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At present, there is limited research on pregnancy body image and no valid tool to measure body image in pregnant Chinese women. The purpose of this study was to translate the Body Understanding Measure Pregnancy Scale into Chinese to determine its reliability and validity in measuring body image in pregnant women.The translation of the Body Understanding Measure Pregnancy Scale (BUMPs) was carried out with a standardized procedure. This study was conducted from July to December 2020 in the outpatient department of three tertiary hospitals in China. There were 1069 pregnant women completed the questionnaire and 1057 of those women were included in the analysis. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, and construct validity of the translation version were examined.The final Chinese version of the BUMPs (BUMPs-C) had four dimensions with 16 items. Exploratory factor analysis obtained a three-factor solution, which explained 50.26% of the total variances. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model fit of the four-factor model was better than the three-factor model, and the four-factor model also reached a satisfactory model fit after modifying: Minimum Discrepancy was 2.82; Comparative Fit Index was 0.939, and Tucker-Lewis Index was 0.92; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation was 0.059. The content validity index of the scale was 1.0; the Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficient was 0.82 for the total scale, the McDonald's omega (ω) coefficient was 0.829; the test-retest reliability was 0.796.The BUMPs-C showed good reliability and validity among pregnant Chinese women, which can be used as a simple and valid measurement tool to assess the feelings of pregnant Chinese women on body changes during pregnancy.

An 80-year-old women complained of painful erythema, papules, nodules on her right wrist for 9 months. Granuloma and inflammatory infiltrates with septate fungal hyphae were observed in pathological sections. Growth of demaciatious fungus on SDA was confirmed to be Exophiala spinifera by microscopic appearance and ITS rDNA sequencing. The diagnosis of phaeohyphomycosis due to E. spinifera was established. The patient had a poor response to oral itraconazole (200 mg/d) combining with terbinafine (250 mg/d) for 6 weeks. Then, following three courses of ALA-PDT, used as adjuvant therapy, skin lesions greatly improved and remained stable after 3 months follow-up. The case suggests that ALA-PDT is an effective adjuvant treatment option for patients with recalcitrant local subcutaneous fungal infection.

Graphene has some outstanding properties in the photoelectric field, especially ultra fast response and broad spectrum absorption, which have led to strong attraction on graphene photodetector. However, the photoresponsivity of pure graphene device is below 10 mA W−1. It would limit the application of graphene photodetector. Here, we design a metamaterial structure with a broadband high absorption spectrum. And by integrating it into the graphene photodetector, the high photoresponsivity of a pure graphene photodetector in a broadband range could be acquired. The photoresponsivity of photodetector can achieve nearly 200 mA W−1, which is two orders higher than the one of pure monolayer graphene photodetector. Besides, the photodetector also keeps the broadband photoresponse. The hot carriers can be generated by coupling of multiple resonances and effectively transported to graphene with the advantage of ultrathin metal film. Based on this work, more potential applications of graphene photodetector could be developed in some related fields.

Graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as promising materials for future optoelectric applications. However, low detectivity of two-dimensional materials based photodetector inhibits their application. Here, we report a lateral graphene/MoS2/graphene (GMG) heterostructure photodetector which was synthesized by chemical vapor disposition (CVD). Electrical measurement shows that on/off ratio is up to 10 6 and two opposing Schottky junctions are connected in a series. Photocurrent mapping indicates that the Schottky junctions formed by graphene and MoS2 are the core part of the device, where photoexcited electron-hole pairs are spontaneously and rapidly separated. The responsivity is more than 2 × 10 3 m A / W and the maximum specific detectivity is as high as 10 13 J o n e s , respectively. This special design for the 2D materials based photodetector with high detectivity gives great potential for future application in nano-optoelectronic devices.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of the brain. It cannot be cured currently, and those suffering from AD place a great burden on their caregivers and society. AD is characterized by high levels of iron ions in the brain, which catalyze radicals that damage the neurons. Knowing that the Aβ42 peptide precipitates iron by binding iron ions at amino acid residues D1, E3, H11, H13, and H14, we synthesized a 5-repeat (HAYED) sequence peptide. By treating iron-stressed SH-SY5Y cells with it and injecting it into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of naturally senescence Kunming mouse, which displaying AD-similar symptoms such as learning and memory dysfunction, neuron degeneration and high level of iron in brain, we found that HAYED (5) decreased the iron and radical levels in the cell culture medium and in the CSF. Specially, the synthesized peptide prevented cell and brain damage. Furthermore, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests demonstrated that the peptide ameliorated brain blood-oxygen metabolism and slowed cognitive loss in the experimental senescence mice, and clinical and blood tests showed that HAYED (5) was innoxious to the kidney, the liver and blood and offset the AD-associated inflammation and anemia.

