Search

The risk of cholangitis after ERCP implantation in malignant obstructive jaundice patients remains unknown. To develop models based on artificial intelligence methods to predict cholangitis risk more accurately, according to patients after stent implantation in patients' MOJ clinical data. This retrospective study included 218 patients with MOJ undergoing ERCP surgery. A total of 27 clinical variables were collected as input variables. Seven models (including univariate analysis and six machine learning models) were trained and tested for classified prediction. The model' performance was measured by AUROC. The RFT model demonstrated excellent performances with accuracies up to 0.86 and AUROC up to 0.87. Feature selection in RF and SHAP was similar, and the choice of the best variable subset produced a high performance with an AUROC up to 0.89. We have developed a hybrid machine learning model with better predictive performance than traditional LR prediction models, as well as other machine learning models for cholangitis based on simple clinical data. The model can assist doctors in clinical diagnosis, adopt reasonable treatment plans, and improve the survival rate of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrological processes play an important role in stimulating fish spawning behavior. Changes in the natural hydrological processes will alter the populations and distribution of fish, which may have a negative impact on the native aquatic organisms. The aim of this study is to identify the alteration of the water rising process during the fish spawning period and to construct an ecological flow optimization model to restore the water rising conditions for fish reproduction. The Mann–Kendall test and the sliding t-test were used to detect the mutation year of the mean daily flow data sets in the fish spawning period in each monitoring year. Then the data sets can be divided into pre-altered and post-altered periods. The water rising process was characterized by the water rising processes count, the duration, the daily flow increase rate, the date of the water rising process, and the initial water rising flow. The changes in hydrological processes in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were investigated by comparing the post-altered and pre-altered characteristic parameters. Furthermore, we integrated the statistical values of the five characteristic parameters in pre-altered into an ecological flow optimization model to simulate the natural water rising processes for the spawning of the Four Major Chinese Carps (FMCC) and Chinese Sturgeon (CS). The analysis showed that after the hydrological mutation year, the duration and the initial water rising flow in the FMCC spawning season were increased, with hydrological alteration degrees of 63.10% and 70.16%, respectively; however, the daily flow increase rate was significantly decreased, with hydrological alteration of 86.50%. During the CS spawning season, the water rising processes count and the initial water rising flow were dramatically altered parameters, with hydrological alteration degrees of 50.86% and 83.27%, respectively. The former parameter increased, but the latter decreased significantly in the post-altered period. To induce the spawning activity of FMCC and CS, appropriate ecological flows and hydrological parameters were proposed. These results showed that during the spawning seasons of FMCC and CS, the hydrological processes of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River changed significantly. Therefore, ecological flow must be ensured through ecological operation of upstream reservoirs to provide suitable spawning conditions in target fish spawning grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the western plateau of China, ventilation problems brought on by low atmospheric pressure must be overcome. And CO migration after blasting in high-altitude tunnel by inclined shaft has become a significant scientific issue. In this study, the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method was used to analyze the flow field characteristics at the junction of the inclined shaft and tunnel. In addition, the effects of different fan opening modes and different initial CO concentration distributions on the ventilation were discussed. The simulation results showed that the main difference in the ventilation wind field was reflected in the position of the vortex region due to the different fan opening modes. Meanwhile, various initial CO concentration distributions showed different migration when there was no air volume difference between the left and right tunnels. Eliminating vortex zones and fully using high velocity airflow could improve relative ventilation efficiency by at least 18%. CO would accumulate in the opposite direction of the tunnel if only one of the fans was turned on. Therefore, a two-stage ventilation scheme was proposed, and the energy consumption was reduced by at least 33%. This research can provide guidance on high-altitude tunnel construction with multiple working faces to improve ventilation efficiency and reduce energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial cells in the seabed are thought to persist by slow population turnover rates and extremely low energy requirements. External stimulations such as seafloor hydrocarbon seeps have been demonstrated to significantly boost microbial growth; however, the microbial community response has not been fully understood. Here we report a comparative metagenomic study of microbial response to natural hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf of Mexico. Subsurface sediments (10–15 cm below seafloor) were collected from five natural seep sites and two reference sites. The resulting metagenome sequencing datasets were analyzed with both gene-based and genome-based approaches. 16S rRNA gene-based analyses suggest that the seep samples are distinct from the references by both 16S rRNA fractional content and phylogeny, with the former dominated by ANME-1 archaea (~50% of total) and Desulfobacterales, and the latter dominated by the Deltaproteobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Chloroflexi phyla. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are present in both types of samples, with higher relative abundances in seep samples than the references. Genes for nitrogen fixation were predominantly found in the seep sites, whereas the reference sites showed a dominant signal for anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). We recovered 49 metagenome-assembled genomes and assessed the microbial functional potentials in both types of samples. By this genome-based analysis, the seep samples were dominated by ANME-1 archaea and SRB, with the capacity for methane oxidation coupled to sulfate reduction, which is consistent with the 16S rRNA-gene based characterization. Although ANME-1 archaea and SRB are present in low relative abundances, genome bins from the reference sites are dominated by uncultured members of NC10 and anammox Scalindua, suggesting a prevalence of nitrogen transformations for energy in non-seep pelagic sediments. This study suggests that hydrocarbon seeps can greatly change the microbial community structure by stimulating nitrogen fixation, inherently shifting the nitrogen metabolism compared to those of the reference sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proinflammatory processes in adipose tissue contribute to development of breast cancer and insulin resistance. Crown-like structures (CLS) are histologic hallmarks of the proinflammatory process in adipose tissue. CLS are microscopic foci of dying adipocytes surrounded by macrophages mostly derived from monocytes in blood. Estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is expressed in microglia, macrophages within the central nervous system (CNS), where it evokes an anti-inflammatory response. The present study investigates the function of ERβ in macrophages within CLS. We report that even though monocytes in the blood have no detectable levels of ERβ, macrophages in CLS do express ERβ. In ERβ−/− mice, there was a significant increase in the number of CLS in both subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). CLS in these mice were dominated by pro-inflammatory macrophages (M1 macrophages) with higher expression of osteopontin (OPN) and an increase in number of proliferating macrophages. In mice made obese by Western diet, treatment with an ERβ selective agonist (LY3201) reduced the number of CLS in both SAT and VAT with downregulation of OPN, activated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), proliferation and upregulation prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2), the enzyme which prevents activation of HIF1α, in macrophages. We conclude that ERβ expression is induced in macrophages in CLS within adipose tissue where it plays a pivotal role in suppression of CLS. Thus ERβ agonists may be used to alleviate CLS-related breast cancer and insulin resistance in adipose tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than half of the global ocean floor is draped by nutrient-starved sediments characterized by deep oxygen penetration and a prevalence of oxidized nitrogen. Despite low energy availability, this habitat hosts a vast microbial population, and geochemical characteristics suggest that nitrogen compounds are an energy source critical to sustaining this biomass. However, metabolic rates of nitrogen transformation and their link to microbial survival in this global-scale ecosystem remain virtually unknown. Here we provide quantitative constraints on microbial nitrogen cycling in open ocean oligotrophic sediments from seafloor to basement, spanning approximately 8 million years. We find active microbial nitrogen transformation throughout the sediment column but at very low rates. Local peaks in diversity and abundance of nitrifiers and denitrifiers occur at redox transition zones deep within the sediments, strongly indicating that these microbes are revived from their maintenance state and start growing again after millions of years of attrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil reservoirs have been shown to house numerous microbial lineages that differ based on the in-situ pH, salinity and temperature of the subsurface environment. Lineages of Firmicutes, including Clostridiales, have been frequently detected in oil reservoirs, but are typically not considered impactful or relevant due to their spore-forming nature. Here we show, using metagenomics, a high temperature oil reservoir of marine salinity contains a microbial population that is predominantly from within the Order Clostridiales. These organisms form an oil-reservoir specific clade based on the phylogenies of both 16S rRNA genes and ribosomal proteins, which we propose to name UPetromonas tenebris, meaning they are single-celled organisms from dark rocks. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of these Petromonas sp. were obtained and used to determine that these populations, while capable of spore-formation, were also likely replicating in situ in the reservoir. We compared these MAGs to closely related genomes and show that these subsurface Clostridiales differ, from the surface derived genomes, showing signatures of the ability to degrade plant-related compounds, whereas subsurface genomes only show the ability to process simple sugars. The estimation of in-situ replication from genomic data suggest that UPetromonas tenebris lineages are functional in-situ and may be specifically adapted to inhabit oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study explored the slide-lengthening potentials of double and triple hemisections and the biomechanical effects of different inter-hemisection distances. Forty-eight porcine flexor digitorum profundus tendons were divided into double- and triple-hemisection groups (Groups A and B) and a control group (Group C). Group A was divided into Group A1 (distance between hemisections were the same as Group B) and Group A2 (distance between hemisections corresponded to the greatest distance between hemisections in Group B). Biomechanical evaluation, motion analysis, and finite element analysis (FEA) were performed. Failure load of intact tendon was significantly highest among groups. When the distance was 4 cm, the failure load of Group A increased significantly. When the distance between the hemisections was 0.5 or 1 cm, the failure load of Group B was significantly lower than Group A. Tendon elongation and failure load of Group B were significantly lower than those in Group A when the greatest distance between hemisections was the same. Consequently, Double hemisections had a similar lengthening ability to that of triple hemisections with the same distance, but better when the distances between extreme hemisections matched. However, the driving force for the initiation of lengthening may be greater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) c.677C>T and c.1298A>C variants were known to be associated with prostate cancer (PCa) risk with conflicting results, because of MTHFR and nutrient status interaction in the prostate development. In this large-scale, hospital-based, case-control study of 1817 PCa cases and 2026 cancer-free controls, we aimed to clarify the association between