First Measurement of High-Energy Reactor Antineutrinos at Daya Bay

This Letter reports the first measurement of high-energy reactor antineutrinos at Daya Bay, with nearly 9000 inverse beta decay candidates in the prompt energy region of 8-12 MeV observed over 1958 days of data collection. A multivariate analysis is used to separate 2500 signal events from background statistically. The hypothesis of no reactor antineutrinos with neutrino energy above 10 MeV is rejected with a significance of 6.2 standard deviations. A 29% antineutrino flux deficit in the prompt energy region of 8-11 MeV is observed compared to a recent model prediction. We provide the unfolded antineutrino spectrum above 7 MeV as a data-based reference for other experiments. This result provides the first direct observation of the production of antineutrinos from several high-Q_{β} isotopes in commercial reactors.

[Long-term safety and activity of humanized CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells for children and young adults with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of humanized CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor T cells (hCART19s) in treating children and young adults with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R ALL) and to analyze relevant factors affecting its curative effect and prognosis. Methods: We conducted a single-center clinical trial involving 31 children and young adult patients with R/R B-ALL who were treated with humanized CD19-specific CAR-T cells (hCART19s) from May 2016 to September 2021. Results: Results showed that 27 (87.1%) patients achieved complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) one month after CAR-T cell infusion. During treatment, 20 (64.5%) patients developed grade 1-2 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) , and 4 (12.9%) developed grade 3 CRS. Additionally, two patients had grade 1 neurological events. During the follow-up with a median time of 19.3 months, the median event-free survival (EFS) was 15.7 months (95% CI 8.7-22.5) , and the median overall survival (OS) was 32.2 months (95% CI 10.6-53.9) . EFS and OS rates were higher in patients who have undergone hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) than in those without [EFS: (75.0 ± 12.5) % vs (21.1 ± 9.4) %, P=0.012; OS: (75.0 ± 12.5) % vs (24.6 ± 10.2) %, P=0.035]. The EFS and OS rates were significantly lower in patients with >3 treatment lines than in those with <3 treatment lines [EFS: 0 vs (49.5±10.4) %, P<0.001; OS: 0 vs (52.0±10.8) %, P<0.001]. To the cutoff date, 12 patients presented with CD19(+) relapse, and 1 had CD19(-) relapse. Conclusion: hCART19s are effective in treating pediatric and young adult R/R ALL patients, with a low incidence of severe adverse events and reversible symptoms. Following HSCT, the number of treatment lines can affect the long-term efficacy and prognosis of pediatric and young adult R/R ALL patients.

[Evaluation of the effectiveness of malaria control health education among overseas enterprise employees]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of health education on knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) relating to malaria control among overseas enterprise employees.

METHODS

In September 2019, on-site malaria control health education was conducted among all Chinese employees of a China-funded mining enterprise in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The KAP questionnaire for malaria control was generated on the Questionstar website, and the participants were subjected to two questionnaire surveys prior to and 14 months after health education. After the questionnaires were recovered, all valid questionnaires were divided into 4 groups, including the baseline group (the questionnaires filled out by respondents who received health education and participated in two questionnaire surveys before health education), the loss-to-follow-up group (the questionnaires filled out by respondents who received health education but only participated in the questionnaire survey after health education), the retest group (the questionnaires filled out by respondents who received health education and participated in two questionnaire surveys after health education) and the new group (questionnaires filled out by respondents who did not receive health education and only participated in the questionnaire survey after health education) according to subjects' receiving health education and participation in two questionnaire surveys. The correct rate of malaria control knowledge, the proportion to good attitudes towards malaria control and the proportion of good practices towards malaria control were compared between the baseline group and the loss-to-follow-up group, between the baseline group and the retest group, and between the retest group and the new group.

RESULTS

A total of 110 and 142 valid questionnaires were recovered during the two surveys, and the recovery rates were 90.9% and 70.3%, respectively. There were 77, 77, 33, and 65 valid questionnaires recovered from the baseline group, the loss-to-follow-up group, the retest group, and the new group, respectively. There were no significant differences in respondents' gender, age and educational levels between the baseline group and the loss-to-follow-up group (all P values > 0.05), and there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the mean score of malaria control knowledge (Z = 2.011, P > 0.05), the mean score of attitudes towards malaria control (t = -0.787, P > 0.05) and the mean score of practices towards malaria control (t = -0.787, P > 0.05). There were significant differences between the retest group and the baseline group in terms of the mean score of malaria control knowledge (10.83 vs. 9.79; Z = -4.017, P < 0.05), the mean score of attitudes towards malaria control (29.48 vs. 28.61; Z = -1.981, P < 0.05) and the mean score of practices towards malaria control (6.43 vs. 5.91; Z = -2.499, P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the retest group and the new group in terms of gender, age or education levels (all P values > 0.05), and a higher mean score of malaria control knowledge was found in the retest group than in the new group (10.83 vs. 9.81; Z = -2.962, P < 0.05), while no significant differences were seen in the mean score of attitudes towards malaria control (29.48 vs. 30.17; Z = -1.158, P > 0.05) and the mean score of practices towards malaria control (6.43 vs. 6.37; Z = -0.048, P > 0.05) between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Malaria control health education may significantly improve the understanding of malaria control knowledge, positive attitudes towards malaria control and the compliance of practices towards malaria control among overseas enterprise employees.

