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Patients' medication adherence plays a critical role in the treatment and rehabilitation of disease. However, few tools are currently available that can be used to identify the reasons for their nonadherence with their medication regimens. It is possible to evaluate both the level of medication adherence of a patient as well as the reasons for it using the Adherence to Asthma Medication Questionnaire (AAMQ). The purpose of this study was to adapt the AAMQ for use in Chinese patients and a variety of asthma patients. A total of 242 asthma patients were recruited from Jinzhou in China. The Adherence to Asthma Medication Questionnaire was translated and back-translated using the Brislin translation model. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and stability all play a large role in determining the reliability of a scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the scale's construct validity, and expert consultation was used to verify the scale's content validity. Statistics were deemed significant at p < 0.05. The Cronbach's α value of the Chinese version of the AAMQ was 0.866, and the coefficient values for the three domains ranged between 0.702 and 0.798. The split-half reliability and stability values were 0.794 and 0.772, respectively. The content validity index of the scale (S-CVI) was 0.923, and the content validity index of the level of scale entry was 0.857–1.000. According to the confirmatory factor analysis, the chi-square degreed of freedom were 1.484, and the model fitting indices were all within normal limits. The AAMQ had good reliability and validity for asthmatic patients. The results of the scale's assessment can be used as a criterion for medication adherence among asthmatic patients and to understand the causes. This study provides a reference for solving the problem of medication adherence among asthma patients and implementing targeted nursing measures. Gratitude is extended to all individuals collaborating in completing the survey and to the author. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optic neuritis (ON), a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, is often a precursor manifestation of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) or multiple sclerosis (MS). Reduced corneal nerve fiber counts have been found in patients with NMOSD or MS. This study aimed to observe and compare the corneal subbasal nerve plexus in patients with three types of ON and controls without ON using in vivo corneal confocal microscopy (IVCM). Data were analyzed for 77 eyes of 48 patients with ON, grouped according to seropositivity for anti-aquaporin-4 IgG, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody, or no seropositivity, and 35 healthy eyes in the control group. Corneal parameters were quantified based on IVCM images. Visual function indicators were recorded, following which their correlations with IVCM parameters were analyzed. Significant differences in IVCM parameters were detected among the different groups. Reductions in corneal nerve fiber counts were negatively correlated with visual acuity. Corneal nerve fibers were significantly more damaged in the affected eye than in the unaffected eye in patients with ON. IVCM revealed corneal nerve fiber loss of varying degrees, depending on the type of ON. This indicates that, although ON primarily affects the central nervous system, peripheral nerves, such as the trigeminal nerve, which innervates the corneal subbasal nerve plexus may also be damaged in affected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichoderma spp. are globally distributed and are considered significant fungal resources. This study presents the discovery of 11 new species of Trichoderma: T. caeruleum, T. gongcheniae, T. graminicola, T. graminis, T. hongkuii, T. parapeberdyi, T. neoguizhouense, T. neohongkuii, T. parahamatum, T. parahongkuii, and T. shaanxiensis. All of these new species were isolated from soils, except for T. caeruleum, T. graminicola, T. graminis, and T. neohongkuii, which were found as endophytes in Poaceae plants. The phylogenetic position of these novel species was determined by analysing the concatenated sequences of the second largest nuclear RNA polymerase subunit encoding gene (rpb2) and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha encoding gene (tef1). The results of the phylogenetic analysis revealed that each new species formed a distinct lineage: T. gongcheniae, T. graminicola, T. graminis, T. neoguizhouense, T. parapeberdyi, and T. shaanxiensis belong to the Harzianum Clade, T. hongkuii, T. parahongkuii, and T. neohongkuii are new members of the Koningii Clade, T. parahamatum belongs to the Hamatum Clade, and T. caeruleum does not fall within any of the named clades. The study also provided a detailed description of the morphology and cultural characteristics of the newly discovered Trichoderma species. The discovery contributes to the advancement of knowledge about Trichoderma species resources in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Printed circuit heat exchanger has been recognized as a perspective mini-channel heat exchanger. Semi-circular cross-section is designed here due to the special manufacture technology. However, there is a lack of related investigations on condensation process in mini-channels with semi-circular cross-section. In this paper, corresponding three-dimensional numerical simulations are presented. The horizontal straight channels with radius of 1 mm and 1.222 mm, and length of 250 mm are considered as the geometric models. Constant mass flux (317 kg/m2 s) and wall temperature (310 K) are applied as the boundary conditions. Heat transfer and flow characteristics are conducted by comparing to that in common circular channel with identical wetted perimeter. The effect of placing direction and surface wettability are present as well. The results show that the liquid film in the semi-circular channel is more uneven compared to that in the circular channel. The liquid is accumulated in corners because of surface tension, and this brings worse heat transfer to the semi-circular channel further. Besides, the placing direction has little influence on heat transfer with the variation range of heat transfer coefficient within 4% in the present conditions. The influence of surface wettability can be neglected for the larger tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles (30–160 nm diameter) with lipid bilayer membrane secrete by various cells that mediate the communication between cells and tissue, which contain a variety of non-coding RNAs, mRNAs, proteins, lipids and other functional substances. Adipose tissue is important energy storage and endocrine organ in the organism. Recent studies have revealed that adipose tissue-derived exosomes (AT-Exosomes) play a critical role in many physiologically and pathologically functions. Physiologically, AT-Exosomes could regulate the metabolic homoeostasis of various organs or cells including liver and skeletal muscle. Pathologically, they could be used in the treatment of disease and or that they may be involved in the progression of the disease. In this review, we describe the basic principles and methods of exosomes isolation and identification, as well as further summary the specific methods. Moreover, we categorize the relevant studies of AT-Exosomes