Background: Since the end of 2019, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak spreads around the world We aimed to share the details of critically ill patien

Background: In late December 2019, an outbreak of acute respiratory illness, now officially named as COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, emerged in Wuhan, China. We aimed to study the epidemiology and clinical features of patients diagnosed as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their treatment and outcome in Wuhan, China. Methods: We did a single center, retrospective case series study in patients from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. 221 admitted patients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 55 severe patients and 166 non-severe patients, were recruited from January 2, 2020 to February 10, 2020. Data of epidemiology, clinic, laboratory exams, radiology and treatment were collected from standardized case report forms and compared between the severe and non-severe patients with COVID-19. Specifically, the outcome of corticosteroid therapy was analyzed in the severe patients in intensive care unit (ICU). Findings: Of the 221 patients with COVID-19, 108 (48.9%) of them were male and only 8 (3.6%) patients had a history of exposure to the Huanan Seafood Market. Compared to the non-severe patients, the median age of the severe patients was significantly older (62.0 vs 51.0 years), and they were more likely to have chronic comorbidities, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. Most common symptoms in severe patients were high fever, anorexia and dyspnea. On admission, 73 (33.0%) of the 221 patients showed leukopenia and 163 (73.8%) showed lymphopenia. The laboratory results showed more severity of aberrant coagulation pathway, hepatic injury, myocardial injury and kidney injury in the severe patients. In addition, the severe patients suffered a higher rate of co-infections with bacteria or fungus and they were more likely to developing complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), arrhythmia, acute cardiac injury, shock and acute kidney injury. As of Feb 15, 2020, a total of 42 (19.0%) patients had been discharged and 12 (5.4%) patients died. In the 55 severe patients, 44 (80%) of them received ICU care, and 23 of them transferred to the general wards due to relieved symptoms, and the mortality rate was 21.8%. Interpretation: In this single-center case series of 221 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, 55 severe patients with elder age and chronic comorbidities, developed more than one complication. The mortality rate was significantly higher in the severe patients compared to that in the non-severe patients (21.8% vs 0.0%). Older and male patients with higher APACHE II & SOFA scores, elevated PCT level, excessive fluid volume input, as well as the delayed use of corticosteroid might increase the risk of death in ICU. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 81700493 to Dr. Pan; grant no. 81971816 to Dr. Peng). Declaration of Interests: The authors declared no conflicts. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the National Health Commission of China and Ethics Commission of Zhongnan Hospital. Written informed consent was waived by the Ethics Commission for emerging infectious disease.

As a clonal disease of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the etiology and pathogenesis of leukemia is not fully understood. Recent studies suggest that cellular homeostasis plays an essential role in maintaining the function of HSCs because dysregulation of cellular homeostasis is one of the major factors underlying the malignant transformation of HSCs. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy, key factors regulating cellular homeostasis, are commonly observed in the human body. Autophagy can be induced by ROS through a variety of signaling pathways, and conversely inhibits ROS-induced damage to cells and tissues. ROS and autophagy coordinate to maintain cellular homeostasis. Previous studies have demonstrated that both of ROS and autophagy play important roles in the development of leukemia and are closely involved in drug resistance in leukemia. Interference with cellular homeostasis by promoting programmed leukemia cell death via ROS and autophagy has been verified to be an efficient technique in the treatment of leukemia. However, the critical roles of ROS and autophagy in the development of leukemia are largely unknown. In this review, we summarize the roles of ROS and autophagy in the pathogenesis of leukemia, which may allow the identification of novel targets and drugs for the treatment of leukemia based on the regulation of HSCs homeostasis through ROS and autophagy.

