[Optimization of ATG dose in haploid hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematologic malignancies]

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of different doses of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) in haplo-HSCT in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Methods: Malignant hematological patients treated at our hospital from March 2013 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into three groups as per three doses of ATG (6 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg, and 9 mg/kg) in the conditioning regimens. The transplant outcomes were compared in terms of the occurrence of acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) , infection, and survival. Results: ①Total 288 patients were enrolled in the study, including 182 men and 106 women, with a median age of 18 (6-62) years. Total 110 patients were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) , 128 with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) , 8 with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) , 28 with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) , and 14 with mixed cell leukemia (MAL) . There were 159 patients in the ATG-6 group, 72 in the ATG-7.5 group, and 57 in the ATG-9 group. The median follow-up time of post transplantation was 14 (0.2-74) months. ②The incidence of neutrophil engraftment (96.9% , 97.2% , and 96.5% , respectively) and platelet engraftment (92.5% , 87.5% , and 86% , respectively) did not significantly differ among the ATG-6, ATG-7.5, and ATG-9 groups (P=0.972, P=0.276) . The incidence of grades 2-4 acute GVHD was 14.5% , 11.1% , and 8.8% in the three groups, respectively (P=0.493) , chronic GVHD incidence in the three group was 8.8% , 14.3% and 12.0% , respectively (P=0.493) . The infection rates of CMV and EBV in the ATG-9 group (77.2% and 12.5% ) were significantly higher than those in the ATG-6 (43.3% and 3.5% ) , and ATG -7.5 group (44.4% and 1.5% ) (P<0.001 and P=0.033, respectively) . ③Among the three groups, there were no significant difference in the 3-year overall survival [68.5% (95% CI 60.3% -77.9% ) , 60.1% (95% CI 48.3% -74.8% ) , 64.7% (95% CI 51.9% -80.7% ) ], cumulative incidences of relapse [34.6% (95% CI 34.3% -35.1% ) , 38.0% (95% CI 37.3% -38.7% ) , 20.6% (95% CI 20.0% -21.3% ) ], disease-free survival [53.3% (95% CI 44.9% -63.4% ) , 51.9% (95% CI 41% -65.8% ) , 63.9% (95% CI 51.9% -78.7% ) ] and non-relapse mortality [24.2% (95% CI 23.8% -24.5% ) , 26.0% (95% CI 25.4% -26.6% ) , 23.6% (95% CI 26.3% -28.2% ) ] (P=0.648, P=0.165, and P=0.486 and P=0.955) . Conclusion: Low dose (6 mg/kg) of rATG may increase the risk of grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD, and a high dose (9 mg/kg) of ATG could significantly increase the risk of CMV and EBV infection. Median dose (7.5 mg/kg) of ATG is expected to reduce the incidence of moderate to severe aGVHD and viral infections without increasing the mortality.

A Portable Support Attitude Sensing System for Accurate Attitude Estimation of Hydraulic Support Based on Unscented Kalman Filter

To measure the support attitude of hydraulic support, a support attitude sensing system composed of an inertial measurement unit with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) was designed in this study. Yaw angle estimation with magnetometers is disturbed by the perturbed magnetic field generated by coal rock structure and high-power equipment of shearer in automatic coal mining working face. Roll and pitch angles are estimated using the MEMS gyroscope and accelerometer, and the accuracy is not reliable with time. In order to eliminate the measurement error of the sensors and obtain the high-accuracy attitude estimation of the system, an unscented Kalman filter based on quaternion according to the characteristics of complementation of the magnetometer, accelerometer and gyroscope is applied to optimize the solution of sensor data. Then the gradient descent algorithm is used to optimize the key parameter of unscented Kalman filter, namely process noise covariance, to improve the accuracy of attitude calculation. Finally, an experiment and industrial application show that the average measurement error of yaw angle is less than 2° and that of pitch angle and roll angle is less than 1°, which proves the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed system and method.

[Research value of 50 MHz high-frequency ultrasound on sonography of normal facial skin in adult]

