Development of Dermestes Maculatus at a Constant Temperature and Its Larval Instar Determination

Objective To establish the basic data for estimating minimum postmortem interval （PMImin） of heavily decayed and skeletonized remains by studying the development of Dermestes maculatus DeGeer （Coleoptera: Dermestidae）. Methods The developmental stages of Dermestes maculatus were observed at four constant temperatures of 20 ℃, 24 ℃, 28 ℃ and 32 ℃, and the changes in body length were also examined as the biological indicator to estimate larval day-age and instar. Results The total developmental time from egg to adult at 20 ℃, 24 ℃, 28 ℃ and 32 ℃ were （126.7±10.6） d, （69.4±8.2） d, （50.4±8.4） d and （49.6±6.5） d, respectively. The body length increased gradually, but changed irregularly as a whole. Conclusion The study provides basic data on the development and growth of Dermestes maculatus, especially on its developmental duration as a significant value for estimating PMImin of heavily decayed and skeletonized remains. Nevertheless, the change of body length is not found to be the best biological indicator for instar determination.

[Efficacy of 1 384 cases of peritoneal carcinomatosis underwent cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy]

Objective: Peritoneal carcinomatosis refers to a group of heterogeneous (primary or secondary) malignancies in the surface of the peritoneum. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a comprehensive treatment strategy aiming at peritoneal carcinomatosis. This study analyzed the efficacy and safety of CRS+HIPEC in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, and explored prognostic factors. Methods: In this descriptive case-series study, the clinicopathological data of 1384 consecutive patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis treated in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (330 patients) and Shijitan Hospital of Capital Medical University (1054 patients) from January 2004 to January 2020 were collected retrospectively. Treatment patterns of CRS+HIPEC characteristics (operative time, number of resected organs, number of stripped peritoneum, number of anastomosis, and HIPEC regimens), safety [blood loss volume, postoperative severe adverse event (SAE) and treatment outcome], survival time and prognostic factors influencing survival were analyzed. The SAE was defined as grade III-IV adverse event according to the Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International Textbook. Perioperative period was defined from the day of CRS+HIPEC to postoperative 30th day. OS was calculated from the day of CRS+HIPEC to the date of death or the last follow-up. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. Cox regression model was used to identify the prognostic factors. Results: Among 1384 peritoneal carcinomatosis patients, 529 (38.2%) were male; median age was 55 (10-87) years old; median body mass index (BMI) was 22.6 kg/m(2); peritoneal carcinomatosis of 164 (11.8%) patients were from gastric cancer, 287 (20.7%) from colorectal cancer, 356 (25.7%) from pseudomyxoma peritonei, 90 (6.5%) from malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, 300 (21.7%) from gynecological cancer or primary peritoneal carcinoma, and 187 (13.5%) from retroperitoneal sarcoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, and other rare tumors. The median duration of CRS+HIPEC was 595 (90-1170) minutes, median number of resected organs was 2 (0-10), median number of resected peritoneal area were 4 (0-9), median peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 21(1-39). Completeness of cytoreduction (CC) score of 0-1 was observed in 857 cases (61.9%). Regarding HIPEC regimens, there were 917 cases (66.3%) with cisplatin plus docetaxel, 183 cases (13.2%) with cisplatin plus mitomycin, 43 cases (3.1%) with adriamycin plus ifosfamide, and the other 240 cases (17.3%) with modified regimens. Perioperative SAE developed in 331 peritoneal carcinomatosis patients (23.9%) with 500 cases, of whom 21 patients (1.5%) died during the perioperative period due to ineffective treatment, while the others recovered after active treatment. During median follow-up time of 8.6 (0.3-82.7) months, there were 414 deaths (29.9%). The median OS was 38.2 months (95% CI: 30.6-45.8), and the 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rate was 73.5%, 50.4% and 39.3%, respectively. The median OS of peritoneal carcinomatosis patients from gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pseudomyxoma peritonei, malignant peritoneal mesothelioma and female genital cancer or primary peritoneal carcinomatosis was 11.3 months (95% CI: 8.9-13.8), 18.1 months (95% CI: 13.5-22.6), 59.7 months (95% CI: 48.0-71.4), 19.5 months (95% CI: 6.0-33.0) and 51.7 months (95% CI: 14.6-88.8), respectively, and the difference among groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the primary gastric cancer (HR=4.639, 95% CI: 1.692-12.724), primary colorectal cancer (HR=4.292, 95% CI: 1.957-9.420), primary malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (HR=2.741, 95% CI: 1.162-6.466), Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score of 60 (HR=4.606, 95% CI: 2.144-9.895), KPS score of 70 (HR=3.434, 95% CI: 1.977-5.965), CC score of 1 (HR=2.683, 95% CI: 1.440~4.999), CC score of 2-3 (HR=3.661,95% CI: 1.956-6.852) and perioperative SAE (HR=2.588, 95% CI: 1.846-3.629) were independent prognostic factors influencing survival with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). Conclusions: CRS+HIPEC is an effective integrated treatment strategy for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, which can prolong survival with acceptable safety. Preoperative evaluation of patients' general condition is necessary and CRS+HIPEC should be carefully considered to perform for patients with preoperative KPS score <80. During the operation, the optimal CRS should be achieved on condition that safety is granted. In addition, it is necessary to prevent perioperative SAE to reduce the risk of death in peritoneal carcinomatosis patients.