and summarize the different components and biological functions of mammalian exosomes. Most importantly, we elaborate AT-Exosomes crosstalk within adipose tissue and their functions on other tissues or organs from the physiological and pathological perspective. Based on the above analysis, we discuss what remains to be discovered problems in AT-Exosomes studies and prospect their directions needed to be further explored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational studies have suggested inconsistent results between maternal seafood consumption and the risk of adverse birth outcomes. We aimed to explore the possible dose-response relationship between seafood consumption during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. A systematic search was performed with the use of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library from inception to October 27, 2019. Random-effects model was used to estimate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Dose-response meta-analysis was carried out by using generalized least-squares regression and restricted cubic splines. Twenty-one studies with a total of 571641 participants were included in the analyses. A 45 g/day increment in seafood consumption was associated with a reduced risk of low birth weight (LBW) (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.90) and small for gestational age (SGA) (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.71 to 0.98). Additionally, there was a non-linear dose-response relationship between maternal seafood consumption and the risk of preterm birth (PTB), with no further benefit observed when intake above 45 g/day. The results for subtypes of seafood showed a modest J-shaped association between fatty fish and PTB, and the lowest risk was observed with the consumption of 30 g/day. In conclusion, higher total seafood consumption during pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of adverse birth outcomes, but the consumption of fatty fish should not exceed 30 grams per day. These findings could provide substantial evidence for dietary recommendations regarding seafood intake for pregnant women. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020152912). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a kind of polymer stabilised liquid crystal (PSLC) devices, the scattering-type polymer-stabilised cholesteric liquid crystal (PSCLC) devices can be switched between the transparent state and the scattering state, which has huge application potential in the fields of smart windows, light valves, light modulators and others. The effect of polymer network texture on the electro-optical properties of PSLC. The monomers used in traditional polymer-stabilised cholesteric liquid crystals are usually bi-functional liquid crystal structure monomers. The operating voltage is high, and the hysteresis effect is also large. In this article, the mono-functional polymer monomer is added in reverse-mode polymer stabilised cholesteric liquid crystals (RPSCLC), it is found that when the weight content of the mono-functional monomer is close to that of bi-functional monomer, the large drop of the operating voltage is realised and the contrast ratio effect is increased, and the hysteresis effect can be greatly reduced. Combined with the morphology of the polymer network, the physical mechanism of the influence of mono-functional monomers on the electro-optic properties of PSCLC is revealed. The sample has the simple manufacturing process, uniform size of polymer network, low operating voltage, low hysteresis effect and high contrast ratio. The results will provide the important influence on the research of PSLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density functional theory (DFT) calculation has been performed to investigate the C5N4H10XeH2 molecule and Xe-containing polymer CH2Y(XeY)nCH2 (Y = C4N4H8, n = 1∼6). The topological properties at the bond critical point and the electron localisation function analysis show that the Xe-N bond in C5N4H10XeH2 is covalent. Two dissociation channels have been predicted to investigate the stability of C5N4H10XeH2, in which the products of the two-body dissociation channel are Xe and C5N4H12, and the energy barrier is 5.2 kcal mol−1. We also study the CH2Y(XeY)nCH2 polymer, in which Xe is on the one dimensional extension chain. Besides, two one-dimensional chains joined together by Xe associatione, further form two-dimensional network structures. And two network structures with Xe as the skeleton have been optimised by DFT calculation, each of which contains multiple Xe atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the dynamic output-based event-triggered strategy design for linear systems subject to input saturation. The dynamic event-triggered control reduces the communication burden, and a minimum inter-event time is explicitly provided to exclude Zeno behaviour. A dynamic linear anti-windup augmentation is presented to deal with the input saturation. For the given anti-windup compensator, a criterion is formulated to achieve practical stability with finite L 2 gain. Moreover, an algorithm with projection lemma is proposed to design the anti-windup augmentation when it is unknown. For two special cases, i.e. the anti-windup compensator is static or of the plant-order, the feasibility conditions become convex. Simulations are given to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in people with gout, and investigate the relationship between gout and the occurrence of DM. Systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. Data sources: MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE and CINAHL databases, hand-searched reference lists, citation history and contact with authors. Eligibility criteria: cohort, case–control or cross-sectional studies which examined the occurrence of DM amongst adults with gout (with or without gout group) in primary care or general population samples. Prevalence and risk estimate meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model. A total of 23 identified studies matched the inclusion criteria, reporting on a total of 575 284 gout patients. Meta-analyses revealed that the prevalence of DM in gout patients was 16% (95% CI, 14–18%, I2 = 99.8%) according to clinical interviews. In the subgroup analysis, the prevalence of DM was higher in the female population (18%, 95%CI 2.7–33.3%) than the male population (12.6%, 95%CI 8.2–17.1%). As age increased, the incidence of diabetes in gout population increased. DM is commonly found among patients with gout. Patients with gout should be actively screened for DM and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design and fabrication of structurally optimized microwave absorbing materials are important for eliminating electromagnetic (EM) pollution. Herein, we reported the novel highly regulated core/shell bamboo-like polypyrrole (PPy) nanofibers/Fe3O4 hybrids as the efficient microwave absorbing materials. Typically, the target hybrid materials were prepared by a two-step method, including synthesis of bamboo-like PPy nanofibers using vapor polymerization of PPy on tubular vanadium pentoxide templates and coprecipitation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the surface of bamboo-like PPy nanofibers. Owing to good impedance matching and hierarchical structure, as-prepared core/shell bamboo-like PPy nanofibers/Fe3O4 