Measurement of the Cross Section for e^{+}e^{-}→Hadrons at Energies from 2.2324 to 3.6710 GeV

Based on electron-positron collision data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider II storage rings, the value of R≡σ(e^{+}e^{-}→hadrons)/σ(e^{+}e^{-}→μ^{+}μ^{-}) is measured at 14 center-of-mass energies from 2.2324 to 3.6710 GeV. The resulting uncertainties are less than 3.0% and are dominated by systematic uncertainties.

[Baveno VII - Renewing consensus in portal hypertension: personalized care for portal hypertension]

The Baveno VII workshop held in October 2021 was featured by the subject of personalized care in portal hypertension. The workshop focused on the following 9 topics including: the relevance and indications for measuring the hepatic venous pressure gradient as a gold standard; the use of non-invasive tools for the diagnosis of compensated advanced chronic liver disease and clinically significant portal hypertension; the impact of etiological and of non-etiological therapies in the course of cirrhosis; the prevention of the first episode of decompensation; the management of the acute bleeding episode; the prevention of further decompensation; as well as the diagnosis and management of splanchnic vein thrombosis and other vascular disorders of the liver. This essay provides a compilation and summary of recommendations regarding the abovementioned topics, and presents the most recent research proceedings and the corresponding consensus to our readers.

[Study on surface electromyography characteristics of erector spinae muscles at different spinal anteversion angles of the scrapers]

Objective: To simulate and evaluate the scraping and grinding work of workers with different spinal anteversion angles, and to explore the effects of different anteversion angles on the erector spinae muscles of scrapers. Methods: In November 2019, 16 male college student volunteers were recruited to simulate workers' scraping and grinding work. The parameters were 25°, 15 times/min, 15°, 30 times/min, 5°, 60 times/min respectively. The surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to collect the electromyographic signals of the erector spinae muscles, and the surface electromyographic characteristics of the erector spinae muscles were evaluated with Borg Scale. Results: There were significant differences between the maximum voluntary contraction percentage (MVE%) of the left and right erector spinae muscles groups in the three groups with different spinal anteversion angles (F(left)=13.41, P(left)<0.001; F(right)=4.74, P(right)=0.005) , and the EMG amplitude was higher at 25°, 15 times/min. At 15°, 30 times/min, MVE% of the left side was significantly higher than that of the right side (t=2.58, P=0.021) . There was significant difference in the mean power frequency (MPF) of the right erector spinae muscle in the three groups (F=9.42, P<0.001) , but there was no significant difference in the MPF of the left erector spinae muscle (F=0.30, P=0.823) . The fitting line showed that the left erector spinae muscle showed a downward trend at 5°, 60 times/min (t=-5.39, P=0.012) . Conclusion: Scrapers are less likely to be fatigued when the posture is 15°, 30 times/min, but they are more likely to be fatigued when working at 5°, 60 times/min.

First Measurement of Polarizations in the Decay D^{0}→ωφ

Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93  fb^{-1} collected at a center-of-mass energy sqrt[s]=3.773  GeV by the BESIII detector, the decay D^{0}→ωϕ is observed for the first time. The branching fraction is measured to be (6.48±0.96±0.40)×10^{-4} with a significance of 6.3σ, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. An angular analysis reveals that the ϕ and ω mesons from the D^{0}→ωϕ decay are transversely polarized. The 95% confidence level upper limit on longitudinal polarization fraction is set to be less than 0.24, which is inconsistent with current theoretical expectations and challenges our understanding of the underlying dynamics in charm meson decays.

[Comparison of hip offset and rotation center reconstruction between robot-assisted and manual total hip arthroplasty]

