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Shengjue Xiao,1,* Zhenwei Wang,1,* Ronghua Zuo,2,* Yufei Zhou,3 Yiqing Yang,1 Tian Chen,1 Naifeng Liu1 1Department of Cardiology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Naifeng Liu, Department of Cardiology, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 025 8327 2002, Email liunf@seu.edu.cnObjective: Our research was designed to investigate the relationship between systemic immune inflammation (SII) index and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer-related mortality in patients with CVD.Methods: We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2018 to conduct this study. The association between SII index and all-cause, CVD, and cancer-related mortality in patients with CVD was examined using restricted cubic splines (RCS), Cox proportional hazard models, and subgroup analysis, respectively. CVD was defined as a composite of five outcomes of CVD, including coronary heart disease (CHD), congestive heart failure (CHF), angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Additionally, the link between SII index and all-cause, CVD, and cancer-related mortality in patients with a composite of five outcomes of CVD was also explored.Results: In total, 5329 participants were included. The RCS also showed a U-curve correlation between SII index and the all-cause, CVD, and cancer-related mortality in patients with CVD. As compared with the individuals with lowest quartile of SII index, hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals for all-cause, CVD, and cancer-related mortality across the quartiles were (1.202 (0.981, 1.474), 1.184 (0.967, 1.450), and 1.365 (1.115, 1.672)), (1.116 (0.815, 1.527), 1.017 (0.740, 1.398), and 1.220 (0.891, 1.670)), and (1.202 (0.981, 1.474), 1.184 (0.967, 1.450), and 1.365 (1.115, 1.672)), respectively, in the full-adjusted model. The SII index also had a U-shaped relationship with all-cause, CVD, and cancer-related mortality in patients with CHD, angina, and myocardial infarction. Additionally, the U-shaped relationship between SII index and all-cause, and cancer-related mortality also exists in CHF, and stroke. However, there was a positive linear correlation between SII index and CVD mortality in patients with CHF, and stroke.Conclusion: In the United States general population, the correlation between SII index and all-cause, CVD, and cancer-related mortality showed a U-shaped curve in patients with CVD.Keywords: all-cause mortality, cross-sectional study, cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer-related mortality, systemic immune inflammatory index

Zika virus (ZIKV) evolves non-structural proteins to evade immune response and ensure efficient replication in the host cells. Cholesterol metabolic enzyme 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) was recently reported to impact innate immune responses in ZIKV infection. However, the vital non-structural protein and mechanisms involved in DHCR7-mediated viral evasion are not well elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that ZIKV infection facilitated DHCR7 expression. Notably, the upregulated DHCR7 in turn facilitated ZIKV infection and blocking DHCR7 suppressed ZIKV infection. Mechanically, ZIKV non-structural protein 4B (NS4B) interacted with DHCR7 to induce DHCR7 expression. Moreover, DHCR7 inhibited TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation, which resulted in the reduction of interferon-beta (IFN-β) and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) productions. Therefore, we propose that ZIKV NS4B binds to DHCR7 to repress TBK1 and IRF3 activation, which in turn inhibits IFN-β and ISGs, and thereby facilitating ZIKV evasion. This study broadens the insights on how viral non-structural proteins antagonize innate immunity to facilitate viral infection via cholesterol metabolic enzymes and intermediates.

The eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica is a major aquaculture species for the USA. The sustainable development of eastern oyster aquaculture depends upon the continued improvement of cultured stocks through advanced breeding technologies. The Eastern Oyster Breeding Consortium (EOBC) was formed to advance the genetics and breeding of the eastern oyster. To facilitate efficient genotyping needed for genomic studies and selection, the consortium developed two single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays for the eastern oyster: one screening array with 566K SNPs and one breeders' array with 66K SNPs. The 566K screening array was developed based on whole-genome resequencing data from 292 oysters from Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico populations; it contains 566,262 SNPs including 47K from protein-coding genes with a marker conversion rate of 48.34%. The 66K array was developed using best-performing SNPs from the screening array, which contained 65,893 oyster SNPs including 22,984 genic markers with a calling rate of 99.34%, a concordance rate of 99.81%, and a much-improved marker conversion rate of 92.04%. Null alleles attributable to large indels were found in 13.1% of the SNPs, suggesting that copy number variation is pervasive. Both arrays provided easy identification and separation of selected stocks from wild progenitor populations. The arrays contain 31 mitochondrial SNPs that allowed unambiguous identification of Gulf mitochondrial genotypes in some Atlantic populations. The arrays also contain 756 probes from 13 oyster and human pathogens for possible detection. Our results show that marker conversion rate is low in high polymorphism species and that the two-step process of array development can greatly improve array performance. The two arrays will advance genomic research and accelerate genetic improvement of the eastern oyster by delineating genetic architecture of production traits and enabling genomic selection. The arrays also may be used to monitor pedigree and inbreeding, identify selected stocks and their introgression into wild populations, and assess the success of oyster restoration.

The dominant mechanism of P-wave attenuation in fluid-saturated rock is well known to be the pore-scale squirt. However, the S-wave does not change the average fluid pressure in a pore and the pore volume stays unchanged. As such, the S-wave has a mechanism of attenuation distinctively different from the P-wave. This paper attempts to resolve the mechanisms of S-wave attenuation in fluid-saturated grainstones. The first mechanism is the viscous boundary layer in a fracture, the second is fluid acceleration plus a real-number permeability and the third mechanism is fluid acceleration plus a complex-number permeability (which arises from the viscous boundary layer). D'Euville limestone and Berea sandstone are used as illustrative examples. Ultrasonic velocity and the quality factor due to pore fluid (Qs) are compared between the three models and measurement. The results indicate that fluid acceleration plus the viscous boundary layer is the mechanism of S-wave attenuation in the water-saturated grainstones. In addition, the third model reveals a novel convex in the curve of Qs in the frequency range of 107–108 Hz.

Due to technology and safety limitations, the amount of coal resources overlying slopes in open pit coal mines is immense. In recent years, this problem has gradually attracted the attention of researchers. How to realize the efficient recovery of the side overburden resources with the premise of ensuring the stability and safety of the slope has become an important topic for the development of opencast mining technology in China. To study the yield failure characteristics of coal pillars and the rock mass migration law of the end slope mining field under the mining condition of the end slope shearer, 2D/3D, integrated, simulation experimental equipment is developed based on similarity theory and efficient region theory. This equipment overcomes the technical problem that the internal failure of the rock mass is invisible and that deformation data are not easily obtained during the simulation of end slope coal mining on an existing experimental platform. Based on the engineering geological conditions of the Ordos mining area in China, a typical engineering geological model of the slope near the horizontal condition is constructed to simulate the process “formation of mining cave group -failure of support coal pillars - instability of slope rock mass”. Based on laser positioning technology and multiangle, oblique photography technology, a panoramic phase 3D laser scanner, high-resolution digital camera and deep space micromonitoring system are comprehensively employed to carry out the whole process tracking monitoring and analysis of the deformation and failure of the supporting coal pillars and slope rock mass. The experiment is verified by numerical simulation. The results show that under the experimental conditions, with an increase in mining cave depth, the vertical stress of the supporting coal pillar increases linearly. At a certain distance before reaching the end of the mining cave, the peak value is reached. At this time, the depth continues to increase, and the stress value decreases sharply. The vertical stress gradually decreases to the original rock stress after a certain distance beyond the end of the mining cave. A certain length of supporting coal pillar from the end of the mining cave will never collapse, which is approximately 2.5~3 times the width of the mining cave. The triggering condition of slope deformation and failure is under the combined action of dynamic and static loads. The actual stress of the supporting coal pillar in the deep part of the geometric centre along the slope of the mining cave group is greater than the ultimate stress, and then large discontinuous deformation of multiple adjacent coal pillars around the central coal pillar is caused by compressive shear failure. The boundary of the final collapse plane range of the roadway group is approximately a closed curve formed by two paraboloids, which are axisymmetric with the No. Ⅳ coal pillar and open opposite. The parabola opening in the shallow part of the slope area is small, and the parabola opening in the deep part of the slope area is large. There is a significant space-time correspondence between the failure of supporting coal pillars and the deformation of the slope surface. According to the failure process of the rock mass structure and the movement and deformation characteristics of the slope surface, the slope after failure can be divided into three areas, and the upper part of the slope is the key area of deformation and instability of the overlying rock mass in the end-slope mining field. The research results provide a theoretical basis for scientific monitoring and stability control of slope deformation coal mining conditions in open-pit mines.