hybrids exhibit superior microwave absorption and broad absorption bandwidths compared with conventional PPy/Fe3O4 composites. The lowest reflection loss of core/shell bamboo-like PPy nanofibers/Fe3O4 hybrid is calculated to be −41.6 dB at 10.0 GHz with the thickness of 2.5 mm. Furthermore, the absorption bandwidths exceeding −10 dB are more than 8.0 GHz with thickness of 2.0–3.5 mm. Therefore, this work provides an efficient way to obtain high-performance microwave absorber with lightweight, strong absorption and wide absorption bandwidths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify the impact of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains compared with the results of healthy controls by systematically reviewing the literature. A systematic literature search was performed on MEDLINE, Web of Science and EMBASE until April, 2018 to obtain eligible studies reporting mean and standard deviation scores for each domain of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) in SLE patients and healthy controls. Random effect model was performed to summarize the scores of each domain. The forest plot was used to compare the scores of SLE patients with healthy controls. Review Manager (version 5.3) was adopted in the meta-analysis. In all, 13 studies were included in the work, including 1279 SLE patients and 1466 healthy controls. Compared with controls, patients with SLE had lower scores in all SF-36 dimensions (physical function, physical role function, body pain, general health, vitality, social function, emotional role function, mental health), especially in the physical role function. SLE does impair HRQoL to varying degrees. It is indispensable to measure and assess HRQoL of SLE patients regularly, which contributes to formulate targeted interventions appropriately and provide effective ways of management of the disease positively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the problem of relative predictability of failure event occurrences is investigated. The notion of relative predictability is proposed for logical automata and the concept of predictable rate is introduced to characterise the predictability property of a discrete-event system, which takes values in the interval [0, 1]. Intuitively, a discrete-event system being relatively predictable means that there exist some failure events which can be predicted from the observations of the system. The relationship between relative predictability and predictability introduced by Sahika Genc et al. analysed and the analysis shows that relative predictability is weaker than predictability for discrete-event systems. Furthermore, a necessary and sufficient condition for relative predictability is presented. In particular, an opacity-based algorithm is developed to test the relative predictability, which is polynomial in the number of states of the system. Also, some examples are provided to illustrate the presented results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russula is a worldwid genus which has a high species diversity. Aiming accurate and rapid species identification, candidate genes nLSU (28S), ITS, tef-1α, mtSSU, rpb1, and rpb2, were analysed as potential DNA barcodes. This analysis included 433 sequences from 38 well-circumscribed Russula species of eight subgenera. Two vital standards were analysed for success species identification using DNA barcodes, specifically inter- and intra-specific variations together with the success rates of PCR amplification and sequencing. Although the gap between inter- and intra-specific variations was narrow, ITS met the qualification standards for a target DNA barcode. Overlapping inter- and intra-specific pairwise distances were observed in nLSU, tef-1α, mtSSU, and rpb2. The success rates of PCR amplification and sequencing in mtSSU and rpb1 were lower than those of others. Gene combinations were also investigated for resolution of species recognition. ITS-rpb2 was suggested as the likely target DNA barcode for Russula, owing to the two viatal standards above. Since nLSU has the lowest minimum of inter-specific variation, and tef-1α has the highest overlap between intra- and inter-species variations among the candidate genes, they are disqualified from the selection for DNA barcode of Russula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has had a large gender gap in labor force participation, sectors of employment, and earnings. This study shows that disadvantages in the labor market for women are the primary drivers of the gender pension gap. Among people age 60 and older, women receive about half of the amount of men's social pensions. Using the 2013 wave of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and the CHARLS Life History Survey of 2014, this contribution has three main findings. First, about three-quarters of the deficit in women's pensions is explained by women's lower likelihood of receiving occupational pensions, and one-third is due to smaller benefits when they do receive them. Second, the gender deficit in receiving an occupational pension can be explained by education level and employment sector. Third, among pension recipients, nearly one-third of the gender benefit gap is explained by women's fewer years of employment and lower salaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scattering dynamics of a water molecule in collision with proton is studied based on a time-dependent density functional theory and coupled with the molecular dynamics method, in which the electrons are described by quantum mechanics and the nuclei are described by classical mechanics. Four different incident directions at 46 eV are chosen in order to investigate the orientations effect, and the energy-dependent effect in low energy region is explored under impact energies 27, 36 and 46 eV. Reaction channels, scattering angles and energy loss of protons are calculated. The differences between those characteristics are unobvious in large impact parameters, which are irrespective of the incident orientations due to weak projectile-target interaction. In small impact parameters, the results strongly depend on the collision energy and orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrification represents one of the key steps in the global nitrogen cycle. While originally considered an exclusive metabolic capability of bacteria, the identification of the Thaumarchaeota revealed that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are also important contributors to this process, particularly in acidic environments. Nonetheless, the relative contribution of AOA to global nitrification remains difficult to ascertain, particularly in underexplored neutrophilic and alkalinophilic terrestrial systems. In this study we examined the contribution of AOA to nitrification within alkaline (pH 8.3–8.7) cave environments using quantitative PCR, crenarchaeol lipid identification and measurement of potential nitrification rates. Our results showed that AOA outnumber ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) by up to four orders of magnitude in cave sediments. The dominance of Thaumarchaeota in the archaeal communities was confirmed by both archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone library and membrane lipid analyses, while potential nitrification rates suggest that Thaumarchaeota may contribute up to 100% of ammonia oxidation in these