Objective: To observe the differences in normal facial skin thickness and echo density by different ages and sites of healthy adults of the same sex using 50 MHz high-frequency ultrasound. Methods: From January to June 2019, 200 healthy adult volunteers with normal facial skin who were from Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Chongqing and met the inclusion criteria were recruited by the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University with simple random sampling method, and then were included in this cross-sectional investigation study. Then 50 MHz high-frequency ultrasound was used to obtain skin ultrasonogram of volunteers' forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek. According to the ages, 100 female volunteers were divided into 20-29 years old (30 females), 30-39 years old (25 females), 40-49 years old (20 females), and 50-70 years old (25 females) groups; 100 male volunteers were divided into 20-29 years old (30 males), 30-39 years old (25 males), 40-49 years old (20 males), and 50-70 years old (25 males) groups. The thickness of full-skin, the upper dermal echo density, and the lower dermal echo density of the female and male volunteers'forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek were recorded respectively. Data were statistically analyzed with one-way analysis of variance, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, least significant difference test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: (1) The thickness of full-thickness skin in forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek of female and male volunteers in 20-29 years old group were (1.86±0.26), (1.36±0.11), (1.24±0.25), and (1.90±0.21) mm, (2.45±0.37), (1.64±0.19), (1.44±0.16), and (2.53±0.26) mm, respectively, in 30-39 years old group were (1.98±0.24), (1.43±0.13), (1.15±0.15), and (2.12±0.13) mm, (2.34±0.27), (1.63±0.27), (1.50±0.38), and (2.43±0.40) mm, respectively, in 40-49 years old group were (1.90±0.21), (1.43±0.18), (1.24±0.27), and (1.98±0.12) mm, (2.14±0.24), (1.54±0.25), (1.28±0.14), and (2.39±0.36) mm, respectively, in 50-70 years old group were (1.64±0.25), (1.36±0.19), (1.16±0.12), and (1.89±0.29) mm, (2.28±0.27), (1.73±0.25), (1.58±0.18), and (2.38±0.32) mm, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between female volunteers in the 4 groups and male volunteers in the 4 groups in thickness of full-thickness skin in canthus, eyelid, and cheek (F=0.677, 0.666, 0.136, 0.697, 0.294, 0.888, P>0.05). The thickness of full-thickness skin in forehead and cheek of the female volunteers in the 4 groups and male volunteers in the 4 groups was similar (P>0.05), and was significantly higher than that of canthus and eyelid (P<0.05). The thickness of full-thickness skin in canthus and eyelid of female volunteers in 20-29 years old, 40-49 years old, and 50-70 years old group was similar (P>0.05), while thickness of full-thickness skin in canthus and eyelid of male volunteers in the 4 groups was similar (P>0.05). (2) The upper dermal echo density of forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek of female volunteers in 50-70 years old group was significantly lower than that in 20-29 years old and 30-39 years old groups (P<0.05). The upper dermal echo density of forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek of male volunteers in 50-70 years old group was significantly lower than that in 20-29 years old group (P<0.05). The upper dermal echo density of forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek of female and male volunteers in 20-29 years old and 30-39 years old groups was similar (P>0.05). The upper dermal echo density of forehead and cheek of female volunteers in 20-29 years old, 40-49 years old, and 50-70 years old groups was significantly lower than that of canthus and eyelid (P<0.05). The echo density of upper dermis of cheek of male volunteers in the 4 groups was significantly lower than that of canthus and eyelid (P<0.05). The upper dermal echo density of canthus and eyelid of female volunteers in the 4 groups and male volunteers in the 4 groups was similar (P>0.05), the upper dermal echo density of forehead and cheek was similar (P>0.05). (3) The lower dermal echo density of forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek of female volunteers in 50-70 years old group was significantly higher than that in 20-29 years old and 30-39 years old groups (P<0.05). The lower dermal echo density of forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek of male volunteers in 50-70 years old group was significantly higher than that in 20-29 years old group (P<0.05). The echo density of the lower dermis of forehead, eyelid, and cheek of female and male volunteers in 20-29 years old, 30-39 years old, and 40-49 years old groups was similar (P>0.05). The lower dermal echo density of forehead and cheek of female volunteers in the 4 groups was significantly lower than that of canthus and eyelid (P<0.05). The lower dermal echo density of forehead and cheek of male volunteers in 30-39 years old, 40-49 years old, and 50-70 years old groups was significantly lower than that of canthus and eyelid (P<0.05). The lower dermal echo density between canthus and eyelid and between forehead and check of female volunteers in the 4 groups and male volunteers in the 4 groups was similar (P>0.05). Conclusions: The 50 MHz high-frequency ultrasonography shows that the thickness of full-thickness skin of canthus, eyelid, and cheek is similar in all age groups of female and male adult volunteers with normal facial skin. In the same age group, the thickness of full-thickness skin of forehead and cheek of male and female volunteers is significantly higher than that of canthus and eyelid. The upper dermal echo density of forehead, canthus, eyelid, and cheek of female and male volunteers shows a decreasing trend with age, while the lower dermal echo density shows an increasing trend with age. In addition, the echo density of upper and lower dermis of canthus and eyelid was significantly higher than that of cheek in all the four age groups.

miR-21 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells through PTEN/PI3K/AKT

OBJECTIVE

Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis by inhibiting phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase (AKT) signaling. High expression of miR-21 was associated with ovarian cancer. This study aims to investigate whether miR-21 regulates PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling as well as its role in the proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Bioinformatics analysis was used to identify the binding site between miR-21 and the 3'-UTR of PTEN mRNA. A dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to confirm the relationship between miR-21 and PTEN. The expression of miR-21, PTEN, and p-AKT was measured in normal ovarian cell IOSE80, ovarian cancer cell lines A2780, and SKOV3. miR-NC or miR-21 inhibitor was transfected into A2780 or SKOV3 cells followed by the analysis of the expression of miR-21, PTEN, p-AKT, cell apoptosis by flow cytometry, and proliferation by EdU assay.

