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Yisha Li,1 Ran Dai,2 Yeongjin Gwon,2 Stephen I Rennard,3 Barry J Make,4 Dinah Foer,5 Matthew J Strand,4 Erin Austin,6 Kendra A Young,1 John E Hokanson,1 Katherine A Pratte,7 Rebecca Conway,1 Gregory L Kinney1 On behalf of COPDGene investigators1Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; 2Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; 3Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; 4Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA; 5Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; 6Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA; 7Department of Biostatistics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USACorrespondence: Gregory L Kinney, Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA, Tel +1 303-724-4437, Email GREG.KINNEY@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

Luke Perkins,1 Emily Fisher,1 Cerne Felstead,1 Claire Rooney,2 Gloria HY Wong,3 Ruizhi Dai,4 Sridhar Vaitheswaran,5 Nirupama Natarajan,5 Daniel C Mograbi,6,7 Cleusa P Ferri,8,9 Joshua Stott,1 Aimee Spector1 1Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK; 2Occupational Therapy Department, Older Persons Services, Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services, Harold’s Cross, Dublin, Ireland; 3Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 4Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 5Dementia Care in Schizophrenia Research Foundation (DEMCARES), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; 6Department of Psychology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 7Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK; 8Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; 9Health Technology Assessment Unit, Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, BrazilCorrespondence: Emily FisherResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK, Tel +44 20 7679 5770, Email emily.fisher@ucl.ac.ukPurpose: This feasibility and pilot study aimed to develop and field-test a 14-session virtual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (vCST) programme for people living with dementia, developed as a result of services moving online during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: The vCST protocol was developed using the existing group CST manual, through stakeholder consultation with people living with dementia, caregivers, CST group facilitators and dementia service managers. This protocol was then field-tested with 10 groups of people living with dementia in the Brazil, China (Hong Kong), India, Ireland and the UK, and feedback on the protocol was gathered from 14 facilitators.Results: Field testing in five countries indicated acceptability to group facilitators and participants. Feedback from these groups was used to refine the developed protocol. The final vCST protocol is proposed, including session materials for delivery of CST over videoconferencing and a framework for offering CST virtually in global settings.Conclusion: vCST is a feasible online intervention for many people living with dementia. We recommend that it is offered to those unable to access traditional in-person CST for health reasons, lack of transport or COVID-19 restrictions. Further research is needed to explore if participant outcomes are comparable to in-person CST groups.Keywords: dementia, COVID-19, psychosocial intervention, telehealth

Qian Wang,1,2 Huanhuan Zhu,1 Ruiming Dai,1 Tiantian Zhang1 1School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Tiantian Zhang, School of Public Health, Fudan University, 130 Dong’an Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China, Email Tiantianzhang18@fudan.edu.cnAim: The effect of sleep duration on cognitive function has been reported. However, the studies about the combined effects of total sleep duration and midday napping on cognition in elders were limited and inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the associations between total sleep duration, midday napping and cognitive function among middle-aged and older Chinese adults.Methods: Based on the 3rd wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2015, a total of 9218 participants aged ≥ 45 years with completed cognition measurements were included. Cognitive functions were assessed by a combined global cognition score of episodic memory and mental status. Information about sleep-related variables, demographic characteristics, and health status were collected by validated questionnaires. Multivariate linear regression models were performed to evaluate the associations between total sleep duration, midday napping, and cognitive function. Stratified analyses were used to explore the potential effect modifier.Results: Overall, the global cognition score was 10.38 ± 4.30 among the participants (mean age: 61.5 ± 8.7 years). For sleep duration, both short sleep and long sleep duration were significantly associated with the increased risk of cognitive impairment after controlling for demographics and other confounders. Compared with sleeping for 7h per day, the adjusted β-coefficient and 95% CI of the risk of cognitive impairment was − 0.967 (95% CIs: − 1.191, − 0.742) for ≤ 5h, − 0.257 (− 0.498, − 0.016) for 6h, − 0.424 (− 0.650, − 0.198) for 8h and − 0.664 (− 0.876, − 0.452) for ≥ 9h. The combined effect analysis indicated that subjects with extended or without naps had a significantly higher risk of cognitive impairment in the ≤ 5h sleep time group (ref: 7h) and in extended nappers or without naps group (ref: short nappers). Subjects with extended naps or without naps might increase the risk of cognitive impairment, especially those having ≤ 5h total sleep time. Stratified analysis showed that participants aged ≥ 60 years without social activity increased the risk of cognitive decline.Conclusion: An inverted U-shaped association was observed between total sleep duration and cognitive function in Chinese elders, especially in those aged ≥ 60 years or without social activity. Short midday naps could mitigate the deleterious effects of poor sleep quality and shorter sleep duration on cognitive function. The findings could help us identify the vulnerable population and decrease the burden of cognitive impairment.Keywords: cognitive function, sleep, midday napping, epidemiology, China

