Central Artery Hemodynamics in Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension and Effects of Anesthesia

Systemic hypertension is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular, neurovascular, and renovascular diseases. Central artery stiffness is both an initiator and indicator of hypertension, thus revealing a critical relationship between the wall mechanics and hemodynamics. Mice have emerged as a critical animal model for studying effects of hypertension and much has been learned. Regardless of the specific mouse model, data on changes in cardiac function and hemodynamics are necessarily measured under anesthesia. Here, we present a new experimental-computational workflow to estimate awake cardiovascular conditions from anesthetized data, which was then used to quantify effects of chronic angiotensin II-induced hypertension relative to normotension in wild-type mice. We found that isoflurane anesthesia had a greater impact on depressing hemodynamics in angiotensin II-infused mice than in controls, which led to unexpected results when comparing anesthetized results between the two groups of mice. Through comparison of the awake simulations, however, in vivo relevant effects of angiotensin II-infusion on global and regional vascular structure, properties, and hemodynamics were found to be qualitatively consistent with expectations. Specifically, we found an increased in vivo vascular stiffness in the descending thoracic aorta and suprarenal abdominal aorta, leading to increases in pulse pressure in the distal aorta. These insights allow characterization of the impact of regionally varying vascular remodeling on hemodynamics and mouse-to-mouse variations due to induced hypertension.

[Effectiveness of minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma]

Objective: To explore the effectiveness of minimally invasive surgical treatment for pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PACC). Methods: Six patients with PACC diagnosed in Peking University Third Hospital from January 2010 to September 2022 were retrospectively selected. Preoperative evaluation was performed on whether the lesions were eligible for surgery, including whether radical resection of liver metastases could be performed. Laparoscopic or Da Vinci robot-assisted resection was performed on six patients, and spleen retention was determined according to the original lesions and the relationship with peripheral blood vessels and tissues, while simultaneous resection was performed on cases of peripheral organ tissue invasion. The patients' basic information, preoperative general conditions, preoperative diagnosis and tumor stage, minimally invasive surgery methods, postoperative complications, pathological results, tumor stage and follow-up data were collected and analyzed to explore the effectiveness of minimally invasive surgery. Results: Among the six patients, four were males and two were females, with the age of 25-69 years. Five patients had abdominal pain and distension before surgery, five patients had tumors located at the tail of the pancreatic body, and one patient had tumors located at the head of the pancreas. Preoperative imaging (enhanced CT and MRI) was performed to measure the tumor diameter (2.8-10.0 cm). Tumor markers were elevated in two patients before surgery, and six patients underwent surgery through laparoscopy or robotic platform. No complications such as postoperative pancreatic fistula and bleeding were clinically relevant during and after surgery. There were two cases with concurrent or heterochronous liver metastasis, two cases with lymph node metastasis and nodular metastasis, four cases with tumor invasion of surrounding organs (stomach, spleen or duodenum), and three cases with vascular cancer thrombi. The follow-up time of the six patients was 12 to 165 months, and one patient underwent three operations due to postoperative liver metastasis and residual pancreatic recurrence, and the results were satisfactory. All the six patients survived at the last follow-up. Conclusions: PACC is prone to invade the surrounding organs, and has a large tumor diameter. Radical surgery for PACC can be completed through minimally invasive surgery, and satisfactory oncology prognosis can be obtained. In addition, some PACC patients with recurrence and metastasis can still be treated by surgery.

[Application of V-Y advancement flap with facial artery perforator for the repair of midface skin defects]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of V-Y advancement flap with facial artery perforator for the repair of midface skin defects. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 18 patients with facial skin cancer, including 11 males and 7 females, aged 65-83 years, who underwent the repair of midface skin defects using V-Y advancement flap with facial artery perforator in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nantong University from January 2020 to April 2023. Medium, large or complex midface skin defects developed after surgical resections of the primary lesions. According to the defect site, size, location information of facial vessels, a V-Y advancement flap with appropriate shape was designed for each case. During the operation, the facial vessels and their perforators were retained in the pedicle of the flap, the facial nerve branches were dissected and protected, and the further denuded pedicle was determined according to actual amount of advancement. After the flap was advanced, the facial defect area was repaired without tension, and the anatomical positions and functions of the eyes, nose and mouth were restored as far as possible. Postoperative follow-ups were conducted to observe the survival rate of the flaps, postoperative complications, recurrences and metastases of tumors. Results: Midface defects of 3.0 cm×3.5 cm-6.5 cm×7.5 cm were observed after tumor resections, which involved one or more subregions. The sizes of the flaps were 3.5 cm×9.0 cm-7.0 cm×18.0 cm. All flaps were completely alive except for one with temporary local bruising. With following-up of 4-40 months, 5 of the 12 patients with lower eyelid and inner canthus invasions had lower eyelid ectropion, but no exposed keratitis was found; one case with poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma had lymph node metastasis in the submandibular region and underwent neck dissection again; no recurrence or metastasis occurred in the remaining cases. Conclusion: The V-Y advancement flap with facial artery perforator can be used to repair medium, large or complex midface skin defects, with a high survival rate, and the operation method is safe and reliable.

Semi-Supervised Multiview Feature Selection With Adaptive Graph Learning

As data sources become ever more numerous with increased feature dimensionality, feature selection for multiview data has become an important technique in machine learning. Semi-supervised multiview feature selection (SMFS) focuses on the problem of how to obtain a discriminative feature subset from heterogeneous feature spaces in the case of abundant unlabeled data with little labeled data. Most existing methods suffer from unreliable similarity graph structure across different views since they separate the graph construction from feature selection and use the fixed graphs that are susceptible to noisy features. Furthermore, they directly concatenate multiple feature projections for feature selection, neglecting the contribution diversity among projections. To alleviate these problems, we present an SMFS to simultaneously select informative features and learn a unified graph through the data fusion from aspects of feature projection and similarity graph. Specifically, SMFS adaptively weights different feature projections and flexibly fuses them to form a joint weighted projection, preserving the complementarity and consensus of the original views. Moreover, an implicit graph fusion is devised to dynamically learn a compatible graph across views according to the similarity structure in the learned projection subspace, where the undesirable effects of noisy features are largely alleviated. A convergent method is derived to iteratively optimize SMFS. Experiments on various datasets validate the effectiveness and superiority of SMFS over state-of-the-art methods.

First Report of Ilyonectria coprosmae Causing Root Rot of Bletilla striata in Yunnan province of China

Bletilla striata is a valuable medicine in China, belonging to the Orchidaceae family, and is used for treating various ailments such as hemoptysis, pyocutaneous disease, and anal fissure by preventing blood flow, reducing swelling, and promoting granulation. In June 2022, a disease with symptoms similar to root rot was observed on B. striata in the pineland (the area was 0.4 hectare) of Lancang County (22°48'17" N, 99°46'58"22 E), Yunnan Province, China. The root rot incidence rate reached 16% (Table S1). The root rot incidence was calculated as follows: root rot incidence (%) = (number of root rot seedlings/total number of seedlings investigated) × 100. In May 2023, the similar symptoms were observed in the field, and the disease incidence was 17% (Table S1). Initially, there were no obvious symptoms on the leaves. Subsequently, the leaves wilted and brown spots appeared. Later, the entire leaf browned, withered and eventually died (Fig. S1A, B). The roots were brown and the browning spread from the root edge to the center, causing vascular bundle browning and dead lignified fibers in the cortex (Fig. S1C, D). To isolate the causal pathogen, 20 symptomatic root tissues were collected from 20 plants. Cutting the diseased tissues into small pieces (0.5 × 0.5 cm). After surface sterilization (30s with 75% ethanol and 3 min with 2% sodium hypochlorite, rinsed three times with sterile water), the disinfected root tissues were plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25℃ for 4 to 6 days with 12 h light/dark photoperiod. A total of 10 single-spore isolates with similar morphology and conidial characteristics were obtained. one representative isolate BJG6 was selected for identification and further study. The fungal colony was reddish-brown or orange-white on PDA after 8 days of incubation at 25℃. The mycelium was like carpet or cotton, and the edge of colony was uniform (Fig. S1E). Large conidia were formed on simple conidial peduncles (Fig. S1F, G). The conidia with 1~3 septates and 1 mostly, with cylindrical shapes and narrow tops but sharp bases (Fig. S1H-J). Conidia with 1 septate measured as 5.5 (4.3-6.7) × 20.7 (16.0-25.4) μm (n=30), while those with 2 septates measured as 6.6 (5.8-7.4) × 26.5 (21.7-31.3) μm (n=30), and those with 3 septates was 6.9 (6.2-7.8) × 31.8 (29.3-34.3) μm (n=30). Ellipsoidal microconidia could be formed on conidiophore and measured as 2.4 (1.9-2.9) × 4.9 (5.9-3.9) μm to 2.7 (2.2-3.2) × 5.4 (4.3-6.5) μm (n=30). Spherical or subspherical chlamydospores were produced on low-nutrient agar, with an average size of 5.8(5.0-6.6) μm×5.3 (4.4-6.2) μm (n=30) (Fig. S1K, L). According to the morphology and conidial features, the pathogen was consistent with the description of Ilyonectria coprosmae (Cabral et al. 2012). The total genomic DNA was extracted, and primer pairs ITS4/ITS5 were used to amplify and sequence the rDNA-ITS region (ITS1-5.8 S rRNA-ITS2 gene regions) (White et al. 1990). The sequences were deposited in GenBank (SUB13905750 for ITS). BLAST searches revealed BJG6 showed 98% homology with corresponding sequences of Ilyonectria coprosmae in GenBank (JF735260). A phylogenetic tree (MEGA 7.0) was constructed using maximum-likelihood methods (Fig. S2). To identify pathogenicity, a cultured medium in a size of 6mm containing isolate BJG6 was inoculated onto ten healthy roots of B. striata, PDA plugs alone were used as the uninoculated controls. All samples were placed in a dark inoculation chamber at 25℃. The pathogenicity test was replicated three times. After two weeks, all inoculated roots appeared similar symptoms identical to those observed on field plants (Fig. S1M, N-P), while control plants remained healthy (Fig. S1Q, R). The same pathogenic fungus was reisolated from the symptomatic root rot, and the characteristics of colony and conidia were the same as the original isolates (Fig. S1S, T). These results confirmed I. coprosmae as the causal pathogen of root rot disease on B. striata in China by Koch's postulates tests for the first time. Further exploration should be conducted to understand the occurrence and migration of this disease, so as to develop specific and efficient disease management strategies in the future.

