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ObjectiveTo explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward interstitial lung disease (ILD) among patients and analyze the factors affecting KAP.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled patients with ILD treated at the Respiratory Department of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital between January 2023 and June 2023. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to evaluate their KAP toward ILD through convenient sampling. Multivariate regression analysis and structural equation model (SEM) were used to analyze the factors influencing KAP and their interactions.ResultsA total of 397 patients were enrolled, with 61.71% male. The mean KAP scores were 4.60 ± 3.10 (possible range: 0–12), 16.97 ± 2.16 (possible range: 5–25), and 32.60 ± 7.16 (possible range: 9–45), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that junior high school [OR = 2.003, 95%CI: 1.056–3.798, p = 0.033], high school and above [OR = 2.629, 95%CI: 1.315–5.258, p = 0.006], and duration of disease ≥5 years [OR = 1.857, 95%CI: 1.132–3.046, p = 0.014] were independently associated with adequate knowledge. The knowledge [OR = 1.108, 95%CI: 1.032–1.189, p = 0.005] and duration of disease ≥5 years [OR = 0.525, 95%CI: 0.317–0.869, p = 0.012] were independently associated with a positive attitude. The knowledge [OR = 1.116, 95%CI: 1.036–1.202, p = 0.004], attitude [OR = 1.180, 95%CI: 1.061–1.312, p = 0.002], and the age of >70 years [OR = 0.447, 95%CI: 0.245–0.817, p = 0.009] were independently associated with the proactive practice. SEM showed that patients’ knowledge of ILD directly affected their attitude (β = 0.842, p

Fungal identification is a cornerstone of fungal research, yet traditional molecular methods struggle with rapid and accurate onsite identification, especially for closely related species. To tackle this challenge, we introduce a universal identification method called Analysis of whole GEnome (AGE). AGE includes two key steps: bioinformatics analysis and experimental practice. Bioinformatics analysis screens candidate target sequences named Targets within the genome of the fungal species and determines specific Targets by comparing them with the genomes of other species. Then, experimental practice using sequencing or non-sequencing technologies would confirm the results of bioinformatics analysis. Accordingly, AGE obtained more than 1,000,000 qualified Targets for each of the 13 fungal species within the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Next, the sequencing and genome editing system validated the ultra-specific performance of the specific Targets; especially noteworthy is the first-time demonstration of the identification potential of sequences from unannotated genomic regions. Furthermore, by combining rapid isothermal amplification and phosphorothioate-modified primers with the option of an instrument-free visual fluorescence method, AGE can achieve qualitative species identification within 30 min using a single-tube test. More importantly, AGE holds significant potential for identifying closely related species and differentiating traditional Chinese medicines from their adulterants, especially in the precise detection of contaminants. In summary, AGE opens the door for the development of whole-genome-based fungal species identification while also providing guidance for its application in plant and animal kingdoms.

The challenge of discriminating closely related species persists, notably within clinical diagnostic laboratories for invasive aspergillosis (IA)-related species and food contamination microorganisms with toxin-producing potential. We employed Analysis of the whole-GEnome (AGE) to address the challenges of closely related species within the genus Aspergillus and developed a rapid detection method. First, reliable whole genome data for 77 Aspergillus species were downloaded from the database, and through bioinformatic analysis, specific targets for each species were identified. Subsequently, sequencing was employed to validate these specific targets. Additionally, we developed an on-site detection method targeting a specific target using a genome editing system. Our results indicate that AGE has successfully achieved reliable identification of all IA-related species (Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus terreus) and three well-known species (A. flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and Aspergillus oryzae) within the Aspergillus section. Flavi and AGE have provided species-level-specific targets for 77 species within the genus Aspergillus. Based on these reference targets, the sequencing results targeting specific targets substantiate the efficacy of distinguishing the focal species from its closely related species. Notably, the amalgamation of room-temperature amplification and genome editing techniques demonstrates the capacity for rapid and accurate identification of genomic DNA samples at a concentration as low as 0.1 ng/μl within a concise 30-min timeframe. Importantly, this methodology circumvents the reliance on large specialized instrumentation by presenting a singular tube operational modality and allowing for visualized result assessment. These advancements aptly meet the exigencies of on-site detection requirements for the specified species, facilitating prompt diagnosis and food quality monitoring. Moreover, as an identification method based on species-specific genomic sequences, AGE shows promising potential as an effective tool for epidemiological research and species classification.

IntroductionAngiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi), comprised of an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) and a neprilysin inhibitor (NEPi), has established itself as a safe and effective intervention for hypertension. S086 is a novel ARNi cocrystal developed by Salubris for the treatment of heart failure and hypertension.MethodsDahl Salt Sensitive (DSS) hypertensive rat model and telemetry system were employed in this study to investigate the anti-hypertensive efficacy of S086 and compare it with the first ARNi-LCZ696.Results and discussionThe study showed that oral administration of S086 dose-dependently lowered blood pressure (P < 0.001). The middle dosage of S086 (23 mg/kg) exhibited efficacy comparable to LCZ696 (68 mg/kg), while also demonstrating superiority at specific time points (P < 0.05). Notably, water consumption slightly decreased post-treatment compared to the vehicle group. Furthermore, there were significant increases in natriuresis and diuresis observed on the first day of treatment with 23 mg/kg and 68 mg/kg S086 (P < 0.001). However, over the course of treatment, the effects in all treatment groups gradually diminished. This study demonstrates the anti-hypertensive efficacy of S086 in DSS hypertensive rat model, offering promising avenues for the clinical development of S086 as a hypertension treatment.

The implementation of environmental monitoring policies is of great significance in reducing pollution and improving the ecological environment. This study looks at three dimensions of Sabatier’s policy environment framework: the tractability of the problem, the ability of the statute to structure implementation, and non-statutory variables, explores in detail the complex configuration of technology availability, change required, financial resources, implementing officials, public support, and socio economic conditions. The results based on data from 30 provinces in China identify four different combinations of conditions that match “Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Environmental Monitoring and Improving the Quality of Environmental Monitoring Data” environmental monitoring policy implementation: “priority governance” means that the change required is the most important variable in high-pollution provinces, “money talks” suggests that financial resources are a more important condition in north-western provinces, “coordinated implementation” is associated with non-statutory variables such as public support and socio-economic conditions being neither sufficient nor necessary conditions; and when both the ability of the statute and nonstatutory variables were identified as necessary conditions, as in the capital city, this is termed the “comprehensive strategy”.

Low carbonization of the traction system is the key to low-carbon rail transit operation, and its preliminary plan decision plays a decisive role in whether low carbon can be achieved in later stages. Therefore, how to achieve scientific decisions of energy storage traction systems in a low-carbon background is a problem that needs to be solved. The innovation of this paper is as follows: first, aiming at the reality of the rail transit energy storage traction system, a decision index system of the energy storage traction system which contains seven attributes and 18 criteria is constructed; second, aiming at the uncertainty of decision information and the decision makers’ aversion to risk, the decision model adapted to the energy storage traction system decision is constructed based on the interval Pythagorean intuitionistic fuzzy number and VIKOR model principle. The decision index system and decision model together constitute the decision framework. The case study results show that the decision index system can provide scientific guidance for the decision of the energy storage traction system, and the decision model can provide risk aversion type decision results with good robustness.

