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Taiping Houkui (TPHK) is prevalent green tea in China, its flavor quality is significantly influenced by different production regions. However, the key flavor compounds responsible for these discrepancies remain unclearly. Here, TPHK samples were produced from fresh leaves of ‘Shidacha 2’ cultivar planted in 14 distinct production regions. In 14 TPHK samples, a total of 33 non-volatile compounds were identified and quantified. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) reveal that theanine and glutamate were the main umami compounds, caffeine imparted with bitterness, which collectively contributed to the variation in the taste flavor of TPHK across different production regions. Furthermore, the profiles of 51 volatile compounds were determined, integrated PLS-DA with odor activity values of volatiles indicated that linalool (165.7–888.5) and geraniol (11.9–141.4) affecting the floral aroma of TPHK among different production regions. Our findings revealed the critical compounds that contributed to the effect of production regions on flavor quality of TPHK.

Background: Existing deep learning methods, such as generative adversarial network (GAN) technology, face challenges when dealing with mixed datasets, which involve a combination of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). This issue significantly complicates the application of dose prediction in the field of radiotherapy. In this study, we propose a novel approach called beam channel GAN (Bc-GAN) to address the task of radiation dose prediction for mixed datasets. Bc-GAN introduces a dose prediction calculation method that requires less precision. By defining an approximate range for dose prediction, Bc-GAN limits the physical range of GAN prediction, resulting in more reasonable dose distribution predictions. Methods: We adopt a beam angle weighting method to determine the beam angle in the dose calculation. The dose of the beam with the highest weight is calculated using medical images and is then inputted into the artificial intelligence dose prediction model as the input channel. Additionally, we collect data from a total of 346 patients with Cervical Cancer (CC) for dataset. After cleaning the data, we exclude 51 cases with incomplete organ delineation, leaving us with 295 cases (IMRT: VMAT = 137:158) randomly divided into three sets: the training set, the validation set, and the test set, with proportions of 205:60:30, respectively. The assessment of model predictions was conducted via an analysis of dose distributions on the tomographic plane, dose volume histogram (DVH), and dosimetric parameters within the target zones and organs at risk (OAR). Results: After DVH analysis, minimal discrepancy was found between predicted and actual dose distributions in PTV and OAR. The predicted distribution aligned with clinical standards. Dosimetric parameters for PTV were generally lower in the predicted model, except for homogeneity index (HI) (0.238 ± 0.024, P = 0.017) and Dmax (53.599 ± 0.710 Gy, P = 1.8e-05). The prediction model varied in estimating doses for six organs. Specifically, small intestine showed higher V20 (67.92 ± 51.64 %, P = 0.019) and V30 (57.171 ± 1.213 %, P = 0.024) than manual planning. A similar trend was seen in colon's V30 (37.13 ± 61.14 %, P = 0.016). However, predicted bladder V30 (87.51 ± 41.44 %, P = 2.03e-16) was lower, indicating significant dosimetric differences. Conclusion: Overall, this study presents an innovative prediction method for CC in radiotherapy using the Bc-GAN model, addressing the challenges posed by different radiotherapy techniques. The proposed approach allows IMRT and VMAT in radiotherapy to be used as training sets, enabling the potential for large-scale engineering and commercialization applications of artificial intelligence (AI). The Bc-GAN-based prediction method for CC in radiotherapy not only reduces the amount of data needed for the training set but also expedites the model generation process. This approach can be applied to guide the development of clinical radiation therapy plans. Furthermore, future studies should consider extending the dose prediction method to encompass other types of tumors.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to compare the effects of various dietary selenium (Se) sources (0.5 mg/kg) on performance, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity in broilers as well as essential trace elements concentrations in their blood and tissues. A total of 360 one-day-old male yellow-feathered chickens (37.00 ± 0.17 g) were randomly allocated to 5 diet treatments: the basal diet (CON) and 4 diets supplemented with sodium selenite (SS), selenomethionine (SM), selenium-enriched yeast (SY), and nano-selenium (NS) for 56 d, respectively, with 6 replicates per treatment and 12 chickens per replicate. Dietary Se supplementation did not affect growth performance and carcass characteristics in broilers (P > 0.05). Supplemental SM enhanced the redness in the pectoral muscle compared to CON and NS (P < 0.05). Supplementation of SY and NS improved the concentrations of Se, copper, manganese, and zinc in the serum (P < 0.05). Supplemental SS also elevated the zinc content in the serum (P < 0.05). Broilers fed the SY diet showed increased Se content in the liver and pectoral muscle compared to those fed CON, SM, and NS diets (P < 0.05). Also, SY improved the pectoral muscle Se concentration compared to SS (P < 0.05). Besides, dietary Se supplementation increased the Se content in the thigh muscle (P < 0.05), with SY showing highest Se deposition. Dietary supplementation with SS, SM, and NS improved the activities of total superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the serum (P < 0.05). Supplemental SY also elevated the T-AOC in the serum (P < 0.05). Additionally, SS and SM enhanced the T-AOC in the liver (P < 0.05). In conclusion, supplemental SM affected meat color. Supplementing diets with various Se sources increased antioxidant capacity and Se content in the thigh muscle of broilers, with SY showing a more pronounced deposition efficiency. Besides, diets supplemented with different Se sources had variable effects on the concentrations of essential trace elements in the serum and tissues of broilers.

Smoking is by far one of the greatest public health threats and is recognized as an important predisposing factor for osteoporosis. Exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) has been reported to be associated with inflammation-associated diseases through the induction of pyroptosis. Nevertheless, the correlation between pyroptosis and bone loss induced by CS remains uninvestigated. Here, a mouse model of mainstream smoke exposure-induced osteoporosis was established. μCT, biomechanical testing, and immunohistochemical staining of bone tissue were used to assess the deleterious effects of CS on bone metabolism. In vitro, the effects of cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) on mouse primary bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were tested by cell viability assays, gene and protein expression assays, and alizarin red staining. The utilization of the pyroptosis inhibitor MCC950 served to confirm the critical role of BMSCs pyroptosis in CS-induced osteoporosis. Our results indicated that exposure to mainstream smoke led to a notable decrease in the quantity of osteoblasts and hindered the process of osteogenic differentiation in mice. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins in the bone marrow. The inhibitory effects of CSE on cell viability and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs were found to be dose-dependent in vitro. However, the presence of the pyroptosis inhibitor MCC950 significantly improved the impaired osteogenic differentiation and bone mineralization caused by CSE. These results highlight the crucial involvement of BMSCs pyroptosis in the development of bone loss induced by CS. In summary, the findings of this study provide novel evidence that CS exerts a detrimental effect on the process of osteogenesis in BMSCs through the induction of pyroptosis, ultimately leading to bone loss. Inhibition of pyroptosis effectively attenuated the toxicological effects of CS on BMSCs, providing a new target for preventing inflammatory osteoporosis.

The yield stability of the neutron generator directly affects the accuracy of elemental analysis. This paper presents an industrial fully automatic neutron generator with a 48 mm neutron tube based on PLC to improve the stability and reliability of the neutron generator in industrial applications. By integrating a Kalman Filter with the PID algorithm in a PLC, the neutron yield of the generator is remarkably stabilized, achieving 1 × 108n/s. The neutron generator has been employed for industrial online elemental analysis. The results demonstrate that only a slight fluctuation of ±0.82 % exists in the neutron yield, and the reproducibility of the generator holds at a significant level of 0.05. This improved neutron generator can be applied to the online bulk analysis of carbon in coal-fired power stations and absolute measurement of neutron source emission rate.

