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Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite causing diarrhoea in humans and animals. Although Cryptosporidium has been found in domestic horses (farmed or kept at pasture), there has been only one published study of Cryptosporidium infections in Chinese racehorses, which was restricted to a very small geographical area.To investigate the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the faeces of racehorses in China and to perform molecular characterisation of the parasite.Cross-sectional.A total of 621 fresh faecal samples were collected for DNA extraction from racehorses at 17 equestrian clubs from 12 provinces of China from December 2016 to May 2018. All the DNA were analysed for the presence of Cryptosporidium species/genotypes and subtypes by PCR amplification of the small subunit ribosomal RNA and 60 kDa glycoprotein genes respectively.PCR analysis revealed that 11 samples (1.8%) were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. Among them seven samples were identified as C. parvum and four were C. hominis. The C. parvum isolates were identified as subtype IIdA14G1 (n = 4) and IIdA15G1 (n = 3), while all C. hominis isolates were identified as subtype IkA18G1 (n = 4).A single faecal sample from each horse was used instead of multiple samples that could improve the detection rates of the parasite.Although Cryptosporidium infection rate was relatively low in the investigated racehorses, the presence of zoonotic subtypes IIdA14G and 1IIdA15G1 of C. parvum and IkA18G1 of C. hominis, suggesting that these animals are a potential source of Cryptosporidium in humans.背景: 隐孢子虫(Cryptosporidium)是一种可以引起人类和动物腹泻的寄生性原虫。已有研究表明家养(圈养或放牧)马可以感染隐孢子虫, 但是关于中国赛马隐孢子虫感染情况的报道只有一篇, 且局限于较小的地理区域. 研究目的: 本研究旨在调查中国赛马粪便中隐孢子虫的阳性率, 并对检测到的隐孢子虫进行分子特征鉴定. 试验设计: 本研究设计为横断面研究. 研究方法: 本研究于 2016 年 12 月至 2018 年5月从中国 12 个省的 17个赛马俱乐部共采集赛马新鲜粪便样本 621 份。所有粪便样本均提取基因组 DNA 并分别基于小亚基核糖体 RNA(SSU rRNA) 基因和 60 千道尔顿糖蛋白 (gp60) 基因隐孢子虫种/基因型检测和亚型鉴定. 结果: PCR结果表明, 共有 11 份 (1.8%) 样品呈隐孢子虫阳性, 其中, 7 份样品被鉴定为微小隐孢子虫 (C. parvum), 4份样品被鉴定为人隐孢子虫 (C. hominis). 微小隐孢子虫分离株被进一步鉴定为 IIdA14G1 (n = 4) 和 IIdA15G1(n = 1) 亚型, 人隐孢子虫均被鉴定为 IkA18G1(n = 4) 亚型. 主要局限性: 本研究每个动物仅采样一份, 如果多次采样可以提高隐孢子虫的检出率. 结论: 尽管本研究查明的赛马隐孢子虫感染率相对较低, 但是微小隐孢子虫 IIdA14G1, IIdA15G1 亚型以及人隐孢子虫 IkA18G1 亚型的出现表明赛马可能是人感染的隐孢子虫的潜在源头.

Background To develop and validate a risk prediction nomogram based on a deep learning convolutional neural networks (CNN) model and epidemiological characteristics for lung cancer screening in patients with small pulmonary nodules (SPN). Methods This study included three data sets. First, a CNN model was developed and tested on data set 1. Then, a hybrid prediction model was developed on data set 2 by multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. We combined the CNN model score and the selected epidemiological risk factors, and a risk prediction nomogram was presented. An independent multicenter cohort was used for model external validation. The performance of the nomogram was assessed with respect to its calibration and discrimination. Results The final hybrid model included the CNN model score and the screened risk factors included age, gender, smoking status and family history of cancer. The nomogram showed good discrimination and calibration with an area under the curve (AUC) of 91.6% (95% CI: 89.4%–93.5%), compare with the CNN model, the improvement was significance. The performance of the nomogram still showed good discrimination and good calibration in the multicenter validation cohort, with an AUC of 88.3% (95% CI: 83.1%–92.3%). Conclusions Our study showed that epidemiological characteristics should be considered in lung cancer screening, which can significantly improve the efficiency of the artificial intelligence (AI) model alone. We combined the CNN model score with Asian lung cancer epidemiological characteristics to develop a new nomogram to facilitate and accurately perform individualized lung cancer screening, especially for Asians., A novel AI model was developed for LDCT detection specifically. Our study showed that epidemiological characteristics should be considered in lung cancer screening, which can significantly improve the efficiency of AI model alone. We combined the CNN model score with Asian lung cancer epidemiological characteristics to develop a new Nomogram to facilitate and accurately perform individualized lung cancer screening, especially for Asians.