[Arterial spin labeling in assessment of interstitial fibrosis in renal allografts]

Objective: To explore the feasibility and application value of arterial spin labeling (ASL) in evaluating the degree of renal fibrosis after kidney transplantation. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Renal transplant recipients who received treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from December 2021 to December 2022 were enrolled. All participants underwent ASL scan, and the values of renal cortical renal blood flow (RBF) were measured through post-processing software. The participants were divided into different groups according to the Banff interstitial fibrosis score (ci score) of the transplanted kidneys, and then relevant indicators were compared. One-way analysis of variance was conducted to compare the differences in renal cortical RBF among the groups. Spearman correlation analysis was employed to investigate the association between renal cortical RBF and ci score of the transplanted kidney. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the diagnostic effectiveness of renal cortical RBF and laboratory indicators for distinguishing varying degrees of fibrosis in transplanted kidneys. The Delong test was utilized to compare the area under the curve (AUC). Results: A total of 60 patients (42 males and 18 females) were included in the study, with a mean age of (44.6±10.8) years. All patients were divided into 4 groups: ci0 group (ci score=0, 11 cases), ci1 group (ci score=1, 21 cases), ci2 group (ci score=2, 20 cases), and ci3 group (ci score=3, 8 cases). With an increase in the degree of fibrosis in the transplanted kidney, there was a corresponding decrease in the renal cortical RBF value. The differences in renal cortical RBF values among the 4 groups were statistically significant[ci0 group: (214.9±28.5) ml·(100 g)-1·min-1; ci1 group: (181.7±29.3) ml·(100 g)-1·min-1; ci2 group: (158.8±39.2) ml·(100 g)-1·min-1; ci3 group: (123.1±27.2) ml·(100 g)-1·min-1; F=14.02, P<0.001]. The renal cortical RBF was moderately negatively correlated with the ci score (r=-0.644, P<0.001). The AUC for discriminating between ci0 and ci1-3 of renal cortical RBF and 24-hour urine protein was 0.881 (95%CI: 0.772-0.950) and 0.680 (95%CI: 0.547-0.795), respectively. The AUC for renal cortical RBF was significantly higher than that for 24-hour urine protein (P=0.047). The renal cortical RBF can distinguish between ci0-1 and ci2-3, as well as ci0-2 and ci3, with the corresponding AUC value of 0.796 (95%CI: 0.673-0.889) and 0.900 (95%CI: 0.795-0.963), respectively. Conclusion: ASL can quantitatively assess renal blood perfusion in transplanted kidneys and demonstrates high operational efficacy in distinguishing varying degrees of fibrosis in the transplanted kidneys.

Testosterone promotes the migration, invasion and EMT process of papillary thyroid carcinoma by up-regulating Tnnt1

PURPOSE

To explore the key genes and molecular pathways in the progression of thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC) promoted by testosterone using RNA-sequencing technology, and to provide new drug targets for improving the therapeutic effect of PTC.

METHODS

Orchiectomy (ORX) was carried out to construct ORX mouse models. TPC-1 cells were subcutaneously injected for PTC formation in mice, and the tumor tissues were collected for RNA-seq. The key genes were screened by bioinformatics technology. Tnnt1 expression in PTC cells was knocked down or overexpressed by transfection. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation assay, scratch assay and transwell assay were adopted, respectively, for the detection of cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion. Besides, quantification real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot were utilized to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels of genes in tissues or cells.

RESULTS

Both estradiol and testosterone promoted the growth of PTC xenografts. The key gene Tnnt1 was screened and obtained by bioinformatics technology. Functional analysis revealed that overexpression of Tnnt1 could markedly promote the proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of PTC cells, as well as could activate p38/JNK pathway. In addition, si-Tnt1 was able to inhibit the cancer-promoting effect of testosterone.

CONCLUSION

Based on the outcomes of bioinformatics and basic experiments, it is found that testosterone can promote malignant behaviors such as growth, migration, invasion and EMT process of PTC by up-regulating Tnnt1 expression. In addition, the function of testosterone may be achieved by activating p38/JNK signaling pathway.

Primary human thyrocytes maintained the function of thyroid hormone production and secretion in vitro

PURPOSE

Thyroid cell lines are useful tools to study the physiology and pathology of the thyroid, however, they do not produce or secrete hormones in vitro. On the other hand, the detection of endogenous thyroid hormones in primary thyrocytes was often hindered by the dedifferentiation of thyrocytes ex vivo and the presence of large amounts of exogenous hormones in the culture medium. This study aimed to create a culture system that could maintain the function of thyrocytes to produce and secrete thyroid hormones in vitro.

METHODS

We established a Transwell culture system of primary human thyrocytes. Thyrocytes were seeded on a porous membrane in the inner chamber of the Transwell with top and bottom surfaces exposed to different culture components, mimicking the 'lumen-capillary' structure of the thyroid follicle. Moreover, to eliminate exogenous thyroid hormones from the culture medium, two alternatives were tried: a culture recipe using hormone-reduced serum and a serum-free culture recipe.

RESULTS

The results showed that primary human thyrocytes expressed thyroid-specific genes at higher levels in the Transwell system than in the monolayer culture. Hormones were detected in the Transwell system even in the absence of serum. The age of the donor was negatively related to the hormone production of thyrocytes in vitro. Intriguingly, primary human thyrocytes cultured without serum secreted higher levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3) than free thyroxine (FT4).

CONCLUSION

This study confirmed that primary human thyrocytes could maintain the function of hormone production and secretion in the Transwell system, thus providing a useful tool to study thyroid function in vitro.

