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Abstract. Background:. Studies that comprehensively address the characteristics of centenarian deaths are rare. The present study aimed to depict the characteristics of centenarian deaths in China and their changing trends. Methods:. Data on centenarian deaths between 2013 and 2020 were obtained from the national mortality surveillance system of China, including date, place of death (PoD), and underlying cause of death (CoD). Descriptive analyses were performed to understand the epidemiological characteristics, and a joinpoint regression model was adopted to examine the changing trends in the proportions of different PoDs, CoDs among centenarians, and centenarian deaths accounting for all deaths and deaths among people aged 65 years and older. Results:. There were 46,938 registered centenarian deaths between 2013 and 2020 that included 34,311 females (73.10%) and 12,627 males (26.90%). January (12.05%), February (9.99%), and December (9.74%) were the top three months with the highest number of deaths. The proportions of deaths that occurred in homes, hospitals, and nursing homes were 81.71%, 13.63%, and 2.68%, respectively. The proportion of deaths in nursing homes increased by 9.60% (95% confidence intervals [CIs], 6.4–12.9%) from 2014 to 2020. Heart disease (35.72%) was the leading cause of death, followed by respiratory diseases (17.63%), cerebrovascular disease (15.60%), and old age (11.22%). The proportion of respiratory diseases decreased by 4.8% (95% CI, –8.8 to –0.7%), and the proportion of deaths from old age decreased by 2.3% (95% CI, –4.4 to –0.1%) per year. Shanghai had the highest proportions of deaths in hospitals (39.38%) and nursing homes (14.68%). Sichuan had the highest proportion of deaths attributed to respiratory diseases (32.30%), while Jiangsu (26.58%) and Zhejiang (23.61%) had the highest proportions of deaths from old age. Conclusion:. Unlike other countries, centenarian deaths in China are characterized by a higher proportion of home and heart disease deaths, and this death pattern differs across provinces.

Abstract In modern tunnel construction, TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) plays a very important role. In response to the needs of tunnel wall reinforcement and TBM automated construction for tunnel construction, a shotcrete mechanism mounted on the TBM is designed. In order to evaluate the kinematic performance of the mechanism, this paper studies the forward and inverse kinematics and spatial architecture of the TBM shotcrete robot. Firstly, based on the D–H parameter method, the number of joints and links is determined and structural analysis is performed to obtain the robot's forward kinematics equation, achieving the mapping between joint space and pose space. Then, by determining the joint variables, the mapping of the end tool in Cartesian space is achieved. Finally, based on the Monte Carlo random sampling method, the workspace of the robot is constructed, and its reachability and flexibility within the robot workspace are evaluated. The performance of the device is verified by building a prototype, which meets the requirements well. Through the research in this paper, it can provide theoretical basis and guidance for the design and control of the shotcrete robot.

Abstract Disposable bamboo chopsticks (DBCs) are difficult to recycle, which inevitably cause secondary pollution. Based on energy and environmental issues, we propose a facile strategy to fabricate floatable photocatalyst (fPC) coated onto DBCs, which can be flexibly used in water purification. The photocatalyst of titania and titanium carbide on bamboo (TiO2/TiC@b) was successfully constructed from TiC-Ti powders and DBCs using a coating technique followed heat treatment in carbon powder, and the fPC exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light irradation. The analysis results indicate that rutile TiO2 forms on TiC during heat treatment, achieving a low-density material with an average value of approximately 0.5233 g/cm3. The coatings of TiO2/TiC on the bamboo are firm and uniform, with a particle size of about 20–50 nm. XPS results show that a large amount of oxygen vacancies is generated, due to the reaction atmosphere of more carbon and less oxygen, further favoring to narrowing the band gap of TiO2. Furthermore, TiO2 formed on residual TiC would induce the formation of a heterojunction, which effectively inhibits the photogenerated electron–hole recombination via the charge transfer effect. Notably, the degradation of dye Rhodamine B (Rh.B) is 62.4% within 3 h, while a previous adsorption of 36.0% for 1 h. The excellent photocatalytic performance of TiO2/TiC@b can be attributed to the enhanced reaction at the water/air interface due to the reduced light loss in water, improved visible-light response, increased accessible area and charge transfer effect. Our findings show that the proposed strategy achieves a simple, low-cost, and mass-producible method to fabricate fPC onto the used DBCs, which is expected to applied in multiple fields, especially in waste recycling and water treatment.

Abstract. Background:. There is limited data to comprehensively evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of multiple myeloma (MM) in China; therefore, this study determined the characteristics of the disease burden of MM at national and provincial levels in China. Methods:. The burden of MM, including incidence, mortality, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), with a 95% uncertainty interval (UI), was determined in China following the general analytical strategy used in the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019. The trends in the burden of MM from 1990 to 2019 were also evaluated. Results:. There were an estimated 347.45 thousand DALYs with an age-standardized DALY rate of 17.05 (95% UI, 12.31–20.77) per 100,000 in 2019. The estimated number of incident case and deaths of MM were 18,793 and 13,421, with age-standardized incidence and mortality rates of 0.93 (95% UI, 0.67–1.15) and 0.67 (95% UI, 0.50–0.82) per 100,000, respectively. The age-specific DALY rates per 100,000 increased to more than 10.00 in the 40 to 44 years age group reaching a peak (93.82) in the 70 to 74 years age group. Males had a higher burden than females, with approximately 1.5- to 2.0-fold sex difference in age-specific DALY rates in all age groups. From 1990 to 2019, the DALYs of MM increased 134%, from 148,479 in 1990 to 347,453 in 2019. Conclusion:. The burden of MM has doubled over the last three decades, which highlights the need to establish effective disease prevention and control strategies at both the national and provincial levels.

