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Background. Bone loss is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic bone disease in patients newly diagnosed with IBD and to identify the risk factors for bone loss over time. Methods. We performed a retrospective, both cross-sectional and longitudinal, study to extract the risk factors of bone loss (including osteopenia and osteoporosis) in patients newly diagnosed with IBD, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Results. A total of 639 patients newly diagnosed with IBD that had at least one DXA were included in the cross-sectional study. Osteopenia and osteoporosis were diagnosed in 24.6% and 5.4% of patients, respectively. Age at diagnosis, body mass index, and serum phosphorus were identified as independent factors associated with bone loss at baseline. A total of 380 of the 639 IBD patients (including 212 CD patients and 168 UC patients) with at least a second DXA scan were included in the longitudinal study. 42.6% of the patients presented a worsening of bone loss in the follow-up study. Menopause, albumin, and use of corticosteroids were identified as independent factors associated with worsening of bone loss. Conclusions. Metabolic bone disease is common in IBD patients, and there is a significant increase in prevalence of bone loss over time. Postmenopausal female, malnourished patients, and those requiring corticosteroid treatment are at risk for persistent bone loss. Therefore, BMD measurements and early intervention with supplementation of calcium and vitamin D are recommended in IBD patients with high-risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To establish a machine learning model for identifying patients coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through two sexual transmission routes in Jiangsu, China. Methods. A total of 14197 HIV cases transmitted by homosexual and heterosexual routes were recruited. After data processing, 12469 cases (HIV and HBV, 1033; HIV, 11436) were left for further analysis, including 7849 cases with homosexual transmission and 4620 cases with heterosexual transmission. Univariate logistic regression was used to select variables with significant P value and odds ratio for multivariable analysis. In homosexual transmission and heterosexual transmission groups, 10 and 6 variables were selected, respectively. For identifying HIV individuals coinfected with HBV, a machine learning model was constructed with four algorithms, including Decision Tree, Random Forest, AdaBoost with decision tree (AdaBoost), and extreme gradient boosting decision tree (XGBoost). The detective value of each variable was calculated using the optimal machine learning algorithm. Results. AdaBoost algorithm showed the highest efficiency in both transmission groups (homosexual transmission group: accuracy = 0.928 , precision = 0.915 , recall = 0.944 , F − 1 = 0.930 , and AUC = 0.96 ; heterosexual transmission group: accuracy = 0.892 , precision = 0.881 , recall = 0.905 , F − 1 = 0.893 , and AUC = 0.98). Calculated by AdaBoost algorithm, the detective value of PLA was the highest in homosexual transmission group, followed by CR, AST, HB, ALT, TBIL, leucocyte, age, marital status, and treatment condition; in the heterosexual transmission group, the detective value of PLA was the highest (consistent with the condition in the homosexual group), followed by ALT, AST, TBIL, leucocyte, and symptom severity. Conclusions. The univariate logistics regression combined with the AdaBoost algorithm could accurately screen the risk factors of HBV in HIV coinfection without invasive testing. Further studies are needed to evaluate the utility and feasibility of this model in various settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of the human genome sequence and the resulting ~20,000 genes provide a crucial framework for a transition from traditional biology to an integrative “OMICs” arena (Lander et al., 2001; Venter et al., 2001; Kitano, 2002). This brings in a revolution for cancer research, which now enters a big data era. In the past decade, with the facilitation by next-generation sequencing, there have been a huge number of large-scale sequencing efforts, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the HapMap, and the 1000 genomes project. As a result, a deluge of genomic information becomes available from patients stricken by a variety of cancer types. The list of cancer-associated genes is ever expanding. New discoveries are made on how frequent and highly penetrant mutations, such as those in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and TP53, function in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. Most genes with relatively frequent but weakly penetrant cancer mutations still remain to be characterized. In addition, genes that harbor rare but highly penetrant cancer-associated mutations continue to emerge. Here, we review recent advances related to