Disparities in Dental Service Use among Adult Populations in the United States

OBJECTIVES

This article aims to examine the disparities in dental service utilization among 3 age groups: younger adults (20-49 y), middle-aged adults (50-64 y), and older adults (65+ y), among Whites, Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, American Indians or Alaska Natives (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI).

METHODS

Weighted logistic regression models were conducted to analyze 9 waves of cross-sectional survey data (2002-2018) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We estimated age group- and race/ethnic-specific prevalences of dental service utilization adjusting sociodemographics and self-rated health for each wave and compared with crude analysis. Next, we performed linear regression analysis of the trend of adjusted prevalences over time and the average level by race/ethnicity and age groups.

RESULTS

Racial/ethnic disparities increased with age, even though the adjusted prevalences of dental service utilization were less apparent than the crude analysis. The all-wave average prevalence was 71%. Black older adults had the lowest level of dental service utilization (65%) as compared with the 2 highest groups: White older adults (79%) and Asian older adults (76%). The general younger adult populations had low prevalences, with the lowest among Asian younger adults (65%). AIAN and NHOPI individuals from all age groups tended to have average or below average prevalences. In addition, a decreasing trend of dental service utilization was observed among White individuals of all age groups (0.2%-0.3% lower per year, P < 0.01) and AIAN younger adults (0.5% lower per year, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Health policy, federal funding, and community-based programs should address the needs of dental service utilization for racial/ethnic minorities including Blacks, AIANs, and NHOPIs.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT

Our study offers insights into our understanding of disparities in dental service utilization among minority racial/ethnic groups. As health policy, federal funding, and community-based programs seek to improve oral health, there is a need to address access to and utilization of dental service for Blacks, American Indians or Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders.

“Books, physical spaces, rules, people”: A holistic analysis of young Chinese children’s perceptions of public libraries

Young children’s perceptions of library services are often ignored when providing library services to this group. In order to reveal young children’s perceptions, grounded theory technique was used to analyze the interview data from 92 young Chinese children. The authors first proposed an integrated model of young children’s perceptions of Chinese public libraries, including the elements of books, physical spaces, rules, and people. Subsequently, the model is compared to the adult experts’ perspectives, revealing that young children could perceive all the experts’ proposed services and functions. Besides, they could perceive rules in libraries. Furthermore, young children were able to convert the abstract library classification index system to perceptible clues. The findings could be used to improve library services to accurately conform to young children’s perspectives.

Interactive effect of nitrogen fertilizer and plant density on photosynthetic and agronomical traits of cotton at different growth stages

Individual effects of application of nitrogen (N) and plant densities (PD) were reported in various studies; however an interactive effect of N and PD in cotton was not studied. To explore the benefits of interactive effects of N fertilizer and PD to increase the quality of cotton. This study was carried out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split plot arrangement. In split plot arrangement, main plot was consisted of N application rate and in sub plots different PD were done. There were two nitrogen levels; low N level (F1) 120 kg ha^-1 and high N level (F2) 180 kg ha^-1 and three planting densities; 8 plants m^-2 as low density (LD), 10 plants m^-2 as medium density (MD) and 12 plants m^-2 as high density (HD). In this study we observed the interactive effect of N application levels and PD on cotton photosynthetic and agronomic traits of various stages of development. Results showed that cotton growth and N contents was varied among treatments on different development stages. Plant biomass production, photosynthetic rate (Pn), intercellular CO₂ (C_i), water use efficiency (WUE) and N contents were unaffected at the seedling stage by N application rate and PD, however, the highest Pn, C_i and N contents was at squaring stage followed by blooming stage. Higher seed cotton yield and lint yield were obtained F1 with HD, and F2 with MD yielded the highest N contents and cotton yield among treatments. We found that the squaring stage was more critical, followed by the blooming stage when considering N rate and PD.