RESULTS

There was a targeted relationship between miR-21 and PTEN. Compared with IOSE80 cell, levels of miR-21 and p-AKT were significantly elevated in A2780 and SKOV3 cells, with the statistical reduction of PTEN expression (p<0.05). The inhibition of miR-21 significantly reduced the expressions of miR-21 and p-AKT and induced PTEN level in A2780 and SKOV3 cells, which also restricted cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The miR-21 expression is found elevated in ovarian cancer cells. The suppression of miR-21 increases PTEN expression, inhibits PI3K/AKT activity, promotes cell apoptosis, and reduces cell proliferation. This finding provides new leads to the future treatment of ovarian cancer.

[Epidemiological characteristics of serum vitamin B(12) and folate levels in women awaiting delivery]

Objectives: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and levels of vitamin B(12) and folate as well as their relationship in women awaiting delivery, in Shaanxi province. Methods: Data were collected from healthy pregnant women who gave birth at six top hospitals in Shaanxi, from January 2014 to December 2016. Blood samples were taken prenatally to determine the levels of vitamin B(12) and folate. Quantile regression model was used to analyze the relationship between the levels of vitamin B(12) and folates in women awaiting delivery. Results: A total of 1 277 women awaiting delivery were included in this study. Among them, the median level of serum vitamin B(12) was 164.7 pg/ml, in women at late pregnancy, with the deficiency rate as 69.6%, while the median level of serum folate was 7.6 ng/ml, with the deficiency rate as 12.1%. 58.4% of these women presented simple vitamin B(12) deficiency and 0.9% with simple folate deficiency. Women living in rural areas showed lower levels of both vitamin B(12) and folate than the women from the urban areas. Both the levels of vitamin B(12) and folate increased with age but were significantly lower in women under the age of 25. Among those with or without folate deficiency, the average difference in the levels of vitamin B(12) was 37.62 pg/ml. Quantile regression models showed that the vitamin B(12) levels in women with folate deficiency were significantly lower than those without, despite the different levels of vitamin B(12). This difference appeared increasing along with the increase of the vitamin B(12) levels. Conclusions: Our data showed that both vitamin B(12) and folate were deficient in women awaiting delivery, in Shaanxi. We suggest that vitamin B(12) should also be added into the folic acid supplementation program, together with the reinforcement on health education program to improve the awareness of nutrient supplementation in rural and young women. Hopefully, these strategies could increase the levels of both vitamin B(12) and folate, in the province.

High-sensitivity nanoscale chemical imaging with hard x-ray nano-XANES

Resolving chemical species at the nanoscale is of paramount importance to many scientific and technological developments across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Hard x-rays with excellent penetration power and high chemical sensitivity are suitable for speciation of heterogeneous (thick) materials. Here, we report nanoscale chemical speciation by combining scanning nanoprobe and fluorescence-yield x-ray absorption near-edge structure (nano-XANES). First, the resolving power of nano-XANES was demonstrated by mapping Fe(0) and Fe(III) states of a reference sample composed of stainless steel and hematite nanoparticles with 50-nm scanning steps. Nano-XANES was then used to study the trace secondary phases in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) particles. We observed individual Fe-phosphide nanoparticles in pristine LFP, whereas partially (de)lithiated particles showed Fe-phosphide nanonetworks. These findings shed light on the contradictory reports on Fe-phosphide morphology in the literature. Nano-XANES bridges the capability gap of spectromicroscopy methods and provides exciting research opportunities across multiple disciplines.

Firm exporting and investment in exploratory and exploitative R&D

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how firms’ internationalization activities through exporting influence their organizational learning. Specifically, this study examines how the level of exporting and geographic market scope impact a firm’s exploratory and exploitative R&D investment differently.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of 7,055 firms in Spain during the period 2006–2011, the study uses regression analysis (generalized least squares random effects) to test various hypotheses.

Findings

Although exporting improves organizational learning, learning opportunities vary for different aspects of exporting. Specifically, the level of a firm’s exporting has a significant positive effect on its exploitative R&D investment, whereas geographic market scope of a firm increases its exploratory R&D investment.

Practical implications

The findings can aid in shaping policies and firms’ decisions pertaining to exporting and exploratory and exploitative R&D investment. As the findings indicate that, the determinants of exploratory and exploitative R&D investment are different, managers and policymakers, who aim at a specific type of R&D investment, should understand which exporting strategy they should pursue.

Originality/value

Prior research suggests that exporting improves organizational learning. This study extends this knowledge by showing that different aspects of exporting, specifically, the level of exporting and geographic market scope, drive different types of organizational learning.