In the process of infecting plants, plant parasitic nematodes release a series of proteins that play an essential role in the successful infection and pathogenesis of plant cells and tissues through stylets or body walls. In this study, based on transcriptome data, a chorismate mutase gene of Radopholus similis (RsCM) was identified and cloned, which is a single copy gene specifically expressed in the oesophageal gland and highly expressed in juveniles and females. Transient expression of RsCM in tobacco leaves showed that it was localised in the cytoplasm and nucleus of tobacco leaf cells, which inhibited the pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) induced by flg22, including callose deposition and defence gene expression, and cell death induced by immune elicitors BAX, but could not inhibit cell death induced by immune elicitors Gpa2/RBP-1. The RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic tomato of RsCM obviously inhibited the infection, pathogenicity, and reproduction of R. similis. However, the resistance of the overexpression transgenic tomato of RsCM to R. similis infection was significantly reduced, and the expression levels of two salicylic acid (SA) pathway genes (PR1 and PR5) in roots infected by the nematode were significantly down-regulated, which indicated that RsCM might be involved in the inhibition of SA pathway. The results of this study demonstrate that RsCM suppresses the host immune system and might be a new target for the control of R. similis, which also provides new data for the function and mechanism of CM genes of migratory parasitic plant nematodes.

Aging increases the risks of various diseases and the vulnerability to death. Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging that contributes greatly to aging and aging-related diseases. This study demonstrates that extracellular vesicles from human urine-derived stem cells (USC-EVs) efficiently inhibit cellular senescence in vitro and in vivo. The intravenous injection of USC-EVs improves cognitive function, increases physical fitness and bone quality, and alleviates aging-related structural changes in different organs of senescence-accelerated mice and natural aging mice. The anti-aging effects of USC-EVs are not obviously affected by the USC donors’ ages, genders, or health status. Proteomic analysis reveals that USC-EVs are enriched with plasminogen activator urokinase (PLAU) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1). These two proteins contribute importantly to the anti-senescent effects of USC-EVs associated with the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (P16INK4a), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (P21cip1). These findings suggest a great potential of autologous USC-EVs as a promising anti-aging agent by transferring PLAU and TIMP1 proteins.

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death in adolescents and young adults globally. Well-established risk factors for suicide are depression and past suicide attempts. People experiencing suicidality may represent a distinct neurobiological group of people with depression. Because converging evidence has implicated inflammation in depression, we sought to investigate relationships between suicidality and immune markers in youth experiencing diverse mood and anxiety symptoms. We hypothesized that adolescents with suicidality would exhibit a unique immune signature. Methods: Adolescents underwent semi-structured interviews and completed self-reported measures to assess psychopathology, including suicidality (suicidal ideation, plans, or attempts). Fasting blood samples were collected, cultured with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to stimulate an inflammatory response, and analyzed for 41 immune analytes. To assess how immune function related to suicidality categorically and dimensionally, we conducted group comparisons and correlations while controlling for multiple comparisons using false discovery rate (FDR). To further uncover subtle immune-suicidality relationships, we employed a data-driven approach using factor analysis to extract major immune factors, each of which was subsequently correlated with suicidality measures. Results: Among 126 participants, 29 were healthy controls and 97 participants had internalizing symptoms; within the clinical group, 57 experienced suicidality. Three immune analytes differed between healthy controls, suicidal, and non-suicidal adolescents with internalizing symptoms in the LPS condition: Flt-3L (pFDR = 0.0246), GM-CSF (pFDR = 0.0246), and IFN-γ (pFDR = 0.0246). These analytes were negatively correlated with the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI): Flt-3L (ρ = −0.19, p = 0.04); GM-CSF (ρ = −0.26, p = 0.004); IFN-γ (ρ =−0.33, p = 0.0003). GM-CSF also negatively correlated with number of suicide attempts (ρ = −0.39, p = 0.003). Factor analysis reduced 41 analytes to several common immune factors across experimental conditions, with Flt-3L, GM-CSF, and IFN-γ all loading heavily onto immune factors that were hypoactive in suicidality. Through this data-driven approach, we detected further associations between suicidality and immune factors across all conditions. Conclusions: Peripheral immune function may be distinctly altered in adolescent suicidality. Future work should examine immune-suicidality relationships longitudinally.

Background: The expression profiles of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during pupal development have been demonstrated to be vital in age estimation of forensic entomological study. Here, using forensically important Aldrichina grahami (Diptera: Calliphoridae), we aimed to explore the potential of intrapuparial stage aging and postmortem interval (PMI) estimation based on characterization of successive developmental transcriptomes and gene expression patterns. Methods: We collected A. grahami pupae at 11 successive intrapuparial stages at 20 °C and used the RNA-seq technique to build the transcriptome profiles of their intrapuparial stages. The DEGs were identified during the different intrapuparial stages using comparative transcriptome analysis. The selected marker DEGs were classified and clustered for intrapuparial stage aging and PMI estimation and then further verified for transcriptome data validation. Ultimately, we categorized the overall gene expression levels as the dependent variable and the age of intrapuparial A. grahami as the independent variable to conduct nonlinear regression analysis. Results: We redefined the intrapuparial stages of A. grahami into five key successive substages (I, II, III, IV, and V), based on the overall gene expression patterns during pupal development. We screened 99 specific time-dependent expressed genes (stage-specific DEGs) to determine the different intrapuparial stages based on comparison of the gene expression levels during the 11 developmental intrapuparial stages of A. grahami. We observed that 55 DEGs showed persistent upregulation during the development of intrapuparial A. grahami. We then selected four DEGs (act79b, act88f, up and ninac) which presented consistent upregulation using RT-qPCR (quantitative real-time PCR) analysis, along with consideration of the maximum fold changes during the pupal development. We conducted nonlinear regression analysis to simulate the calculations of the relationships between the expression levels of the four selected DEGs and the developmental time of intrapuparial A. grahami and constructed fitting curves. The curves demonstrated that act79b and ninac showed continuous relatively increasing levels. Conclusions: This study redefined the intrapuparial stages of A. grahami based on expression profiles of developmental transcriptomes for the first time. The stage-specific DEGs and those with consistent tendencies of expression were found to have potential in age estimation of intrapuparial A. grahami and could be supplementary to a more accurate prediction of PMI.

Objectives: To evaluate the neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants BF.7, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB.1, and XBB.1.5 after vaccination and natural infection. Methods: The NAbs against the different viral strains of 490 individuals with SARS-CoV-2 and 187 without SARS-CoV-2 in the Beijing COVID-19 outbreak during December 2022 to January 2023 were analyzed. Results: In uninfected individuals, limited levels of NAbs were produced against the prototype and variant strains after two doses vaccine but significantly increased after three or four doses of the vaccine. The infected individuals had high NAbs levels against the BF.7, BQ.1, and BQ.1.1 variants and moderate NAbs levels against the XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 variants. The highest NAbs levels were observed after two inoculation doses. The third and fourth doses vaccine did not result in a significant increase the NAbs levels. After the last dose of vaccination, the NAbs levels peaked at 12 months for the prototype and BF.7 and between 6 to 12 months for the BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB.1, and XBB.1.5 variants. Conclusions: The immune response decreases as the virus mutates. If booster vaccination is considered necessary, it is suggested for at least 6 months after infection.

