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Macrophages are multifunctional innate immune cells that play indispensable roles in homeostasis, tissue repair, and immune regulation. However, dysregulated activation of macrophages is implicated in the pathogenesis of various human disorders, making them a potential target for treatment. Through the expression of pattern recognition and scavenger receptors, macrophages exhibit selective uptake of pathogens and apoptotic cells. Consequently, the utilization of drug carriers that mimic pathogenic or apoptotic signals shows potential for targeted delivery to macrophages. In this study, a series of mannosylated or/and phosphatidylserine (PS) -presenting liposomes were developed to target macrophages via the design of experiment (DoE) strategy and the trial-and-error (TaE) approach. The optimal molar ratio for the liposome formulation was DOPC: DSPS: Chol: PEG-PE = 20:60:20:2 based on the results of cellular uptake and cytotoxicity evaluation on RAW 264.7 and THP-1 in vitro. Results from in vivo distribution showed that, in the DSS-induced colitis model and collagen II-induced rheumatoid arthritis model, PS-presenting liposomes (PS-Lipo) showed the highest accumulation in intestine and paws respectively, which holds promising potential for macrophage target therapy since macrophages are abundant at inflammatory sites and contribute to the progression of corresponding diseases. Organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney did not exhibit histological alterations such as inflammation or necrosis when exposed to PC-presenting liposomes (PC-Lipo) or PS-Lipo. In addition, liposomes demonstrated hemobiocompatibility and no toxicity to liver or kidney for circulation and did not induce metabolic injury in the animals. Thus, the well-designed PS-Lipo demonstrated the most potential for macrophage target therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an advanced composite reinforcement, multi-layer woven fabrics are widely used in industries. However, for most nonprofessional engineers and researchers, the complexity of the spatial architecture of multi-layer woven structure (MLWS) makes it difficult to understand and apply. In order to fully utilize the advantage of the designability of MLWS, a digitalization expression is used to define the design variable of MLWS by 8 parameters. This expression has wide universality and practicability, which can parametrize all kinds of MLWSs, and characterize full-scale complex preforms. Based on this expression, a general method and process for constructing novel and complex MLWS architectures are also proposed and developed. Furthermore, a method to generate the preform jacquard pattern for the electronic jacquard system is also developed to demonstrate the application in manufacturing. This digitalization expression can be considered as the key point to connect the material design and automatic manufacturing, which can improve the design technology of multi-layer woven composite material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With regard to retired LiFePO4 batteries, resource treatment has become a matter of public concern. The currently used wet recycling process causes secondary environmental pollution and has the difficulty of full-component recovery. Therefore, a green and efficient recovery process for the realization of full-component recovery of LiFePO4 black powder is proposed in this work. In this closed-loop process with liquid flow circulation, no waste liquid and gas emission is generated, and the purity of recycled Li2CO3 can reach up to 99.4%. Moreover, battery-grade FePO4 can be obtained after simple treatment, solving the problem of lithium tailings and slag in the traditional wet recycling process. The performances of recycled Li2CO3 and FePO4 are similar to commercialization products according to electrochemical tests. More importantly, the resynthesized LiFePO4 cathode displays high-capacity retention of 97.5% after 200 cycles at 0.5 C, indicating the superiority of our strategy. Furthermore, the pouch cell with 5.2 A h presents outstanding performance, and high-capacity retentions of 96% and 95.2% can be observed after 500 cycles at 0.5 C and 1 C, respectively. The aforementioned results indicate the attractive prospects of this green and efficient lithium extraction and full-component recovery process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive experimental investigation into the impact of yarn reduction on the damage mechanisms and progression of 3D woven composites under bending loads, utilizing a combination of micro-XCT and digital image correlation (DIC) techniques. Typical bending behaviors of 3D woven composites have been discussed through load–displacement curves combining camera photography techniques. The influence of yarn reduction on strain distribution during bending deformation can be obtained by utilizing DIC techniques. Additionally, the final failure mode analysis of three-dimensional woven composite materials was conducted using micro-XCT techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium ion (Cd2+) stress is a major abiotic stressor affecting plant photosynthesis. However, the impact of sustained high-concentration Cd stress on the photosynthetic electron transport chain of aquatic plants is currently unclear. Here, prompt fluorescence (PF), delayed fluorescence (DF), and P700 signals were simultaneously measured to investigate the effect of Cd stress on photosynthesis in water dropwort [Oenanthe javanica (Blume) DC.]. We aimed to elucidate how Cd stress continuously affects the electron transport chain in this species. The PF analysis showed that with prolonged Cd stress, the FJ, FI and FP steadily decreased, accompanied by a positive shift in the K-band and L-band. Moreover, JIP-test parameters, including TRO/ABS, ABS/CSO, TRO/CSO and PIABS, were significantly reduced. The P700 signals showed that exposure to Cd stress hindered both the fast decrease and slow increase phases of the MR transient, ultimately resulting in a gradual reduction in both VPSI and VPSII−PSI. The DF analysis showed a gradual decrease in the I1 and I2 values as the duration of stress from Cd increased. The above results suggested that Cd stress affected the photosynthetic electron transport in water dropwort by influencing the amount of active PSII and PSI, primarily affecting PSII RCs in the early to mid-stages and PSI reductive activity in the later stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapeutic cancer vaccines fail to produce satisfactory outcomes against solid tumors since vaccine‐induced anti‐tumor immunity is significantly hampered by immunosuppression. Generating an in situ cancer vaccine targeting immunological cold tumor microenvironment (TME) appears attractive. Here, a type of free‐field based whole‐body ultrasound (US)‐driven nanovaccines are constructed, named G5‐CHC‐R, by conjugating the sonosensitizer, Chenghai chlorin (CHC) and the immunomodulator, resiquimod (R848) on top of a super small‐sized dendrimeric nanoscaffold. Once entering tumors, R848 can be cleaved from a hypoxia‐sensitive linker, thus modifying the TME via converting macrophage phenotypes. The animals bearing orthotopic pancreatic cancer with intestinal metastasis and breast cancer with lung metastasis are treated with G5‐CHC‐R under a free‐field based whole‐body US system. Benefit from the deep penetration capacity and highly spatiotemporal selectiveness, G5‐CHC‐R triggered by US represented a superior alternative for noninvasive irradiation of deep‐seated tumors and magnification of local immune responses via driving mass release of tumor antigens and "cold‐warm‐hot" three‐state transformation of TME. In addition to irradiating primary tumors, a robust adaptive anti‐tumor immunity is potentiated, leading to successful induction of systemic tumor suppression. The sono‐nanovaccines with good biocompatibility posed wide applicability to a broad spectrum of tumors, revealing immeasurable potential for translational research in oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the dynamic global trade environment, accurately predicting trade values of diverse commodities is challenged by unpredictable economic and political changes. This study introduces the Meta-TFSTL framework, an innovative neural model that integrates Meta-Learning