Objective There is very limited of evidence linking fibrinogen and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. Therefore, this study intended to examine the relationship between fibrinogen and total BMD in postmenopausal women. Methods This cross-sectional analysis included 2043 postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older from the 1999 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The independent variable was fibrinogen and the outcome variable was total BMD. The association between fibrinogen and total BMD in postmenopausal women was examined using multivariate linear regression models, with subgroup analyses stratified by race. Smoothing curve fitting and generalized additive models further analyzed the sample data. Results In multiple regression models adjusted for potential confounders, fibrinogen was negatively associated with total BMD (model 1: − 0.0002 [− 0.0002, − 0.0001], model 2: − 0.0000 [− 0.0001, − 0.0000], model 3: − 0.0001 [− 0.0001, − 0.0001]). In subgroup analysis stratified by race, fibrinogen levels were negatively associated with total BMD in postmenopausal women, Non-Hispanic Whites, and Mexican Americans. However, in Non-Hispanic Blacks, the correlation between fibrinogen levels and total BMD was not significant. For individuals that identify as Other Races, fibrinogen levels were positively correlated with total BMD. Conclusion Our findings show a negative association between fibrinogen levels and total BMD in most postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older, however, is variable by race. In postmenopausal women, Non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans, relatively high fibrinogen levels may be adverse to bone health.

We fabricated p-Si/n-Ga2O3 and p+-Si/n-Ga2O3 heterostructures by surface-activated bonding (SAB) and investigated their electrical properties. Current density–voltage measurement was performed before and after thermal annealing at 450 °C. The current density substantially increased after annealing, which was attributed to thinning of an intermediate layer formed by the bonding process. Distinctive two-stage capacitance–voltage characteristics were observed for p-Si/n-Ga2O3 heterostructures, which were well reproduced by numerical calculation considering the effect of two-dimensional electron gas formed at the heterointerface. These results indicate that Ga2O3-based p–n heterostructures with good interface properties and large-area uniformity can be fabricated using SAB.

Fiber tract segmentation is a prerequisite for tract-based statistical analysis. Brain fiber streamlines obtained by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and tractography technology are usually difficult to be leveraged directly, thus need to be segmented into fiber tracts. Previous research mainly consists of two steps: defining and computing the similarity features of fiber streamlines, then adopting machine learning algorithms for fiber clustering or classification. Defining the similarity feature is the basic premise and determines its potential reliability and application. In this study, we adopt geometric features for fiber tract segmentation and develop a novel descriptor (FiberGeoMap) for the corresponding representation, which can effectively depict fiber streamlines’ shapes and positions. FiberGeoMap can differentiate fiber tracts within the same subject, meanwhile preserving the shape and position consistency across subjects, thus can identify common fiber tracts across brains. We also proposed a Transformer-based encoder network called FiberGeoMap Learner, to perform segmentation based on the geometric features. Experimental results showed that the proposed method can differentiate the 103 various fiber tracts, which outperformed the existing methods in both the number of categories and segmentation accuracy. Furthermore, the proposed method identified some fiber tracts that were statistically different on fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusion (MD), and fiber number ration in autism.