Cyclic disturbance loading affects the continuous operation of concrete structures. This study aims to better understand the failure behavior of concrete structures under cyclic disturbance loading. This study combined acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) technologies to study mechanical failure behavior and damage evolution of concrete materials under cyclic disturbance loading and unloading. The AE event time-frequency characteristics, surface principal strain program, and damage parameters of samples with different cyclic disturbance amplitudes were obtained by theoretical calculation. The results reveal that when minor disturbance amplitudes are applied, the elastic modulus of concrete specimens tends to increase. When the disturbance amplitude is too large, the elastic modulus of the specimens drops, leading to faster specimen failure. The AE characteristic parameters exhibit a Felicity effect after the sample is subjected to a cyclic disturbance loading. Moreover, the larger the amplitude of the disturbance load, the more frequent the low-frequency and high-amplitude events generated during the final rupture, the higher the concentration of the principal strain on the sample's surface, and the wider the crack band distribution. AE energy and Effective crack are consistent in characterizing damage, and the changing trend of these two damage parameters can better reflect the deterioration process of concrete. The research results will provide practical and theoretical insights for safely operating and maintaining concrete structures.

Aflatoxin is one of the most toxic biotoxins found in contaminated agricultural products. It has strong mutagenicity, carcinogenesis and teratogenicity to humans and animals. In this study, instant catapult steam explosion combined with ammonia water was examined for its potential to degrade aflatoxin B1 in peanut cake in order to improve its utilization as a toxic-free animal feed. Incubation of AFB1-containing peanut cake followed by processing with Instant Catapult Steam Explosion (ICSE) led to approximately 79.03 % degradation of AFB1, while the degradation of AFB1 was up to 91.48 % under the treatment of ICSE combined with 4 % NH₃·H₂O at 1.2 MPa in 200 s of process time. After treatment, nutrients in peanut cake were not significantly changed. The toxicity of AFB1 degradation products was evaluated and the results showed that the toxicity of these products were found to be substantially less than that possessed by AFB1. A low chemical pollution, efficient and toxic-free technology system of AFB1 degradation was established, which detoxify aflatoxin-contaminated biomass for sustainable and safe utilization of agricultural biomass as animal feed.

Accurate prediction of the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is important for treatment. Lymph nodes metastasis is an important predictor for distant failure and regional recurrence in patients with NPC. Traditionally, subjective radiological evaluation increases concerns regarding the accuracy and consistency of predictions. Radiomics is an objective and quantitative evaluation algorithm for medical images. This retrospective analysis was conducted based on the data of 729 patients newly diagnosed with NPC without distant metastases to evaluate the performance of radiomics pretreatment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-determined metastatic lymph nodes models to predict NPC prognosis with three delineation methods. Radiomics features were extracted from all lymph nodes (ALN), largest lymph node (LLN), and largest slice of the largest lymph node (LSLN) to generate three radiomics signatures. The radiomics signatures, clinical model, and radiomics-clinic merged models were developed in training cohort for predicting overall survival (OS). The results showed that LSLN signature with clinical factors predicted OS with high accuracy and robustness using pretreatment MR-determined metastatic lymph nodes (C-index [95 % confidence interval]: 0.762[0.760–0.763]), providing a new tool for treatment planning in NPC.

Objectives: N7-methylguanosine (m7G) plays a crucial role in mRNA metabolism and other biological processes. However, its regulators' function in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (PSS) remains enigmatic. Methods: We screened five key m7G-related genes across multiple datasets, leveraging statistical and machine learning computations. Based on these genes, we developed a prediction model employing the extreme gradient boosting decision tree (XGBoost) method to assess PSS risk. Immune infiltration in PSS samples was analyzed using the ssGSEA method, revealing the immune landscape of PSS patients. Results: The XGBoost model exhibited high accuracy, AUC, sensitivity, and specificity in both training, test sets and extra-test set. The decision curve confirmed its clinical utility. Our findings suggest that m7G methylation might contribute to PSS pathogenesis through immune modulation. Conclusions: m7G regulators play an important role in the development of PSS. Our study of m7G-realted genes may inform future immunotherapy strategies for PSS.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has emerged to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, no studies have been conducted to evaluate the attitudes, knowledge, and barriers of Chinese clinical and nursing students in implementing CAM during this period. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the attitude, knowledge, and barriers of Chinese clinical and nursing students in using CAM in the context of COVID-19. Methods: An online-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among Chinese medical students, majoring in clinical medicine or nursing, in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and Zhengzhou, Henan Province from May to July 2022. A total of 402 clinical and 644 nursing students responded to a self-administered questionnaire through the Questionnaire Star and WeChat APPs. SPSS 25 (version 25) was used for data analysis. Proportions were compared by Chi-square test. Level of significance between groups was analyzed using independent student t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The average score of attitude was 46.63 (SD: 7.38) in clinical students and 49.84 (SD: 6.76) in nursing students. The top four most commonly used CAM treatments in China were proprietary Chinese medicine, diet therapy, decoction, and acupuncture and moxibustion (59.66 %, 22.28 %, 11.66 %, 9.85 %). The students had a good mastery of knowledge about CAM-based prevention and control of COVID-19 (mean score 7.36). The score of CAM knowledge in nursing students was significantly higher than that in clinical students (7.56 VS 7.04, P = 0.000). Gender, grade, previous use, age, and knowledge score could affect students’ attitude towards CAM. The main barriers in spreading CAM use included time-consumption, bad taste, and fear of treatment-related pain (24.5 %). Compared with clinical students, nursing students were more likely to recommend CAM to patients in the future (P = 0.002). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing students were more positive towards CAM use, had a better mastery of CAM knowledge than clinical students. CAM is expected to provide better outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Future studies should focus on the changes in students’ attitudes over time and exploration of influencing factors on CAM use.

The importance of N6-methyladenine (m6A) in mRNA metabolism, physiology, pathology and other life processes is well recognized. However, the exact role of m6A regulators in primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) remains unclear. In this study, we used bioinformatics and machine learning random forest approach to screen eight key m6A regulators from the Gene Expression Omnibus GSE7451, GSE40611 and GSE84844 datasets. An accurate nomogram model for predicting PSS risk was established based on these regulators. And using consensus clustering, patients diagnosed with PSS were classified into two different m6A patterns. We found that patients in group B had higher m6A scores compared to those in group A: furthermore, both groups were closely related to immunity and possibly to other diseases. These results emphasise the important role of m6A regulators in the pathogenesis of PSS. Our study of m6A patterns may inform future immunotherapy strategies for PSS.

