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Background: In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, surgical personnel and patients experience many diagnosis and treatment-related challenges. COVID-19 is highly virulent, and thus, immediate, safe, and effective solutions to the patients’ management are required. Research collaboration and knowledge dissemination are necessary to optimize medical and surgical approaches to the individual patients’ needs. Gastric manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are not uncommon and may even precede respiratory symptoms. Common gastrointestinal symptoms include loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Case Presentation: A 50-year-old male patient complained of "blood in the stool and tenesmus for half a year" and was admitted to the hospital on March 2, 2023. Half a year ago, the patient had blood in the stool without obvious incentives, the bleeding was bright red, the habit of defecation changed, the stool became thinner, and the frequency of defecation increased, 3-5 times a day, and the amount was not much. At that time, he went to a regular medical institution for any treatment measures.

Background: Treatment given as a first step to shrink a tumor before the main treatment, which is usually surgery, is given. Examples of neoadjuvant therapy include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. It is a type of induction therapy. The most common pattern of esophageal cancer metastases (ECM) is to the lymph nodes, lung, liver, bones, adrenal glands, and brain. Case Presentation: A male patient, 47 years old, was admitted to the hospital on July 31, 2020, mainly due to "progressive dysphagia. Two months ago, the patient had difficulty eating without obvious incentives, especially when eating hard food such as rice. The liquid diet was acceptable, accompanied by retrosternal pain and discomfort, heartburn, and obvious weight loss. The symptoms gradually aggravated without obvious relief. Conclusion: In summary, there are few international investigations and an absence of relevant information and literature on the environment in which tumor cells survive after radiotherapy. Clinicians can't ignore the issue of whether radiotherapy will alter the tumor cells' natural environment, leading to tumor cell escape and an increase in brain metastases.

Objective: Tumor surgeons now pay special attention to the alteration in breast form following breast-conserving surgery. Safety of breast-conserving margins and postoperative breast appearance are typically challenging in conventional breast-conserving surgery due to the effect of variables such as big breast tumors or unusual placements. It's important to remember that postoperative breast deformity is a real possibility. Breast-conserving tumor plastic surgery combines tumor excision with plastic surgery, allowing for a more thorough removal of the tumor. It provides a more humane treatment option for the majority of patients by ensuring the safety of surgical margins, considering the aesthetic effects, increasing the breast-conserving opportunities for patients with tumors in special parts, and expanding the indications for breast-conserving surgery. It also greatly improves the postoperative quality of life and mental state. In this article, we deeply examine the current state of knowledge concerning the effectiveness, safety, and appropriate patient population for breast-conserving surgery in the context of tumor plastic surgery.

We sought to analyze the preventive effect of local vancomycin powder application on surgical site infection (SSI) in spinal surgeries and provide the basis for future clinical practice.Through PubMed, Medline, Elsevier, and the Cochrane Library, with MeSH words "vancomycin powder," "local/intraoperative/topical/intra-wound," "spine/spinal/lumbar/cervical/thoracolumbar," "surgery," "infection," and "SSI," we searched for case-control research papers on the impact of prophylactic application of vancomycin powder on the incidence of SSI and compared the rate of infection using RevMan 5.3 meta-analysis software.A total of 1950 publications were found using the mesh words, and 50 of those studies were selected for final analysis. There were 34,301 cases in total, including 14,793 cases in vancomycin group and 19,508 cases in the control group. Results of meta-analysis showed that the incidence of SSI was significantly lower in the prophylactic vancomycin powder group than the control group (P 0.001). Further subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of SSI was significantly lower in the prophylactic vancomycin powder group than the control group in spine surgeries with internal fixation, deformity correction, and deep tissue infections (P0.001). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups concerning patients undergoing noninstrumented spine surgeries and the incidence of superficial tissue infection.Overall, prophylactic application of vancomycin powder in spinal surgery can significantly reduce the incidence of SSI in deep tissues, and this effect is more prominent in patients undergoing internal fixation and deformity correction surgeries.