Case Report: Asymmetric Bone Marrow Involvement in Patients With Acute Leukemia After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

After allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), acute leukemia relapse is common, and asymmetric bone marrow recurrence hasn't been reported. Because the anatomical distribution of acute leukemia clones in the bone marrow after allo-HSCT is presumed to be diffuse, bone marrow aspirations are performed in single site. The first case was a 20-year-old man who was diagnosed with acute myelomonocytic leukemia and received haploidentical allo-HSCT. Routine bone marrow biopsy of his left posterior iliac bone marrow showed 52% leukemia blasts, while the right side had 0% blasts 10 days later. The second case was a 23-year-old woman who was diagnosed with acute B lymphoblastic leukemia and received HLA-identical sibling allo-HSCT. Although 62% of blasts were found in her left iliac marrow on day +122, 0% of blasts were found on a sample obtained from the right iliac crest on day +128. Bilateral iliac bone marrow pathology and whole-body ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans confirmed that the leukemic infiltration in her bone marrow was asymmetric. To our knowledge, these are the first case reports of asymmetric bone marrow infiltration of blasts in acute leukemia patients after allo-HSCT. Bilateral posterior iliac crest aspirations or ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT scans may help distinguish such involvement.

1ɑ,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 promotes osteogenesis by down-regulating FGF23 in diabetic mice

1ɑ,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D) and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) play important roles in bone metabolism through mutual regulation. However, the underlying mechanism between 1,25D and FGF23 in diabetes‐induced bone metabolism disorders has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effect of 1,25D on FGF23 under diabetic condition both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that 1,25D down‐regulated the expression of FGF23 in osteoblast significantly though a dose‐dependent manner in vitro within high glucose environment. Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis indicated that 1,25D activated PI3K/Akt signalling through binding to vitamin D receptor (VDR), which inhibited the phosphorylation of the transcription factor Forkhead Box O1 (FOXO1). Decreased phosphorylation of FOXO1 down‐regulated the expression Dickkopf‐1 (DKK1), a well‐known inhibitor of Wnt signalling. In addition, we observed that 1,25D remarkably ameliorated osteogenic phenotypic markers such as Ocn and Runx2 and rescued diabetes‐induced bone loss in vivo. Our results suggested that 1,25D could promote osteogenesis though down‐regulating FOXO1/FGF23 in diabetes.

Primary pulmonary myxoid sarcoma: report of one case and literature review

BACKGROUND

Primary pulmonary sarcoma is extremely rare and mostly metastatic, and primary pulmonary myxoid sarcoma PPMS is a rare low-grade malignant sarcoma. The clinical manifestations of PPMS patients are relatively non-specific, sometimes found by physical examination. We report a case designed to explore the clinicopathologic features, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis of primary pulmonary myxoid sarcoma (PPMS). A 44-year-old man was found to have a primary myxoid sarcoma in the upper right lung on physical examination. The patient did not have any symptoms of discomfort. Histologically, the tumors had well-defined borders, and with grayish-white or grayish red cut surfaces. Under the microscope, the tumor cells were composed of oval and spindle cells arranged in a network or strips in a mucus-like stroma. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells showed diffuse and strong vimentin expression and focal weak EMA, and Bcl-6 staining. The expression of AE1/AE3, ALK, CD34, CD68, SMA, and CD99 were all negative. The Ki-67 index was low.

CONCLUSION

PPMS is a rare low-grade malignant primary pulmonary sarcoma without characteristic clinical symptoms and difficult to diagnose. It is mainly diagnosed by immunohistochemistry and genetic testing.

Application of diversified and quantitative management model of exercise intervention in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