sediments. Phylogenetic analysis of ThaumarchaeotaamoAgene sequences demonstrated similarity toamoAclones across a range of terrestrial habitats, including acidic ecosystems. These data suggest that despite the alkaline conditions within the cave, the low NH3concentrations measured continue to favor growth of AOA over AOB populations. In addition to providing important information regarding niche differentiation within Thaumarchaeota, these data may provide important clues as to the factors that have historically led to nitrate accumulation within cave sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Response surface methodology was used to optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction conditions for aflatoxin B1 in peanuts. Box–Behnken center composite optimization was performed with factors including the ratio of sample to extractant, sonication time, and sonication temperature. Response surface methodology was used with three factors and three levels to determine the prime factors on the extraction of aflatoxin B1. High-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector was used for the determination of aflatoxin B1. The optimum conditions were 1 g peanuts to 86 mL extractant, a sonication time of 7 min, and a temperature of 73°C. The mean recoveries in fortified peanuts were between 87.6 and 93.5% with an interday and intraday relative standard deviations below 10.6 and 9.8%, respectively. The developed method was accurate and precise for the determination of aflatoxin B1. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Wound care treatment is a serious issue faced by the medical staffs due to its variety and complexity. Wound dressings are typically used to manage the various types of wounds. In this study, polyurethane (PU) fibers containing mupirocin (Mu), a commonly used antibiotic in wound care, were fabricated via electrospinning technique. The aim of this study was to develop biomedical electrospun fiber scaffolds for preventing wound infections with good compatibility and to demonstrate their applications as anti-infective burn wound dressings. The surface morphology of fibers was obtained by scanning electron microscopy. FT-IR spectra, water vapor transmission rate, and drug release studyin vitrowere tested to demonstrate the fiber scaffold characteristic. The prepared PU/Mu composite scaffolds had satisfactory antibacterial activity especially againstStaphylococcus aureus. The cell studies revealed that the scaffolds were biocompatible and safe for cell attachment. Histological and immunohistochemical examinations were performed in rats, and the results indicated the histological analysis of tissue stained with H&E showed no obvious inflammation reaction. The results indicated that the electrospun scaffolds were capable of loading and delivering drugs, and could be potentially used as novel antibacterial burn wound dressings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously shown thatPortulaca oleraceaL. polysaccharide (POL-P3b) possesses the ability to inhibit cervical cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we explored how toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling correlated with the antitumor mechanism of POL-P3b. Western blotting was utilized to detect the expression of TLR4 and the downstream signaling pathway. The level of inflammatory mediator was quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The effects of POL-P3b on the proliferation and apoptosis in HeLa cells were determined by WST-8 assay and Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide (PI) assay. Our results demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding to TLR4 on tumor cells could enhance HeLa cell proliferation and increase the expression of TLR4 and the downstream molecules. Treating HeLa cells with POL-P3b could decrease the proliferation of HeLa cells, and upregulate Bax level and downregulate Bcl-2 level in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, POL-P3b inhibited the protein expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) subunit P65 in HeLa cells. Furthermore, POL-P3b also reduced the production of cytokine/chemokine. Taken together, the present work suggested the antitumor mechanism of POL-P3b by downregulating TLR4 downstream signaling pathway and inducing cell apoptosis. Our results may provide direct evidence to suggest that POL-P3b should be considered as a potent nutrient supplement for oncotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Conclusion: HDAC1 may be a prognostic biomarker for LSCC malignant potency and a potent factor resulting in decreased sensitivity of LSCC in radiotherapy. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) over-expression and clinical features in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods: This study assessed the HDAC1 expressions in 90 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded LSCC samples, 30 adjacent non-neoplastic tissues, and 30 laryngeal polyp tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition, another 40 LSCC samples were collected that were divided into two groups after 3-month radiotherapy: the high radio-sensitive group (HRS) and low radio-sensitive group (LRS). Overall survival curves of all the LSCC patients were constructed by Kaplan–Meier method and long-rank test. Results: All ninety samples were positively immunostained for HDAC1. The expression of HDAC1 was up-regulated and significantly associated with T classification, lymph node metastases, tumor location and clinical stage. HDAC1 was mainly labeled in the epithelial cells of laryngeal polyp tissues and adjacent non-neoplastic tissues. In addition, the expression of HDAC1 was significantly higher in LRS than that in HRS. The positive rates for stage III-IV tumor were significantly higher than those for stage II. LSCC patients with HDAC1 over-expression and LRS presented a shorter 5-year overall survival rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portulaca oleracea L.is an annual plant widely distributed from the temperate to the tropical zones. POL-P3b, a polysaccharide fraction purified fromPortulaca oleracea L., is able to enhance immunity and inhibit tumor formation. Induction of antitumor immunity by dendritic-tumor fusion cells can be modulated by their activation status. Mature dendritic cells are significantly better than immature dendritic cells at cytotoxic T-lymphocyte induction. In this study, we analyzed the effects of POL-P3b on the maturation and function of murine bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and relevant mechanisms. The phenotypic maturation of DCs was confirmed by flow cytometry. We found that POL-P3b upregulated the expression of CD80, CD86, CD83, and major histocompatibility complex class II molecules on DCs, stimulated production of more interleukin (IL)-12, tumor necrosis factor-α, and less IL-10. Also, DCs pulsed POL-P3b and freeze-thaw antigen increased DCs-driven T cells' proliferation and promoted U14 cells' apoptosis. Furthermore, the expression of TLR-4 was significantly increased on DCs treated by POL-P3b. These results suggested that POL-P3b may induce DCs maturation through TLR-4. Taken together, our results may have important implications for the molecular mechanisms of immunopotentiation of POL-P3b, and provide direct evidence to suggest that POL-P3b should be considered as a potent