Feature Selection in the Data Stream Based on Incremental Markov Boundary Learning

Recent years have witnessed the proliferation of techniques for streaming data mining to meet the demands of many real-time systems, where high-dimensional streaming data are generated at high speed, increasing the burden on both hardware and software. Some feature selection algorithms for streaming data are proposed to tackle this issue. However, these algorithms do not consider the distribution shift due to nonstationary scenarios, leading to performance degradation when the underlying distribution changes in the data stream. To solve this problem, this article investigates feature selection in streaming data through incremental Markov boundary (MB) learning and proposes a novel algorithm. Different from existing algorithms focusing on prediction performance on off-line data, the MB is learned by analyzing conditional dependence/independence in data, which uncovers the underlying mechanism and is naturally more robust against the distribution shift. To learn MB in the data stream, the proposal transforms the learned information in previous data blocks to prior knowledge and employs them to assist MB discovery in current data blocks, where the likelihood of distribution shift and reliability of conditional independence test are monitored to avoid the negative impact from invalid prior information. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

Genomic features of recombinant CHO clones arising from transposon-based and randomized integration

The use of transposase in cell line development (CLD) programs has experienced increased popularity over the past decade. However, few studies have described the mechanism of action and the genomic and phenotypic characteristics of clones derived from transposase. Additionally, how these traits impact long-term bioproduction is unknown. Here, we use chromosome painting, deep sequencing, and ddPCR to characterize the unique fingerprints associated with transposase-derived clones. Transposase reduces the cellular pool of transient vector as early as three days post transfection following transfection and expedites stable pool establishment by up to two weeks. Furthermore, recombinant DNA expression is significantly improved up to ∼3 fold along with a greater balance of antibody heavy and light chain transcripts, resulting in higher titers in transposase generated pools. Transposase derived pools contained an often innumerable number of integration sites, representing a vast increase in integration site diversity over randomly generated pools, which were bottlenecked at 1-3 integration sites per pool. These transposase mediated integrations typically occurred in clean singlets, free of genomic scars such as deletions, inversions, and other modifications associated with legacy transfection methods which exhibited higher copy numbers per integration site. Relative declines in gene expression occur with copy number increase in the randomly generated, but not the transposase derived clones. Furthermore, transposase-derived clones were more likely to exhibit enhanced a long term stability profile, including product quality attributes such as mannose-5. This improved stability may result from circumventing mechanisms associated with the silencing of tandem repeats. Thus, transposase-mediated approaches can provide multifaceted molecular and phenotypic advantages in cell line development when compared to legacy random-integration methods.

[The prevalence of insufficient physical activity and the influencing factors among Chinese adults in 2018]

Objective: To understand the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged ≥18 years in China and to explore the influencing factors. Methods: The China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance was conducted in 298 counties/districts in China in 2018, covering 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities). A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select permanent residents aged ≥18 years. A questionnaire including Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to collect information about the participants' demographic characteristics and physical activity through face-to-face interview. A total of 183 769 participants completed the survey. After complex data weighting, the prevalence of insufficient physical activity, occupation, transportation, and leisure-time physical activity time was analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the influencing factors related to insufficient physical activity. Results: The prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged ≥18 years was 22.3% (95%CI: 20.9%-23.7%) in China in 2018, with males [24.4% (95%CI: 23.0%-25.8%)] significantly higher than females [20.2% (95%CI: 18.6%-21.8%)]. Adults aged 70 years and above [28.4% (95%CI: 26.9%-29.9%)] were significantly higher than adults in other age groups, followed by adults aged 18-29 years [26.4% (95%CI: 24.4%- 28.3%)] and 30-39 years [23.4% (95%CI: 21.5%-25.3%)], and tended to increase with increasing education and total sedentary behavior time (P<0.001). The weekly occupation, transportation, and leisure-time physical activity time appeared 958.6 (95%CI: 911.4-1 005.8) minutes, 234.5 (95%CI: 224.7- 244.2) minutes, and 88.6 (95%CI: 83.5-93.7) minutes, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that males, adults living in rural areas or northern China, ≥70 years, with junior high school education, an annual household income per capita <6 000 yuan and institutional/clerical/ technical occupation and longer total sedentary behavior time were related to a higher prevalence of insufficient physical activity. Conclusions: In China, over one-fifth of the adults had lower physical activity levels. Adults who are male, young adults, more educated, institutional/clerical/technical occupation, and with more extended total sedentary behavior are the populations that need to be focused on to promote physical activity-related health.

[Value of Improved Mayo Endoscopic Score for evaluating treatment efficacy for active ulcerative colitis]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the value of Improved Mayo Endoscopic Score (IMES) for evaluation of treatment efficacy for active ulcerative colitis (UC).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and endoscopic data of 103 patients diagnosed with active UC in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from January, 2015 to December, 2020. The severity of endoscopic lesions was determined by Mayo Endoscopic Score and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS), and the area of the endoscopic lesions was evaluated based on the Montreal classification system. The IMES was established by combining the MES with the Montreal classification.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis suggested that young patients (<40 years old), patients with extensive disease type (E3), patients with high endoscopic scores (MES=3, UCEIS>4, and IMES>4), and patients receiving advanced drug therapy (with systemic hormones, immunosuppressants, immunomodulators, and biological agents, etc.) had lower clinical and endoscopic remission rates. COX survival analysis showed that IMES≤4 was an independent risk factor for clinical and endoscopic remission. ROC curve indicated that the predictive value of IMSE≤4 for clinical and endoscopic remission (AUC=0.7793 and 0.7095, respectively; P<0.01) was better than that of Montreal (AUC=0.7357 and 0.6847, respectively; P<0.01), MES=2 (AUC=0.6671 and 0.5929, respectively; P<0.01), and UCEIS≤4 (AUC=0.6823 and 0.6459, respectively; P<0.01); IMES=5 had a better predictive value for patients with active UC undergoing colectomy tham E3 and MES=3.

CONCLUSION

IMES has good value in evaluating treatment efficacy for active UC.

[Clinical and imaging characteristics of optic nerve tumors as the differencial diagnosis of optic neuritis]

Objective: To investigate the clinical and imaging features of optic nerve tumors that require differential diagnosis from optic neuritis. Methods: A retrospective case series study was conducted. Clinical data of patients diagnosed with optic nerve tumors from January 2017 to December 2021 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were collected. A total of 29 patients (39 eyes) with clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings similar to optic neuritis or optic neuropathy were included. There were 15 cases of optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM) (17 eyes), 4 cases of optic nerve glioma (ONG) (5 eyes), and 10 cases of infiltrative optic nerve lesions (ION) (17 eyes). All patients underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anterior and posterior segment examinations, visual field examination, and orbital or cranial MRI examination. Patient data were observed and analyzed, treatment and follow-up information were recorded, and clinical and imaging features were summarized and compared with those of optic neuritis or optic neuropathy. Results: Among the 29 patients with optic nerve tumors, 10 were male and 19 were female, with an average age of (43.3±13.8) years and a range of 11 to 72 years. The follow-up time was 6.8 (2.0, 11.0) months, with a range of 1 to 33 months. Sixteen patients (21 eyes) with optic nerve tumors were initially misdiagnosed as having acute optic neuritis and showed poor response to steroid treatment. Of these, 9 cases (11 eyes) were ONSM, 4 cases (6 eyes) were ION, and 3 cases (4 eyes) were ONG. The diagnostic delay time was 7.1 (1.5, 12.0) months, with a range of 1 to 24 months. The main clinical symptoms of all affected eyes were acute vision loss in 23 eyes, slow vision loss in 5 eyes, transient blackouts in 4 eyes, and no obvious visual symptoms in 7 eyes. The median BCVA of all affected eyes was 0.1, ranging from light perception to 1.0. Fundus examination results showed optic disc edema in 34 eyes and normal optic disc in 5 eyes among the 39 eyes with optic nerve tumors. A total of 27 patients (33 eyes) completed visual field examinations, which revealed an enlarged physiological blind spot in 11 eyes, a concentric or tubular visual field contraction in 8 eyes, a diffuse decrease in light sensitivity in 7 eyes, an arcuate scotoma in 4 eyes, and a normal visual field in 3 eyes. All affected eyes completed orbital or cranial MRI examinations, which showed mild optic nerve thickening in 22 eyes, significant thickening in 6 eyes with distortion, and no significant thickening in 6 eyes. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) MRI showed optic nerve parenchymal thickening in 5 eyes, all of which were ONG, and 2 of them had optic nerve parenchymal enhancement. Optic nerve sheath thickening and enhancement without optic nerve parenchymal thickening or enhancement were observed in 28 eyes, including 17 eyes of ION and 11 eyes of ONSM. There were 6 eyes with no obvious optic nerve thickening, which were all ONSM, showing mild or significant thickening and enhancement of the optic nerve sheath without optic nerve parenchymal thickening or enhancement. Conclusions: Optic nerve tumors can present with ophthalmic clinical features similar to optic neuritis, such as optic disc edema, and demonstrate MRI findings that resemble those of optic neuritis. Therefore, differentiation between the two is crucial, based on differences in their natural course and response to steroid therapy.