Background: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, prone positioning has been widely applied for non-intubated, spontaneously breathing patients. However, the efficacy and safety of prone positioning in non-intubated patients with COVID-19-related acute hypoxemic respiratory failure remain unclear. We aimed to systematically analyze the outcomes associated with awake prone positioning (APP). Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science from January 1, 2020, to June 3, 2022. This study included adult patients with acute respiratory failure caused by COVID-19. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and the study quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. The primary outcome was the reported cumulative intubation risk across randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and the effect estimates were calculated as risk ratios (RRs; 95% confidence interval [CI]). Results: A total of 495 studies were identified, of which 10 fulfilled the selection criteria, and 2294 patients were included. In comparison to supine positioning, APP significantly reduced the need for intubation in the overall population (RR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.74–0.95). The two groups showed no significant differences in the incidence of adverse events (RR=1.16, 95% CI: 0.48–2.76). The meta-analysis revealed no difference in mortality between the groups (RR=0.93, 95% CI: 0.77–1.11). Conclusions: APP was safe and reduced the need for intubation in patients with respiratory failure associated with COVID-19. However, it did not significantly reduce mortality in comparison to usual care without prone positioning.

The tea plant [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] is an industrial crop in China. The Anhui Province has a long history of tea cultivation and has a large resource of tea germplasm with abundant genetic diversity. To reduce the cost of conservation and utilization of germplasm resources, a core collection needs to be constructed. To this end, 573 representative tea accessions were collected from six major tea-producing areas in Anhui Province. Based on 60 pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, phylogenetic relationships, population structure and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) were conducted. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the 573 tea individuals clustered into five groups were related to geographical location and were consistent with the results of the PCoA. Finally, we constructed a core collection consisting of 115 tea individuals, accounting for 20% of the whole collection. The 115 core collections were considered to have a 90.9% retention rate for the observed number of alleles (Na), and Shannon’s information index (I) of the core and whole collections were highly consistent. Of these, 39 individuals were preserved in the Huangshan area, accounting for 33.9% of the core collection, while only 10 individuals were reserved in the Jinzhai County, accounting for 8.9% of the core set. PCoA of the accessions in the tea plant core collection exhibited a pattern nearly identical to that of the accessions in the entire collection, further supporting the broad representation of the core germplasm in Anhui Province. The results demonstrated that the core collection could represent the genetic diversity of the original collection. Our present work is valuable for the high-efficiency conservation and utilization of tea plant germplasms in Anhui Province.

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D)-atomic force microscopy (AFM) method based on magnetically driven (MD)-orthogonal cantilever probes (OCPs), in which two independent scanners with three degrees of freedom are used to achieve the vector tracking of a sample surface with a controllable angle. A rotating stage is integrated into the compact AFM system, which helps to achieve 360° omnidirectional imaging. The specially designed MD-OCP includes a horizontal cantilever, a vertical cantilever, and a magnetic bead that can be used for the mechanical drive in a magnetic field. The vertical cantilever, which has a protruding tip, can detect deep grooves and undercut structures. The design, simulation, fabrication, and performance analysis of the MD-OCP are described first. Then, the amplitude compensation and home positioning for 360° rotation are introduced. A comparative experiment using an AFM step grating verifies the ability of the proposed method to characterize steep sidewalls and corner details, with a 3D topography reconstruction method being used to integrate the images. The effectiveness of the proposed 3D-AFM based on the MD-OCP is further confirmed by the 3D characterization of a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device with microcomb structures. Finally, this technique is applied to determine the critical dimensions (CDs) of a microarray chip. The experimental results regarding the CD parameters show that, in comparison with 2D technology, from which it is difficult to obtain sidewall information, the proposed method can obtain CD information for 3D structures with high precision and thus has excellent potential for 3D micro–nano manufacturing inspection.

Bone regeneration heavily relies on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). However, recruiting endogenous BMSCs for in situ bone regeneration remains challenging. In this study, we developed a novel BMSC-aptamer (BMSC-apt) functionalized hydrogel (BMSC-aptgel) and evaluated its functions in recruiting BMSCs and promoting bone regeneration. The functional hydrogels were synthesized between maleimide-terminated 4-arm polyethylene glycols (PEG) and thiol-flanked PEG crosslinker, allowing rapid in situ gel formation. The aldehyde group-modified BMSC-apt was covalently bonded to a thiol-flanked PEG crosslinker to produce high-density aptamer coverage on the hydrogel surface. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that the BMSC-aptgel significantly increased BMSC recruitment, migration, osteogenic differentiation, and biocompatibility. In vivo fluorescence tomography imaging demonstrated that functionalized hydrogels effectively recruited DiR-labeled BMSCs at the fracture site. Consequently, a mouse femur fracture model significantly enhanced new bone formation and mineralization. The aggregated BMSCs stimulated bone regeneration by balancing osteogenic and osteoclastic activities and reduced the local inflammatory response via paracrine effects. This study's findings suggest that the BMSC-aptgel can be a promising and effective strategy for promoting in situ bone regeneration.

This study employs a comprehensive methodology that involves a thorough review of the existing literature and case studies to understand the current state and trends in modern graphic design. It then delves into technical-aided design tools that graphic designers widely used to create interactive designs. The methodology also encompasses empirical analysis that entails conducting surveys and interviews with industry professionals and design experts. It seeks to identify the key elements and techniques that contribute to effective interaction design and discusses the importance of considering the user experience in the design process. Ultimately, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the ever-evolving world of graphic design and its intersection with technology. Aim: This article aims to improve the knowledge of modern graphic design and propose new ideas for graphic design by exploring the interaction function of modern graphic design based on technical-aided design software. Evaluation tool: The analysis is assessed using the Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Multivariable Logistic Regression, and Chi-Square tests. Results: The interaction of modern graphic design with technically aided design was examined, and it was found to improve modern graphic design significantly.

The emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) exhibit enhanced transmission and immune escape, reducing the effectiveness of currently approved mRNA vaccines. To achieve wider coverage of VOCs, we first constructed a cohort of mRNAs harboring a furin cleavage mutation in the spike (S) protein of predominant VOCs, including Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), and Delta (B.1.617.2). The mutation abolished the cleavage between the S1 and S2 subunits. Systematic evaluation in vaccinated mice discovered that individual VOC mRNAs elicited strong neutralizing activity in a VOC-specific manner. In particular, the neutralizing antibodies (nAb) produced by immunization with Beta-Furin and Washington (WA)-Furin mRNAs showed potent cross-reactivity with other VOCs. However, neither mRNA elicited strong neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant. Hence, we further developed an Omicron-specific mRNA vaccine that restored protection against the original Omicron variant and some sublineages. Finally, to broaden the protection spectrum of the new Omicron mRNA vaccine, we engineered an mRNA-based chimeric immunogen by introducing the receptor-binding domain of Delta variant into the entire S antigen of Omicron. The resultant chimeric mRNA induced potent and broadly nAbs against Omicron and Delta, which paves the way to developing new vaccine candidates to target emerging variants in the future.

Modern linguistic theories and network science propose that language and speech processing are organized into hierarchical, segregated large-scale subnetworks, with a core of dorsal (phonological) stream and ventral (semantic) stream. The two streams are asymmetrically recruited in receptive and expressive language or speech tasks, which showed flexible functional segregation and integration. We hypothesized that the functional segregation of the two streams was supported by the underlying network segregation. A dynamic conditional correlation approach was employed to construct framewise time-varying language networks and k-means clustering was employed to investigate the temporal-reoccurring patterns. We found that the framewise language network dynamics in resting state were robustly clustered into four states, which dynamically reconfigured following a domain-separation manner. Spatially, the hub distributions of the first three states highly resembled the neurobiology of speech perception and lexical-phonological processing, speech production, and semantic processing, respectively. The fourth state was characterized by the weakest functional connectivity and was regarded as a baseline state. Temporally, the first three states appeared exclusively in limited time bins (∼15%), and most of the time (> 55%), state 4 was dominant. Machine learning-based dFC-linguistics prediction analyses showed that dFCs of the four states significantly predicted individual linguistic performance. These findings suggest a domain-separation manner of language network dynamics in resting state, which forms a dynamic “meta-network” framework to support flexible functional segregation and integration during language and speech processing.