Objective. Pedicle screw loosening is one of the main complications after pedicle screw fixation. However, there are few reliable measures for prediction of screw loosening. The current study was carried out to find an effective method to use preoperative CT scanning as a predictor of screw loosening in the elderly patients and provide guidance for preoperative surgical planning. Methods. Patients who were treated with lumbar pedicle screw fixation procedure in our department for degenerative lumbar disorders between January 2015 and January 2021 were retrospectively included in the current study. CT scan attenuation of each vertebra was measured with Hounsfield units (HU). Screw loosening was determined in postoperatively X-ray tests. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were carried out with IBMSPSS 24.00 software. Results. Screw loosening was observed in 44 of 215 patients (124 male, 91 female, average age 58.4 ± 7.6 years) during a mean follow-up time of 19.0 ± 11.2 months (range 12-32 months). No significant differences were found among the patients concerning patient gender, BMI, habit of smoking, and whether or not the patient had diabetes or suffered from spondylolisthesis ( P > 0.05 ). The average HU value of lumbar vertebra was 122.4 ± 32.8 HU in the screw loosening group and 142.4 ± 38.2 HU in the control group, and the difference was significant ( P < 0.01 ). ROC curve analysis revealed that the average HU value of L1-L5 has a relatively larger area under the curve (AUC) of 0.689 (95% CI: 0.605-0.773). With the sensitivity of 68% and specificity of 57%, a HU cut-off value of ≤124 HU is a plausible cut-off point to predict screw loosening. Conclusions. A prospective CT scan HU value-based prediction can be used to decide whether or not to use screw augmentation methods. A cut-off L1-L5 average HU value of 124 HU can be used as an independent risk factor for screw loosening in instrumented lumbar vertebra. More predictive indexes should be involved to achieve higher sensitivity and specificity in future clinical practice.

Purpose: We investigated the effects of classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) interventions on academic performance and assessed the impact of different CBPA elements on academic performance. Methods: Relevant experimental studies in four databases were searched from their inception to September 2022. Random effects models were used to compute standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 13 studies were included. CBPA interventions could improve academic performance in children and adolescents (SMD = 0.17, p = .02). For the CBPA elements, low frequency (no more than three times per week; SMD = 0.19, p = .01), moderate intensity (SMD = 0.19, p = .01), long time (more than 20 min in each intervention; SMD = 0.14, p = .05), integrated physical activity (SMD = 0.18, p = .04), no more than 400 metabolic equivalents of energy-min/week (SMD = 0.33, p = .001), and more than 8-week interventions (SMD = 0.19, p = .04) tended to improve academic performance. Conclusions: CBPA may improve academic performance in children and adolescents. CBPA elements also have an impact on academic performance.

Mo Chen,1 Yanhua Li,1 Shu Li,2 Wenqiang Cui,2 Yonghui Zhou,3 Qianwei Qu,1 Ruixiang Che,4 Lu Li,5 Shuguang Yuan,2 Xin Liu3 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, People’s Republic of China; 2Research Center for Computer-Aided Drug Discovery, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 3College of Basic Medicine, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China; 4College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, People’s Republic of China; 5College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shuguang Yuan, Research Center for Computer-Aided Drug Discovery, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-150-0209-0670, Email shuguang.yuan@siat.ac.cn Xin Liu, College of Basic Medicine, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-188-8605-6643, Email 1046977102@qq.comPurpose: Drug resistance presents an ever-increasing global public health threat that involves all major microbial pathogens and antimicrobial drugs. Strains that are resistant to multiple drugs pose severe clinical problems and cost lives. However, systematic studies on cross-resistance of Staphylococcus xylosus have been missing.Methods: Here, we investigated various mutations in the sequence of ribosomal proteins involved in cross-resistance. To understand this effect on a molecular basis and to further elucidate the role of cross-resistance, we computationally constructed the 3D model of the large ribosomal subunit from S. xylosus as well as its complexes with both tylosin and florfenicol. Meanwhile, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations was used. In addition, the regulation of protein networks also played an essential role in the development of cross-resistance in S. xylosus.Results: We discovered that the minimum inhibitory concentration against both tylosin and florfenicol of the mutant strain containing the insertion L22 97KRTSAIN98 changed dramatically. Further, we found that unique structural changes in the β-hairpin of L22 played a central role in this variant in the development of antibiotic resistance in S. xylosus. The regulation of protein networks also played an essential role in the development of cross-resistance in S. xylosus.Conclusion: Our work provides insightful views into the mechanism of S. xylosus resistance that could be useful for the development of the next generation of antibiotics.Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, Staphylococcus xylosus, cross-resistance evolution, ribosomal protein L22