Objective: To compare the differences of hip offset and rotation center reconstruction between robot-assisted and manual total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods: Patients underwent robot-assisted and manual THA from May to September of 2020 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were enrolled in this study. The patients included 27 patients (28 hips) in robot-assisted THA (rTHA) group and 29 patients (31 hips) in manual THA (mTHA) group. In rTHA group, there were 16 males and 11 females, with a mean age of (59±13) years. In mTHA group, there were 18 males and 11 females, with a mean age of (63±14) years. Basic information, including gender, age, body mass index (BMI), diagnosis and functional scoring etc, were recorded. In rTHA group, Mako robot system was used for preoperative planning, intraoperative real-time location and navigation. In mTHA group, traditional preoperative template design and surgical procedure were carried out. Operation time and functional scoring were compared postoperatively. Femoral offset, acetabular offset, global offset, rotation center changes in vertical and horizontal directions were measured on pelvis X-ray and analyzed. The correlation between intraoperative feedback of global offset change in robot system and postoperative measured global offset were analyzed. Results: Operation time in rTHA group was (80±10) min, which was statistically longer than that in mTHA group ((58±18) min, P<0.001). With 6 months' follow-up, the Harris scoring in rTHA group was 94.9±2.8, which was statistically higher than that in mTHA group (93.1±2.8, P=0.017), however there was no statistic difference in WOMAC scoring between rTHA and mTHA group (7.0±3.8 vs 7.1±2.4, P=0.840). Absolute global offset change within 5 mm, 5-10 mm and lager than 10 mm were 71.4%(20/28), 28.6%(8/28) and 0 in rTHA group, which were 45.2%(14/31), 29.0%(9/31) and 25.8%(8/31) in mTHA group (all P<0.05). A positive relation was found between intraoperative feedback of global offset change in robot system and postoperative measured global offset in rTHA group (r=0.77, P<0.001). It was found that rotation center changes concentrated in outer upper quadrant in both groups, and rotation center change in rTHA group concentrated mainly in the area less than 10 mm, however, rotation center change in mTHA group was more dispersive compared with rTHA group. Conclusion: rTHA may accurately reconstruct hip offset and rotation center, intraoperation feedback of global offset change may be an effective reference.

[Effects of regional citrate anticoagulation in continuous veno-venous hemofiltration of severe burn patients]

Objective: To investigate the effects of regional citrate anticoagulation in continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) of severe burn patients. Methods: A retrospective non-randomized controlled study was conducted. From January 2017 to August 2020, sixty-eight severe burn patients who met the inclusion criteria were treated with CVVH in Affiliated Hospital of Nankai University. According to the different methods of blood anticoagulation in CVVH treatment, patients were divided into citrate group (n=40) and heparin group (n=28). In the citrate group, 32 males and 8 females were (40±18) years old with total burn area of (62±14)% total body surface area (TBSA); in the heparin group, 22 males and 6 females were (38±16) years old with total burn area of (57±20)%TBSA. Creatinine level, C-reactive protein (CRP) value, and urea nitrogen level in serum of patients were recorded at 0 (immediately), 48, and 96 h after CVVH treatment in 2 groups, urea clearance index was calculated based on urea nitrogen level at 0, 48, and 96 h after CVVH treatment in 2 groups, platelet count (PLT), prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in total coagulation of patients were recorded. The frequency of forced hemofiltration termination caused by adverse reactions such as severe hypocalcemia, aggravated wound bleeding, and new bleeding on non-wound surface of patients was recorded within 96 h of CVVH treatment. The duration of daily CVVH use from the beginning to the end was recorded. Data were statistically analyzed with chi-square test, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, independent samples t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: There were no significant differences in urea nitrogen level, creatinine level, and CRP value in serum of patients between 2 groups at 0 h after treatment (P>0.05). At 48 and 96 h after treatment, urea nitrogen level, creatinine level, and CRP value in serum of patients in citrate group were significantly lower than those in heparin group (t=3.366, -2.315, 2.942, -2.657, 2.011, -2.441, P<0.05), and urea clearance index of patients in citrate group was significantly higher than that in heparin group (t=1.017, 2.233, P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in PLT, PT, and APTT of patients between 2 groups at 0 h after treatment (P>0.05). At 48 and 96 h, PLT of patients in citrate group was significantly higher than that in heparin group (t=-3.417, -4.143, P<0.05 or P<0.01), PT of patients in citrate group was significantly shorter than that in heparin group (t=2.760, -3.655, P<0.01), APTT of patients in citrate group was significantly shorter than that in heparin group (t=3.719, 5.146, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Within 96 h of treatment, there was 1 case of hypocalcemia and 1 case of aggravated wound bleeding resulting in forced hemofiltration termination in citrate group, but there was no new bleeding on non-wound surface; in heparin group, there was no hypocalcemia, but 7 cases of aggravated wound bleeding and 2 cases of new bleeding on non-wound surface (both at the tracheotomy site) resulting in forced hemofiltration termination. The use time of blood purification filter of patients in citrate group was (11.7±4.8) h, obviously longer than (6.6±2.5) h in heparin group (t=3.310, P<0.01). Conclusions: The use of regional citrate anticoagulation in CVVH treatment of severe burn patients has the advantages including little effect on coagulation function and high safety, can effectively prolong the use time of filter and improve the therapeutic effect, but this conclusion still needs to be further verified in clinical application.