Objective: The study aims to explore the application of diversified and quantitative management model of exercise intervention in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: From January 2018 to July 2018, 150 pregnant women with GDM were recruited from HangZhou Maternity Hospital, and were randomly divided into control group (n = 75) and experimental group (n = 75). All patients were registered pregnancy exercise self-efficacy scale (P-ESES), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and 2-hour postpranational blood glucose (2hPG). Patients in control group received conventional sports, while patients in experimental group added multiple quantitative exercise intervention management mode until delivery (accumulated at least 30 min per day, the time of not less than 150 min per week). After 4 weeks of intervention, patients in both groups were measured P-ESES, FBG, and 2hPG levels. Results: A total of 12 patients dropped out of the study, was lost to follow-up or was admitted to another hospital; therefore, 138 cases (68 vs. 70) were included in analysis. There was no significant difference of P-ESES, FBG, and 2hPG of patients in baseline. After four weeks intervention, compared with the control group, the P-ESES score was significantly increased (p<.05), the overcoming movement disorder, overcoming emotional disorder, and overcoming support disorder scores were significantly improved (p<.05), and the levels of FBG and 2hPG were significantly decreased (p<.05) in experimental group. Finally, the coincidence rate of weight gain during pregnancy was increased, the rate of macrosomia delivery and cesarean section were decreased in experimental group (p<.05). Conclusion: Quantitative management model of multiform exercise therapy improved patients with GDM.

A Review on Linking the Medicinal Functions of Mushroom Prebiotics with Gut Microbiota

In recent years, gut microbiota have been linked to prevention and treatment of human diseases. Mushrooms are a source of potentially useful prebiotics because they contain polysaccharides, terpenoids, and other bioactive compounds. In the present review, we have summarized the prebiotic effects of mushrooms on gut microbiota in the context of immunological, metabolic, neurological, and cancer-related diseases in the last five years. We propose that mushrooms can not only change the composition of gut microbiota, but also promote secretion of beneficial metabolites. In addition, we point to the effects of host mRNA expression in gut microbiota as a direction of further study. Overall, these provide a background for further studies on the mechanisms of regulation of gut microbiota by mushrooms.

The role of character positional frequency in oral reading: A developmental study

How frequently a character appears in a word (positional character frequency) is used as a cue in word segmentation when reading aloud in the Chinese language. In this study we created 176 sentences with a target word in the center of each. Participants were 76 college students (mature readers) and 76 third-grade students (beginner readers). Results show an interaction effect of age and positional frequency of the initial character in the word on gaze duration. Further analysis shows that the third-grade students' gaze duration was significantly longer in high, relative to low, positional character frequency of the target words. This trend was consistent with refixation duration, and there was a marginally significant interaction between age and total fixation time. Overall, positional character frequency was an important cue for word segmentation in oral reading in the Chinese language, and third-grade students relied more heavily on this cue than did college students.

Comprehensive analysis of lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs related to thymic development and involution in goose

Thymic involution is a sign of immunosenescence, but little is known about it in goose. miRNAs and lncRNAs are critical factors regulating organ growth and development. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the profiles of lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs during the development and involution of the thymus in Magang goose. The results showed that 2436 genes, 16 miRNAs and 417 lncRNAs were differentially co-expressed between the developmental (20-embryo age, 3-day post-hatch and 3-month age) and degenerative (6-month age) stages. The functional analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in cell proliferation, cell adhesion, apoptotic signaling pathway, and Notch signaling pathway. In addition, we established a gene-gene network through the STRING database and identified 50 key genes. Finally, we constructed a miRNA-mRNA network followed by a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. These results suggest that lncRNAs and miRNAs may be involved in the regulation of thymic development and involution in goose.

MicroRNA-495 attenuates proliferation and inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes through attenuating β-catenin pathway

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) exert a critical effect in the occurrence and progress of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MicroRNA-495 (miR-495) can regulate many growth behaviors in various cell types. Nevertheless, the role of miR-495 is still unclear in RA-FLS. We aimed to explore the role and molecular mechanism of miR-495 in RA. The FLSs and synovial tissue from normal and RA cases were used in the study. RT-PCR analysis was used to examine the expression of miR-495. Western blot assay was conducted to determine the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and β-catenin. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were performed to determine the proliferation of RA-FLS in different treatment groups. The results showed that miR-495 is down-regulated in both RA-synovial tissue and RA-FLSs. Overexpression of miR-495 could inhibit RA-FLS proliferation and inflammatory factors of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-11 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and decrease the protein expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2. In addition, miR-495 could negatively regulate the expression of β-catenin in RA-FLSs. We also confirmed that the inhibitory role of miR-495 in RA-FLS is through the regulation of β-catenin expression. Taken together, miR-495 is downregulated in RA-FLS and RA synovial tissue, and miR-495 inhibits proliferation and inflammatory response in RA-FLS, partially via regulating β-catenin expression. The miR-495/β-catenin pathway may serve as a new therapeutic target for RA.

