0.02). In multivariable regression, TE-derived CAP was independently associated with CNFD (β −0.03 (95% CI −0.06, −0.01), p < 0.05), while total cholesterol was associated with CNFL (β −1.54 (95% CI −2.81, −0.27), p < 0.02). After LCD, participants lost 12.5 kg with reductions in metabolic syndrome components (p = 0.04) and liver fat (ΔPDFF −5.0%, p = 0.03). Neuropathic symptoms improved and CNFD increased (+1.87 fibres/mm², p = 0.05). Reduction in liver fat correlated with increased CNFL (r = −0.63, p = 0.03), while change in hepatic fibroinflammation (ΔcT1) correlated with neuropathy disability (r = 0.62, p = 0.04) and small-fibre symptom scores (r = 0.47, p = 0.05). Conclusions: These exploratory findings suggest that MASLD, even without T2D, may be associated with small nerve fibre abnormalities and neuropathic symptoms. Diet-induced weight loss improved liver, metabolic and neural health in parallel. Larger prospective confirmatory studies are required to more precisely establish this relationship both at baseline and with interventions. Full article

Digital twin (DT) technology is increasingly mobilized to improve the efficiency and operational performance of renewable energy (RE) systems. This study maps the efficiency-oriented segment of DT research in RE through a bibliometric analysis of 383 documents indexed in Web of Science and Scopus (2018–September 2026), obtained after screening out records in which the acronym DT denotes another concept, and compares the results with two earlier versions of the corpus. Research gaps are derived through a three-level triangulation of keyword prevalence, co-occurrence cluster composition, and position on the strategic diagram; they are tested across keyword thresholds, clustering algorithms, corpus subsets, and 246 runs of the strategic diagram, and are interpreted as gaps in salience within the analyzed corpus rather than as proof of absence from the wider literature. Annual output roughly doubled each year from 2021 to 2025 under every growth estimator, with China being the leading contributor. Machine learning and energy management form the most developed themes, whereas economic appraisal remains marginal: no economic term reaches the keyword core, no theme is organized around an economic construct in any run, and the two economic magnitudes reported by the most cited documents never set the cost of the twin against its benefit. Three gaps are retained—the absence of standardized appraisal frameworks for the twin itself, the weak consolidation of interoperability research, and the scarcity of work at the integrated, multi-energy scale—together with the peripheral coverage of hydropower and retrofit. Four stakeholder-specific recommendations follow, each linked to its evidence and to an existing practical precedent. Full article

Commercial and residential spaces constitute two fundamental components of urban spatial structure, and their coupling relationship critically shapes urban functional organization and planning interventions. However, integrated analyses of static facility layouts and observed human mobility remain limited. This study develops a static–dynamic framework that integrates facility co-distribution with observed travel connectivity. It further distinguishes catering, shopping, living, financial and insurance, accommodation, and vehicle-related services for category-specific comparison. Kernel density estimation (KDE), average nearest neighbor (ANN) analysis, spatial autocorrelation, Spearman’s rank correlations, median-based classification, and social network analysis characterize static–dynamic relationships. Data comprise Amap commercial points of interest (POIs), Anjuke residential POIs, and a single weekday of Didi origin–destination (OD) records. After removing records with invalid positioning or missing fields, 10:00–16:00 trips within the study area were matched to POI buffers. Both commercial and residential POIs exhibit clustering, with commercial POIs more strongly clustered. Residential POIs follow a core–periphery gradient with a stronger presence in western Beijing. Residential intensity is positively associated with overall commercial intensity in neighboring subdistricts (bivariate Moran’s I = 0.645). Category-specific associations range from 0.282 for vehicle-related services to 0.642 for living services, remaining supported after false-discovery-rate correction (q ≤ 0.0002). Residential–commercial facility intensity and commercial facility–inbound mobility intensity show strong rank correspondence (Spearman’s ρ = 0.869 and 0.883, respectively). Median-based classification identifies 170 subdistricts with concordant high–high or low–low facility–mobility patterns and 20 with contrasting high–low or low–high patterns. Catering, shopping, and living services form more continuous networks, whereas financial and insurance, accommodation, and vehicle-related services exhibit sparser or more spatially peripheral network patterns. Distinguishing facility co-distribution from observed travel connectivity provides service-specific evidence for commercial facility allocation, community life-circle planning, and peripheral cluster development. Full article