cancer genomics, proteomics, and systems biology and suggest new perspectives in targeted therapy and precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Guilu Erxian Jiao (GEJ) is a widely used Chinese herbal remedy for knee osteoarthritis, but its clinical efficacy is unknown. Methods. We enrolled 42 elderly male patients with knee OA, including 21 patients who received the herbal drug GEJ as the case group and 21 patients who did not receive GEJ as the control group. The effects of 12 weeks of GEJ treatment on muscle strength of lower limbs were measured by a Biodex dynamometer, with disability evaluated on the Lequesne index and articular pain measured on the visual analog scale (VAS) between the two groups on the baseline and after treatment. Results. There were significant increases in the levels of muscle strength of TQ/BW-ext-dominant and TQ/BW-flex-dominant between the two groups after treatment (P < 0.05). There were also significant increases in muscle strength of knee extensor muscles in the GEJ-treated group (n = 21) self-controlled before and after 12 weeks of treatment (all P < 0.01). There were significant decreases in articular pain (P < 0.01) and Lequesne index scores (P < 0.01) in the GEJ-treated group when compared to the non-GEJ-treated group. Conclusions. Our results showed that GEJ is effective and is tolerated well in elderly men with knee OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical application of cisplatin is limited by its adverse events, of which nephrotoxicity is the most commonly observed. In a cisplatin-induced pathological response, oxidative stress is one of the upstream reactions which inflicts different degrees of damages to the intracellular material components. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are also one of the early signaling molecules that subsequently undergo a series of pathological reactions, such as apoptosis and necrosis. This review summarizes the mechanism of intracellular ROS generation induced by cisplatin, mainly from the consumption of endogenous antioxidants, destruction of antioxidant enzymes, induction of mitochondrial crosstalk between the endoplasmic reticulum by ROS and Ca2+, and destruction of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system in the endoplasmic reticulum, all of which result in excessive accumulation of intracellular ROS and oxidative stress. In addition, studies demonstrated that natural antioxidants can protect against the cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, by reducing or even eliminating excess free radicals and also affecting other nonredox pathways. Therefore, this review on the one hand provides theoretical support for the research and clinical application of natural antioxidants and on the other hand provides a new entry point for the detailed mechanism of cisplatin nephrotoxicity, which may lay a solid foundation for the future clinical use of cisplatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is a zoonotic and contagious infectious disease caused by Brucella spp, which causes substantial economic losses to animal husbandry and leads to severe public health problems. Brucella have evolved multiple strategies to escape host immunity and survive within host cells. Elucidating the immune evasion strategies during Brucella infection will facilitate the control of brucellosis. The host enzyme, heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), is a multifunctional protein that functions during inflammatory diseases and microbial infections. However, how HO‐1 functions during Brucella infection is rarely studied. In this study, we evaluated the role of HO‐1 during Brucella infection. We found that Brucella infection induced HO‐1 expression in macrophages. We further showed that HO‐1 was regulated by PI3K, AMPK kinase, and nuclear erythroid‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) in macrophages. Interestingly, knocking out HO‐1 or inhibiting the activity of HO‐1 significantly decreased Brucella intracellular growth. Inducing the expression of HO‐1 by treatment with CoPP promoted Brucella intracellular growth. Mechanistic analyses indicated that the effect of HO‐1 was not meditated by HO‐1 metabolites, but by decreasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), TNF‐α, and IL‐1β. Moreover, Brucella induced HO‐1 expression in bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) and mice. When the expression of HO‐1 was knocked down in BMDMs, the intracellular survival of Brucella was reduced. Furthermore, the induction of HO‐1 by CoPP significantly increased bacterial loads in vivo. Thus, we demonstrated that Brucella induced HO‐1 expression to promote its survival and growth in vitro and in vivo. This study also identified HO‐1 as a novel innate immune evasion factor during Brucella infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the accuracy of bolt positioning for industrial robots, this paper