[Analysis of BK virus infection in kidney transplant recipients]

Objective: To compare the infection of BK virus in the recipients of living donor(LD) kidney transplant and deceased donor(DD) kidney transplant. Methods: A total of 911 recipients who underwent kidney transplantation in the Organ Transplantation Research Institute of the 8th Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2015 to August 2019 were enrolled in this study. The DNA copies of BK virus in urine and peripheral blood of kidney transplant recipients were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The patients were divided into LD group (n=255) and DD group (n=656). BK virus infection in recipients with DD kidney transplant were compared with that in recipients of LD kidney transplant. Results: The BK virus positive rate in the urine of all subjects was 13.06%(119/911), and that in blood was 2.96% (27/911). The positive rate of BK virus in urine after kidney transplantation was significantly higher than that in blood(P<0.000 1). The positive rate in urine was 9.02% (23/255) in LD group, which was significantly lower than that of 14.63% (96/656) in DD group in the same period (χ(2)=5.097, P=0.012); The positive rate of BK virus infection in relatives group was 0.78% (2/255), which was significantly lower than that of 3.81% (25/656) in DD group (χ(2)=5.849, P=0.007). Conclusions: There was a significant difference in the infection rate of BK virus between the LD and DD group. The incidence of BK virus infection in kidney transplant recipients from DD was higher than that of from LD kidney transplant recipients.

Bioinspired metal complexes for energy-related photocatalytic small molecule transformation

Bioinspired transformation of small-molecules to energy-related feedstocks is an attractive research area to overcome both the environmental issues and the depletion of fossil fuels. The highly effective metalloenzymes in nature provide blueprints for the utilization of bioinspired metal complexes for artificial photosynthesis. Through simpler structural and functional mimics, the representative herein is the pivotal development of several critical small molecule conversions catalyzed by metal complexes, e.g., water oxidation, proton and CO₂ reduction and organic chemical transformation of small molecules. Of great achievement is the establishment of bioinspired metal complexes as catalysts with high stability, specific selectivity and satisfactory efficiency to drive the multiple-electron and multiple-proton processes related to small molecule transformation. Also, potential opportunities and challenges for future development in these appealing areas are highlighted.