Yujing Cheng,1,* Qi Li,1,* Xin Yang,1 Heng Ding,2 Wanlu Chen,1 Run Dai,1 Chan Zhang1 1Department of Blood Transfusion, First People’s Hospital of Yunnan, Kunming City, 650021, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Blood Station of Honghe State Center, Honghe Prefecture City, 661100, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chan ZhangFirst People’s Hospital of Yunnan, #157 Jinbi Road, Kunming, Yunnan, 650021, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail zhangchanyzt@163.comBackground: Genetic polymorphism, obviously, has a potential clinical role in determining differences in drug efficacy; however, there are no reports about the pharmacogenomic information of the Lahu population. Therefore, our research aimed to screen the genotypic frequencies of the very important pharmacogenomics (VIP) mutations and determined the differences between Lahu and the other 11 populations.Methods: Agena MassARRAY (AgenaMassARRAY) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping technique was used to detect 81 VIP mutations of pharmacogenomics genes in Lahu, and their genotypic frequencies were compared with the other major 11 populations. Chi-square tests were used to identify different loci among these populations. Finally, the genetic structure and pairwise Fst values of Lahu and the other 11 populations were analyzed.Results: We found that the distribution of allele frequencies within different pharmacogenes in Lahu showed significantly different with other populations. Additionally, the pairwise F-statistics (Fst) values and genetic structure revealed the variants in the Lahu population as well were mostly related to the Han Chinese in Beijing, China (CHB) and the Japanese population in Tokyo, Japan (JPT) genetically.Conclusion: This study will provide a theoretical basis for safe drug use and help to establish the appropriate individualized treatment strategies in the Lahu population.Keywords: pharmacogenomics, population genetics, Lahu population, VIP variants

Huanhuan Zhu,1 Qian Wang,1 Tiantian Zhang,2,3 Xin Liu,1 Ruiming Dai,4 Ping Wu,1 Ge Bai,1 Ying Wang,1 Ping Zhou,1 Li Luo1,3,5 1School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China; 3Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Scientific Research, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China; 5Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Li LuoFudan University, 130 Dong’an Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail liluo@fudan.edu.cnBackground: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was reported first in China in 2003. The world is currently coping with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a retrospective study to compare the initial public-health emergency response (PHER) to SARS and COVID-19 in mainland China.Methods: A qualitative comparative study was conducted to compare the PHER timelines to SARS and COVID-19 by selecting six crucial time points. Besides, we explored the speed of spread, peak time and plateau period of SARS and COVID-19, respectively, by comparing the confirmed cases in the same time interval.Results: The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) accomplished the entire initial PHER to SARS in 127 days and for COVID-19 in 44 days. The speed of PHER for COVID-19 was 83 days faster. The peak time of SARS arose ∼ 80 days later than that of COVID-19. Though the peak number of confirmed daily cases for COVID-19 was fivefold more than that of SARS, the onset of the stabilization period for COVID-19 was > 2 months earlier than that of SARS.Conclusion: Overall, the speed of the initial PHER to COVID-19 pandemic was faster than that for SARS. Compared with the speed of hospital reporting and government policymaking, the speed of pathogen identification improved the most. The COVID-19 pandemic curve entered a plateau period earlier than the SARS pandemic curve, which suggests that the pandemic was controlled more effectively because of a timely PHER. The PRC government should emphasize improving the ability of hospitals to restrain infectious diseases by enhancing the direct reporting system and cultivating crisis management to empower relevant individuals to make timely scientific decisions.Keywords: severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, coronavirus disease-2019, COVID-19, infectious diseases, public health, emergency response