Background The simulation is one of the basic methods of medical education, which is often used for procedural skills training. However, the existing simulator lacks internal anatomical landmarks. The study developed a mixed-reality stimulator and evaluated its usability and feasibility in lumbar puncture training. Methods The study recruited 40 subjects, including medical students, residents and faulty with varied levels of experience. Before training, participants completed the questionnaire about the basic information and watched a presentation about mixed reality. After practicing on mixed-reality stimulator, which provided internal anatomical structure, the examination was carried out and the results were documented. At the end of the training, trainees completed a survey of MR technology. Results In this study, participants generally believed that the MR technology was very realistic (90%), and that the presentation of internal anatomy could help the operation (95%). Moreover, 72.5% and 75%, respectively, strongly agreed that the MR technology promoted learning and should be used in medical training. After this training, the success rate of puncture and the puncture time were significantly improved in experienced and non-experienced participants. Conclusion The existing simulator was easy to be transformed into MR simulator. This study showed the usability and feasibility of MR simulator in lumbar puncture training. As a potentially good tool to simulated medical skills training, next, MR technology would be developed and evaluated in more clinical skills teaching scenarios.

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that increasing the frequency of eating is beneficial in terms of cardiovascular metabolic risk factors; however, limited evidence is available for the association between daily eating frequency and mortality, especially in people with diabetes. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association between eating frequency and long-term mortality in populations with diabetes.MethodsWe selected 4,924 individuals suffering from diabetes (mean age: 57.77 years; 51.3% men) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2014. Daily eating frequency was used as the exposure factor in this study. We extracted the mortality data from the National Death Index records and matched them with the population of NHANES. All participants were followed up from the date of getting enrolled in NHANES to 31 December 2015. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, Kaplan–Meier survival curves, and restricted cubic spline were used to assess the associations between eating frequency and all-cause and cause-specific mortality among people with diabetes.ResultsDuring 34,950 person–years of follow-up, 1,121 deaths were documented, including 272 cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related deaths and 156 cancer-related deaths. After adjusting for confounding factors, the daily eating frequency was linearly inversely associated with all-cause and CVD-related mortality, and the HR (95% CIs) for per one-time increment of eating frequency was 0.88 (0.80–0.98) and 0.77 (0.63–0.93), respectively. Sensitivity analyses showed that the main results and statistical significance were still stable.ConclusionHigher eating frequency was independently related to lower all-cause and CVD-related mortality in people with diabetes, which can be used as a potential strategy for daily-diet management among populations suffering from diabetes.

We proposed a mechanism to generate giant anisotropic second harmonic nonlinear response via double resonance effect, achieved through band nesting via electronic bandstructure engineering. The ideal band setup would be a triplet of nested bands separated by the fundamental resonance energy, $\hbar\omega$. We demonstrate theoretically that the proposed phenomenon can be realized in bilayer SnS by band tuning with perpendicular electrical bias, which maximizes the second harmonic susceptibility by several orders of magnitude. Moreover, the tunability of the polarization anisotropy can be useful for realizing novel polarization-sensitive devices.

Sunitinib is the first-line therapy for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) via suppressing neoangiogenesis and tumor growth. The detailed mechanisms, especially whether and how RCC cells can impact endothelial cells sensitivity to Sunitinib, remain unclear. Here, we found that TR4 was commonly upregulated in RCC tissue and relative to tumor angiogenesis. Tube formation and Mouse aortic ring assay showed that the overexpression or knockdown of TR4 in RCC cells enhanced or reduced the angiogenesis of endothelial cells and their resistance to Sunitinib in vitro. Mechanistically, We found that TR4 transcriptionally increase ADAM15 expression, as a consequence, exosomes carrying relatively large amounts of ADAM15 secreted from RCC cell resulted in activating the EGFR phosphorylation and reducing the efficacy of Sunitinib in endothelial cells. Targeting the TR4-induced renal cancers-derived exosomelly initiated signaling with a small molecular, CRM197, increases sunitinib efficacy in vitro and xenograft tumor models. Taken together, our findings indicate a novel function of TR4 in RCC blunted the efficacy of sunitinib via exosomal ADAM15-induced activation of EGFR signaling pathway in endothelial cells.