The anomeric configuration can greatly affect the biological functions and activities of carbohydrates. Herein, we report that N-phenyltrifluoroacetimidoyl (PTFAI), a well-known leaving group for catalytic glycosylation, can act as a stereodirecting group for the challenging 1,2-cis α-glycosylation. Utilizing rapidly accessible 1,6-di-OPTFAI glycosyl donors, TMSOTf-catalyzed glycosylation occurred with excellent α-selectivity and broad substrate scope, and the remaining 6-OPTFAI group can be cleaved chemoselectively. The remote participation of 6-OPTFAI is supported by the first characterization of the crucial 1,6-bridged bicyclic oxazepinium ion intermediates by low-temperature NMR spectroscopy. These cations were found to be relatively stable and mainly responsible for the present stereoselectivities. Further application is highlighted in glycosylation reactions toward trisaccharide heparins as well as the convergent synthesis of chacotriose derivatives using a bulky 2,4-di-O-glycosylated donor.

BACKGROUND: The fruit body of medicinal fungus, Sanghuang (Inonotus baumii), is a source of diverse metabolites with health‐promoting efficacy through varying mechanisms. The low efficiency of fruit body production and failure to discover valuable metabolites have severely limited more extensive applications. RESULTS: A novel compound was discovered and identified as (6,6′‐bis((E)‐3,4‐dihydroxystyryl)‐4,4′‐dihydroxy‐2H,2′H‐[3,3′‐bipyran]‐2,2′‐dione (named as Phelligridin LA, PLA). The compound exhibited antioxidant activity against free radicals (DPPH•, •OH, •O₂, and ABTS•⁺). The IC₅₀ values of PLA and vitamin C were determined as 18.62 and 11.26 μmol L⁻¹ (DPPH•), 222.56 and 718.48 μmol L⁻¹ (•OH), 611.41 and 340.11 μmol L⁻¹ (•O₂), 73.33 and 44.31 μmol L⁻¹ (ABTS•⁺), which demonstrated that PLA was an efficient scavenger of •OH radical. CONCLUSION: PLA is a novel antioxidant metabolite purified from the fermentation broth of Sanghuang, which proved that the biomass produced with fermentation was a good source for metabolite isolation. A feasible process was established to obtain this valuable ingredient from the medicinal fungus. This report exemplifies the exploitation of Sanghuang in the context of modern natural product discovery. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the main subtype of renal cell carcinoma with varied prognosis. We aimed to identify and assess the possible prognostic long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) biomarkers. LncRNAs expression data and corresponding clinical information of 619 ccRCC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. Differentially expressed genes analysis, univariate Cox regression, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression model were utilized to identify hub lncRNAs. Multivariate Cox regression was used to establish the risk model. Statistical analysis was performed using R 3.5.3. The expression value of five lncRNAs and the risk-score levels were significantly associated with a survival prognosis of ccRCC patients (all P < .001). In the TCGA validation cohort, the area under the curve (AUC) for the integrated nomogram was 0.905 and 0.91 for 3-, 5-year prediction separately. The AUC reached up to 0.757 in an independent ICGC cohort. Besides, the calibration plots also illustrated well curve-fitting between observation values and predictive values. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and subsequent pathway analysis revealed that the PI3K-Akt-mTOR and hypoxia-inducible factor signaling crosstalk might function as the most essential mechanisms related to the five-lncRNAs signature. Our study suggested that lncRNA AC009654.1, AC092490.2, LINC00524, LINC01234, and LINC01885 were significantly associated with ccRCC prognosis. The prognostic model based on this five lncRNA may predict the overall survival of ccRCC.