A novel bacteriocin BM1029: physicochemical characterization, antibacterial modes and application

AIM

Bacteriocins with antimicrobial activity are considered as potential natural bio-preservatives to control the growth of food spoilage bacteria. The aim of this work was to characterize a novel bacteriocin BM1029 discovered from Lactobacillus crustorum MN047 and evaluate its antibacterial mechanism.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Bacteriocin BM1029 was purified by cation-exchange chromatography and reversed-phase chromatography. Antibacterial activity assay showed that BM1029 is antagonistic against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, it was found that BM1029 showed low haemolysis with high stability to the pretreatment with different temperatures, pH and surfactants. Moreover electron microscopy and flow cytometry suggested that BM1029 inhibit indicator strains by damaging the cell envelope integrity. Cell cycle assay suggested that BM1029 arrested cell cycle in R-phase.

CONCLUSION

The novel bacteriocin BM1029 showed high bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus through a cell envelope-associated mechanism.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Application of BM1029 inhibited the growth of indicator strains on beef meat storage at 4°C suggesting that this bacteriocin is promising to be used as a novel preservative in food processing and preservation.

Genome-wide Analyses Identify a Novel Risk Locus for Nonsyndromic Cleft Palate

The 3 major subphenotypes observed in patients with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFCs) are nonsyndromic cleft lip only (NSCLO), nonsyndromic cleft lip with palate (NSCLP), and nonsyndromic cleft palate only (NSCPO). However, the genetic architecture underlying NSCPO is largely unknown. Here we performed a 2-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) on NSCPO and replication analyses of selected variants in other NSOFCs from the Chinese Han population. We identified a novel locus (15q24.3) and a known locus (1q32.2) where variants in or near the gene reached genome-wide significance (2.80 × 10^-13 < P < 1.72 × 10^-08) in a test for association with NSCPO in a case-control design. Although a variant from 15q24.3 was found to be significantly associated with both NSCPO and NSCLP, the direction of estimated effects on risk were opposite. Our functional annotation of the risk alleles within 15q24.3 coupled with previously established roles of the candidate genes within identified risk loci in periderm development, embryonic patterning, and/or regulation of cellular processes supports their involvement in palate development and the pathogenesis of cleft palate. Our study advances the understanding of the genetic basis of NSOFCs and provides novel insights into the pathogenesis of NSCPO.

Contribution of single-gene defects to congenital cardiac left-sided lesions in the prenatal setting

OBJECTIVES

To explore the contribution of single-gene defects to the genetic cause of cardiac left-sided lesions (LSLs), and to evaluate the incremental diagnostic yield of whole-exome sequencing (WES) for single-gene defects in fetuses with LSLs without aneuploidy or a pathogenic copy-number variant (pCNV).

METHODS

Between 10 April 2015 and 30 October 2018, we recruited 80 pregnant women diagnosed with a LSL who had termination of pregnancy and genetic testing. Eligible LSLs were aortic valve atresia or stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, mitral atresia or stenosis and hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). CNV sequencing (CNV-seq) and WES were performed sequentially on specimens from these fetuses and their parents. CNV-seq was used to identify aneuploidies and pCNVs, while WES was used to identify diagnostic genetic variants in cases without aneuploidy or pCNV.

RESULTS

Of 80 pregnancies included in the study, 27 (33.8%) had a genetic diagnosis. CNV-seq analysis identified six (7.5%) fetuses with aneuploidy and eight (10.0%) with pCNVs. WES analysis of the remaining 66 cases revealed diagnostic genetic variants in 13 (19.7%) cases, indicating that the diagnostic yield of WES for the entire cohort was 16.3% (13/80). KMT2D was the most frequently mutated gene (7/66 (10.6%)) in fetuses with LSL without aneuploidy or pCNVs, followed by NOTCH1 (4/66 (6.1%)). HLHS was the most prevalent cardiac phenotype (4/7) in cases with a KMT2D mutation in this cohort. An additional six (9.1%) cases were found to have potentially deleterious variants in candidate genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Single-gene defects contribute substantially to the genetic etiology of fetal LSLs. KMT2D mutations accounted for approximately 10% of LSLs in our fetal cohort. WES has the potential to provide genetic diagnoses in fetuses with LSLs without aneuploidy or pCNVs. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Analysis of chloroquine-resistant gene polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum imported into China in 2012 and 2018]

OBJECTIVE

To detect the chloroquine-resistant molecular marker polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum imported into China, investigate the mutation types of P. falciparum chloroquine resistant transporter (Pfcrt) gene at positions 72 to 76, and analyze the specificity of the P. falciparum specimens with different origins.