Background Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) exist in various malignancies, and have been viewed as a promising biomarker to predict the efficacy and outcome of treatment. However, the marked inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity of TILs has resulted in some confusion regarding their impact on the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods In this study, 78 CRC patients were enrolled and the CD3+ and CD8+ TILs densities at the tumor center (TC), the invasive margin (IM) and the tumor stroma (TS) were assessed by immunohistochemical staining. Their associations with clinicopathological features and progression free survival (PFS) were analyzed to evaluate the predictive and prognostic values of TILs. Results TILs were mainly distributed along the invasive margin. High density of TILs in tumor center and invasive margin was associated with smaller tumor size (CD3+TILsIM), reduced tumor invasion (CD3+TILsIM), absence of lymph node metastasis (CD3+TILsIM and CD8+TILsTC), earlier stage (CD3+TILsIM and CD8+TILsIM), and lower tumor grade (CD3+TILsIM and CD8+TILsTC). However, stromal TILs were not associated with any clinicopathological features. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed that high densities of TILs always correlated with prolonged patient survival. The pathological N stage, CD3+ TILsIM and CD8+ TILsTC were found to be independent prognostic indicators. Additionally, early-stage CRC patients who developed recurrence after surgery, showed a higher CD3+/CD8+ TILs ratio in invasive margin. In the present study, it was clarified that CD3+ and CD8+ TILs were heterogeneously distributed in tumor tissues of CRC. The increase in intratumoral and peritumoral TILs had been shown to be strongly predictive of improved clinical outcome. More importantly, the immune signatures enabled to stratify early-stage CRC patients with high risk of recurrence, highlighting the prognostic power of TILs.

Introduction Adolescent depression has been shown to be associated with many devastating psychosocial outcomes. However, there are many barriers that may prevent depressed individuals from receiving specialised treatment. Virtual reality (VR) technology has shown promise as one avenue for overcoming these challenges. This study first aims to evaluate the effectiveness of VR intervention on adolescent depression symptoms, and second, to determine the intervention’s underlying mechanism of effect using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).Methods and analysis This is a single-centre, prospective, randomised controlled clinical trial. Sixty-six eligible adolescents aged 12–18 years with a diagnosis of depression will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either the VR treatment group or the conventional treatment group. All patients for both groups will receive usual treatment during a 4-week intervention period. In addition, patients randomised to VR treatment group (n=33) will complete three 20 min VR sessions including attention, executive function and relaxation training per week. Moreover, 33 healthy adolescents will be recruited as the general population. Primary outcome (ie, depressive symptoms) and secondary outcomes (ie, anxiety symptoms, executive function, treatment emergent symptoms, haemoglobin changes measured by fNIRS) will be collected at preintervention, immediately postintervention and at 4 weeks follow-up. The data assessor and analyst will be blinded to group membership.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Lishui Second People’s Hospital. Written informed consent will be obtained for all participants. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national or international conference presentations, media outlets, the internet and various community activities.Trial registration number ChiCTR2300067747.

Abstract. Background:. Epilepsy accounts for a significant portion of the global disease burden. However, little is known about the disease burden of epilepsy in China and its provinces. Methods:. We assessed the burden of epilepsy in China and its provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions from 1990 to 2019. Burden was measured as incidence, prevalence, deaths, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), by age, sex, year, and province. We used the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) to determine the association between the provincial development level and age-standardized DALY rates of epilepsy from 1990 to 2019. Results:. In 2019, epilepsy caused 1367.51 thousand (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 979.92–1837.61 thousand) DALYs, and the age-standardized DALY rate was 99.77 (95% UI: 71.33–133.52)/100,000. The age-standardized incidence and prevalence rates for epilepsy in China were 24.65/100,000 and 219.69/100,000, increased by 45.00% (95% UI: 8.03–98.74%) and 35.72% (95% UI: 0.47–86.19%) compared with that in 1990, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the proportion of DALY caused by epilepsy in the age group under 25 years steadily decreased. The proportion of DALYs caused by epilepsy in people aged 50 years and over increased from 9.45% and 10.22% in 1990 to 29.01% and 32.72% for male and female individuals in 2019, respectively. The highest age-standardized mortality rates were seen in Tibet (4.26 [95% UI: 1.43–5.66]/100,000), Qinghai (1.80 [95% UI: 1.15–2.36]/100,000), and Yunnan (1.30 [95% UI: 0.88–1.62]/100,000), and the lowest mortality rates were in Guangdong (0.48 [95% UI: 0.39–0.64]/100,000), Zhejiang (0.56 [95% UI: 0.44–0.70]/100,000), and Shanghai (0.57 [95% UI: 0.41–0.73]/100,000). The age-standardized DALY rates across the country and in provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions generally decreased as their SDI increased. Conclusions:. The disease burden of epilepsy is still heavy in China, especially in the western provinces. The incidence and prevalence of epilepsy increased between 1990 and 2019, and the burden of epilepsy in the elderly increases gradually. This study provides evidence on epilepsy prevention and care of different regions in China.

Abstract Background Long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with the onset and progression of kidney diseases, but the association between short-term exposure to air pollution and mortality of kidney diseases has not yet been reported. Methods A nationally representative sample of 101,919 deaths from kidney diseases was collected from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2015 to 2019. A time-stratified case-crossover study was applied to determine the associations. Satellite-based estimates of air pollution were assigned to each case and control day using a bilinear interpolation approach and geo-coded residential addresses. Conditional logistic regression models were constructed to estimate the associations adjusting for nonlinear splines of temperature and relative humidity. Results Each 10 µg/m3 increment in lag 0–1 mean concentrations of air pollutants was associated with a percent increase in death from kidney disease: 1.33% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57% to 2.1%) for PM1, 0.49% (95% CI: 0.10% to 0.88%) for PM2.5, 0.32% (95% CI: 0.08% to 0.57%) for PM10, 1.26% (95% CI: 0.29% to 2.24%) for NO2, and 2.9% (95% CI: 1.68% to 4.15%) for SO2. Conclusions Our study suggests that short-term exposure to ambient PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 might be important environmental risk factors for death due to kidney diseases in China.

