The Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is an ideal model organism for studying human diseases and genetics due to its transparency and suitability for optical imaging. However, manually sorting a large population of C. elegans for experiments is tedious and inefficient. The microfluidic-assisted C. elegans sorting chip is considered a promising platform to address this issue due to its automation and ease of operation. Nevertheless, automated C. elegans sorting with multiple parameters requires efficient identification technology due to the different research demands for worm phenotypes. To improve the efficiency and accuracy of multi-parameter sorting, we developed a deep learning model using You Only Look Once (YOLO)v7 to detect and recognize C. elegans automatically. We used a dataset of 3931 annotated worms in microfluidic chips from various studies. Our model showed higher precision in automated C. elegans identification than YOLOv5 and Faster R-CNN, achieving a mean average precision (mAP) at a 0.5 intersection over a union (mAP@0.5) threshold of 99.56%. Additionally, our model demonstrated good generalization ability, achieving an mAP@0.5 of 94.21% on an external validation set. Our model can efficiently and accurately identify and calculate multiple phenotypes of worms, including size, movement speed, and fluorescence. The multi-parameter identification model can improve sorting efficiency and potentially promote the development of automated and integrated microfluidic platforms.

This study aims to explore the link between depression and dysmenorrhea by using an integrated and innovative approach that combines genomic, transcriptomic, and protein interaction data/information from various resources. A two-sample, bidirectional, and multivariate Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was applied to determine causality between dysmenorrhea and depression. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data were used to identify genetic variants associated with both dysmenorrhea and depression, followed by colocalization analysis of shared genetic influences. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data were analyzed from public databases to pinpoint target genes in relevant tissues. Additionally, a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING database to analyze interactions among identified proteins. MR analysis confirmed a significant causal effect of depression on dysmenorrhea [‘odds ratio’ (95% confidence interval) = 1.51 (1.19, 1.91), P = 7.26 × 10⁻⁴]. Conversely, no evidence was found to support a causal effect of dysmenorrhea on depression (P = .74). Genetic analysis, using GWAS and eQTL data, identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms in several genes, including GRK4, TRAIP, and RNF123, indicating that depression may impact reproductive function through these genetic pathways, with a detailed picture presented by way of analysis in the PPI network. Colocalization analysis highlighted rs34341246(RBMS3) as a potential shared causal variant. This study suggests that depression significantly affects dysmenorrhea and identifies key genes and proteins involved in this interaction. The findings underline the need for integrated clinical and public health approaches that screen for depression among women presenting with dysmenorrhea and suggest new targeted preventive strategies.

Single-cell RNA sequencing enables unprecedented insights into cellular heterogeneity and lineage dynamics. RNA velocity, by modeling the temporal relationship between spliced and unspliced transcripts, extends this capability to predict future transcriptional states and uncover the directionality of cellular transitions. Since the introduction of foundational frameworks such as Velocyto and scVelo, an expanding array of computational tools has emerged, each based on distinct biophysical assumptions and modeling paradigms. To provide a structured overview of this rapidly evolving field, we categorize RNA velocity models into three classes: steady-state methods, trajectory methods, and state extrapolation methods, according to their underlying approaches to transcriptional kinetics inference. For each category, we systematically analyze both the overarching principles and the individual methods, comparing their assumptions, kinetic models, and computational strategies and assessing their respective strengths and limitations. To demonstrate the biological utility of these tools, we summarize representative applications of RNA velocity across developmental biology and diseased microenvironments. We further introduce emerging extensions of RNA velocity methods that go beyond classical splicing kinetics. Finally, we discuss existing limitations regarding model assumptions, preprocessing procedures, and velocity visualization and offer practical recommendations for model selection and application. This review offers a comprehensive guide to the RNA velocity landscape, supporting its effective implementation in dynamic transcriptomic research.

Lithium–sulfur battery is a promising energy storage device because of its high theoretical specific energy density, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Here, we prepared nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbon nanosheets (N-PCNS) by NaCl salt-assisted one-pot pyrolysis strategy, using NaCl, glucose, and melamine as template, carbon and nitrogen as source. Using N-PCNS hosted sulfur composite material (N-PCNS/S) as the cathode material of the lithium–sulfur battery, the first specific discharge capacity at 0.2 C is 956.7 mA h g⁻¹, and the reversible capacity after 100 cycles is 625.9 mA h g⁻¹, with the capacity loss of 0.34% per cycle. At the high rate of 0.5 C, the specific capacity of the first discharge is still 717.3 mA h g⁻¹. This study provides a simple and feasible strategy for the preparation of cathode materials for lithium–sulfur batteries.

N 6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most prevalent internal RNA modification, is an emerging key regulator of gene expression in the central nervous system, and its dysregulation is connected to psychiatric disorders. However, disentangling the causal links between specific m6A sites and diseases phenotypes remain challenging. This review presents a comprehensive survey of practical bioinformatics strategies to address it. Our review outlines four analytical themes: (i) the reliable calibration of false-positive signals, (ii) causal inference via statistical genetics, (iii) the acquisition of cell-type-specific functional insights, and (iv) the application of machine learning to predict clinical biomarkers. We validate these analytical strategies through a case study in major depressive disorder, specifically by intersecting m6A effects with psychiatric genetic risk. By streamlining these workflows, we provide a roadmap for formulating testable hypotheses regarding epitranscriptome-targeted therapeutic interventions in psychiatric disorders.