[Exposure of acute severe air pollution promotes inflammatory cell infiltration and increases the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in lung tissues of rats]

Objective To observe the effect of acute severe air pollution exposure on cytokines and chemokines in lung tissues of rats and explore its significance. Methods During the period of severe air pollution in Beijing from December 17 to 22, 2016, rats were exposed to air pollution for 6 days, and then sacrificed on the 7th day. Lung tissues were taken and their histological changes were observed by HE staining. The levels of 22 cytokines/chemokines in the lung tissue homogenate supernatant were detected by liquid chip method. Results Compared with the control group, the lung tissues of the rats in the air pollution exposure group were characterized by widened alveolar septum, inflammatory cell infiltration and vascular bleeding. Chemokines eotaxin, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted factor (RANTES), and proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-17, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in the supernatant of lung homogenate of rats in the air pollution exposure group significantly increased. But anti-inflammatory IL-10 significantly decreased. Th1 cytokines IL-2 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) did not change, and Th2 cytokines IL-5 increased by 1.65 times and IL-10 decreased by 0.82 times. Conclusion Acute severe air pollution exposure can lead to inflammatory response in lung tissues of rats. The secretion of chemokines eotaxin, MCP-1, MIP-2, RANTES and proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-17, IL-18, TNF-α are promoted in this process. The infiltrated T cells in lung tissues are dominated by Th2 cells.

[The value of 3.0T magnetic resonance -diffusion kurtosis imaging in the differential diagnosis of rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and common adenocarcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the value of 3.0T MRI diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) quantitative histogram parameters in the differential diagnosis of rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma (MC) and common adenocarcinoma (AC). Methods: One hundred and ten patients from Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between September 2015 and September 2019 with complete magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DKI results confirmed by surgery and pathology were retrospectively analyzed, including 16 patients in MC group and 94 patients in AC group. Two physicians outlined the region of interest (ROI) on the DKI image with b=1 000 s/mm(2), and obtained quantitative DKI parameters, including the diffusion coefficient (D value) and kurtosis coefficient (K value) corrected for non-Gaussian distribution. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of quantitative parameters of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were obtained through image registration, and histogram analysis was performed to obtain the mean value, 25th percentile, 50th percentile, 75th percentile, skewness and kurtosis of the above parameters, respectively. The difference between the quantitative histogram parameter analysis results of the rectal MC group and the AC group was evaluated, and the main indicators and multivariate comprehensive analysis indicators was screened, and the effectiveness of quantitative histogram parameters related to histopathological classification in the differential diagnosis of rectal MC and AC was evaluated. Results: There was no significant differences in gender, age, lesion location, T stage or N stage between MC group and AC group (all P>0.05). The multivariate binary logistic stepwise regression screening showed that D50th percentile and K25th percentile are statistically significant indicators (B values were 2 966.166 and -4.550, respectively; Wals values were 9.000 and 15.720, respectively; and P values were 0.003 and <0.001, respectively). The combined area under the curve of the two indictors was 0.85, but there was no statistically significant difference in pairwise comparison using DeLong method (P>0.05). The results of histogram analysis of quantitative parameters measured by the two physicians were consistent, and the inter-group correlation coefficient ranged from 0.880 to 0.981. Conclusions: The quantitative parameter histogram analysis of the DKI double-index model is helpful for the differentiation of rectal MC and AC, in which the D50th percentile and K25th percentile have differential diagnosis significance, and are superior to the ADC value of the single-index model.

[Calculation Method of Incubation Period of Infectious Diseases and Its Epidemiological Significance]

Based on the practical application, this paper introduced the basic calculation conditions, methods and epidemiological significance of incubation period. The real data were used for calculations of the incubation period by lognormal, gamma, Weibull and Erlang distribution methods. Both of the complete and incomplete observation data were demonstrated.