Taking the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry in northeast China as the research object, this paper constructs the cluster innovation network of the northeast NEV industry by the snowball sampling method. Based on the tabu search algorithm, three local optimization models are constructed under the strategies of edge adjustment (rewiring, Type-I), edge reinforcement (addition, Type-II), and edge reduction (deletion, Type-III), and the network optimization processes under different types are empirically analyzed from the perspectives of network structure differentiation and the degree of optimization goal realization. The results show that: (i) all three types of local optimization networks exhibit only modest changes in basic structural metrics relative to the actual network, and the changes in degree sequence and degree distribution on the actual network structure are not very significant; (ii) the three local optimization networks adjust the network structure mainly by weakening the connections of the top core-tier nodes while strengthening high-degree intermediate-tier nodes together with a long tail of edge-level nodes (Type-I), strengthening the connections among intermediate-tier nodes together with selected peripheral and core-tier nodes (Type-II), and reducing the redundant connections of several intermediate-tier and peripheral nodes (Type-III); (iii) in addition, the Type-II (edge-addition) local optimization network achieves the best performance on both network stability and aggregate innovation benefit, and its first rank is robust to equal-adjustment budgets, to tie-creation costs of up to four times the per-tie maintenance cost, and to every alternative diffusion dynamic and to intensity-weighted evaluation tested, whereas the ranking of the remaining two strategies is specification-dependent (Type-I is a cost-effective second-best under the baseline specification, without expanding the edge count); the locally optimized networks can effectively realize and enhance the network function, strengthen the stability of the northeast NEV cluster innovation network, and further improve the social benefits of the NEV industry. The baseline network comprises 135 sampled organizations spanning large state-owned OEMs, medium-sized suppliers, and small specialized firms. Limitations include the single-case, cross-sectional design and the geographic concentration of the seed set. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly been recognized as an important driver of green innovation, yet how cities leverage AI capabilities to achieve green innovation outcomes under different configurations of conditions remains insufficiently understood. This study develops a configurational framework based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) perspective and applies dynamic qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to panel data from 35 Chinese cities, comprising municipalities directly under the central government, provincial capitals, and sub-provincial cities, during 2019–2023. The results identify three configurations associated with high urban green innovation. AI Technology Development and AI Institutional Support consistently emerge as core conditions across all configurations, while AI Organizational Scale is identified as a recurring peripheral condition. The findings further reveal causal asymmetry between high and non-high levels of urban green innovation, showing that individual AI-related conditions alone are insufficient to achieve high green innovation outcomes without complementary conditions. Dynamic analysis indicates that the overall configurational structures remain relatively stable over time, although the consistency of individual configurations varies as AI applications and policy environments evolve. This study advances research on AI and green innovation by demonstrating that AI-driven urban green innovation depends on the interplay among multiple conditions and involves both stable foundational factors and evolving complementary conditions. Full article

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a progressive systemic disorder driven by the misfolding of transthyretin (TTR) proteins and their deposition as amyloid fibrils. It manifests as hereditary ATTR (ATTRv), caused by pathogenic variants, and wild-type ATTR (ATTRwt), linked primarily to aging. These deposits preferentially affect the myocardium and peripheral nerves, producing severe cardiomyopathy and polyneuropathy. The amyloidogenic cascade is initiated by the dissociation of TTR tetramers into misfolded monomers that aggregate into insoluble fibrils. Historically, treatment was limited to supportive care or organ transplantation; however, it has been transformed by TTR stabilizers, RNA interference (RNAi) agents, and antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). More recently, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has emerged as a potential single-dose strategy for durable TTR suppression. In parallel, anti-fibril therapies, including amyloid-depleting monoclonal antibodies designed to clear existing tissue deposits, are being developed as a complementary disease-modifying strategy. This review delineates the molecular mechanisms of amyloidogenesis and evaluates current clinical management strategies. Recent advances in noninvasive diagnostics and targeted molecular therapies, enabled by precision medicine, have markedly improved disease management and clinical outcomes. Full article

