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The Arctic is one of the regions under the most dramatic climate change. Global warming has led to elevated freshwater inflow into the western Arctic Ocean and significantly altered nutrient structure and biogeochemical cycling. In this work, inorganic dissolved nutrients in the Chukchi Plateau (CP) and adjacent regions were investigated to further understand their characteristics and influencing factors. Results showed that relatively high nutrient concentrations occurred in the water masses with salinity >32 psu, especially there was a nutrient-rich layer influenced by Winter Pacific Water in the water column (15.10±1.96, 2.23±0.26, and 23.46±6.64 µmol/L for DIN, PO43– and Si(OH)4, respectively). Contrarily, lower nutrient concentrations occurred in the mixing water of the upper layer (1.76±1.04, 1.15±0.16 and 3.76±2.29 µmol/L for DIN, PO43– and Si(OH)4, respectively) with a low DIN/P ratio (1.44±0.59), suggesting DIN has become the potentially biological limiting factor. Furthermore, the freshening and deepening of the upper layer driven by the Beaufort Gyre has hindered the nutrient transport from underlying layer into the upper layer. A maximum chla was observed at 36‒75 m water depth, and the phytoplankton biomass decreased from the western to the eastern CP, accompanied by a decreased contribution of micro-sized chla but an increased contribution of small-sized chla (74.0±0.1%). The phytoplankton resource use efficiency for DIN was estimated as (3.2±4.6)×10-3, which was primarily influenced by the physicochemical parameters of water and also largely regulated by the size structure of phytoplankton.

Abstract Cardiac hypertrophy is an adaptive response to stressors such as high cardiac workload, which might lead to abnormal cardiac function and heart failure. Previous studies have indicated that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) might play a protective role in cardiac hypertrophy. Here, we aimed to illustrate the mechanism of MIF in protecting against pressure overload‐induced cardiac hypertrophy. Transverse aortic constriction (TAC) mouse model was established and we found that overexpression of MIF protected against pressure overload‐induced cardiac hypotrophy in TAC treated mice, as evidenced by significantly decreased the heart weight. In addition, transthoracic echocardiography showed that overexpression of MIF restored ejection fraction in TAC‐treated mice. While TAC treatment resulted in a much larger cardiomyocyte size in mice, MIF overexpression notably decreased the cardiomyocyte size. Next, we demonstrated that MIF overexpression promoted the expression of miR‐29b‐3p which further downregulated the expression of its downstream target HMG box protein 1 (HBP1). Overexpression of HBP1 reversed the effect of MIF in alleviating Ang‐II induced oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, our findings suggest that MIF could attenuate pressure overload‐induced cardiac hypertrophy through regulating the miR‐29b‐3p/HBP1 axis.

This study employs the MIKE 3 Flow Model, incorporating forcing conditions such as inflow from 18 major rivers along the Bohai coast, wind, precipitation, evaporation, and solar radiation, to develop a hydrodynamic and temperature-salinity model for the Bohai Sea, using a finer mesh for more detailed simulation in Laizhou Bay. The residual current in the surface layer primarily flowed eastward, exhibiting coastal transport characteristics in the southern region, leading to the formation of a large low-salinity region. The bottom salinity distribution closely mirrored that of the surface, with the isohaline shifting shoreward due to the high-salinity Bohai Sea water transported by the residual current. By grouping major runoff sources according to river outlet locations and residual current patterns, the study analyzed the impact of freshwater plumes formed by runoff from different directions on the salinity distribution in Laizhou Bay. The results indicate that the influence of freshwater inputs on both the mean salinity and the area of low-salinity zones in Laizhou Bay, ranked from greatest to least, is as follows: the Yellow River, the southwest, and the southeast. The variation in the area of low-salinity regions is closely related to factors such as runoff volume, residual currents, and the selection of boundaries for the low-salinity regions.

Background: Although several procedures of subclavian venipuncture have been reported, no standard method has been established yet. The purpose of this study was to investigate some more accurate and improved blind puncture tips. Methods: A prospective study was conducted on patients who underwent cardiac radio-frequency ablation with the blind technique of subclavian venipuncture from August 2018 to June 2022. All patients were randomly assigned to an intrathoracic approach group or extrathoracic approach group. Each group of patients followed their own specific puncture scheme and tips. Results: About 371 punctures were included. Blind subclavian venipunctures were performed with 98.9% technical success and without complications in all patients. The overall success rate with an intrathoracic and extrathoracic approach was equivalent (96.7% vs. 98.3%, P =.23). The intrathoracic group showed a higher first-pass success compared with the extrathoracic group (91.9% vs. 80.2%, P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion: We localized the landmark/reference and skin puncture site of an intrathoracic and extrathoracic subclavian venipuncture individually and quantitatively. These experiences make blind techniques more accurate and faster.