[Study on the influence of sleeve height and implant length on accuracy of static computer-assisted implant surgery]

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the sleeve lengths and implant lengths on accuracy of static computer-assisted implant surgery (sCAIS). Methods: Twenty-eight models of bilateral mandibular single tooth loss were included. Fifty-five implants were placed under the guidance of sCAIS (Straumann Bone Level 4.1 mm×10 mm). According to the height of metal sleeve of static guide plate, 55 implants were divided into 11 groups (free hand group, 1 mm group, 2 mm group, 3 mm group, 4 mm group, 5 mm group, 6 mm group, 7 mm group, 8 mm group, 9 mm group, 10 mm group), with 5 implants in each group. Eight research models were included. Group with 5 mm sleeve guides were used to place implants of different length, (Straumann Bone Level width 4.1 mm, height was 8 mm, 10 mm and 14 mm), 5 implants in each group. Eighteen patients with mandibular single tooth loss were included in the Department of Oral Implantology, Tianjin Stomatological Hospital from October 2018 to June 2019. There were 10 males and 8 females, 18-46(33.7±7.9) years old. A total of 18 implants were implanted and divided into 3 groups (free hand group, 3 mm group and 5 mm group) with 6 implants in each group. Digital software was used to compare the implant positions before and after implantation. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test or one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the results. Results: There was no significant difference in implant vertical deviation between different sleeve height groups (1-10 mm) and free hand group, but the neck deviation in free hand group[(1.04±0.13) mm] was significantly higher than that in different sleeve height groups (1-10 mm) (P<0.05). The tip deviations of free hand group, 1 mm group and 2 mm group [(1.32±0.43), (0.83±0.10) and (0.78±0.11) mm, respectively] was significantly higher than that of 10 mm group [(0.31±0.14) mm](P<0.05). The angle deviation of free hand group and 1 mm group (3.99°±0.85° and 2.59°±0.69°), respectively] was significantly higher than that of 10 mm group (0.61°±0.03°) (P<0.05). The tip deviations of implants in the 14 mm group [(0.83±0.22) mm] was significantly higher than that in the 8 mm and 10 mm groups [(0.44±0.07) and (0.49±0.06) mm, respectively]. Clinical studies showed that there was no significant difference in neck deviation, tip deviation and angle deviation between 3 mm group and 5 mm group (P>0.05), but deviations were significantly lower than those in free hand group (P<0.05). Conclusions: The length of the sleeves has significant influence on the accuracy of the surgical guide. There was no significant difference in accuracy of the implant guide with 3 mm or 5 mm metal sleeves. The vitro study has some limitations and needs further systematic research.

Identifying a Real Catalyst of [NiFe]-Hydrogenase Mimic for Exceptional H2 Photogeneration

Inspired by the natural [NiFe]-H₂ ase, we designed mimic 1, (dppe)Ni(μ-pdt)(μ-Cl)Ru(CO)₂ Cl to realize effective H₂ evolution under photocatalytic conditions. However, a new species 2 was captured in the course of photo-, electro-, and chemo- one-electron reduction. Experimental studies of in situ IR spectroscopy, EPR, NMR, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and DFT calculations corroborated a dimeric structure of 2 as a closed-shell, symmetric structure with a Ru^I center. The isolated dimer 2 showed the real catalytic role in photocatalysis with a benchmark turnover frequency (TOF) of 1936 h^-1 for H₂ evolution, while mimic 1 worked as a pre-catalyst and evolved H₂ only after being reduced to 2. The remarkably catalytic activity and unique dimer structure of 2 operated in photocatalysis unveiled a broad research prospect in hydrogenases mimics for advanced H₂ evolution.

Flower-like cobalt carbide for efficient carbon dioxide conversion

Catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to value-added chemicals under mild conditions is highly desired, albeit with significant challenges. Here, in terms of exposure of abundant active sites and excellent photo-to-thermal conversion properties, flower-like Co₂C has been firstly used for effectively catalysing the cycloaddition of CO₂ with epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates with yields of up to 95% under solar light. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that Lewis acid sites of the surface Co atoms can activate both CO₂ and epoxide, thus opening up the possibility of a CO₂-epoxide cycloaddition reaction.