Phallus aureus is described as a new species from China and is characterized by an obovate, rugose, squamulose on the immature basidiomata surface, pseudostipe yellowish, grey volva, and pale yellow at the base becoming light yellow upwards. The new species is phylogenetically located in an independent lineage. A full description, colour photographs, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree to show the position of new species are provided.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) are bone marrow disorders characterized by cytopenias and progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Hypomethylating agents (HMAs) are Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies for MDS and MDS/MPN patients. HMAs have improved patients' survival and quality of life when compared with other therapies. Although HMAs are effective in MDS and MDS/MPN patients, they are associated with significant toxicities that place a large burden on patients. Our goal is to develop a safer and more effective HMA from natural products. We previously reported that black raspberries (BRBs) have hypomethylating effects in the colon, blood, spleen, and bone marrow of mice. In addition, BRBs exert hypomethylating effects in patients with colorectal cancer and familial adenomatous polyposis. In the current study, we conducted a pilot clinical trial to evaluate the hypomethylating effects of BRBs in patients with low-risk MDS or MDS/MPN. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated before and after three months of BRB intervention. CD45

[Objective] In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of educational micro movies and practical experience (nurses as simulated patients) in improving the quality of peri-operative stretcher transportation service in the hospital. [Methods] From November to December 2021, 414 nurses from 18 departments of the Surgery Department of Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center participated in this practical study. Each nurse experienced the perioperative stretcher transportation service in the role of a patient, and experienced the whole process of being transferred from the ward to the operating room by the nursing staff, and then back to the original department. The whole process was recorded with photos and videos, and educational micro movies were made by department as a unit. [Results] Through this practice project, 17 disadvantageous factors (in 5 categories) affecting the quality of stretcher transportation service were summarized and 26 improvement measures were formulated. A total of 17 educational micro movies were released online by 18 departments; as of the end of December 2021, these movies have reached 113,994 views. 84.62% of nurses were satisfied or very satisfied with this practice project, and they believed that this new approach could help improve the quality of perioperative stretcher transportation service. [Conclusions] In this practical study, by allowing nurses to discover the deficiencies through fitting in patients’ role, the standard operation procedure (SOP) for peri-operative stretcher transportation service was revised and improved.

We aim to explore the effect of head-down position (HDP), initiated within 24 hours of onset, in moderate anterior circulation stroke patients with probable large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) etiology. This investigator-initiated, multi-center trial prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, multi-center and phase-2 trial was conducted in China and completed in 2021. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) into the HDP group receiving −20° Trendelenburg, or control group receiving standard care according to national guideline. The primary endpoint was proportion of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0 to 2 at 90 days, which is a scale for measuring the degree of disability after stroke. 90-day mRS was assessed by a certified staff member who was blinded to group assignment. A total of 96 patients were randomized (47 in HDP group and 49 in control group) and 94 (97.9%) patients were included in the final analysis: 46 in HDP group and 48 in control group. The proportion of favorable outcome was 65.2% (30/46) in the HDP group versus 50.0% (24/48) in the control group (unadjusted: OR 2.05 [95%CI 0.87-4.82], P = 0.099). No severe adverse event was attributed to HDP procedures. This work suggests that the head-down position seems safe and feasible, but does not improve favorable functional outcome in acute moderate stroke patients with LAA. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03744533.

IntroductionExtended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae pose a huge threat to human health, especially in the context of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs). Carbapenems and piperacillin–tazobactam (PTZ) are two antimicrobial agents commonly used to treat cUTIs.MethodsA monocentric retrospective cohort study focused on the treatment of cUTIs in adults was conducted from January 2019 to November 2021. Patients with a positive urine culture strain yielding ≥ 103 colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL), and sensitive to PTZ and carbapenems, were included. The primary endpoint was clinical success after antibiotic therapy. The secondary endpoint included rehospitalization and 90-day recurrence of cUTIs caused by ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae.ResultsOf the 195 patients included in this study, 110 were treated with PTZ while 85 were administered meropenem. The rate of clinical cure was similar between the PTZ and meropenem groups (80% vs. 78.8%, p = 0.84). However, the PTZ group had a lower duration of total antibiotic use (6 vs. 9; p < 0.01), lower duration of effective antibiotic therapy (6 vs. 8; p < 0.01), and lower duration of hospitalization (16 vs. 22; p < 0.01).DiscussionIn terms of adverse events, the safety of PTZ was higher than that of meropenem in the treatment of cUTIs.