Mechanistic insights on cytotoxicity of KOLR, Cinnamomum pauciflorum Nees leaf derived active ingredient, by targeting signaling complexes of phosphodiesterase 3B and rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 3

Protein signaling complexes play important roles in prevention of several cancer types and can be used for development of targeted therapy. The roles of signaling complexes of phosphodiesterase 3B (PDE3B) and Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 3 (RAPGEF3), which are two important enzymes of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) metabolism, in cancer have not been fully explored. In the current study, a natural product Kaempferol-3-O-(3'',4''-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside designated as KOLR was extracted from Cinnamomum pauciflorum Nees leaves. KOLR exhibited higher cytotoxic effects against BxCP-3 pancreatic cancer cell line. In BxPC-3 cells, the KOLR could enhance the formation of RAPGEF 3/ PDE3B protein complex to inhibit the activation of Rap-1 and PI3K-AKT pathway, thereby promoting cell apoptosis and inhibiting cell metastasis. Mutation of RAPGEF3 G557A or low expression of PDE3B inactivated the binding action of KOLR resulting in KOLR resistance. The findings of this study show that PDE3B/RAPGEF3 complex is a potential therapeutic cancer target.

The incidence of acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients receiving aminoglycoside antibiotics: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

Our aim is to investigate the incidence and risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized patients who received aminoglycoside antibiotics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on the electronic medical record information of inpatients who received aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotics in our center from January 2018 to December 2020. The diagnosis of AKI was based on serum creatinine changes. Several statistical methods, including chi square test and two sample Wilcoxon rank sum test, were used to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of aminoglycosides associated AKI. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors.

RESULTS

Finally, 8,040 patients who received AGs were included in the study. Among them, 494 patients (6.14%) were judged as incidence with AKI, while only 29 patients were diagnosed with AKI in the medical record. The multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that admission to ICU, complicated with diabetes mellitus, heart failure, anemia, shock, combined use of diuretics, β-lactam antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors were independent risk factors for AKI related to aminoglycosides.

CONCLUSIONS

It is urgent to improve the understanding and attention of AKI for medical workers, and the assessment of risk factors before the use of aminoglycosides should be contributed to the early prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AKI.

[Quality of life and influencing factors of postoperative accelerated rehabilitation of esophageal cancer patients]

Objective: To explore the quality of life and its influencing factors of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) of esophageal cancer patients. Methods: The quality of life of 134 esophageal cancer patients was assessed using the quality of life assessment scale (EORTC QLQ-C30) developed by the European Cancer Research and Treatment Organization. Student's t test, One-way ANOVA and multiple linear regression statistical methods were used to analyze the effects of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on patients' quality of life. Results: The overall score of quality of life (74.00) was lower than that of the general population (75.30). However, the scores of emotion and cognition in function dimension (93.97 and 95.77) were better than those of the general population (82.80 and 86.50). The results of fatigue, pain, insomnia and constipation in symptom dimension (14.18, 10.94, 11.69 and 5.72) were better than those of the general population (28.80, 20.50, 20.40 and 10.70). The pathological stage, body mass index and dietary were independent influencing factors for the quality of life of patients with esophageal cancer (P<0.05). Conclusions: ERAS can partially improve the quality of life of esophageal cancer patients. More attention should be paid to the esophageal cancer patients after surgery and take targeted measures to improve their quality of life.

[Harder maintained than achieved: Challenges of maintaining malaria-free in China]

On June 2021, China was certified malaria-free by WHO. However, the global number and death of malaria cases have recently increased, and the malaria vectors will continue to inhabit in China, resulting in a high difficulty in consolidation of malaria elimination achievements. Hereby, we analyze the current challenges and propose the future priority of the national malaria control program in China, in order to provide insights into prevention of re-establishment of imported malaria in the country.

[Clinical application of three-dimensional printed preformed titanium mesh combined with free latissimus dorsi muscle flap in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma with skull defect in the vertex]