In this paper, the defect formation energies, the nature of chemical bonding, and electronic structures of Mn- and Mg-doped SnTe alloys were determined by first-principles calculations. The effects of substitutional atoms on thermoelectric parameters are analyzed by solving the Boltzmann equation. The solution solubility of Mg in SnTe alloy is higher than that of Mn, and the lattice distortion caused by Mn substituting Sn sites is more severe. In addition, the resonant level of Sn1-xMnxTe alloys possesses a flat trend of the valance band maximum, which improves the effective carrier mass and Seebeck coefficient. The Mg-doped alloys exhibit higher carrier mobility and electrical conductivity. The maximum value of the power factor is 5.78 mWm−1K−2 for the Sn0.97Mn0.03Te alloy. Corresponding directionally-solidified samples with the same composition were also prepared. The Sn0.97Mn0.03Te sample also achieves the highest ZT value of 1.28. These results provide theoretical reference for optimizing the thermoelectric performance of SnTe alloys by substituting atoms.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether selenomethionine (SeMet) could attenuate intestinal injury in rabbits induced by ochratoxin A (OTA). Sixty 35-day-old IRA rabbits with similar weights were randomly assigned to the control group, OTA group (0.2 mg OTA/kg b.w), OTA+ 0.2 mg/kg Se (0.2 mg OTA/kg b.w + 0.2 mg SeMet/kg feed), OTA+ 0.4 mg/kg Se (0.2 mg OTA/kg b.w + 0.4 mg SeMet/kg feed) and OTA+ 0.6 mg/kg Se (0.2 mg OTA/kg b.w + 0.6 mg SeMet/kg feed). The rabbits were examined after oral administration of different doses of SeMet for 21 days and were intragastrically administered OTA for 7 consecutive days. The results showed that pretreatment with different doses of SeMet protected against the changes in serum biochemical indicators and the decline in production performance caused by OTA exposure. In addition, the activities of SOD, GSH-PX and T-AOC were significantly increased, and the levels of MDA and ROS were decreased after SeMet pretreatment; thus, oxidative damage in rabbit jejunum tissue due to OTA exposure was inhibited. SeMet stimulates Nrf2 and inhibits the NF-κB signalling pathway; the anti-inflammatory response and antioxidative stress in rabbits were improved, and the intestinal barrier damage caused by OTA exposure was improved. In summary, SeMet alleviates OTA-induced intestinal toxicity in rabbits by activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting NF-κB activation. Moreover, 0.4 mg/kg SeMet induced the most significant improvement.

Fe–Al–Cr coatings with different content of Cr additive were prepared on 1045 carbon steel substrates by a laser cladding process. The incorporation of Cr atoms can effectively enhance the corrosion resistance of the coatings. In particular, the Fe–28Al–5Cr laser cladding coating exhibits the best film quality without phase segregation. In addition, the interfacial adhesion between the Fe–28Al–5Cr coating and the 1045 carbon steel substrate is improved. As a result, the Fe–28Al–5Cr laser cladding coating exhibits the best corrosion resistance in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution under both immersion and electrochemical conditions. However, excessive Cr additive lead to the formation of Al8Cr5 in the grain boundaries, resulting in inferior corrosion resistance. Therefore, the new findings demonstrated in this work may inspire the design of high-quality coatings with excellent corrosion resistance.

Objectives: To determine the status of immune responses after primary and booster immunization for SARS-CoV-2 variants and evaluate the differences in disease resistance based upon titers of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the variants. Methods: Participants aged 18–59 years received 2 doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, 14 days apart, and a booster dose after 12 months. Blood samples were collected before vaccination (baseline), 1 and 6 months after primary immunization, and at multiple instances within 21 days of the booster dose. NAbs against the spike protein of Wuhan-Hu-1 and 3 variants were measured using pseudovirus neutralization assays. Results: Of 400 enrolled participants, 387 completed visits scheduled within 6 months of the second dose and 346 participants received the booster dose in the follow-up research. After 1 month of primary immunization, geometric mean titers (GMTs) of NAbs peaked for Wuhan-Hu-1, whereas GMTs of other variants were

Cu matrix composites reinforced by ex-situ added CrB2 ceramic particles were prepared by powder metallurgy and hot extrusion, and then the effect of CrB2 content on microstructure and mechanical properties was studied. Results show that the strength of Cu matrix composites depends mainly on the dispersion degree of CrB2 particles, which is closely corresponded to the content of CrB2 particles. When the content is below 3vol.%, CrB2 particles disperses uniformly in the Cu matrix, and the strength of Cu matrix composites increases continuously with the content of CrB2. However, when the content is above 3vol.%, the strength of Cu matrix composites decreases significantly with the increase of CrB2 content, which is ascribed to the serious agglomeration phenomenon. Although both the electrical conductivity and plasticity decrease with the increase of CrB2 content, they remain quite a high level. The excellent combination properties are obtained when the content of CrB2 is 3vol.%, viz. The tensile strength is 304 MPa, the elongation is 22% and the electrical conductivity is 90 %IACS, better than most of the reported Cu matrix composites especially electrical conductivity prepared by in-situ method. Furthermore, dislocation strengthening caused by thermal mismatch and Orowan strengthen of CrB2 is demonstrated as the main strengthening mechanism of Cu/CrB2 composites, based on the theoretical and experimental investigations.

Radopholus similis (Cobb 1893) Thorne (1949) is a destructive migratory endoparasitic plant nematode. In this study, the pathogenic process of R. similis infection in Nicotiana benthamiana (tobacco) was studied using quartz sand culture in laboratory. The results showed that R. similis mainly parasitised the root cortex, leading to cortical cell decomposition and tissue decay. We optimised the inoculation conditions to establish a method for determining the pathogenicity of R. similis as follows: (1) a glass culture tube was filled with quartz sand (about 1/3 of the height) and sterilised twice; (2) 20-day-old N. benthamiana seedlings were transplanted into test tubes and cultivated for 10 days at (25±1)°C; (3) R. similis female nematodes were inoculated in the root rhizosphere at a rate of 150 nematodes per plant; (4) the number of nematodes, disease severity, and growth of the plant at 30 days post-inoculation (dpi) were determined. The pathogenicity of eight R. similis populations from different hosts was determined, which proved the feasibility of this method.