Enhanced Trade Forecasting with efficient multicommodity STL decomposition to adeptly navigate the complexities of forecasting. Our approach begins with STL decomposition to partition trade value sequences into seasonal, trend, and residual elements, identifying a potential 10-month economic cycle through the Ljung–Box test. The model employs a dual-channel spatiotemporal encoder for processing these components, ensuring a comprehensive grasp of temporal correlations. By constructing spatial and temporal graphs leveraging correlation matrices and graph embeddings and introducing fused attention and multitasking strategies at the decoding phase, Meta-TFSTL surpasses benchmark models in performance. Additionally, integrating meta-learning and fine-tuning techniques enhances shared knowledge across import and export trade predictions. Ultimately, our research significantly advances the precision and efficiency of trade forecasting in a volatile global economic scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the stochastic optimal control problem of a 1-dimensional McKean–Vlasov stochastic differential equation (SDE) with reflection, of which the drift coefficient and diffusion coefficient can be both dependent on the state of the solution process along with its law and control. One backward stochastic partial differential equation (BSPDE) with the Neumann boundary condition can represent the value function of this control problem. Existence and uniqueness of the solution to the above equation are obtained. Finally, the optimal feedback control can be constructed by the BSPDE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous supercapacitors have occupied a significant position among various types of stationary energy storage equipment, while their widespread application is hindered by the relatively low energy density. Herein, N/F co-doped carbon materials activated by manganese clusters (NCM) are constructed by the straightforward experimental routine. Benefiting from the elevated conductivity structure at the microscopic level, the optimized NCM-0.5 electrodes exhibited a remarkable specific capacitance of 653 F g−1 at 0.4 A g−1 and exceptional cycling stability (97.39% capacity retention even after 40,000 cycles at the scanning rate of 100 mV s−1) in a neutral 5 M LiCl electrolyte. Moreover, we assembled an asymmetric device pairing with a VOx anode (NCM-0.5//VOx), which delivered a durable life span of 95% capacity retention over 30,000 cycles and an impressive energy density of 77.9 Wh kg−1. This study provides inspiration for transition metal element doping engineering in high-energy storage equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To characterize the in vivo corneal epithelial thickness (CET) remodeling profile in a population of eyes after small incision lenticule intrastromal keratoplasty (SMI-LIKE) for hyperopia. Methods: The CET profile was measured by RTVue-100 Fourier-domain OCT system across the central 6-mm diameter of the cornea of 17 eyes from 12 subjects (five males and seven females) who accepted corneal stromal lens implantation surgery for correcting hyperopia. The CET were measured at positions with a radius of 0–1.0 mm, 1.0–2.5 mm (divided into eight quadrants) and 2.5–3.0 mm (divided into eight quadrants) from the corneal center. Corneal maximum simulated keratometry (Km) was measured by Pentacam HR anterior segment analyzer to analyze CET changes. The examination data of subjects were collected in four time periods, which were preoperative, short-term postoperative (one week after surgery), mid-term postoperative (the last review within 3–6 months after surgery), and long-term postoperative (the last review over 1–2.5 years after surgery). The changes of CET were compared and analyzed in the four time periods. Results: Mean CET in 0–1.0 mm, 1.0–2.5 mm and 2.5–3.0 mm of the cornea decreased in one week after surgery, respectively, as compared to CET in the preoperative period, which turned from 55.06 ± 0.82 μm、54.42 ± 0.75 μm、53.46 ± 0.60 μm to 51.18 ± 1.05 μm (P = 0.005), 49.38 ± 0.70 μm (P = 0.000), 51.29 ± 0.59 μm (P = 0.025). In the mid-term postoperative period, mean CET in 0–1.0 mm and 1.0–2.5 mm areas kept thinner than mean CET in the preoperative period, CET in 0–1.0 mm is 50.59 ± 0.76 μm (P = 0.000),CET in 1.0–2.5 mm is 50.23 ± 0.57 μm (P = 0.000), while mean CET in 2.5–3.0 mm area recovered to the same thickness as the preoperative level, which is 54.36 ± 0.66 μm (P = 1.000), until the long-term period, CET stabilized in the above doughnut pattern. Conclusions: After stromal lenticule implantation for hyperopia, CET showed a remodeled form of thinning in the 0–2.5 mm area and thickening in the 2.5–3.0 mm area, and remained stable within one year after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To analyse spatial and temporal changes in the global burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) attributable to dietary factors from 1990 to 2019. Materials and Methods: The burden of DM was analysed in terms of age‐standardized disability‐adjusted life‐year (DALY) rates and age‐standardized death rates (ASDRs), which were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, and their corresponding estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs). Results: The ASDR exhibited a decreasing trend (EAPC = −0.02), while the age‐standardized DALY rate exhibited an increasing trend (EAPC = 0.65). Forty‐four percent of the burden of DM was attributable to dietary factors, with the three largest contributors being high intake of red meat, high intake of processed meat, and low intake of fruit. Residence in a region with a high sociodemographic index (SDI) was associated with a diet low in whole grains and high in red meat and processed meat, while residence in a low‐SDI region was associated with a diet low in whole grains and fruits, and high in red meat. Conclusions: The age‐standardized DALYs of DM attributable to dietary factors increased between 1990 and 2019 but differed among areas. The three largest dietary contributors to the burden of DM were high intake of red meat, high intake of processed meat, and low intake of fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis, which is a vascular pathology characterized by inflammation and plaque build-up within arterial vessel walls, acts as the important cause of most cardiovascular diseases. Except for a lipid-depository and chronic inflammatory, increasing evidences propose that epigenetic modifications are increasingly associated with atherosclerosis and are of interest from both therapeutic and biomarker perspectives. The chronic progressive nature of atherosclerosis has highlighted atherosclerosis heterogeneity and the fact that specific cell types in the complex milieu of the plaque are, by far, not the only initiators and drivers of atherosclerosis. Instead, the ubiquitous effects of cell type are tightly controlled and directed by the epigenetic signature, which, in turn, is affected by many proatherogenic stimuli, including low-density lipoprotein, proinflammatory, and physical forces of blood circulation. In this review, we summarize the role of DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications in atherosclerosis. The future research directions and potential therapy for the management of atherosclerosis are also discussed. 