METHODS

A total of 674 filter paper blood samples were collected from the National Malaria Diagnosis Reference Laboratory of China in 2012 and 2018. The amino acid po- sitions 72 to 76 of the Pfcrt gene on chromosome 7 were amplified using nested PCR assay and sequenced, and the sequencing results of the target gene fragment and the geographical region-specific prevalence of the mutations in the Pfcrt gene were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among the 674 imported P. falciparum malaria cases in China in 2012 and 2018, 99.5% (644/674) were from Africa, which were predominantly from western and central Africa (80.4%, 518/644), and 4.5% (30/674) from Southeast Asia and Oceania (Papua New Guinea). A total of 4 site mutations (C72S, M74I, N75E and K76T) and 5 haplotypes (CVMNK, CVIET and SVMNT and two mixed types) were identified, with haplotypes CVMNK and CVIET present in parasites of both African and Southeast Asian origins, SVMNT detected in Southeast Asia (Myanmar) and Papua New Guinea isolates, the mixed type of haplo- types CVMNK/CVIET detected in P. falciparum of African and Southeast Asian origins, and the mixed type of haplotypes CVMNK/SVMNT detected only in the Myanmar isolate. Most P. falciparum parasites of the African origin carried the wild-type Pfcrt allele (77.7%, 478/615), and 68.0% (17/25) of the P. falciparum parasites of the Southeast Asian and Papua New Guinea or- igins harbored chloroquine resistant molecular markers (χ² = 28.5, P < 0.05). The constituent ratio of the wild- and mutant-type Pfcrt allele varied in different geographical regions of Africa (P < 0.01), and the lowest prevalence of the wild-type Pfcrt allele was seen in western Africa.

CONCLUSIONS

Among the 674 imported malaria cases in China in 2012 and 2018, the P. falciparum imported from Sotheast Asia habors a higher proportion of resistance to chloroquine and a higher molecular polymophism at ami- no acid positions 72 to 76 of the Pfcrt gene than the parasite of the African origin.

Multiple-centre clinical evaluation of an ultrafast single-tube assay for SARS-CoV-2 RNA

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the performance of an ultrafast single-tube nucleic acid isothermal amplification detection assay for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA using clinical samples from multiple centres.

METHODS

A reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) assay for SARS-CoV-2 was conducted within 15 minutes at 39°C with portable instruments after addition of extracted RNA. The clinical performance of RT-RAA assay was evaluated using 947 clinical samples from five institutions in four regions of China; approved commercial fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) kits were used for parallel detection. The sensitivity and specificity of RT-RAA were compared and analysed.

RESULTS

The RT-RAA test results of 926 samples were consistent with those of qRT-PCR (330 were positive, 596 negative); 21 results were inconsistent. The sensitivity and specificity of RT-RAA was 97.63% (330/338, 95% confidence interval (CI) 95.21 to 98.90) and 97.87% (596/609, 95% CI 96.28 to 98.81) respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 96.21% (330/343, 95% CI 93.45 to 97.88) and 98.68% (596/604, 95% CI 97.30 to 99.38) respectively. The total coincidence rate was 97.78% (926/947, 95% CI 96.80 to 98.70), and the kappa was 0.952 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

With comparable sensitivity and specificity to the commercial qRT-PCR kits, RT-RAA assay for SARS-CoV-2 exhibited the distinctive advantages of simplicity and rapidity in terms of operation and turnaround time.

[Clinical effectiveness of super pulsed carbon dioxide fractional laser debridement surgery in treating chronic wounds]

Objective: To investigate the clinical effectiveness of super pulsed carbon dioxide fractional laser debridement surgery on the treatment of chronic wounds. Methods: From December 2018 to May 2019, 37 patients with chronic wounds who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University for a prospective randomized controlled study. Using the random number table, the patients were divided into surgical debridement group (19 patients, 4 males and 15 females, aged (58±16) years, 25 wounds) and laser debridement group (18 patients, 9 males and 9 females, aged (58±10) years, 23 wounds). In patients of surgical debridement group, oedematous and aging granulation tissue was scraped from the wound by scalpel handle or curet, and the residual necrotic tissue was removed by sharp surgical instruments. In patients of laser debridement group, oedematous and aging granulation tissue and necrotic tissue was removed by super pulsed carbon dioxide fractional laser therapeutic machine, laser gasification debridement was performed repeatedly till fresh normal tissue layer observed. In patients of the two groups, according to the wound in the first 3 d after the first debridement, debridement dressing was performed twice at least as before, then wound debridement dressing was performed once every 1 to 4 days as before according to the wound conditions. The wound healing rates on 7, 14, 21, and 28 d after the first debridement were calculated. The positive rates of bacterial culture of wounds before and after the first debridement were calculated. The color and texture of the wound granulation tissue before the first debridement and on 7, 14, and 28 d after the first debridement were observed and scored. The pain scores before every debridement, during every debridement, and after every debridement dressing change were evaluated by visual analogue scale. The times of debridement dressing change were recorded. Data were statistically analyzed with two independent sample t test, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, Fisher's exact probability test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: (1) On 7, 14, 21, and 28 d after the first debridement, the wound healing rates of patients in laser debridement group (29.5% (24.1%, 36.0%), 47.1% (42.7%, 62.4%), 71.4% (62.2%, 76.8%), and 88.6% (79.2%, 96.3%) were significantly higher than those of surgical debridement group (1.6% (1.0%, 12.8%), 12.7% (2.0%, 16.6%), 24.5% (8.9%, 45.5%), 43.9% (23.2%, 70.8%), Z=3.477, 3.553, 2.721, 2.193, P<0.05 or P<0.01). (2) Before the first debridement, the positive rates of bacterial culture of wounds in patients of laser debridement group and surgical debridement group were 92% (23/25) and 91% (21/23), respectively, which were similar (P>0.05). After the first debridement, the positive rate of bacterial culture of wounds of patients in surgical debridement group was 64% (16/25), which was significantly higher than 13% (3/23) of laser debridement group (P<0.01). (3) On 7, 14, and 28 d after the first debridement, the scores of color and texture of wound granulation tissue of patients in laser debridement group were significantly higher than those of surgical debridement group (Z=3.420, 5.682, 6.142, 4.461, 5.337, 4.458, P<0.01). (4) The pain scores during every debridement and after every debridement dressing change in patients of laser debridement group were significantly lower than those of surgical debridement group (t=2.847, 5.046, P<0.05 or P<0.01). (5) The time of debridement dressing change in laser debridement group was 8.0 (7.0, 10.0) times, which was significantly less than 10.0 (9.5, 12.5) times in surgical debridement group (Z=2.261, P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with traditional surgical debridement method, super pulsed carbon dioxide fractional laser debridement surgery is more effective in treating patients with chronic wounds. Laser debridement makes the wound healing more efficiently with reduced pain and better infection control; significantly reduces the number of dressing changes, and is especially suitable for the wound treatment in outpatients.