Objective: To explore the clinical effects of three-dimensional printed preformed titanium mesh combined with latissimus dorsi muscle flap free transplantation in the treatment of wounds with skull defect after radical surgery of squamous cell carcinoma in the vertex. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From January 2010 to December 2019, 5 patients with squamous cell carcinoma in the vertex accompanied with skull invasion who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, including four males and one female, aged 50 to 65 years. The original lesion areas ranged from 5 cm×4 cm to 15 cm×8 cm. The titanium mesh was prefabricated via three-dimensional technic based on the result the scope of skull resection predicted with computerized tomography three-dimensional reconstruction before surgery. During the first stage, the soft tissue defect area of scalp (8 cm×7 cm to 18 cm×11 cm) after tumor enlargement resection was repaired with the preformed titanium mesh, and the titanium mesh was covered with latissimus dorsi muscle flap, with area of 10 cm×9 cm to 20 cm×13 cm. The thoracodorsal artery/vein was anastomosed with the superficial temporal artery/vein on one side. The muscle ends in the donor site were sutured together or performed with transfixion, and then the skin on the back were covered back to the donor site. On the 10th day after the first-stage surgery, the second-stage surgery was performed. The thin intermediate thickness skin graft was taken from the anterolateral thigh to cover the latissimus dorsi muscle flap. The duration and intraoperative blood loss of first-stage surgery were recorded. The postoperative muscle flap survival after the first-stage surgery and skin graft survival after the second-stage surgery was observed. The occurrence of complications, head appearance, and recurrence of tumor were followed up. Results: The average first-stage surgery duration of patients was 12.1 h, and the intraoperative blood loss was not more than 1 200 mL. The muscle flaps in the first-stage surgery and the skin grafts in the second-stage surgery all survived well. During the follow-up of 6-18 months, no complications such as exposure of titanium mesh or infection occurred, with good shape in the recipient sites in the vertex, and no recurrence of tumor. Conclusions: Three-dimensional printed preformed titanium mesh combined with latissimus dorsi muscle flap free transplantation and intermediate thickness skin graft cover is an effective and reliable method for repairing the wound with skull defect after extended resection of squamous cell carcinoma in the vertex. This method can cover the wound effectively as well as promote both recipient and donor sites to obtain good function and appearance.

[Time to initial diagnosis of imported malaria and its influencing factors in Jiangsu Province]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the health-seeking behaviors of imported malaria cases after returning to China, and to investigate the factors affecting the time to initial diagnosis, so as to provide the scientific evidence for early identification of imported malaria cases and prevention of severe cases development and secondary transmission.

METHODS

The individual demographic features, and the disease onset and the time to initial diagnosis of imported malaria cases in Jiangsu Province in 2019 were captured from the National Notifiable Disease Report System and the Information Management System for Parasitic Disease Control in China. The characteristics of health-seeking behaviors and epidemiological features of imported malaria cases were descriptively analyzed, and the factors affecting the time to initial diagnosis of imported malaria cases after returning to China were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 244 imported malaria cases were reported in Jiangsu Province in 2019, and the time to initial diagnosis of the cases were 1-12 days, with mean time of (1.53 ± 1.65) days, with median time of one day. The highest number of malaria cases seeking healthcare services were found on the day of developing primary symptoms (76 cases, 31.1%), followed by on the second day (68 cases, 27.9%), on the third day (46 cases, 18.9%), and 54 cases (22.1%) received initial diagnosis 3 days following presence of primary symptoms, including 3 cases with initial diagnosis at more than one week. High proportions of imported malaria cases with a delay in the time to initial diagnosis were seen in migrant workers who returned to China in January (14 cases, 5.7%) and December (13 cases, 5.3%) and those aged between 41 and 50 years (32 cases, 13.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed relative short time to initial diagnosis among imported malaria cases returning to China on March [odds ratio (OR) = 0.16, P = 0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): (0.03, 0.85)] and those with a history of overseas malaria parasite infections [OR = 0.36, P = 0.001, 95% CI: (0.19, 0.67)].

CONCLUSIONS

Timely health-seeking behaviors should be improved among imported malaria cases in Jiangsu Province, patients with a history of overseas malaria infections require faster health-seeking activities.

Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Exosomes Ameliorate Periodontitis

Human bone marrow stromal cell (hBMSC)-derived exosomes are promising therapeutics for inflammatory diseases due to their unique microRNA (miRNA) and protein cargos. Periodontal diseases often present with chronicity and corresponding exuberant inflammation, which leads to loss of tooth support. In this study, we explored whether hBMSC exosomes can affect periodontitis progression. hBMSC exosomes were isolated from cell culture medium through sequential ultracentrifugation. miRNAs and proteins that were enriched in hBMSC exosomes were characterized by RNA sequencing and protein array, respectively. hBMSC exosomes significantly suppressed periodontal keystone pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis-triggered inflammatory response in macrophages in vitro. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that exosomes exerted their effects through regulating cell metabolism, differentiation, and inflammation resolution. In vivo, weekly exosome injection into the gingival tissues reduced the tissue destruction and immune cell infiltration in rat ligature-induced periodontitis model. Collectively, these findings suggest that hBMSC-derived exosomes can potentially be used as a host modulation agent in the management of periodontitis.

[Ferroptosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and its regulation by M2 macrophage-derived exosomes]