A growing body of evidence suggests that anesthetics impact the outcome of patients with cancer after surgical intervention. However, the optimal dose and underlying mechanisms of co-administered anesthetics in lung tumor therapy have been poorly studied. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of combined anesthetics propofol, sufentanil, and rocuronium in treating lung cancer using an orthogonal experimental design and to explore the optimal combination of anesthetics. First, we evaluated the effects of the three anesthetics on the proliferation and invasion of A-549 cells using Cell Counting Kit 8 and Transwell migration and invasion assays. Subsequently, we applied the orthogonal experimental design (OED) method to screen the appropriate concentrations of the combined anesthetics with the most effective antitumor activity. We found that all three agents inhibited the proliferation of A-549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner when applied individually or in combination, with the highest differences in the magnitude of inhibition occurring 24 h after combined drug exposure. The optimal combination of the three anesthetics that achieved the strongest reduction in cell viability was 1.4 µmol/L propofol, 2 nmol/L sufentanil, and 7.83 µmol/L rocuronium. This optimal 3-drug combination produced a more beneficial result at 24 h than either single drug. Our results provide a theoretical basis for improving the efficacy of lung tumor treatment and optimizing anesthetic strategies.

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in China. No previous study has reported CVD mortality at county-level, and little was known about the nonmedical ecological factors of CVD mortality at such small scale in mainland China. Understanding the spatiotemporal variations of CVD mortality and examining its nonmedical ecological factors would be of great importance to tailor local public health policies. Methods By using national mortality registration data in China, this study used hierarchical spatiotemporal Bayesian model to demonstrate spatiotemporal distribution of CVD mortality in 2844 counties during 2006 to 2020 and investigate how nonmedical ecological determinants have affected CVD mortality inequities from the spatial perspectives. Results During 2006–2020, the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of CVD decreased from 284.77 per 100,000 in 2006 to 241.34 per 100,000 in 2020. Among 2844 counties, 1144 (40.22%) were hot spots counties with a higher CVD mortality risk compared to the national average and located mostly in northeast, north central, and westernmost regions; on the contrary, 1551 (54.53%) were cold spots counties and located mostly in south and southeast coastal counties. CVD mortality risk decreased from 2006 to 2020 was larger in counties where CVD mortality rate had been higher in 2006 in most of the counties, vice versa. Nationwide, nighttime light intensity (NTL) was the major influencing factor of CVD mortality, a higher NTL appeared to be negatively associated with a lower CVD mortality, with one unit increase in NTL, and the CVD mortality risk will decrease 11% (relative risk of NTL was estimated as 0.89 with 95% confidence interval of 0.83–0.94). Conclusions Substantial between-county discrepancies of CVD mortality distribution were observed during past 15 years in mainland China. Nonmedical ecological determinants were estimated to significantly explain the overall and local spatiotemporal patterns of this CVD mortality risk. Targeted considerations are needed to integrate primary care with clinical care through intensifying further strategies to narrow unequally distribution of CVD mortality at local scale. The approach to county-level analysis with small area models has the potential to provide novel insights into Chinese disease-specific mortality burden.

Abstract GDP-mannose 3, 5-epimerase (GME, EC 5.1.3.18), a key enzyme in the ascorbic acid synthesis pathway, catalyzes the conversion of GDP-D-mannose to GDP-l-galactose in higher plants. Here, a homolog of GME was isolated from Chrysanthemum vestitum. The cDNA sequence of CvGME was 1131 bp and contained a complete open reading frame encoding a protein comprising 376 amino acids. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that CvGME was most highly expressed in the stems and roots. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CvGME was closely related to LsGME from Lactuca sativa. Subcellular localization studies revealed that CvGME was localized in the nucleus. Heterologous expression of CvGME in transgenic tobacco plants increased the ascorbic acid content in the leaves. In addition, overexpression of CvGME reduced the malondialdehyde content and increased superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activity in tobacco leaves compared to those in the wild-type plants under drought stress conditions, explaining the increased drought tolerance of transgenic tobacco lines. These results suggest that CvGME can effectively enhance the tolerance of plants to drought by increasing the ascorbic acid content, which may help improve the drought tolerance of chrysanthemums through molecular breeding.

The aim of the study was to analyze population-based prostate cancer (PCa) screening and the incidence of PCa among males ≥50 years of age residing in the Luqiao district of Taizhou, China. From October to December 2020, male residents ≥50 years of age were screened for serum total prostate-specific antigen (total-PSA). If t-PSA re-test levels persisted above 4 μg/L, subjects underwent further noninvasive examinations, including digital rectal examination or multiparameter magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate. Subjects underwent prostate biopsy of pathological tissue based on t-PSA and mpMRI results. A total of 3524 (49.1%) residents participated in this PCa screening study. In total, 285 (8.1%) subjects exhibited t-PSA levels ≥4.0 μg/L and 112 (3.2%) underwent noninvasive examinations. Forty-two (1.2%) residents underwent prostate biopsy, of which 16 (0.45%) were diagnosed with PCa. Of those diagnosed with PCa, three (19%) had localized PCa (cT1-cT2N0M0), six (37%) had locally advanced PCa (cT3a- cT4N0-1M0), and seven (44%) had advanced metastatic PCa (M1). Unfortunately, 3477 (48.5%) residents did not participate in the study, mainly due to lack of awareness of PCa based on feedback from local health centers. Age and t-PSA were used as primary screening indicators and, when further combined with mpMRI and prostate biopsy, confirmed the diagnosis of PCa among participating residents. Although this was a relatively economical and convenient screening method, education and knowledge should be further enhanced to increase the participation rate in PCa screening programs.

