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This article investigates the effect of China's college expansion policy on firms' exporting behavior. Taking advantage of this policy‐induced exogenous surge in skilled labor starting in 2002, our difference‐in‐differences estimates indicate that firms in more human‐capital‐intensive industries have been able to export more since 2002. We further show that this result is robust to a battery of sensitivity tests and controlling for other contemporaneous changes in economic environment. Turning to channels, we find that after 2002, the affected firms experienced greater improvements in product quality and exported relatively more to richer countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's exports experienced a rapid recovery after the outbreak of the 2019 COVID‐19 pandemic. A primary engine was cross‐border e‐commerce (CBEC) trade, which bucked the downward export trend during the pandemic. By exploring the variation in the number of CBEC comprehensive pilot zones across provinces, we identified the causal impact of CBEC on exports using monthly province–product–destination data for 2019 and 2020. We found strong and robust evidence that CBEC contributed to exports during the pandemic by promoting the expansion of incumbent exports (intensive margin) rather than through the expansion of product categories and exporting partners (extensive margin). Specifically, higher pandemic risk suppressed the role of CBEC at the intensive margin while enhancing it at the extensive margin. Exports to developed countries benefited more from CBEC, both intensively and extensively. Compared with final products, a larger number of intermediate products were exported through CBEC after the outbreak of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) represents the most severe form of Leishmaniasis infection, often resulting in fatality without timely treatment. Previous studies have found that immunosuppression increases the risk of VL disease progression and mortality, and the total immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in peripheral blood vary before and after treatment. However, the distinct levels and roles of IgG subclasses in VL have not been documented yet. This study aims to elucidate the characteristics and clinical significance of IgG subclasses in VL. Methods: A total of 43 cases newly‐diagnosed with VL were enrolled in the cohort. We measured the levels of IgG subclasses before and after standard treatment and conducted assessments of bone marrow features. In addition, we analysed other haematological indices and examined the variations in IgG subclasses, as well as their correlation with clinical and laboratory factors. Results: The levels of total IgG, IgG1, and the ratios of both IgG1/IgG and IgG1/IgG2 decreased significantly after treatment, whereas the ratios of IgG2/ IgG showed an obvious increase. The VL patients without hyperglobulinemia displayed significant lower IgG1/IgG2 ratios, but higher IgG2/IgG ratios compared with those with hyperglobulinemia. In addition, VL patients with positive bone marrow amastigotes had significant higher IgG1/IgG and IgG1/IgG2 ratios, but lower IgG2/IgG ratios. IgG subclasses were correlated with abnormal blood test results, particularly immunological elements including IgM and Complement 4 (C4). Conclusions: IgG1 and IgG2 exhibited contrasting changes after treatment in VL patients. The features of bone marrow and laboratory tests indicated that IgG1 and IgG2 serve different roles in the progression of VL. The ratios of IgG subclasses may be more precise indicators to evaluate immune reaction in VL than traditional total IgG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resting upon an extensive data set on foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) in China, we investigate the role of institutional difference in determining the locational choice of foreign direct investment (FDI). Estimation results using firm‐level discrete choice model suggest that FIEs from source countries that are more remote institutionally from the Chinese mainland exhibit a higher degree of sensitivity to regional economic institutions in their choice of FDI location. Furthermore, we find that FIEs coming from countries with better institutions than China are more sensitive to the institutional difference. Interestingly, we find that the deterrent effect of institutional distance on FDI entry is mitigated for FIEs coming from countries with more ethnic Chinese individuals in their overall populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amplitude modulated (AM) neural oscillation is an essential feature of neural dynamics to coordinate distant brain areas. The AM transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has recently been adopted to examine various cognitive functions, but its neural mechanism remains unclear. The current study utilized the phosphene phenomenon to investigate whether, in an AM‐tACS, the AM frequency could modulate or even override the carrier frequency in phosphene percept. We measured the phosphene threshold and the perceived flash rate/pattern from 12 human subjects (four females, aged from 20–44 years old) under tACS that paired carrier waves (10, 14, 18, 22 Hz) with different envelope conditions (0, 2, 4 Hz) over the mid‐occipital and left facial areas. We also examined the phosphene source by adopting a high‐density stimulation montage. Our results revealed that (1) phosphene threshold was higher for AM‐tACS than sinusoidal tACS and demonstrated different carrier frequency functions in two stimulation montages. (2) AM‐tACS slowed down the phosphene flashing and abolished the relation between the carrier frequency and flash percept in sinusoidal tACS. This effect was independent of the intensity change of the stimulation. (3) Left facial stimulation elicited phosphene in the upper‐left visual field, while occipital stimulation elicited equally distributed phosphene. (4) The near‐eye electrodermal activity (EDA) measured under the threshold‐level occipital tACS was greater than the lowest power sufficient to elicit retinal phosphene. Our results show that AM frequency may override the carrier frequency and determine the perceived flashing frequency of AM‐tACS‐induced phosphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures—in which layered materials are purposely selected to assemble with each