Objective: To investigate ferroptosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and its regulation by M2 macrophage-derived exosomes. Methods: LSCC and adjacent noncancerous tissue samples were collected from 32 patients treated in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin between September 2018 and April 2021, including 26 males and 6 females, aged 43-79 years. The expressions of ferroptosis marker glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) in LSCC and adjacent noncancerous tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). The correlations between GPX4 expression and clinicopathological factors in LSCC were analyzed. Biological changes of TU212 cells after treated with ferroptosis-induced agent erastin were detected by transmission electron microscope, cell counting kit-8(CCK-8), clone test, reactive oxygen species(ROS), malondialdehyde(MDA), glutathione(GSH), JC-1, RT-PCR and western blot. Exosomes were isolated from the supernatant of M0/M2 macrophages (M0-exos/M2-exos) and co-incubated with erastin-treated TU212 cells to detect the change of ferroptosis in cells of each group. The data were analyzed by SPSS software of version19.0. Results: GPX4 expression in LSCC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent noncancerous tissues (2.04±0.65 vs. 0.99±0.09, F=30.36, P<0.001), and was closely related to T stage and clinical stage (Ⅰ-Ⅱvs.Ⅲ-Ⅳ: 1.75±0.39 vs. 2.18±0.71, F=2.25, P<0.05; T1-2 vs. T3-4: 1.71±0.42 vs. 2.20±0.69, F=2.06, P<0.05). In TU212 cells treated with erastin, mitochondrial crest became smaller, membrane density increased, proliferation rate decreased, intracellular ROS level increased, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarized, GSH content decreased, intracellular MDA level increased and expressions of GPX4 mRNA and protein decreased. Change of M0 into M2 macrophages was induced by IL-4 stimulation. When erastin-treated TU212 cells were incubated with M2-exos, cell proliferation was partially restored and GPX4 expression was enhanced, and also with the recoveries of levels of ROS, MDA and GSH (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Ferroptosis is one of the cell death ways of LSCC. M2-exos may inhibit ferroptosis of LSCC cells.

Joint Determination of Reactor Antineutrino Spectra from ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu Fission by Daya Bay and PROSPECT

A joint determination of the reactor antineutrino spectra resulting from the fission of ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu has been carried out by the Daya Bay and PROSPECT Collaborations. This Letter reports the level of consistency of ^{235}U spectrum measurements from the two experiments and presents new results from a joint analysis of both data sets. The measurements are found to be consistent. The combined analysis reduces the degeneracy between the dominant ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu isotopes and improves the uncertainty of the ^{235}U spectral shape to about 3%. The ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu antineutrino energy spectra are unfolded from the jointly deconvolved reactor spectra using the Wiener-SVD unfolding method, providing a data-based reference for other reactor antineutrino experiments and other applications. This is the first measurement of the ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu spectra based on the combination of experiments at low- and highly enriched uranium reactors.

[Clinical characteristics of arrhythmia-onset sarcoidosis cases]

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of sarcoidosis patients with arrhythmia as the primary or main manifestation. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of arrhythmia-onset sarcoidosis cases between January 2017 and December 2020. Their clinical manifestations, radiological features, treatment and prognosis were reviewed and analyzed. Results: This study consisted of 3 females and 1 male, with a mean age of 51 years (range from 42 to 58 years old). Arrhythmia was the first or main clinical manifestation for all 4 cases, involving Ⅲ° atrioventricular block (AVB) (n=1), Ⅱ° type Ⅱ AVB (n=1), and frequent ventricular premature beats and short array ventricular tachycardia (n=2). Three cases were diagnosed with respiratory sarcoidosis simultaneously during the diagnostic evaluation for arrhythmia. One case was diagnosed with sarcoidosis because of abnormal chest CT images due to cervical lymph node enlargement 5 years after arrhythmia. All 4 cases were confirmed as presenting epithelioid cell granulomatous inflammation by bronchoscopic biopsies. Late gadolinium enhancement with cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) imaging was arranged for two cases. Both of them had typical imaging findings of cardiac sarcoidosis. Three cases were confirmed of cardiac involvement through positron emission computed tomography (PET)-CT. None of the enrolled four cases were arranged with endomyocardial biopsy. All four cases were improved with oral corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and anti-arrhythmic medications. Two cases underwent cardiac pacemaker implantation. Conclusions: The possibility of cardiac sarcoidosis should be considered in middle-aged and elderly patients with unexplained high-degree AVB or ventricular arrhythmia. Chest CT is recommended for routine screening for those cases. LGE-CMR and/or PET-CT is recommended for them to confirm the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressants are effective for these patients.

Microrods synthesized of MoO3 with corn straw as biological templates and its electrochemical performance in aqueous aluminum-ion battery

ABSTRACT. In this paper, MoO3 microrods were prepared using corn straw as biological template via roasting process The components and crystal characterization of the material were investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD)，scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemistry property and mechanism were studied. The results showed that the MoO3 material synthesized by template method is orthorhombic structures. The MoO3 particles were submicron and micron rods with uniform distribution and a smooth surface. MoO3 microrods had an average diameter that ranged from 1 to 2 μm. The result indicated that the MoO3 as the new negative of aluminum battery delivers a higher discharge capacity of 190 mA·h·g-1 at a scanning rate of 1 mV·s-1, which showing good capacity and cycling performance.                     KEY WORDS: Biological template, Corn straw, Aqueous aluminum-ion battery, MoO3   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2021, 35(3), 669-675. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v35i3.17

Association between Cognitive Frailty and Adverse Outcomes among Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to pool the effect size of the association between cognitive frailty and adverse outcomes (e.g., falls, disability, and hospitalization) among older adults.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Embase were searched from their respective inceptions to June 1, 2022. We extracted prospective cohort studies that reported the association between cognitive frailty and adverse outcomes. Random or fixed-effects models based on heterogeneity were used to pool the effect sizes of independent associations of cognitive frailty, frailty only, and cognitive impairment only with each adverse outcome.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies involving 49,122 older adults were included in the meta-analysis. Older adults with cognitive frailty had higher odds ratios (OR) for falls (1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-2.58), disability (3.17, 95%CI: 2.24-4.48), and hospitalization (1.78, 95%CI: 1.48-2.14) compared with those without frailty and cognitive impairment. Older adults with frailty only demonstrated a high risk for falls (pooled OR 1.76, 95%CI: 1.25-2.48), disability (pooled OR 1.82, 95%CI: 1.43-2.33), and hospitalization (pooled OR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.45-1.85). The influence of cognitive impairment only on adverse outcomes was lower compared with cognitive frailty or frailty. Subgroup analyses showed that those with cognitive frailty (defined by the frailty phenotype plus Mini-Mental State Examination) were at greater risk for developing adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that cognitive frailty is an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes (e.g., falls, disability, and hospitalization). Early screening and comprehensive intervention may improve cognitive frailty and reduce the risk for adverse outcomes among older adults.