New Findings What is the central question of this study? Can successful electrical shock in combination with a delayed after‐depolarization (DAD) blocker suppress early refibrillation episodes following long duration ventricular fibrillation (LDVF)? What is the main finding and its importance? Flunarizine significantly reduced the activation of LDVF and early ventricular fibrillation (VF) recurrence following LDVF, suggesting that DADs potentially contribute to refibrillation in prolonged VF. Thus, DAD inhibition can be used as an adjunctive therapy for electrical defibrillation to treat prolonged VF and suppress refibrillation following LDVF. Abstract This study attempts to detect changes in the defibrillation threshold (DFT) at different stages of ventricular fibrillation (VF) (short duration VF, SDVF; long duration VF, LDVF) and during early refibrillation following successful defibrillation of LDVF by giving flunarizine, a blocker of delayed after‐depolarizations (DADs). Twelve beagles were divided into two groups (the control group, n = 6; and the flunarizine group, n = 6). Two 64‐electrode basket catheters were deployed into the left and the right ventricles for global endocardium mapping. The DFTs of SDVF and LDVF were determined at 20 s and 7 min, respectively, after VF induction in each group. Any refibrillation episodes were recorded within 15 min after the first successful defibrillation of LDVF. In the flunarizine group, the SDVF‐DFT values before and after the drug were not significantly different. The 7 min LDVF‐DFTs were markedly reduced by 26% (P

Background Segmentectomy is increasingly used to resect lung nodules. Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) is considered a safe and practical method for segmentectomy. Few studies have compared robotic surgery and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for lung segmentectomy. Method We retrospectively examined 215 consecutive patients who underwent typical (88 patients) or atypical (128 patients) segmentectomy by either robotic surgery or VATS. The postoperative characteristics including operation time, blood loss, pneumonia, tumor size, lymph nodes harvested, chest tube duration, prolonged air leak, atrial fibrillation, and postoperative hospital stay were recorded. Results A total of 88 patients underwent typical segmentectomy, while 127 patients underwent atypical segmentectomy. A greater number of lymph nodes were resected via RATS than by VATS (13.24 ± 4.84 vs. 11.71 ± 3.89; P = 0.018). The operation time for typical segmentectomy was shorter than that for atypical segmentectomy (115.69 ± 22.32 vs. 131.68 ± 22.52; P = 0). No significant differences were found between RATS and VATS in terms of chest drainage duration and postoperative hospital stay. The incidence of postoperative complications including prolonged air leak and atrial fibrillation was not significantly different between typical segmentectomy and atypical segmentectomy. Conclusion Atypical segmentectomy is more complicated than typical segmentectomy, which may lead to increases in complications and operation time. Robotic surgery was safe and practical for segmentectomy compared to VATS and more lymph nodes could be dissected by RATS without increasing the risk of postoperative complications.

Iron, Cu and Zn stable isotope systems are applied in constraining a variety of geochemical and environmental processes. Secondary reference materials have been developed by the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS), in collaboration with other participating laboratories, comprising three solutions (CAGS-Fe, CAGS-Cu and CAGS-Zn) and one basalt (CAGS-Basalt). These materials exhibit sufficient homogeneity and stability for application in Fe, Cu and Zn isotopic ratio determinations. Reference values were determined by inter-laboratory analytical comparisons involving up to eight participating laboratories employing MC-ICP-MS techniques, based on the unweighted means of submitted results. Isotopic compositions are reported in per mil notation, based on reference materials IRMM-014 for Fe, NIST SRM 976 for Cu and IRMM-3702 for Zn. Respective reference values of CAGS-Fe, CAGS-Cu and CAGS-Zn solutions are as follows: δ56Fe = 0.83 ± 0.06 and δ57Fe = 1.20 ± 0.12, δ65Cu = 0.57 ± 0.05, and δ66Zn = -0.79 ± 0.12 and δ68Zn = -1.65 ± 0.24, respectively. Those of CAGS-Basalt are δ56Fe = 0.15 ± 0.05, δ57Fe = 0.22 ± 0.05, δ65Cu = 0.12 ± 0.07, δ66Zn = 0.17 ± 0.11, and δ68Zn = 0.34 ± 0.21 (2s).