Chilling Stress Triggers VvAgo1-Mediated miRNA-Like RNA Biogenesis in Volvariella volvacea

In Volvariella volvacea, an important species of edible mushroom, cryogenic autolysis is a typical phenomenon that occurs during abnormal metabolism. Analysis of gene expression profiling and qPCR showed that chilling stress (CS) significantly and continuously upregulated only one type of Argonaute in V. volvacea, i.e., VvAgo1. Structural and evolutionary analysis revealed that VvAgo1 belongs to the Ago-like family, and its evolution has involved gene duplication, subsequent gene loss, and purifying selection. Analysis of its interaction network and expression suggested that CS triggers VvAgo1-mediated miRNA-like RNA (milRNA) biogenesis in V. volvacea V23 but not in VH3 (a composite mutant strain from V23 with improved CS resistance). Small RNA sequencing and qPCR analysis confirmed that CS triggered the increased milRNA expression in V23 and not in VH3. The predicted target genes of the increased milRNAs were enriched in several pathways, such as signal transduction and ubiquitination. Heatmap analysis showed that CS altered the expression profile of milRNAs with their target genes related to signal transduction and ubiquitination in V23. Combined analysis of transcriptome and proteome data confirmed that most of the target genes of the increased milRNAs were not translated into proteins. Our observations indicate that CS might trigger VvAgo1-mediated RNAi to facilitate the cryogenic autolysis of V. volvacea.

[Psychological health of nurses in operating room participating in organ donation and intervention effect]

Objective: To understand the effect of organ donation surgery on the mental health of nurses in operating room, and to explore the intervention effects. Methods: From Jan.2015 to Dec. 2018, 60 operating room nurses in our hospital participating in organ donation surgery were selected for investigation of mental health, and were intervened by group psychological training, positive psychological intervention, improving shift arrangement system and financial support. The SCL-90 scale and DAP-R scale were used to evaluate before and after intervention. Results: The mean scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, terror, paranoia and psychoticism in SCL-90 scale of 60 operating room nurses were (2.07±0.63) , (2.07±0.69) , (1.88±0.62) , (1.71±0.57) , (1.78±0.67) , (1.71±0.68) , (1.73±0.60) before intervention respectively, which were significantly higher than the Chinese norm (P<0.01) and those[ (1.64±0.60) , (1.46±0.57) , (1.53±0.62) , (1.48±0.60) , (1.28±0.50) , (1.45±0.56) , (1.43±0.52) ] after intervention were lower than before (P<0.01) . Before and after the intervention, the scores of DAP-R scale tended to be death fear dimension and acceptance dimension, the proportion of the death fear dimension was 16.7% (10/60) and 6.7% (4/60) , respectively, and the approaching acceptance dimension was 83.3% (50/60) and 93.3% (56/60) . The proportion of the nurses with scores of SCL-90 scale ≥160 after the intervention was significantly lower than that before the intervention (χ(2)=5.82, P<0.05) . Conclusion: The mental health of nurses in the operating room participating in organ donation surgery is lower; After intervention, the investigated nurses present improved mental health and positively emotional attitude towards death.

Nonomuraea nitratireducens sp. nov., a new actinobacterium isolated from Suaeda australis Moq. rhizosphere