[Effect of perioperative accelerated rehabilitation management program for children with congenital spinal deformity]

Objective: To explore the perioperative therapeutic effect of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in children with congenital spinal deformity and summarize the clinical experience. Methods: Fifty-nine pediatric patients with congenital spinal deformities admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital from May 2020 to January 2021 were included in this study, and all patients underwent posterior spinal osteotomy orthopedic implant fusion with internal fixation. There were 22 males and 37 females, aged (7.4±4.1) years. Patients were divided into ERAS group (n=29) and control group (n=30) according to the management model. Patients in the ERAS group were managed with an accelerated recovery management model during the perioperative period, which mainly included: high protein diet, shortened fasting time, optimized anesthesia protocol, and multimodal analgesia. Patients in the control group received the traditional perioperative management model. The indexes of surgery, diet, pain score and laboratory tests were compared between the two groups. Results: All patients completed the surgery successfully. The mean temperature and pain scores of patients in the ERAS group were lower than those in the control group at 3 days postoperatively (P<0.05). The time to exhaustion and defecation in the ERAS group was (1.0±0.8) d and (2.5±0.9) d postoperatively, both significantly earlier than those in the control group ((3.4±0.8) d and (4.0±1.1) d) (both P<0.05). C-reactive protein was 38(8,46) mg/L in patients of the ERAS group on the day 3 postoperatively, which was significantly lower than that in the control group 47(22,93) mg/L (P=0.023). The hemoglobin level on postoperative day 3 was (110.7±9.6) g/L in the ERAS group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group ((104.5±11.4) g/L) (P=0.029). Postoperative complications occurred in 8(27.6%) and 9(30.0%) patients in the ERAS and control groups, respectively (P=1.000), with mild abdominal pain and bloating being the most common complications in both groups, most of which were not treated specifically. Conclusion: ERAS is a safe and effective perioperative management mode for children with congenital spinal deformity. Compared with the traditional method, it can significantly improve the treatment efficiency and deserve clinical application.

Turning Instrument Background Into Science Data for Structural Features of Radiation Belts

Approaches regarding how to turn the instrument background counts into scientifically valuable data are presented in this Technical Report on Methods. The background counts due to penetrating energetic particles of radiation belts detected on Cluster CIS HIA and CODIF instruments and the Double Star HIA instrument are used in these approaches. In HIA spectrograms, the background counts are seen simultaneously in all energy channels marking the entry and exit of the radiation belts by the spacecraft, therefore, the locations of the boundaries of the outer and inner belts can be determined. In the case when HIA measurements are not readily available, a new method is proposed in which supplementary data streams within the CODIF telemetry is exploited. It employs separate counts that register "start," "stop," and "non-valid" signals increasing in the presence of penetrating particles even when no corresponding increase are shown in the energy-time spectrograms. The locations of the radiation belt boundaries are defined by following the changes in counts gradients with time and visual inspection of all the available measurements. The July-August 2007 and September-October 2012 time periods are analyzed for method demonstration on a presence of a third radiation belt, or storage ring.

[Study on serum metabolomics of combined injury induced by gas explosion in rats]

Objective: To analyze the changes of serum metabolomics in rats with combined injuries caused by gas explosion and explore its possible mechanism. Methods: In April 2018, the large coal mine gas explosion test roadway and explosion test system were used to simulate the gas explosion experiment. All 32 SD rats were randomly divided into four groups, control group (not involved in the explosion) , close range (40 m) group, medium range (160 m) group and long range (240 m) group, 8 in each group. The respiratory function at 2 hours and the neural behavior at 48 hours were detected after the explosion. The rats were anesthetized and sacrificed after 48 hours, and the serum, lung, liver and other tissues of the rats were isolated and histopathological changes of lung and liver tissues were observed by HE staining. Serum samples were detected by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Orbitrap Elite/MS) , and metabolic spectrum differences between groups were evaluated by principal component analysis. Differential metabolites were screened and identified, and metabolic pathways were analyzed. Results: Compared with control group, respiratory function indexes (respiratory frequency, minute ventilation, peak inspiratory flow rate, peak expiratory flow rate and 1/2 tidal volume expiratory flow) of rats in different explosion groups were significantly decreased (P<0.05) , but respiration pause, inspiratory time and 2/3 tidal volume required time were significantly increased (P<0.05) in 2 hours after the explosion. However, the residence times of the neurobehavioral indicators of the 40 m group and 160 m group were significantly increased (P<0.05) , and the movement distances were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in 48 hours after the explosion. HE staining results showed that the lung and liver tissues of the rats in the gas explosion group structurally damaged, and the cells were disordered, with inflammatory cell infiltration, bleeding and edema. Metabonomics analysis showed that there were significant differences in metabolic profiles between groups. A total of 18 differential metabolites were identified in serum samples, including aconitum acid, citric acid, niacinamide and pyruvate, which involved in 12 major metabolic pathways, including the glutamic acid and glutamine metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, glyoxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide metabolism, citric acid cycle (TCA cycle) . Conclusion: Gas explosion can cause multi-organ system damage in rats, the mechanism of which may be related to the biosynthesis of alanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, metabolism of niacin and niacinamide, metabolism of acetaldehyde and dicarboxylic acid, and TCA cycle, etc.