Thiol Activation toward Selective Thiolation of Aromatic C-H Bond

Direct C-S bond coupling is an attractive way to construct aryl sulfur ether, a building block for a variety of biological active molecules. Herein, we disclose an effective model for regioselective thiolation of the aromatic C-H bond by thiol activation instead of arene activation. Strikingly, this method has been applied into anisole derivatives that are not available in the arene activation approach to forge a single thioether isomer with high reactivity.

[Efficacy and prognosis of phentolamine in the treatment of patients with myocardial injury due to sepsis]

Objective: To explore the effect of phenolamine on the outcome and prognosis of patients with myocardial injury due to sepsis. Methods: From January 2015 to December 2017, 62 septic patients with myocardial injury were randomly divided into study group (n=32) and control group (n=30). Two groups were given conventional treatment, while the study group was treated with phentolamine. The NT-pro brain natriuretic pepitide (NT-proBNP), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase isoenzymes (CK-MB) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 were detected at 0,12, 24, 48, 72 h and 7 d after hospitalization. And left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), e', E and A in each time period were observed. The 28 d survival rate and length of ICU stay were observed in both groups. The data were compared with single sample t test between the two groups. Results: After 12, 24, 48, 72 h and 7 d, NT-proBNP, cTnI, LDH, CK-MB, TNF-α, hs-CRP, IL-1β, IL-6 in the study group were all significantly lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The cardiac function indexes of LVEF, E/A and E/e' in the study group were all significantly improved when compared with those in the control group (all P<0.05). The length of ICU stay and 28-day mortality in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group ((9.8±3.6) d vs (13.0±4.1) d, t=3.152, P=0.004; 21.9% vs 36.7%, χ(2)=5.078, P=0.021). Conclusion: Combined application of phentolamine can significantly improve the outcome of sepsis patients with myocardial injury and improve the survival rate.

[Clinical evaluation of tumor-stroma ratio in pseudomyxoma peritonei from the appendix]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) on disease progression and prognosis of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) from the appendix.

METHODS

The study included 30 PMP patients with complete individual patient data, who underwent cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in Beijing Shijitan Hospital. Image-Pro Plus was used to quantitatively analyze the proportion of tumor and stromal areas in hematoxylin-eosin staining pathological images, from which TSR was derived. Correlation studies were conducted to evaluate the relationships between TSR and clinicopathological features, immunohistochemical characteristics, and prognosis of PMP.

RESULTS

Among 30 PMP patients, there were 16 males (53.3%) and 14 females (46.7%), with the mean age of (54.9±2.3) years. There were 15 cases (50.0%) of low-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei (LMCP) and high-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei (HMCP), respectively, with vascular tumor emboli occurring in 4 cases (13.3%), nerve invasion occurring in 3 cases (10.0%), and lymphatic metastasis occurring in 4 cases (13.3%). The median peritoneal cancer index (PCI) score was 36 (range: 3-39). The median TSR was 8% (range: 2%-24%), with TSR≤10% in 19 cases (63.3%) and TSR>10% in 11 cases (36.7%). Immunohistochemistry showed that 16 cases (53.3%) had Ki67 label index ≤ 50% and 14 cases (46.7%) > 50%. The mutation rate of p53 was 56.7% and the loss rate of MMR protein was 11.8%. In addition, the expression rates of MUC2, MUC5AC, CDX2, CK7, and CK20 were 66.7%, 100.0%, 82.6%, 56.0%, and 92.3%, respectively. There were significant correlations between TSR and histopathological types, nerve invasion, Ki67 label index, and p53 mutation (P<0.05 for all). At the end of the last follow-up, 21 patients (70.0%) died and 9 patients (30.0%) survived, including 6 patients survived with tumor. The median overall survival (OS) was 12.7 months (95%CI: 10.4-11.5 months), and the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 60.5%, 32.3%, and 27.7%, respectively. The median OS was 19.4 months (95%CI: 3.0-35.9 months) in the TSR≤10% group, versus 12.6 months (95%CI: 0.7-24.5 months) in the TSR>10% group (χ2=3.996, P=0.046).