other—allow unusual properties and different phenomena to be combined and multifunctional electronics to be created, opening a new chapter for the spread of internet‐of‐things applications. Here, an O2‐ultrasensitive MoTe2 material and an O2‐insensitive SnS2 material are integrated to form a vdW heterostructure, allowing the realization of charge‐polarity control for multioperation‐mode transistors through a simple and effective rapid thermal annealing strategy under dry‐air and vacuum conditions. The charge‐polarity control (i.e., doping and de‐doping processes), which arises owing to the interaction between O2 adsorption/desorption and tellurium defects at the MoTe2 surface, means that the MoTe2/SnS2 heterostructure transistors can reversibly change between unipolar, ambipolar, and anti‐ambipolar transfer characteristics. Based on the dynamic control of the charge‐polarity properties, an inverter, output polarity controllable amplifier, p‐n diode, and ternary‐state logics (NMIN and NMAX gates) are demonstrated, which inspire the development of reversibly multifunctional devices and indicates the potential of 2D materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomically thin tungsten diselenide (WSe2) transistors with multilayer graphene (w/ G) as contact electrodes are successfully fabricated by a precise area‐controllable chemical vapor deposition method. The performance and electrical properties of the devices are explored. Compared to those of WSe2 transistors without graphene contacts (w/o G), the maximum current densities of the w/ G–WSe2 transistors increase by one to two orders of magnitude. In addition, the device performance is markedly improved for the w/ G–WSe2 transistors, including an on/off current ratio of ≈107, subthreshold swing of ≈150 mV/decade, and threshold voltage of ≈1.75 V. The improved performance of the w/ G–WSe2 transistors is ascribed to the alleviation of electrical contributions from metal–semiconductor contact resistance, which is consistent with the analysis of low‐frequency noise measurements. In addition, self‐trapping behavior in the WSe2 channel is found, which possibly paves a way to further optimize the performance of layered devices. Finally, an inverter using the w/ G–WSe2 transistors is demonstrated. These transistors represent a step forward in the development of layered graphene‐based electronics suitable for energy‐efficient and high‐performance industrial‐scale products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bionic technology, it has become an innovative process imitating the functionality and structuralism of human biological systems to exploit advanced artificial intelligent machines. Bionics plays a significant role in environmental protection, especially for its low energy loss. By fusing the concept of receptor‐like sensing component and synapse‐like memory, the photoactive electro‐controlled optical sensory memory (PE‐SM) is proposed and realized in a single device, which endows a simple methodology of reducing power consumption by photoactive electro‐control. The PE‐SM is the system built with the stacked atomically thick materials, in which rhenium diselenide serves as a robust photosensor, hexagonal boron nitride serves as a tunneling dielectric, and graphene serves as a charge‐storage layer. With the features of the PE‐SM, it performs synaptic metaplasticities under optical spikes. In addition, a simulated spiking neural network composed of 24 × 24 PE‐SMs is further presented in an unsupervised machine learning environment, performing image recognition via the Hebbian rule. The PE‐SM not only improves the neuromorphic computing efficiency but also simplifies the circuit‐size structure. Eventually, the concept of photoactive electro‐control can extend to other photosensitive 2D materials and provide a new approach of constructing either visual perception memory or photonic synaptic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In adolescence, the brain is still maturing, and disorders in maturation may affect the normal development of the brain. Exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) has various potential negative effects on the central nervous system. Bergamot essential oil (BEO) has been found to be effective for neuroprotection. Methods: The rats were injected intraperitoneally with TiO2 NPs (20 mg/kg) and/or BEO (200 mg/kg). The endogenous antioxidant state and inflammatory parameters were estimated using ELISA kits, and then the memory ability and anxiety‐like behavior in rats were assessed. Results: TiO2 NPs exposure during the adolescent period induced anxiety‐like behavior, cognitive impairment, neuroinflammation and oxidative damage in hippocampus, and BEO treatment could significantly ameliorate the neurotoxicities induced by TiO2 NPs exposure. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the negative effects of TiO2 NPs exposure during the adolescent period on anxiety‐like behavior and cognitive function may be related to oxidative stress and neuroinflammation induced by TiO2 NPs exposure. In addition, BEO may ameliorate the neurotoxicities induced by TiO2 NPs exposure in adolescent rats through the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activity of BEO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: Temporary vascular access (TVA) is frequently used during the first dialysis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and it is associated with an increased risk of infection, central vein stenosis, and mortality. Here, factors associated with TVA in patients with CKD were explored. Methods: This study included patients in a single‐center CKD care program who initiated long‐term renal replacement therapy. The primary outcome was TVA use at first dialysis. Factors possibly associated with TVA use were analyzed using Cox regression. Results: Temporary vascular access was used in 53.2% of the patients at first dialysis. In total, 73.2% (n = 865) and 26.8% (n = 317) of the patients were on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that TVA use in patients with CKD was associated with diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28‐1.81, p < 0.001), lower albumin (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.75‐0.91, p < 0.001), lower education level (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.56‐1.00, p = 0.055), and total care dependency (HR 1.92, CI 