Introduction: One of the most common issues following pedicle screw fixation is pedicle screw loosening. There are, however, few trustworthy methods for predicting screw loosening. The goal of the current study was to identify an efficient technique for using preoperative CT scanning to predict screw loosening in older patients and to offer recommendations for preoperative surgical planning. Methods: The current analysis included retrospectively all patients who underwent lumbar pedicle screw fixation for degenerative lumbar diseases in our department between January 2015 and January 2022. Hounsfield units were used to assess each vertebra's attenuation in a CT scan (HU). Postoperative X-ray testing identified screw loosening. Using IBMSPSS 24.00 software, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed. Results: Over a mean follow-up period of 28.4±11.5 (range 12-44 months) months, screw loosening was noted in 53 of 242 patients (136 male and 106 female, average age 58.7±7.3 years). Gender, BMI, smoking habits, and whether or not a patient had diabetes or spondylolisthesis were not shown to be significantly different among the patients (P>0.05). The difference between the average lumbar vertebral HU values in the screw-loosening group and the control group was significant (P Conclusion: The use of screw augmentation techniques can be decided using a prospective CT scan HU value-based prediction. An independent risk factor for screw loosening in an instrumented lumbar vertebra is a cutoff L1-L5 average HU value of 122 HU.

PDF file - 10KB, Supplemental Figure 2. Black raspberry (BRB) powder (A)and BRB suppository (B).

PDF file - 16KB, FAP Supplemental Figure 1, Study flow chart.

PDF file - 24KB, Supplemental Figure 3. APC mutations in 14 FAP patients.

PDF file - 52KB, This table includes the primer sequences used for the qPCR analysis done in this study.

PDF file - 38KB

Supplementary Figures S1-S2 from Loss of p53 and MCT-1 Overexpression Synergistically Promote Chromosome Instability and Tumorigenicity

Vitamin D3 and metformin are widely used in humans for regulating mineral metabolism and as an antidiabetic drug, respectively; and both of them have been shown to have chemopreventive effects against various tumors. This study was designed to investigate the potential synergistic chemopreventive effects of vitamin D3 and metformin against the development of early colon neoplasia in two models. The first model was a 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH)-induced colon cancer rat model and the second, a DMH-dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis-associated colon neoplasia mouse model. Compared with either vitamin D3 or metformin alone, combined use of vitamin D3 and metformin showed more pronounced effect in reducing the numbers of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and tumor in the colon. The most prominent inhibitory effects were observed in the vitamin D3 medium dose (100 IU/kg/d) and metformin medium dose (120 mg/kg/d) combination group. Furthermore, our results showed that enhancement of metformin's chemopreventive effects by vitamin D3 was associated with downregulation of S6P expression, via the AMPK (IGFI)/mTOR pathway. In addition, enhancement of vitamin D3′s chemopreventive effects by metformin was associated with inhibition of the protein expressions of c-Myc and Cyclin D1, via the vitamin D receptor/β-catenin pathway. These findings show that the combined use of vitamin D3 and metformin exhibits synergistic effects against the development of early colon neoplasia. They suggest that the combined use of vitamin D3 and metformin may represent a novel strategy for chemoprevention of colorectal cancer. Cancer Prev Res; 8(2); 139–48. ©2014 AACR.