【Objection】This study aimed to monitor the genetic variation and molecular evolutionary trends of H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) in Guangdong, and provide reference data for the evolutionary analysis and prevention and control of H9N2 AIV in China.【Method】The HA and NA genes of three H9N2 AIV strains isolated from Guangdong in 2022 were amplified, cloned, and sequenced. The DNAStar and PhyloSuite software were used for sequence assembly and alignment. The MEGA, Megalign, NetNGlyc 1.0 Server, and other software were used for genetic evolution, percent identity, receptor binding, protein activity, drug resistance, and glycosylation site analysis of their nucleotide and amino acid sequences.【Result】The phylogenetic tree showed that the HA gene of the three isolates belonged to the clade h9.4.2.5 and the NA gene belonged to the clade 1. However, the nucleotide homology with the early strain was only 81.6%~91.7% and 88.2%~91.2%, formed new clade named clade h9.4.2.5c and clade 1.2, respectively. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the HA cleavage site was PSRSSR ↓ GLF. The receptor binding site underwent I155T, H183N, A190T/V, T212I, Q226L, and Q227M mutations. The glycosylation site underwent 218N non-glycosylation and acquired new glycosylation site at 313N. The NA stalk showed nine nucleotides deletion at positions 187-195 (ACAGAGATA), leading to the loss of three amino acids at positions 63-65 (TEI). The absorbtion site of NA on red blood cells showed K/E/S368N and D369N mutations. No related mutations to neuraminidase activity and drug resistance were found at the E119, D151, R152, R224, E276, R292, and R371.【Conclusion】The HA and NA genes of the three H9N2 AIV isolated from Guangdong in 2022 had evolved into a new subgroup. Some mutaitons suggest that prevalent H9N2 in Guangdong may enhanc adaptability of mammals and its antigenicity has changed. Moreover, it has not yet acquired resistance to durgs oseltamivir and zanamivir.

Abstract Regulated pyroptosis is critical for pathogen elimination by inducing infected cell rupture and pro‐inflammatory cytokines secretion, while overwhelmed pyroptosis contributes to organ dysfunction and pathological inflammatory response. Caffeic acid (CA) and ferulic acid (FA) are both well‐known antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory phenolic acids, which resemble in chemical structure. Here we found that CA, but not FA, protects macrophages from both Nigericin‐induced canonical and cytosolic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced non‐canonical pyroptosis and alleviates LPS‐induced mice sepsis. It significantly improved the survival of pyroptotic cells and LPS‐challenged mice and blocked proinflammatory cytokine secretion. The anti‐pyroptotic effect of CA is independent of its regulations in cellular lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial function, or pyroptosis‐associated gene transcription. Instead, CA arrests pyroptosis by directly associating with gasdermin D (GSDMD) and blocking its processing, resulting in reduced N‐GSDMD pore construction and less cellular content release. In LPS‐induced septic mice, CA inhibits GSDMD activation in peritoneal macrophages and reduces the serum levels of interleukin‐1β and tumor necrosis factor‐α as the known pyroptosis inhibitors, disulfiram and dimethyl fumarate. Collectively, these findings suggest that CA inhibits pyroptosis by targeting GSDMD and is a potential candidate for curbing the pyroptosis‐associated disease.