Xu Zhao,1,&ast; Jitao Zhang,1,&ast; Wenjuan Zhang,2 Ruping Dai,1 Junmei Xu,1 Zhijian Li,1 Lin Yang1 1Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lin Yang; Zhijian LiDepartment of Anesthesiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People’s Republic of ChinaFax +86 73185295970; Fax +86 73185295970Email linyang@csu.edu.cn; lizhijian@csu.edu.cnBackground: Bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) has been identified as an inflammation regulator in the diseases of arteries and other organs. However, the relationship between circulating BMP4 and perioperative inflammation remains unclear.Patients and Methods: Forty patients undergoing lobectomy were randomly allocated into the Control group (not receiving flurbiprofen) and the Flurb group (received 100mg flurbiprofen during surgery). Arterial blood was obtained before surgery (T1), at the end of surgery (T2), and 24 hours after surgery (T3) to test the plasma concentrations of BMP4, its antagonist Noggin, interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-10. The relationship between BMP4 and other variables and the effects of flurbiprofen on BMP4 changes were investigated.Results: A total of 35 patients were included. Circulating BMP4 was positively correlated with IL-1β (P< 0.01, r=0.575) and TNF-α (P< 0.01, r=0.491), negatively correlated with IL-10 (P< 0.01, r=− 0.675), but not correlated with Noggin. The plasma concentrations of BMP4, IL-1β, and TNF-α increased at T2 (P< 0.01, compared with T1) and decreased at T3 (P< 0.05, compared with T2). BMP4 concentrations at T3 were significantly higher than at T1 in the Control group (P< 0.05), while showing no significant difference in the Flurb group. However, in the Flurb group, the relative changes of BMP4 and IL-1β at T2 and T3 were significantly lower than those in the Control group.Conclusion: Circulating BMP4 was elevated during surgery and highly correlated with inflammation cytokines. The elevation of BMP4 and inflammatory cytokines could be alleviated by flurbiprofen, indicating that BMP4 may exert pro-inflammatory properties via cyclooxygenase-II signaling pathways.Keywords: bone morphogenetic protein-4, Noggin, inflammation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, perioperative, cyclooxygenase-II

Rong Chen,1,2,* Fang-Ying Lu,1,2,* Bing Liu,1,2 Jingwen Huang,1,2 Min Zhou,1,2 Ranran Dai,1,2 Yi Guo1,2 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yi Guo; Ranran DaiDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 197, Rui Jin 2nd Road, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 131 6622 1556; Tel +86 131 6622 1556Fax +86 21 6467 4301Email guoyi621@qq.com; drr11154@rjh.com.cnPurpose: Anlotinib is a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits tumor angiogenesis and cell proliferation. It is widely used as a third-line therapy for lung cancer. However, reliable prognostic biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of anlotinib are lacking. We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the prognostic value of serological inflammatory biomarkers in anlotinib treatment.Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced lung cancer treated with anlotinib monotherapy were enrolled. Cox regression was conducted to analyze the significant factors related to progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The objective response rate (ORR) was compared based on the median cut-off value of the significant inflammation index. Meanwhile, we created survival curves to compare the two groups and performed receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to assess the predictive ability of the inflammation index.Results: Among a total of 71 patients, the median PFS was 5.5 months and the median OS was 9.5 months. The ORR and disease control rate were 16.9% and 84.5%, respectively. According to univariate and multivariate analyses, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was the only indicator associated with both PFS (hazard ratio [HR] =1.095, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.030– 1.163, P=0.003) and OS (HR=1.057, 95% CI 1.003– 1.113, P=0.037). In the group with ANC ≥ 4.58, the ORR was relatively lower (8.1% vs 26.5%, P=0.057), but not statistically significant; PFS and OS were relatively shorter (median PFS 5.0 [95% CI 4.4– 9.6] vs 7.0 months [95% CI 4.4– 5.7], P=0.024 and median OS 7.3 [95% CI 4.7– 10.0] vs 17.6 months [95% CI 12.3– 22.9], P < 0.001). ANC had a relatively high discriminatory ability to predict 10-month survival, with an area under the curve of 0.729, sensitivity of 82.5%, and specificity of 67.7%.Conclusion: Elevated pre-treatment ANC was associated with a poor prognosis. Patients with lower peripheral blood levels of ANC might benefit from anlotinib.Keywords: lung cancer, anlotinib, absolute neutrophil count, progression-free survival, overall survival