MCT-1 oncoprotein accelerates p53 degradation by means of the ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. Our present data show that induction of MCT-1 increases chromosomal translocations and deregulated G2-M checkpoint in response to chemotherapeutic genotoxin. Remarkably, increases in chromosome copy number, multinucleation, and cytokinesis failure are also promoted while MCT-1 is induced in p53-deficient cells. In such a circumstance, the Ras–mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase–mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling activity and the expression of metastatic molecules are amplified. Given a p53-silencing background, MCT-1 malignantly transforms normal breast epithelial cells that are satisfactory for stimulating cell migration/adhesion and tumorigenesis. Detailed analyses of MCT-1 oncogenicity in H1299 p53-null lung cancer cells have shown that ectopically expressed MCT-1 advances xenograft tumorigenicity and angiogenesis, which cannot be completely suppressed by induction of p53. MCT-1 counteracts mutually with p53 at transcriptional levels. Clinical validations confirm that MCT-1 mRNA levels are differentially enriched in comparison between human lung cancer and nontumorigenic tissues. The levels of p53 mRNA are comparatively reduced in a subset of cancer specimens, which highly present MCT-1 mRNA. Our results indicate that synergistic promotions of chromosomal imbalances and oncogenic potency as a result of MCT-1 expression and p53 loss play important roles in tumor development. (Mol Cancer Res 2009;7(4):536–48)

Supplemental Table 1-4. Supplemental table 1 and 2 were the design for drug treatment of rats and mice respectively; supplemental table 3 and 4 were the body weight changes of rats and mice during the experimental period; supplemental table 5-13 were the RAW DATA of DMH+DSS and Met-M+VD3-M groups.

Supplemental Figure 1. diagrammatic representation of rat(Supplemental Figure 1A) and mouse (Supplemental Figure 1B)experiment protocols.

PDF file - 50KB, Supplemental Table 1. Some chemopreventive agents in black raspberry powder. Supplemental Table 2. Vender information and dilution for primary antibodies. Supplemental Table 3. List of primer sequences for MassARRAY analysis. Supplemental Table 4. Patient characteristics and polyp data from all 14 patients. Supplemental Table 5. Effects of oral BRBs and BRB suppositories on the development of adenomas.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is characterized by the early onset of colonic polyposis and a high risk for colorectal cancer. FAP is treated by colectomy followed by lifelong removal of rectal polyps. This study determined whether black raspberries (BRBs) might regress rectal polyps in patients with FAP. Fourteen patients with FAP were treated with BRBs daily for 9 months. Seven patients received BRB powder orally plus two BRB suppositories inserted into the rectum at bedtime. The other 7 received an oral placebo plus the suppositories. Rectal polyp counts and polyp sizes were obtained at time zero and after 9 months of BRB treatment. Polyps and adjacent normal tissue were collected at both time points. The burden (P = 0.036) but not number (P = 0.069) of rectal polyps was significantly decreased. No benefit was noted with the addition of oral BRBs. Three patients were nonresponders. BRBs significantly decreased cellular proliferation, DNA methylation methyl transferase 1 protein expression, and p16 promoter methylation, but not promoter methylation of the Wnt pathway antagonists, SFRP2 and WIF1, in rectal polyps (adenomas) from responders but not from nonresponders. The MBD-seq assay revealed more demethylated transcription start sites (TSS), including those for miRNAs, in BRB-treated adenomas from the responders. In conclusion, BRB suppositories seem sufficient for regressing rectal polyps in patients with FAP. Cancer Prev Res; 7(7); 666–74. ©2014 AACR.

Supplementary Figure S1; Supplementary Tables S1-S4.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of black raspberries (BRBs) on biomarkers of tumor development in the human colon and rectum including methylation of relevant tumor suppressor genes, cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and expression of Wnt pathway genes.Experimental Design: Biopsies of adjacent normal tissues and colorectal adenocarcinomas were taken from 20 patients before and after oral consumption of BRB powder (60 g/d) for 1–9 weeks. Methylation status of promoter regions of five tumor suppressor genes was quantified. Protein expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and genes associated with cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and Wnt signaling were measured.Results: The methylation of three Wnt inhibitors, SFRP2, SFRP5, and WIF1, upstream genes in Wnt pathway, and PAX6a, a developmental regulator, was modulated in a protective direction by BRBs in normal tissues and in colorectal tumors only in patients who received BRB treatment for an average of 4 weeks, but not in all 20 patients with 1–9 weeks of BRB treatment. This was associated with decreased expression of DNMT1. BRBs modulated expression of genes associated with Wnt pathway, proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis in a protective direction.Conclusions: These data provide evidence of the ability of BRBs to demethylate tumor suppressor genes and to modulate other biomarkers of tumor development in the human colon and rectum. While demethylation of genes did not occur in colorectal tissues from all treated patients, the positive results with the secondary endpoints suggest that additional studies of BRBs for the prevention of colorectal cancer in humans now appear warranted. Clin Cancer Res; 17(3); 598–610. ©2010 AACR.