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) maintain peripheral immune tolerance and are involved in various oral diseases with markedly different characteristics. In the oral field, Tregs have largely been discussed through reports on their distribution and numbers, and interpretations of whether their role is protective or pathogenic. Current identification markers do not directly assess the suppressive function, and reports on this function remain limited. This review focuses on the suppressive function of Tregs in the organization of oral diseases. Cells may express FOXP3 without exerting stable suppressive function, and the suppressive capacity of the same FOXP3⁺ cells may vary with TSDR status and the inflammatory environment. In Sjögren’s disease, oral lichen planus, periodontitis, and peri-implantitis, inflammation does not resolve even when Treg numbers are increased or maintained. In contrast, Treg suppressive function is enhanced in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw differs in that a reduction in Tregs induced by the causative drugs is itself what governs the condition. Attending to the functional state allows these conditions to be organized coherently and supports a therapeutic conception of Treg control that differs in direction according to the disease: weakening the function where it is enhanced, and restoring it where it is impaired. Full article

High-soot optical-loading structures in a large-bore marine diesel engine were investigated using endoscopic flame images acquired under four operating conditions. Apparent temperature and soot optical thickness, represented by the KL factor (the product of extinction coefficient K and optical path length L), were reconstructed by two-color pyrometry from the experimental images. A peak-aligned image-analysis framework was then used to separate high-KL formation extent from post-peak persistence, quantify peripheral and azimuthal organization, and evaluate local thermal contrast after radial–azimuthal spatial matching. The 25% nominal load condition produced the highest peak high-KL coverage (17.24%), whereas the 50% condition exhibited the longest coverage half-decay interval (8.20 °CA). The peak of azimuthal nonuniformity shifted from 4 and 3 °CA before the coverage peak at the 10% and 15% conditions to 4 and 11 °CA after the peak at the 25% and 50% conditions, respectively. After spatial matching, the pre-to-post-peak thermal-contrast transition remained negative at 10% and 15%, positive at 50%, and close to zero with greater grid sensitivity at 25%. These results show that high-KL coverage, spatial reorganization, and local thermal response evolve on distinct timescales and cannot be represented adequately by a single field-averaged KL metric. Full article

Accurate assessment of high-altitude acclimatization is essential for identifying individuals at risk of maladaptation, yet current strategies relying on single-organ biomarkers or subjective symptom scores fail to capture the multi-organ physiological response to hypoxia. This study aimed to identify distinct acclimatization phenotypes through unsupervised hierarchical clustering of five routinely available hepatic and renal biomarkers and to evaluate their association with an objective index of high-altitude acclimatization. A total of 184 healthy adults residing in Lhasa (3650 m) were recruited. Serum creatinine (CR), uric acid (UA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin (TBIL) were standardized and submitted to hierarchical clustering. The altitude acclimatization/adaptation index (AAI), defined as the ratio of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) to hematocrit (HCT), was used as an criterion of acclimatization status. Cluster stability was assessed through multiple sensitivity analyses, and a general linear model evaluated the association between cluster assignment and AAI. Two clusters were identified: a Relatively Healthy cluster (n = 152) and a Metabolically Abnormal cluster (n = 32), differing significantly across all five indicators and in AAI. Sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of this two-cluster structure. General linear model results showed that, after adjustment for sex, race, age, and body mass index, cluster assignment remained significantly associated with AAI (p = 0.029), with adjusted means of 1.97 versus 1.84. Both values exceeded the maladaptation threshold of 1.72, underscoring that the panel detects meaningful acclimatization differences within the conventionally well-acclimatized range. Five hepatic and renal biomarkers stratify high-altitude residents into distinct acclimatization phenotypes by capturing subclinical metabolic strain within the conventionally well-acclimatized range and identify actionable intervention targets for advancing precision management of high-altitude acclimatization. Full article