3_oGVuwH1TkeHfgUq_GtC4 Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the differences in clinical characteristics, prognosis, and risk factors between type I and type II endometrial cancer (EC). Materials and methods: We retrospectively collected EC patients diagnosed with type I or type II EC from 2009 to 2021 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Results: In total, 606 eligible EC patients (396 type I, and 210 type II) were included. Baseline analyses revealed that type II patients were older, had more advanced clinical stage, were more likely to receive chemoradiotherapy, and had higher incidence of myometrial infiltration, cervix involvement, lymph node metastasis and positive ascites cytology. Type II significantly favored poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 9.10, 95%CI 4.79–17.28, P < 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 6.07, 95%CI 2.75–13.37, P < 0.001) compared to type I. For all included EC, univariate and multivariate COX analyses revealed age, myometrial infiltration and pathological type were independent risk factors for OS and PFS. Subgroup analyses identified age, menopause, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis as independent risk factors for type I regarding OS. While age, myometrial infiltration and chemoradiotherapy were identified as risk and protective factors for type II regrading OS. Age and cervix involvement were identified as independent risk factors for type I regarding PFS. Myometrial infiltration was identified as independent risk factor for type II regarding PFS. Conclusion: Type II patients shared different clinical characteristics and worse prognosis compared to type I, and their independent risk and protective factors also varied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a coastal city with rapid urbanization and high-intensity human activities, Shenzhen, China has carried out a series of comprehensive treatments for water pollution control and ecological restoration in recent years. However, the restoration effect is mainly reflected in the improvement of water quality and riparian landscape, and there is still a big gap in reaching the river's ecological restoration goals. Therefore, it is necessary to make a full investigation and evaluation of river aquatic systems that focuses on the restoration of aquatic communities and ecosystem health. We surveyed forty-seven sampling sites in nine basins to investigate water quality and aquatic organisms (algae and macroinvertebrates) during the low-water period in 2019. Under the guidance of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), the urban river ecosystem health assessment system, with a total of twenty indicators from six criteria layers, was established. We addressed the bioremediation objectives in this system and aquatic organism indicators as high-weight characteristic indicators. The results showed that the degradation of the river ecosystem in Shenzhen is serious, which is mainly reflected in the simple structure of the aquatic biological community and the low biodiversity. Only one "healthy" sample site, accounting for 2% of the total sampling sites; six sites of "sub-health" level, accounting for 13%; twenty-four "poor" sample points, accounting for 51%; sixteen "extremely poor" sample points, accounting for 34%. From the perspective of spatial distribution, the river ecological status of Daya Bay Basin and Dapeng Bay Basin is good, which is at the level of "health" to "sub-health"; the Guanlan River Basin, Maozhou River Basin, Shenzhen River Basin, Shenzhen Bay Basin, Pingshan River Basin, and most of the Longgang River Basin are of "poor to extremely poor" grade; the Pearl Estuary basin is of "extremely poor" grade. This assessment system can be used as an effective tool to monitor the ecological health status, especially the enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem function of rivers. Moreover, it could provide important decision-making guidance for river management affected by high-intensity human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are at risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), a serious complication. There is no established clinical model for predicting VTE in the Chinese population. We develop a new risk assessment model (RAM) for IMiD-associated VTE in Chinese MM patients. Methods: We retrospectively selected 1334 consecutive MM patients receiving IMiDs from 16 medical centers in China and classified them randomly into the derivation and validation cohorts. A multivariate Cox regression model was used for analysis. Results: The overall incidence of IMiD-related VTE in Chinese MM patients was 6.1%. Independent predictive factors of VTE (diabetes, ECOG performance status, erythropoietin-stimulating agent use, dexamethasone use, and VTE history or family history of thrombosis) were identified and merged to develop the RAM. The model identified approximately 30% of the patients in each cohort at high risk for VTE. The hazard ratios (HRs) were 6.08 (P < 0.001) and 6.23 (P < 0.001) for the high-risk subcohort and the low-risk subcohort, respectively, within both the derivation and validation cohorts. The RAM achieved satisfactory discrimination with a C statistic of 0.64. The stratification approach of the IMWG guidelines yielded respective HRs of 1.77 (P = 0.053) and 1.81 (P = 0.063). The stratification approach of the SAVED score resulted in HRs of 3.23 (P = 0.248) and 1.65 (P = 0.622), respectively. The IMWG guideline and the SAVED score-based method yielded C statistics of 0.58 and 0.51, respectively. Conclusions: The new RAM outperformed the IMWG guidelines and the SAVED score and could potentially guide the VTE prophylaxis strategy for Chinese MM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) implantation is a promising option for liver repair, but their poor retention in the injured liver milieu critically blunts therapeutic effects. The aim is to clarify the mechanisms underlying massive MSC loss post‐implantation and establish corresponding improvement strategies. MSC loss primarily occurs within the initial hours after implantation into the injured liver milieu or under reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress. Surprisingly, ferroptosis is identified as the culprit for rapid depletion. In ferroptosis‐ or ROS‐provoking MSCs, branched‐chain amino acid transaminase‐1 (BCAT1) is dramatically decreased, and its downregulation renders MSC susceptible to ferroptosis via suppressing the transcription of glutathione peroxidase‐4 (GPX4), a vital ferroptosis defensing enzyme. BCAT1 downregulation impedes GPX4 transcription via a rapid‐responsive metabolism‐epigenetics coordinating mechanism, involving α‐ketoglutarate accumulation, histone 3 lysine 9 trimethylation loss, and early growth response protein‐1 upregulation. Approaches to suppress ferroptosis (e.g., incorporating ferroptosis inhibitors in injection solvent and overexpressing BCAT1) significantly improve MSC retention and liver‐protective effects post‐implantation. This study provides the first evidence indicating that excessive MSC ferroptosis is the nonnegligible culprit for their rapid depletion and insufficient therapeutic efficacy after implantation into the injured liver milieu. Strategies suppressing MSC ferroptosis are conducive to optimizing MSC‐based therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The effectiveness and safety of belimumab in Chinese lupus patients with different disease activities were investigated in a real-world setting. Method: Patients who received 10 mg/kg belimumab intravenously on weeks 0, 2, and 4, and then every 4 weeks on a background of standard-of-care (SoC) therapy and had a follow-up of more than 6 months were enrolled from four centers in China. They were stratified according to the Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-SLE Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI) score at baseline as the moderate/severe (SELENA-SLEDAI > 6) or mild subgroups (SELENA-SLEDAI ≤ 6). Attainment of the Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) or remission on treatment was analyzed in all patients. The SLE Responder Index 4 (SRI-4) and SELENA-SLEDAI Flare Index (SFI) were evaluated for patients with moderate/severe disease and mild disease, respectively. Patients in the control arm with SoC alone from previous metformin lupus trials were selected by propensity score matching (PSM) as the reference group. Results: 224 SLE patients with a mean follow-up of 11.7 months receiving belimumab were enrolled in this observational study, of which 126 and 98 were in the moderate/severe and mild subgroup, respectively. At 12 months, 54.76% of the patients attained LLDAS and 28.57% attained remission. Lower daily prednisone at baseline were independently associated with 12-month LLDAS. Further, 87% of the subgroup with moderate/severe disease achieved SRI-4 at 12 months and a high SLEDAI at baseline was its predictive factor. For the mild subgroup, a reduced flare rate was observed compared with PSM reference (17.5%, vs. 38.6%, p = 0.021). Infection events, particularly viral infections and pneumonia were recorded in 7 and 6 patients, respectively. Conclusion: Our real-world data supported the effectiveness and safety of belimumab in Chinese lupus patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of antiviral therapy and drug withdrawal