Abstract Background Targeted therapy has revolutionized the treatment of patients with malignancies harboring mutations in driver genes and has brought a favorable survival benefit to the population with actionable oncogenic mutations. In recent years, the MET exon14 skipping mutation has been recognized as a potentially promising therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These changes are mutually exclusive with molecular drivers such as EGFR, KRAS, HER-2, BRAF, ALK and ROS1. The prevalence rate of coexisting MET exon 14 mutations and EGFR sensitive mutations (L858R, exon 19 deletions) in Chinese population was reported to be 0.2% (3/1590). However, the coexistence of MET exon 14 mutations with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations has never been reported and the management of this subtype is not identified. Case presentation A 69-year-old male with a right lung adenocarcinoma (T4N2M0, IIIB) was confirmed to be positive for MET exon 14 skipping (c.3028_3028+1delGGinsTT, 44.4%), MET amplification (copy number 4.4), and EGFR exon 20 insertion (p. N771_H773dup, 22.1%) mutations. After the progression of one cycle of chemotherapy (Pemetrexed 0.8 g d1), the patient was subsequently accepted treatment with Crizotinib (250 mg twice a day) and achieved an important clinical remission for six months until the development of brain metastases. Then, he was submitted to a cycle of anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) therapy after failure of Crizotinib and eventually acquired resistance despite of the high expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and tumor mutational burden (TMB) status. Conclusion This case report provides treatment strategies for epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs)-untreated lung adenocarcinoma patients simultaneously carrying MET alterations and EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. In addition, the signatures of PD-L1 or TMB expression were not the candidate for predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy in this context.

The evaluation of island carrying capacity is the premise for conducting the island spatial planning and can contributes to guiding island ecological conservation and socioeconomic developments. In this study, the island carrying capacities were evaluated for the three major development types, namely, ecological resource, agricultural production, and urban construction, based on the quantity and quality. The occupancy and vacancy rates of island carrying capacity were measured in different scenarios. Miaodao Archipelago and Dongtou Archipelago in China were selected as the study area to demonstrate the evaluation. The former is constituted all by spatially isolated rocky islands, while the latter is featured by the coexistence of the sandy and rocky islands and the connection with the mainland by bridges. The results indicated the high variances of occupancy and vacancy rates of island carrying capacity at multiple spatial scales. Across the two archipelagos, climate conditions, island composition, and spatial connections with the mainland controlled the spatial variance at this scale. For different types of islands, the sandy island presented distinctly higher occupancy and vacancy rates for agricultural production than the rocky islands. At the single island scale within the same archipelago, the developments of agricultural production and urban construction distinctly increased with the increase in the island area. The dependency of island constructions on the external world in Dongtou Archipelago was higher than that in Miaodao Archipelago. Meanwhile, the difference in traffic conditions between the two archipelagos did not distinctly influence the food dependency on the external world. Then, practical suggestions in terms of quantity control and quality promotion were proposed to improve the island carrying capacity.

BackgroundThe accurate detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the key to control Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). The performance of different antibody detection methods for diagnosis of COVID-19 is inconclusive.MethodsBetween 16 February and 28 February 2020, 384 confirmed COVID-19 patients and 142 healthy controls were recruited. 24 different serological tests, including 4 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (EIAs), 10 chemiluminescent immunoassays (CLIAs), and 10 lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs), were simultaneously performed.ResultsThe sensitivities of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies with different reagents ranged from 75 to 95.83% and 46.09 to 92.45%, respectively. The specificities of both anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM were relatively high and comparable among different reagents, ranged from 88.03 to 100%. The area under the curves (AUCs) of different tests ranged from 0.733 to 0.984, and the AUCs of EIAs or CLIAs were significantly higher than those of LFIAs. The sensitivities of both IgG and IgM gradually increased with increase of onset time. After 3–4 weeks, the sensitivities of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG were maintained at a certain level but the sensitivities of IgM were gradually decreased. Six COVID-19 patients who displayed negative anti-SARS-CoV-2 results were associated with the factors such as older age, having underlying diseases, and using immunosuppressant.ConclusionBesides the purpose of assessing the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the population, SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays may have an adjunct role in the diagnosis and exclusion of COVID-19, especially by using high-throughput technologies (EIAs or CLIAs).

Community plays an important role in epidemic prevention and control in the society.Based on the practical experience of community prevention and control of the novel corona virus pneumonia,a community patrolling and investigation scheduling problem in epidemic situations was presented,which estimated a risk value for each high-risk household based on epidemic-related information,and then scheduled the community staffs to patrol and investigate the high-risk households as efficiently as possible.To solve this problem,a hybrid intelligent optimization scheduling algorithm was proposed,which explored the solution space based on the search strategy of the water wave optimization (WWO) met heuristic and improved solution accuracies using two local search strategies.Whenever an exceptional case was detected during the patrolling and investigation,the solution was dynamically adapted to the changed situation.Computational results on the real-world cases of community patrolling and investigation in Zhejiang Province,China demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.