Supplementary Table 1 from Carcinogen-Altered Genes in Rat Esophagus Positively Modulated to Normal Levels of Expression by Both Black Raspberries and Phenylethyl Isothiocyanate

Our recent study identified 2,261 dysregulated genes in the esophagi of rats that received a 1-week exposure to the carcinogen N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA). We further reported that 1,323 of these genes were positively modulated to near-normal levels of expression in NMBA-treated animals that consumed dietary phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a constituent of cruciferous vegetables. Herein, we report our results with companion animals that were fed a diet containing 5% freeze-dried black raspberries (BRB) instead of PEITC. We found that 462 of the 2,261 NMBA-dysregulated genes in rat esophagus were restored to near-normal levels of expression by BRB. Further, we have identified 53 NMBA-dysregulated genes that are positively modulated by both PEITC and BRB. These 53 common genes include genes involved in phase I and II metabolism, oxidative damage, and oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that regulate apoptosis, cell cycling, and angiogenesis. Because both PEITC and BRB maintain near-normal levels of expression of these 53 genes, their dysregulation during the early phase of NMBA-induced esophageal cancer may be especially important in the genesis of the disease. [Cancer Res 2008;68(15):6460–7]

A Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, motile bacterium with multi-flagella, strain RST, was isolated from bacterial wilt of tobacco in Yuxi city of Yunnan province, China. The strain contains the major fatty acids of C16:0, summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1ω6c), and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c and/or C18:1ω6c). The polar lipid profile of strain RST consists of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and unidentified aminophospholipid. Strain RST contains ubiquinones Q-7 and Q-8. 16S rRNA gene sequence (1,407 bp) analysis showed that strain RST is closely related to members of the genus Ralstonia and shares the highest sequence identities with R. pseudosolanacearum LMG 9673T (99.50%), R. syzygii subsp. indonesiensis LMG 27703T (99.50%), R. solanacearum LMG 2299T (99.28%), and R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis LMG 27706T (99.21%). The 16S rRNA gene sequence identities between strain RST and other members of the genus Ralstonia were below 98.00%. Genome sequencing yielded a genome size of 5.61 Mbp and a G + C content of 67.1 mol%. The genomic comparison showed average nucleotide identity (ANIb) values between strain RST and R. pseudosolanacearum LMG 9673T, R. solanacearum LMG 2299T, and R. syzygii subsp. indonesiensis UQRS 627T of 95.23, 89.43, and 91.41%, respectively, and the corresponding digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values (yielded by formula 2) were 66.20, 44.80, and 47.50%, respectively. In addition, strains belonging to R. solanacearum phylotype I shared both ANIb and dDDH with strain RST above the species cut-off values of 96 and 70%, respectively. The ANIb and dDDH values between the genome sequences from 12 strains of R. solanacearum phylotype III (Current R. pseudosolanacearum) and those of strain RST were below the species cut-off values. Based on these data, we concluded that strains of phylotype I, including RST, represent a novel species of the genus Ralstonia, for which the name Ralstonia nicotianae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Ralstonia nicotianae sp. nov. is RST (=GDMCC 1.3533T = JCM 35814T).

Pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgeons have faced severe challenges in ward management due to their high risk of exposure during the COVID-19 epidemic. The aim of this study was to analyze and summarize the treatment methods and infection prevention and control measures applied in emergency cases in the Department of Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, during the COVID-19 epidemic.In this retrospective study, information was collected from 256 pediatric emergency patients who were treated from January 23, 2020 to August 9, 2021. The patients' data were statistically analyzed according to age, gender, disease and pathogenesis, operation time, and the main treatment applied in pediatric oral and maxillofacial emergency cases during the COVID-19 epidemic.During the epidemic period, 256 pediatric emergency patients were successfully treated. Among them, there were 170 boys and 86 girls. In all, 182 patients were diagnosed with oral or facial lacerations; 43 had jaw fractures; 26 had maxillofacial infections; and five had dento-alveolar fractures. A total of 246 patients underwent surgery under negative pressure with level 3 protection standards. No doctors or patients infected with COVID-19 were found throughout the stury period.Pediatric oral and maxillofacial emergency in-patients mainly experienced maxillofacial trauma during the COVID-19 epidemic, followed by infection. Effective diagnosis and treatment, and avoidance of COVID-19 infection can be achieved by strictly following epidemic prevention and treatment procedures.