CONCLUSION

TSR is correlated with histopathological types, tumor proliferation, invasion behaviors and prognosis of PMP, thus could be a new prognostic indicator for PMP.

Application of Virtual Anatomy Technology in Postmortem Examination of Medical Dispute Cases

Abstract

Objective To discuss the application value of CT scanning technology in cause of death determination of medical dispute cases. Methods From July 2017 to December 2018, postmortem CT imaging data of 12 medical dispute cases were collected. CT imaging diagnosis results and anatomy findings as well as differences between antemortem and postmortem CT diagnosis were compared. The advantages and disadvantages of CT routine tests of the cadavers in terms of the diagnosis of disease and damage were analyzed. Results The comparison between CT imaging diagnosis and anatomical findings showed that CT scans had advantages in the diagnosis of disease and damage with large differences in density changes, such as atelectasis, pneumonia, calcification, fracture and hemorrhage, etc. The comparison of CT diagnosis in antemortem and postmortem examination showed that the cadavers of medical dispute cases were well preserved and that postmortem CT scan was meaningful for the diagnosis of antemortem diseases. Conclusion Virtual anatomy technology has a relatively high application value in postmortem examination of medical dispute cases. It can provide effective information for the appraisers before the autopsy and can also provide a reference for cause of death analysis when the anatomy cannot be performed.

Unveiling Catalytic Sites in a Typical Hydrogen Photogeneration System Consisting of Semiconductor Quantum Dots and 3d-Metal Ions

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) in conjunction with non-noble 3d-metal ions (e.g., Fe³⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺) have emerged as an extremely efficient, facile, and cost-effective means of solar-driven hydrogen (H₂) evolution. However, the exact structural change of the active sites under realistic conditions remains elusive, and the mechanism of H₂ evolution behind the remarkable activity is poorly understood. Here, we successfully track the structural variation of the catalytic sites in the typical H₂ photogeneration system consisting of CdSe/CdS QDs and 3d-metal ions (i.e., Ni²⁺ used here). That is, the nickel precursor of Ni(OAc)₂ changes to Ni(H₂O)₆²⁺ in neutral H₂O and eventually transforms to Ni(OH)₂ nanosheets in alkaline media. Furthermore, the in operando spectroscopic techniques of electron paramagnetic resonance and X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveal the photoinduced transformation of Ni(OH)₂ to a defective structure [Ni_x⁰/Ni_1-x(OH)₂], which acts as the real catalytic species of H₂ photogeneration. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further indicate that the surface Ni-vacancies (V_Ni) on the Ni(OH)₂ nanosheets enhance the adsorption and dissociation of H₂O molecules to enhance the local proton concentration, while the Ni⁰ clusters behave as H₂-evolution sites, thereby synergistically promoting the activity of H₂ photogeneration in alkaline media.

[Surveillance of echinococcosis in Yixing City from 2011 to 2018]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the results of echinococcosis surveillance in Yixing City from 2011 to 2018, so as to provide insights into echinococcosis control in the city.