Specific discrimination of zinc and manganese ions by label free dual emissive carbon dots by ratio-metric mode

Due to the worldwide ecological and environmental issues induced by heavy metal pollution, including zinc and manganese, the ratio-metric discrimination of Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ based on CDs is urgently required. In this work, reduced CDs (re-CDs) with the intrinsic dual emissive peaks are obtained, and specific discrimination of Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ is realized by re-CDs with ratio-metric mode. With the addition of Zn²⁺, the fluorescent (FL) intensity at 650 nm increases obviously, while that at 680 nm progressively decreases. However, the presence of Mn²⁺ would induce the quenching of FL intensity at 680 nm while that at 650 nm remains constant. Then the Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ can be separately determined with the ratio of FL intensity at 650 nm to that at 680 mm (F₆₅₀/F₆₈₀). Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) of Zn²⁺ is determined to be 9.09 nmol/L, and that for Mn²⁺ is estimated to be 0.93 nmol/L, which is much lower than previously reported work and standard level of Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ permitted in drinking water by WHO. Moreover, the specific recognition of Mn²⁺ and Zn²⁺ can be realized via the addition of different masking agents (ethylenediamine for Zn²⁺ and triethanolamine for Mn²⁺). Furthermore, our results reveal that the structural changes from -NH-CO to -NC-OH induced by Zn²⁺ contribute to the shift of FL peak from 680 to 650 nm while both static and dynamic quenching processes are involved in the detection of Mn²⁺. The ratio-metric probe was successfully applied to Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ determination in human serum samples and Sandy Lake water.

Role of the Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3-Cyclic AMP/Protein Kinase A in the Immobilization of Human Sperm by Tideglusib

Tideglusib is considered to be a promising alternative to nonyl alcohol-9 contraceptives. Previous studies have demonstrated that the rapid spermicidal effect of tideglusib at a high concentration (≥ 10 μM) may occur through detergent-like activity; however, the effect of low concentrations of tideglusib (< 5 μM) on sperm is unknown. We explored the intracellular mechanism of tideglusib (< 5 μM) on the immobilization of human sperm by exploring related signaling pathways in human sperm. After treatment with tideglusib (1.25 μM) for 2 h, sperm motility rate decreased to 0, while sperm membrane integrity rate was 70%. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation level and intracellular cyclic adenosine 3,5-monophosphate (cAMP) concentration decreased significantly compared to those in the control group. Isobutylmethylxanthine and 8-Bromo-cAMP relieved the inhibition of spermatozoa tyrosine phosphorylation, while tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm protein in the H89 and CALP1 treatment groups was significantly inhibited, and there was no difference in the tideglusib treatment group. H-89 and CALP1 reduced the level of serine phosphorylation of GSK-3α/β (Ser21/9), while its level was enhanced by IBMX and 8-Bromo-cAMP. Our results show the existence of the GSK3-cAMP/PKA regulatory loop in human sperm, which may mediate the immobilization effect of tideglusib at low of concentrations (e.g., 1.25 μM) on sperm motility.

Multi-Target Markov Boundary Discovery: Theory, Algorithm, and Application

Markov boundary (MB) has been widely studied in single-target scenarios. Relatively few works focus on the MB discovery for variable set due to the complex variable relationships, where an MB variable might contain predictive information about several targets. This paper investigates the multi-target MB discovery, aiming to distinguish the common MB variables (shared by multiple targets) and the target-specific MB variables (associated with single targets). Considering the multiplicity of MB, the relation between common MB variables and equivalent information is studied. We find that common MB variables are determined by equivalent information through different mechanisms, which is relevant to the existence of the target correlation. Based on the analysis of these mechanisms, we propose a multi-target MB discovery algorithm to identify these two types of variables, whose variant also achieves superiority and interpretability in feature selection tasks. Extensive experiments demonstrate the efficacy of these contributions.

Polydopamine nanoparticles coated with a metal-polyphenol network for enhanced photothermal/chemodynamic cancer combination therapy

Polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) are commonly used for photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer because of their good biocompatibility and photothermal conversion capability. However, it is difficult to achieve a good tumor inhibition effect with a single PTT of PDA. Therefore, in this work, we prepared a combined anticancer nanosystem for enhanced chemodynamic therapy (CDT)/PTT by coating PDAs with an (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)/iron (Fe) metal-polyphenol network (MPN). The MPN shell of this nanosystem named EGCG@PDA is degraded by the weakly acidic environment intracellular, releasing EGCG and Fe³⁺. EGCG inhibits the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in cancer cells, thus eliminating their thermal protection against cancer cells for enhanced PTT. Meanwhile, the reductive EGCG can also reduce Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺, to catalyze the decomposition of overexpressed hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in cancer cells to generate strong oxidative hydroxyl radicals (OH), i.e., catalyzing the Fenton reaction, for CDT. After the Fenton reaction, the re-oxidized Fe ions can be reduced again by EGCG and reused to catalyze the Fenton reaction, which can achieve enhanced CDT. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that EGCG@PDA has low dark toxicity and good anticancer effects. It is expected to be used for precision cancer therapy.

Small-size Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets coated with metal-polyphenol nanodots for enhanced cancer photothermal therapy and anti-inflammation

As a controllable, simple method with few side effects, near-infrared (NIR) light-based photothermal therapy (PTT) has been proven an effective cancer therapeutic approach. However, PTT-induced inflammation is a potential negative factor. And the overexpressed heat shock proteins (HSPs) by cancer cells can protect them from hyperthermia during PTT. In this work, small-size Ti₃C₂T_x MXene nanosheets with high photothermal conversion efficiency in the region of NIR, high cargo loading capability and good free radical scavenging capability were chosen for cancer PTT and anti-inflammation. And (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was applied to form EGCG/Fe metal-polyphenol nanodots on the nanosheets. EGCG being released in acid cancer cells could reduce the expression of HSPs and could be used for anti-inflammation. As a result, the complex nanosheets named MXene@EGCG could achieve enhanced cancer PTT and be anti-inflammatory. Both in vitro and in vivo studies proved the good photothermal ability of MXene@EGCG and demonstrated that it could inhibit the expression of HSPs in tumor cells and relieve PTT-induced inflammation. Therefore, the nanosheets show good results in tumor ablation with a low level of inflammation, which provides another possibility for cancer therapy. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Photothermal therapy (PTT)-induced inflammation plays an essential role in some important stages of tumor development and is unfavorable for cancer treatment. And hyperthermia leads to the overexpression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in cancer cells, which limits the therapeutic effect of PTT. Therefore, we coated small-size Ti₃C₂T_x MXene nanosheets with (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)/Fe metal-polyphenol nanodots and named them as MXene@EGCG. This system shows a good photothermal conversion efficiency at 808 nm. And it can release EGCG in cancer cells to inhibit the expression of HSPs, thus achieving an enhanced cancer PTT. Both MXene and EGCG can also diminish the PTT-trigged inflammation. Both in vitro and in vivo studies prove the good anti-cancer PTT effect and anti-inflammation capability of MXene@EGCG.

[Study on the relationship between indexes of different abnormal weight and dyslipidemia in adults in Beijing City]

Objective: To analyze the relationship and consistency between indexes of different abnormal weight and dyslipidemia in adults in Beijing City. Methods: From August to December of 2017, 4 975 residents aged 18 to 79 years old in 5 districts of Beijing were randomly selected as subjects by using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Questionnaire, physical examination and laboratory tests were conducted. The prevalence of overweight/obesity, high body fat rate, central obesity, and high waist-to-height ratio was calculated. Partial correlation was used to analyze the correlation of blood lipid with body mass index (BMI), body fat rate, waist circumference and waist-height ratio. Logistic regression analysis for complex sampling was used to analyze the relationship between indexes of different abnormal weight and dyslipidemia after controlling for relevant risk factors, including age, sex, smoking status, drinking, insufficiency intake of vegetable and fruit, physical inactivity. Kappa value was computed to analyze the consistency between indexes of different abnormal weight. Results: The weighted prevalence of dyslipidemia was 30.48%, and it was higher in men than that in women (40.16% vs. 20.52%, P<0.01). The weighted rate of overweight/obesity, high body fat rate, central obesity, and high waist-to-height ratio was 56.65%, 47.52%, 42.48% and 59.45%, respectively. BMI, body fat rate, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio were positively correlated with the level of total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Logistic regression analysis for complex sampling showed that the high body fat rate (OR=1.67, 95%CI: 1.35-2.07), overweight/obesity (OR=1.65, 95%CI: 1.26-2.14) and high waist-to-height ratio (OR=1.46, 95%CI: 1.09-1.96) were associated with dyslipidemias. Kappa values of high body fat rate with overweight/obesity, high waist-to-height ratio and central obesity were 0.65, 0.53 and 0.58, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: In 2017, the prevalence of dyslipidemia in adults in Beijing City is high, especially in men. Overweight/obesity, high body fat rate and high waist-to-height ratio are associated with dyslipidemia. The high body fat rate is most associated with dyslipidemia.