This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the value of indocyanine green (ICG) in guiding sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for patients with oral cavity cancer. An electronic database search (PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science) was performed from their inception to June 2020 to retrieve clinical studies of ICG applied to SLNB for oral cavity cancer. Data were extracted from 14 relevant articles (226 patients), and 9 studies (134 patients) were finally included in the meta-analysis according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled sentinel lymph node (SLN) sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio were 88.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 74.0-96.0), 64.0% (95% CI, 61.0-66.0), 2.45 (95% CI, 1.31-4.60), 0.40 (95% CI, 0.17-0.90), and 7.30 (95% CI, 1.74-30.68), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.8805. In conclusion, ICG applied to SLNB can effectively predict the status of regional lymph nodes in oral cavity cancer.

The fracture of Cement Treated Base (CTB) is greatly influenced by its mesoscale structure and characteristics. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) was adopted to build a mesoscale Semicircular Bending (SCB) model of CTB. The DEM models were built based on two methods including the Digital Image Process (DIP) of actual aggregate distribution and randomization algorithm to generate aggregates. The mesoscale heterogeneity of the model consisted of aggregates, cement mortar, Interface Transition Zone (ITZ) and air voids. Analysis results showed that the DEM models based on both DIP and randomization with the Linear Parallel Bond Model (LPBM) presented satisfying results, compared with laboratory tests. It was found that the main cracks occurred along ITZ between mortar and aggregates. The gradation and distribution of aggregate, and air voids have all significant influence on the fracture resistance and the crack propagation of the CTB. The lime-ash treated material simulation results showed relatively higher fracture toughness over strength ratio.

The steel corrosion induced by chloride penetration is a great threaten to concrete structures, in particular exposed to marine environments. Super absorbent polymer (SAP), as a water reservoir, is probably conducive to reinforced concrete suffered from steel corrosion in marine environments. Therefore, the influence of SAP on the chloride penetration and corrosion behavior of steel in concrete were investigated using concrete mixed with 0∼2 kg/m3 SAP. The results indicate that the permeability and chloride diffusion coefficient consistently rise up with increasing with SAP dosage. Furthermore, the higher SAP dosage results in an ascending free chloride content when subjected to tidal zone. However, when exposed to atmosphere zone, the effect of SAP can be neglected. Moreover, the corrosion current of the sample with SAP are larger than that without SAP, while more corrosion products can be observed in the sample with SAP. Since the stress and strain applied on concrete and internal steel bar of specimens with SAP are apparently smaller, the propagation of crack caused by steel corrosion is probably postponed. Thus, it can be roughly concluded that for concrete subjected to marine environment, adding SAP to concrete can delay the failure process of reinforced concrete to some extent and an optimized dosage of SAP is suggested to be 1 kg/m3.

Background In late December 2019, an outbreak of acute respiratory illness, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), emerged in Wuhan, China. We aimed to study the epidemiology, clinical features and short-term outcomes of patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Methods We performed a single center, retrospective case series study in 221 patients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia at a university hospital, including 55 severe patients and 166 non-severe patients, from January 2, 2020 to February 10, 2020. Results Of the 221 patients with COVID-19, the median age was 55.0 years and 48.9% were male and only 8 (3.6%) patients had a history of exposure to the Huanan Seafood Market. Compared to the non-severe pneumonia patients, the median age of the severe patients was significantly older, and they were more likely to have chronic comorbidities. Most common symptoms in severe patients were high fever, anorexia and dyspnea. On admission, 33.0% patients showed leukopenia and 73.8% showed lymphopenia. In addition, the severe patients suffered a higher rate of co-infections with bacteria or fungus and they were more likely to developing complications. As of February 15, 2020, 19.0% patients had been discharged and 5.4% patients died. 80% of severe cases received ICU (intensive care unit) care, and 52.3% of them transferred to the general wards due to relieved symptoms, and the mortality rate of severe patients in ICU was 20.5%. Conclusions Patients with elder age, chronic comorbidities, blood leukocyte/lymphocyte count, procalcitonin level, co-infection and severe complications might increase the risk of poor clinical outcomes.

Cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet its pathogenic mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Endothelial dysfunction is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of COPD. A detailed understanding of the mechanism involved in its progression would have a substantial impact on the optimization and development of treatment strategies. Here, we report that the expression of SIRT4, a mitochondrial sirtuin, is markedly down-regulated in cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-treated human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs). Overexpression of SIRT4 significantly inhibits CSE-induced mononuclear cell adhesion to HPMECs. Consistently, we found that overexpression of SIRT4 attenuates the induction of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin. Importantly, SIRT4 was found to negatively regulate CSE-induced NF-κB activation via inhibiting the degradation of IκBα. Moreover, we also found that proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-6, the downstream target genes of NF-κB, are also inhibited by overexpression of SIRT4. These results suggest that SIRT4 protects HPMECs exposed to CSE stress via a mechanism that may involve the NF-κB pathway. Strategies based on the enhancement of SIRT4 may prove to be beneficial in the treatment of cigarette smoking caused COPD.

During early embryonic development, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is essential for neural/non-neural cell fate decisions. BMP signaling inhibits precocious neural differentiation and allows for proper differentiation of mesoderm, endoderm, and epidermis. However, the mechanisms underlying the BMP pathway-mediated cell fate decision remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the expression of Ovol2, which encodes an evolutionarily conserved zinc finger transcription factor, is down-regulated during neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. Knockdown of Ovol2 in embryonic stem cells facilitates neural conversion and inhibits mesendodermal differentiation, whereas Ovol2 overexpression gives rise to the opposite phenotype. Moreover, Ovol2 knockdown partially rescues the neural inhibition and mesendodermal induction by BMP4. Mechanistic studies further show that BMP4 directly regulates Ovol2 expression through the binding of Smad1/5/8 to the second intron of the Ovol2 gene. In the chick embryo, cOvol2 expression is specifically excluded from neural territory and is up-regulated by BMP4. In addition, ectopic expression of cOvol2 in the prospective neural plate represses the expression of the definitive neural plate marker cSox2. Taken together, these results indicate that Ovol2 acts downstream of the BMP pathway in the cell fate decision between neuroectoderm and mesendoderm to ensure proper germ layer development.

Nestin is a molecular marker for neural progenitor cells. Rat and human nestin genes possess a central nervous system-specific enhancer within their second introns. However, the transcription factors that bind to the nestin enhancer have not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that the second intron of the mouse nestin gene is sufficient to drive reporter gene expression in the developing nervous system. The core sequence of this central nervous system-specific enhancer localizes to the 3′ 320-bp region. The cis-elements for Sox and POU family transcription factors and the hormone-responsive element are essential for nestin expression during embryonic carcinoma P19 cell neural differentiation and in the developing chick neural tube. Interestingly, different transcription factors bind to the nestin enhancer at different stages of P19 cell neural differentiation and central nervous system development. Sox2 and SF1 may mediate basal nestin expression in undifferentiated P19EC cells, whereas Sox2, Brn1, and Brn2 bind to the enhancer in P19 neural progenitor cells. Similarly, in vivo, Oct1 binds to the nestin enhancer in embryonic day 8.5 (E8.5) mouse embryos, and Oct1, Brn1, and Brn2 bind to this enhancer in E10.5 and E12.5 mouse embryos. Our studies therefore suggest a temporal coordination of transcription factors in determining nestin gene expression.

Accumulation of senile plaques composed of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD), and Abeta is generated through the sequential cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta- and gamma-secretase. Although oxidative stress has been implicated in the AD pathogenesis by inducing Abeta production, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here we show that the pro-oxidant H(2)O(2) promotes Abeta production through c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent activation of gamma-secretase. Treatment with H(2)O(2) induced significant increase in the levels of intracellular and secreted Abeta in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Although gamma-secretase-mediated cleavage of APP or C99 was enhanced upon H(2)O(2) treatment, expression of APP or its alpha/beta-secretase-mediated cleavage was not affected. Silencing of the stress-activated JNK by small interfering RNA or the specific JNK inhibitor SP600125 reduced H(2)O(2)-induced gamma-secretase-mediated cleavage of APP. JNK activity was augmented in human brain tissues from AD patients and active JNK located surrounding the senile plaques in the brain of AD model mouse. Our data suggest that oxidative stress-activated JNK may contribute to senile plaque expansion through the promotion of gamma-secretase-mediated APP cleavage and Abeta production.