Tiantian Zhang,1,* Qian Wang,1,* Wenming Shi,1 Tao Sheng,2 Jiaxing Liu,3 Jiejin Zhao,4 Yuanmin Huang,3 Yutian Xia,3 Zhanyi Liu,5 Ruiming Dai,1 Zhenyu Bao,2 Ping Wu,1 Site Xu,1 Li Luo1,6 1School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Computer Science and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Software, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, People’s Republic of China; 4Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Shanghai 200125, People’s Republic of China; 5Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, Shanghai 200125, People’s Republic of China; 6Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Li LuoFudan University, 130 Dong’an Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail liluo@fudan.edu.cnBackground: Face masks are basic protective equipment for preventing respiratory infectious diseases. The measures to properly dispose of and allocate face masks during the early stage of an epidemic caused by respiratory infectious diseases deserve worldwide attention.Methods: A qualitative research approach was used to document the practice of a citywide face mask–wearing strategy of the Shanghai Municipal Government (called the “Shanghai solution” in this article). Based on data from government work documents, an online face mask–allocation and sales system was built to offer real-time updates of face-mask appointments and sales information in all designated pharmacies and neighborhood committees in Shanghai.Results: In the Shanghai solution, a total of 24.8 million residents in 6,031 committees were covered, in order to achieve universal wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 crisis. Up to 110 million face masks were dispensed to residents in six rounds of face-mask allocation during February to April. This practical experience in Shanghai solved two key problems (insufficient face-mask capacity, protection of vulnerable population) with the supply of face masks by addressing four essential characteristics: overall coordination, on-demand distribution, efficient distribution, and technical support.Conclusion: The practice of the citywide face mask–supply strategy of Shanghai could provide several pointers for management of a shortage of emergency materials, dispatch, and transport to other countries during the pandemic.Keywords: face mask, COVID-19, public health emergency, respiratory infections, China

Chan Zhang,1 Pincan Su,2 Wanlu Chen,1 Qi Li,1 Run Dai,1 YuJing Cheng,1 Jiangcun Yang31Department of Blood Transfusion, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, People’s Republic of China; 2Laboratory of Blood Transfusion, Yunnan Kunming Blood Center, Kunming, Yunnan 650106, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Transfusion Medicine, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710068, People’s Republic of ChinaPurpose: IL-7/IL-7R axis participates in the initiation and progression of lung cancer (LC). This study aimed to explore the potential influence of IL-7/IL-7R polymorphisms on LC risk.Patients and methods: In total, 1,010 participants (507 LC patients and 503 healthy controls) were enrolled. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-7R and one SNP in IL-7 were genotyped in included samples with Agena MassARRAY system. OR and 95% CIs were computed by logistic regression analysis after adjusting for age and gender. Stratified analyses with demographic and clinical characteristics were also performed. Finally, linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis was conducted with the PLINK version 1.07 software.Results: IL-7R rs10053847 variant was related to a decreased LC risk under the allele gene (OR =0.78, P=0.043) and additive model (OR =0.77, P=0.042). The results of stratified analysis indicated that this SNP was associated with a lower LC risk among nonsmokers (AA/GG: OR =0.09, P=0.033; AA/AG+GG: OR =0.10 P=0.037) or nondrinkers (AA/GG: OR =0.07, P=0.047; AA/AG+GG: OR =0.18 P=0.049). Moreover, carriers of IL-7R rs10213865-C allele had an increased lung adenocarcinoma risk (CA/AA: OR =1.60, P=0.011; CC+CA/AA: OR =1.62, P=0.007; CA/CA/AA: OR =1.50, P=0.007). Additionally, AGAA haplotype (rs10213865, rs969129, rs118137916 and rs10053847) increased LC risk (OR =1.30, P=0.041).Conclusion: IL-7R rs10053847 was correlated with a decreased LC risk, while IL-7R rs10213865 was correlated with an elevated lung adenocarcinoma risk, implying these two SNPs might play essential roles in LC risk evaluation.Keywords: lung cancer, IL-7R, IL-7, polymorphisms, cancer susceptibility, case-control study