Genome-wide association study for the primary feather color trait in a native Chinese duck

Background: To reveal candidate genes and the molecular genetic mechanism underlying primary feather color trait in ducks, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for the primary feather color trait was performed based on the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology for a native Chinese female duck, Longyan Shan-ma ducks. Methods: Blood genomic DNA from 314 female Longyan Shan-ma duck were genotyped using GBS technology. A GWAS for the primary feather color trait with genome variations was performed using an univariate linear mixed model based on all SNPs in autosomes. Results: Seven genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, Bonferroni-adjusted p-value <8.03 × 10^-7) within the introns of the genes STARD9, ZNF106, SLC7A5, and BANP genes were associated with the primary feather color trait. Twenty-two genome-wide suggestive SNPs (Bonferroni-adjusted p-value <1.61 × 10^-5) of 17 genes (besides ZNF106 and SLC7A5) were also identified. Seven SNPs were located at one 0.22 Mb region (38.65-38.87 Mb) on chromosome 5, and six SNPs were located at one 0.31 Mb region (19.53-19.84 Mb) on chromosome 11. The functions of STARD9, SLC7A5, BANP, LOC101798015, and IPMK were involved pigmentation and follicle development, especially, STARD9 upregulated expression in black feather (haplotype-CCCC) bulb tissue compared with in pockmarked feather (haplotype-TGTT) bulb tissue, implicating these genes as candidate genes for primary feather color trait. Conclusion: The preliminarily findings suggested candidate genes and regions, and the genetic basis of primary feather color trait in a female duck.

UCHL1 Impairs Periodontal Ligament Stem Cell Osteogenesis in Periodontitis

Periodontitis comprises a series of inflammatory responses resulting in alveolar bone loss. The suppression of osteogenesis of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) by inflammation is responsible for impaired alveolar bone regeneration, which remains an ongoing challenge for periodontitis therapy. Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) belongs to the family of deubiquitinating enzymes, which was found to play roles in inflammation previously. In this study, the upregulation of UCHL1 was identified in inflamed PDLSCs isolated from periodontitis patients and in healthy PDLSCs treated with tumor necrosis factor-α or interleukin-1β, and the higher expression level of UCHL1 was accompanied with the impaired osteogenesis of PDLSCs. Then UCHL1 was inhibited in PDLSCs using the lentivirus or inhibitor, and the osteogenesis of PDLSCs suppressed by inflammation was rescued by UCHL1 inhibition. Mechanistically, the negative effect of UCHL1 on the osteogenesis of PDLSCs was attributable to its negative regulation of mitophagy-dependent bone morphogenetic protein 2/Smad signaling pathway in periodontitis-associated inflammation. Furthermore, a ligature-induced murine periodontitis model was established, and the specific inhibitor of UCHL1 was administrated to periodontitis mice. The histological results showed increased active osteoblasts on alveolar bone surface and enhanced alveolar bone regeneration when UCHL1 was inhibited in periodontitis mice. Besides, the therapeutic effects of UCHL1 inhibition on ameliorating periodontitis were verified, as indicated by less bone loss and reduced inflammation. Altogether, our study proved UCHL1 to be a key negative regulator of the osteogenesis of PDLSCs in periodontitis and suggested that UCHL1 inhibition holds promise for alveolar bone regeneration in periodontitis treatment.

Emulsifier-modulated covalent organic frameworks for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are efficient semiconductor materials with superior catalytic activity and adjustable band gaps for the efficient degradation of organic pollutants in water. However, the synthetic yield of...

[Exploration and thinking on functional preservation after orthotopic neobladder construction]

The concept of functional preservation after orthotopic neobladder construction has gradually attracted attention. Reconstruction of urine storage and voiding is the basic function preservation of orthotopic neobladder. Clinical exploration mainly focuses on the optimization of neobladder reconstruction methods and procedures, and there is still a lack of summary of existing surgical characteristics and high-quality functional comparative studies. For strictly selected patients, on the basis of tumor control and standardized postoperative rehabilitation guidance, most patients with preserved nerve can retain satisfied sexual function after surgery. The protection of neurovascular bundle and ancillary structures combined with postoperative exercise is crucial to the improvement of urinary continence. According to the characteristics of patients, choosing the appropriate urinary diversion methods and function preserving can help patients establish a normal life style after surgery and improve their self-image and quality of life.

A novel methodology to integrate outcomes regarding perioperative pain experience into a composite score: prediction model development and validation

BACKGROUND

An integrated score that globally assesses perioperative pain experience and rationally weights each component has not yet been developed.

METHODS

A development dataset specific to adult Chinese patients undergoing orthopedic surgery was obtained from PAIN OUT (1985 qualified patients of 2244). A more recent validation dataset obeying the same conditions was obtained from the Chinese Anesthesia Shared-database Platform (1004 qualified patients of 1032). Outcomes were assessed using the International Pain Outcomes Questionnaire (IPO-Q), which comprises key patient-level outcomes of perioperative pain management, including pain experience and perceptions of care. Using principal component analysis and regression models, a composite score was inferred to integrate pain experience. The discrimination of the composite score for dissatisfaction and desire for more pain treatment was compared with that of the worst pain score.

RESULTS

A composite score was developed from the 12 items of the IPO-Q regarding pain experience. The weight for calculating the composite score was worst pain 11, least pain 17, time spent in severe pain 11, interference with activity in bed 9, interference with breathing deeply or coughing 10, interference with sleep 9, anxiety 12, helplessness 12, nausea 0, drowsiness 2, itch 5, and dizziness 2. In external validation, the composite score indicated superior discrimination to the worst pain in predicting dissatisfaction (P<0.001) and desire for more pain treatment (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study introduced a methodology to integrate outcomes regarding perioperative pain experience into a composite score, which was based on the weight of each item.

Clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of long non-coding RNA myocardial infarction-associated transcript in multiple cancers

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the meta-analysis was to explore the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) myocardial infarction-associated transcript (MIAT) in various cancers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched multiple databases, including PubMed, China National Knowledge 53 Infrastructure (CNKI), Springer, Web of Science, and Cochrane, for articles on the prognostic value of lncRNA MIAT in various cancers before 25 March 2021. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were adopted to evaluate the clinicopathological features and outcomes of cancers. The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset was used to identify the differential expression and prognostic significance of lncRNA MIAT.

RESULTS

We enrolled 14 publications, including 1,573 cancer patients. Higher lncRNA MIAT expression was significantly related to worse overall survival (OR=3.13, 95% CI: 2.47-3.96, p<0.05), regardless of cancer types, sample size, and follow-up time of the included studies. Additionally, higher lncRNA MIAT expression was associated with larger tumour sizes (OR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.24-2.26, p<0.05), advanced clinical stage (OR=4.79, 95% CI: 3.38-6.79, p<0.05), lymph nodes metastasis (OR=7.33, 95% CI: 4.61-11.67, p<0.05), and distant metastasis (OR=2.62, 95% CI: 1.88-3.66, p<0.05), but not associated with age and gender. We found no publication bias, and sensitivity analysis indicated that the results were reliable.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher lncRNA MIAT expression may predict larger tumour sizes, advanced clinical stage, metastasis of cancers, and lower overall survival rate. LncRNA MIAT may serve as a useful clinicopathological and prognostic biomarker for cancers.

Genetic Relationships of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in Southwestern and Northwestern China

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a crucial disease for wheat worldwide and constantly threatens wheat production in southwestern and northwestern China, where the environment is a good fit for Pst oversummering and overwintering. However, the underlying genetic dynamics of spring epidemic Pst populations across large areas of continuous planting in the southwestern and northwestern regions are poorly understood. A total of 2,103 Pst isolates were sampled in the spring of 2019 from the two agroecosystems and grouped into three horizontal spatial scales (countywide, provincial, and regional subpopulations) and two vertical spatial scales that consisted of elevational and geomorphic subpopulations. A total of 776 multilocus genotypes were identified, with the highest genetic diversity found in the northern and Sichuan populations, particularly in the Ningxia and Sichuan Basins, while the lowest genetic diversity was found in the Yunnan and Guizhou populations. Multivariate discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and STRUCTURE (STRUCTURE 2.3.4) analyses revealed variation in the genotypic compositions of the molecular groups on horizontal and vertical dimensions from north to south or vice versa and from low to high or vice versa, respectively. The regional neighbor-joining tree revealed three large spatial structures consisting of the southwestern, the northwestern, and the Xinjiang regions, while the Tibetan population connected the southwestern and northwestern regions. The isolates of the Sichuan Basin were scattered over the four quartiles by principal coordinate analysis, which indicated frequent genotype interchange with others. Greater genetic differentiation was observed between the southwestern and northwestern regions. Linkage equilibrium (P ≥ 0.05) was detected on different spatial scales, suggesting that Pst populations are using sexual reproduction or mixed reproduction (sexual and clonal reproduction) in southwestern and northwestern China. IMPORTANCE Understanding the epidemiology and population genetics of plant pathogens is crucial to formulate efficient predictions of disease outbreaks and achieve sustainable integrated disease management, especially for pathogens with migratory capability. Here, this study covers the genetic homogeneity and heterogeneity of different geographical Pst populations on broad to fine spatial scales from the key epidemic regions of the two agroecosystems in China, where wheat stripe rust occurs annually. We provide knowledge of the population genetics of Pst and reveal that, for instance, there is greater genetic diversity in northwestern China, there are close genetic relationships between Yunnan and Guizhou and between Gansu-Ningxia and Qinghai, and there are effects of altitude on genetic compositions, etc. All of these findings clarify the genetic relationships and expand the insights into the population dynamics and evolutionary mechanisms of Pst in southwestern and northwestern China, providing a theoretical basis for achieving sustainable control of wheat stripe rust in key epidemic regions.