[Clinical effects of transplantation of turbocharged bipedicle deep inferior epigastric perforator flap in breast reconstruction]

Objective: To explore the clinical effects of transplantation of turbocharged bipedicle deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap in breast reconstruction. Methods: A retrospective observational study was used. From December 2008 to December 2016, 24 patients who met the inclusion criteria were treated in the Department of Plastic Surgery of Hunan Cancer Hospital, all patients were female, aged 28-51 (36.5±1.6) years. All cases received turbocharged bipedicle DIEP flap for two-staged breast reconstruction. According to the patterns of turbocharged vessels anastomosis, the turbocharged bipedicle DIEP flaps with length of (27.5±0.3) cm and width of (12.8±1.4) cm, were divided into three types: distal end of pedicle anastomosis type, main branch of pedicle anastomosis type, and muscular branch of pedicle anastomosis type. After complete hemostasis in the donor region, the anterior sheath was repaired with intermittent suture, and umbilical reconstruction was completed. Two negative pressure drainage tubes were indwelled, and subcutaneous tissue and skin were sutured layer by layer. The specific ways of vascular anastomosis of the flap pedicle with the internal thoracic vessels of recipient site included anastomosing the proximal end of one artery and one vein, anastomosing the proximal and distal end of one artery and one vein, and anastomosing the proximal end of one artery and two veins. Postoperatively, the survival and blood supply of flaps were observed. The patients were followed up to observe the reconstructed breast shape satisfaction, donor site complications, abdominal wall function, and scar hyperplasia. Results: All turbocharged bipedicle DIEP flaps for two-staged breast reconstruction survived well, with good blood supply. During follow-up for 14 to 56 (20±6) months, the shape of reconstructed breasts was satisfied. Only linear scar was left in the donor sites of abdomen with no complications, and the function of abdominal wall was not affected. Conclusions: For patients with clear indications, transplantation of free turbocharged bipedicle DIEP flap is a safe, reliable, and satisfactory choice for breast reconstruction with autologous tissue.

[Prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infections in freshwater fish in mainland China: A meta-analysis]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the real prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infections in the freshwater fish in mainland China, so as to provide insights into clonorchiasis control and detection of freshwater fish.

METHODS

All literatures reporting the prevalence of C. sinensis infections in the freshwater fish, the second intermediate host of the parasite, were jointly retrieved in Chinese and English electronic databases from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2020, including Wanfang Data, CNKI, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library. All studies were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality of all enrolled literatures was evaluated. The pooled prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using the software Stata version 15.0, and subgroup analyses were performed to investigate the region-, season- and sample source-specific pooled prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish. In addition, the sensitivity and publication bias of all included studies were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 40 eligible literatures were included in this study, including 37 Chinese literatures and 3 English literatures, and there were 10 high-quality literatures, 27 moderate-quality literatures and 3 low-quality literatures. A total of 53 species containing 37 959 freshwater fish were reported in these 40 studies, and 73.58% (39/53) of freshwater fish species were identified with C. sinensis infections. Meta-analysis showed 23.5% [95% CI: (0.19, 0.28)] pooled prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish in mainland China, and subgroup analyses higher prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish in northeastern China [35.7%, 95% CI: (0.22, 0.50)] than in central [25.9%, 95% CI: (0.04, 0.48)] and southern China [20.6%, 95% CI: (0.09, 0.32)], higher prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish sampled in spring [44.1%, 95% CI: (0.35, 0.53)] than in autumn [6.7%, 95% CI: (0.05, 0.08)] and summer [3.3%, 95% CI: (-0.01, 0.07)], and higher prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish sampled from natural water [25.2%, 95% CI: (0.17, 0.33)] than from retail trades [22.2%, 95% CI: (0.17, 0.28)] and breeding chain [12.3%, 95% CI: (0.03, 0.22)]. However, all included studies had a publication bias with a low sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of C. sinensis infections is high in freshwater fish in mainland China, and there are still challenges for clonorchiasis control. Reinforcement of health education, diagnostics development and food safety supervision is recommended in future clonorchiasis control programs.

Impact of drinking water supplemented 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyric acid in combination with acidifier on performance, intestinal development, and microflora in broilers

In addition to offering methionine, 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyric acid (HMTBa) is also an organic acid and shows excellent bacteriostasis. Therefore, 3 experiments were conducted to determine the influence of drinking water supplemented HMTBa in combination with acidifier on performance, intestinal development, and microflora in broilers. The addition of different concentration (0.02–0.20%) of the blend of HMTBa and other acids significantly reduced the pH of water and exerted antimicrobial activity in dose-dependent manner in vitro. The outcomes from animal trial consisting of the drinking water with blended acidifier at 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20% indicated that the water with 0.15 or 0.20% acidifier resulted in linear and quadratic higher body weight at 42 d, gain and water consumption during 1 to 42 d (P < 0.05). In experiment 3, responding to graded blended acidifier in drinking water, birds receiving 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20% acidifier decreased the internal pH of gastrointestinal tract and muscle, and exhibited increased duodenal weight, length, villus high, and the ratio of villus high to crypt depth. Drinking water with 0.2% blended acidifier increased the abundance of probiotics (Bacteroidaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lachnospiraceae) and decreased the account of pathogenic bacteria such as Desulfovibrionaceae. Alternations in gut microflora were closely related to the metabolism of carbohydrate, amino acid, and vitamins. These findings, therefore, suggest that drinking water with 0.10 to 0.13% the combination HMTBa with acidifier might benefit to intestinal development and gut microbiota, and the subsequent produce a positive effect on the performance of broilers.