BackgroundThis study aimed to assess the host immune signatures associated with EBV infection and its clinical value in indicating the severity of children with acute infectious mononucleosis (IM).MethodsTwenty-eight pediatric patients with IM aged 3–8 years were enrolled. The immune phenotypes and cytokine secretion capability of T cells were detected.ResultsThe percentages and absolute numbers of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells were significantly increased in IM patients compared with HCs. The percentages of Naïve CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were decreased but with increased percentages of memory CD4+ and CD8+ T subsets. Our results showed the upregulation of active marker HLA-DR, TCR-αβ, and inhibitory receptors PD-1, TIGIT in CD8+ T cells from IM patients, which suggested that effective cytotoxic T cells were highly against EBV infection. However, EBV exposure impaired the cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α) secretion capability of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells after stimulation with PMA/ionomycin in vitro. Multivariate analysis revealed that the percentage of HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells was an independent prognostic marker for IM. The percentage of HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells was significantly correlated with high viral load and abnormal liver function results.ConclusionRobust expansion and upregulation of HLA-DR in CD8+ T cells, accompanied with impaired cytokine secretion, were typical characteristics of children with acute IM. The percentage of HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cells might be used as a prominent marker not only for the early diagnosis but also for indicating the severity of IM.

In the process of underground resource exploitation, the induced surface subsidence easily leads to the deformation and failure of buried pipeline. And in the process of soil subsidence, the complex interaction between buried pipeline and surrounding soil occurs, which leads to deformation and additional stress in buried pipeline. In this paper, a laboratory test system is designed and developed to analyze the influence of buried depth, cohesion of soil, and angle of internal friction on stress, in order to obtain the deformation mechanism of pipe-soil and the pressure around the pipe and the distribution of additional axial stress along the pipeline. The research results show that in the process of subsidence, the synergistic deformation between the pipe and soil at both ends of the subsidence area is maintained, while there is a compressive nonsynergistic deformation zone in the soil at the top of the pipe, and the deformation zone in the cohesion-less soil and the cohesive soil presents a spire shape and an arch shape, respectively. Areas of maximum additional tensile and compressive stresses occur in the area of maximum curvature and the central position. In addition, the smaller the burial depth, the earlier the unloading phenomenon occurs; and the additional stress in buried pipe in cohesion-less soil is significantly less than that in cohesive soil, and the unloading phenomenon occurs earlier. The research results provide the basis for disaster prevention of buried petroleum transmission pipeline in subsidence process.

In order to develop textile reinforced concrete (TRC) with good flowability and strength, colloidal nano-SiO2 (CNS) is adopted to improve the performance of TRC. The flowability, compressive strength, flexural strength, and four-point bending tests of TRC matrix with CNS are carried out, and the changes of internal micromorphological characteristics of TRC matrix are analyzed by combining with scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the CNS has an inhibitory effect on the flowability of TRC matrix, and the greater the amount of admixture is, the smaller the slump expansion of TRC matrix is. The compressive strength and flexural strength of TRC matrix show a trend of increasing and then decreasing as the amount of CNS increases, and the compressive strength reaches the maximum at each age (7 d, 14 d, 28 d) when CNS and silica fume replace 5% cement by 1 : 4 equal mass. The flexural strength reaches the maximum at each age (7 d, 14 d, 28 d) when 5% cement is replaced by CNS and silica fume with 3 : 7 equal mass. The flexural strength increases with the increase of CNS admixture. It is found by electron microscope scanning that the incorporation of CNS consumes more Ca(OH)2, refines the Ca(OH)2 crystal size, and generates more C-S-H gels. These C-S-H gels are distributed in a net-like pattern inside the concrete, filling the internal pores, effectively densifying the interfacial transition zone between the cementitious material and the aggregates, and optimizing the internal structure.