Introduction Endovascular repair of the entire aortic arch provides treatment opportunities for patients with aortic arch lesions who are intolerant to open surgery. However, the complex anatomical configuration, high-speed blood flow and long access from the femoral artery increase the difficulty of endovascular aortic arch repair. On the basis of our earlier studies, a new modular inner branch stent-graft system was developed specifically for lesions located in the aortic arch and part of the ascending aorta. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the novel modular branch stent-graft system in patients with aortic arch lesions who are unsuitable for open aortic arch replacement.Methods and analysis This prospective, multicentre, single-arm, clinical trial will enrol 80 patients with aortic arch lesions requiring intervention, namely, true aortic arch aneurysms, pseudo-aortic arch aneurysms and penetrating ulcers involving the aortic arch. Clinical information and CT angiography (CTA) images will be collected and analysed to investigate the safety and efficacy of the novel modular branch stent-graft system. Patients will be followed up for 5 years. The primary outcome will be all-cause mortality and severe stroke within 12 months after the procedure. In addition, this trial will evaluate mid-term to long-term clinical and imaging outcomes through the annual clinical and CTA follow-up for 2–5 years postoperatively.Ethics and dissemination We have registered the study on a registry website (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/home). The study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, physician newsletters, conferences and the mass media.Trial registration number NCT04765592.

Introduction: Enalapril, which inhibits Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE), is a commonly used drug for the treatment of hypertension. Metoprolol, a β-blocker, is widely prescribed for patients with cardiac diseases. Essential hypertension has been identified as an independent risk factor of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Until now, there are few studies and reports on the application of the two drugs in patients with Hypertension and Coronary Heart Disease (HCHD). Aim: To assess the safety and efficacy of enalapril combined with metoprolol in patients with HCHD. Materials and Methods: The present single-centre randomised clinical trial was conducted on 109 patients with HCHD at Jingdezhen Municipal First People’s Hospital from April 2018 to January 2020. The participants were randomly divided into into two groups, one group on enalapril (n=58), and the other on enalapril and metoprolol combination (n=51). Patients in both groups were treated for eight weeks. The blood pressure, cardiac function index, serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Homocysteine (Hcy), and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels were compared between the two groups, and the adverse drug reactions of the two groups were statistically analysed using independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The mean age of enalapril group was 64.78±7.29 years, and the gender ratio was 1:1.42. The mean age of enalapril/metoprolol combination group was 63.90±6.91 years, and the gender ratio was 1:0.96. After treatment, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the enalapril/metoprolol combination group were significantly lower than that of enalapril group (p

Abstract Smoking is a major cause of health inequities. However, sociodemographic differences in adolescent tobacco use are unclear. In a territory-wide school-based anonymous survey in 2018/19, we investigated tobacco use and sociodemographic correlates in 33,991 students (mean age 14.8 ± 1.9 years) in Hong Kong. Tobacco use prevalence and current-ever use ratios by sociodemographic factors were calculated. Generalised linear mixed models were used in association analyses. Current use was highest for cigarettes (3.2%), closely followed by alternative tobacco products (3.0%). Current-ever use ratios were highest for heated tobacco products (HTPs, 0.60), followed by nicotine e-cigarettes (0.52), waterpipe (0.51), and cigarettes (0.35). Use prevalence and current-ever use ratios of all products showed curvilinear relations with perceived family affluence (P values

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most common bacterial pathogens of a wide range of community-acquired infections. It has been more and more recognized that this bacterium could also play a role as a cause of nosocomial infections. In this study, by retrospective analysis of the phenotypic resistance characteristics and genomic characteristics of 52 S. pneumoniae isolates in a hospital in Beijing, China, from 2018 to 2022, we explored the carriage of resistance genes and mutations in penicillin-binding proteins corresponding to the resistances, and identified the population diversity based on the prediction of serotypes and identification of sequence types (STs). The isolates displayed resistances to erythromycin (98%), tetracycline (96%), sulfonamide (72%) and penicillin G (42%). Among the 52 isolates, 41 displayed multiple-drug resistance. In total, 37 STs and 21 serotypes were identified, and the clonal complex 271 serogroup 19 was the most prevalent subtype. Only 24 isolates (46.2%) of 7 serotypes were covered by the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination. The isolates showed high carriages of resistance genes, including tet(M) (100%) and erm(B) (98.1%); additionally, 32 isolates (61.5%) had mutations in penicillin-binding proteins. We also observed 11 healthcare-associated infections and 3 cases infected by different subtypes of isolates. We did not find nosocomial transmissions between the patients, and these cases might be associated with the asymptomatic colonization of S. pneumoniae in the human population. Our results called for further active surveillance of these subtypes, as well as the continuous optimization of the treatment protocols.

Objective Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are often coexisting. They have common risk factors and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Sacubitril/valsartan has shown efficacy and tolerability in patients with HF. Thus, the study was performed to evaluate the impact of sacubitril/valsartan on AF occurrence in patients with HF. Methods The Embase and PubMed were searched from their inception date to June 2021 for all relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan in HF. The outcome of interest was the AF occurrence during the follow-up. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using a random-effects model. Results Six trials involving a total of 15,512 patients were included (7,750 randomized to sacubitril/valsartan and 7,762 to control). All trials were randomized, double-blind, and active-control. There was no significant difference in the prevention of AF occurrence between the sacubitril/valsartan group and the control group (enalapril or valsartan) in patients with HF (RR 1.07, 95%CI 0.95 to 1.19; I2 4%). Conclusions Sacubitril/valsartan was similar to either enalapril or valsartan in preventing the occurrence of AF in patients with HF.