Background: Some adverse events following immunization (AEFI) were observed in potential corelation with COVID-19 vaccination but without prevention or ongoing trial for it. We aimed to investigate efficacy of auricular acupressure (AuriAc) therapy in preventing AEFI after first dosage of the vaccine. Methods: We performed a multicentre randomized controlled trial with three arms, including AuriAc, SAuriAc (sham auricular acupressure), and TrAsU (treatment as usual) group, carried out in four medical institutions in Chengdu, China, from March 17th to April 23rd, 2021. We enrolled participants based on eligibility criteria and randomized them into three groups: AuriAc (AEFI-specific auricular points applied, n = 52), SAuriAc (n = 51) or TrAsU (n = 44) group. Primary outcomes were percentages of any AEFI and local pain, and secondary outcomes were percentages who reported other AEFI. They were followed at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 days, by phone or online, with severity evaluated. Results: 147 participants (73.47% females) were included with median age as 31 years (25–45, IQR). One day after the injection, participants in AuriAc group reported significant reduction on percentages of any AEFI [intention-to-treat, difference of percentage (DP) = −20.13, 95%CI: − 0.39, − 0.02, p = 0.01; per-protocol, DP = −22.21, 95%CI: − 0.40, − 0.03, P = 0.02] and local pain (per-protocol, DP = −18.40, 95%CI: −0.36, −0.01, P = 0.04), compared with TrAsU group. The effects were slight at other follow-up days and for other outcomes, and with a low percentage of mild local allergic reactions. Conclusions: We firstly explored potential of AuriAc for preventing AEFI related to COVID-19 vaccine injection, which is beneficial for the vaccine recipients, but evidence is limited. Trial registration: chictr.org.cn no. ChiCTR2100043210 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=121519)

The overuse of antibiotics and the pollution of the ecological environment caused by their emissions had attracted widespread attention. There was little information on the detection and distribution characteristics of antibiotics in coastal environments with complex water-suspended particles interactions and significant salinity changes. In this study, the occurrence, source, and ecological risk of 26 antibiotics, as well as their response mechanisms to anthropogenic activities were studied. Water samples along a typical silty mud coastal area were collected. The total concentration of antibiotics in the coastal water ranged from 8.5 to 132 ng/L. Spatially, the total concentration showed a downward trend along the canal. The results of offshore samples showed that the highest concentrations occurred near the small estuaries and the northwestern sampling sites. This indicated that the small canals provided a large source of pollutants and the antibiotic distribution were also dominated by local hydrodynamic conditions. Based on the results of principal component analysis-multiple linear regression, the domestic sewage and livestock and poultry farming were identified as the predominant sources of antibiotics. The results of the ecological risk assessment showed that 56.8 % sampling sites were in low-risk. The effect of intensity of anthropogenic disturbance on the distribution of antibiotics was represented by the distance between the sampling site and the city center, and the distance value showed a significant negative correlation with the total concentration of antibiotics. However, different kinds of antibiotics showed different patterns: concentrations of tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones had no significant relationship with distance values; sulfonamides, lincosamides, and macrolides decreased with the intensity of anthropogenic disturbance. This study presented a method to quantify the effect of anthropogenic activities, thus provided a new insight of adjust measures to local conditions for the pollution prevention and ecological risk assessment of antibiotics in coastal areas.

Summary: Background: Better understanding of the association between characteristics of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and outcome is needed to further improve upon patient management. Methods: Immunophenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort (IMPACC) is a prospective, observational study of 1164 patients from 20 hospitals across the United States. Disease severity was assessed using a 7-point ordinal scale based on degree of respiratory illness. Patients were prospectively surveyed for 1 year after discharge for post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC) through quarterly surveys. Demographics, comorbidities, radiographic findings, clinical laboratory values, SARS-CoV-2 PCR and serology were captured over a 28-day period. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. Findings: The median age was 59 years (interquartile range [IQR] 20); 711 (61%) were men; overall mortality was 14%, and 228 (20%) required invasive mechanical ventilation. Unsupervised clustering of ordinal score over time revealed distinct disease course trajectories. Risk factors associated with prolonged hospitalization or death by day 28 included age ≥ 65 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.01; 95% CI 1.28–3.17), Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 1.71; 95% CI 1.13–2.57), elevated baseline creatinine (OR 2.80; 95% CI 1.63– 4.80) or troponin (OR 1.89; 95% 1.03–3.47), baseline lymphopenia (OR 2.19; 95% CI 1.61–2.97), presence of infiltrate by chest imaging (OR 3.16; 95% CI 1.96–5.10), and high SARS-CoV2 viral load (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.17–2.00). Fatal cases had the lowest ratio of SARS-CoV-2 antibody to viral load levels compared to other trajectories over time (p=0.001). 589 survivors (51%) completed at least one survey at follow-up with 305 (52%) having at least one symptom consistent with PASC, most commonly dyspnea (56% among symptomatic patients). Female sex was the only associated risk factor for PASC. Interpretation: Integration of PCR cycle threshold, and antibody values with demographics, comorbidities, and laboratory/radiographic findings identified risk factors for 28-day outcome severity, though only female sex was associated with PASC. Longitudinal clinical phenotyping offers important insights, and provides a framework for immunophenotyping for acute and long COVID-19. Funding: NIH.

Yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) is a supplementary protein source for food and feed and represents a promising solution to manage grain contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). In this study, AFB1 present in different concentrations in wheat bran was treated and removed via bioconversion by yellow mealworm of different instars, with emphasis on the bioconversion performance and metabolism of AFB1. Upon application of wheat bran spiked with 100 μg/kg AFB1 to 5th–6th instar yellow mealworms, the conversion rate of AFB1 was up to 87.85 %. Low level of AFB1 (

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor worldwide and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in female. Metabolic reprogramming plays critical roles in breast tumorigenesis and induces enhanced glucose uptake and glycolysis. TRPC5OS is encoded by short transient receptor potential channel 5 opposite strand, and predicted to correlate with tumor metabolic reprogramming. Here we aim to elucidate the function of TRPC5OS in aberrant metabolism mediated tumorigenesis. We detected TRPC5OS expression levels in cell lines and tissues by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Then we assessed the effects of TRPC5OS on proliferation and cell cycle progression in breast cancer cells by cell counting kit-8, colony-formation, EdU-incorporation assays and flow cytometry. Tumor growth in vivo was observed in a mouse xenograft model. Mass spectrum analyses were performed to identify potential interactors of TRPC5OS in tumor cells, and the interaction between TRPC5OS and interactors was validated by co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP), western blots, and immunofluorescent staining. Glucose uptake was measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry. TRPC5OS highly expresses both in breast tumors and cell lines, and might be an independent prognostic marker for breast cancer patients. Overexpressed TRPC5OS promotes breast cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and enhances tumor xenograft growth. Mass spectral and CO-IP data showed that TRPC5OS interacts with ENO1. We also demonstrate that TRPC5OS could enhance ENO1/PI3K/Akt-mediated glucose uptake in breast cancer cells. Our study demonstrated that TRPC5OS promotes breast tumorigenesis by ENO1/PI3K/Akt-mediated glucose uptake. TRPC5OS might be an independent prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for breast cancer patients.