ObjectivesThe widespread occurrence of anti-malarial drug resistance threatens the current efforts to control malaria in African regions. Molecular marker surveillance helps to track the emergence and spread of drug-resistant malaria cases.MethodsA total of 237 Plasmodium falciparum infections imported from central Africa to Zhejiang Province, China, between 2016 and 2021, were investigated. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of each patient and nested PCRs was used to detect molecular markers in k13, Pfcrt, and Pfmdr1 genes. The spatial and temporal distributions of the molecular markers were analyzed.ResultsA limited polymorphism of k13 was observed, including two nonsynonymous (D464E and K503E) and five synonymous mutations. Wild-type CVMNK of Pfcrt predominated (78.5%), whereas 19.5% of the samples harbored the mutant haplotype, CVIET. The point mutation Y184F and the single mutant haplotype NF of Pfmdr1 were the most frequently observed. The geographical distributions of the Pfcrt and Pfmdr1 haplotypes displayed distinct patterns, with the mutant haplotype of Pfcrt more common in Gabon (53.9%) and Congo (50.0%), and wild haplotypes of Pfmdr1 more frequently found in Cameroon, Angola, and Congo. The prevalence of wild-type CVMNK of Pfcrt increased from 68.5–74.6% in 2016–2017 to 81.8–87.5% in 2018–2021. The proportion of wild-type Pfmdr1 also increased from 27.1% in 2016 to 38.5% in 2019.ConclusionThe geographical and temporal distribution of k13, Pfcrt, and Pfmdr1 polymorphisms in P. falciparum parasites imported from central Africa between 2016 and 2021 are demonstrated. Our data provide updated evidence that can be used to adjust anti-malarial drug policies in central Africa and China.

Immunotherapy has been emerging as a powerful strategy for cancer management. Recently, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that bacteria-based immunotherapy including naive bacteria, bacterial components, and bacterial derivatives, can modulate immune response via various cellular and molecular pathways. The key mechanisms of bacterial antitumor immunity include inducing immune cells to kill tumor cells directly or reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Currently, bacterial antigens synthesized as vaccine candidates by bioengineering technology are novel antitumor immunotherapy. Especially the combination therapy of bacterial vaccine with conventional therapies may further achieve enhanced therapeutic benefits against cancers. However, the clinical translation of bacteria-based immunotherapy is limited for biosafety concerns and non-uniform production standards. In this review, we aim to summarize immunotherapy strategies based on advanced bacterial therapeutics and discuss their potential for cancer management, we will also propose approaches for optimizing bacteria-based immunotherapy for facilitating clinical translation.

BackgroundThis study aimed at exploring the epidemiological pattern of imported malaria in China before malaria elimination in 2021, to provide evidence-based data for preventing malaria re-establishment in China.MethodsNine-year surveillance data on imported malaria in four provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) (Anhui, Chongqing, Guangxi, and Zhejiang) between 2011 and 2019 were thoroughly collected and analyzed.ResultsA quite stable trend in imported malaria cases between 2011 and 2019 was observed. In total, 6,064 imported patients were included. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequently reported species (4,575, 75.6%). Cases of malaria were most frequently imported from Western Africa (54.4%). We identified an increasing trend in P. ovale and a persistence of P. vivax infections among the cases of malaria imported from Western Africa. Most patients (97.5%) were 20–50 years old. Among imported malaria infections, the main purposes for traveling abroad were labor export (4,914/6,064, 81.0%) and business trips (649, 10.7%). Most patients (2,008/6,064, 33.1%) first visited county-level medical institutions when they sought medical help in China. More patients were diagnosed within 3 days after visiting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) or entry–exit quarantine facilities (EQFs) (1,147/1609, 71.3%) than after visiting medical institutions (2,182/3993, 54.6%).ConclusionImported malaria still poses a threat to the malaria-free status of China. County-level institutions are the primary targets in China to improve the sensitivity of the surveillance system and prevent the re-establishment of malaria. Health education should focus on exported labors, especially to Western and Central Africa. Increasing trend in P. ovale and persistence of P. vivax infections indicated their underestimations in Western Africa. Efficient diagnostic tools and sensitive monitoring systems are required to identify Plasmodium species in Africa.