METHODS

All echinococcosis cases reported in Yixing City since 2007 that were captured from the China National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting Information System of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention received a case study, and serological test and transabdominal B-mode ultrasound screening were performed among permanent residents and mutton market workers in Fangdong and Fangzhuang villages of Yixing City from 2011 to 2018. The cyst, mass and tubercle were detected in the liver and lung of the sheep from the mutton markets, and the Echinococcus coproantigen was detected in the canine stool samples from Fangdong and Fangzhuang villages. In addition, the awareness of echinococcosis prevention and control knowledge was investigated in the two villages using a questionnaire survey from 2011 to 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 7 cases with echinococcosis had been reported in Yixing City since 2007, with prevalence of 0.56/100 000, and all cases were E. granulosus-infected patients, including 2 cases with a history to travel to echinococcosis-endemic areas and 5 cases with a history of working in local mutton markets or dog contacts. From 2011 to 2018, a total of 1 861 residents received serological tests, with 0.54% seropositivity, and no seropositives were detected since 2016. Among the 1 807 individuals receiving transabdominal B-mode ultrasound screening, suspected cysts were found in 143 individuals (7.91%), and 1.40% (2/143) seropositivity was detected in these individuals. The mean positive rate of the Echinococcus coproantigen was 0.67% (3 /446) in the canine stool samples. Among the 4 010 sheep liver and lung specimens sampled from the mutton markets, 7 specimens (0.17%) were detected with cysts or tubercles. In addition, the mean awareness rate of echinococcosis prevention and control knowledge was 76.95% among the 538 subjects receiving questionnaire surveys from 2011 to 2018, and the overall awareness appeared a tendency towards a rise year after year.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the prevalence of echinococcosis and the seropositivity of anti-Echinococcus antibodies are low, there is still a risk of transmission of echinococcosis in Yixing City. The surveillance of echinococcosis should continue to be intensified and related control interventions are required.

[Establishment of patient derived xenograft model of high-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei accompanied with signet ring cells and identification of biological characteristics]

Objective: To establish the patient derived xenograft (PDX) model of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), and identify the key characteristics of tumor biology of this model, in order to provide a reliable model for studying the pathological mechanisms and new therapeutic strategies of PMP. Methods: PMP tumor tissue was obtained from surgery and cut into pieces after washing. Then tumor pieces were implanted subcutaneously in BAL B/c-nu mice for 6 stable passages. In the 7th passage, tumor tissue was implanted orthotopically into abdomen. Subcutaneous tumor and orthotopic tumor were then homogenized to make tumor cell suspension, implanted into abdomen of 10 BAL B/c-nu mice through midline laparotomy, 100 μl for each. The key experimental parameters including body weight changes in the observation period, experimental peritoneal cancer index (ePCI) score at the autopsy, histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics, and gene expression profiles by high-throughput whole-genome exon sequencing were detected and recorded. Results: The successful rate of established orthotopic PDX model of human PMP was 100% (10/10). The animals showed smooth body weight increases after tumor inoculation until day 27, then the body weight began to decrease steadily. Widespread tumor dissemination of PMP tumor through the whole abdomen was found by autopsy, including the diaphragm, liver, spleen, stomach, kidney, parietal peritoneum, bowel and mesenterium. Gelatinous ascites was also observed in abdominopelvic cavity. The ePCI score ranged from 5 to 9, with a 8 of median ePCI. Histopathological studies showed peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis accompanied with signet ring cells (PMCA-S), obvious tumor cell atypia and parenchymal invasion.Immunohistochemistry showed the expressions of MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC, CEA, CA199, CK20, CDX-2 and Ki-67 were positive, MUC6, CK7 and p53 were negative. Whole-exome sequencing identified that the most significant genetic alteration is the exon10 missense mutation c. 1621A>C of KIT gene, the mutation abundance was 89.7%. Conclusion: PDX model of PMCA-S is successfully established, which displays the characters of high-degree malignancy, high proliferation and strong aggressiveness.

Semiconductor nanocrystals for small molecule activation via artificial photosynthesis

The protocol of artificial photosynthesis using semiconductor nanocrystals shines light on green, facile and low-cost small molecule activation to produce solar fuels and value-added chemicals.