these two MTHFR variants and PCa risk in Shanghai and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that both the heterozygous CT (adjusted OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.67-0.92) and the homozygous TT genotypes (adjusted OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.55-0.83) of c.677C>T were associated with a significantly decreased risk of PCa compared with homozygous wild-type CC genotype, respectively, using multivariate logistic regression. Furthermore, we confirmed that MTHFR c.677T allele was related to an increased serum homocysteine level in the Han Chinese population in Shanghai. In the cultured PCa cell lines, we observed that MTHFR c.677T could elevate the cellular homocysteine level and cause DNA damage, thus increasing cell apoptosis and finally inhibiting cell proliferation. In conclusion, MTHFR c.677T was a protective factor of PCa risk in ethnic Han Chinese males by inducing DNA damage and cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, we successfully prepared a monoclonal antibody (mAb) named 2E4, that directly recognizes the major envelope protein B2L of the orf virus (ORFV), but there is little information about its epitope. Here, we meticulously mapped the 2E4 epitope through combinatorial programs and identified the functional binding domain and a key amino acid residue. Briefly, the simulated epitope peptide closely resembles 84VDVQSKDKDADELR97 located at the N-terminus of B2L, strongly suggesting that the epitope is conformationally or spatially structure-dependent. Subsequently, we combined these findings with the results from the antigenicity prediction of B2L to design three truncated fragments of B2L (F1, F2 and F3) selected using 2E4, and only the F1 fragment was found to be eligible for the advanced stage. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis suggested that the D94 residue is structurally crucial for the 2E4 epitope. The other participating residues, including K61, E62, and D92, together with D94 were responsible for enabling 2E4 binding and served as factors that synergistically enabled binding to the whole 2E4 epitope. In this paper, we describe, for the first time, the architecture of an ORFV conformational epitope, and it is also expected that mAb 2E4 and its epitope can be used for applications relating to orf control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hbs1, which is homologous to the GTPase eRF3, is a small G protein implicated in mRNA quality control. It interacts with a translation-release factor 1-like protein Dom34/Pelota to direct decay of mRNAs with ribosomal stalls. Although both proteins are evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotes, the biological function of Hbs1 in multicellular organisms is yet to be characterized. In Drosophila, pelota is essential for the progression through meiosis during spermatogenesis and germline stem cell maintenance. Here we show that homozygous Hbs1 mutant flies are viable, female-fertile, but male-sterile, which is due to defects in meiosis and spermatid individualization, phenotypes that are also observed in pelota hypomorphic mutants. In contrast, Hbs1 mutants have no obvious defects in germline stem cell maintenance. We show that Hbs1 genetically interacts with pelota during spermatid individualization. Furthermore, Pelota with a point mutation on the putative Hbs1-binding site cannot substitute the wild type protein for normal spermatogenesis. These data suggest that Pelota forms a complex with Hbs1 to regulate multiple processes during spermatogenesis. Our results reveal a specific requirement of Hbs1 in male gametogenesis in Drosophila and indicate an essential role for the RNA surveillance complex Pelota-Hbs1 in spermatogenesis, a function that could be conserved in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of ultrasonic surgery to the conventional bone cutting technique using bur and saw for the release of ankylosis of temporomandibular joint. We conducted a prospective cohort study on 25 patients with 38 ankylotic joints at Chinese PLA General Hospital from March 01, 2012 to March 01, 2016. Patients were followed up at least 2 years postoperatively. The primary outcome was the intraoperative blood loss per joint. The secondary outcome was the long-term (≥2 years) improvement of maximum mouth opening. The blood loss was significantly reduced in the ultrasonic group compared to the conventional group (107.3 ± 62.3 ml vs. 186.3 ± 92.6 ml, P = 0.019). The long-term improvements of maximum mouth opening were substantial and stable in both groups (33.5 ± 4.8 mm in the ultrasonic group vs. 29.2 ± 6 mm in the conventional group, P = 0.06). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed a significant association between blood loss and technique used (coefficient: 66.3, 95% confidence interval: 22.1,110.4, P = 0.006). The ultrasonic surgery was associated with less intraoperative blood loss when compared to the conventional method for the release of ankylosis of temporomandibular joint while providing a stable and comparable long-term improvement of maximum mouth opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant DNA methylation has been implicated in prostate carcinogenesis. The one-carbon metabolism pathway and related metabolites determine cellular DNA methylation and thus is thought to play a pivotal role in PCa occurrence. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of genetic variants in one-carbon metabolism genes to prostate cancer (PCa) risk and the underlying biological mechanisms. In this hospital-based case-control study of 1817 PCa cases and 2026 cancer-free controls, we genotyped six polymorphisms in three one-carbon metabolism genes and assessed their association with the risk of PCa. We found two noncoding MTR variants, rs28372871 T > G and rs1131450 G > A, were independently associated with a significantly increased risk of PCa. The rs28372871 GG genotype (adjusted OR = 1.40, P = 0.004) and rs1131450 AA genotype (adjusted OR = 1.64, P = 0.007) exhibited 1.40-fold and 1.64-fold higher risk of PCa, respectively, compared with their respective homozygous wild-type genotypes. Further functional analyses revealed these two variants contribute to reducing MTR expression, elevating homocysteine and SAH levels, reducing methionine and SAM levels, increasing SAH/SAM ratio, and promoting the invasion of PCa cells in vitro. Collectively, our data suggest regulatory variants of the MTR gene significantly increase the PCa risk via decreasing methylation potential. These findings provide a novel molecular mechanism for the prostate carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]