on the incidence of hepatitis B after delivery in pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection who received tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment. Methods: Eligible CHB pregnant women were enrolled, and received TDF at 32 weeks gestation. The drug was stopped immediately or at 6 weeks after delivery. The HBV biomarkers and clinical biochemical parameters were monitored during gestation and 24 weeks after delivery. Results: There were 264 women completed the observation, including 96 untreated subjects in control group. Among 168 treated subjects, 131 cases stopped drug immediately after delivery and 37 cases delayed the drug withdrawal at 6 weeks after delivery. The incidence of postpartum hepatitis in control, immediate drug withdrawal, and delayed drug withdrawal were 28.1% (27/96), 23.7% (31/131), and 24.3% (9/37), showing no significant difference (χ2 = 0.607, p = 0.738). No factor was found to be associated with the occurrence of postpartum hepatitis. It's noteworthy that 96.3% of postpartum hepatitis in control group and 92.3% of postpartum hepatitis in immediate drug withdrawal group occurred within 12 weeks after delivery. While in delayed drug withdrawal group, the rate of postpartum hepatitis occurred within 12 weeks after delivery was 77.7%. Conclusion: Withdrawing antiviral drug immediately or at 6 weeks after delivery did not affect the incidence of postpartum hepatitis in CHB women, but delaying drug withdrawal might delay the onset of postpartum hepatitis. Clinical trial registration number: NCT03214302. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to depict the clinical features, including myositis specific or associated antibody (MSA/MAA) profile of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with muscle involvement in a Chinese cohort. Methods: We retrospectively studied a cohort of 1696 SLE inpatients and screened for concurrent myositis features from January 2013 to June 2021. Propensity score matching was applied to enroll controls without myositis features from our cohort. Demographic, clinical and laboratory variables were collected. MSA/MAA panels containing 16 autoantibodies (TIF1‐γ, MDA5, NXP2, Mi‐2α/β, SAE1, Jo‐1, PL‐7, PL‐12, EJ, OJ, SRP, HMGCR, cN‐1A, PM‐Scl75/100, Ku and Ro52) were tested by line‐blotting assay. Binary logistic regression and K‐means clustering were applied. Results: Forty‐one of 1696 (2.42%) SLE patients in our SLE inpatient cohort showed features of myositis. Binary logistic regression revealed that new‐onset SLE (odds ratio [OR] = 4.77, 95% CI = 1.10–20.57), interstitial lung disease (ILD) (OR = 10.07, 95% CI = 1.65–61.51), positive anti‐U1RNP antibody (OR = 4.38, 95% CI = 1.08–17.75), and Raynaud's phenomenon (OR = 7.94, 95% CI = 1.41–44.69) were associated with muscle involvement. Except for anti‐Ro52 (50%), anti‐Ku antibody (38.2%) was the next frequently detected MSA/MAA in the panel, followed by anti‐NXP2 antibody (11.8%). It was noteworthy that multiple MSA/MAAs (≥2, excluding anti‐Ro52) coexisted in 9 patients. Patients with myositis features were clustered into 2 subgroups. Cluster 1 was characterized by anti‐Ku or anti‐Ro52 with high SLE Disease Activity Index, whereas cluster 2 presented with anti‐U1RNP, Raynaud's phenomenon and pulmonary arterial hypertension resembling mixed connective tissue disease. Conclusion: In our Chinese SLE inpatient cohort, muscle involvement was infrequent. Nevertheless, distinct features in these SLE patients deserve further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Biogas slurry is increasingly used as crop fertilizer. Previous researches focused on the relationships between aboveground and root growth under biogas slurry application, with little attention to root exudates. The aims of this study were to investigate the influences of biogas slurry application on the quantity and composition of root exudates and their correlations with plant growth. Methods: Four application levels of biogas slurry were performed according to total N of 0, 120, 240, and 480 kg ha−1 (N0, N120, N240, and N480). The labile organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), sugar and organic acids in root exudates were quantified at four growth stages (seedling, bolting, flowering, and ripening) of oilseed rape. Results: Biogas slurry at N480 significantly increased plant height, branch height, branch number, pod number, pod length, and yield, but it had little influence on root morphology. Biogas slurry significantly decreased root C and N exudation at bolting. Organic acid exudation at bolting and flowering stages in N480 decreased by 44% and 81% compared to control, respectively. C, N exudation at bolting, organic acids at bolting and flowering stages were negatively linearly correlated with the application rate of biogas slurry. C, N, and organic acid exudation at bolting and flowering showed negatively correlations with inflorescence length, pod number and length. Conclusion: Biogas slurry reduced root exudation rates and retained more C and N to improve reproductive growth, promoting the increase in yield. The results improve our understanding of the role of root exudates in plant development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ramucirumab is indicated for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥400 ng/mL following sorafenib. Here, we prospectively studied ramucirumab following non-sorafenib systemic therapies. Materials and Methods This open-label, non-comparative cohort of REACH-2 enrolled patients with advanced HCC, Child-Pugh class-A liver disease, and AFP ≥400 ng/mL who had received 1-2 lines of therapy, excluding sorafenib or chemotherapy. Ramucirumab was administered 8 mg/kg intravenously Q2W. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints were overall survival, progression-free survival, objective response rate (RECIST v1.1), time to progression, pharmacokinetics, and patient-reported outcomes. Final analysis occurred after all enrolled patients completed ≥3 treatment cycles or discontinued treatment. Results Between April 27, 2018, and March 29, 2021, 47 patients were treated at 21 investigative sites in Asia, Europe, and USA. The most frequently reported grade ≥3 adverse events, regardless of causality, were hypertension (11%), proteinuria (6%), hyponatremia (6%), and AST increased (6%). Two patients died from adverse events (myocardial infarction and upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage), deemed related to treatment. Median progression-free survival, time to progression, and overall survival were 1.7 months, 2.8 months, and 8.7 months, respectively. The objective response rate was 10.6% with a median duration response of 8.3 months. Median time to deterioration in FHSI-8 total score was 4.4 months. Conclusion Ramucirumab demonstrated consistent and meaningful clinical activity with no new safety signals following non-sorafenib therapies in patients with advanced HCC and AFP ≥400 ng/mL. This represents one of the first sequencing studies for patients with advanced HCC not treated with sorafenib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has the world's most extensive vocational education and training (VET) system, and VET teachers are central to training high-quality technical and skilled workers. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing VET teachers' professional competence based on empirical research. We used a large-scale diagnostic method based on the competence measurement of VET, the teachers' professional competence model. Comprehensive diagnostic tasks, assessment criteria, and test protocols jointly developed by Chinese and German researchers were used to diagnose professional competence. Background questionnaires were collected from 601 VET teachers in 39 vocational colleges and schools in China over ten years. Path analysis was used to explore factors influencing the professional competence of VET teachers. The study found that skill awards, highest academic degree, course type (practical over theoretical), highest level of professional qualification, and enterprise support positively influenced professional competence. School support negatively influenced VET teachers' professional competence. Organizational identification mediated the relationship between enterprise support, school support, and professional competence. However, professional identity or learning strategy aren't mediated the relationship between enterprise support, school support, and professional competence. This study provides an empirical basis for enhancing VET teachers' professional competence and facilitating further development of theories regarding the professional competence of VET teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a retraction notice for an article titled "Targeting of KDM5A by miR-421 in Human Ovarian Cancer Suppresses the Progression of Ovarian Cancer Cells." The retraction was requested by the authors due to concerns about image duplication from another article authored by the first author. The authors were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the duplicated images or satisfactory data for the study. The retracted article will remain online but will be digitally watermarked as "Retracted." [Extracted from the article]