Abstract Background Death registration completeness has never been assessed at the county level in China. Such analyses would provide critical intelligence to monitor the performance of the vital registration system and yield adjustment factors to correct death registration data, thereby increasing their policy utility. Methods We estimated the completeness of death registration for 31 provinces and 2844 counties of China in 2018 based on death data from the China Cause of Death Reporting System (CDRS) by using the empirical completeness method. We computed the root mean square difference (RMSD) of county-level completeness compared with provincial-level completeness to study intra-provincial variations. A two-level (province and county) logistic regression model was fitted to explore the association between county-level registration completeness and a set of covariates reflecting socioeconomic status, healthcare quality, and specific strategies and regulations designed to improve registration. Results In 2018, the overall death registration completeness for the CDRS in China was 74.2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 66.2–80.4), with very little difference for males and females. Geographical differences in completeness were higher across counties than across provinces. The county-level completeness ranged from 2.4% (95% UI 1.0–5.0%) in Burang County, Tibet, to 100.0% (95% UI 99.9–100.0%) in Guandu District, Yunnan. The coastal provinces of Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Fujian, with higher overall completeness, contained counties with low completeness; conversely, the underdeveloped provinces of Guangxi and Guizhou, with lower overall completeness, included some counties with high completeness. GDP, education, population density, minority population, healthcare access, and registration strategies were important drivers of the geographical differences in registration completeness. Conclusions There are marked inequalities in registration completeness at the county level and within provinces in China. The socioeconomic condition, the implementation of specific registration-enhancing initiatives, and the availability and quality of medical care were the primary drivers of the observed geographical variation. A more strategic approach, with more research, is required to identify the main reasons for death under-reporting, especially in the poorer performing counties, to guide remedial action.

Abstract Background Headache has emerged as a global public health concern. However, little is known about the burden from headache disorders in China. The aim of this work was to quantify the spatial patterns and temporal trends of burden from headache disorders in China. Methods Following the general analytic strategy used in the 2017 Global Burden of Disease study, we analyzed the prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of headache and its main subcategories, including migraine and tension-type headache (TTH), by age, sex, year and 33 province-level administrative units in China from 1990 to 2017. Results Almost 112.4 million individuals were estimated to have headache disorders in 1990 in China, which rose to 482.7 million in 2017. The all-age YLDs increased by 36.2% from 1990 to 2017. Migraine caused 5.5 million YLDs, much higher than TTH (1.1 million) in 2017. The age-standardized prevalence and YLDs rate of headache remained stable and high in 2017 compared with 1990, respectively. The proportion of total headache YLDs in all diseases increased from 1990 to 2017 by 5.4%. A female preponderance was observed for YLDs and the YLDs were mainly in people aged 20~54 years. Conclusions Headache remains a huge health burden in China from 1990 to 2017, with prevalence and YLDs rates higher in eastern provinces than western provinces. The substantial increase in headache cases and YLDs represents an ongoing challenge in Chinese population. Our results can help shape and inform headache research and public policy throughout China, especially for females and middle-aged people.

In order to alleviate the toxic effects of aflatoxins B1 (AFB1) on inflammatory responses in the intestine, liver, and kidney of broilers, the aflatoxin B1-degrading enzyme, montmorillonite, and compound probiotics were selected and combined to make a triple-action compound mycotoxin detoxifier (CMD). The feeding experiment was divided into two stages. In the early feeding stage (1–21 day), a total of 200 one-day-old Ross broilers were randomly divided into four groups; in the later feeding stage (22–42 day), 160 broilers aged at 22 days were assigned to four groups: Group A: basal diet (4.31 μg/kg AFB1); Group B: basal diet with 40 μg/kg AFB1; Group C: Group A plus 1.5 g/kg CMD; Group D: Group B plus 1.5 g/kg CMD. After the feeding experiment, the intestine, liver, and kidney tissues of the broilers were selected to investigate the molecular mechanism for CMD to alleviate the tissue damages. Analyses of mRNA abundances and western blotting (WB) of inflammatory factors, as well as immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of intestine, liver, and kidney tissues showed that AFB1 aggravated the inflammatory responses through NF-κB and TN-α signaling pathways via TLR pattern receptors, while the addition of CMD significantly inhibited the inflammatory responses. Phylogenetic investigation showed that AFB1 significantly increased interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK-1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activities (p < 0.05), which were restored to normal levels by CMD addition, indicating that CMD could alleviate cell inflammatory damages induced by AFB1.