As regional integration and high-speed transport networks advance, intercity travel flows within mega-city regions (MCRs) provide a lens for understanding regional functional division of labor and spatial organization. Concentrated high-intensity flows between core cities and major peripheral nodes suggest that explanations should move beyond distance constraints and single-end city attributes to origin–destination functional linkages. Consumer and producer services help connect these functional linkages with actual travel flows, yet existing studies have focused mainly on service scale and paid insufficient attention to service level, which reflects functional non-ubiquity and diversity. This study incorporates service type, scale, and level, and origin–destination relationships into a unified framework to identify key factors associated with intercity travel flows within MCRs. Focusing on the Yangtze River Delta, this study examines subdistrict/town-level flows from 15 peripheral cities to Shanghai’s central urban area. Mobile phone signaling records measure flow intensity. Counts and complexity are used to measure service scale and level. Two XGBoost models are estimated: an origin–destination service model and a difference model. SHAP identifies contributions and directions, while two-dimensional ALE examines interactions between services at origins and destinations. Results show that both service scale and level are associated with intercity travel flows within MCRs, but their patterns differ by service type. Significant interaction effects exist between services at origins and destinations. These interactions mainly combine origin-scale foundations with destination-level-based attraction, with destination service level often showing threshold-like characteristics. This study extends the explanation of intercity travel flows to origin–destination functional linkages and service level. Full article

Bladder sensory neurons are essential components of lower urinary tract sensory encoding and micturition reflex control. They detect bladder filling, stretch, inflammatory mediators, and pathogen-associated stimuli, and they communicate with urothelial cells, immune cells, and stromal cells through neuropeptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). Under physiological conditions, this neuro-immune-urothelial axis contributes to bladder homeostasis. Under pathological conditions, including neural injury, infection, inflammation, or epithelial barrier disruption, TRP channels, purinergic signaling, neurotrophic factors, chemokines, and voltage-gated ion channels can induce peripheral sensitization, increased excitability of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, spinal plasticity, and central sensitization, thereby contributing to urinary frequency, urgency, bladder pain, and detrusor overactivity in neurogenic bladder and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). This review summarizes the anatomical and functional organization of bladder sensory afferents, sensory neuron-associated molecular signaling, neuro-immune-urothelial interactions, disease-specific mechanisms, and targeted therapeutic strategies. We also discuss the translational potential and limitations of interventions targeting TRPV1/TRPV4/TRPA1, P2X3, CGRP, SP/neurokinin receptors, NGF, ion channels, botulinum toxin, and neuromodulation. These mechanisms provide a framework for understanding neurogenic mechanisms in bladder disorders and for developing targeted interventions. Full article

Urban building color is a key environmental factor shaping visual identity and public spatial experience. However, the relationships among basic color attributes, objective color organization, and public perception remain poorly integrated, and the applicability of cross-regional perception models to local settings requires clearer boundaries. We propose a Color Attribute–Organization–Perception (CAOP) framework that evaluates building color through three progressive layers: basic attributes, objective organization, and public perception. Using Shenyang, China, as a case study, we collected 56,520 street-view images and applied a SegFormer model with ADE20K-trained weights to extract building façades. Evaluation against locally annotated samples yielded a building-class IoU of 0.75, an F1-score of 0.82, and an overall mIoU of 0.71. After quality control, 38,274 valid samples entered statistical analysis and K-means clustering. For cluster-number selection, the elbow method indicated approximately K = 4, while the silhouette coefficient and Calinski–Harabasz index supported K = 2. The Davies–Bouldin index favored larger K values, and equal-weight rank aggregation produced a tie between K = 2 and K = 5. Considering model parsimony and repeated-subsample stability (ARI = 0.944 ± 0.026), we used K = 2 as a coarse-grained typology. Building color in Shenyang showed pronounced spatial heterogeneity and road dependence. The central urban area generally had higher color complexity, effective number of colors, and contrast. Peripheral areas were more stable, although local hotspots remained near transport corridors and functional nodes. Lightness dispersion was strongly associated with color contrast, while dominant color share was positively associated with hierarchy clarity and negatively associated with complexity and effective number of colors. Clustering identified two patterns, “dominant-color control–clear hierarchy” and “multicolor composition–continuous richness”, accounting for 24.8% and 75.2% of the samples, respectively. The absolute Cliff’s δ values for all six perception indicators were below 0.08, and the difference in perceived liveliness was not significant (q = 0.396). These indicators were inferred from images by a Place Pulse 2.0-derived model and were used only for within-sample comparisons. They do not represent direct evaluations by Shenyang residents. The study establishes a continuous analytical pathway from machine-recognized basic color information and objective color organization to model-inferred perception. It supports quantitative diagnosis of urban building color and preliminary screening of candidate street segments, while specific renewal strategies require field investigation and local public evaluation. Full article