Functional characterization of two diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 genes in Mortierella alpina

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) is a crucial enzyme in the triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis pathway. The oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina can accumulate large amounts of arachidonic acid (ARA, C20:4) in the form of TAG. Therefore, it is important to study the functional characteristics of its DGAT. Two putative genes MaDGAT1A/1B encoding DGAT1 were identified in M. alpina ATCC 32222 genome by sequence alignment. Sequence alignment with identified DGAT1 homologs showed that MaDGAT1A/1B contain seven conserved motifs that are characteristic of the DGAT1 subfamily. Conserved domain analysis showed that both MaDGAT1A and MaDGAT1B belong to the Membrane-bound O-acyltransferases superfamily. The transforming with MaDGAT1A/1B genes could increase the accumulation of TAG in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to 4·47 and 7·48% of dry cell weight, which was 7·3-fold and 12·3-fold of the control group, respectively, but has no effect on the proportion of fatty acids in TAG. This study showed that MaDGAT1A/1B could effectively promote the accumulation of TAG and therefore may be used in metabolic engineering aimed to increase TAG production of oleaginous fungi.

Function analysis of a cotton R2R3 MYB transcription factor GhMYB3 in regulating plant trichome development

Cotton is an important fibre-producing crop. Cotton fibres consist of highly elongated trichomes derived from the ovule. To improve the quality of cotton, it is necessary to identify the genes regulating fibre development. GhMYB3 was identified through bioinfomatic analysis and introduced to Arabidopsis and cotton to observe the phenotype. Protein inteaction and promoter bingding assays were conducted to explore the role of GhMYB3 in trichome fibre growth. Cotton fibre development might share a similar regulatory mechanism to Arabidopsis leaf trichomes, which is determined by the essential regulatory complex, MYB-bHLH-WD40. The GL1-like R2R3 MYB transcription factor GhMYB3 interacts with the AtGL3 protein involved in Arabidopsis trichome development. Ectopic expression of GhMYB3 could rescue the glabrous phenotype of the Arabidopsis gl1 mutant and produced more ectopic trichomes on inflorescence stems and floral organs, confirming its orthologous function in plant trichome development. The expression of GhMYB3 increased in response to exogenous gibberellin (GA₃ ), auxin (IAA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Overexpression of this gene in cotton leads to a slight increase in fibre length and lint percentage, possibly by activating the transcription of its downstream gene GhRDL1 or other fibre-related genes. The results increase our understanding of the key role of GhMYB3 in positively controlling plant trichome development, and this gene could be a potential target for molecular breeding in cotton.

[Surveillance of Culex mosquitoes in Jiangsu Province from 2018 to 2019]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the distribution and density of Culex mosquito populations and the resistance of Culex pipiens pallens to insecticides in Jiangsu Province in 2018 and 2019.

METHODS

During the period from June to October in 2018 and 2019, six counties (districts, cities) were sampled in southern, northern and central Jiangsu Province as surveillance sites. The density of Culex mosquitoes was measured overnight using the light trapping technique. In addition, Culex pipiens pallens mosquitoes were collected from Hai'an of Nantong City and Yandu District of Yancheng City, central Jiangsu Province, and the sensitivity of female first filial generations to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), malation, proposur, beta cypermethrin and deltamethrin was tested using the standard WHO insecticide susceptibility test assay.

RESULTS

A total of 104 423 Culex mosquitoes were captured in six surveillance sites of Jiangsu Province in 2018 and 2019, and Culex quinquefasciatus (49.11%), Culex pipiens pallens (28.38%), and Culex tritaeniorhynchus (21.04%) were predominant species. The density of Culex mosquitoes started to increase since early June, peaked in July and tended to be low in late October. Culex pipiens pallens mosquitoes captured from Hai'an was susceptible to malation, while those from Yandu District were moderately resistant to malation. Culex pipiens pallens mosquitoes from both Yandu and Hai'an were moderately resistant to proposur, and were resistant to DDT, beta cypermethrin and deltamethrin.

CONCLUSIONS

Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex pipiens pallens and Culex tritaeniorhynchus are predominant Culex species in Jiangsu Province. Culex pipiens pallens is resistant to DT, beta cypermethrin and deltamethrin in central Jiangsu Province.