[Blood glucose levels and the relationship of body mass index and circumference with blood glucose in China]

Objective: To describe and compare blood glucose levels in adults aged 18 years old and above in China and explore the relationship between BMI and waist circumference with blood glucose. Methods: China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance were conducted in 298 counties/districts in China in 2018, covering 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities). A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method selected permanent residents aged 18 years and above. Information on demographics, behavior-related risk factors, BMI, waist circumference, and blood glucose were collected through a face-to-face questionnaire, physical measurement, and laboratory examination. After complex weighting of data, they described the blood glucose levels of people with different characteristics and explored the relationship of BMI and waist circumference with blood glucose by multiple linear regression model analysis. Results: A total of 177 816 adults were included in the study. The average fasting blood glucose and average glycosylated hemoglobin were (5.73±1.46) mmol/L and (5.37±0.83) %, with people aged 60 years old and above group highest than that of other, with males higher than females (P<0.001); and urban was higher slightly than rural for the average of average glycosylated hemoglobin (P<0.001). The average fasting blood glucose and average glycosylated hemoglobin increased with increased BMI and waist circumference (P<0.001). Results from multiple linear regression model analysis showed that: 1) for each increase in BMI unit and waist circumference, the fasting glucose levels increased by 0.019 mmol/L and 0.008 mmol/L (all P<0.001) in those not diagnosed with diabetes, 2) by 0.021 mmol/L (P=0.163) and 0.014 mmol/L (P=0.004) in those newly detected as diabetes, and 3) by 0.028 mmol/L (P=0.088) and 0.023 mmol/L (P<0.001) in those self-reported as having been diagnosed as diabetes, respectively. However, glycosylated hemoglobin levels increased: 1) by 0.015% and 0.006% in those not diagnosed as diabetes (all P<0.001), 2) by 0.050% and 0.019% in those newly detected as diabetes (all P<0.001), and 3) by 0.033% and 0.019% in those self-reported as having been diagnosed as diabetes (all P<0.001), respectively. These associations with waist circumference were more robust than with BMI. Conclusions: Adults not diagnosed with diabetes with abnormal BMI or waist circumference are the key population for prevention and control. Measures improving the awareness rate of waist circumference should be taken to maintain average blood glucose in various groups.

[Analysis of blood pressure measurement among Chinese adults in 2018]

Objective: To analyze the blood pressure measurement of Chinese adult residents in 2018 and provide a scientific basis for early detection and intervention of hypertension. Methods: In 2018, China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance were conducted in 298 counties (districts) of 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) across the country, using a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method to survey permanent residents aged 18 years and above. We selected 184 509 people and carried out a face-to-face questionnaire survey and body measurement method to collect demographic data, major chronic diseases, and blood pressure measurement information of the survey subjects. Blood glucose and blood lipid-related indicators were obtained by laboratory testing. There were 170 551 adult residents included in the study after excluding abnormal and missing data for key variables. After complex weighting, blood pressure detection rates and detection times in people with different blood pressure levels and other diseases were analyzed. SAS 9.4 software was used to perform the χ²-test and trend test. Results: Among adult residents in China, the proportions of those with normal blood pressure, commonly recognized 'high' blood pressure, and newly detected hypertension who had their blood pressure tested within three months were 44.4%, 50.4%, and 52.6%, respectively. The proportions all appeared higher in women than in men (all P<0.05), in urban than in rural areas (all P<0.05), and showed an increasing trend with age (all P<0.001); The proportion of these three populations who had never had their blood pressure measured was 27.6%, 24.2%, and 23.5% respectively. The proportion of people with diagnosed hypertension who had their blood pressure tested within seven days was 44.0%, 51.4% in urban areas, higher than 37.7% in rural areas (P<0.001), and the proportion of people who had their blood pressure tested increased with education, per capita annual income and BMI (all P<0.001). Conclusions: The behavior of regular self-monitoring of blood pressure among adult residents in China still needs to be improved, especially among men and rural areas. Relevant health promotion and education should be strengthened. More targeted policies and measures should be developed to improve blood pressure measurement behavior in people with normal high blood pressure and other high-risk groups to control elevated blood pressure effectively.

Carbon dots capped cerium oxide nanoparticles for highly efficient removal and sensitive detection of fluoride

Since the excess exposure to F^- may induce serious issues to human health, the effective adsorption and sensitive detection of F^- is essential. Therefore, carbon dots (CDs) capped CeO₂ (CeO₂@CDs) was synthesized via hydrothermal treatment of tannic acid and CeCl₃. Due to abundant phenolic hydroxyl are reserved and excellent hydrophilicity, CeO₂@CDs possess high F^- adsorption capacity. The partition coefficient parameters (PC) are determined to be 2.65 L/g, which is comparable with previous work. The kinetics results and adsorption isotherm are consistent with pseudo-second-order model and Freundlich model, respectively, indicating the chemisorption dominate the adsorption, mainly via the ion exchange between hydroxyl and F^-. Since phenolic hydroxyl existed on the CeO₂@CDs, synergetic effect of CDs and CeO₂ contribute to superior ROS eliminating capacity, even at acidic conditions. Moreover, due to the ROS scavenging of CeO₂ @CDs abilities can be potentiated by F^-, colorimetric detection of F^- can be realized via horseradish peroxidase as an indicator. The linear range is 0.3-2.1 mM with limit of detection is 0.13 mg/L. The current results imply that CeO₂@CDs possess potential in both efficient removal and sensitive detection of F^- related contamination issues and elucidation of development to address other anions related issues.

[Analysis and significance of HBV DNA below the lower detection limit of HBV RNA levels after long-term NAs antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis]

Objective: To analyze the significance of HBV DNA below the lower detection limit of HBV RNA levels after long-term nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis. Methods: 97 cases with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis treated with NAs antiviral therapy for at least 3 years between May 2018 to July 2019 were selected. High-sensitivity HBV DNA (<20 IU/ml), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV RNA at least twice every 6 months were detected. According to Child-Pugh classification, HBeAg, HBsAg level, and HBV RNA level intergroup comparison was performed. Rank sum test, χ² test and linear regression analysis were performed on the data. Results: Compared with the HBV RNA level of child-Pugh class A patients, the HBV RNA level of Child-Pugh class B+C patients were significantly higher [4.1 (0,4.9) log₁₀ copies/ml and 2.0 (0,3.5) log₁₀ copies/ml], and the difference was statistically significant (Z=2.370, P<0.05). According to different HBeAg levels, they were divided into HBeAg positive and negative group, and the quantitative comparison of HBV RNA levels between the two groups were 2.0 (0, 4.5) log₁₀ copies/ml and 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) log₁₀ copies/ml, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (Z=3.233, P<0.05). According to different HBsAg levels, they were divided into three groups: HBsAg≤100 IU/ml, 100<HBsAg<1 000 IU/ml, and HBsAg≥1 000 IU/ml, and the quantitative comparison of HBV RNA levels among the three groups were 0 (0, 2.0) log₁₀, 2.0 (0,4.6) log_10, and 2.2 (2.0, 4.7) log₁₀ copies/ml, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (H=11.265, P<0.05). Gender, age, ALT, AST, GGT, HBsAg, and HBeAg were included for linear regression analysis, and the HBsAg and AST levels were correlated with HBV RNA quantification (P<0.05). Adverse events occurrence during 1-year follow-up were recorded. 19 (31.7%) out of 60 cases had adverse events with detectable HBV RNA, and 3 (8.1%) out of 37 cases had adverse events with undetectable HBV RNA, and the difference was statistically significant (χ²=7.24, P<0.05). Conclusion: HBV RNA can still be detected after HBV DNA falls below the detection limit in patients with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis treated with long-term NAs antiviral therapy. HBV RNA quantification level is higher in patients with Child Pugh class B and C. Patients with detectable HBV RNA has higher proportion of adverse events, and AST and HBsAg levels may be correlated with serum HBV RNA.