1.44‐3.43, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Diabetes, education level, and care dependency are associated with TVA at dialysis initiation in patients with CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect engineering represents a significant approach for atomically thick 2D semiconductor material development to explore the unique material properties and functions. Doping‐induced conversion of conductive polarity is particularly beneficial for optimizing the integration of layered electronics. Here, controllable doping behavior in palladium diselenide (PdSe2) transistor is demonstrated by manipulating its adatom‐vacancy groups. The underlying mechanisms, which originate from reversible adsorption/desorption of oxygen clusters near selenide vacancy defects, are investigated systematically via their dynamic charge transfer characteristics and scanning tunneling microscope analysis. The modulated doping effect allows the PdSe2 transistor to emulate the essential characteristics of photo nociceptor on a device level, including firing signal threshold and sensitization. Interestingly, electrostatic gating, acting as a neuromodulator, can regulate the adaptive modes in nociceptor to improve its adaptability and perceptibility to handle different danger levels. An integrated artificial nociceptor array is also designed to execute unique image processing functions, which suggests a new perspective for extension of the promise of defect engineered 2D electronics in simplified sensory systems toward use in advanced humanoid robots and artificial visual sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human brain is often likened to an incredibly complex and intricate computer, rather than electrical devices, consisting of billions of neuronal cells connected by synapses. Different brain circuits are responsible for coordinating and performing specific functions. The reward pathway of the synaptic plasticity in the brain is strongly related to the features of both drug addiction and relief. In the current study, a synaptic device based on layered hafnium disulfide (HfS2) is developed for the first time, to emulate the behavioral mechanisms of drug dosage modulation for neuroplasticity. A strong gate‐dependent persistent photocurrent is observed, arising from the modulation of substrate‐trapping events. By controlling the polarity of gate voltage, the basic functions of biological synapses are realized under a range of light spiking conditions. Furthermore, under the control of detrapping/trapping events at the HfS2/SiO2 interface, positive/negative correlations of the An/A1 index, which significantly reflected the weight change of synaptic plasticity, are realized under the same stimulation conditions for the emulation of the drug‐related addition/relief behaviors in the brain. The findings provide a new advance for mimicking human brain plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: branchial cleft anomalies; fistula; suppuration; thyroid nodule; thyroiditis; ultrasonography EN branchial cleft anomalies fistula suppuration thyroid nodule thyroiditis ultrasonography 110 115 6 01/01/21 20210101 NES 210101 Key points Head and neck ultrasound can be used as a non-invasive image modality for the diagnosis of congenital pyriform sinus fistula (CPSF) in children. If an initial barium esophagogram fails to reveal the sinus tract, repeated study is suggested 4-6 weeks later, following remission of the infectious process.4 CT and MR imaging with contrast medium are helpful diagnostic modalities for cases that present with a solid neck mass or acute swelling of a cervical cyst. Hosokawa et al7 described detailed ultrasonic findings of the caudal site of the sinus tract of the lateral cervical sinus, a hypoechoic sinus tract located between the internal and external carotid arteries; the caudal site of the lateral cervical sinus extends antero-superiorly to the external carotid artery. Gan et al9 reported the ultrasonic findings of three cases of pyriform sinus fistula: two presented with an abscess involving the thyroid gland and adjacent tissue, the other presented with a hyperechoic line of the gas pocket within the fistula. [Extracted from the article]

Rationale: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a pancreatic disease with poor prognosis and pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal types of cancer that is symptomless in the early stage. Because the clinical and image findings of CP can overlap that of pancreatic cancer (PC) which leads to confusion in the diagnosis and treatment of PC, discovery/verification/validation of more accurate protein biomarkers to diagnose CP and PC is in urgent need. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched using the keywords: 'biomarker', 'marker', 'chronic pancreatitis', "pancreatic cancer" or "proteomics" for highly related researches. We focused on the articles published after the year 2005 in this review. Results: We introduce the background to CP and PC and summarize the diagnosis of CP and PC, analytically validated protein biomarkers, and proteomic approaches for discovery/verification/validation. The potential use of mass spectrometry (MS) in clinical diagnosis is also discussed. Conclusions: Continuously improving sensitivity of MS can provide deeper proteome for new marker discovery and high reliability for protein marker verification, validation, and clinical diagnosis. The analytically validated protein markers could be considered as targeted protein biomarkers for developing a MS platform in the clinical validation process or clinical diagnosis of CP and PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of farmers' preference, transaction cost and household productivity on land reallocation in rural China. Empirical results from a sample of 2102 households show that farmers' preference has no effect on land reallocation. The transaction cost has negative effects on partial‐scale land reallocation but has no effect on full‐scale land reallocation. Interestingly, highly productive and unproductive households receive more partial‐scale land reallocation than households with a median level of productivity, supporting the efficiency hypothesis (Brandt et al., 2004). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure changes 6 months after surgery among children with obstructive sleep apnea.Study Design: Prospective interventional study.Setting: Tertiary medical hospital.Subjects and Methods: Children aged 4 to 16 years with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index >1) were recruited. All children underwent adenotonsillectomy and postoperative polysomnography overnight. The 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure was measured before and 6 months after surgery.Results: The study cohort enrolled 124 children: mean (SD) age, 7.3 (3.1) years; 73% boys. After surgery, the apnea-hypopnea index significantly decreased from 13.3 (18.1) to 3.3 (7.2) events per hour ( P < .001). Overall systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were not significantly different following surgery, while daytime systolic blood pressure was slightly increased (114.3 to 117.3 mm Hg, P < .01) postoperatively. The hypertensive group (n = 43) exhibited significantly decreased levels of overall diastolic, nighttime systolic, and nighttime diastolic blood pressure ( P < .05), and 54% of hypertensive children became nonhypertensive after surgery. The nonhypertensive group (n = 81) showed slightly increased levels of nocturnal overall systolic, daytime systolic, and nighttime systolic blood pressure. A generalized linear mixed model revealed that children with hypertension had a greater decrease in systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressure during the daytime and nighttime (all P < .05) than those without hypertension.Conclusions: Ambulatory blood pressure changes after adenotonsillectomy among children with obstructive sleep apnea are minimal. The decrease in ambulatory blood pressure after surgery is more prominent for hypertensive children than nonhypertensive children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) score in dialysis patients was associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in cross‐sectional study, but the use of AAC score in the CAD prediction was not clear. We aimed to use AAC score in the estimation of CAD occurrence in middle‐aged peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods: Middle‐aged (45–65 years old) PD patients were recruited and followed up until CAD occurrence, patient mortality, or PD failure. We quantified AAC score by lateral lumbar radiography, and used receiver operation curve (ROC) analysis to find the cut‐off value for CAD prediction. Results: There were 187 patients recruited for study with a mean follow‐up of 1027 ± 427 days. AAC score in patients with CAD during follow‐up period (9.7 ± 7.6, n = 41) was higher than in patients without CAD occurrence (5.5 ± 6.1, n = 146) (P < 0.001). Multivariate hazard ratio of AAC score for CAD was 1.07 (P = 0.044). ROC showed that AAC score of 5.5 had a sensitivity of 0.667 and a specificity of 0.581 in the prediction of CAD occurrence. Patients with AAC score above 5.5 had significantly higher cumulative incidence of CAD than patients with AAC score below 5.5 (Log‐rank test, P = 0.003). Age (P = 0.002), diabetes (P = 0.002), hypertension (P = 0.032), longer dialysis vintage (P < 0.001) and lower serum potassium (P = 0.012) were parameters significantly associated with higher AAC score. Conclusion: AAC score can predict CAD occurrence in PD patients. Age, diabetes, hypertension, dialysis vintage and serum potassium level are factors associated with higher AAC score. Summary at a Glance: This is a prospective cohort study examining the correlation of abdominal aortic calcification score with the occurrence of coronary artery disease, patient mortality or technique failure. Patients with a score of greater than 5.5 had a higher cumulative incidence of coronary artery disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: S100A14 is a member of the S100 calcium‐binding protein family that exerts important phenotypic effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and motility. However, the functional role and potential clinical significance of S100A14 in lung adenocarcinoma has not yet been clarified. Methods: We analyzed genomic alterations of S100A14 using The Cancer Genome Atlas lung adenocarcinoma genomic dataset. S100A14 displayed significant copy number amplification in lung adenocarcinoma. We detected S100A14 expression in lung adenocarcinoma and analyzed the correlation between S100A14 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Results: Immunohistochemical analysis showed that S100A14 expression was obviously upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma tissues compared to matched normal counterparts. Statistical analysis revealed that S100A14 expression strongly correlated with poor differentiation, metastasis, stage, smoking, and EGFR mutation. Furthermore, our data indicated that S100A14 serum levels were higher in lung adenocarcinoma patients than healthy controls. Intriguingly, S100A14 serum levels were related to distant metastasis (P = 0.028). High S100A14 expression was significantly associated with overall (P = 0.0016) and post progression (P = 0.039) survival. In addition, we investigated the biological functions of S100A14 in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. The results demonstrated that S100A14 promoted cell migration and invasion of SPCA1 and Glc‐82 cells. Conclusions: S100A14 increases the motility of lung adenocarcinoma cells, and might be a diagnostic and prognostic serum biomarker and potential therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing literature on firm survival focuses almost exclusively on firm- and industry-level determinants. What is generally overlooked, albeit extremely important for firm survival in developing countries, is the impact of institutional quality. Using data from manufacturing firms in China for the 1998-2005 period, we find that institutional quality has a significant and positive impact on the survival of private enterprises. Specifically, a one-standard-deviation increase in the security of property rights protection leads to an 8.8 percent decrease in the hazard rate of private enterprises. Our results are robust to the inclusion of control variables and to various checks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions may be used to monitor for a second primary oral cancer. To control for bias, we focused on the visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions of patients with oral cancer with a positive betel-nut chewing habit. Visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions that can predict second primary oral cancers were studied. Methods Nine hundred