Background and Aims: In vitro fertilization‐embryo transfer (IVF‐ET) may increase the risk of mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact and safety of IVF‐ET on MTCT in women with chronic HBV infection (CHB). Methods: The data of 298 women who got pregnant by IVF‐ET and their 375 children were collected retrospectively. Mothers were divided into the CHB group (n = 224) and the control group (HBsAg negative, n = 74). After birth, newborns were routinely vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine, and infants in the CHB group were injected with hepatitis B immunoglobulin within 2 h after birth. Demographic information, clinical data and laboratory test results were collected. The primary outcome measures were the MTCT rate of HBV, and the secondary outcome measures were the safety of the mother and infant. Results: There was no case of HBV MTCT in all 282 newborns born in the CHB group and 93 neonates born in the control group. Of the two groups, the birth weight (3056.74 ± 601.65 vs. 2926.24 ± 704.86, P =.083), length (49.22 ± 1.97 vs. 48.74 ± 3.09, P =.167), 5‐min Apgar score (9.97 ± 0.21 vs. 9.90 ± 0.51, P =.212), days of pregnancy (265.70 ± 12.73 vs. 262.02 ± 17.50, P =.064) and neonatal malformation rate (0.71% vs. 0, P = 1.000) were similar. Two cases of neonatal malformation occurred in the CHB group. The incidences of pregnancy and childbirth complications were similar between the two groups. Conclusion: IVF‐ET does not increase the risk of MTCT in women with chronic HBV infection, and it is safe for mothers and infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music has become a common adjunctive treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in recent years. Because Alzheimer's disease can be classified into different degrees of dementia according to its severity (mild, moderate, severe), this study is to investigate whether there are differences in brain response to music stimulation in AD patients with different degrees of dementia. Seventeen patients with mild-to-moderate dementia, sixteen patients with severe dementia, and sixteen healthy elderly participants were selected as experimental subjects. The nonlinear characteristics of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were extracted from 64-channel EEG signals acquired before, during, and after music stimulation. The results showed the following. (1) At the temporal level, both at the whole brain area and sub-brain area levels, the EEG responses of the mild-to-moderate patients showed statistical differences from those of the severe patients (p < 0.05). The nonlinear characteristics during music stimulus, including permutation entropy (PmEn), sample entropy (SampEn), and Lempel–Ziv complexity (LZC), were significantly higher in both mild-to-moderate patients and healthy controls compared to pre-stimulation, while it was significantly lower in severe patients. (2) At the spatial level, the EEG responses of the mild-to-moderate patients and the severe patients showed statistical differences (p < 0.05), showing that as the degree of dementia progressed, fewer pairs of EEG characteristic showed significant differences among brain regions under music stimulation. In this paper, we found that AD patients with different degrees of dementia had different EEG responses to music stimulation. Our study provides a possible explanation for this discrepancy in terms of the pathological progression of AD and music cognitive hierarchy theory. Our study has adjunctive implications for clinical music therapy in AD., potentially allowing for more targeted treatment. Meanwhile, the variations in the brains of Alzheimer's patients in response to music stimulation might be a model for investigating the neural mechanism of music perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To develop a short-term renal outcome prediction model for acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with LN. Methods Two lupus AKI cohorts from two independent centres during 2013–2019 were included: a derivation cohort from a rheumatology centre and a validation cohort from a nephrology centre. Clinical characteristics and renal histologic features were obtained. The outcome measurement was the recovery of kidney function within 12 months. Lasso regression was used for feature selection. Prediction models with or without pathology were built and a nomogram was plotted. Model evaluation including calibration curve and decision curve analysis was performed. Results A total of 130 patients were included in the derivation cohort and 96 patients in the validation cohort, of which 82 and 73 patients received a renal biopsy, respectively. The prognostic nomogram model without pathology included determinants of SLE duration, days from AKI onset to treatment and baseline creatinine level [C-index 0.85 (95% CI 0.78, 0.91) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.70, 0.88) for the two cohorts]. A combination of histologic tubulointerstitial (TI) fibrosis in the nomogram gave an incremental predictive performance (C-index 0.93 vs 0.85; P  = 0.039) in the derivation cohort but failed to improve the performance in the validation cohort (C-index 0.81 vs 0.79; P  = 0.78). Decision curve analysis suggested clinical benefit of the prediction models. Conclusion The predictive nomogram models might facilitate more accurate management for lupus patients with AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the effect of antiviral therapy during pregnancy on the frequency of natural killer (NK) cells in peripheral blood of women with HBV DNA positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Method: In total 124 female subjects were divided into four groups: 11 healthy non-pregnant women (Normal group), 26 non-pregnant women in immune tolerance period of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (CHB group), 41 pregnant CHB women without antiviral treatment during pregnancy (Untreated group), and 46 pregnant CHB women receiving antiviral treatment during pregnancy (Treated group). The frequency of NK cells in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry. Result: The frequency of NK cells in healthy women [15.30 (12.80, 18.40)] was higher than that in women with HBV infection, but there was no significant statistical difference (p =0.436). The frequency of NK cells in CHB group [10.60 (6.00, 18.30)] was higher than those in pregnant CHB women [Untreated: 6.90 (4.89, 10.04), P =0.001; Treated: 9.42 (6.55, 14.10), P =0.047]. The frequency of NK cells in treated group was significantly higher than that in untreated group (P = 0.019). The frequencies of NK cells, CD56bright NK cells and NKp46dim NK cells at 12 and 24 weeks postpartum in the untreated group were increased significantly than those before delivery. In treated group, the frequencies of NK cells, CD56bright NK cells, NKp46+ NK cells and NKp46dim NK cells were significantly increased at 6 and 12 weeks than those before delivery. The frequencies of NK cells and CD56bright NK cells postpartum were increased significantly in treated group than those in untreated group. The frequencies of CD56dim NK cells decreased significantly after delivery in treated than those in untreated patients. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) significantly increased after delivery than those before delivery. The results showed that the postpartum ALT level was weak positive correlated with NKp46high frequency (r =0.199) and was weak negative correlated with NKp46dim frequency (r = -0.199). Conclusion: Antiviral treatment during pregnancy could significantly increase the frequency of NK cells postpartum. Postpartum hepatitis may be related to the immune injury caused by change of NK cell frequency and HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore dynamic changes of cytokines and virological markers associated with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss during peginterferon alpha-2a (PEG-IFN α-2a) treatment in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Methods: It was a single-center prospective cohort study. HBeAg-positive CHB patients were prospectively and consecutively enrolled. Cytokines were detected at baseline, week 12 and 24 of PEG-IFN treatment. HBsAg disappearance rate was the primary evaluation index at 48 weeks of PEG-IFN treatment. Results: Among 100 patients who completed the 48-week PEG-IFN α-2a treatment, 38 patients achieved serum HBeAg disappearance, 25 patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion, 9 patients achieved functional cure, 37 patients had HBsAg decline of ≥1 log IU/ml, and 8 patients produced hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb). Albumin (ALB), fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3-L) and interferon-alpha2 (IFN-α2) in the clinical cure group were significantly lower than those in the non-clinical-cure group at baseline. After 12 weeks of treatment, HBsAg in the clinical cure group was significantly lower than that in the non-clinical-cure group (median 1.14 vs. 3.45 log10IU/ml, Z=-4.355, P < 0.001). The decrease of HBsAg and hepatitis B virus desoxyribose nucleic acid (HBV DNA) in the clinical cure group was significantly higher than that in non-clinical-cure group (median: HBsAg 1.96 vs. 0.33 log10IU/ml, Z=-4.703, P < 0.001; HBV DNA 4.49 vs.3.13 log10IU/ml, Z=-3.053, P =0.002). The increase of IFN-α2 in the cure group was significantly higher than that in the non-clinical-cure group (497.89 vs. 344.74, Z=-2.126, P =0.034). After 24 weeks of treatment, HBsAg, HBeAg, Flt3-L, and IL-10 in the clinical cure group were significantly lower than those in the non-clinical-cure group (median: HBsAg 0.70 vs. 3.15 log10IU/ml, Z=-4.535, P< 0.001; HBeAg 1.48 vs. 13.72 S/CO, Z = 2.512, P = 0.012; Flt3-l 0.00 vs 2.24 pg/ml, Z = 3.137, P =0.002; IL-10 0.70 vs. 2.71 pg/ml, Z=-4.067, P < 0.001). HBsAg decreased significantly in the clinical cure group compared with non-clinical-cure group (median 3.27 vs. 0.45, Z=-4.463, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Dynamic changes of cytokines and virology markers during early PEG IFN α-2a treatment were associated with HBsAg loss in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Occupation of living space is one of the main driving forces of adaptive evolution, especially for aquatic plants whose leaves float on the water surface and thus have limited living space. Euryale ferox, from the angiosperm basal family Nymphaeaceae, develops large, rapidly expanding leaves to compete for space on the water surface. Microscopic observation found that the cell proliferation of leaves is almost completed underwater, while the cell expansion occurs rapidly after they grow above water. To explore the mechanism underlying the specific development of leaves, we performed sequences assembly and analyzed the genome and transcriptome dynamics of E. ferox. Through reconstruction of the three sub‐genomes generated from the paleo‐hexaploidization event in E. ferox, we revealed that one sub‐genome was phylogenetically closer to Victoria cruziana, which also exhibits gigantic floating leaves. Further analysis revealed that while all three sub‐genomes promoted the evolution of the specific leaf development in E. ferox, the genes from the sub‐genome closer to V. cruziana contributed more to this adaptive evolution. Moreover, we found that genes involved in cell proliferation and expansion, photosynthesis, and energy transportation were over‐retained and showed strong expression association with the leaf development stages, such as the expression divergence of SWEET orthologs as energy uploaders and unloaders in the sink and source leaf organs of E. ferox. These findings provide novel insights into the genome evolution through polyploidization, as well as the adaptive evolution regarding the leaf development accomplished through biased gene retention and expression sub‐functionalization of multi‐copy genes in E. ferox. Significance Statement: Through the separation, reconstruction and evolutionary dissection of the three sub‐genomes of Euryale ferox, we reveal that the three sub‐genomes have different origins, with one sub‐genome showing a closer phylogenetic relationship to Victoria cruziana, which shows a similar adult leaf development process as that in E. ferox. Further analysis revealed that while all three sub‐genomes promoted the evolution of the specific leaf development process in E. ferox, the genes from the sub‐genome closer to V. cruziana contributed more to this adaptive evolution. Moreover, we found that genes involved in cell proliferation and expansion, photosynthesis, and energy transportation were over‐retained in multi‐copies and showed strong expression association with the different leaf development stages in E. ferox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Rapid prototyping (RP) technology is widely used in many fields in recent years. Bone tissue engineering (TE) is an interdisciplinary field involving life sciences, engineering and materials science. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) are similar to natural bone and it has been extensively studied due to its excellent biocompatibility and osteoconductivity. This paper aims to review nanoscaled HAp-based scaffolds with high porosity fabricated by various RP methods for bone regeneration. Design/methodology/approach: The review focused on the fabrication methods of HAp composite scaffolds through RP techniques. The paper summarized the evaluation of these scaffolds on the basis of their biocompatibility and biodegradability through in vitro and in vivo tests. Finally, a summary and perspectives on this active area of research are provided. Findings: HAp composite scaffold fabricated by RP methods has been widely used in bone TE and it has been deeply studied by researchers during the past two decades. However, its brittleness and difficulty in processing have largely limited its wide application in TE. Therefore, the formability of HAp combined with biocompatible organic materials and fabrication techniques could be effectively enhanced, and it can be used in bone TE applications finally. Originality/value: This review paper presented a comprehensive study of the various types of HAp composite scaffold fabricated by RP technologies and introduced their potential application in bone TE, as well as future roadmap and perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the increasing importance of e-commerce to the economy and people's lives, user-generated content, such as electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) represented by online reviews, has exploded. On one hand, it is of great significance for review consumers (readers) to identify high-quality ones from a large number of existing reviews to assist their purchase decision. On the other hand, how to use appropriate strategies to make their published reviews more concerned by others is also important to review generators (reviewers). The purpose of this study is to understand the comprehensive relationship among review characteristics, review helpfulness and receiver attention. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses the online movie reviews obtained from the most popular review platform in China to conduct multiple empirical analyses. Findings: The results show that the review helpfulness plays a mediating role between the emotional characteristics of online reviews and the receiver attention, and such a mediating role is more significant among reviewers with rich review expertise. The reviewer's expertise also moderates the impact of review emotions on review helpfulness. Originality/value: This work studies eWOM receiver involvement, which can ultimately impact product sales, but seldom be investigated in eWOM domain. Therefore, this research can enrich studies on eWOM and provide valuable practical implications as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the autocorrelation in daily returns of the China Stock Index 500 (CSI500) from the perspective of price latency due to price limit mechanism. We propose limit-up/limit-down (LULD) indices to quantify the price latency in CSI500 as an aggregated number of component stocks closing with LULD in a given trading day. We found that the positive autocorrelation in the CSI500 market index during the data period disappeared after the price latency was controlled. This implies that the autocorrelation we observed may be attributable to the price latency measured by LULD indices. Our findings provide new insight into the dynamic features of market indices and may serve as a workable reference for practical usage of the market index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and increasing evidence has shown the effect of mTOR-targeted therapies with sirolimus in SLE. The objective of this study was to report the successful treatment of sirolimus in a Chinese patient with refractory lupus nephritis (LN) and anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome (APS). A 44-year-old female with a previous diagnosis of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and APS secondary to SLE presented with lupus nephritis refractory to cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate. Renal biopsy met the criteria of WHO class III LN complicated by acute tubular injury and immunofluorescence confirmed the activation of the mTOR pathway. Treatment with the mTOR inhibitor sirolimus was initiated in this patient. Complete remission (CR) was achieved after 6 months, and flare-free remission was maintained for the next 3.5 years. The literature on the efficacy of sirolimus in patients with LN was reviewed. Although the available evidence is limited to retrospective studies with small sample sizes, sirolimus appeared to be efficacious in some patients with refractory LN. Well-designed clinical trials are warranted, and pathology-guided precision medicine might assist in guiding physicians' treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an exotic option that extends the classical European option by requiring option holders to continuously trade in underlying assets according to a predesignated trading strategy with a general logarithmic position. The pricing formula for the exotic option with a general logarithmic strategy is derived from the Black–Scholes option pricing formula, and its price advantage is compared (based on simulations) to the classical European option and to the exotic option with a linear position. By varying key parameters, we found that the exotic option with a general logarithmic position has a significant price advantage (up to 34% under certain parameter settings) over the classical European option. Moreover, the exotic option with a general logarithmic strategy can save 5.5% more of the option premium than applying a linear position strategy. Our simulation results indicate that the price advantage of this proactive hedging option with a general logarithmic strategy depends heavily on the initial amount of capital; in particular, this exotic option is more suitable for traders with limited initial amounts of capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metagenomics is a new approach to study microorganisms obtained from a specific environment by functional gene screening or sequencing analysis. Metagenomics studies focus on microbial diversity, community constitute, genetic and evolutionary relationships, functional activities, and interactions and relationships with the environment. Sequencing technologies have evolved from shotgun sequencing to high-throughput, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and third-generation sequencing (TGS). NGS and TGS have shown the advantage of rapid detection of pathogenic microorganisms. With the help of new algorithms, we can better perform the taxonomic profiling and gene prediction of microbial species. Functional metagenomics is helpful to screen new bioactive substances and new functional genes from microorganisms and microbial metabolites. In this article, basic steps, classification, and applications of metagenomics are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prospectively investigated the neurological development in infants born from mothers treated with telbivudine (LdT) in the third trimester for prevention of hepatitis B virus (HBV) mother-to-infant transmission. Mothers with high HBV load were assigned to either the LdT group (n = 81, 600 mg of LdT each day from gestational week 28 to delivery) or the Control group (n = 39, untreated). Their infants were followed for 36 months to assess physical and neurological developments with Gesell Developmental Schedule tools. At 12 months after birth, the mean scores in the LdT group for gross motor, fine motor, adaptive, linguistic, and personal social domains were similar to those in the Control group. At 36 months, infants in the LdT group had higher mean scores for gross motor than the Control group (98.42 ± 9.69 vs. 94.54 ± 7.48, P = 0.03). In the LdT group, the rates of normal development were higher for gross motor (96.30% vs. 82.05% P = 0.01) and lower for adaptive (74.07% vs. 92.31% P = 0.02). Multivariate regression analyses showed that exposure to LdT during pregnancy was independently associated with infant's development in gross motor (OR 6.49, 95% CI 1.37–30.20, P = 0.02) and adaptive (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.05–0.71, P = 0.01) at 36 months. These results suggest that prenatal LdT exposure might affect neurological development in long-term observation. Abbreviations: LdT: telbivudine; HBV: hepatitis B virus; HBsAg: hepatitis B surface antigen; HBeAg: hepatitis Be antigen; HbsAb: hepatitis B surface antibody; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; NA: nucleoside/nucleotide analog; LAM: lamivudine; MTCT: mother-to-child transmission; GDS: Gesell Developmental Schedule; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; DQ: developmental quotient; RMB: renminbi; BMI: body mass Index; HBIG: hepatitis B immunoglobulin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various diseases caused by food-borne or environmental pathogenic microorganisms have been a persistent threat to public health and global economies. It is necessary to regularly detect microorganisms in food and environment to prevent infection of pathogenic microorganisms. However, most traditional detection methods are expensive, time-consuming, and unfeasible in practice in the absence of sophisticated instruments and trained operators. Point-of-care testing (POCT) can be used to detect microorganisms rapidly on site and greatly improve the efficiency of microbial detection. Lab-on-chip (LOC) is an emerging POCT technology with great potential by integrating most of the experimental steps carried out in the laboratory into a single monolithic device. This review will primarily focus on principles and techniques of LOC for detection of microbial nucleic acid in food and environment, including sample preparation, nucleic acid amplification and sample detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heart failure is a common adverse postoperative complication in elderly patients. It is necessary to explore the risk factors of heart after the operation of elderly patients with hip fracture during hospitalization.Methods: Patients with hip fractures admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2019 to December 31 2020 were included, all the patients received internal fixation surgery. The characteristics of patients with and without postoperative heart failure were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to analyze the risk factors of heart failure in elderly patients with hip fracture.Results: A total of 283 patients with hip fractures were included, the incidence of heart failure was 12.37 %. There were significant differences in the age, hypertension, anemia hypoalbuminemia and duration of surgery between heart failure and no heart failure group(all p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the gender, BMI, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, history of heart failure, cognitive dysfunction, type of fracture, preoperative oxygen saturation, white blood cell count, platelet