adjuvant nutrient supplement for DC-based vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have investigated the formation and evolution of zinc oxalate particles in internal aqueous droplets and their effects of emulsion interface properties. The formation of particles follows an aggregation-controlled mechanism that depends on the size of droplets and surfactant. The size of droplets determines the final shape of the particles by affecting the supersaturation ratio to form rod-like and sheet-like particles. The surfactant adsorbed on the particles changes the wettability, leading to the aggregation of the primary particles at the internal water-oil interface. Moreover, the adsorption can cause a higher level of impurity and defects in as-synthesized particles. This effect could be directly employed to fabricate heterojunction rectifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of riparian land uses on water quality and macroinvertebrate communities were examined in three headwater streams of the Taizi River in northeastern China. Land uses of forest, grassland, farmland, and villages were evaluated within different widths of riparian corridors (length = 3 km upstream; width = 25, 50, 100, 200, and 500 m). Overall, the results revealed a significant trend for each stream linking a rela-tively low proportion of farmland in the riparian corridor with better water quality and healthier macroinvertebrate community. Cluster analysis confirmed significant varia-tion in the macroinvertebrate communities found among the three streams. Correlation analysis identified significant positive correlations between the proportion of farmland and metrics of water quality (conductivity, dissolved solids, and total nitrogen) at small (25-50 m) to medium (100-200 m) widths of riparian corridors. The sensitive taxa of stoneflies and functional feeding groups of scrapers and predators were good predictors of anthropogenic disturbance associated with the proportional extent of farmland and village land use across most of all riparian widths. In contrast, correla-tions between biodiversity indices and proportion of villages and between bioassess-ment indices and proportion of farmland were only significant at relatively small widths (25-50 m) of riparian corridors. The canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the proportions of forest (25 m), farmland (200 m), grassland (200 m), and village (100 m) showed independent effects on the spatial distribution of macroin-vertebrates in the Taizi River. The first two axes contributed 34.6% of the cumulative percent variance of species-environment relations. This research indicates that management of riparian corridor land uses at relatively small to medium widths (25-200 m) could be effective in restoring water quality and macroinvertebrate communities in headwater stream regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the effects of hepatic portocholecystostomy (HPC) and the Kasai procedure for the treatment of biliary atresia with patent distal extrahepatic bile ducts (BA with PDEBD) and to determine the reasons for the differences between the two procedures. Methods: The case files of 29 patients with BA with PDEBD were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty patients were treated with the Kasai procedure, and 9 patients were treated with HPC. We compared the rate of jaundice clearance, the incidence of cholangitis, survival rates of the native liver, and clinical outcomes between the two groups. Healthy gallbladders were collected for comparison with the pathologic specimens. Van-Gieson stains were used to detect the severity of fibrosis, and immunohistochemical methods were used to investigate the expression of CD68. Image analysis technology was used to quantitatively analyze the results. Results: Six months after surgery, the rate of jaundice clearance was 85%% in the Kasai group and 33.3%% in the HPC group ( p == .01). The three-year survival rates of the two groups were 73.68%% and 33.3%%, respectively ( p == .009). According to the criteria that define a cured state, there was an obvious difference between the two groups ( p == .0056). The fibrosis and CD68++ cell infiltration were more severe in the gallbladders of patients with BA than in controls ( p < .05). Conclusion: HPC was inferior to the Kasai procedure in the treatment of BA with PDEBD. This result may be due to the progressive inflammation and fibrosis of the extrahepatic bile duct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combination of chemopreventive agents with distinct molecular mechanisms is considered to offer a potential for enhancing cancer prevention efficacy while minimizing toxicity. Here we report two chemopreventive agents, selenite and genistein, that have synergistic effects on apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and associated signaling pathways in p53-expressing LNCaP and p53-null PC3 prostate cancer cells. We show that selenite induced apoptosis only, whereas genistein induced both apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Combination of these two agents exhibited enhanced effects, which were slightly greater in LNCaP than PC3 cells. Selenite or genistein alone upregulated protein levels of p53 in LNCaP cells only and p21waf1 and Bax in both cell lines. Additionally, genistein inhibited AKT phosphorylation. Downregulation of AKT by siRNA caused apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest and masked the effects of genistein. Treatment with insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) elevated levels of total and phosphorylated AKT and suppressed the effects of genistein. Neither downregulation of AKT nor IGF-I treatment altered the cellular effects of selenite. Our study demonstrates that selenium and genistein act via different molecular mechanisms and exhibit enhanced anticancer effects, suggesting that a combination of selenium and genistein may offer better efficacy and reduction of toxicity in prostate cancer prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new minor dammarane saponins, quinquenosides L10 (1), L14 (2), and L16 (3), were isolated from the leaves and stems of Panax quinquefolium L. By the combination of one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques and MS spectroscopic analysis, their structures were established as 20-O-(α-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1-6)-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-dammar-24-ene-3,12, 20-triol (1), 20-O-α-l-arabinopyranosyl-3-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-dammar-24-ene-3,12,20-triol (2), 3-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-20-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl)-dammarane-3,12,20,24,25-pentaol (3). The content of artemisinin was significantly enhanced by 3.0 mg l- 1 of compounds 1, 2, and 3 in the callus of Artemisia annua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new lanthanide complexes, [Nd(4-Pyta)3(H2O)2]n (1), [Ce(4-Pyta)3(H2O)2]n (2), [Eu(4-Pyta)3(H2O)2]n (3) and [Gd(4-Pyta)3(H2O)2]n (4), have been obtained from reaction of lanthanide(III) nitrate with 4-Pyta (4-pyridylthioacetate) in water. Their structures were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystals belong to triclinic, space group P1 and all complexes exhibit one-dimensional chains that arrange to form