[Prevalence and influencing factors of carotid plaque in population at high-risk for cardiovascular disease in Jiangsu province]

Objective: To understand the prevalence of carotid plaque (CP) in population at high-risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Jiangsu province and identify related influencing factors. Methods: Based on the China Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Million Persons Project from 2015 to 2016, a total of 11 392 persons at high-risk for CVD were selected from six project areas in Jiangsu province for the questionnaire survey, physical measurement, laboratory test and bilateral ultrasound examination of carotid arteries. The prevalence of CP and influencing factors of abnormal carotid arteries, CP and plaque burden (CP≥2) were analyzed. Results: Among the persons surveyed, 4 821 (42.3%) were males. The age of the persons surveyed was (59.4±8.9) years. There were 5 971 abnormal carotid arteries cases (52.4%), including 1 782 carotid intima-media thickness thickening cases (15.6%), 3 811 CP cases (33.5%) and 378 carotid stenosis cases (3.3%). Older age (OR=2.253, 95%CI: 2.127-2.386), urban residence (OR=2.622, 95%CI: 2.375-2.895), hypertension (OR=1.439, 95%CI: 1.195-1.732), smoking (OR=1.441, 95%CI: 1.259- 1.650), pulse pressure difference (OR=1.270, 95%CI: 1.198-1.347), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (OR=1.109, 95%CI: 1.059-1.161) and LDL-C/HDL-C (OR=1.225, 95%CI: 1.164-1.288) were possible risk factors of CP in population at high risk for CVD. Being women (OR=0.558, 95%CI: 0.494-0.630), high BMI (OR=0.948, 95%CI: 0.904-0.994), higher levels of education (OR=0.708, 95%CI: 0.531-0.945), and higher annual household income (OR=0.773, 95%CI: 0.669-0.894) were the possible protective factors. Conclusions: Over half of the population at high-risk for CVD in Jiangsu showed abnormal carotid arteries. High blood pressure, high blood glucose, high blood lipids and smoking were the main factors that could be changed.

[Establishment of a CT image radiomics-based prediction model for the differential diagnosis of silicosis and tuberculosis nodules]

Objective: To establish a CT image radiomics-based prediction model for the differential diagnosis of silicosis and tuberculosis nodules. Methods: A total of 53 patients with silicosis and 89 patients with tuberculosis who underwent routine CT scans in Suzhou Fifth People's Hospital from January to August, 2018 were enrolled in this study. AK/ITK software was used to segment the images to obtain 139 silicosis lesions and 119 tuberculosis lesions. For each lesion image, 396 features were extracted, and feature dimension reduction was applied to select the most characteristic feature subset. Support vector machine (SVM) , feedforward back propagation neural network (FNN-BP) , and random forest (RF) were implemented using R software (Rstudio V1.1.463) , and the algorithm that achieved the largest area under of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was selected as the final prediction model. Results: RF was the best prediction model for the differential diagnosis of silicosis and tuberculosis nodules, with an accuracy of 83.1%, a sensitivity of 0.76, a specificity of 0.9, and an AUC of 0.917 (95% confidence interval: 0.8431-0.9758) . RF had a significantly larger AUC than SVM and FNN-BP (P<0.05) . Conclusion: CT image-based RF prediction model can be used to differentially diagnose silicosis and tuberculosis nodules.