Up to 30% of patients with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients carry altered DNA damage response genes, enabling the use of poly adenosine diphosphate–ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in advanced CRPC. The proto‐oncogene mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET) is crucial in the migration, proliferation, and invasion of tumour cells. Aberrant expression of MET and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor is associated with drug resistance in cancer therapy. Here, we found that MET was highly expressed in human CRPC tissues and overexpressed in DU145 and PC3 cells in a drug concentration‐dependent manner and is closely related to sensitivity to PARP inhibitors. Combining the PARP inhibitor olaparib with the MET inhibitor crizotinib synergistically inhibited CRPC cell growth both in vivo and in vitro. Further analysis of the underlying molecular mechanism underlying the MET suppression‐induced drug sensitivity revealed that olaparib and crizotinib could together downregulate the ATM/ATR signaling pathway, inducing apoptosis by inhibiting the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway, enhancing the olaparib‐induced antitumour effect in DU145 and PC3 cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated that MET inhibition enhances sensitivity of CRPC to PARP inhibitors by suppressing the ATM/ATR and PI3K/AKT pathways and provides a novel, targeted therapy regimen for CRPC.

Background and aimsGrowing studies have focused on the effect of lead exposure on human circulatory system, while the relationship between lead exposure and subclinical myocardial injury (SC-MI) is still poorly known. Therefore, this study was to explore the effect of lead exposure on SC-MI.MethodsThe study included 6,272 individuals aged 40 and older without cardiovascular disease (CVD) from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Blood lead was used as an alternative marker of lead exposure. Multivariable logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline and threshold effect analyses were performed to investigate the effect of blood lead on SC-MI.ResultsAfter adjusting for age, sex, race, diabetes, hypertension, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, triglycerides, total cholesterol, creatinine, fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin Alc, higher blood lead level was independently related to higher risk of SC-MI (OR 1.047, 95% CI [1.018, 1.077]; P = 0.003). Restricted cubic spline curve showed that there was a non-linear correlation between blood lead and SC-MI. Threshold effect analysis determined that the inflection point of blood lead was 3.8 ug/dl. When the blood lead level was higher than 3.8 ug/dl, there was an independent positive correlation between blood lead level and the risk of SC-MI (OR 1.031, 95% CI [1.009, 1.053]; P < 0.01). And similar associations were also observed among subgroups of male, ≤60 years, >60 years, never smoker, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black or without hypertension and diabetes.ConclusionsBlood lead was non-linearly related to SC-MI in population free from CVD.

Drinking water contaminated by Cd2+ is one of the main pathways for Cd to enter the body. The skin barrier is destroyed when the skin is contaminated by environmental Cd2+, however, the detailed mechanism by which Cd2+ induces skin metabolic disorder, and senescence and affects hair regeneration is not completely understood. In this study, 18 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a Control group, a Low-dose group, and a High-dose group with 6 mice in each group, and intragastrically administered with different concentrations of cadmium chloride once a day, respectively. After 1 month of intervention, the skin tissues on the back of mice were collected for non-targeted metabolomics analysis, and the related proteins were detected by immunofluorescence assay. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis result showed that compared with the Control group, there were 29 different metabolites, mainly including lysophospholipids, fatty acids, and bile acids, in the Low-dose group, and 39 differential metabolites in the High-dose group, in addition to the above compounds, there were more amino acid compounds, and most of the metabolites had a reduced response after administration. Immunofluorescence assay result showed that the higher the concentration of cadmium chloride led to the more obvious the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis promotion effects of skin cells, and the more significant damage to hair follicle stem cells. Thus, our findings demonstrate that cadmium chloride pollution can accelerate skin metabolism disorder, and aging and impair hair regeneration.