a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture by hydrogen bonds between the chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of metal ions with H3tbba has resulted in the formation of two three dimensional coordination compounds {[Zn(H2tbba)2(H2O)] · 2(OC3H6)}n (1) and {[Mn(H2tbba)2(H2O)] · 2(OC3H6)}n (2) (H2tbba = 2-thiobarbituric acid anion). Compounds 1 and 2 are isostructural with metal ions bridged by four hydroxyl oxygens from four different H2tbba ligands to form a 3D network. H2tbba exhibits bidentate coordination with both hydroxyl oxygens participating in coordination, a new coordination mode. Nonlinear absorption and refraction of 1 and 2 in DMF are studied by using Z-scan measurement technique at 532 nm. 1 and 2 possess nonlinear optical absorption and self-focusing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of aldehydes and ketones were prepared by partial oxidation of alcohols in air catalyzed by RuO2/ZSM-5 which can be easily prepared with the industrial grade ZSM-5 and RuCl3 · xH2O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical modification of internal wall of capillary by in situ polymerization method using a reagent containing two function groups, methacryloxypropyl trimethyoxysilane (KH-570) as coupling agent and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) as coating material in the presence of initiator was carried out. After hydrolysis of polyglycidyl methacrylate (PGMA), the novel modified capillary column was prepared. The electrophoretic evaluation of the modified column was performed. The results showed that electroosmotic flow (EOF) was largely reduced and the modified column can be applied to the basic proteins possessing serious adsorption property. In the l mM phosphate buffer (pH 5.0), the efficiency of the column for lysozyme, cytochrome C, ribonuclease A and α-chymotrypsinogen A in their mixture were relative high with 2.8, 4.6, 2.8 and 3.5 × 10[sup 5] theoretical plates per meter, and RSD (n=4) expressed as migration time was relative low i.e., 1.2, 0.71, 0.60 and 1.1 (%), respectively. The column may be used in a wide pH range (pH 3-7). The above four basic proteins in the mixture have been successfully separated and the column possesses good stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method had been developed to prepare ADS packings. Different alkyl-chains were bound onto Develosil60-5μ silica (particle size dp = 5 μm, s = 400–450m2/g) with γ-glycidoxypropy-ltrimethoxysilane as coupling agent and hydrophilic diol phase precursor. Characterization of the packings was carried out with elemental analysis, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), solid-state 13C, and 29Si CP-MAS NMR. Chromatographic tests confirm the essence of the packings and RAS behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russula is the largest genus in the Russulales and is widespread throughout the world. Almost all Russula species are known to be ectomycorrhizal with high ecological and edible values, and some are lethal poisonous. In this study, four new species belonging to the subgenus Russula crown clade are identified based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence from the Xizang Autonomous Region and other provinces of China. Morphologically, Russula paragraveolens (sect. Polychromae, subsect. Xerampelinae) is mainly characterised by a cherry red to blood red pileus centre, a reddish orange pileus margin; R. pseudograveolens (sect. Polychromae, subsect. Xerampelinae) is characterised by a violet brown to brownish red pileus centre, a pale red to pastel red pileus margin and short basidia; R. shigatseensis (sect. Flavisiccantes, subsect. Lepidinae) is characterised by a brownish orange to madder red pileus centre, pinkish red pileus margin, and having lateral branches or branches of hyphal terminations in pileipellis; R. yadongensis (sect. Tenellae, subsect. Laricinae) is characterised by a dark purplish red pileus centre with brownish purple tints and having isolated to clustered spines of spore ornamentations. Their distinct taxonomic status is confirmed by the positions of the four new species in both the ITS and 4-locus (nucLSU, mtSSU, rpb2, tef1) phylogenetic trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safe diagnosability of discrete-event systems (DESs) is viewed as the first necessary step of fault-tolerant supervision in the literature. For safe diagnosable systems, it is required that not only failures occurring in systems can be detected within a finite delay, but also the detection should be completed before running any unsafe operation. In this paper, we present a novel approach to deal with the safe diagnosis issue for stochastic DESs by constructing a nondeterministic automaton called the safe verifier, and the necessary and sufficient condition for safe diagnosability of stochastic DESs is presented. It is worth noting that the proposed approach has lower complexity than the existing approach based on safe diagnoser as far as the number of states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mutual influence between the tilt angle change and the flow effect in the liquid crystal display (LCD) is called the backflow effect. The backflow effect is manifested in the form of optical bounce (OB) in the applying voltage vertical alignment liquid crystal display (VA-LCD). The OB phenomenon greatly increases the response time and limits the application of the VA-LCD in LC devices that require fast response speed. In this article, a small amount of bi-functional linear polymer monomer RM257 added in VA-LCD can eliminate the OB phenomenon after polymerisation, and fast response speed is achieved. A small amount of RM257 increases the saturation voltage, and slightly reduces the transmittance of the bright state. The polarising optical microscope (POM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to analyse the physical mechanism of the lower transmittance and eliminating the backflow effect. The VA-LCD with polymer monomer has the simple manufacturing process and fast response speed, and has an important significance for the broad application of VA-LCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polymer network liquid crystals (PNLCs) device has the advantages of large manufacturing area, high transmittance, but still has the disadvantages of high driving voltage and large hysteresis. In this paper, 1-ethynyl-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzene (ETB) was used in polymer network liquid crystal system to reduce the threshold and saturation voltage and hysteresis. The functional group of ETB is an alkynyl group, which can be regarded as polymer monomer or diluent because of its polymerisation less than the alkenyl group. When the whole weight content of polymer is 5 wt% and the 1 wt% ETB as a monomer, the operating voltage of PNLCs is reduced by 63.1%, and the hysteresis is reduced to 0.18 V. As a diluent, when the weight content of 1,4-Bis-[4-(3-acryloyloxypropyloxy)benzoyloxy]-2-methylbenzene (RM257) and ETB is 5% and 1%, the operating voltage of the polymer network liquid crystal is reduced by 51.5%, and the hysteresis is reduced to 0.38 V. From these two experiments, a small amount of ETB material doping can significantly reduce the operating voltage and hysteresis effect of PNLCs devices. Moreover, the equivalent rotational viscosity of the polymer network liquid crystals