[Differential diagnosis of gallbladder polypoid lesions by micro-flow imaging]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the value of micro-flow imaging (MFI) in evaluating blood flow characteristics and differential diagnosis of gallbladder polypoid lesions.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and ultrasound images of 73 patients with gallbladder polypoid lesions, including 24 patients with pathologically confirmed neoplastic polyps (n=24) and 49 with non-neoplastic polyps (n=49). All the patients underwent conventional ultrasound, MFI and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) before cholecystectomy. The blood flow characteristics of the lesions in color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and MFI were compared, and the consistency of the findings by these two modalities with those of CEUS were evaluated by weighted Kappa consistency test. The diagnostic performance of MFI for gallbladder polypoid lesions was assessed.

RESULTS

There were significant differences between MFI and CDFI in the evaluation of blood flow characteristics of gallbladder polypoid lesions (χ²=37.684, P < 0.001). MFI showed better performance than CDFI in displaying the blood flow characteristics of the polyps. The consistency in the findings was 0.118 between CDFI and CEUS and 0.816 between MFI and CEUS. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MFI in distinguishing neoplastic polyps from non-neoplastic polyps were 75.00%, 93.88% and 87.67%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

MFI has a good consistency with CEUS in displaying the blood flow characteristics of gallbladder polypoid lesions and can accurately distinguish neoplastic polyps from non-neoplastic polyps, thus providing new ultrasound diagnostic evidence to support clinical decisions on optimal treatments of gallbladder polypoid lesions.

MicroRNA-4463 facilitates the development of colon cancer by suppression of the expression of PPP1R12B

PURPOSE

In the present work, we investigated the expression pattern of miR-4463 in the non-metastasis and metastasis colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and its regulation axis.

METHODS

RT-qPCR assay was performed to assess miR-4463 expression in the serum and tissues of patients with non-metastasis and metastasis, and in the CRC cell lines. MTT assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and flow cytometry assay were used to examine the role of miR-4463 in CRC cell viability, proliferation, and migration. Bioinformatic analysis was used to identify the potential target gene of miR-4463, and the targeting relationship between miR-4463 and PPP1R12B was verified in vitro using dual luciferase assay. Western blotting assay was used to determine the protein level of the target gene PPP1R12B in CRC cells under the transfections of miR-4463 mimic, inhibitor and vectors overexpressing PPP1R12B.

RESULTS

miR-4463 was markedly increased in the non-metastasis CRC tissues, and increased even higher in the metastasis CRC tissues, while miR-4463 expression had no significant difference in serum from non-metastasis and metastasis CRC samples. Besides, miR-4463 was upregulated in CRC cell lines. Functionally, miR-4463 promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and inhibiting cell apoptosis. Further analysis revealed that the miR-4463/PPP1R12B axis was responsible for the role of this miRNA.

CONCLUSION

We reported the roles of miR-4463 in CRC proliferation and migration, supporting that miR-4463 could be a potential predictive diagnostic marker for colon cancer.

[Characteristics of high-risk cardiovascular disease among residents aged 35-75 in 8 districts of Beijing]

Objective: To understand the characteristics and current situation of high risks related to cardiovascular disease among residents aged 35-75 in Beijing and to provide scientific reference for the formulation and improvement of cardiovascular disease prevention and control strategies and measures. Methods: According to the data of the Cardiovascular Disease Screening and Management Program in Beijing, 93 520 participants aged 35-75 in 8 districts of Beijing were selected for analysis. We used the χ² test to compare the high-risk prevalence of cardiovascular disease in different population characteristics. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between population characteristics and the high risks of cardiovascular disease. Results: The prevalence of high-risk cardiovascular disease was 20.82% (19 471/93 520). The prevalence of high-risk population in the 65-75 years-old was significantly higher than those of other age groups [29.05% (5 151/17 733), χ²=3 359.37, P<0.001], and the prevalence increased with age (trend χ²=3 121.75, P<0.05). The prevalence of high risk in males was significantly higher than that of women (31.19%, 10 752/34 476 vs. 14.77%, 8 719/59 044, χ²=3 559.87, P<0.05). The most common clustered risk factors appeared as hypertension and diabetes (29.80%, 5 802/19 471), hypertension with smoking (37.84%, 4 069/10 752) in males, and hypertension with diabetes mellitus in females (49.32%, 4 300/8 719), in urban areas (33.62%, 2 571/7 647) and in suburbs (27.33%, 3 231/11 824). Lower education [high school (OR=1.56,95%CI:1.46-1.66), middle school (OR=1.99,95%CI:1.88-2.12), primary school and below (OR=2.28,95%CI:2.12-2.45)], non-Han ethnicity (OR=1.19, 95%CI: 1.07-1.33), unmarried (OR=1.16, 95%CI: 1.08-1.24), drinking alcohol (OR=3.06, 95%CI: 2.94-3.19), obesity (OR=1.85, 95%CI: 1.77-1.93), overweight (OR=1.41, 95%CI: 1.36-1.47), etc., were positively correlated with the high risk of cardiovascular disease. Conclusions: We noticed that the prevalence of high-risk groups of cardiovascular disease aged 35-75 years was around 20% in Beijing, and the proportion in males was higher than females. Low education, drinking, overweight, and obesity were positively correlated with the risks of cardiovascular disease.

[Current status of regular exercise and influencing factors in 18-64 year old labor force population in Beijing]

Objective: To understand the regular exercise status and influencing factors in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing, and provide evidences for behavioral intervention. Methods: Data were collected from Beijing Adult Non-communicable and Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors Surveillance Program from August to December, 2017. The stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 13 240 survey subjects throughout the city. The valid sample size included in this study were 11 604 persons aged 18 to 64 years. Questionnaire was used to collection the information about basic demographic characteristics, chronic disease history and physical activity prevalence of the study subjects. The body height and weight were measured by standard methods. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for the detection of fasting blood glucose, blood lipids and other biochemical indicators. Software SPSS 20.0 was used fort complex sampling sample weighting and data analysis. Results: The proportions of the study subjects who did regular exercise and never had leisure-time activity in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing were 23.74% (95%CI: 21.51%-26.12%) and 64.34% (95%CI: 61.66%-66.94%) respectively; The average daily physical activity time was 23.44 min (95%CI: 21.16-25.71), and the total daily sedentary behavior time was 6.96 hours (95%CI: 6.80-7.13). With the increase of age, the proportions of the study subjects who did regular exercise and never had leisure-time activity increased (P=0.006, P<0.001). With the increase of educational level, the proportion of those who did regular exercise increased (P<0.001), and the proportion of those who never had leisure-time activity decreased (P<0.001); the higher the level of physical activity, the higher the regular exercise proportion (P<0.001); the proportions of employed people who did regular exercise was lower than those in unemployed people (P<0.001); the proportions of women never had leisure-time activity was higher than those in men (P=0.024). The results of multivariate analysis showed that older age and higher education level were positive factors for regular exercise (35- years old: OR=0.653, 95%CI: 0.530-0.804, P<0.001; 50-64 years old: OR=0.695, 95%CI: 0.560-0.864, P=0.001; high school/technical secondary school/technical School: OR=0.679, 95%CI: 0.593-0.777, P<0.001; college graduation: OR=0.478, 95%CI: 0.387-0.590, P<0.001; bachelor degree and above: OR=0.435, 95%CI: 0.347-0.546, P<0.001), while employment (OR=1.631, 95%CI: 1.330-2.000, P<0.001) and married/cohabitation (OR=1.340, 95%CI: 1.093-1.644, P=0.038) were negative factors for regular exercise. Conclusions: The rate of regular exercise in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing needs to be improved. Older age and high educational level were positive factors for regular exercise, while being married and employed were negative factors for it.