BackgroundDexmedetomidine (DEX) is a sedative with greater preservation of cognitive function, reduced respiratory depression, and improved patient arousability. This study was designed to investigate the performance of DEX during anesthesia induction and to establish an effective DEX induction strategy, which could be valuable for multiple clinical conditions.MethodsPatients undergoing abdominal surgery were involved in this dose-finding trial. Dixon's up-and-down sequential method was employed to determine the effective dose of DEX to achieve the state of “loss of consciousness”, and an effective induction strategy was established with continuous infusion of DEX and remifentanil. The effects of DEX on hemodynamics, respiratory state, EEG, and anesthetic depth were monitored and analyzed.ResultsThrough the strategy mentioned, the depth of surgical anesthesia was successfully achieved by DEX-led anesthesia induction. The ED50 and ED95 of the initial infusion rate of DEX were 0.115 and 0.200 μg/kg/min, respectively, and the mean induction time was 18.3 min. The ED50 and ED95 of DEX to achieve the state of “loss of consciousness” were 2.899 (95% CI: 2.703–3.115) and 5.001 (95% CI: 4.544–5.700) μg/kg, respectively. The mean PSI on the loss of consciousness was 42.8 among the patients. During anesthesia induction, the hemodynamics including BP and HR were stable, and the EEG monitor showed decreased α and β powers and increased θ and δ in the frontal and pre-frontal cortices of the brain.ConclusionThis study indicated that continuous infusion of combined DEX and remifentanil could be an effective strategy for anesthesia induction. The EEG during the induction was similar to the physiological sleep process.

Circular RNAs are highly stable single-stranded circular RNAs and enriched in the brain. Previous studies showed that circRNAs, as part of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) network, play an important role in neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. However, the mechanism of circRNA-related ceRNA networks in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) has not been elucidated yet. POCD usually occurs in elderly patients and is characterized by hippocampal dysfunction. Here, aged C57BL/6 mice were subjected to exploratory laparotomy under sevoflurane anesthesia, and this POCD model was verified by Morris water maze test. Whole-transcriptome sequencing was performed on the hippocampus of control group (Con) and surgery group. One hundred and seventy-seven DEcircRNAs, 221 DEmiRNAs and 2,052 DEmRNAs were identified between two groups. A ceRNA network was established with 92 DEcircRNAs having binding sites with 76 DEmiRNAs and 549 target DEmRNAs. In functional enrichment analysis, a pathological pattern of POCD was highlighted in the ceRNA network: Abnormal metabolic process in neural cells, including oxygen metabolism, could promote apoptosis and then affect the synaptic function, which may undermine the neural plasticity and eventually lead to changes in cognitive function and other behavioral patterns. In conclusion, this specific ceRNA network of circRNAs–miRNAs–mRNAs has provided novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms of POCD and revealed potential therapeutic gene targets.

There is a long history of traditional medicine use. However, little genetic information is available for the plants used in traditional medicine, which limits the exploitation of these natural resources. Third-generation sequencing (TGS) techniques have made it possible to gather invaluable genetic information and develop herbal genomics. In this review, we introduce two main TGS techniques, PacBio SMRT technology and Oxford Nanopore technology, and compare the two techniques against Illumina, the predominant next-generation sequencing technique. In addition, we summarize the nuclear and organelle genome assemblies of commonly used medicinal plants, choose several examples from genomics, transcriptomics, and molecular identification studies to dissect the specific processes and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the two TGS techniques when applied to medicinal organisms. Finally, we describe how we expect that TGS techniques will be widely utilized to assemble telomere-to-telomere (T2T) genomes and in epigenomics research involving medicinal plants.