Aflatoxins B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) are the three most prevalent mycotoxins, whose contamination of food and feed is a severe worldwide problem. In order to alleviate the toxic effects of multi-mycotoxins (AFB1 + DON + ZEA, ADZ) on inflammation and apoptosis in swine jejunal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2), three species of probiotics (Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pseudomonas lactis at 1 × 105 CFU/mL, respectively) were mixed together to make compound probiotics (CP), which were further combined with 400 μg/mL of glycyrrhinic acid (GA) to make bioactive materials (CGA). The experiment was divided into four groups, i.e., the control, ADZ, CGA and ADZ + CGA groups. The results showed that ADZ decreased cell viability and induced cytotoxicity, while CGA addition could alleviate ADZ-induced cytotoxicity. Moreover, the mRNA expressions of IL-8, TNF-α, NF-Κb, Bcl-2, Caspase-3, ZO-1, Occludin, Claudin-1 and ASCT2 genes, and protein expressions of TNF-α and Claudin-1 were significantly upregulated in ADZ group; while the mRNA abundances of IL-8, TNF-α, NF-Κb, Caspase-3, ASCT2 genes, and protein expressions of TNF-α and Claudin-1 were significantly downregulated in the ADZ + CGA group. In addition, the protein expressions of COX-2, ZO-1, and ASCT2 were significantly downregulated in the ADZ group, compared with the control group; whereas CGA co-incubation with ADZ could increase these protein expressions to recover to normal levels. This study indicated that CGA could alleviate cytotoxicity, apoptosis and inflammation in ADZ-induced IPEC-J2 cells and protect intestinal cell integrity from ADZ damages.

Abstract Background Studies have suggested sex differences in the mortality rate associated with diabetes. We conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the relative effect of diabetes on the risk of all-cause, cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), infectious disease, and respiratory disease mortality in women compared with men. Methods Studies published from their inception to April 1, 2018, identified through a systematic search of PubMed and EMBASE and review of references. We used the sex-specific RRs to derive the women-to-men ratio of RRs (RRR) and 95% CIs from each study. Subsequently, the RRR for each outcome was pooled with random-effects meta-analysis weighted by the inverse of the variances of the log RRRs. Results Forty-nine studies with 86 prospective cohorts met the inclusion criteria and were eligible for analysis. The pooled women-to-men RRR showed a 13% greater risk of all-cause mortality associated with diabetes in women than in men (RRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.19; P

This paper presents an adaptive approach to the federated filter for multi-sensor nonlinear systems with cross-correlations between process noise and local measurement noise. The adaptive Gaussian filter is used as the local filter of the federated filter for the first time, which overcomes the performance degradation caused by the cross-correlated noises. Two kinds of adaptive federated filters are proposed, one uses a de-correlation framework as local filter, and the subfilter of the other one is defined as a Gaussian filter with correlated noises at the same-epoch, and much effort is made to verify the theoretical equivalence of the two algorithms in the nonlinear fusion system. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms are superior to the traditional federated filter and Gaussian filter with same-paced correlated noises, and the equivalence between the proposed algorithms and high degree cubature federated filter is also demonstrated.

The European sunflower moth, Homoesoma nebulellum (Denis et Schiffermüller), emerged as a major new pest in Bayannur, China, in 2006. Insecticidal control with a single application is problematic because timing is critical, and multiple applications increase production and environmental costs. Management of H. nebulellum by planting date adjustment can be effective, but the optimal time window for late planting is unknown. Natural levels of H. nebulellum infestation were compared among sunflowers planted on five dates from April 25 to June 5 in two years, and the relationship between timing of adult abundance and flowering assessed. Delaying planting of sunflower from the traditional planting period of April 25 -May 5 to May 15 -June 5 significantly decreased damage by H. nebulellum. Seed infestation rate was 30-40 times higher, and number of larvae/head 75-100 times higher in the earliest two plantings than in the latest two. Within two years of implementing delayed planting in Bayannur city, infestation area decreased from 72% in 2006 to 1.5% in 2008, and production losses decreased from 4.5 ton/ha in 2006 to 0.36 ton/ha in 2008, a 97% decrease compared to 2006. Moreover, the infestation area caused by H. nebulellum was continuously controlled below 5.3% of the planting area since 2008. We found the overlap between the first two days of flowering and peak adult presence was the key factor influencing level of damage caused by H. nebulellum. Because the number of eggs laid in the first two days of flowering accounted for 68% of the total, and sunflower seed infestation rate was positively correlated with the number of trapped adults weighted by proportion of daily oviposition. Oviposition of the majority of eggs in the first two days of flowering suggests an evolutionary mechanism whereby females choose host plants most conducive to larval development, consistent with the preference-performance hypothesis.

Background: Real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) has been the most effective and widely implemented diagnostic technology since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, fuzzy rRT-PCR readouts with high Ct values are frequently encountered, resulting in uncertainty in diagnosis. Methods: A Specific Enhancer for PCR-amplified Nucleic Acid (SENA) was developed based on the Cas12a trans-cleavage activity, which is specifically triggered by the rRT-PCR amplicons of the SARS-CoV-2 Orf1ab (O) and N fragments. SENA was first characterized to determine its sensitivity and specificity, using a systematic titration experiment with pure SARS-CoV-2 RNA standards, and was then verified in several hospitals, employing a couple of commercial rRT-PCR kits and testing various clinical specimens under different scenarios. Findings: The ratio (10 min/5 min) of fluorescence change (FC) with mixed SENA reaction (mix-FCratio) was defined for quantitative analysis of target O and N genes, and the Limit of Detection (LoD) of mix-FCratio with 95% confidence interval was 1.2≤1.6≤2.1. Totally, 295 clinical specimens were analyzed, among which 21 uncertain rRT-PCR cases as well as 4 false negative and 2 false positive samples were characterized by SENA and further verified by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The cut-off values for mix-FCratio were determined as 1.145 for positive and 1.068 for negative. Interpretation: SENA increases both the sensitivity and the specificity of rRT-PCR, solving the uncertainty problem in COVID-19 diagnosis and thus providing a simple and low-cost companion diagnosis for combating the pandemic. Funding: Detailed funding information is available at the end of the manuscript.