Hongyu Sun,1,* Yongchao Mou,2,* Yi Li,3,* Xia Li,4,* Zi Chen,2 Kayla Duval,2 Zhu Huang,1 Ruiwu Dai,1 Lijun Tang,1 Fuzhou Tian1 1Department of General Surgery, Chengdu Military General Hospital, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA; 3Department of Cardiology, The General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Stem cell-based therapy remains one of the promising approaches for cardiac repair and regeneration. However, its applications are restricted by the limited efficacy of cardiac differentiation. To address this issue, we examined whether carbon nanotubes (CNTs) would provide an instructive extracellular microenvironment to facilitate cardiogenesis in brown adipose-derived stem cells (BASCs) and to elucidate the underlying signaling pathways. In this study, we systematically investigated a series of cellular responses of BASCs due to the incorporation of CNTs into collagen (CNT-Col) substrates that promoted cell adhesion, spreading, and growth. Moreover, we found that CNT-Col substrates remarkably improved the efficiency of BASCs cardiogenesis by using fluorescence staining and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Critically, CNTs in the substrates accelerated the maturation of BASCs-derived cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism for promotion of BASCs cardiac differentiation by CNTs was determined by immunostaining, quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting assay. It is notable that β1-integrin-dependent TGF-β1 signaling pathway modulates the facilitative effect of CNTs in cardiac differentiation of BASCs. Therefore, it is an efficient approach to regulate cardiac differentiation of BASCs by the incorporation of CNTs into the native matrix. Importantly, our findings can not only facilitate the mechanistic understanding of molecular events initiating cardiac differentiation in stem cells, but also offer a potentially safer source for cardiac regenerative medicine. Keywords: carbon nanotube, brown adipose-derived stem cells, cardiomyocytes, TGF-β1, β1-integrin

Rujuan Dai, S Ansar Ahmed Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA Abstract: Autoimmune diseases encompass a diverse group of diseases which emanate from a dysregulated immune system that launches a damaging attack on its own tissues. Autoimmune attacks on self tissues can occur in any organ or body system. A notable feature of autoimmune disease is that a majority of these disorders occur predominantly in females. The precise basis of sex bias in autoimmune diseases is complex and potentially involves sex chromosomes, sex hormones, and sex-specific gene regulation in response to internal and external stimuli. Epigenetic regulation of genes, especially by microRNAs (miRNAs), is now attracting significant attention. miRNAs are small, non-protein-coding RNAs that are predicted to regulate a majority of human genes, including those involved in immune regulation. Therefore, it is not surprising that dysregulated miRNAs are evident in many diseases, including autoimmune diseases. Because there are marked sex differences in the incidence of autoimmune diseases, this review focuses on the role of sex factors on miRNA expression in the context of autoimmune diseases, an aspect not addressed thus far. Here, we initially review miRNA biogenesis and miRNA regulation of immunity and autoimmunity. We then summarize the recent findings of sexual dimorphism of miRNA expression in diverse tissues, which imply a critical role of miRNA in sex differentiation and in sex-specific regulation of tissue development and/or function. We also discuss the important contribution of the X chromosome and sex hormones to the sexual dimorphism of miRNA expression. Understanding sexually dimorphic miRNA expression in sex-biased autoimmune diseases not only offers us new insight into the mechanism of sex bias of the disease but will also aid us in developing new sex-based therapeutic strategies for the efficient treatment of these diseases with a sex bias. Keywords: sex differences, microRNA, immune regulation, autoimmune diseases, X chromosome, sex hormones

The article establishes a depositional model for lacustrine hyperpycnal flow by examining dynamics, transport factors, and laminae formation. The results show that several typical experimental phenomena such as fluid front mixing, double flow division, underwater leap, water skiing, and “new head” can be observed in the flume experiment. Based on the experimental observation of the flow process, three modes of transport of hyperpycnal flow in freshwater lake basins are summarized: bottom-bed loading, suspended loading, and uplift loading. Further, the change of fluid properties in hyperpycnal flow is summarized in three stages: a high-concentration stage, a low-concentration stage, and an uplifting stage. There are two main factors affecting the long-range transport of hyperpycnal flow: (1) the concentration difference between the head deposits and the ambient water body and (2) shear force of turbulence in the upper part of hyperpycnal flow. The simulation experiments of hyperpycnites laminae show that the laminae change from continuous to intermittent with the increase of the transportation distance. It is clear that the mode of transport of the hyperpycnal flow has a controlling effect on the degree of development of the laminae. Eventually, a depositional model of lake-facies hyperpycnal flow under experimental conditions was constructed.