Perioperative immune function, postoperative cognitive function and prognosis are momentous issues for patients undergoing digestive tract cancer surgery. Studies have investigated the efficacy of dexmedetomidine (DEX) administration on these issues, but the results are inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to summarize all the existing evidence and draw a conclusion more accurately on these associations. Trials were located through electronic searches of the PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases sources (from the establishment date of databases to April 2022). Bibliographies of the retrieved articles were checked. A total of 17 RCTs involving 1619 patients were included. The results showed that DEX decreased the level of C-reactive protein (SMD = -4.26, 95%CI: -6.16, -2.36), TNF-α (SMD = -4.22, 95%CI: -5.91, -2.54) and IL-6 (SMD = -2.71, 95%CI: -4.46, -0.97), and increased the level of IL-10 (SMD = 1.74, 95%CI: 0.25, 3.24). DEX also increased CD4+ T cells (SMD = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.29, 0.82) and CD4+/CD8+ ratio (SMD = 0.62, 95%CI: 0.24, 1.01). Thus, DEX was associated with alleviation of postoperative systemic inflammatory response and immune dysfunction. Furthermore, DEX increased mini-mental state examination scores at 12h (SMD = 1.10, 95%CI: 0.74,1.45), 24h (SMD = 0.85, 95%CI: 0.59, 1.11), 48h (SMD = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.50, 1.28) and 72h (SMD = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.38, 1.11) after surgery. DEX decreased the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) at 24h (OR = 0.22, 95%CI: 0.11, 0.46) and 72h (OR = 0.39, 95%CI: 0.22, 0.68) after surgery. DEX decreased first flatus time (SMD = -1.55, 95%CI: -2.82, -0.27) and hospital stay (SMD = -1.23, 95%CI: -1.88, -0.59). Therefore, based on perioperative immune dysfunction alleviation, DEX attenuated POCD and potential neuroinflammation, improved postoperative recovery and clinical prognosis of patients undergoing digest tract cancer surgery. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the clinical application of DEX from an immunological perspective.

Background: There has been global concern about the safety and accuracy of traditional Chinese patent medicines (TCPMs). Panax notoginseng, also known as sanqi, is an important constituent of TCPMs. However, identifying the species contained in TCPMs is challenging due to the presence of multiple ingredients and the use of various preparation processes.Objective: To detect P. notoginseng in TCPMs.Methods: A TaqMan probe-based qPCR assay was constructed and validated with DNA extracted from P. notoginseng and adulterants. In total, 75 samples derived from 25 batches of TCPMs were tested using the constructed qPCR method.Results: A TaqMan probe-based qPCR assay targeting P. notoginseng was established. The constructed qPCR assay could specifically discriminate P. notoginseng from Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolium and Curcuma aromatica Salisb. cv. Wenyujin. The sensitivity study showed that the detectable DNA template concentration of P. notoginseng for this qPCR assay was 0.001 ng/μl. All 75 samples from TCPMs were confirmed to contain P. notoginseng by the qPCR assay.Conclusions: The qPCR method can accurately identify P. notoginseng in TCPMs and is promising as a powerful tool for quality control and market regulation.

Stroke is an acute cerebrovascular disease with high incidence, high mortality, and high disability rate. Determining the location and volume of the disease in MR images promotes accurate stroke diagnosis and surgical planning. Therefore, the automatic recognition and segmentation of stroke lesions has important clinical significance for large-scale stroke imaging analysis. There are some problems in the segmentation of stroke lesions, such as imbalance of the front and back scenes, uncertainty of position, and unclear boundary. To meet this challenge, this paper proposes a cross-attention and deep supervision UNet (CADS-UNet) to segment chronic stroke lesions from T1-weighted MR images. Specifically, we propose a cross-spatial attention module, which is different from the usual self-attention module. The location information interactively selects encode features and decode features to enrich the lost spatial focus. At the same time, the channel attention mechanism is used to screen the channel characteristics. Finally, combined with deep supervision and mixed loss, the model is supervised more accurately. We compared and verified the model on the authoritative open dataset “Anatomical Tracings of Lesions After Stroke” (Atlas), which fully proved the effectiveness of our model.

The use of omics techniques to analyze the differences between genetic engineering organisms and their parents can identify unintended effects and explore whether such unintended effects will have negative consequences. In order to evaluate whether genetic engineering will cause changes in crops beyond the changes introduced by conventional plant breeding, we compared the extent of transcriptome and metabolome modification in the leaves of three lines developed by RNA interference (RNAi)-based genetic engineering and three lines developed by conventional breeding. The results showed that both types of plant breeding methods can manifest changes at the short interfering RNA (siRNA), transcriptomic, and metabolic levels. Relative expression analysis of potential off-target gene revealed that there was no broad gene decline in the three RNAi-based genetic engineering lines. We found that the number of DEGs and DAMs between RNAi-based genetic engineering lines and the parental line was less than that between conventional breeding lines. These unique DEGs and DAMs between RNAi-based genetic engineering lines and the parental lines were not enriched in detrimental metabolic pathways. The results suggest that RNAi-based genetic engineering do not cause unintended effects beyond those found in conventional breeding in maize.