with suitable content of ETB as diluent can be reduced to be similar to that of the pure liquid crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-six novel threoninamide carbamate derivatives were designed and synthesised using active fragment-based pharmacophore model. Antifungal activities of these compounds were tested against Oomycete fungi Phytophthora capsici in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, compound I-1, I-2, I-3, I-6 and I-7 exhibited moderate control effect (>50%) against Pseudoperonospora cubensis in greenhouse at 6.25 μg/mL, which is better than that of control. Meanwhile most of these compounds exhibited significant inhibitory against P. capsici. The other nine fungi were also tested. More importantly, some compounds exhibited remarkably high activities against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, P. piricola and R. solan in vitro with EC50 values of 3.74–9.76 μg/mL. It is possible that the model is reliabile and this method can be used to discover lead compounds for the development of fungicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For ultra deep strike-slip faults controlled reservoirs, the permeability along the faults directly determines the distribution of favorable reservoirs. The present in-situ stress has a significant influence on the permeability of the faults. Therefore, it is meaningful to study the relationship between in-situ stress and permeability along the strike-slip faults for exploration and development of Shunbei oilfield. Based on seismic and coherent data, a three-dimensional model of strike slip fault in reservoir is established. The size and direction of in-situ stress are determined by rock mechanics test. Combined with drilling history and imaging logging data of typical wells, natural fractures are analyzed. Finally, the slip tendency coefficient of Shunbei 5 strike-slip fault zone is simulated by using the finite element method. It is found that there is a positive correlation between the slip tendency coefficient and permeability along the strike-slip fault. The critical slip tendency coefficient of Shunbei 5 fault zone is 0.35 (the fault is in the critical open state). This study provides a reference for the prediction of favorable reservoir distribution and the selection of drilling targets for Shunbei ultra deep strike-slip fault zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the event-triggered control for a class of switched systems which are composed of one continuous-time subsystem and one discrete-time subsystem. The proposed event-triggered mechanism adopts the form of periodic triggering, which combines the advantages of periodic control and event-triggered control. Consequently, Zeno behaviour can be essentially eliminated. A criterion is presented to ensure the exponential stability of the closed-loop switched systems. In addition, we extend the above result to the case of the switched system with multiple continuous-time and discrete-time subsystems and the case of observer-based control. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the inverse of an even-order square tensor has been put forward in [Brazell M, Li N, Navasca C, Tamon C. Solving multilinear systems via tensor inversion. SIAM J Matrix Anal Appl. 2013;34(2):542-570] by means of the tensor group consisting of even-order square tensors equipped with the Einstein product. In this paper, several necessary and sufficient conditions for the invertibility of a tensor are obtained, and some approaches for calculating the inverse (if it exists) are proposed. Furthermore, the Cramer's rule and the elimination method for solving the tensor equations with the Einstein product are derived. In addition, the tensor eigenvalue problem mentioned in [Qi L-Q. Theory of tensors (hypermatrices). Hong Kong: Department of Applied Mathematics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; 2014] can also be addressed by using the elimination method mentioned above. By the way, the LU decomposition and the Schur decomposition of matrices are extended to tensor case. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the main results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used two a priori diet scores [Mediterranean diet (aMed) and Diet Balance Index (DBI)] and two a posteriori approaches [principal components analysis (PCA) and reduced-rank regression (RRR)] to examine the association of maternal dietary patterns with risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and blood glucose among 2202 pregnant women in the Tongji Birth Cohort. Compared to the highest quartile of the aMed and legumes-vegetables-fruits (derived by PCA) scores, the fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were higher in the lower quartiles (p-trend < 0.05). Lower scores of the meats-eggs-dairy (derived by PCA) and eggs-fish patterns (derived by RRR; characterised by higher intakes of freshwater fish, eggs, and lower intakes of leafy and cruciferous vegetables and fruits) were associated with decreased FBG levels (p-trend < 0.05). Similarities were found across approaches that some dietary patterns were associated with FBG, but not with postprandial glucose and GDM risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is a promising wastewater treatment technology. It has high destruction efficiency for a broad range of organic wastes and only produces harmless end products. However, corrosion, salt deposition and plugging, and high energy consumption and operating costs have, to a great extent, restricted the successful commercialization of SCWO process. This paper first reviews the main challenges in SCWO technology, along with their comprehensive solutions. Then, the recent research progress and applications of the most common and effective methods for solving SCWO problems are examined, with the focus put on reactor material modification, advanced reactor design, energy/product recovery, and catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of transverse displacement parameter d and topological charge (TC) m on the beam spreading (BS) of Airy vortex beam array (AVBA) and Airy Gaussian vortex beam array (AGVBA) propagating in a moderate turbulent atmosphere are analysed and studied numerically. Due to the Gaussian function truncation and optical vortex modulation, the behaviours of the BSs of AVBA and AGVBA in turbulent atmosphere are anomalous. Compared with the AVBA, the BS of lower order AGVBA is less affected by atmospheric turbulence when d is small but more affected when d is large. With the increase of m, the BSs of two vortex beam arrays decrease nonlinearly and AVBA is broadened more seriously by atmospheric turbulence than that of AGVBA as d is set to be zero. Compared with AGVBA, the BS of AVBA with lower TC is less affected by atmospheric turbulence but more seriously affected with higher TC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the potential role of maternal serum levels of neutrophils in the first trimester of pregnancy in the prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This prospective cohort study enrolled singleton pregnant women before gestational weeks 16 and evaluated them until delivery. Among the 1467 pregnant women who performed prenatal care before 14 weeks of gestation in the cohort, a total of 731 were eligible for the final analysis. The associations between neutrophil counts, white