This study investigated the effects of replacing flour with different proportions of mulberry fruit powder on the quality and antioxidant properties of steamed bread, with the goal of preparing steamed bread with high nutritional value and expanding the utilization of mulberries. The impact of varying amounts of mulberry powder on the color difference, texture, microstructure, and antioxidant effects of fermented dough and steamed bread was measured, and the correlation between dough characteristics and steamed bread quality was also analyzed. The results showed that as the amount of mulberry fruit powder increased, the dough's elasticity, L* value (lightness), b* value (yellowness), and w value (whiteness) significantly decreased, while the a* value (redness) increased. Changes in gluten protein structure led to a significant decrease in the specific volume of mulberry steamed bread and an increase in hardness, resulting in a decline in steamed bread quality. The moisture content, elasticity, and chewiness of the steamed bread initially increased and then decreased. Correlation analysis between the dough and steamed bread results revealed significant (P

The structural evolution of the equilibrium and supercooled Cu46Zr54 liquids was investigated with a combination of elastic neutron scattering (with isotopic substitution) and synchrotron x-ray scattering studies. The partial pair correlation functions were determined over a wide temperature range (∼270 °C). These show that the Cu–Cu and Zr–Zr ordering increases as the temperature decreases, while the Cu–Zr ordering decreases. This surprising result is in contradiction with the results from molecular dynamics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】Due to its comb filter characteristics, Sampled optical Fiber Bragg Grating (SFBG) has attracted wide-spread attention and become a new focus in the research of optical fiber grating technology. The research work on designing optical filters with high channel numbers, flat tops, and narrow pass bands is of great importance in practical situation. Consequently, an Multi-Phase Shift Interpolated Sampling optical Fiber Grating (MPS-ISFBG) filter is proposed.【Methods】ISFBG has a large number of reflection channels and can introduce multiple flat top narrow transmission channels by inserting multi-phase shift. By optimizing the location of the two π phase-shift distributions of the inserted ISFBGs, an optical filters with 41 transmission channels was designed which covers the C-band with a channel interval of 100 GHz. Each channel has a flat-top response, a narrow 3 dB bandwidth (

4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HBd) is one of the active compounds with neuroprotective effects, which has been confirmed to have anti cerebral ischemical reperfusion injury (CIRI) effect in previous study. In this study, we explored the protective effect of 4-HBd on the neurovascular unit (NVU) after CIRI and its mechanism through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Establish rat of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reproduction (MCAO/R) model, transwell chamber was used to establish an in vitro primary cell co-culture model to simulate NVU, causing oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) injury, simulating the pathological of CIRI in vivo. Longa 5-point method was used to evaluate the neurological function of the rats, and transmission electron microscope was used to observe the ultrastructural changes of NVU. Western Blot was used to detect the expression of neuronal protein in rat brain. The mRNA expressions of ang-1/tie-2 signaling pathway and bdnf/trkb signaling pathway were detected by qPCR. In vivo results showed that 4-HBd reduced neurological function scores and improved the ultrastructure of NVU after MCAO/R rats. 4-HBd could up-regulate the expression of microtubule associated protein-2 (Map-2), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and occludin. In vitro results showed that 4-HBd could activate ang-1/tie-2 signaling pathway, increased occludin mRNA expression and protect the blood brain barrier (BBB). 4-HBd can activate bdnf/trkb signaling pathway, up-regulate map-2 mRNA expression, and promote neuronal repair. In vitro and in vivo results indicated 4-HBd can affect the ang-1/tie-2 and bdnf/trkb signaling pathways, and BBB damage is alleviated and NVU homeostasis is maintained to improve CIRI.

A method for the quantification of 1,3-dioleyl-2-palmitoyl-glycerol (OPO) in infant formula was developed. The samples were treated with ammonia and extracted with organic solvents. The fat containing OPO was purified on a NH2 solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge packed with aminopropyl as the sorbent. The eluate was separated by silver ion chromatography using 0.55% acetonitrile-hexane as the mobile phase. The detection was carried out with a high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD). This novel procedure enabled the complete separation of OPO and its isomer 1,2-dioleyl-3-palmitoyl-glycerol (OOP), thus allowing for the accurate quantification of OPO. The developed method showed the desired linearity in the concentration range of 25–500 μg/mL with a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.999 6. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.30 and 0.90 g/kg, respectively. At spiked concentrations from 1 to 96 g/kg, the average recoveries of OPO varied from 97.1% to 104.2% with relative standard deviations (RSD) between 1.2% and 2.9%. The precision and accuracy of this method met the relevant requirements, and it passed the inter-laboratory collaborative validation. Our investigation analyzed 39 commercial samples of OPO-fortified infant formula in China, revealing that the measured OPO content only accounted for 28.4% to 59.7% of the labelled value, which is mainly due to the inconsistency of detection methods.