[Prevalence and risk factors of ischemic stroke in rural areas of Liaoning province]

Objective: To explore the prevalence and risk factors of ischemic stroke in rural areas of Liaoning province. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey. From September 2017 to May 2018, a total of 10 926 rural residents aged ≥40 years were investigated in Chaoyang county, Lingyuan, Liaoyang county and Donggang city of Liaoning province. The investigation included questionnaire survey, physical examination and laboratory examination.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of ischemic stroke. Results: The prevalence of ischemic stroke in the rural areas of Liaoning province was 5.51% (602/10 926), and the standardized prevalence rate was 4.04%. The standardized prevalence rate of male (5.05%) is higher than that of female (3.44%). The prevalence of ischemic stroke increased with age in both males (P<0.01) and females (P<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age increase(compared with 40-49 years old group, 50-59 years old, OR=2.08, 95%CI 1.31-3.30, P=0.02; 60-69 years old, OR=3.90, 95%CI 2.51-6.05, P<0.01; 70-79 years old, OR=5.32, 95%CI 3.37-8.34, P<0.01; ≥80 years old, OR=3.64, 95%CI 2.00-6.62, P<0.01), male(OR=2.35, 95%CI 1.95-2.84, P<0.01),family history of stroke(OR=2.18, 95%CI 1.83-2.60, P<0.01),coronary heart disease (OR=2.01, 95%CI 1.52-2.66, P<0.01), hypertension (OR=2.82, 95%CI 2.21-3.60, P<0.01), diabetes mellitus (OR=1.36, 95%CI 1.11-1.67, P=0.03) and overweight/obese (OR=1.22, 95%CI 1.02-1.47, P=0.03) were the major risk factors of ischemic stroke. Conclusions: The prevalence of ischemic stroke in rural areas of Liaoning province is high. Age, male, family history of stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, overweight/obesity are the risk factors of ischemic stroke in rural areas of Liaoning province.

Effect of timing of postweaning xylanase supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and fecal microbial composition in weanling pigs

Effect of timing of xylanase supplementation to weanling pigs and its effect on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and fecal microbiota was investigated. A total of 128 weanling pigs [(Hampshire × Duroc) × (Yorkshire × Landrace); 6.2 ± 0.6 kg body weight (BW); weaning age: 21 d] were assigned to four treatments, with eight replicate pens and four pigs per pen. Treatments were a combination of two dietary treatments (without or with xylanase) in two periods; (period 1, days 0–14) and period 2 (days 14–42): xylanase–xylanase, xylanase–control, control–xylanase, and control–control. Fecal microbiota diversity and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) were determined. From days 0–14, pigs had lower (P < 0.01) BW, average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency when xylanase was included in the diets. The final BW (P < 0.05) and overall ADG (P < 0.02) at day 42 were greater when xylanase was supplemented from day 14 compared with supplementation from day 0. The apparent ileal digestibility and ATTD of dry matter, gross energy, nitrogen, and phosphorus were increased (P < 0.05) by xylanase. Xylanase significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of Veillonella spp. and tended (P = 0.08) to decrease the relative abundance of Megasphaera spp. in period 2 compared with the non-supplemented group.