In this study, polyamide 66 (PA 66) filaments were prepared for fused filament fabrication (FFF). The effects of the process parameters on the mechanical properties, initial microstructures, dynamic mechanical behavior, and crystallinity of the samples were investigated. The samples obtained at high processing temperatures exhibited high crystallinity, high tensile strength, and low porosity. Almost fully dense samples with excellent mechanical properties were obtained under optimal conditions. The tensile strength of the samples improved by 29.5% (from 68.07 to 88.17 MPa) with an increase in the nozzle temperature from 270 to 290 °C. The elongation at break abruptly increased (from 2.38 to 13.17%), because of the plastic behavior of the material and strain hardening. X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that the crystallinity of PA 66, significantly improved (from 47.3 to 65.6%). In addition, the dynamic mechanical performance of the samples was significantly related to the raster angle. The samples fabricated at a raster angle of 0° exhibited the best dynamic mechanical properties, followed by the 45° and 90° samples. The successful fabrication of PA 66 samples demonstrates the potential use of PA 66 for producing parts using FFF, and provides options for utilizing materials with improved performance for additive manufacturing applications in engineering.

Tracheal stents are an important form of treatment for benign or malignant central airway obstruction. However, the mechanical behavior of current tracheal stents is significantly different from that of the native trachea, which leads to a variety of serious complications. In this study, inspired by the structure of the native trachea, a wavy non-uniform ligament chiral tracheal stent is proposed, in which J-shaped stress–strain behavior and negative Poisson's ratio response are achieved by replacing the tangential ligament of tetrachiral and anti-tetrachiral hybrid structure with a wavy non-uniform ligament. Through the combination of theoretical analysis, finite element analysis and experimental tests, a wide range of desired J-shaped stress–strain curves are explored to mimic the native porcine trachea by tailoring the stent geometry. Besides, the negative Poisson’s ratio and auxetic diameter curves versus axial strain of the stent are also studied in detail, thus contributing to the enhancement of cross-section ventilation and reducing the migration of the stent. This novel tracheal stent with a unique microstructure shows a potential to perfectly match the physiological activities of the native trachea and thereby reduce potential complications.

[Image: see text] BH3 peptide analogues are generally believed to exhibit great potency as cancer therapeutics via targeting antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. Here, we describe the synthesis and identification of a new class of palmitoylated peptide BH3 analogues derived from the core region (h1–h4) of BH3 domains of proapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and as alternative PTP1B inhibitors with antidiabetic potency in vitro and in vivo. PTP1B inhibitors are attractive for treatment of type 2 diabetes. We design the analogues using a simple lipidation approach and discovered novel lead analogues with promising antidiabetic potency in vitro and in vivo. The results presented here expanded the alternative target and function for the BH3 peptide analogues from one member Bim to other members of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and emphasize their therapeutic potential in T2DM. Furthermore, our findings may provide new proof of the regulatory function of Bcl-2 family proteins in mitochondrial nutrient and energy metabolism.

We achieved the total synthesis of the proposed structure of characellide B, a novel lipoglycotripeptide. Comparison of the data for the synthetic compound with those for the natural product indicated some possible errors in the original structural assignment. Furthermore, we synthesized the other four stereoisomers, focusing on the d-Asp-d-allo-Thr fragment, to determine the actual structure of characellide B. Nevertheless, the data for the stereoisomers were not consistent with those for the natural product.