ninety-seven patients with positive betel-nut chewing habits and oral cancer were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. We analyzed the relevance of their visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesion incidence and relative clinicopathological variables to the development of a second primary oral cancer. Results Second primary oral cancer risk was significantly higher in patients with positive visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions ( P < .0001), especially in younger patients ( P = .0023; ≤40 years: adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.66; 40-60 years: adjusted OR 2.61). The heterogeneous leukoplakia was (adjusted OR 2.17) higher than homogeneous leukoplakia. Conclusion The predictive value and practicality of visible oral and oropharyngeal premalignant lesions make it a potentially valuable marker in follow-ups of patients with a positive betel-nut chewing habit with oral cancer, especially young patients with heterogeneous leukoplakia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Prolonged QT interval is related to changes of electrolytes in haemodialysis (HD) and is associated with all-cause mortality in HD patients. It is unknown if prolonged QT interval is associated with all-cause mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients as the electrolytes were relatively stable in PD. We therefore investigated the association of prolonged QT interval and all-cause mortality in chronic PD patients. Methods The QT intervals were measured in 2003 and all patients were followed to December 2012. A prolonged QT interval was defined as a QT interval > 450 ms. The association of prolonged QT interval with all-cause and cardiac-specific mortality was analyzed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results Of 306 patients, 196 (64%) patients had prolonged QT interval. The incidence density rate was 9.7 per 100 persons-years for all-cause mortality and 5.6 for cardiac specific mortality in patients with prolonged QT interval. Prolonged QT interval was associated with all-cause mortality with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.59 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-2.39, P = 0.03] and cardiac mortality (HR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.00-2.78, P = 0.05) with adjustments for age, gender, diabetes, and vintage of dialysis. Longer QT interval (>500 ms, 450-500 ms, and < 450 ms) was significantly associated with a worse overall survival ( P = 0.03, log-rank test) and cardiac mortality free survival ( P = 0.05, log-rank test). Conclusions Prolonged QT interval was associated with all-cause and cardiac mortality in patients on peritoneal dialysis. The association is independent of patient's age and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new abietane-type diterpenoids, 7 β-acetoxy-12-methoxyabieta-8,11,13-triene-6 α,11-diol ( 1), 7 α-acetoxy-12-methoxyabieta-8,11,13-triene-6 α,11-diol ( 2), and 6 α-acetoxy-12-methoxyabieta-8,11,13-triene-7 α,11-diol ( 3), as well as two known abietane-type diterpenoids, 12-methoxyabieta-8,11,13-triene-6 α,7 β,11-triol ( 4) and 6 α-acetoxy-12-methoxyabieta-8,11,13-triene-7 β,11-diol ( 5), were isolated from the MeOH extract of the bark of Cryptomeria japonica. Their structures were determined by analysis of spectroscopic data and comparison of NMR data with those of related metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of grain and grain-boundary conductivity of acceptor (Sc)-doped ( Ba, Ca)( Ti, Zr) O3 ceramics sintered in moist reducing atmosphere and subsequently reoxidized in dry and moist atmosphere was investigated by means of impedance spectroscopy ( IS). In moist firing atmosphere, water vapor was found to react with oxygen vacancies, forming positively charged hydroxyl defects [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular calcification is common in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients and can be measured using abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). Loss of residual renal function (RRF) is associated with increased mortality in HD patients. However, the association between loss of RRF and vascular calcification is unknown. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between loss of RRF and VC in HD patients. All chronic HD (HD for more than 3 months) patients of China Medical University Hospital in 2014 were included. AAC scores were measured semi-quantitatively based on later lumbar radiographs. Loss of RRF was defined as urine output less than 200 mL per day. The association between loss of RRF and AAC was analyzed using logistic regression. Four hundred and thirty-eight chronic HD patients with a mean age of 63 ± 12 years were analyzed. The median (interquartile range) AAC score of all patients was 7 (2-13). The AAC score of patients with loss of RRF was 9 (3-22), significantly higher than that of patients with RRF 5 (0-17) ( P = 0.004). Loss of RRF, independent of patients' age, diabetes, C-reactive protein, calcium-phosphorus product and vintage of dialysis was associated with higher AAC scores. Loss of RRF was associated with vascular calcification in HD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The phytochemical composition of aqueous and ethanol extracts from Gynura bicolor DC., a vegetable, was determined. Human umbilical vein endothelial ( HUVE) cells were used to examine the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory potentials of these extracts at 1, 2 or 4% (v/v) against high-glucose-induced injury. RESULTS Both aqueous and ethanol extracts contained phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids and anthocyanins in the ranges 1428-1569, 1934-2175, 921-1007 and 2135-2407 mg per 100 g dry weight respectively. Both extracts were rich in quercetin, lutein, malvidin and pelargonidin. Addition of these extracts at test doses decreased reactive oxygen species formation, preserved glutathione content and retained glutathione peroxide and catalase activities in high-glucose-treated HUVE cells ( P < 0.05). Treatments with these extracts at 2 and 4% lowered interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and prostaglandin E2 production and reduced cyclooxygenase-2 activity ( P < 0.05). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that this vegetable could be considered as a functional food and might provide antioxidative and anti-inflammatory protection. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease ( CKD) that requires dialysis. It is not clear if survival of patients with diabetes as primary kidney disease ( DKD) is different from the survival of patients with diabetes as comorbidity ( DCM). We investigated the survival of patients with DKD and patients with DCM in patients on maintenance haemodialysis ( HD) using propensity score matching approach. Methods All patients on maintenance HD in Taiwan Renal Registry Database from 1997 to 2005 were analyzed and were prospectively followed to 31 December 2008. Patients' survival was determined using Cox proportional-hazards regression. Results We analyzed the survival of 2632 patients with DCM and 13 160 matched patients with DKD. The first year mortality rate was 11.9% in patients with DCM and 13.9% in patients with DKD. The incidence density rate of overall mortality was 11.2 per 100 patient-years in patients with DCM and 12.9 in patients with DKD. Patients with DKD had a worse survival than patients with DCM ( P < 0.01). Compared to patients with DCM, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval [ CI]) for first year mortality was 1.27 (1.10-1.47) and the hazard ratio for overall mortality was 1.18 (1.12-1.25) in patients with DKD. Patients' age, male gender, comorbid liver cirrhosis, higher fasting blood glucose, lower haematocrit, and lower serum phosphorus were independently associated with higher mortality. Conclusions Patients with diabetes as primary kidney disease are associated with higher first year and overall mortality, compared to patients with diabetes as comorbidity in patients on maintenance haemodialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Frailty is a common syndrome in the elderly and is linked to poor outcomes. Walking performance is one of the indicators of frailty and can be associated with peripheral vascular disease ( PVD). The association between frailty and PVD is unclear. The present study investigates the association between frailty and PVD in the elderly. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out in a geriatric population of ≥65-year-old residents of Taichung, Taiwan, in June 2009. The association between frailty and subclinical PVD was analyzed using logistic regression with adjustments for PVD risk factors. Results The community-based study consisted of 1036 individuals (539 male and 497 female subjects) with a mean age of 74.2 ± 6.6 years. Frailty was found in 143 (13.8%), and subclinical PVD was identified in 74 (7.1%) individuals using the Ankle Brachial Index < 0.9 as a cut-off. Frail individuals were associated with an increased risk for subclinical PVD with an odd ratios ( OR) of 3.168 (95% CI 1.803-5.566, P < 0.001). Individuals' diastolic blood pressure ( OR 0.975, 95% CI 0.951-0.999, P = 0.038) and high-density cholesterol ( OR 0.976, 95% CI: 0.956-0.996, P = 0.019) were independently associated with subclinical PVD. Conclusions Frailty syndrome in the elderly is associated with subclinical peripheral arterial disease indicated using the Ankle Brachial Index. The association between frailty and PVD is independent of subject's age, blood pressure and serum lipoprotein level. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 261-267. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia is common in chronic hemodialysis ( HD) patients and is associated with a higher mortality. Factors associated with dementia in HD patients are not clear. We investigated factors associated with early dementia in HD patients. Chronic HD patients of 27 hemodialysis centers were enrolled in 2013. Early dementia was identified using the AD8 assessment. Factors associated with early dementia were analyzed using logistic regression. A total of 1617 chronic HD patients including 820 males and 797 females, aged 63.3 ± 13 years, dialyzed for 4 (1.8-8.4) years were analyzed. Early dementia was identified in 414 (25.6%) of the patients. Longer HD times were associated with a lower chance of dementia ( P = 0.032), with an adjusted odds ratio ( OR) of 0.522 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.270-0.969) for every one more hour of HD. Patient's age ( OR: 1.587, 95% CI: 1.406-1.791, P < 0.001), body mass index ( OR: 0.958, 95% CI: 0.921-0.996, P = 0.031), cerebrovascular accident ( OR: 1.480, 95% CI: 1.000-2.188), diabetes ( OR: 1.894, 95% CI: 1.390-2.581, P < 0.001), and serum albumin ( OR: 0.376, 95 % CI: 0.256-0.553, P < 0.001) were independently linked to early dementia. Short hemodialysis times are associated with early dementia in a chronic hemodialysis population with a quarter of patients having early dementia. Patients' age, nutrition status and comorbidity are independently linked to early dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new labdane-type diterpene acids, (12 S)-12-hydroxylabda-8(17),13(16),14-trien-18-oic acid ( 1) and (12 R)-12-hydroxy-15,16-epoxylabda-8(17),13-dien-18-oic acid ( 2), along with a known labdane-type diterpene, (11 E)-15,16-bisnor-13-oxolabda-8(17),11-dien-19-oic acid ( 3), were isolated from the MeOH extract of the wood of Cunninghamia konishii. Their structures were determined by analysis of spectroscopic data and comparison with the data of known analogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical models predict that a variety of self-assembled structures of closely packed spherical particles may result when they are confined in a cylindrical domain. In the present work we demonstrate for the first time that the polymer-coated nanoparticles confined in the self-assembled cylindrical domains of a block copolymer pack in helical morphology, where we can isolate individual fibers filled with helically arranged nanoparticles. This finding provides unique possibilities for fundamental as well as application-oriented research in similar directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Two different specific surface area of starting Ba CO3, 10 and 30 m2/g, are used to prepare solid-state BaTiO3 powder. Pure tetragonal BaTiO3 was obtained at a lower calcination temperature with smaller Ba CO3, and the kinetic calculations of activation energy also agree with it. A clear, thin, and nano-sized cubic BaTiO3 clusters on TiO2 particles were also observed. A narrower particle size distribution of BaTiO3 powder (350 nm) was obtained from 30 m2/g of starting Ba CO3 at 1000°C. After sintering with reducing atmosphere, the