[The association between the frequency of prenatal care in childbearing aged women and risk of small for gestational age among neonatal twins in Shaanxi Province]

Objective: To explore the association between the frequency of prenatal care in childbearing aged women and risk of small for gestational age (SGA) among neonatal twins in Shaanxi Province. Methods: From July to December 2013, a total of 30 027 childbearing aged women, who were pregnant from January 2010 to November 2013 and had definite outcomes, were selected from 30 districts (counties) of Shaanxi Province by using the multi-stage random sampling method. The questionnaires with a face-to-face survey method were used to retrospectively collect demographic information, pregnancy history, lifestyle during pregnancy, disease history, nutritional supplements, and health care during pregnancy. Information on the gestational age and birth weight of the newborn were obtained by consulting the medical certificate of birth and were registered as twin A and twin B by birth order. Finally, 356 childbearing aged women and their twin babies with complete data were included in the analysis. A generalized estimation equation model was used to analyze the association between the frequency of prenatal care and the risk of SGA among neonatal twins. Results: The age of childbearing aged women was (27.44±4.68) years old, of which 79.49% (283 women) were rural residents and 44.38% (158 women) had seven or more times prenatal care. The gestational age and birth weight were (37.64±2.51) weeks and (2 510±497) g, respectively. The prevalence of SGA was 51.40% (183/356) for twin A and 53.37% (190/356) for twin B, respectively. The prevalence of SGA was 44.30% (70/158) for twin A with seven or more times prenatal care and 42.41% (67/158) for twin B with seven or more times prenatal care, which was lower than that for twins with less than seven times prenatal care, respectively [57.07% (113/198) and 62.12% (123/198)] (P values were 0.017 and <0.001). The results of generalized estimation equation model suggested that compared to those with less than seven times prenatal care, after adjusting for parity, birth order, place of residence, maternal age, occupation, education, family wealth index, passive smoking, pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome, folic acid, and iron supplement during perinatal period, and gender of the newborn, the OR (95%CI) of risk of SGA among childbearing aged women with seven or more times prenatal care was 0.60 (0.40-0.91). Conclusion: Seven or more times prenatal care could reduce the risk of SGA among neonatal twins in Shanxi Province.

Scarless neck endoscopic thyroidectomy via the breast approach: A preliminary report of 45 cases with total or near-total thyroidectomy plus central compartment dissection

Background

There are various endoscopic techniques for thyroid carcinoma dissection but few reports regarding the scarless neck technique and central compartment dissection (CCD) via the breast approach, especially for bilateral CCD are available. In this study, we reported 45 cases with scarless neck endoscopic total or near-total thyroidectomy plus CCD via the breast approach.

Materials and Methods

Forty-five female patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) were enrolled in the study, from January 2011 to March 2013. In brief, 5 mm ultrasonic coagulation device (Harmonic Scalpel, HS; Ethicon Endosurgery, USA) was used to perform thyroid vessel management and thyroidectomy. Twenty patients underwent total thyroidectomy and 25 underwent near-total thyroidectomy. CCD was performed in all 45 patients, including 13 with bilateral CCD and 32 with ipsilateral CCD.

Results

The procedure was successful for all 45 patients. Sixteen patients (35.6%) had lymph node metastases in central compartments. Postoperative transient adverse events included voice changes (9 patients) and hypocalcemia (18 patients), including 7 (21.9%) in the unilateral group and 11 (84.6%) in bilateral group. There was no permanent hypocalcemia or recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy. None of the case were converted to open surgical procedure. All patients were satisfied with the cosmetic result of the scarless neck endoscopic thyroidectomy (SET). No evidence of residual or recurrent disease was found during a mean follow-up of 22.84 months (range, 12-34 months).

Conclusions

Experienced thyroid surgeons performed the scarless neck endoscopic total or near-total thyroidectomy plus unilateral or bilateral CCD via the breast approach for selected PTC patients. The procedure was safe and feasible with excellent cosmetic results.

Bibliometrics Analysis of Forensic Toxicology Literature of Mainland Chinese Scholars in SCIE Journals

Abstract

Objective To conduct bibliometrics analysis of forensic toxicology literature of mainland Chinese scholars published in SCIE journals between 1998 and 2018. Methods Gephi 0.9.2 software was used for bibliometrics analysis. The status of forensic toxicology research in mainland China was network visualized through data analysis of institutional cooperation, author collaboration, fund support, keywords co-occurrence as well as literature interpretation. Results The total number of papers published in SCIE journals in the past twenty years by mainland Chinese scholars was 242, and increased year by year. Thematic studies, such as analysis and evaluation of toxins in hair, identification of new psychoactive substances, optical enantiomer analysis of amphetamines, analysis of toxic animal and plant components, etc, reached the international advanced level. Conclusion The forensic toxicology discipline in our country has developed rapidly in recent years. The opening and development of forensic science in colleges and universities, the constant emerging of new research teams, especially the funding of major special projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology, have promoted high level research output and academic status of Chinese forensic toxicology on the international stage.