[Effects and mechanisms of allogeneic epidermal stem cells on the survival of allogeneic full-thickness skin grafts in nude mice with full-thickness skin defect wounds]

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of allogeneic epidermal stem cells (ESCs) on the survival of allogeneic full-thickness skin grafts in nude mice with full-thickness skin defect wounds. Methods: Experimental research methods were applied. Primary ESCs that appeared paving stone-like after being cultured for 7 d were obtained by enzymatic digestion method from one 4-week-old male BALB/c-NU nude mouse (the same strain, age, and sex below). The cells of third passage were identified by flow cytometry to positively express ESC marker CD44 and negatively express CD45, meanwhile, the positive expression of ESC markers of p63 and integrin 6α, and negative expression of CD71 were identified by immunofluorescence method. The ESCs of third passage in the logarithmic growth phase were used for the following experiments. Twenty-six nude mice were equally divided into phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group and ESCs group according to the random number table. A full-thickness skin defect wound was made on the back of each nude mouse, and then the wounds of the two groups were sprayed with equal volumes of PBS and ESCs, respectively. The wounds were transplanted with full-thickness skin grafts cut from the backs of 4 other nude mice. Each ten nude mice from the two groups were selected, the wound healing and skin survival on post surgery day (PSD) 0 (immediately), 3, 7, 14, and 21 were observed, and the survival ratio and shrinkage rate of skin grafts on PSD 3, 7, 14, and 21 were calculated (the number of sample was the number of surviving skin grafts at each time point); the blood perfusion in the skin grafts on PSD 3, 7, and 14 was detected by the laser speckle blood flow imager, and the blood flow ratio of nude mice skin grafts in ESCs group to PBS group at each time point was calculated (the number of sample was the pair number of surviving skin grafts in group pairing at each time point). The skin graft tissue of each 3 nude mice remained in the two groups were collected on PSD 7, and the mRNA expressions and protein expressions of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 8 (IL-8), IL-10, type Ⅰ collagen, type Ⅲ collagen, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in the tissue were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Data were statistically analyzed with Log-rank test, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, one-way analysis of variance, independent sample t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: Taking the condition on PSD 0 as a reference, the wounds of nude mice in the two groups healed gradually on PSD 3, 7, 14, and 21, and the shrinkage of skin grafts was gradually obvious. Among them, the shrinkage healing of wound of nude mice in PBS group was more significant than that in ESCs group. On PSD 3, the skin graft of 1 nude mouse failed in ESCs group, while the skin graft of 3 nude mice failed in PBS group. On PSD 7, the skin graft of another nude mouse failed in PBS group. The survival ratio of skin grafts of nude mice in the two groups was similar on PSD 3, 7, 14, and 21 (P>0.05). On PSD 3, 7, 14, and 21, the shrinkage rates of skin grafts of nude mice in ESCs group were (9.2±0.4)%, (19.7±1.2)%, (53.6±3.5)%, and (62.2±5.1)%, respectively, which was significantly lower than (11.0±0.9)%, (47.8±2.8)%, (86.1±7.1)%, and (89.7±9.0)% in PBS group (t=5.719, 26.650, 11.940, 7.617, P<0.01). On PSD 3, 7, and 14, blood perfusion signals were observed in the skin grafts of nude mice in the two groups. The average blood perfusion ratios of the skin grafts of nude mice in ESCs group to PBS group were greater than 1, and there was no statistically significant difference in the overall comparison of 3 time points (P>0.05). On PSD 7, compared with those of PBS group, the mRNA and protein expressions of TNF-α, IL-8, type Ⅰ collagen, and type Ⅲ collagen in the skin graft tissue of nude mice in ESCs group were significantly reduced, while the mRNA and protein expressions of IL-10 and MMP-9 in the skin graft tissue of nude mice in ESCs group were significantly increased (in mRNA comparison, t=2.823, 2.934, 2.845, 2.860, 3.877, 2.916, P<0.05). Conclusions: Allogeneic ESCs can reduce the shrinkage of allogeneic full-thickness skin grafts transplanted on full-thickness skin defect wounds in nude mice, promote the formation of new blood vessels between the skin graft and the wound, reduce inflammation and collagen protein expression, and promote the expression of MMP-9, thus improving the survival quality of skin grafts.