studies the bolt positioning system of industrial robots combined with multieye vision technology. This paper introduces three reconstruction algorithms ART, SIRT, and SART from the perspective of theory and implementation. Moreover, the projection matrix calculated with 0, 1 weighting, length weighting, and linear interpolation weighting is used for three reconstruction algorithms to carry out reconstruction experiments. In addition, this paper combines the actual working conditions of bolt positioning to construct the system of this paper and conducts system simulation research combined with the working conditions of the robot. The research shows that the bolt positioning system based on the multieye vision industrial robot proposed in this paper has a good performance in bolt positioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Hypoxia plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer, but the effect of hypoxia-related genes in pancreatic cancer remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to identify hypoxia-related genes related to pancreatic cancer and construct a prognostic signature. Methods. Pancreatic cancer datasets were retrieved from TCGA database. Cox regression analyses were used to identify hypoxia-related genes and construct a prognostic signature. Datasets from International Cancer Genome Consortium and GEO databases were used as validated cohorts. The CIBERSORT method was applied to estimate the fractions of immune cell types. DNA methylation and protein levels of the genes in pancreatic cancer were examined. Results. Three hypoxia-related genes (TES, LDHA, and ANXA2) were identified as associated with patient survival and selected to construct a prognostic signature. Patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups based on the signature. Those in the high-risk group showed worse survival than those in the low-risk group. The signature was shown to be involved in the HIF-1 signaling pathway. The time-dependent ROC analyses of three independent validated cohorts further revealed that this signature had a better prognostic value in the prediction of the survival of pancreatic cancer patients. Immune cells analysis for three datasets demonstrated that high-risk signature was significantly associated with macrophages and T cells. DNA methylation and protein levels of the three genes validated their aberrant expression in pancreatic cancer. Conclusions. Our research provided a novel and reliable prognostic signature that composes of three hypoxia-related genes to estimate the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) influences individual health worldwide with high morbidity and mortality. Melatonin, which shows multiple physiological functions (e.g., circadian rhythm, immune modulation, and antioncogenic action), can be present in almost all organisms and found in various tissues including gastrointestinal tract. Notably, melatonin disruption is closely associated with the elevation of CRC incidence, indicating that melatonin is effective in suppressing CRC development and progression. Mechanistically, melatonin favors in activating apoptosis and colon cancer immunity, while reducing proliferation, autophagy, metastasis, and angiogenesis, thereby exerting its anticarcinogenic effects. This review highlights that melatonin can be an adjuvant therapy and be beneficial in treating patients suffering from CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the effects of Gegen Dingxuan capsule on behavior, X-ray signs of the cervical spine, and levels of norepinephrine (NE), nitric oxide (NO), endothelin (ET-1), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the plasma of a rat model of cervical vertigo and additionally to clarify the underlying mechanisms of action. Method. A total of 40 male SPF Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to blank control, model, Sibelium, and Gegen Dingxuan capsule groups, with 10 rats in each group. A rat model of cervical vertigo was produced by physically damaging the cervical spine, thereby perturbing its stability. After cervical spine surgery, rats in the Sibelium and Gegen Dingxuan capsule groups were administered Sibelium and Gegen Dingxuan capsule, respectively. After 4 and 8 weeks of administration, balance beam test was used to assess behavior, lateral X-ray images of the cervical spine were taken and scored, and the plasma levels of NE, NO, ET-1, and CGRP were measured. Results. After 4 and 8 weeks of drug administration, the balance beam test scores in the Gegen Dingxuan capsule group were significantly higher than those in the Sibelium group. The radiographic scores were significantly lower in the Gegen Dingxuan capsule group than those in the Sibelium group at 8 weeks. Plasma NE, NO, ET-1 levels, and ET-1/CGRP ratio were significantly decreased in the Gegen Dingxuan capsule group compared with the model group. No significant difference was found between the Sibelium