Copper iodide (CuI) is one of the most promising p‐type materials due to its widely adjustable conductivity from conductor to semiconductor, full transparency, and easy synthesis character. In article number 2100546, Yong‐Young Noh and co‐workers provide an overview of the recent achievements in CuI and the diverse applications. The challenges and prospective on further development are also discussed in detail. [Image: see text]

Developing transparent p‐type semiconductors and conductors has attracted significant interest in both academia and industry because metal oxides only show efficient n‐type characteristics at room temperature. Among the different candidates, copper iodide (CuI) is one of the most promising p‐type materials because of its widely adjustable conductivity from transparent electrodes to semiconducting layers in transistors. CuI can form thin films with high transparency in the visible light region using various low‐temperature deposition techniques. This progress report aims to provide a basic understanding of CuI‐based materials and recent progress in the development of various devices. The first section provides a brief introduction to CuI with respect to electronic structure, defect states, charge transport physics, and overviews the CuI film deposition methods. The material design concepts through doping/alloying approaches to adjust the optoelectrical properties are also discussed in the first section. The following section presents recent advances in state‐of‐the‐art CuI‐based devices, including transparent electrodes, thermoelectric devices, p–n diodes, p‐channel transistors, light emitting diodes, and solar cells. In conclusion, current challenges and perspective opportunities are highlighted., Copper iodide (CuI) is one of the most promising p‐type materials due to its widely adjustable conductivity from conductor to semiconductor, full transparency, and easy synthesis using diverse deposition techniques. Given the rapid progress, this article provides a comprehensive understanding on CuI and the latest advances in related devices. The challenges and prospective on further development are also highlighted. ​

In this study, two new laboratory reference solutions for testing Cu isotopic composition were established and investigated. Two commercially available pure copper products, copper plate and copper wire, were dissolved in 1000-ml Teflon® bottles, to produce 200 μg ml−1 stock solutions (hereafter referred to as NWU-Cu-A and NWU-Cu-B), and cryogenically stored. The Cu isotopic compositions of the two samples were determined in three different laboratories using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and the Cu isotopic compositions obtained from the standard-sample bracketing method were consistent within the two standard deviation (2s) range. The Cu isotopic compositions of the NWU-Cu-A and NWU-Cu-B standard solutions were δ65Cu = +0.91 ± 0.03‰ (2s, n = 42) and δ65Cu = −0.05 ±0.03‰ (2s, n = 49), respectively, relative to the reference material NIST SRM 976.

Ionic migration in organic electrolytes resembles that in neural system involving signal transportation. Here, ionic dynamic simulations are applied to explore pulse responses of lithium-doped polyethyleneoxide complexes. Two main interactions were considered: diffusion of ions and directional movement guided by an applied electric field. Frequency responses are simulated using arbitrary wave shape. It is found that redistribution of ions results in accumulation of charge and establishes a reverse inbuilt electric field controlling the discharging process and the frequency response. The charging current's wave shape is controlled mainly by contribution from the diffusion process, which strengthens the charging current in the first millisecond before weakening it. For stimulation with higher energy density (higher frequency), activation of ion channels should be considered and an active ion number is introduced to describe the process. The weights of calculated discharging current agree well with the experimental results. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 831–837

Perovskites have been intensively investigated for their use in solar cells and light-emitting diodes. However, research on their applications in thin-film transistors (TFTs) has drawn less attention despite their high intrinsic charge carrier mobility. In this study, the universal approaches for high-performance and reliable p-channel lead-free phenethylammonium tin iodide TFTs are reported. These include self-passivation for grain boundary by excess phenethylammonium iodide, grain crystallization control by adduct, and iodide vacancy passivation through oxygen treatment. It is found that the grain boundary passivation can increase TFT reproducibility and reliability, and the grain size enlargement can hike the TFT performance, thus, enabling the first perovskite-based complementary inverter demonstration with n-channel indium gallium zinc oxide TFTs. The inverter exhibits a high gain over 30 with an excellent noise margin. This work aims to provide widely applicable and repeatable methods to make the gate more open for intensive efforts toward high-performance printed perovskite TFTs.