[A case of subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord caused by inhaling laughing gas]

Laughing gas (Nitrogen monoxide) is currently abused due to its low price and easy availability. This article discussed the clinical manifestations of a patient with subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord caused by inhalation of laughing gas. The patient developed numbness of extremities, unstable walking, and decreased serum vitamin B(12) level. MRI of the cervical spine showed abnormal signals in the lateral and posterior cords of the cervical spinal cord (C2-6) , neuroelectrophysiological examination showed peripheral nerve damage in the extremities. After treatment with vitamin B(12) supplementation, the patient's condition gradually improved. Clinicians diagnose subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord, especially when the patient has no gastrointestinal disease, diet, malnutrition, etc., they need to carefully inquire about the history of nitrous oxide inhalation to avoid missed diagnosis.

Measurement of the Absolute Branching Fraction of D_{s}^{+}→τ^{+}ν_{τ} via τ^{+}→e^{+}ν_{e}ν[over ¯]_{τ}

Using a dataset of 6.32  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} annihilation data collected with the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies between 4178 and 4226 MeV, we have measured the absolute branching fraction of the leptonic decay D_{s}^{+}→τ^{+}ν_{τ} via τ^{+}→e^{+}ν_{e}ν[over ¯]_{τ}, and find B_{D_{s}^{+}→τ^{+}ν_{τ}}=(5.27±0.10±0.12)×10^{-2}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The precision is improved by a factor of 2 compared to the previous best measurement. Combining with f_{D_{s}^{+}} from lattice quantum chromodynamics calculations or the |V_{cs}| from the CKMfitter group, we extract |V_{cs}|=0.978±0.009±0.012 and f_{D_{s}^{+}}=(251.1±2.4±3.0)  MeV, respectively. Combining our result with the world averages of B_{D_{s}^{+}→τ^{+}ν_{τ}} and B_{D_{s}^{+}→μ^{+}ν_{μ}}, we obtain the ratio of the branching fractions B_{D_{s}^{+}→τ^{+}ν_{τ}}/B_{D_{s}^{+}→μ^{+}ν_{μ}}=9.72±0.37, which is consistent with the standard model prediction of lepton flavor universality.

Dietary supplementation of betaine promotes lipolysis by regulating fatty acid metabolism in geese

Supplementation of betaine in the diet appears to regulate fatty acid metabolism and decrease fat deposition. This study aims to identify the effects of dietary supplementation of betaine on zootechnical performance, fatty acid synthesis, abdominal fat deposition, and morphology. Three hundred healthy, male, one-day-old Jiangnan White geese of similar body weight were randomly divided into 5 groups, with 6 replicates per treatment and 10 geese per replicate, and given the following amounts of supplementary betaine: 0 (group A), 600 mg/kg (group B), 1,200 mg/kg (group C), 1,800 mg/kg (group D), or 2,400 mg/kg (group E). Feed intake (FI), body weight (BW), abdominal fat and sebum thickness, clinical blood parameters, hepatic enzyme activity, and abdominal fat morphology were monitored during the experiment. All geese had free access to feed and water throughout the study. Our results indicate that supplementation of betaine increased zootechnical performance at 21 and 42 d of age. The percentage of abdominal fat and sebum thickness of geese at 63 d of age decreased linearly with the addition of betaine (P < 0.05). The triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TCHOL) content of serum decreased with the increased level of betaine when measured at 63 d of age (P<0.05). Hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) increased with the level of betaine (P<0.05). However, dietary betaine appeared to decrease the activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS) in the geese at 42 d and 63 d of age (P<0.05). The percentage of total area of lipid droplet decreased with the increased level of betaine supplementation. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of betaine increased lipolysis and decreased fat deposition in the finishing period of geese via reducing feed intake. However, the precise mode-of-action is yet unclear and warrants further research.

Observation of D^{0}→K_{1}(1270)^{-}e^{+}ν_{e}

Using 2.93  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collision data taken with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV, the observation of the D^{0}→K_{1}(1270)^{-}e^{+}ν_{e} semileptonic decay is presented. The statistical significance of the decay D^{0}→K_{1}(1270)^{-}e^{+}ν_{e} is greater than 10σ. The branching fraction of D^{0}→K_{1}(1270)^{-}e^{+}ν_{e} is measured to be (1.09±0.13_{-0.16}^{+0.09}±0.12)×10^{-3}. Here, the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third originates from the assumed branching fraction of K_{1}(1270)^{-}→K^{-}π^{+}π^{-}. The fraction of longitudinal polarization in D^{0}→K_{1}(1270)^{-}e^{+}ν_{e} is determined for the first time to be 0.50±0.19_{stat}±0.08_{syst}.