A novel actinomycete, designated WYY166T, was isolated from the rhizosphere of Suaeda australis Moq. collected in Dongfang, PR China. The taxonomic position of this strain was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene referred strain WYY166T to the genus Nonomuraea , and it was most closely related to the type strains Nonomuraea candida HMC10T, Nonomuraea turkmeniaca DSM 43926T, Nonomuraea maritima NBRC 106687T and Nonomuraea polychroma DSM 43925T (98.35, 97.60, 97.36 and 97.30% sequence similarity, respectively). Genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 11.27 Mbp and a G+C content of 71.10 mol%. The genome average nucleotide identity (ANI) values and the digital DNA - DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain WYY166T and the other species of the genus were found to be low (ANI 81.63~85.23 %, dDDH 23.6~31.6 %), suggesting that it represented a new species. The physiological evaluation showed that it had remarkable nitrate reduction activity. The whole-cell hydrolysates contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and madurose. The N-acyl type of muramic acid was acetyl. The major menaquinones were MK-9 (H4) (86.9 %) and MK-9 (H2) (13.1 %). The predominant fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0 (53.2 %), 10-methyl C17 : 0 (10.7 %), C17 : 1  ω6c (8.3 %) and iso-C16 : 1 h (7.3 %). These physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic data suggested that strain WYY166T should be classified as representing a novel species of the genus Nonomuraea , for which the name Nonomuraea nitratireducens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is WYY166T (=MCCC 1K03779T=KCTC 49343T).

Interaction between physical activity and polygenic risk score for type-2 diabetes in older Americans

Background

Genetics plays an important role in the development of type-2 diabetes (T2D). Polygenic risk scores (PRS) are increasingly used to quantify genetic risk of T2D in epidemiological studies. These scores, when integrated into analyses of modifiable lifestyle factors, may improve understanding of T2D etiology, as the strength of association with T2D and some lifestyle or demographic factors may vary according to genetic predisposition.

Methods

We examined PRS-lifestyle factor interactions on T2D with data from the United States Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a prospective longitudinal cohort of older adults (≥50 at baseline). HRS contains nationally representative samples of Black and White Americans with pre-calculated PRS for T2D (N = 14,001). Covariates included sex, education, BMI, smoking, alcohol, and physical activity. Predicted prevalence and incidence of T2D were calculated with logistic regression models. Nonparametric bootstrap method was performed to calculate differences in T2D prevalence and incidence by PRS percentiles and interaction variables.

Results

Significant interaction (p_interaction=0.0096) was detected between PRS and physical activity among Whites only. In those with the lowest decile of PRS, T2D prevalence was similar (∼10%) for those reporting no physical activity compared to low or moderate activity. In those with the top decile of PRS, lower T2D prevalence (17%, 95%CI:14.8,19.6) was observed among those with moderate compared to no activity (24%, 95%CI:20.4,27.5). Incident T2D in Whites followed a similar pattern (p_interaction=0.0194). Among Black participants, no significant interaction with any lifestyle variables was detected.

Conclusions

Interaction of different genetic risk profiles with lifestyle factors may inform understanding of why certain inventions are more or less effective in different groups of people, potentially improving clinical and prevention interventions.

Key messages

Protection conferred by physical activity on T2D varied by underlying genetic risk. Gene-environment interaction studies provide insights on why lifestyle factors vary in their associations with T2D.

Termination switching of antiferromagnetic proximity effect in topological insulator

This work reports the ferromagnetism of topological insulator, (Bi,Sb)2Te3 (BST), with a Curie temperature of approximately 120 K induced by magnetic proximity effect (MPE) of an antiferromagnetic CrSe. The MPE was shown to be highly dependent on the stacking order of the heterostructure, as well as the interface symmetry: Growing CrSe on top of BST results in induced ferromagnetism, while growing BST on CrSe yielded no evidence of an MPE. Cr-termination in the former case leads to double-exchange interactions between Cr3+ surface states and Cr2+ bulk states. This Cr3+-Cr2+ exchange stabilizes the ferromagnetic order localized at the interface and magnetically polarizes the BST Sb band. In contrast, Se-termination at the CrSe/BST interface yields no detectable MPE. These results directly confirm the MPE in BST films and provide critical insights into the sensitivity of the surface state.

Observation of Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect and Exchange Interaction in Topological Insulator/Antiferromagnet Heterostructure

Integration of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator with a magnetically ordered material provides an additional degree of freedom through which the resulting exotic quantum states can be controlled. Here, an experimental observation is reported of the quantum anomalous Hall effect in a magnetically-doped topological insulator grown on the antiferromagnetic insulator Cr₂ O₃ . The exchange coupling between the two materials is investigated using field-cooling-dependent magnetometry and polarized neutron reflectometry. Both techniques reveal strong interfacial interaction between the antiferromagnetic order of the Cr₂ O₃ and the magnetic topological insulator, manifested as an exchange bias when the sample is field-cooled under an out-of-plane magnetic field, and an exchange spring-like magnetic depth profile when the system is magnetized within the film plane. These results identify antiferromagnetic insulators as suitable candidates for the manipulation of magnetic and topological order in topological insulator films.