count, red blood cell count, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and estimated blood loss during surgery between heart failure and no heart failure group(all p > 0.05). Logistic regression analyses indicated that age ≥ 70y(OR2.446, 95% CI1.044 ~ 4.149), hypertension(OR2.152, 95% CI1.125 ~ 4.023), anemia(OR3.094, 95% CI1.294 ~ 5.907), hypoalbuminemia(OR2.377, 95% CI1.205 ~ 4.537), duration of surgery ≥ 120 min(OR1.683, 95% CI1.094 ~ 2.782) were the risk factors of heart failure in elderly patients with hip fracture(all p < 0.05).Conclusions: The incidence of postoperative heart failure in elderly patients with hip fracture is relatively high, which is the result of a combination of high-risk factors. Peri-period risk assessment and prevention of related risks are the keys to a good prognosis for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS) patients who presented with recurrent episodes of fever and systemic inflammation. Methods: A retrospective cohort of Chinese ASyS patients (n=126) in our center (between January 2013 and January 2020) was included. Patients presenting with concomitant autoimmune rheumatic diseases or malignancies were subsequently excluded. The number of non-infectious fever attacks and attack frequency were recorded and calculated. Patients with two or more attacks and within the upper three quartiles of attack frequency were defined as high-inflammation group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to characterize the high-inflammation subtype. Results: Out of 113 eligible patients with an average of 5 years follow up, 25 patients were defined as the high-inflammation group (16 for anti-Jo1, 9 for anti-PL7), with an average of 1.12 attack/patient-year. Compared to low-inflammation group (0–1 attack only and a frequency lower than 0.5 attack/patient-year), the high-inflammation group had higher occurrence of fever and rapid progressive interstitial lung disease (RPILD) as the first presentation (84% vs. 21% and 40% vs. 9%, respectively, both p<0.01). Anti-PL-7 was related to the more inflammatory phenotype (p=0.014). Cumulative disease-modifying agent exposures (>=3) were much higher in the high-inflammation group (60% vs. 26%), while biological agents, i.e., rituximab and tocilizumab, showed better "drug survival" for Jo-1+ and PL-7+ ASyS patients with high inflammation, respectively, in our cohort. Conclusions: ASyS with recurrent systemic inflammatory episodes reflects a subtype of more aggressive and refractory disease in the spectrum of ASyS. Increased awareness of this subtype might lead to more appropriate management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most serious microvascular complications of diabetes, valsartan and α-lipoic acid alone or in combination has been used for the treatment of patients with DN. However, some results in these clinical reports were still controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of valsartan combined with α-lipoic acid on renal function in patients with DN. Methods: We searched the electronic databases including PubMed, Sciencedirect, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Chinese national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang databases, and the publication deadline was limited to January 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of valsartan combined with α-lipoic acid in DN patients were included. Pooled estimates were conducted using a fixed or random effect model. The outcomes included urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), and the level of urinary albumin, β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and oxidative stress. Results: 11 studies with 1294 participants were included in this study. The pooled analysis indicated that α-lipoic acid combined with valsartan could remarkably reduce UAER (P < 0.00001, SMD = -1.95, 95%CI = -2.55 to − 1.20; P = 0.03, SMD = -0.85, 95%CI = -1.59 to − 0.1) and the level of urinary albumin (P = 0.001, SMD = -1.48, 95%CI = − 2.38 to − 0.58; P = 0.01, SMD = -1.67, 95%CI = -3.00 to − 0.33), β2-MG (P < 0.001,SMD = − 2.59, 95%CI = -3.78 to − 1.40; P = 0.03, SMD = -0.48, 95%CI = -0.93 to − 0.04) when compared with valsartan or lipoic acid monotherapy in patients with DN. However, there was no significant difference in the level of hs-CRP among the three therapies (P = 0.06, SMD = -2.80, 95%CI = -5.67 to 0.07; P = 0.10, SMD = -0.42, 95%CI = − 0.92 to 0.08). In addition, α-lipoic acid combined with valsartan markedly increased the level of SOD (P = 0.03, SMD = 1.24, 95%CI = 0.32 to 1.03; P = 0.0002, SMD = 0.68, 95%CI = 0.32 to 1.03) and T-AOC (P < 0.00001, SMD = 0.89, 95%CI = 0.62 to 1.16; P = 0.02, SMD = 0.58, 95%CI = 0.10 to1.07), and reduced the level of MDA(P = 0.0002, SMD = -1.99, 95%CI = -3.02 to − 0.96; P = 0.0001, SMD = -0.69, 95%CI = -1.04 to − 0.34). Conclusions: α-lipoic acid combined with valsartan could significantly reduce the level of urinary albumin and oxidative stress, increase antioxidant capacity and alleviate renal function damage in patients with DN, and this will provide a reference for the selection of treatment drugs for DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrete choice experiments have proven useful in areas such as marketing, government planning, medical studies and psychological research, to help understand consumer preferences. To aid in these experiments, several groups of authors have contributed to the theoretical development of D-optimal and A-optimal discrete choice designs under the multinomial logit (MNL) model. In the setting in which the class of feasible designs is too large for complete search, Sun and Dean (J Stat Plann Inference 170:144–157, 2016) proposed a construction method for A-optimal designs for estimating a set of orthonormal contrasts in the option utilities via a linearization of the MNL model. In this paper, we show that the set of A-optimal designs that result from this linearization may or may not include the optimal design under the MNL model itself. We provide an alternative linearization that leads to an information matrix which coincides with that under the MNL model and, consequently, selects the same set of designs as being A-optimal. We obtain a bound for the average variance of a set of contrasts of interest under the MNL model, and show that the construction method of Sun and Dean (2016) can be used to identify A-optimal and A-efficient designs under the MNL model for both equal and unequal utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic fluctuations and aridification have combined with the environmental heterogeneity between north and south Xinjiang to shape the spatial genetic structure and demographic history of desert species in Xinjiang, China. Lycium ruthenicum offers a unique opportunity for surveying the spatial genetic structure, evolutionary history, and effect of environmental heterogeneity on local adaption and population divergence. Three cpDNA loci (psbA–trnH, psbK–psbI, and trnV) were sequenced for 238 individuals from 21 populations across the species range in Xinjiang. Median-joining networks, principal coordinate analyses (PCoA), BEAST analysis, species distribution models (SDMs), and least-cost path (LCP) analysis were integrated to investigate the spatial genetic patterns and demographic history of the species. The 21 haplotypes identified formed two clusters, corresponding to northern and southern populations according to the PCoA and median-joining network. BEAST analysis indicated the genetic divergence between the northern and southern populations began in the middle to late Pleistocene. Increased aridity may have triggered population differentiation and fragmentation; the expansions of the Gurbantunggut and Taklamakan Deserts and uplift of the Tianshan Mountains likely further isolated northern from southern populations. High levels of diversity and unique haplotypes were identified in the populations from the north slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the northwestern and southwestern Tarim Basin, which likely served as glacial refugia for the northern and southern groups, respectively. The distribution of genetic variation, SDMs, and LCP analysis indicate L. ruthenicum expanded from refugia along the edge of the Gurbantunggut and Taklamakan Deserts at the end of the last glacial maximum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]