Protective effects of lycopene on mitochondrial oxidative injury and dysfunction in the liver of aflatoxin B1-exposed broilers

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of lycopene (LYC) on mitochondrial oxidative injury and dysfunction in the liver of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁)-exposed broilers. A total of 192 healthy 1-day-old male broilers were randomly divided into 3 groups with 8 replicates of 8 birds each. Birds in the 3 groups were fed basal diet (control), basal diet with 100 µg/kg AFB₁, and basal diet with 100 µg/kg AFB₁ and 200 mg/kg LYC, respectively. The experiment lasted 42 d. The results showed that AFB₁ decreased average daily body weight gain (ADG), average daily feed intake, and gain to feed ratio (G :F) compared to the control group, the LYC supplementation increased ADG and G/F compared to AFB₁ group (P < 0.05). Broilers in the AFB₁ group had lower mitochondrial glutathione (mGSH) concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), and thioredoxin reductase activities, and higher hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations than the control group (P < 0.05). The LYC increased mGSH concentration and GSH-Px and MnSOD activities, and decreased H₂O₂ and ROS concentrations compared to AFB₁ group (P < 0.05). Broilers fed the AFB₁ diet showed increased mitochondrial swelling and decreased adenosine triphosphate concentration than the control group, and LYC had opposite effects (P < 0.05). The AFB₁ decreased the activities of mitochondrial electron transfer chain (ETC) complexes I, II, III, and V, downregulated the mRNA expression levels of hepatic MnSOD, thioredoxin 2, thioredoxin reductase, peroxiredoxin-3, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A compared with the control group (P < 0.05), and LYC increased activities of mitochondrial ETC complexes III and V, and upregulated mRNA expression levels of these genes in comparison to AFB₁ group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the LYC protected broilers from AFB₁-induced liver mitochondrial oxidative injury and dysfunction by stimulating mitochondrial antioxidant capacity and maintaining mitochondrial biogenesis.

First Measurement of the Absolute Branching Fraction of Λ→pμ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ}

The absolute branching fraction of Λ→pμ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} is reported for the first time based on an e^{+}e^{-} annihilation sample of 10×10^{9}  J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector at sqrt[s]=3.097  GeV. The branching fraction is determined to be B(Λ→pμ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ})=[1.48±0.21(stat)±0.08(syst)]×10^{-4}, which is improved by about 30% in precision over the previous indirect measurements. Combining this result with the world average of B(Λ→pe^{-}ν[over ¯]_{e}), we obtain the ratio {[Γ(Λ→pμ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ})]/[Γ(Λ→pe^{-}ν[over ¯]_{e})]} to be 0.178±0.028, which agrees with the standard model prediction assuming lepton flavor universality. The asymmetry of the branching fractions of Λ→pμ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} and Λ[over ¯]→p[over ¯]μ^{+}ν_{μ} is also determined, and no evidence for CP violation is found.

Direct Measurement of the Branching Fractions B(ψ(3686)→J/ψX) and B(ψ(3770)→J/ψX), and Observation of the State R(3760) in e^{+}e^{-}→J/ψX

We report a measurement of the observed cross sections of e^{+}e^{-}→J/ψX based on 3.21  fb^{-1} of data accumulated at energies from 3.645 to 3.891 GeV with the BESIII detector operated at the BEPCII collider. In analysis of the cross sections, we measured the decay branching fractions of B(ψ(3686)→J/ψX)=(64.4±0.6±1.6)% and B(ψ(3770)→J/ψX)=(0.5±0.2±0.1)% for the first time. The energy-dependent line shape of these cross sections cannot be well described by two Breit-Wigner (BW) amplitudes of the expected decays ψ(3686)→J/ψX and ψ(3770)→J/ψX. Instead, it can be better described with one more BW amplitude of the decay R(3760)→J/ψX. Under this assumption, we extracted the R(3760) mass M_{R(3760)}=3766.2±3.8±0.4  MeV/c^{2} , total width Γ_{R(3760)}^{tot}=22.2±5.9±1.4  MeV, and product of leptonic width and decay branching fraction Γ_{R(3760)}^{ee}B[R(3760)→J/ψX]=(79.4±85.5±11.7)  eV. The significance of the R(3760) is 5.3σ. The first uncertainties of these measured quantities are from fits to the cross sections and second systematic.