As a non-invasive, low-cost medical imaging technology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an important tool for brain tumor diagnosis. Many scholars have carried out some related researches on MRI brain tumor segmentation based on deep convolutional neural networks, and have achieved good performance. However, due to the large spatial and structural variability of brain tumors and low image contrast, the segmentation of MRI brain tumors is challenging. Deep convolutional neural networks often lead to the loss of low-level details as the network structure deepens, and they cannot effectively utilize the multi-scale feature information. Therefore, a deep convolutional neural network with a multi-scale attention feature fusion module (MAFF-ResUNet) is proposed to address them. The MAFF-ResUNet consists of a U-Net with residual connections and a MAFF module. The combination of residual connections and skip connections fully retain low-level detailed information and improve the global feature extraction capability of the encoding block. Besides, the MAFF module selectively extracts useful information from the multi-scale hybrid feature map based on the attention mechanism to optimize the features of each layer and makes full use of the complementary feature information of different scales. The experimental results on the BraTs 2019 MRI dataset show that the MAFF-ResUNet can learn the edge structure of brain tumors better and achieve high accuracy.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have an increasing functional role in some neurodegenerative diseases. Autophagy, the degradation of bulk protein in the cytoplasm, is the quality control function of protein and has a protective role in the survival of neural cells. miR-433 may play a regulatory role in neurodegenerative diseases. Many aspects underlying the mechanism of miR-433 in neural development and neurodegeneration are not clear.Methods: In this study, we established stable cell lines expressing miR-433 by infecting mouse hippocampal neural cell line (HT-22) cells with rLV-miR-433 and the control rLV-miR. Pre-miR-433 expression was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mature miR-433 expression was measured using quantitative PCR (qPCR). The effect of miR-433 overexpression on cell proliferation was determined using a CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. RNA interference was used to analyze the function of Cdk12 in mediating the effect of miR-433 on cell proliferation. The effect of miR-433 overexpression on cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Autophagy-related genes Atg4a, LC3B, and Beclin-1 were determined using qPCR, Western blot, or immunofluorescence. In addition, RNA interference was used to analyze the effect of Atg4a on the induction of autophagy. TargetScan 7.2 was used to predict the target genes of miR-433, and Smad9 was determined using qPCR.Results: Our results indicated that miR-433 increased the expression of Atg4a and induced autophagy by increasing the expression of LC3B-Ⅱ and Beclin-1 in an Atg4a-dependent manner. In addition, miR-433 upregulated the expression of Cdk12 and inhibited cell proliferation in a Cdk12-dependent manner and promoted apoptosis in HT-22 cells under the treatment of 10-hydroxycamptothecin.Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that miR-433 may regulate neuronal growth by promoting autophagy and attenuating cell proliferation. This might be a potential therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative diseases.

Normally, fish will decrease food intake or even stop feeding during the winter. In previous studies, two widely cultured gibel carp strains (strain A and strain F) showed differences in lipid and glucose metabolism. Therefore, we hypothesized that the physiological changes during the overwintering period would be different between the two strains. Thus, the two strains were starved for 77 days, after which the levels of glucose and lipid metabolism, ER stress, autophagy, and apoptosis were determined. The starvation increased hepatic glycogenolysis and fatty acid β-oxidation but suppressed lipogenesis in both strains overwintering. Considering the effects of genotype, strain F had higher levels of ER stress and autophagy but lower levels of apoptosis than strain A, suggesting that strain F might be more resistant to overwintering starvation. The interactions between strains and starvation periods were observed in plasma triglyceride contents and the mRNA levels of pyruvate kinase (pk), sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (srebp1), activating transcription factor 4 (atf4), and autophagy protein 12 (atg12). In conclusion, long-term starvation during winter could induce hepatic glycogenolysis and fatty acid β-oxidation but suppress lipogenesis, ER stress, autophagy, and apoptosis in gibel carp, and strain F may be more resistant to starvation during winter. Taken together, these results discovered the responses to prolonged starvation stress during winter in two strains of gibel carp and could provide information for genotype selection, especially for selecting strains better adapted to winter.