In order to solve the problems of fuzzy image, different measuring range and recognition accuracy of pointer instrument in the process of power inspection, propose a pointer-type instrument recognition method based on Yolov3. Firstly, super-resolution technology is introduced to reconstruct the instrument image. Then, a combined Yolov3 and OCR- based dial feature extraction method is used to detect the dial in the instrument image, effectively extract the digital features in the region, and recognize the instrument by combining the digital features pointer-type angle. Next, to solve the instrument image’s fuzzy problem, a super-resolution image reconstruction technology is designed to reconstruct the fuzzy instrument image and get a clear instrument image. Finally, a method based on a Yolov3 and OCR combination is proposed to detect the instrument image and recognize the digital features of the dial to target the insufficient use of dial features. Comparison of the effect of traditional machine learning algorithm and Canny edge detection in the pointer-type instrument image recognition shows that the accuracy and practicability of this method have been significantly improved in the recognition of pointer-type instruments in complex environment images. &nbsp

Administration of black raspberries (BRBs) and their anthocyanin metabolites, including protocatechuic acid (PCA), has been demonstrated to exert chemopreventive effects against colorectal cancer through alteration of innate immune cell trafficking, modulation of metabolic and inflammatory pathways, etc. Previous research has shown that the gut microbiome is important in the effectiveness of chemoprevention of colorectal cancer. This study aimed to assess the potency of PCA versus BRB dietary administration for colorectal cancer prevention using an

The Roundabout (Robo) receptors, located on growth cones of neurons, induce axon repulsion in response to the extracellular ligand Slit. The Robo family of proteins controls midline crossing of commissural neurons during development in flies. Mono- and bi-allelic variants in human ROBO1 (HGNC: 10249) have been associated with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity for a breath of phenotypes, including neurodevelopmental defects such as strabismus, pituitary defects, intellectual impairment, as well as defects in heart and kidney. Here, we report two novel ROBO1 variants associated with very distinct phenotypes. A homozygous missense p.S1522L variant in three affected siblings with nystagmus; and a monoallelic de novo p.D422G variant in a proband who presented with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy. We modeled these variants in Drosophila and first generated a null allele by inserting a CRIMIC T2A-GAL4 in an intron. Flies that lack robo1 exhibit reduced viability but have very severe midline crossing defects in the central nervous system. The fly wild-type cDNA driven by T2A-Gal4 partially rescues both defects. Overexpression of the human reference ROBO1 with T2A-GAL4 is toxic and reduces viability, whereas the recessive p.S1522L variant is less toxic, suggesting that it is a partial loss-of-function allele. In contrast, the dominant variant in fly robo1 (p.D413G) affects protein localization, impairs axonal guidance activity and induces mild phototransduction defects, suggesting that it is a neomorphic allele. In summary, our studies expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with ROBO1 variant alleles.

Objective. Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by defective insulin secretion in the body, resulting in metabolic abnormalities with persistent blood glucose elevation. Osteoporosis is the most common diabetes complication. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of the effects of alendronate combined with atorvastatin compared with alendronate alone in the treatment of osteoporosis in diabetes mellitus. Methods. Two researchers independently used PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Wanfang Data, CNKI, and VIP databases to search for all relevant studies that met the inclusion criteria and used RevMan 5.3 and STATA 16.0 for data analysis. Results. Fourteen studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected, including 1456 patients. Among the data extracted in this meta-analysis, bone mineral density (BMD) was the primary outcome measurement, while total effective rate, VAS, osteoprotegerin (OPG), bone Gla protein (BGP), bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), blood P and Ca, and adverse effects were secondary outcome measurements. Our results showed that alendronate combined with atorvastatin is more effective than alendronate alone, with higher BMD, OPG, BGP, and BAP, more significant pain relief, and fewer adverse events. Conclusion. The results of this meta-analysis indicate that alendronate combined with atorvastatin is a better treatment for osteoporosis in diabetes mellitus, showing more effective and higher BMD and fewer adverse events than alendronate alone.