Semiconductor Quantum Dots: An Emerging Candidate for CO2 Photoreduction

As one of the most critical approaches to resolve the energy crisis and environmental concerns, carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) photoreduction into value-added chemicals and solar fuels (for example, CO, HCOOH, CH₃ OH, CH₄ ) has attracted more and more attention. In nature, photosynthetic organisms effectively convert CO₂ and H₂ O to carbohydrates and oxygen (O₂ ) using sunlight, which has inspired the development of low-cost, stable, and effective artificial photocatalysts for CO₂ photoreduction. Due to their low cost, facile synthesis, excellent light harvesting, multiple exciton generation, feasible charge-carrier regulation, and abundant surface sites, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have recently been identified as one of the most promising materials for establishing highly efficient artificial photosystems. Recent advances in CO₂ photoreduction using semiconductor QDs are highlighted. First, the unique photophysical and structural properties of semiconductor QDs, which enable their versatile applications in solar energy conversion, are analyzed. Recent applications of QDs in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction are then introduced in three categories: binary II-VI semiconductor QDs (e.g., CdSe, CdS, and ZnSe), ternary I-III-VI semiconductor QDs (e.g., CuInS₂ and CuAlS₂ ), and perovskite-type QDs (e.g., CsPbBr₃ , CH₃ NH₃ PbBr₃ , and Cs₂ AgBiBr₆ ). Finally, the challenges and prospects in solar CO₂ reduction with QDs in the future are discussed.

[Analysis of occupational stress and occupational exhaustion of primary caregivers]

Objective: To investigate the occupation stress and job burnout of orphan child care workers in Nanjing and nursing staff in Yangzhong primary hospital, to compare the differences of occupational stress and job burnout between the two social service workers. Methods: From February to May 2017, a cross- sectional survey was conducted. Cluster sampling method was used to investigate the occupation stress and job burnout of orphan child care workers in Nanjing and nursing staff in Yangzhong primary hospital, totally 403 people, by a combination of the Internet of things assessment system of occupational stress and traditional questionnaire. Results: There were statistically significant differences of occupational stress and job burnout scores of both social service workers (P<0.05). Orphan child care workers in job control, technology utilization, job routinization, work risk, role ambiguity and participation decision-making, anxiety state, body complain, life attitude, behavior characteristics, ambition, anxiety trait, social support, logic, family-work relationship and depersonalization were higher than those of Yangzhong primary nurses (P<0.05); Primary nurses in Yangzhong in quantitative load and change, workload, role conflict, job prospects, promotion, depressive symptom, daily stress, self-esteem, task strategy, time management, work input, and personal accomplishment reduction scored higher than those of Orphan child care workers (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis of the occupational depletion positive rate of the two social service personnel showed that the protective factors of the nursing staff of the orphans and disabled children had behavioral characteristics and family support(OR=0.877, P=0.044; OR=0.691, P=0.001) . The contributing factors of the primary nursing staff in Yangzhong were task control, workload, work psychological control source (OR=1.110, P=0.019; OR=1.128, P<0.001;OR=1.066, P=0.032) . The protection factors were technical utilization, opportunities for improvement, and mental health (OR=0.775, P=0.005; OR=0.765, P=0.006; OR=0.914, P=0.002) . Conclusion: The work content, the service object and the nature of the unit of primary caregivers influence the state of occupational stress and job burnout. The influencing factors of occupational stress and job burnout are not identical, Different social service personnel show occupational stress and occupational exhaustion in different aspects, and it is necessary to propose mitigation measures for two kinds of social service personnel.

[The influence of demographic characteristics on occupational stress of orphan child care workers]

Objective: To investigate the occupation stress of orphan child care workers in Nanjing, to explore the influence of different demographic characteristics on occupational stress of orphan child care workers and propose measures. Methods: Cluster sampling method was used to investigate the occupation stress of 236 people of orphan child care workers in Nanjing by a combination of the Internet of things assessment system of occupational stress and traditional questionnaire. Results: The scores of workload, job prospects, participation decision-making, anxiety and logical in different age groups among orphan child care workers were statistically different (P<0.05) ; The scores of organizational loyalty in different education groups among orphan child care workers were statistically different (P<0.05) ; The scores of task control, resource control, workload, job prospects, job satisfaction, mental health, anxiety and ambition were statistically different among orphan child care workers with different job titles (P<0.05) ; The scores of role conflict, role ambiguity, job satisfaction, mental health, anxiety, self-esteem, colleague support, family support and task strategy were statistically different orphan child care workers in different classes (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Different demographic characteristics will have certain influence on occupational stress of orphan child care workers.