The new bamboo shoots do not generate leaves during the explosive growth period. Thus, they cannot perform photosynthesis during this period. The water use profile and control mechanism of water transport during the explosive growth period of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) shoots are still unclear. This study applied thermal dissipate probe (TDP) technology for monitoring the sap flow rate (Fs) dynamics in Moso bamboo during explosive growth phases (2008¬2010). We investigated the underlying mechanism of rapid growth by analyzing the water transport profile in a system consisting of the stem, rhizome, and shoot. We found that the Fs increase during explosive growth periods was consistent with the grow rate of bamboo shoots, the explosive growth phase was controlled by the sap flow. Water flew mainly from the rhizome toward the stem before shoot development but switched to the shoot during shooting. The water flow direction shifted from the stem and rhizome to the new shoot, ensuring the water and nutrient transport needed for growth and metabolisms. Diurnal Fs variations during growth periods followed a typical “single-peak” pattern with a daytime peak, resulting in a higher growth rate of bamboo shoots during the daytime. On the annual scale, Fs has an on-off-year alternation with higher on¬year rates than off¬year rates, which was consistent with the regulation of the bamboo shoot emergence. Correlation analysis found that leaf area index variations could explain the observed Fs variations of 95–97%. Economic bamboo forest management should ensure sufficient water supply during the explosive growth period of bamboo shoots. Further research should strengthen our knowledge about the hydraulic characteristics of Moso bamboo during explosive growth periods to ensure efficient forest management.

The current practice for the design of squeezed branch piles is mainly based on the calculated bearing capacity of circular piles. Insufficient considerations of the load-transfer mechanism, branch effect and failure mechanism, as well as overreliance on pile load tests, have led to conservative designs and limited application. This study performs full-scale field load tests on instrumented squeezed branch piles and shows that the shaft force curves have obvious drop steps at the branch position, indicating that the branches can effectively share the pile top load. The effects of branch position, spacing, number and diameter on the pile bearing capacity are analyzed numerically. The numerical results indicate that the squeezed branch piles have two types of failure mechanisms, i.e. individual branch failure mechanism and cylindrical failure mechanism. Further research should focus on the development of the calculation method to determine the bearing capacities of squeezed branch piles considering these two failure mechanisms. Keywords: Squeezed branch piles, Field test, Bearing behavior, Failure mechanism, Numerical simulation

ABSTRACT: Background: Liposuction-curettage is a long-standing and effective treatment for axillary bromhidrosis. However, residual malodor and skin necrosis typically occur following this treatment. Therefore, we improved this method to ensure fewer complications and better outcomes. Here, we have presented our programmed 6-step approach of improved liposuction-curettage. Methods: The programmed 6-step approach of improved liposuction-curettage was used to remove the axillary apocrine glands. We used pointed and obtuse cannulas designed for liposuction-curettage. Results: Patients treated using the programmed 6-step approach of improved liposuction-curettage did not experience any serious complications or residual malodor. Conclusion: The programmed 6-step approach of improved liposuction-curettage was more effective than traditional surgery with respect to the treatment of axillary bromhidrosis.

The method of determining concrete fracture energy recommended by RILEM has an obvious size effect, so determining fracture energy that is unaffected by size of the test specimen is difficult. In this study, 60 high-strength concrete single-edge notched beams (SENBs) of different sizes, crack length-to-depth ratios, and span-to-depth ratios were subjected to the three-point loading test as recommended by RILEM. Then, the influences of the boundary effect on the fracture energy were identified. Based on the SENB boundary effect model, a piecewise function of the interrelationships between the experimental test fracture energy Gf, the local fracture energy gf, and the fracture energy unaffected by specimen size GF was established. The applicability of the boundary effect model was verified using the test results from this study and from the previously published research. The results show that the local fracture energy distribution in the boundary influence region was nonuniform. The smaller the local fracture energy was, the closer it was to the rear boundary of the specimen. The influence length al∗ of the boundary increased with the increasing specimen size. Based on the bilinear distribution model of the local fracture energy gf, the fracture energy unaffected by beam size GF can be obtained according to the fracture energy Gf measured for laboratory-scale small-sized SENB specimens. Furthermore, the model predictions are in good agreement with experimental observations.

Buried pipelines influenced by coal mining subsidence will deform and generate additional stress during surface deformation. On the basis of the coordinating deformation relationship between buried pipeline and its surrounding soils, a stress analysis method of a buried pipeline induced by mining was proposed. The buried pipeline additional stresses were analyzed; meanwhile, a corresponding analysis process of the pipeline stresses was also presented during mining subsidence. Furthermore, based on the ground subsidence along the pipeline predicted in advance by the probability integral method, the additional stresses and Von Mises equivalent stresses and their distributions along the buried pipeline induced by the exploitation of a coal mining working face named 14101 were obtained. Meanwhile, a comparative analysis of additional stresses between simulation and analytical calculation was performed for the deep analysis and reliability of the results presented by the proposed methodology in this paper. The proposed method provides references for analysis of the additional stress and safety of buried pipelines under the influence of mining subsidence.