[Application effects of free transplantation of autologous omentum in treating maxillofacial infection complicated with complex sinus tract]

Objective: To investigate the application effects of free transplantation of autologous omentum in treating maxillofacial infection complicated with complex sinus tract. Methods: The retrospective observational study method was used. Four patients with maxillofacial infection complicated with complex sinus tract were admitted to Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from July 2017 to the December 2019, including 3 males and 1 female aged 36-60 years. Preoperative facial computed tomography (CT) was performed on patients for calculating the volume of sinus tract. During the operation, the sinus tract was thoroughly debrided, and the volume of the tissue defect was about 5 cm×3 cm×2 cm-10 cm×5 cm×3 cm after debridement. The tissue defect area was filled with omentum of 100-300 mL which was cut under laparoscopy. The artery and vein on the right side of the omentum were reserved as the vascular pedicle of the donor area, which were anastomosed with the facial artery and external jugular vein of the recipient area. The survival of omentum, and the occurrences of reinfection and complication were observed after operation, respectively. On the 10th day and in 1 month after the operation, the blood supply of omentum was examined by colored Doppler ultrasound and CT angiography, and the filling of tissue defect area was examined by head and face CT. During follow-up after the operation, the recoveries of face appearance and function and scar hyperplasia in the donor area. Results: The transplanted omentums in 4 patients survived after the operation with no reinfection and complication. On the 10th day and in 1 month after the operation, the transplanted omentums had good blood supply, and the filled area with omentum was in good shape, without formation of dead cavity. During follow-up of 6-10 months after surgery, the appearance and function of face recovered well, and there was no obvious scar hyperplasia in the donor area. Conclusions: After free transplantation of omentum in treating maxillofacial infection with complex sinus tract, the patients have good facial appearance and function, and the application of laparoscopy results in little damage to the patients and quick postoperative recovery.

[Structuring process approach to laparoscopic anatomical liver central lobectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and oncological efficacy of structuring process approach to laparoscopic anatomical liver central lobectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: The clinical data of 65 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent laparoscopic anatomical liver central lobectomy at the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from April 2017 to April 2021 was retrospectively analyzed. There were 39 males and 26 females,aged (M(Q_R)) 61.2 (29.5) years (range:25 to 80 years).The body mass index was (24.2±3.8) kg/m² (range:19.5 to 26.1 kg/m²) and the tumor diameter was (6.7±2.9)cm(range:3.4 to 10.5 cm).This structuring process approach was designed using a series of main vessels as the plane markers, along which liver transection was carried out. The perioperative indicators and early oncological efficacy were then analyzed. Results: All the procedures were successfully carried out laparoscopically. The operative time was (190.5±70.4) minutes (range:90 to 280 minutes). The blood loss was (370.6±120.8)ml(range:100 to 1 050 ml). No patient received blood transfusion or converted to laparotomy. Postoperative complications occurred in 8 cases(12.3%). Postoperative hospital stay was (7.5±2.5) days(range:5 to 18 days).There was no perioperative death and rehospitalization within 30 days. Pathological study showed all the operations to be R0 resections, the average surgical margin was (2.4±1.9)cm(range:0.5 to 3.1 cm).The tumor recurrence rate was 12.3% after 1 year follow-up. Conclusion: Structuring process approach to laparoscopic anatomical liver central lobectomy could be used to treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Study on emergency metabolic changes of Anopheles sinensis larvae following exposure to deltamethrin]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the changes of small molecular metabolites in the larvae of a deltamethrin-sensitive strain of Anopheles sinensis following exposure to deltamethrin, so as to provide the scientific basis for investigating the metabolic pathway and screening metabolic markers of deltamethrin in An. sinensis.

METHODS

The 50% and 75% lethal concentrations (LC₅₀ and LC₇₅) of deltamethrin against the larvae of a deltamethrin-sensitive strain of An. sinensis were calculated in laboratory. The type and content of An. sinensis larvae metabolites were detected using high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) following exposure to deltamethrin at LC₅₀ and LC₇₅ for 30 min and 24 h, and the changes of metabolites were analyzed.

RESULTS

The LC₅₀ and LC₇₅ values of deltamethrin were 4.36 × 10^-3 µg/mL and 1.12 × 10^-2 µg/mL against thelarvae of a deltamethrin-sensitive strain of An. sinensis. Following exposure of the larvae of a deltamethrin-sensitive strain of An. sinensis to deltamethrin at LC₅₀ and LC₇₅ for 30 min, the differential metabolites mainly included organic oxygen compounds, carboxylic acid and its derivatives, fatty acyl and pyrimidine nucleotides, with reduced glucose levels. Following exposure for 24 h, the differential metabolites mainly included organic oxygen compounds, carboxylic acid and its derivatives, aliphatic acyl and purine nucleotides, with increased glucose level detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Carbohydrate, carboxylic acid and its derivatives, fatty acyls, amino acids and their derivatives may play important roles in deltamethrin metabolism in the larvae of a deltamethrin-sensitive strain of An. sinensis.

Application Prospects and Prospect of Metabolomics in the Identification of Sudden Cardiac Death

Abstract

In cases of sudden death, the prevention of sudden cardiac death and the analysis of the cause of death after sudden cardiac death have always been a difficult problem. Therefore, clinical research and forensic pathological identification of sudden cardiac death are of great significance. In recent years, metabolomics has gradually developed into a popular field of life science research. The detection of "metabolic fingerprints" of biological fluids can provide an important basis for early diagnosis of diseases and the discovery of potential biomarkers. This article reviews the current research status of sudden cardiac death and the research on metabolomics of cardiovascular diseases that is closely related to sudden cardiac death and analyzes the application prospects of metabolomics in the identification of the cause of sudden cardiac death.

