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Taking logistics time, logistics cost, and carbon emissions as optimization objectives, air transportation is included in the cross-border logistics paths optimization of multimodal transportation. Considering the scale effect of transportation, a multiobjective optimization model of cross-border logistics paths including road, water, railway, and air is constructed. The problem of cross-border logistics paths along the “Belt and Road” regions for cities in inland is studied via the NSGA-II method. The research results show that Chengdu and Xi'an should bear a large number of cross-border air transportation and be constructed as the national airport-type logistics hub. The foreign destinations of cross-border air transportation are distributed in different regions, mainly in Eastern Europe and Eastern Central Europe. The optimization result shows that if there is a 1-fold increase in logistics cost, the logistics time can reduce by 1.37 folds after the cross-border air transportation joins in the model. Such a result has effectively guided the transition from cross-border water transportation to cross-border air transportation., Author(s): Feng-Jie Xie (corresponding author) [1]; Ruo-Chen Feng [1]; Xue-Yan Zhou [1] 1. Introduction The “Belt and Road” is a major national initiative for China's opening up. It aims to [...]

Background. Tracheal stenosis is able to lead to airway obstruction. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of Montgomery T-tube implantation in patients with tracheal stenosis. Methods. Fifty-two patients with tracheal stenosis diagnosed between 2016 and 2019 were included in this retrospective cohort study. The patients were divided into observation group (n = 25 cases) and control group (n = 27). The therapeutic effect, arterial blood gas analysis, arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2), shortness of breath score, airway diameter change, dyspnea score, quality of life, and safety were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results. The therapeutic effect of the observation group gained better results than that of the control group (84.00% vs. 62.96%). One week after operation, the pH value, SaO2, PaCO2, shortness of breath score, airway diameter change, dyspnea score, life quality, and incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group exerted better results as compared to the control group. Conclusion. The implantation of Montgomery T-tube has effective function in terms of improving the symptoms of dyspnea and the life quality of patients with safety profile in patients harboring tracheal stenosis.

This study was designed to investigate the changes of urinary microvesicle-bound uromodulin and total urinary uromodulin levels in human urine and the correlations with the severity of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). 31 healthy subjects without diabetes and 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were included in this study. The patients with T2DM were divided into three groups based on the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR): normoalbuminuria group (DM, n=46); microalbuminuria group (DN1, n=32); and macroalbuminuria group (DN2, n=22). We use a specific monoclonal antibody AD-1 to capture the urinary microvesicles. Urinary microvesicle-bound uromodulin and total urinary uromodulin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results showed that the levels of urinary microvesicle-bound uromodulin in DN1 and DN2 groups were significantly higher than those in control group and DM group (P

Gastric schwannoma (GS) is a rare neoplasm of the stomach. It accounts for 0.2% of all gastric tumors and is mostly benign, slow-growing, and asymptomatic. Due to its rarity, GS is not widely recognized by clinicians, and the precise differential diagnosis between GS and other gastric submucosal tumors remains difficult preoperatively. The present study reports a case of GS misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumor and reviews the clinical, imaging, and pathological features, treatment, and follow-up of 221 patients with GS previously reported in the English literature. Although GS is rare, the case reported in the current study highlights the importance of including GS in differential diagnoses of gastric submucosal tumors. Furthermore, the findings of the review suggest that although many cases are asymptomatic, the most common symptoms are abdominal pain or discomfort, not gastrointestinal bleeding, and malignant GSs present with clinical symptoms more commonly. Although large-sample multicenter studies on the efficacy, safety, and oncological outcomes of minimally invasive techniques are required, the findings presented herein may be helpful for clinicians when diagnosing or treating GS.

The study of the origin of diversified life has been plagued by technical and conceptual difficulties, controversy, and apriorism. It is now popularly accepted that the universal tree of life is rooted in the akaryotes and that Archaea and Eukarya are sister groups to each other. However, evolutionary studies have overwhelmingly focused on nucleic acid and protein sequences, which partially fulfill only two of the three main steps of phylogenetic analysis, formulation of realistic evolutionary models, and optimization of tree reconstruction. In the absence of character polarization, that is, the ability to identify ancestral and derived character states, any statement about the rooting of the tree of life should be considered suspect. Here we show that macromolecular structure and a new phylogenetic framework of analysis that focuses on the parts of biological systems instead of the whole provide both deep and reliable phylogenetic signal and enable us to put forth hypotheses of origin. We review over a decade of phylogenomic studies, which mine information in a genomic census of millions of encoded proteins and RNAs. We show how the use of process models of molecular accumulation that comply with Weston’s generality criterion supports a consistent phylogenomic scenario in which the origin of diversified life can be traced back to the early history of Archaea.

Introduction. Both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presenting during pregnancy and HCC presenting with obstructive jaundice due to a tumor cast in the biliary tract are very rare. The management of these patients remains challenging. Presentation of Case. A 23-year-old lady presented with obstructive jaundice at 38 weeks of gestation. Investigations showed HCC with a biliary tumor thrombus. She received percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and caesarean section. Right hepatectomy, extrahepatic bile duct resection, and left hepaticojejunostomy were carried out when the jaundice improved. The postoperative course was uneventful. She was discharged home on postoperative day 10. Histopathology showed HCC with a tumor thrombus in the bile duct. The surgical margins were clear. One year after surgery, the mother was disease-free and the baby was well. Conclusion. With proper management, curative treatment is possible in a pregnant patient who presented with obstructive jaundice due to a biliary tumor thrombus from HCC.