Tracheal stent placement is a principal treatment for tracheobronchial stenosis, but complications such as mucus plugging, secondary stenosis, migration, and strong foreign body sensation remain unavoidable challenges. In this study, we designed a flexible porous chiral tracheal stent intended to reduce or overcome these complications. The stent was innovatively designed with a flexible tetrachiral and anti-tetrachiral hybrid structure as the frame and hollows filled with porous silicone sponge. Detailed finite element analysis (FEA) showed that the designed frame can maintain a Poisson's ratio that is negative or close to zero at up to 50% tensile strain. This contributes to improved airway ventilation and better resistance to migration during physiological activities such as respiration and neck movement. The preparation process combined indirect 3D printing with gas foaming and particulate leaching methods to efficiently fabricate the stent. The stent was then subjected to uniaxial tension and local radial compression tests, which indicated that it not only has the same desirable auxetic performance but also has flexibility similar to the native trachea. The porous sponge facilitated the adhesion of cells, allowed nutrient diffusion, and would prevent the ingrowth of granulation tissue. Furthermore, a ciliated tracheal epithelium similar to that of the native trachea was differentiated from normal human bronchial primary epithelial cells on the internal wall of the stent under air-liquid interface conditions. These results suggest that the designed stent has the potential for application in the treatment of tracheobronchial stenosis.

With the continuous popularization and development of highway traffic in mountainous areas, the number of rock slopes is also increasing. In order to improve the stability of rock slope and reduce the harm caused by slope slip, this paper carries out numerical simulation of rock slope sliding based on particle swarm optimization algorithm. Firstly, this paper combines the differential evolution algorithm and simplex method to improve the global and local search ability of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and analyzes the performance of the algorithm. ABAQUS software is used to simulate rock slope sliding, the finite element method is used to analyze the stability of rock slope, and LS-DYNA program is used to simulate rockfall impact rock slope. During the numerical simulation, the improved algorithm is used to analyze all the data. Experimental data show that the improved PSO algorithm converges after nearly 100 iterations and the convergence speed and optimization accuracy are high. In the numerical simulation, the average failure probability of the left and right sides of the main section at the top, middle, and foot of the slope is 0.0820 and 0.0723, 0.0772 and 0.0492, and 0.0837 and 0.0677, respectively, indicating that the overall instability probability of the left side of the rock slope is higher than that of the right side. The rock slope with the same direction through joint is mainly affected by the joint at the toe of the slope, the rock slope with reverse through joint is mainly affected by the joint in the slope, and the sliding occurs from the middle to both ends. In addition, with the increase of the size and height of rockfall, the total energy of rock slope is also increasing, and the possibility and degree of rock slope sliding are higher. This shows that the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm can effectively analyze some factors affecting slope slip in numerical simulation of saturated rock slope slip.

Intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with several health benefits, but the specific benefits in populations with diabetes have yet to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between intake of omega-3 fatty acids and mortality in people with diabetes.This was a prospective cohort study and included 4854 participants with diabetes (mean age, 57.92 years; 50.9% male) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2014). Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid intake were used as alternative markers of omega-3 fatty acids intake and calculated based on the sum of the 24-h dietary recall interviews and dietary supplements. Mortality data were ascertained by linkage to National Death Index records by December 31, 2015. Cox proportional hazard models and restricted cubic spline were used to assess the relationship between EPA and DHA intake and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Statistical analyses were performed using R 4.2.0 software.Compared with participants with a lower EPA + DHA intake, participants who had a higher EPA + DHA intake tended to be Non-Hispanic Black; were more likely to be obese; and had higher daily energy intake and family income. During 34,386 person-years of follow-up, 1102 deaths were documented, including 266 cardiovascular disease deaths and 152 cancer deaths. In multivariable regression analyses with adjustment of confounding factors, higher EPA + DHA intake was significantly and linearly related to lower all-cause mortality: there was a 25% reduced risk of all-cause mortality.Higher omega-3 fatty acid intake was independently related to lower all-cause mortality in individuals with diabetes, suggesting an adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids may prevent premature death among the population with diabetes.

Background and aims A novel non–insulin-based metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS‐IR) index has been proposed as a simple and reliable alternative insulin resistance (IR) marker, but its the predictive value in asymptomatic adults with coronary artery calcification (CAC) remains unclear. Methods and results We enrolled 1576 participants without cardiovascular disease (CVD), who underwent multidetector computed tomography. Logistic regression, restricted cubic spline models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to examine the association between METS-IR, the ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) and triglyceride glucose index (TyG index) and CAC. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the increase in METS-IR was independently associated with a higher prevalence of CAC (all P Conclusion Compared with other IR indexes, METS-IR may have better discrimination ability in predicting the incidence of CAC in asymptomatic adults without CVD.