[Surveillance of human soil-transmitted nematodiasis in Jurong City from 2016 to 2020]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence of soil-transmitted nematode human infections in Jurong City from 2016 to 2020, so as to provide the scientific evidence for formulating the control strategy.

METHODS

During the period from 2016 to 2020, the permanent residents at ages of over 3 years living in Jurong City were selected as the study subjects. Stool samples were collected for the detection of soil-transmitted nematode eggs using the modified Kato-Katz thick smear method (two detections for one stool sample), and the species of hookworm was identified in stool-positive stool samples using the culture method. The prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted nematode infections were calculated, and the change of the infection prevalence among years was examined using the Cochran-Armitage test for trend.

RESULTS

A total of 10 011 people-time populations were detected for soil-transmitted nematode infections in Jurong City from 2016 to 2020, and 56 egg-positives were identified, with mean prevalence of 0.56%. The prevalence of soil-transmitted nematode human infections appeared a tendency towards a decline year by year in Jurong City (χ²_trend = 5.15, P < 0.01). The mean prevalence of hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infections was 0.44%, 0.11% and 0.20% in Jurong City from 2016 to 2020, respectively, and individuals with hookworm infections accounted for 78.57% of all cases with soil-transmitted nematode infections. Single parasite (98.21%) and mild infection were pre-dominant in individuals with soil-transmitted nematode infections, and no multiple infections were seen after 2016.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of human soil-transmitted nematodiasis is low in Jurong City. Based on reinforcement of soil-transmitted nematodiasis surveillance, an increase in the health education investment is required to consolidate the control achievements.

Correlation between the Polymorphism of Coagulation-Related Genes and Lower Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the correlation between the polymorphism of 4 coagulation-related genes, rs1799963 （coagulation factor V gene Leiden）, rs6025 （prothrombin gene G20210A）, rs1042579 （thrombomodulin protein gene c.1418C>T） and rs1801131 （methylenetetrahydroflate reductase gene） and lower extremity deep venous thrombosis （LEDVT）. Methods The 4 genotypes mentioned above of 150 LEDVT patients and 153 healthy controls were detected by the kompetitive allele specific polymerase chain reaction （KASP）, then related blood biochemical indicators were collected, binary Logistic regression was established to screen the independent risk factors of LEDVT, and the correlation between polymorphism of 4 coagulation-related genes and LEDVT and its indicators under different genetic modes after adjusting confounding factors were analyzed. Results Five variables, D-dimer, fibrinogen degradation product, homocysteine, sex and age might be the risk factors of LEDVT. These variables were put into 4 genetic inheritance models, and adjusted in binary Logistic regression. The results suggested that the mutations of rs1042579 were correlated with LEDVT under dominant inheritance mode. Conclusion The gene polymorphism of rs1799963, rs6025 and rs1801131 has no significant correlation with the formation of LEDVT. The gene polymorphism of rs1042579 plays a role under dominant inheritance mode, and might be an independent risk factor for formation of LEDVT.

Constraints on Cosmic Strings Using Data from the Third Advanced LIGO-Virgo Observing Run

We search for gravitational-wave signals produced by cosmic strings in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo full O3 dataset. Search results are presented for gravitational waves produced by cosmic string loop features such as cusps, kinks, and, for the first time, kink-kink collisions. A template-based search for short-duration transient signals does not yield a detection. We also use the stochastic gravitational-wave background energy density upper limits derived from the O3 data to constrain the cosmic string tension Gμ as a function of the number of kinks, or the number of cusps, for two cosmic string loop distribution models. Additionally, we develop and test a third model that interpolates between these two models. Our results improve upon the previous LIGO-Virgo constraints on Gμ by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude depending on the model that is tested. In particular, for the one-loop distribution model, we set the most competitive constraints to date: Gμ≲4×10^{-15}. In the case of cosmic strings formed at the end of inflation in the context of grand unified theories, these results challenge simple inflationary models.

Constraints on Cosmic Strings Using Data from the Third Advanced LIGO-Virgo Observing Run

We search for gravitational-wave signals produced by cosmic strings in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo full O3 dataset. Search results are presented for gravitational waves produced by cosmic string loop features such as cusps, kinks, and, for the first time, kink-kink collisions. A template-based search for short-duration transient signals does not yield a detection. We also use the stochastic gravitational-wave background energy density upper limits derived from the O3 data to constrain the cosmic string tension Gμ as a function of the number of kinks, or the number of cusps, for two cosmic string loop distribution models. Additionally, we develop and test a third model that interpolates between these two models. Our results improve upon the previous LIGO-Virgo constraints on Gμ by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude depending on the model that is tested. In particular, for the one-loop distribution model, we set the most competitive constraints to date: Gμ≲4×10^{-15}. In the case of cosmic strings formed at the end of inflation in the context of grand unified theories, these results challenge simple inflationary models.