The TETRATRICOPEPTIDE THIOREDOXIN-LIKE (TTL) proteins are a plant-specific family proposed to function as peripheral membrane proteins that contribute to abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis, likely by maintaining cell wall integrity through brassinosteroid signaling. In previous work of our group, we identified a GmTTL gene that showed differential abundance in the polysome-associated RNA (PAR) fraction in nitrogen-fixing soybean plants under water restriction (WR). This finding, together with the lack of knowledge about this gene family in soybean, prompted us to perform a genome-wide characterization of this family. In this work, using the Glycine max v4.0 proteome, we identified ten homologs (GmTTL1–GmTTL10) distributed across five chromosomes. Phylogenetic and structural analyses grouped these genes into three clades and revealed a highly conserved exon–intron organization, as well as conserved numbers and arrangements of TPR and TRXL motifs. Moreover, to investigate their potential biological functions, we reanalyzed by STRING the co-expression module enriched with 367 downregulated genes at the PAR level to which GmTTL7 belong. Interestingly, the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed the over-representation of Gene Ontology (GO) terms associated with “cellular anatomical entity”, “membrane”, “cell periphery”, “cell wall modification”, “cell wall organization or biogenesis”, and “nitrate assimilation”. Notably, the PPI network revealed a novel predicted functional association between GmTTL and two nitrate reductase enzymes in nitrogen-fixing plants subjected to WR. This study provides a framework for future functional studies of GmTTL proteins and their contribution to abiotic stress adaptation in soybean. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite the high prevalence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain (CIPNp), its management remains challenging, and reliable preventive strategies are still lacking. Current treatment is largely symptomatic and often provides only modest benefits, as available pharmacological therapies have shown limited and inconsistent efficacy. In this context, acupuncture has been investigated as a non-pharmacological intervention, but the certainty and clinical applicability of the available evidence remain unclear. This critical narrative review examines the clinical evidence, mechanistic plausibility, and current research gaps concerning acupuncture for CIPNp. Methods: A non-systematic narrative review was conducted with preference given to peer-reviewed articles published in English, including clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical guidelines, mechanistic studies, and narrative reviews considered relevant to the objectives. Publications were not selected according to a predefined systematic protocol, and no formal quality assessment, risk-of-bias analysis, or meta-analysis was performed. The extracted information was organized thematically rather than quantitatively. Results: Clinical trials and evidence syntheses suggest that acupuncture may be associated with reductions in pain and sensory symptoms in some patients with CIPN. However, confidence in these findings is limited by small samples sizes, heterogeneous acupuncture protocols, variable comparators and outcome measures, and limited long-term follow-up. Much of the proposed mechanistic rationale derives from animal models or human studies in non-CIPN pain conditions. Conclusions: Acupuncture may be considered a monitored adjunctive option for selected patients with persistent CIPNp. More rigorous and adequately powered trials are required to determine efficacy, optimal treatment protocols, durability of benefit, and potential treatment-response modifiers. Full article