Neuropathic pain since early diabetes swamps patients' lives, and diabetes mellitus has become an increasingly worldwide epidemic. No agent, so far, can terminate the ongoing diabetes. Therefore, strategies that delay the process and the further complications are preferred, such as diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP). Dysfunction of ion channels is generally accepted as the central mechanism of diabetic associated neuropathy, of which hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated 2 (HCN2) ion channel has been verified the involvement of neuropathic pain in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Riluzole is a benzothiazole compound with neuroprotective properties on intervention to various ion channels, including hyperpolarization-activated voltage-dependent channels. To investigate the effect of riluzole within lumbar (L3-5) DRG neurons from DNP models, streptozocin (STZ, 70 mg/kg) injection was recruited subcutaneously followed by paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) and paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL), which both show significant reduction, whilst relieved by riluzole (4 mg/kg/d) administration, which was performed once daily for 7 consecutive days for 14 days. HCN2 expression was also decreased in line with alleviated behavioral tests. Our results indicate riluzole as the alleviator to STZ-induced DNP with involvement of downregulated HCN2 in lumbar DRG by continual systemic administration in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two whelks Rapana venosa and Neptunea arthritica cumingii are important fishery resources, but the biomass of these species has declined extensively over the years. In the present study, we selected the sea area around Zhangzi Island, a typical North China Sea island, as the study area. Biochemical trophic markers (stable isotopes and fatty acids (FAs)) were used to estimate the dietary compositions of R. venosa and N. arthritica cumingii. The combined use of stable isotope analysis and analysis of FA composition enabled a comprehensive investigation of these species in the North China Sea. The results showed that the two whelk species were significantly distinguished by their FAs, suggesting that dietary composition significantly differs between the two species; however, the values of C22:6(n‐3) (DHA)/C20:5(n‐3) (EPA) and δ15N indicated no significant difference between the two whelk species at the trophic level. The EPA content of N. arthritica cumingii was higher than that of R. venosa, indicating that the former species is more involved in the scavenger food chain, although this FA species represented a small proportion of the dietary composition in both whelk species. In contrast, there were no significant differences in stable isotope ratios or FA contents among different size classes of the same whelk species. This study provides insight into the structural changes and dynamics of marine communities. Such information is essential for the protection of fishery resources, their sustainable development and utilization, and the scientific management of marine ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Effects of rhythmic temperature change on the growth, body composition and energy budget of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂ × E. fuscoguttatus ♀) were investigated. Nine groups of fish received repeating cycles of low‐temperature manipulation (22°C) for 1, 2 and 4 days followed by recovery temperature (28°C) for (3, 7 and 11 days), (6, 14 and 22 days) and (12, 28 and 44 days) respectively, designated as L1R3, L1R7, L1R11, L2R6, L2R14, L2R22, L4R12, L4R28 and L4R44 respectively. In the control group (C), fish were reared at 28°C throughout the whole experiment. After 96‐day feeding trail, the final weight, relative weight gain rate, specific growth rate, food conversion efficiency and apparent digestibility coefficient of fish in L4R28 were significantly higher than those of control (p < .05). The crude protein contents of fish in L2R14, L2R22, L4R12, L4R28 and L4R44 were significantly higher compared to the control (p < .05). According to energy budget, fish in L4R28 exhibited significantly higher proportion of food energy assimilated into growth and lower proportion consumed for excretion than the control fish (p < .05). These results indicated the occurrence of complete or over growth compensation in hybrid grouper, and the use of repeated cycles of low temperature (22°C) for 4 days followed by recovery temperature (28°C) for 28 days could obtain enhanced growth, that is overcompensation, with improved apparent digestibility coefficient, food conversion efficiency and energetic efficiency into growth. This technique would be more practically applicable in indoor culture for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of Bacillus cereus BC-01, Lactobacillus acidophilus LAG01, Clostridium butyricum CBG01 and their combinations as supplementation on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activities and serum non-specific immunity of hybrid grouper ( Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂× E. fuscoguttatus ♀) were assessed. Seven different diets, that is one control diet (basal feed without any probiotics, CT) and six treatment diets containing single B. cereus (Bs), L. acidophilus (Ls) and C. butyricum (Cs) at 1.0 × 109 cfu/kg feed, and also their combinations in equal proportion at 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 × 109 cfu/kg feed (BLC1, BLC2 and BLC3) were prepared respectively. After 60-day feeding trial, the final weight, specific growth rate,food consumption, food conversion efficiency and apparent digestibility coefficient of fish in Ls and BLC3 were significantly higher compared with the control ( p < .05). The activities of pepsin and trypsin in the intestine of fish for Ls and BLC3 were significantly higher relative to the control ( p < .05). Relative to controls, significantly enhanced amylase and lipase activities in proximal intestine except for Cs and BLC1 and lipase activities in distal intestine except for Cs were observed ( p < .05). Meanwhile, activities of superoxide dismutase in the serum of fish for all treatments, lysozyme and catalase in Ls and BLC3, and glutathione peroxidase except for Cs were significantly enhanced ( p < .05). Based on the above, dietary supplementation of single L. acidophilus at 1.0 × 109 cfu/kg or combination of three strains at 3.0 × 109 cfu/kg for hybrid grouper is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]