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, belongs to one of the most species-rich phyla and provides important ecological and economical services. Here we present a genome assembly for a variety of this species, black-shelled Pacific oyster, using a combination of 61.8 Gb Nanopore long reads and 105.6 Gb raw BGI-seq short reads. The genome assembly comprised 3,676 contigs, with a total length of 587 Mb and a contig N50 of 581 kb. Annotation of the genome assembly identified 283 Mb (48.32%) of repetitive sequences and a total of 26,811 protein-coding genes. A long-term transposable element active, accompanied by recent expansion (1 million years ago), was detected in this genome. The divergence between black-shelled and the previous published Pacific oysters was estimated at about 2.2 million years ago, which implies that species C. gigas had great intraspecific genetic variations. Moreover, we identified 148/188 specifically expanded/contracted gene families in this genome. We believe this genome assembly will be a valuable resource for understanding the genetic breeding, conservation, and evolution of oysters and bivalves.

Hidi and Renninger’s four-phase interest development model was identified as the most complete and widely used theoretical model illustrating the essence of academic interest. Using the model along with current research literature as a basis, this study aimed to develop and initially validate a generic multidimensional instrument to measure academic interest across different school subjects in the Chinese education context; this instrument was called the Academic Interest Scale for Adolescents (AISA). Three large samples of Chinese junior high school students were recruited by cluster sampling in the study. (1) Sample 1 (N = 552; 45.5% girls; 12.31 [SD = 0.98] years, range = 10–15 years) completed the draft of AISA, Intrinsic Motivation Scale and Scale for Adolescents’ Flow State in Learning in math and English. (2) Sample 2 (a subgroup of Sample 1, 411 students) completed the AISA in math and English again 2 months later after the first survey. (3) Sample 3 (N = 1,780; 50.1% girls; 13.69 [SD = 0.97] years, range = 12–16 years) completed the AISA in math, English, and Chinese. Identically worded items were used in AISA, except for the name of the subject. An exploratory factor analysis for math in sample 1 using principle axis factoring and promax rotation resulted in a 29-item AISA containing four dimensions: emotion, value, knowledge, and engagement, and the latent variables together explained 59.40% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis for math, English, and Chinese in sample 3 suggested the four-factor model fits well in different samples and subjects. Scale scores showed adequate internal consistency (the Cronbach’s α for AISA and each subscale ranged from 0.86 to 0.93) and acceptable test-criterion relationships (correlations between the AISA score and intrinsic motivation and flow state in learning > 0.51, ps < 0.001). Furthermore, the structural measure invariance across subjects, time (2-month interval), genders and grades were upheld. The AISA promises to be a useful tool for the evaluation of academic interest among Chinese adolescents and can be administered in different educational settings, i.e., different subjects, time, genders, and grades.

To test the hypothesis that effects of dietary carbohydrate and lipid concentrations on growth performance, feeding utilization, glucose and lipid metabolism in gibel carp A strain may be differ from F strain, these two strain of gibel carp were fed with one of three different isonitrogenous diets: HCLL (45% carbohydrate, 2% lipid), MCML (30% carbohydrate, 8% lipid), or LCHL (15% carbohydrate, 14% lipid). After 8 weeks, the HCLL-fed fish had the highest hepatosomatic index, hepatic crude lipid levels, and triglyceride levels and lipid retention efficiency. Enhanced lipogenesis and lipid uptake potential were observed in fish fed HCLL and MCML diets. Moreover, increases in glucose transport (glut2, P = 0.003) and glycolysis (gk, P = 0.012; 6pfk, P = 0.005) in livers of both strains were induced by the high-carbohydrate diet. Genotype-specific effect was identified on plasma lipid content. Plasma triglyceride levels were also greater in the F strain than in the A strain. Furthermore, the F strain had higher levels of fatty acid β-oxidation and glycolysis compared with the A strain. Nutrient retention was affected (P < 0.05) by the interaction between genotype and diet, implied dietary carbohydrate played a vital role in lipid accumulation in gibel carp. As dietary lipids increased, the F strain exhibited better feed utilization and a higher PRE than the A strain. However, the A strain had better growth performance. Overall, the F strain had better glucose uptake, glycolysis potential, and lipid utilization ability than the A strain.

BackgroundTakayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic granulomatous vasculitis with unknown pathophysiology. TA with severe aortic obstruction has a poor prognosis. However, the efficacy of biologics and appropriate timing of surgical intervention remain controversial. We report a case of tuberculosis (TB)-associated TA with aggressive acute heart failure (AHF), pulmonary hypertension (PH), thrombosis, and seizure, who failed to survive after surgery.Case presentationA 10-year-old boy who developed a cough with chest tightness, shortness of breath, hemoptysis with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, PH, and increased C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was hospitalized at the pediatric intensive care unit of our hospital. He had strongly positive purified protein derivative skin test and interferon-gamma release assay result. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed occlusion of proximal left subclavian artery and stenosis of descending aorta and upper abdominal aorta. His condition did not improve after administration of milrinone, diuretics, antihypertensive agents, and intravenous methylprednisolone pulse followed by oral prednisone. Intravenous tocilizumab was administered for five doses, followed by two doses of infliximab, but his HF worsened, and CTA on day 77 showed complete occlusion of the descending aorta with large thrombus. He had a seizure on day 99 with deterioration of renal function. Balloon angioplasty and catheter-directed thrombolysis were performed on day 127. Unfortunately, the child's heart function continued to deteriorate and died on day 133.ConclusionTB infection may be related to juvenile TA. The biologics, thrombolysis, and surgical intervention failed to achieve the anticipated effect in our case with aggressive AHF due to severe aortic stenosis and thrombosis. More studies are needed to determine the role of biologics and surgery in such dire cases.

ObjectiveTo determine the short-term effectiveness safety of baricitinib in children with refractory and/or severe juvenile dermatomyositis (rsJDM) in a real-world setting.MethodsThis was a single-center retrospective study, including 20 children with rsJDM. They were all treated using baricitinib combined with steroids and other immunosuppressive agents. The childhood myositis assessment scale (CMAS) and PRINTO remission criteria were used to evaluate the disease severity and treatment outcome at 0, 4, 12, and 24 weeks after initiation of baricitinib.ResultsThe skin rash improved in 95% of patients (19/20) at week 24, with a significant decrease of skin-DAS at weeks 12 (6.0 vs. 2.0, p < 0.05] and week 24 [6.0 vs. 1.0, p < 0.05) by median statistics. The CMAS score increased significantly at week 12 (41.0 [29.0, 44.0] vs. 46.0 [42.0, 52.0], p < 0.05) and week 24 (41.0 [29.0, 44.0] vs. 50.0 [45.0, 52.0], p < 0.05), as did the manual muscle testing (MMT)-8 score at week 24 (73.0 [610, 76.0] vs. 79.0 [77.0, 80.0], p < 0.05). At 24 weeks, the complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) were achieved in 75% (15/20) and 15% (3/20), respectively. The dose of corticosteroids (CS) decreased by 37% from the baseline (0.53 [0.42, 1.00] mg/kg) to week 12 (0.33 [0.18, 0.40] mg/kg) (p < 0.05), and by 49% at week 24 (p < 0.05). No serious side effects were observed.ConclusionBaricitinib combined with traditional immunosuppressants treatment was efficacious in rsJDM. Add-on therapy of baricitinib was helpful for tapering CS dose. No serious side effects were observed in this study.