It is widely, although not universally, believed that there must be a connection between liquid dynamics and the structure. Previous supporting studies, for example, have demonstrated a link between the structural evolution in the liquid and kinetic fragility. Here, new results are presented that strengthen the evidence for a connection. By combining the results from high-energy synchrotron X-ray scattering studies of containerlessly processed supercooled liquids with viscosity measurements, an accelerated rate of structural ordering beyond the nearest neighbors in the liquid is demonstrated to correlate with the temperature at which the viscosity transitions from Arrhenius to super-Arrhenius behavior. This is the first confirmation of predictions from several recent molecular dynamics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to find out the tradition of appointing parents of the same family as a condition of Malay traditional marriage and to find out how the Rokan Hulu Ulama views on the tradition. This research is designed with a qualitative method to be able to explain in as much detail as possible about the appointment of parents of the same family as a condition of Malay traditional marriage. This research is a normative-empirical research with a sociological approach. Primary data sources are obtained from interviews with several respondents, while secondary data sources are obtained from several references that explain the tradition of the appointment of surname parents as a condition of Malay traditional marriage in Rokan Hulu. While the analysis technique is descriptive. The results of this study found that the Rokan Hulu ulama did not approve of the appointment of semarga parents as a condition of marriage. Based on the results of this study, the author concludes that the Rokan Hulu scholars agreed to disagree with the appointment of parents of the same family as a condition of marriage because it contradicts the law of shara' and makes it difficult for someone who wants to get married, then this tradition only applies in the Rokan Hulu area and does not apply universally to Muslims so it deserves to be disapproved by the scholars.

The thermal expansion coefficients, structure factors, and viscosities of twenty-five equilibrium and supercooled metallic liquids have been measured using an electrostatic levitation (ESL) facility. The structure factor was measured at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne, using the ESL. A clear connection between liquid fragility and structural and volumetric changes at high temperatures is established; the observed changes are larger for the more fragile liquids. It is also demonstrated that the fragility of metallic liquids is determined to a large extent by the cohesive energy and is, therefore, predictable. These results are expected to provide useful guidance in the future design of metallic glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveOur aim was to develop a nomogram that integrates clinical and radiological data obtained from computed tomography (CT) scans, enabling the prediction of chronic hydrocephalus in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH).MethodA total of 318 patients diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery at the Affiliated People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University between January 2020 and December 2022 were enrolled in our study. We collected clinical characteristics from the hospital’s medical record system. To identify risk factors associated with chronic hydrocephalus, we conducted both univariate and LASSO regression models on these clinical characteristics and radiological features, accompanied with penalty parameter adjustments conducted through tenfold cross-validation. All features were then incorporated into multivariate logistic regression analyses. Based on these findings, we developed a clinical-radiological nomogram. To evaluate its discrimination performance, we conducted Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and calculated the Area Under the Curve (AUC). Additionally, we employed calibration curves, and utilized Brier scores as an indicator of concordance. Additionally, Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) was performed to determine the clinical utility of our models by estimating net benefits at various threshold probabilities for both training and testing groups.ResultsThe study included 181 patients, with a determined chronic hydrocephalus prevalence of 17.7%. Univariate logistic regression analysis identified 11 potential risk factors, while LASSO regression identified 7 significant risk factors associated with chronic hydrocephalus. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed three independent predictors for chronic hydrocephalus following aSAH: Periventricular white matter changes, External lumbar drainage, and Modified Fisher Grade. A nomogram incorporating these factors accurately predicted the risk of chronic hydrocephalus in both the training and testing cohorts. The AUC values were calculated as 0.810 and 0.811 for each cohort respectively, indicating good discriminative ability of the nomogram model. Calibration curves along with Hosmer-Lemeshow tests demonstrated excellent agreement between predicted probabilities and observed outcomes in both cohorts. Furthermore, Brier scores (0.127 for the training and 0.09 for testing groups) further validated the predictive performance of our nomogram model. The DCA confirmed that this nomogram provides superior net benefit across various risk thresholds when predicting chronic hydrocephalus. The decision curve demonstrated that when an individual’s threshold probability ranged from 5 to 62%, this model is more effective in predicting the occurrence of chronic hydrocephalus after aSAH.ConclusionA clinical-radiological nomogram was developed to combine clinical characteristics and radiological features from CT scans, aiming to enhance the accuracy of predicting chronic hydrocephalus in patients with aSAH. This innovative nomogram shows promising potential in assisting clinicians to create personalized and optimal treatment plans by providing precise predictions of chronic hydrocephalus among aSAH patients.