and Gegen Dingxuan capsule groups. Plasma CGRP levels were significantly increased in the Gegen Dingxuan capsule group compared with the model group and were significantly decreased compared with the Sibelium group. Conclusions. Gegen Dingxuan capsule improves behavior, radiographic scores, reduces plasma levels of NE, NO, ET-1, and the ET-1/CGRP ratio, and increases plasma CGRP levels. Gegen Dingxuan capsule may improve outcome in the rat model of cervical vertigo by ameliorating cervical facet joint disorder, relieving cervical muscle spasm and vasospasm, increasing blood supply, and regulating humoral factor levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chailong Jieyu Pill (CJP) is composed of Radix Bupleuri, Radix Scutellariae, Rhizoma Pinelliae Preparata, Radix Codonopsis, Radix Glycyrrhizae preparata, keel, Concha Ostreae, Concha Margaritifera Usta, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, and Fructus Jujubae. CJP has shown good clinical effects on improving anxiety disorders. However, as the mechanism underlying such benefits remains unclear, the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action for CJP on anxiety-related behaviors in a rat model of anxiety disorder. After establishing a rat model of anxiety disorder using uncertain empty bottle stimulation, rats were divided into control, model, citalopram, low-dose CJP, and high-dose CJP groups. After 1 month of administration, effects of treatments on rat appearance, body weight, and open-field test scores were observed. In addition, hippocampal monoamine neurotransmitter (5-hydroxytryptamine, dopamine, and norepinephrine) contents were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and mRNA expression of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) were measured with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. CJP increased rat weight, and this effect was increased in the high-dose CJP group compared with the citalopram group (P < 0.05). CJP also elevated open-field test scores compared with the citalopram group (P < 0.05). While CJP decreased monoamine neurotransmitter contents in rat hippocampus, the regulatory effect of CJP on 5-hydroxytryptamine was reduced compared with citalopram (P < 0.01). CJP upregulated GR mRNA expression in both low-dose (P < 0.05) and high-dose (P < 0.01) CJP groups, but only the latter significantly downregulated MR mRNA expression and showed enhanced effects compared with citalopram (P < 0.05). Thus, CJP likely exerted its significant antianxiety effect by diminishing monoamine neurotransmitters and regulating mRNA expression of MR and GR in the hippocampus of our rat model of anxiety disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim of the Study The risk factors associated with death in complicated Stanford B acute aortic dissection (AAD) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the early and late events and mortality of complicated Stanford B AAD associated with TEVAR. Methods Sixty-two patients with complicated Stanford B AAD undergoing TEVAR were included in this study. Results Primary technical success of TEVAR was achieved in 61 (98.39%) cases. The early mortality rate was 9.68%. Procedural type I endoleak (p = 0.007, OR = 7.71, 95% CI: 1.75-34.01) and cardiac tamponade (p = 0.010, OR = 8.86, 95% CI: 1.70-4 6.14) were the significant predictors of early death in the multivariate model. The late mortality was 16.07%. Cox regression analysis revealed rupture of false lumen (p = 0.001, hazard ratio = 21.96, 95% CI: 3.02-82.12), postoperative myocardial infarction (p = 0.001, hazard ratio = 9.86, 95% CI: 2.12-39.64), and acute renal failure (p = 0.024, hazard ratio = 3.98, 95% CI: 1.26-12.11) to be independent risk factors of late mortality. Conclusions Type I procedural endoleak and cardiac tamponade were the significant predictors of early death in patients of complicated Stanford B AAD undergoing TEVAR. Rupture of false lumen, postoperative myocardial infarction, and acute renal failure were the independent risk factors for late death after TEVAR. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12377 (J Card Surg 2014;29:501-506) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) poses a serious threat to global public health and economics. Serial interval (SI), time between the onset of symptoms of a primary case and a secondary case, is a key epidemiological parameter. We estimated SI of COVID‐19 in Shenzhen, China based on 27 records of transmission chains. We adopted three parametric models: Weibull, lognormal and gamma distributions, and an interval‐censored likelihood framework. The three models were compared using the corrected Akaike information criterion (AICc). We also fitted the epidemic curve of COVID‐19 to the logistic growth model to estimate the reproduction number. Using a Weibull distribution, we estimated the mean SI to be 5.9 days (95% CI: 3.9–9.6) with a standard deviation (SD) of 4.8 days (95% CI: 3.1–10.1). Using a logistic growth model, we estimated the basic reproduction number in Shenzhen to be 2.6 (95% CI: 2.4–2.8). The SI of COVID‐19 is relatively shorter than that of SARS and MERS, the other two betacoronavirus diseases, which suggests the iteration of the transmission may be rapid. Thus, it is crucial to isolate close contacts promptly to effectively control the spread of COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishponds are artificial yet dynamic environments. Microbes play a vital role in the conversion and metabolism of organic matter in aquaculture environments such as fishponds. Changes in bacterial community composition in three fishponds over a 5‐month period were investigated by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene through Illumina Miseq. A total of 2,195,879 sequences and 9,975 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained. Further analysis showed that the dominant phyla in three ponds were similar, including Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. A comprehensive analysis of the diversity, redundancy analysis (RDA) and partial redundancy analysis (pRDA) showed a spatial‐temporal structural pattern in the bacterial communities. The bacterial community composition in the three fishponds was shaped more by spatial variation than by temporal variation. The effect of pond isolation was emphasized by the significant differences observed in the three fishponds. However, the temporal succession of bacterial communities in each pond exhibited a similar trend. Correlation analysis and RDA also indicated that temporal variation was significantly associated with TOC, TN and NO2−. This study would improve our understanding of the assembly mechanisms of a microbial structure in artificial pond ecosystems, and provide useful information for fishpond management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease worldwide, caused by Brucella spp., which are facultative intracellular bacteria with no classic virulence factors, as virulence is dependent on the ability to invade and replicate within host cells. In this study, we identified a novel gene bab_RS22045 that encodes a small highly conserved protein in Rhizobiales. To investigate the role of this gene, a deletion mutant and complement strain were constructed. Virulence testing showed that bab_RS22045 is necessary for Brucella virulence, and was designated as virulence‐related hypothetical protein, VhpA. The results of a cell infection experiment showed that vhpA was not associated with Brucella adherence to and invasion of HeLa cells, or further intracellular survival within RAW264.7 cells. The results of sensitivity testing showed the vhpA mutant had similar sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, polymyxin B, and sodium nitroprusside as the wild‐type (WT) strain. Interestingly, RNA‐seq analysis showed that deletion of the vhpA gene affected the expression patterns of multiple Brucella genes, and the main four up‐regulated genes and five down‐regulated genes were further confirmed using quantitative real‐time PCR analysis. Subsequently, a series of over‐expression strains were constructed, and virulence testing showed that over‐expression of four up‐regulated genes (bab_RS17930, bab_RS17925, bab_RS26460, and bab_RS30050) significantly reduced virulence of the WT strain, and over‐expression of bab_RS18680 in the vhpA mutant partially restored virulence, suggesting that vhpA plays an important role in Brucella virulence by changing the expression patterns of multiple genes. Additionally, heterogeneous complementary analysis showed that the homologous vhpA genes of Sinorhizobium meliloti and Agrobacterium tumefaciens could not restore virulence of the vhpA mutant, although VhpA is a highly conserved protein in Rhizobiales. Overall, a novel, small, hypothetical gene was identified that is associated with B. abortus virulence, which highlights the roles of small encoding genes in Brucella virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been increasingly employed during therapy for breast cancer, but its efficacy remains a matter of debate. This systematic review examined randomized controlled trials to provide a critical evaluation of this treatment. The results demonstrated that the combined use of CHM with chemotherapy may improve the immediate tumor response and reduce chemotherapy-associated adverse events. Our findings highlight the poor quality of Chinese studies, and additional well-designed randomized controlled trials addressing the role of CHM are warranted. The lack of molecular-based evidence for CHM and Zheng has resulted in a limited understanding and acceptance of CHM and traditional Chinese medicine in Western countries. We believe that researchers should immediately explore a CHM-based cure, and CHM should be applied to routine care as soon as conclusive data are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]