[Employment, turnover intention and the associated factors among public health graduates in China]

Objective: To understand the employment situation of graduates of public health-related majors and explore the associated factors of turnover intention among public health practitioners in China. Methods: In April 2020, the convenient sampling method was used to recruit public health related graduates from 98 universities with public health-related majors from 31 provinces in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (only including working or unemployed status, no requirement for graduation years). A total of 1 322 questionnaires were collected, of which 1 165 (88.1%) were valid. Through the network questionnaire survey, the information of public health graduates' work situation, job satisfaction and turnover intention were collected. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the associated factors of turnover intention, and structural equation model was constructed to explore the correlation between turnover intention and job satisfaction. Results: The age of 1 165 graduates was (28.1±4.8) years. Among them, 719 (61.7%) were female and 856 (73.5%) graduates were engaged in public health-related work after graduation. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with those over 30 years old, graduates under 30 years old had higher turnover intention (OR=2.531, 95%CI: 1.549-4.155). Compared with those with junior or no title, graduates with senior title had higher turnover intention (OR=2.310, 95%CI: 1.047-5.162). The results of structural equation model analysis showed that the four factors of job satisfaction, 'salary and welfare', 'promotion development', 'work itself', and 'internal and external environment', were negatively correlated with turnover intention. The internal and external environment had the greatest impact on turnover intention (total effect =-0.539). Conclusion: Most graduates of public health-related majors are engaged in public health-related work in China. Age, professional title and job satisfaction are the associated factors of turnover intention.

Urinary biomarkers of early renal injury in antiretroviral-naïve HIV-positive persons in Shanghai, China: comparison with the general population

Objectives

People living with HIV (PLWH) have a high risk of kidney injury. Measurement of serum creatinine, along with proteinuria, is not sensitive to detect early kidney injury. Here, we investigated novel urinary biomarkers of early renal injury in PLWH.

Methods

We performed a cross‐sectional study of 166 antiretroviral‐naïve PLWH and 99 HIV‐negative persons who all had an estimated glomerular filtration rate > 90 mL/min/1.73 m². We compared the levels of seven urinary biomarkers between the two groups using the propensity score matching (PSM) approach and explored the risk factors associated with elevated urinary biomarkers in PLWH.

Results

Eighty‐three pairs were successfully matched based on PSM. Compared with the HIV‐negative group, the HIV‐positive group had higher ratios of N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (NAG) to urine creatinine (UCr), alpha1‐microglobulin (α1‐M) to UCr, kidney injury marker‐1 (KIM‐1) to UCr, neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin to UCr, and epidermal growth factor to UCr, whereas the Tamm–Horsfall protein to UCr ratio and the abnormal albumin to UCr ratio were not significantly different. Positive correlations were observed between HIV RNA level and NAG: UCr (r_s = 0.32; P < 0.001) and α1‐M:UCr (r_s = 0.24; P = 0.002) ratios, and negative correlations were observed between CD4 cell count and NAG:UCr (r_s = –0.34; P < 0.001), KIM‐1:UCr (r_s = –0.16; P = 0.042) and α1‐M:UCr (r_s = –0.36; P < 0.001) ratios. In multivariate linear regression analyses, older age, lower total cholesterol and higher HIV RNA were independently associated with higher NAG:UCr; older age, lower total cholesterol and lower CD4 cell count were independently associated with higher α1‐M:UCr.

Conclusions

In comparioson with HIV‐negative participants, PLWH were more likely to have tubular injury. Early antiretroviral treatment might mitigate the development of kidney injury.

[Occurrence and prediction on post-contrast acute kidney injury following endovascular interventions]