ABSTRACT: Objectives: A clinical carbapenem-resistant Citrobacter portucalensis was characterised by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Methods: Strain 3839 was identified by VITEK®2.0 and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by microbroth dilution. WGS followed by bioinformatics analysis was performed. Results: Strain 3839 was initially identified as Citrobacter freundii by VITEK and MALDI-TOF/MS, and was subsequently demonstrated to be C. portucalensis by WGS analysis. Through average nucleotide identity analysis, we detected 55 C. portucalensis genomes misidentified as C. freundii in GenBank, and at least 22 were clinically-associated, suggesting that the occurrence of C. portucalensis in the clinical setting might be underestimated by the conventional method. Strain 3839 was extensively drug-resistant and the presence of multiple resistance determinants was detected by WGS, including blaNDM-1, blaSHV-12, blaCMY-150, blaOXA-1, qnrB9, qnrA1, aac(6′)-Ib-cr, aph(6)-Id_1, aph(3′′)-Ib, tetA, tet34 and catB3. A total of 45 insertion sequence (IS) elements, 8 phages and 1 integron gene cassette were identified. The blaNDM-1 gene was carried by an IncX3 plasmid that was identical to a plasmid detected in a C. freundii strain. The genetic context of blaNDM-1 was IS30–blaNDM-1–bleMBL–trpF–dsbD–cutA1–groES–groEL–IS91. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of carbapenem-resistant C. portucalensis isolated from a clinical sample. The blaNDM-1 gene carried by C. portucalensis may transmit among Citrobacter spp. mediated by plasmids. Together with underestimation of its clinical occurrence caused by misidentification, our study warrants the necessity of preventing the dissemination of such emerging drug-resistant species in clinical settings.

Due to the lack of comprehensive evaluation of all metabolites in wampee, the metabolic reasons for taste differences are unclear. Here, two local varieties YF1 (sweet taste) and YF2 (sweet–sour taste), were selected for quality analysis, followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) based widely targeted metabolomic analysis. YF1 and YF2 were clearly separated by principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, and 449 metabolites were different between the cultivars, including 29 carbohydrates and 29 organic acids. Among them, d-galactose, d-mannose, and d-fructose 6-phosphate contributed mainly to the sweet taste of the YF1 wampee. l-citramalic acid, 2-hydroxyglutaric acid, and 3-methylmalic acid were the dominant organic acids in YF2 wampee, and therefore, contributed primarily to the sweet–sour taste. The differential metabolites were significantly enriched in the “ascorbate and aldarate metabolism” and “C5-branched dibasic acid metabolism” pathways. Ascorbate played a crucial role in the regulation of sugars and organic acids through those pathways. In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) based quantitative verification exhibited the same specific cultivar variations.

Resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy becomes a major obstacle in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Overexpression of the excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) gene is reported to negatively influence the effectiveness of cisplatin-based therapy for NSCLC cells. In this study, we confirm that high ERCC1 expression correlates with cisplatin resistance in NSCLC cells. Importantly, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) re-sensitize ERCC1-high NSCLC cells to cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the HDACi induces the expression of miR-149 by acetylation and activation of E2F1, which directly targets ERCC1 and inhibits ERCC1 expression. Inhibition of miR-149 reverses the promotion effect of HDACis on cisplatin-induced DNA damage and cell apoptosis in ERCC1-high NSCLC cells. In conclusion, this study reveals a novel mechanism by which HDACis re-sensitizes ERCC1-high NSCLC cells to cisplatin via regulation of the E2F1/miR-149/ERCC1 axis, and we propose that combination of HDACis and cisplatin might hold promise to be a more effective therapeutic paradigm for ERCC1-high NSCLCs.

Background: COVID-19 is spreading globally. This study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women confirmed with COVID-19 to provide reference for clinical work. Methods: The clinical features and outcomes of 10 pregnant women confirmed with COVID-19 at Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a tertiary- care teaching hospital in Hubei province, Wuhan, China from January 23 to February 23, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: All the 10 observed pregnant women including 9 singletons and 1 twin were native people in Wuhan. All of them were diagnosed mild COVID-19, and none of the patients developed severe COVID-19 or died. Among the 10 patients, two patients underwent vaginal delivery, two patients underwent intrapartum cesarean section, and the remaining six patients underwent elective cesarean section. All of 10 patients showed lung abnormalities by pulmonary CT images after delivery. Their eleven newborns were recorded and no neonatal asphyxia was observed. Conclusions: Pulmonary CT screening on admission may be necessary to reduce the risk of nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 during the outbreak period. And COVID-19 is not an indication of cesarean section.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has gained great interest as a noninvasive modality to study the changes in cerebral hemodynamics related to brain activity. The unique and beneficial characteristics of fNIRS allow ecologically effective investigations of all ages and conditions in more realistic and clinical environments. In this review, we provide a comprehensive description of fNIRS basics, analytical method developments and applications in stroke rehabilitation. We first review various new methods for the time-series processing and functional analysis of fNIRS data. Then, we review the fNIRS-based application in clinical research for stroke rehabilitation and highlight the exciting developments based on fNIRS. Finally, we discuss the possible technical limitations of the implementation of fNIRS and provide suggestions from different aspects for practical application.

Objective: This study investigated the sources of stress, corresponding symptoms, and stress relief among nurses of the first Chinese anti-Ebola medical team during the Sierra Leone aid mission. Method: A purposive sampling method was used and 10 nurses were selected from the first Chinese anti-Ebola medical team that was dispatched to Sierra Leone. Data were collected via phone and semi-structured interviews, then analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. Results: The data showed three major themes: (1) The causes of stress during the Sierra Leone aid mission mainly related to unsafety, responsibility, and unfamiliarity; (2) Physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms were documented; (3) Nurses experienced relief from stress after the mission. Conclusion: Targeted measures, proper responses and good community support can effectively lower stress among nurses on anti-Ebola missions. Keywords: Anti-Ebola medical team, Nurses, Pressure, Qualitative research

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) was carried out on AZ80 alloy by high-pass multi-directional forging (MDF). Results showed that AZ80 alloy was effectively refined through MDF, and average grain size was refined to 0.73 µm after 24 passes of forging. Its tensile strength, yield strength and elongation reached 333.8 MPa, 233.7 MPa and 17.8%, respectively, which were 1.22 times, 1.35 times and 2.54 times of those before the forging. When the MDF was less than 6 passes, the coarse grains were mechanically divided and refined, and a small amount of recrystallized grains appeared in the deformation band and its cross zone. When the MDF was more than 6 passes, grain division, recrystallization nucleation and grain growth occurred simultaneously, the microstructure refinement was slowed, and the uniformity was improved continuously. The heating between forging passes mainly caused restoration in the early forging, and the static recrystallization refinement in the middle of forging. In the later stage of forging, the grain growth caused by static recrystallization and the grain refinement caused by the deformation canceled out, and the microstructure no longer continued to refine with the increase of the forging pass. Keywords: High-pass multi-directional forging, AZ80 magnesium alloy, Ultrafine grain, Severe plastic deformation

Hot compression tests of Cu-Ni-Si alloy with high Ni and Si contents were performed at the deformation temperatures of 750–950 °C, and the strain rates of 0.01–10 s−1 on a Gleeble-3800 thermo-mechanical simulator. The critical conditions for dynamic recrystallization (DRX) of Cu-Ni-Si alloy were obtained by processing the collected data and combining with the inflection point of θ-σ curve with the minimum value criterion of −∂θ/∂σ-σ curve. There was a certain correlation between the critical strain (εc) and the peak strain (εp), that was, εc/εp = 0.723, and the functional relationship between εc and Z parameter was εc = 1.05 × 10−3Z0.059. The average recrystallized grain size under various deformation conditions was measured, and the DRX grain growth model of Cu-Ni-Si alloy was established as dDRX = 5650.4ε̇−0.12891exp(−73142/RT). Keywords: Cu-Ni-Si alloy, Dynamic recrystallization, Critical condition, Grain growth model