Final results for the neutron -asymmetry parameter A0 from the UCNA experiment

The UCNA experiment was designed to measure the neutron β-asymmetry parameter A0 using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). UCN produced via downscattering in solid deuterium were polarized via transport through a 7 T magnetic field, and then directed to a 1 T solenoidal electron spectrometer, where the decay electrons were detected in electron detector packages located on the two ends of the spectrometer. A value for A0 was then extracted from the asymmetry in the numbers of counts in the two detector packages. We summarize all of the results from the UCNA experiment, obtained during run periods in 2007, 2008–2009, 2010, and 2011–2013, which ultimately culminated in a 0.67% precision result for A0.

Phosphorylation of nucleopolyhedrovirus 39K is essential for the regulation of viral gene transcription in silkworm cells

39K protein was proven to be the most notable hyperphosphorylated protein of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), since its amino acid 136 has the highest phosphorylation ratio (16.683) among all of BmNPV phosphorylated proteins (Shobahah et al., 2017). Therefore, we inserted positive (mimicking phosphorylation) and negative (mimicking dephosphorylation) mutants of the highest phosphorylated site of 39K and the wild type 39k into the 39k-ko-Bacmid using the Bac-to-Bac system. These three kinds of recombinant Bacmids along with wild type and knocked-out Bacmid were then transfected into the Bombyx mori cells (BmN) and further investigated by qPCR analysis. The results of the qPCR showed that 39K phosphorylation had no significant effect on viral genome replication, unlike the positive mutation that reduced the viral gene transcription drastically compared to the wild type. Thus, phosphorylation of BmNPV 39K protein does not appear to be the essential mechanism for viral genome replication, even though it has an important role in the viral gene transcription. Keywords: BmNPV; 39K; phosphorylation; virus replication; virus transcription.

[Problems and countermeasures of ocular trauma emergency management in China]

The emergency management of ocular trauma has direct effects on the final results of second-stage surgical treatment and prognosis. Therefore, it is necessary to attach great importance to the emergency treatment of ocular trauma, and to adopt practical and effective methods. Based on our analysis the existing problems relevant to emergency management of ocular trauma in China, we put forward some measures, including further standardizing the ocular trauma emergency management, developing ocular trauma emergency management training, improving the relevant system and mechanism for the emergency management of ocular trauma, and strengthening the registration work of ocular trauma emergency and etc. The aim is to significantly improve the level of emergency management of ocular trauma in China. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55: 641-644).

InDels within caprine IGF2BP1 intron 2 and the 3'-untranslated regions are associated with goat growth traits

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) is involved in the Hedgehog pathway and has been shown to regulate the RNA stability of several growth-related target genes. It is located in a quantitative trait locus showing a strong association with traits related to body size in ducks. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) also participates in Hedgehog signaling pathways and has been reported to be associated with organic growth and development. FGFR1-knockout mice have been shown to have severe postnatal growth defects, including an approximately 50% reduction in body weight and bone mass. Meanwhile, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay factor (SMG6) can maintain genomic stability, which is associated with organic growth and development. Therefore, we hypothesized that IGF2BP1, FGFR1 and SMG6 genes may play important roles in the growth traits of goats. In this study, the existence of two insertion/deletion (InDel) variants within IGF2BP1, one InDel within FGFR1 and two InDels within SMG6 was verified and their correlation with growth traits was analyzed in 2429 female Shaanbei white cashmere goats. Results showed both the 15 bp InDel in intron 2 and the 5 bp InDel in the 3' regulatory region within IGF2BP1 were significantly associated with growth traits (P < 0.05) and goats with the combinatorial homozygous insertion genotypes of these two loci had the highest body weight (P = 0.046). The other InDels within FGFR1 and SMG6 were not obviously associated with growth traits (P > 0.05). Therefore, the two InDels in IGF2BP1 were vital mutations affecting goat growth traits.

[Association between congenital heart disease and maternal disease in early pregnancy in women of childbearing age]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between maternal disease in early pregnancy of women of childbearing age and congenital heart disease of neonates. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used in this study and stratified multistage random sampling method was used. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the childbearing-aged women during 2010-2013 in Shaanxi province. Propensity score (PS) matched (1∶1) analysis was used to match participants with diseases to those without disease in early pregnancy. Through the control of the confounders step by step, a logistic regression model was established to evaluate the ORs of congenital heart disease according to the independent variable of maternal disease. Results: A total of 28 680 pairs of mothers and infants were included in this study, the proportion of the women with disease in early pregnancy was 20.25% (5 807). After PS matching, 5 436 pairs were matched. After adjusting all confounding factors, the multivariable logistic regression analysis results showed that maternal disease (OR=1.86, 95%CI: 1.23-2.81), especially cold (OR=2.19, 95%CI: 1.46-3.28), gynecological disease (OR=4.74, 95%CI: 2.03-11.09) and diabetes (OR=14.00, 95%CI: 1.64-119.21), in early pregnancy were the risk factors for congenital heart disease of neonate. Conclusion: In women of childbearing age, disease in early pregnancy, especially cold, gynecological disease and diabetes, can increase the risk of congenital heart disease in neonates.