There is a strong need to assess frailty in daily living. Hand grip strength (HGS) has been proven to be a very important factor for identifying frailty, however it is always assessed under the guidance of facility clinicians. Our purpose is to demonstrate the possibility of providing HGS estimation by using foot-motion signals measured by an in-shoe motion sensor (IMS) embedded in an insole to achieve high precision HGS assessment in daily living. The foot-motion signals were collected from 62 elder participants (27 men and 35 women). Their HGSs were assessed by a hand dynamometer. Gait parameters, individual properties, and predictors derived from foot-motion signal features in one gait cycle were selected as candidates. Statistical parametric mapping analyses were used to generate predictors from the foot-motion signals. Prior to estimation construction, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was applied to reduce redundant predictors from candidates. Linear regression models for HGS estimation of men and women were constructed. As the results, we discovered new effective predictors for HGS estimation from foot motions and successfully constructed HGS estimation models that achieved "excellent" agreement with the reference according to intra-class coefficients, and mean absolute errors of 2.96 and 2.57 kg for men and women in leave-one-subject-out cross-validation, respectively. These results suggest that HGS can be estimated with high precision by IMS-measured foot motion and more effective frailty identification in daily living is possible through wearing an IMS.

BackgroundAlthough studies have shown that higher waist-hip ratio (WHR) is closely related to higher risk of metabolism-related diseases, the relationship between WHR and subclinical myocardial injury (SC-MI) is unknown. This study was to evaluate the effect of WHR on SC-MI in the general population free from cardiovascular disease.MethodsThe cross-sectional study included 6253 participants without cardiovascular disease (CVD) from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) for further analysis. Restricted cubic spline, multivariable logistic regression models and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the association between WHR and SC-MI.ResultsThe multivariate logistic regression showed that after adjusting for potential confounding factors, participants in the higher quartiles had higher risk of developing SC-MI than those in the first quartile of WHR [Q3, OR (95% CI): 1.523 (1.159, 2.000), P = 0.002; Q4, OR (95% CI): 1.719 (1.279, 2.311), P < 0.001], and this relationship was robust among the participants aged ≥ 50 years, with hypertension and without diabetes. Every 0.1 unit increase in WHR, as a continuous variable, increased the risk of SC-MI by more than 20% [OR (95% CI): 1.233 (1.092, 1.392), P = 0.001]. And restricted cubic spline analysis showed that there was a linear positive correlation between WHR and the risk of SC-MI.ConclusionsWHR may be an independent risk factor for SC-MI in the general population free from CVD.

Fully solution-processed, large-area, electrical double-layer transistors (EDLTs) are presented by employing lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) as active channels and Ti3C2Tx MXene as...

Friction pendulum bearing (FPB) is a sliding-based isolator, widely used in the seismic design of the bridge structure. However, there is neither unified standard nor complete evaluation system to evaluate the specific isolation effectiveness of FPB-isolated bridges with different pier heights. In this paper, the prototype bridge finite element models (FEM) of the typical simply supported girder bridges on the double-track railway in China, are established and studied. These bridge FEM differ in the pier height range of 4–60 m. Each FEM adopts two types of bearing: FPB (isolated bearing) and spherical steel bearing (non-isolated bearing). The nonlinear time history analysis is carried out to compare the seismic responses of FPB-isolated and non-isolated bridges. Based on the comparison results, the seismic isolation ratios of FPB are defined and obtained. In addition, a new criterion index is presented to quantifiably measure the effectiveness of the seismic isolation of FPB-isolated bridges with different pier heights, which is beneficial to the further popularization and application of FPB in the seismic design of bridge engineering.