BACKGROUND:Ambient fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) is one leading cause of disease burden, but no study has quantified the association between daily PM2.5 exposure and life expectancy. We aimed to assess the potential benefits in life expectancy by attaining the daily PM2.5 standards in 72 cities of China during 2013-2016. METHODS AND FINDINGS:We applied a two-stage approach for the analysis. At the first stage, we used a generalized additive model (GAM) with a Gaussian link to examine the city-specific short-term association between daily PM2.5 and years of life lost (YLL); at the second stage, a random-effects meta-analysis was used to generate the regional and national estimations. We further estimated the potential gains in life expectancy (PGLE) by assuming that ambient PM2.5 has met the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS, 75 μg/m3) or the ambient air quality guideline (AQG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) (25 μg/m3). We also calculated the attributable fraction (AF), which denoted the proportion of YLL attributable to a higher-than-standards daily mean PM2.5 concentration. During the period from January 18, 2013 to December 31, 2016, we recorded 1,226,849 nonaccidental deaths in the study area. We observed significant associations between daily PM2.5 and YLL: each 10 μg/m3 increase in three-day-averaged (lag02) PM2.5 concentrations corresponded to an increment of 0.43 years of life lost (95% CI: 0.29-0.57). We estimated that 168,065.18 (95% CI: 114,144.91-221,985.45) and 68,684.95 (95% CI: 46,648.79-90,721.11) years of life lost can be avoided by achieving WHO's AQG and Chinese NAAQS in the study area, which corresponded to 0.14 (95% CI: 0.09-0.18) and 0.06 (95% CI: 0.04-0.07) years of gain in life expectancy for each death in these cities. We observed differential regional estimates across the 7 regions, with the highest gains in the Northwest region (0.28 years of gain [95% CI: 0.06-0.49]) and the lowest in the North region (0.08 [95% CI: 0.02-0.15]). Furthermore, using WHO's AQG and Chinese NAAQS as the references, we estimated that 1.00% (95% CI: 0.68%-1.32%) and 0.41% (95% CI: 0.28%-0.54%) of YLL could be attributable to the PM2.5 exposure at the national level. Findings from this study were mainly limited by the unavailability of data on individual PM2.5 exposure. CONCLUSIONS:This study indicates that significantly longer life expectancy could be achieved by a reduction in the ambient PM2.5 concentrations. It also highlights the need to formulate a stricter ambient PM2.5 standard at both national and regional levels of China to protect the population's health.

Drug repurposing is an attractive and pragmatic way offering reduced risks and development time in the complicated process of drug discovery. In the past, drug repurposing has been largely accidental and serendipitous. The most successful examples so far have not involved a systematic approach. Nowadays, remarkable advances in drugs, diseases and bioinformatic knowledge are offering great opportunities for designing novel drug repurposing approach through comprehensive understanding of drug information. In this study, we introduced a novel drug repurposing approach based on transcriptomic data and chemical structures using deep learning. One strong candidate for repurposing has been identified. Pimozide is an anti-dyskinesia agent that is used for the suppression of motor and phonic tics in patients with Tourette's Disorder. However, our pipeline proposed it as a strong candidate for treating non-small cell lung cancer. The cytotoxicity of pimozide against A549 cell lines has been validated.

Abstract An environment-friendly fluorescent nano-hybrid hydrogel has been synthesized successfully, from cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), acrylic acid (AA) and phosphorescent Eu2+/Dy3+ doped SrAl2O4 via free radical polymerization. The hydrogel network matrix fixed Eu2+/Dy3+ doped SrAl2O4 nanoparticles by polymer chains with coordinate bonds that prevented particles from aggregating and quenching in water. The fluorescent nano-hybrid hydrogel exhibited extremely high water absorption of which the swelling ratio in distilled water and NaCl salt solution were respectively of 323.35 g/g and 32.65 g/g. Furthermore, the hydrogel displayed excellent water retention property that can keep half of the moisture even exposed to 80 °C for 210 min. Besides, the hydrogel had bright green fluorescence under the sunlight or ultraviolet excitation, and the fluorescence intensity was up to 125477 after swelling 50 times in water. The time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) afterglow decay examination showed that the fluorescent emission persisted for 4 h after hydrogels excited at 368 nm wavelength UV-light for 10 min. The fluorescence intensity behaved significant linear relationship with the swelling ratio. As a result, these hydrogels were considered as promising candidates for the preparation of stable and sensitive sensor materials in green water detection.

Abstract Although anti-angiogenic (AA) therapy is widely used in clinical practice, it is often challenged by insufficient efficacy and intrinsic resistance. Some studies have reported that AA therapy can even increase tumor metastasis. However, whether this is due to a specific AA drug causing a specific tumor to metastasize or because the anti-angiogenic theory has some “inherent vice” that may inevitably lead to tumor dissemination remains a mystery. Herein, we designed a model that completely blocks tumor blood supply using a physical barrier to examine tumor behavior in such circumstances. Surprisingly, we found that cutting off the blood supply could neither eliminate the primary tumor cells nor prevent local invasion or formation of distant metastases. By using a mathematical method to simulate tumor behavior, we found that blocking tumor blood supply may lead to an inevitable consequence: the cells that can tolerate blood deficiency are “naturally selected” and survive, whereas a portion of cells are promoted to escape from the “starvation” area by the consistent environmental stress until they are spread throughout the body. This may be an intrinsic disadvantage of the AA strategy, which will inevitably cause the tumor, particularly highly metastatic tumors, to spread more aggressively.