ceramics with potential of X8R or X7R specifications and a clear core-shell microstructure were obtained in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of multinationals and economic institutions on the economic growth of cities in China. Consistent with previous findings, the empirical results suggest that property rights institutions are significantly more important than contracting institutions in promoting economic growth. The direct effect of multinationals on economic growth is generally insignificant statistically. However, a statistically significant and robust interaction effect exists between property rights institutions and multinationals on economic growth, whereas no such effect is observed between contracting institutions and multinationals. The results are attributable to the fact that multinationals can rely on reputation or personal connections to enforce contracts when contracting institutions are weak. However, it is difficult for multinationals to operate when the state expropriates their profits (i.e. property rights institutions are weak). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal aluminum exposure may affect the development of the embryo and alter the capacity for learning and memory in adults. The chick embryo is a good experimental model to study the effect of prenatal toxin exposure on cognitive defects in offspring, because it eliminates maternal confounding variables. In the present study, we applied a one-trial passive avoidance-learning task in day-old chicks to examine the effects of prenatal aluminum chloride injections (2, 20, and 200 mM in 200 µl per egg, daily over a period of 4 successive days) on memory consolidation. The data suggest that chicks injected with aluminum chloride (20 mM) daily from E12 to E15 had significantly impaired short-term memory, intermediate-term memory, and long-term memory (LTM) after training ( p < .05) but chicks injected with aluminum chloride (2 mM) had impaired LTM only. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 54:133-138, 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Discoveries about antimicrobial peptides and plant defence activators have made possible the de novo and rational design of novel peptides for use in crop protection. Here we report a novel chimeric protein, Hcm1, which was made by linking the active domains of cecropin A and melittin to the hypersensitive response (HR)-elicitor Hpa1 of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the causal agent of rice bacterial leaf streak. The resulting chimeric protein maintained not only the HR-inducing property of the harpin, but also the antimicrobial activity of the cecropin A-melittin hybrid. Hcm1 was purified from engineered Escherichia coli and evaluated in terms of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the 50% effective dose (ED50) against important plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Importantly, the protein acted as a potential pesticide by inducing disease resistance for viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens. This designed drug can be considered as a lead compound for use in plant protection, either for the development of new broad-spectrum pesticides or for expression in transgenic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-dose vasopressor use is associated with increasing mortality in patients with septic shock. We conducted this study to determine if the high-dose of vasopressor used before the initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is associated with increasing mortality in critically ill patients. We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent CRRT in the medical intensive care unit of China Medical University Hospital between 2003 and 2007. The association between mortality and highest vasopressors (dopamine and norepinephrine [NE]) dose used were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression. A total of 279 patients (170 men and 109 women) treated with CRRT in medical intensive care were reviewed and 237 (84.9%) died. In Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test, dopamine dose of ≥20 µg/kg/min and NE dose of ≥0.3 µg/kg/min were significantly linked to mortality ( P = 0.007 and <0.001). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, NE dose of ≥0.3 µg/kg/min, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and low platelet count were independently linked to mortality. The hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval (CI) were 1.771 (95% CI: 1.247-2.516, P = 0.001), 1.035 (95% CI: 1.012-1.058, P = 0.003), and 0.997 (95% CI: 0.996-0.999, P = 0.003), respectively. Critically ill patients treated with very high dose of NE before the initiation of CRRT have a very high mortality rate regardless of the acute kidney injury stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether ankle-brachial index (ABI) predicts the rate of decline of residual renal function (RRF) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Previous studies demonstrated the importance of loss of RRF in predicting all-cause risk and cardiovascular mortality in PD patients. It is also known that patients with a low ABI value have a greater risk for deteriorating renal function in the general population. The relationship between ABI and the declining rate of RRF in PD patients with an additional dialysis-specific risk factor is uncertain. Seventy-four PD patients with RRF of more than 1 mL/min per 1.73 m were analyzed. ABI was used as the surrogate measure of pre-existing cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis burden to further determine the outcome of RRF in this study. The slope of decline of RRF was used to determine the outcome. Based on the multivariate analysis, only ABI ( P < 0.001), diabetes ( P = 0.02) and baseline RRF ( P = 0.009) independently predicted a faster decline in RRF. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that ABI was an independent predictor for the slope of decline of RRF ( P < 0.001). A low ABI is an independent predictor of not only the known atherosclerotic events, but also of the rate of decline of RRF over time in PD patients. Peripheral arterial disease is shown to impact on the decline in residual renal function in peritoneal dialysis patients in this paper. The authors used the ankle-brachial index to determine the presence of peripheral vascular disease and have assumed this reflects generalized vascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The central nervous system exhibits remarkable plasticity in early life. Prenatal morphine exposure may induce adverse behavioral effects on the neonate and the developing offspring. In the present study, we investigated the effect of prenatal morphine exposure (daily from embryonic days 12–16, 20mg/kg) on 11-day-old chicks using two forms of spatial paradigms: one trial detour behavior task in which animals must bypass an obstacle to reach the desired goal without any training and detour learning task which required several trials of training to reach the detour criterion. The results showed that, on the condition that chicks could successfully detour in the first trial, morphine exposed chicks exhibited longer detour latency to finish the task, coupled by a preference for turning right versus turning left. In contrast, no significant difference in learning and memory was found in detour learning task between morphine exposed chicks and saline chicks. These findings suggest specific behavioral changes associated with prenatal exposure to opioids during mid to late gestation, also raise attention to the possible health hazard from pregnancy drug use in everyday life. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Both antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (MO)-mediated knockdown and overexpression experiments were performed to analyze zebrafish cdx1b's function in intestinal cell differentiation. Substantial reductions in goblet cell numbers were detected in intestines of 102- and 120-hours post-fertilization (hpf) cdx1b MO-injected embryos (morphants) compared to cdx1b-4-base mismatched (4mm)-MO-injected and wild type embryos. A significant decrease in enteroendocrine cell numbers was also observed in intestines of 96-hpf cdx1b morphants. Furthermore, ectopic cdx1b expression caused notable increases in respective cell numbers of enteroendocrine and goblet cells in intestines of 96- and 98-hpf injected embryos. Decreased PepT1 expression was detected in enterocytes of intestines in cdx1b morphants from 80 to 102 hr of development. In addition, increased cell proliferation was detected in intestines of cdx1b morphants. Overall, our results suggest that zebrafish cdx1b plays important roles in regulating intestinal cell proliferation and the differentiation of various intestinal cell lineages. Developmental Dynamics 238:1021-1032, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Attention-deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to be among the most frequently missed of psychiatric diagnoses in adults because its presentation in adulthood so often mimics those of better-known disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms, depression/anxiety symptoms, and life quality in young men. Methods: Nine hundred and twenty-nine draftees into the Taiwanese army completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life–Brief Version, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Scale. Based on high ASRS scores, a total of 328 adults (35.3%) were identified as having ADHD: 65 (7.0%) with definite ADHD and 263 (28.3%) with probable ADHD. Results: The 328 subjects in the ADHD group had more severe depressive, anxiety symptoms and daytime sleepiness, and had poorer quality of life than the 601 controls (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: ADHD should be included in the differential diagnosis for young men presenting with anxiety, depression, daytime sleepiness, and poor quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uremic pruritus is one of the common complications in long-term dialysis patients. Recently, researchers reported that immunohypothesis with high serum level of cytokines could be the cause of uremic pruritus. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) artificial kidney (AK) has been reported to adsorb more serum cytokines than other high-flux AKs. In July 2006, 30 patients with severe uremic pruritus from 300 chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients in a single center entered this prospective study. Their dialyzers were changed to PMMA AK for 4 weeks. The severity of pruritus was evaluated every week using the results of a questionnaire (pruritus score). Laboratory assays including predialysis serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, β2-microglobulin (β2M), calcium, phosphate, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), total CO2, ferritin, hematocrit, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Kt/ V, and β2M clearance were measured before and at the end of 4 weeks of PMMA AK use. PMMA AK was effective in reducing the pruritus score from 23.46 ± 11.94 to 7.38 ± 6.42 ( P < 0.001). The effect of uremic pruritus relief appeared after 1 week of PMMA AK use. There were no significant differences in the laboratory assay results including predialysis serum BUN, Cr, β2M, calcium, phosphate, calcium–phosphate product, iPTH, total CO2, ferritin, hematocrit, hsCRP, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-18, TNF-α, Kt/ V, and β2M clearance. The mechanism for the beneficial effect of PMMA AK on uremic pruritus remains to be determined. PMMA AK may be a useful adjuvant therapy in chronic HD patients with severe uremic pruritus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of intravenous drug abuse (IVDA) on native arteriovenous fistula thrombosis (NAT) in chronic hemodialysis patients is unknown. We conducted a retrospective study of 123 chronic hemodialysis patients incarcerated in a male prison in Mid-Taiwan. All patients were dialyzed three times per week, 4 h per session. The development of NAT was compared in patients with a history of IVDA (42, 34.1%) and those without (81, 65.9%). A total of 36 patients experienced one or more NAT episodes in 6 years and 29 (80.6%) of them had a history of IVDA. In these 29 patients, 22 (75.9%) relied on repeated thrombectomy or thrombolysis therapy to maintain patent vascular access. In Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, patients with a history of IVDA were prone to develop NAT (log-rank, P < 0.001). The result of Cox regression suggested that a history of IVDA, independent of diabetes, was associated with the development of NAT. Patients with a history of IVDA, even after IVDA has stopped, were still prone to develop NAT and vascular access infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]