blood cell count, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and GDM (assessed by a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 28 weeks) were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression. Neutrophil count outperformed the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and white blood cell count in predicting GDM occurrence. We applied a smoothing function and found that neutrophil count was associated with both fasting blood glucose (FBG) (p=.0149) and 1-h postprandial blood glucose (PBG) (p=.0187) after adjustment pre-pregnancy body mass index, family history of diabetes, and age. Logistic regression analysis found that the highest neutrophil count level (6.28–14.73 × 109/L) had a 1.85-fold (95% CI 1.10, 3.09) increased risk of GDM compared with that of the lowest tertile (1.47–4.82 × 109/L). The results indicated an association between higher neutrophil levels and GDM occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater pollution risk assessment is an effective tool for the control and prevention of groundwater pollution. However, the risk is generally difficult to interpret because it is affected by both natural and anthropic factors such as topography, aquifer characteristics, land-use changes, and mining process. In this study, a GIS-based analysis of aquifer vulnerability (V), groundwater pollution load (L), and groundwater function value (F) were combined to comprehensively evaluate the groundwater pollution risk in a typical mixed land use area of Chengdu Plain, in China. Groundwater pollution risk assessment was then validated by a groundwater quality evaluation using the comprehensive water quality index method. A health risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the susceptible population exposed to the groundwater pollution. The results showed that the estimated 'high' and 'very high' pollution risk areas together accounted for 24.85% of the study area, mainly located in the southeast and southwest of the plain area with highly permeable aquifer, abundant amounts of groundwater storage, a shallow water table, and near pollution sources. In addition, our results revealed that 14% of groundwater in the study area posed an unacceptable non-carcinogenic health risk to children. The risk assessment of groundwater pollution and human health in the study area can provide effective support for strengthening groundwater management and pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixed-ligand compound, [Ni2(BPTC)(pyz) · 2H2O]n(0.5H2O)n (BPTC = 3,3',4, 4'-benzophenone-tetracarboxylate, pyz = pyrazine), has been prepared hydrothermally by assembly of BPTC, NiCl2·6H2O and pyz. X-ray diffraction analysis of a single crystal reveals the three-dimensional framework assembled from pyz-pillared two-dimensional sheets. Three types of channels in one direction are established inside the structure. The third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties in DMF have been studied by Z-scan technique using an 8 ns laser at 532 nm. The results reveal that the new compound exhibits strong NLO absorption and self-focusing refractive performance (n2 = 2.7 × 10-17 m2 W-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is a common congenital brain malformation. Most patients with no combined abnormalities have a good prognosis, but impairments have been observed in their sleep, feeding, and higher-order cognitive functions. Sixty-three Chinese ACC patients, aged 0–3 years, were included in our cross-sectional online research. The Chinese version of Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITESA), the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ), and the Montreal Children's Hospital Feeding Scale (MCH-FS) were used to assess these patients. We also used the brief version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) to evaluate their parents. 43% of patients had ITESA domain problem: 10% in Externalizing, 7% in Internalizing, 3% in Dysregulation, and 30% in Competence. 52% of the patients were rated by their parents as having a sleep problem. Feeding difficulties occurred in 23% of patients. Patients' sleep and feeding problems were significantly correlated with their social and emotional performance, which influenced the life quality of their parents. Patients with intracranial abnormalities had more internalizing problems. In conclusion, sleep and feeding problems in young ACC patients might indicate their social-emotional problems. The problems in ACC patients were correlated with the life quality of their parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agaricus subgenus Spissicaules is widely distributed in the world. In this study, 114 specimens were included in multigene phylogenetic analyses that allowed a better circumscription of the four sections in A. subg. Spissicaules. Three new species from China, A. brunneovariabilis, A. beijingensis, and A. planiceps, are described and placed in different sections. The invalidly described A. catenariocystidiosus is validated here as an additional new species. Comparisons between the sequences of the three closely related species A. thiersii, A. parasubrutilescens, and A. linzhiensis support the distinction between these three species despite the paraphyly of A. linzhiensis, which results from its high intraspecific variability with numerous heteromorphisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agaricus sect. Arvenses includes numerous species that are potential candidates for cultivation, and some have high nutritional and medicinal interests. Between 2012 and 2017, 147 specimens of A. sect. Arvenses were collected in China. For this study, nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), nuc 28S rDNA (28S), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) sequences were used to assess species boundaries of these samples from China. Combined with morphological examination, we recognize 22 species of A. sect. Arvenses from China, of which 12 are known species, one is new record for China, and nine are proposed as new. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a cross-sectional study with 350 gout patients to investigate serum urate acid (sUA) goal attainment (sUA < 360 μmol/L) and associated factors in Chinese gout patients in the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from August 2015 to September 2017. Descriptive statistics, health assessment questionnaire, global visual analog scale for general health and Gout Knowledge Questionnaire were calculated comparing patients at sUA goal or not at sUA goal. Univariate analysis and logistic regression models were applied to analyze data. The proportion of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) use was 61.2% (211/350). The mean ± standard deviation sUA of the participants was 475.07 ± 121.53 μmol/L. Only 17.4% of gout patients attain the serum urate goal, which also means 289(82.6%) patients cannot keep their sUA below the target of 360 μmol/L. The factors associated with sUA goal attainment including age, education level and ULT use. Among these, age, waist hip ratio, ULT, family history of cardiovascular disease was the predictor of sUA goal attainment. In conclusion, more than 80% of gout patients did not achieve sUA goal. Younger and fatter patients were more difficult to control the serum urate level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]