Objective: Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the salvage pathway that produces nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), an essential co-substrate regulating a myriad of signaling pathways. We produced a mouse that overexpressed NAMPT in skeletal muscle (NamptTg) and hypothesized that NamptTg mice would have increased oxidative capacity, endurance performance, and mitochondrial gene expression, and would be rescued from metabolic abnormalities that developed with high fat diet (HFD) feeding. Methods: Insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp) was assessed in NamptTg and WT mice fed very high fat diet (VHFD, 60% by kcal) or chow diet (CD). The aerobic capacity (VO2max) and endurance performance of NamptTg and WT mice before and after 7 weeks of voluntary exercise training (running wheel in home cage) or sedentary conditions (no running wheel) were measured. Skeletal muscle mitochondrial gene expression was also measured in exercised and sedentary mice and in mice fed HFD (45% by kcal) or low fat diet (LFD, 10% by kcal). Results: NAMPT enzyme activity in skeletal muscle was 7-fold higher in NamptTg mice versus WT mice. There was a concomitant 1.6-fold elevation of skeletal muscle NAD+. NamptTg mice fed VHFD were partially protected against body weight gain, but not against insulin resistance. Notably, voluntary exercise training elicited a 3-fold higher exercise endurance in NamptTg versus WT mice. Mitochondrial gene expression was higher in NamptTg mice compared to WT mice, especially when fed HFD. Mitochondrial gene expression was higher in exercised NamptTg mice than in sedentary WT mice. Conclusions: Our studies have unveiled a fascinating interaction between elevated NAMPT activity in skeletal muscle and voluntary exercise that was manifest as a striking improvement in exercise endurance. Keywords: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase, High fat feeding, Mitochondrial gene expression, Insulin sensitivity, Exercise

Plant structures and chemicals, which are developed from the shoot apical meristem (SAM), form the main barriers to insect feeding. A plant chimera containing cells of different genetic origins in the SAM will be morphologically and chemically different compared with the parents and thus may result in differential resistance to herbivores. In this study, we explore if particular elements of plant resistance are localized in one of the layers of SAM; the replacement of one cell layer in a chimera may be linked to change of a single resistance trait to herbivores. The morphology and glucosinolate profiles of two periclinal chimeras (labeled as TTC and TCC, respectively) and grafted parents tuber mustard (labeled as TTT) and red cabbage (labeled as CCC) were compared and the performance of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in host selection, oviposition preference and development were assessed under controlled conditions. Both chimeras possessed leaf trichomes as parent tuber mustard TTT, however, TTC had significantly more trichomes than TCC and parent TTT. Leaf wax content of both chimeras was intermediate between the two parents. Five aliphatic and two indole glucosinolates were detected in both chimeras, whereas three aliphatic glucosinolates (3-methyl-sulfinylpropyl, 4-methyl-sulfinylbutyl and 2-hydroxy-3-butenyl) were not detected in tuber mustard, and one aliphatic glucosinolate (3-butenyl) was not detected in red cabbage. Unexpectedly for a chimera, the quantities of two aliphatic glucosinolates (3-methyl-sulfinylpropyl and 4-methyl-sulfinylbutyl) in both TTC and TCC were 3- to 5-fold higher than parents. In olfactory preference assays, B. tabaci showed preference to CCC, followed by TCC, TTC and TTT, and number of eggs laid showed the same pattern: CCC>TCC>TTC>TTT. Interestingly, more whiteflies landed on TTT plants than the other three types in a free choice experiment and the developmental duration from egg to adult was the shortest on TTT and increased in the order TTT

Ten populations of Radopholus similis from different ornamental hosts were tested for their parasitism and pathogenicity to water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic), malabar spinach (Basella rubra), and squash (Cucurbita moschata) in pots. The results showed all three plants were new hosts of R. similis. Growth parameters of plants inoculated with nematodes were significantly lower than those of healthy control plants. All R. similis populations were pathogenic to the three plants, but pathogenicity differed among populations from different hosts. The same R. similis populations also showed different pathogenic effects in the three different plants. RadN5 population from Anthurium andraeanum had the highest pathogenicity to the three studied plants. RadN1 from A. andraeanum had the lowest pathogenicity to squash and RadN7 from Chrysalidocarpus lutesens had the lowest pathogenicity to water spinach and malabar spinach. R. similis is usually associated with root tissues, but here we report that it could be found to move and feed in the stem bases of all three studied plants. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of DNA markers of the 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS rRNA, and mitochondrial DNA gene sequences of ten R. similis populations revealed significant genetic diversity. RadN5 and RadN6 populations from anthurium showed a close genetic relationship and could be distinguished from other populations by PCR-RFLP. At the same time, RadN5 and RadN6 populations were the most pathogenic to three studied plants. These results confirm the existence of large biological variability and molecular diversity among R. similis populations from the same or different hosts, and these characteristics are related to pathogenic variability.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the applicability of the Chinese version of Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale (CAHS) for renal transplant recipients, and to make a preliminary evaluation of its reliability and validity. Methods: A total of 147 renal transplant recipients who attended a transplant follow-up clinic in a Level 3, Grade A hospital in Beijing were asked to complete the Chinese version of CAHS. Following completion the reliability and validity of the scale were tested. Results: The Cronbach alpha coefficient of Chinese version of CAHS among subscales of threat, harm, challenge and benign-irrelevant were 0.857, 0.806, 0.680, 0.100 respectively; and the test-retest reliability coefficient were 0.791, 0.601, 0.624, 0.470 (p

Objective: We sought to examine the demand of volunteers on long-term care of elderly patients with chronic diseases. Further, we evaluated patients' reasons to want long-term care volunteers as well as socioeconomic factors affecting these needs. Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to 516 elderly with chronic diseases from nursing homes, hospitals, and elderly living with relatives. Patient questions dealt with basic socioeconomic questions, their reasons to want care volunteers, and the nature of chronic disease, and their motivation to volunteer and which sorts of activities they perform while volunteering. Results: 73.4% of the elderly patients with chronic diseases desired to have volunteers for long-term care. The most desired services were care visits, transportation, and leisure/recreation activities. The number of chronic diseases they had, their marital status, education level, and social support system were all statistically important. Conclusion: The data presented here suggest that the government should actively advocate for volunteer service for elderly with chronic diseases. Additional support is needed in terms of financial support, incentive measures, professional training for volunteers, and supervision of volunteers. Such developments are needed to improve volunteer service standards.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep and breathing disorder characterized by repeated episodes of hypoxemia. OSA causes neurocognitive deficits including perception and memory impairment but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that in a mouse model of OSA, chronic intermittent hypoxia treatment impairs both early- and late-phase long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. In intermittent hypoxia-treated mice the excitability of CA1 neurons was reduced and hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was down-regulated. We further showed that exogenous application of BDNF restored the magnitude of LTP in hippocampal slices from hypoxia-treated mice. In addition, microinjection of BDNF into the brain of the hypoxic mice prevented the impairment in LTP. These data suggest that intermittent hypoxia impairs hippocampal neuronal excitability and reduces the expression of BDNF leading to deficits in LTP and memory formation. Thus, BDNF level may be a novel therapeutic target for alleviating OSA-induced neurocognitive deficits.