[Investigation on knowledge, attitude and behavior of salt reduction in adults of Beijing in 2017]

Objective: To explore the knowledge, attitude and behavior of salt reduction in adults of Beijing in 2017. Methods: Based on the monitoring data of chronic diseases and corresponding risk factors in adults of Beijing in 2017, the indicators of salt reduction knowledge, attitude and behavior of 13 240 participants aged 18-79 years old were analyzed. The awareness rate, attitude support rate and behavior rate were calculated by complex weighting method, and compared among different age groups, genders, residential areas, and history of hypertension. The proportion of people taking various salt reduction measures to the total number of people was compared. Results: The awareness rate of recommended daily salt intake, the awareness of hypertension caused or aggravated by more salt intake, the attitude support rate and behavior rate of adults were 31.77%, 88.56%, 90.27% and 53.86%, respectively. After weighted adjustment, the awareness rate of recommended daily salt intake was 31.08%, which increased with age (χ²_trend=431.56, P<0.001) and education level (χ²_trend=95.44, P<0.001). The awareness rate of women was higher than that of men (χ²=118.89, P<0.001), and the awareness rate of population in urban areas was higher than that of population in suburban areas (χ²=34.09, P=0.001). The awareness rate of hypertension caused or aggravated by eating more salt was 86.73%. The support rate of salt reduction attitude was 90.45%. The rate of salt-reducing behavior was 54.05%. Among different salt reduction measures, reducing salt when cooking was the most common measure (52.41%), while the least common one (35.22%) was using low sodium salt. Logistic regression model analysis showed that the gender, age, education level, self-reported history of hypertension, awareness of salt recommendation, awareness of hypertension caused or aggravated by eating more salt, and salt reduction attitude were significantly associated with salt reduction behavior. Conclusion: In 2017, adults in Beijing have a basic understanding of the impact of high-salt diet on health and support salt reduction, but the rate of salt reduction behavior is still relatively low. There are obvious gender and age differences, and the salt reduction measure is simple. Targeted measures should be taken to promote the formation of salt reduction behavior.

Abnormal keratin expression pattern in prurigo nodularis epidermis

Background

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a highly pruritic, chronic dermatosis and difficult to treat. PN lesions are characterized by existence of many hyperkeratotic, erosive papules and nodules. However, the pathogenesis of PN still remains unelucidated.

Aim

To clarify the keratin role in the epidermis hyperproliferation, the keratin expression pattern in the PN lesional skin.

Methods

In this study, we enrolled 24 patients with PN and 9 healthy control volunteers. K1/K10, K5/K14, K6/K16/K17 expression pattern were investigated by using immunohistochemical staining.

Results

The lesional skin consists of the thickened spinous layers, in which active cell division was found. K5/K14 were upregulated in PN lesional epidermis, the staining signal localized in the basal layer and lower suprabasal layers. Hyperproliferation‐associated K6 was found in all layers of epidermal lesional skin, especially in the spinous layers. In contrast, K16 was only detected in the basal and lower suprabasal layers, K17 was observed in the basal and spinous layers. Terminal differential keratins K1/K10 were upregulated, detected in the pan‐epidermis, but spared in the basal and low suprabasal layers.

Conclusion

The keratinocytes enter an alternative differentiation pathway, which are responsible for the activated keratinocyte phenotype, abnormal keratins expression potentially contributes to the keratinocytes proliferation, subsequently lead to increased lesional skin epidermis thickness, hyperkeratiosis and alteration of skin barrier properties.

Interaction of biofilm and efflux pump in clinical isolates of carbapenem resistant P. aeruginosa

OBJECTIVE

Carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) is particularly worrisome because of its resistance against multiple antimicrobial agents which reduces treatment options. The efflux pump decreases antibiotic abundance, and biofilm impairs the penetration of antibiotics. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role and relationship of efflux pump and biofilm formation in CRPA isolates obtained from different clinical samples.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 110 different clinical samples were collected from three tertiary medical hospitals. The samples were subjected to isolation and identification by standard operating procedures. Species level were identified using Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry system. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by broth microdilution method. Crystal violet (CV) staining for observing the biofilm forming ability and amplification of efflux pump mexA gene were also performed on clinical CRPA isolates. Three efflux pump MexAB-OprM regulatory genes were analyzed using sequencing methods. The expression of mexA gene both in biofilm and planktonic bacteria was observed by Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

RESULTS

The results showed that 110 samples were CRPA and among them 83 (75.5%) were MDR isolates. The CV staining showed 105 (95.5%) isolates as biofilm producers while 78 (74.3%) MDR isolates showed biofilm formation. mexA hyperexpression was detected in 27 (24.5%) CRPA isolates while 26 (96.3%) in biofilm forming isolates and 96.3% (26/27) in MDR P. aeruginosa. Multiple mutations in nalC, nalD, and mexR genes were detected. The distinct difference confirmed that the expression of mexA gene in P. aeruginosa biofilm producer was significantly higher than that of planktonic bacteria in vitro, and the efflux pump inhibitor PAβN significantly inhibited biofilms in CRPA isolated from clinical samples.

CONCLUSIONS

The biofilm and efflux pumps might be two intertwined processes involved in CRPA isolates. Their synergistic effect magnified the drug resistance characteristics of P. aeruginosa.

The amino acids, bacterial communities, and their correlations in Wuliangye-flavour liquor production

With the enhancement of people’s awareness of drinking health, the health factors in Wuliangye-flavour liquor is worth our attention. Bacterial communities in 4 layers of Zaopei from the same fermentation pit and amino acids as major health factors in 4 liquors directly related Zaopeis were investigated by Illumina MiSeq sequencing and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, respectively. Results indicated that 18 amino acids were detected and 8 dominant bacteria (genus level) were observed. Meanwhile, total amino acids, 11 amino acids (Glu, Asp, Val, etc), bacterial diversity, and the percentages of Lactobacillus and Pseudomonas increased with the increase of Zaopei’s depth; 5 amino acids (Pro, Ser, Phe, etc) and the percentages of Pediococcus and Bacteroides first increased and then decreased with the increase of Zaopei’s depth. Moreover, 11 amino acids were significantly (P < 0.01) and strongly (|ρ| > 0.8) positively correlated with Lactobacillus and Pseudomonas numbers.

Effects of chronic intranasal dantrolene on nasal mucosa morphology in mice

OBJECTIVE

We have previously shown that the intranasal administration of dantrolene ameliorated cognitive dysfunction in the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. This study examines the morphology of the nasal mucosa after 10 months of intranasal dantrolene in 5XFAD mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

5XFAD mice were either treated with intranasal dantrolene (5 mg/kg, 3 times/wk) from 2 months to 12 months of age or given no treatment at all. The mice were euthanatized at 12 months of age and the snouts were processed for histological examination. The morphology of the nasal mucosa was assessed and compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in the thickness of the olfactory epithelium or the proportion of the thickness of the glandular layer to the wall of mucosa and submucosa in the nasal passages.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term intranasal administration of dantrolene did not significantly change the nasal mucosa morphology in 5XFAD mice.

Multiple Kernel k-Means Clustering by Selecting Representative Kernels

To cluster data that are not linearly separable in the original feature space, k -means clustering was extended to the kernel version. However, the performance of kernel k -means clustering largely depends on the choice of the kernel function. To mitigate this problem, multiple kernel learning has been introduced into the k -means clustering to obtain an optimal kernel combination for clustering. Despite the success of multiple kernel k -means clustering in various scenarios, few of the existing work update the combination coefficients based on the diversity of kernels, which leads to the result that the selected kernels contain high redundancy and would degrade the clustering performance and efficiency. We resolve this problem from the perspective of subset selection in this article. In particular, we first propose an effective strategy to select a diverse subset from the prespecified kernels as the representative kernels, and then incorporate the subset selection process into the framework of multiple k -means clustering. The representative kernels can be indicated as a significant combination weights. Due to the nonconvexity of the obtained objective function, we develop an alternating minimization method to optimize the combination coefficients of the selected kernels and the cluster membership alternatively. In particular, an efficient optimization method is developed to reduce the time complexity of optimizing the kernel combination weights. Finally, extensive experiments on benchmark and real-world data sets demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of our approach in comparison with existing methods.

Population Genetic Structures of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in the Gansu-Ningxia Region and Hubei Province, China

Wheat stripe rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a destructive wheat disease in China. The Gansu–Ningxia region (GN) is a key area for pathogen over-summering in China, and northwestern Hubei (HB) is an important region for pathogen over-wintering, serving as a source of inoculum in spring epidemic regions. The spatiotemporal population genetic structure of Pst in HB and the pathogen population exchanges between GN and HB are important for estimating the risk of interregional epidemics. Here, 567 isolates from GN and HB were sampled from fall 2016 to spring 2018 and were genotyped using simple sequence repeat markers. The genotypic and genetic diversity of Pst subpopulations in HB varied among seasons and locations. Greater genetic diversification levels were found in the spring compared with fall populations using principal coordinate analysis and Bayesian assignments. In total, there were 17 common genotypes among the 208 determined, as shown by a small overlap of genotypes in the principal coordinate analysis and dissimilar Bayesian assignments in both regions, which revealed the limited genotype exchange between the populations of GN and HB.