[Clinical features and outcome of treatment for novel coronavirus pneumonia: a meta-analysis]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and outcome of treatment for novel coronavirus pneumonia. Methods: Literature on novel coronavirus pneumonia was retrieved from PubMed and EMBASE databases. The relevant data was extracted and a meta-analysis was performed using StatsDirect statistical software V.2.8.0 to calculate the combined odds ratio. Results: Seven studies were included, consisting of 1594 cases. The meta-analysis result showed that the most common clinical symptoms of the novel coronavirus pneumonia were fever (91.6%) and cough (64.5%), followed by dyspnea (32.8%) and sputum (28.1%). Headache (10.5%), sore throat (11.2%), hemoptysis (3.2%), diarrhea (6.6%) and the other symptoms were relatively rare. Aspartate aminotransferase (29%), alanine transaminase (22.7%), and total bilirubin (11.7%) levels were elevated, except for serum albumin levels (80.4%). The common therapeutic agents used were antibiotics (87.7%), antiviral drugs (75.5%), and glucocorticoids (26.6%), while antifungal agents (7.7%) were used in few. Mechanical ventilation (13.4%), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (1.9%), and continuous renal replacement therapy (3.8%) were used in severe cases. The rate of mortality in hospital was 7.7%, respectively. Heterogeneity between studies was significant; however, subgroup and sensitivity analysis had failed to identify clear sources of heterogeneity. Conclusion: Fever, cough and liver dysfunction are the main clinical manifestations of this disease and the mortality rate is low.

Néel-type skyrmion in WTe2/Fe3GeTe2 van der Waals heterostructure

The promise of high-density and low-energy-consumption devices motivates the search for layered structures that stabilize chiral spin textures such as topologically protected skyrmions. At the same time, recently discovered long-range intrinsic magnetic orders in the two-dimensional van der Waals materials provide a new platform for the discovery of novel physics and effects. Here we demonstrate the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and Néel-type skyrmions are induced at the WTe₂/Fe₃GeTe₂ interface. Transport measurements show the topological Hall effect in this heterostructure for temperatures below 100 K. Furthermore, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy is used to directly image Néel-type skyrmion lattice and the stripe-like magnetic domain structures as well. The interfacial coupling induced Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is estimated to have a large energy of 1.0 mJ m^-2. This work paves a path towards the skyrmionic devices based on van der Waals layered heterostructures.

STAT1 expression and HPV16 viral load predict cervical lesion progression

Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. It is important to explore these mechanisms in order to identify novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. The present study determined the association between STAT1 and human papillomavirus (HPV)16 in cervical lesions. STAT1 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. Quantitative PCR was used to detect HPV16 viral load and STAT1 expression in cervical lesions. The potential associations among STAT1 expression, HPV16 viral load and the severity of cervical lesions in patients were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to analyze STAT1 expression and survival. High STAT1 expression was observed in 10.71 (3/28), 41.18 (14/34), 53.06 (26/49) and 90.00% (27/30) of normal tissue, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and cervical squamous cell carcinoma samples, respectively. The HPV16 copy number gradually increased with the progression of cervical lesions, with the highest copy number observed in cervical cancer samples. In addition, STAT1 expression was positively correlated with HPV16 viral load. Furthermore, ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the combination of STAT1 expression and HPV16 viral load was able to differentiate between LSIL/HSIL and cervical cancer samples. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that STAT1 expression was associated with improved survival in cervical cancer. Additionally, STAT1 expression was positively associated with the progression of cervical lesions, and HPV16 viral load may affect STAT1 expression. Overall, these findings indicate that STAT1 may be an indicator of the status of cervical lesions.