Objective: To investigate the incidence, risk factors and prognosis of post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) and to evaluate the usefulness of serum cystatin C (sCysC) and serum creatinine (sCr) for the prediction of PC-AKI after endovascular interventions. Methods: The clinical data of 404 patients who underwent endovascular procedures from August 2014 to October 2018 in the Sixth People's Hospital South Campus, Shanghai Jiao Tong University were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received 0.9% sodium chloride through an angiographic catheter during the procedure. Patients with an estimated GFR (eGFR)<60 ml/(min·1.73m²) received a continuous intravenous hydration with isotonic saline from 6 hours before to 12 hours after an endovascular procedure. The level of sCr, eGFR and sCysC were measured at 1-2 days pre-procedure and at 48, 72 h, and 7 days post-procedure. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors of PC-AKI. A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the usefulness of various factors for the prediction of PC-AKI. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Results: Thirteen patients (3.2%) developed PC-AKI. All patients were divided into PC-AKI group and no PC-AKI group for statistical comparison. Wilcoxon signed rank sum test revealed that sCr levels at 7 days post-procedure [63.0 (56.0, 74.0) μmol/L] were significantly lower than pre-procedure sCr levels [65.6 (56.2, 77.0) μmol/L] in patients without PC-AKI (P<0.05). Meanwhile, eGFR levels were significantly higher at 72 h [114.9 (96.3, 135.0) ml/(min·1.73m²)] and 7 days [116.7 (98.5, 139.9) ml/(min·1.73m²)] post-procedure than eGFR levels before endovascular procedures [112.3 (94.1, 133.5) ml/(min·1.73m²)] in patients without PC-AKI (P<0.05). However, there was an increase in sCysC at 48 h [0.9 (0.8, 1.1) mg/L] after endovascular procedures than pre-operative sCysC [0.9 (0.8, 1.1) mg/L] in patients without PC-AKI (P<0.05). SCr, sCysC, levels were significantly increased at 48 h [108.0 (95.3, 125.0) μmol/L, 1.5 (1.2, 2.0) mg/L] and 72 h [123.4 (91.3, 143.0) μmol/L, 1.6 (1.1, 2.0) mg/L] post-procedure than SCr, sCysC, levels before endovascular procedures [81.6 (63.1, 111.0) μmol/L, 1.1 (1.0,1.7) mg/L] and eGFR levels were significantly decreased at 48 h [55.8 (48.9, 77.6) ml/(min·1.73m²)] and 72 h [52.7 (47.7, 63.9) ml/(min·1.73m²)] after endovascular procedures than eGFR levels before exposure to CM [88.8 (65.6, 100.7) ml/(min·1.73m²)] in patients with PC-AKI (P<0.05). SCr, sCysC and eGFR in PC-AKI group tended to levels before an endovascular procedure within 7 days. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that preoperative sCysC and sCr levels had high discriminatory power for evaluating the risk of PC-AKI after an endovascular procedure. ROC analysis showed that sCysC before endovascular procedures was useful to predict the risk of PC-AKI with a satisfactory sensitivity of 69.2% (9/13), specificity of 77.5% (300/387), positive predictive value (PPV) of 9.3% (9/96) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98.7% (300/304). The incidence of PC-AKI was low in patients with a pre-procedure sCysC<1.09 mg/L. The sCr was predictive of PC-AKI with a satisfactory sensitivity of 69.2% (9/13), specificity of 76.7% (300/391), PPV of 9.0% (9/100) and NPV of 98.7% (300/304). The incidence of PC-AKI was low in patients with a pre-procedure sCr<77.6 μmol/L. Results of univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that sCysC before endovascular procedures was an risk factor for PC-AKI (OR=13.917, 95%CI:1.666-116.237, P=0.015). The one-year, three-year and five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with PC-AKI was 50%, 30% and 30% respectively. The median survival time was 6 (0-26) months. Conclusions: The sCysC before endovascular procedures is an independent risk factor of PC-AKI. SCysC and SCr before an endovascular procedure with a cut-off value of 1.09 mg/L and 77.6 μmol/L may help to rule out patients at lower risk of PC-AKI.

Observation of a Near-Threshold Structure in the K^{+} Recoil-Mass Spectra in e^{+}e^{-}→K^{+}(D_{s}^{-}D^{*0}+D_{s}^{*-}D^{0})

We report a study of the processes of e^{+}e^{-}→K^{+}D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and K^{+}D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} based on e^{+}e^{-} annihilation samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at BEPCII at five center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.628 to 4.698 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 3.7  fb^{-1}. An excess of events over the known contributions of the conventional charmed mesons is observed near the D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} mass thresholds in the K^{+} recoil-mass spectrum for events collected at sqrt[s]=4.681  GeV. The structure matches a mass-dependent-width Breit-Wigner line shape, whose pole mass and width are determined as (3982.5_{-2.6}^{+1.8}±2.1)  MeV/c^{2} and (12.8_{-4.4}^{+5.3}±3.0)  MeV, respectively. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The significance of the resonance hypothesis is estimated to be 5.3  σ over the contributions only from the conventional charmed mesons. This is the first candidate for a charged hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness, decaying into D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0}. However, the properties of the excess need further exploration with more statistics.

Model-Independent Determination of the Spin of the Ω^{-} and Its Polarization Alignment in ψ(3686)→Ω^{-}Ω[over ¯]^{+}

We present an analysis of the process ψ(3686)→Ω^{-}Ω[over ¯]^{+} (Ω^{-}→K^{-}Λ, Ω[over ¯]^{+}→K^{+}Λ[over ¯], Λ→pπ^{-}, Λ[over ¯]→p[over ¯]π^{+}) based on a dataset of 448×10^{6}  ψ(3686) decays collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII electron-positron collider. The helicity amplitudes for the process ψ(3686)→Ω^{-}Ω[over ¯]^{+} and the decay parameters of the subsequent decay Ω^{-}→K^{-}Λ (Ω[over ¯]^{+}→K^{+}Λ[over ¯]) are measured for the first time by a fit to the angular distribution of the complete decay chain, and the spin of the Ω^{-} is determined to be 3/2 for the first time since its discovery more than 50 years ago.