Background and Purpose Increased level of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is a key feature of the metabolic syndrome and is associated with cardiovascular diseases. PPAR-δ agonists play a protective role in lipid metabolism and vascular function. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of PPAR-δ in the uptake of VLDL in endothelial cells and its underlying mechanism(s). Experimental Approach Uptake of VLDL in HUVECs was assessed by Dil-fluorescent labelling of VLDL. Levels of VLDL receptor mRNA and microRNA (miR-100) were detected by quantitative PCR. The target genes of miR-100 were predicted using bioinformatics analysis. 3′-Untranslated region (3′-UTR) luciferase reporter and Argonaute 1 pull-down assays were used to validate the target of miR-100. Key Results PPAR-δ agonist GW501516 decreased uptake of VLDL and expression of VLDL receptor at mRNA and protein levels. GW501516 inhibited the luciferase reporter activity of the 3′-UTR of VLDL receptor. VLDL receptor was a direct target of miR-100. miR-100 was significantly increased by GW501516 in HUVECs. Transfection of a miR-100 mimic decreased the mRNA and protein levels of VLDL receptor and uptake of VLDL. Furthermore, a miR-100 inhibitor abolished the inhibitory effect of PPAR-δ on VLDL receptor expression and VLDL uptake. Conclusions and Implications In endothelial cells, activation of PPAR-δ decreased VLDL receptor expression and VLDL uptake via the induction of miR-100. These results provided a novel mechanism for the vascular protective effect of PPAR-δ agonists.

Magnesium isotopic compositions are reported for twenty-four international geological reference materials including igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, as well as phlogopite and serpentine minerals. The long-term reproducibility of Mg isotopic determination, based on 4-year analyses of olivine and seawater samples, was ≤ 0.07‰ (2s) for δ26Mg and ≤ 0.05‰ (2s) for δ25Mg. Accuracy was tested by analysis of synthetic reference materials down to the quoted long-term reproducibility. This comprehensive dataset, plus seawater data produced in the same laboratory, serves as a reference for quality assurance and inter-laboratory comparison of high-precision Mg isotopic data. Les compositions isotopiques du magnesium sont fournies pour vingt-quatre materiaux geologiques de reference internationaux, comprenant des roches ignees, metamorphiques et sedimentaires, ainsi qu'une phlogopite et des serpentines. La reproductibilite a long terme de la determination isotopique du Mg, basee des analyses sur quatre ans d’echantillons d'olivine et d'eau de mer, etait ≤ 0.07% (2s) pour δ26Mg et ≤ 0.05% (2s) pour δ25Mg. La precision a ete testee par l'analyse de materiaux de reference synthetiques jusqu’a la reproductibilite a long terme indiquee. Cette base de donnees complete, ainsi que des donnees d'eau de mer produites dans le meme laboratoire, servent de reference pour l'assurance qualite et la comparaison inter-laboratoires de haute precision des donnees isotopiques du Mg.

Low-temperature solution processing opens a new window for the fabrication of oxide semiconductors due to its simple, low cost, and large-area uniformity. Herein, by using solution combustion synthesis (SCS), p-type Cu-doped NiO (Cu:NiO) thin films are fabricated at a temperature lower than 150 °C. The light doping of Cu substitutes the Ni site and disperses the valence band of the NiO matrix, leading to an enhanced p-type conductivity. Their integration into thin-film transistors (TFTs) demonstrates typical p-type semiconducting behavior. The optimized Cu5% NiO TFT exhibits outstanding electrical performance with a hole mobility of 1.5 cm2 V-1 s-1 , a large on/off current ratio of ≈104 , and clear switching characteristics under dynamic measurements. The employment of a high-k ZrO2 gate dielectric enables a low operating voltage (≤2 V) of the TFTs, which is critical for portable and battery-driven devices. The construction of a light-emitting-diode driving circuit demonstrates the high current control capability of the resultant TFTs. The achievement of the low-temperature-processed Cu:NiO thin films via SCS not only provides a feasible approach for low-cost flexible p-type oxide electronics but also represents a significant step toward the development of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor circuits.