The development of an effective vaccine against HIV infection remains a global priority. Dendritic cell (DC)-based HIV immunotherapeutic vaccine is a promising approach which aims at optimizing the HIV-specific immune response using primed DCs to promote and enhance both the cellular and humoral arms of immunity. Since the Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein (EboGP) has strong DC-targeting ability, we investigated whether EboGP is able to direct HIV particles towards DCs efficiently and promote potent HIV-specific immune responses. Our results indicate that the incorporation of EboGP into non-replicating virus-like particles (VLPs) enhances their ability to target human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs) and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). Also, a mucin-like domain deleted EboGP (EboGPΔM) can further enhanced the MDDCs and MDMs-targeting ability. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of EboGP on HIV immunogenicity in mice, and the results revealed a significantly stronger HIV-specific humoral immune response when immunized with EboGP-pseudotyped HIV VLPs compared with those immunized with HIV VLPs. Splenocytes harvested from mice immunized with EboGP-pseudotyped HIV VLPs secreted increased levels of macrophage inflammatory proteins-1α (MIP-1α) and IL-4 upon stimulation with HIV Env and/or Gag peptides compared with those harvested from mice immunized with HIV VLPs. Collectively, this study provides evidence for the first time that the incorporation of EboGP in HIV VLPs can facilitate DC and macrophage targeting and induce more potent immune responses against HIV.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191297.].

Brassica napus is an important oilseed crop worldwide. Although seed weight is the main determinant of seed yield, few studies have focused on the molecular mechanisms that regulate seed weight in B. napus. In this study, the immature seeds of G-42 and 7-9, two B. napus doubled haploid (DH) lines with extremely different thousand-seed weight (TSW), were selected for a transcriptome analysis to determine the regulatory mechanisms underlying seed weight at the whole gene expression level and to identify candidate genes related to seed weight. A total of 2,251 new genes and 2,205 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained via RNA-seq (RNA sequencing). Among these genes, 1,747 (77.61%) new genes and 2020 (91.61%) DEGs were successfully annotated. Of these DEGs, 1,118 were up-regulated and 1,087 were down-regulated in the large-seed line. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database analysis indicated that 15 DEGs were involved in ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and proteasome pathways, which might participate in regulating seed weight. The Gene Ontology (GO) database indicated that 222 DEGs were associated with the biological process or molecular function categories related to seed weight, such as cell division, cell size and cell cycle regulation, seed development, nutrient reservoir activity, and proteasome-mediated ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic processes. Moreover, 50 DEGs encoding key enzymes or proteins were identified that likely participate in regulating seed weight. A DEG (GSBRNA2T00037121001) identified by the transcriptome analysis was also previously identified in a quantitative trait locus (QTL) region for seed weight via SLAF-seq (Specific Locus Amplified Fragment sequencing). Finally, the expression of 10 DEGs with putative roles in seed weight and the expression of the DEG GSBRNA2T00037121001 were confirmed by a quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, and the results were consistent with the RNA sequencing data. This work has provided new insights on the molecular mechanisms underlying seed weight-related biosynthesis and has laid a solid foundation for further improvements to the seed yield of oil crops.

BACKGROUND:Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant global public health problem, but has received minimal attention from researchers and policy-makers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Epidemiological evidence of TBI morbidity and mortality is absent at the national level for most LMICs, including China. Using data from China's Disease Surveillance Points (DSPs) system, we conducted a population-based longitudinal analysis to examine TBI mortality, and mortality differences by sex, age group, location (urban/rural), and external cause of injury, from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2013 in China. METHOD AND FINDINGS:Mortality data came from the national DSPs system of China, which has coded deaths using the International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision (ICD-10) since 2004. Crude and age-standardized mortality with 95% CIs were estimated using the census population in 2010 as a reference population. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to examine the significance of trends in mortality from 2006 to 2013. Negative binomial models were used to examine the associations of TBI mortality with location, sex, and age group. Subgroup analysis was performed by external cause of TBI. We found the following: (1) Age-adjusted TBI mortality increased from 13.23 per 100,000 population in 2006 to 17.06 per 100,000 population in 2008 and then began to fall slightly. In 2013, age-adjusted TBI mortality was 12.99 per 100,000 population (SE = 0.13). (2) Compared to females and urban residents, males and rural residents had higher TBI mortality risk, with adjusted mortality rate ratios of 2.57 and 1.71, respectively. TBI mortality increased substantially with older age. (3) Motor vehicle crashes and falls were the 2 leading causes of TBI mortality between 2006 and 2013. TBI deaths from motor vehicle crashes in children aged 0-14 years and adults aged 65 years and older were most often in pedestrians, and motorcyclists were the first or second leading category of road user for the other age groups. (4) TBI mortality attributed to motor vehicle crashes increased for pedestrians and motorcyclists in all 7 age groups from 2006 to 2013. Our analysis was limited by the availability and quality of data in the DSPs dataset, including lack of injury-related socio-economic factors, policy factors, and individual and behavioral factors. The dataset also may be incomplete in TBI death recording or contain misclassification of mortality data. CONCLUSIONS:TBI constitutes a serious public health threat in China. Further studies should explore the reasons for the particularly high risk of TBI mortality among particular populations, as well as the reasons for recent increases in certain subgroups, and should develop solutions to address these challenges. Interventions proven to work in other cultures should be introduced and implemented nationwide. Examples of these in the domain of motor vehicle crashes include policy change and enforcement of laws concerning helmet use for motorcyclists and bicyclists, car seat and booster seat use for child motor vehicle passengers, speed limit and drunk driving laws, and alcohol ignition interlock use. Examples to prevent falls, especially among elderly individuals, include exercise programs, home modification to reduce fall risk, and multifaceted interventions to prevent falls in all age groups.

The bioethanol is playing an increasingly important role in renewable energy in China. Based on the theory of circular economy, integration of different resources by polygeneration is one of the solutions to improve energy efficiency and to reduce environmental impact. In this study, three modes of bioethanol production were selected to evaluate the life cycle energy efficiency and environmental impact of sweet potato-based bioethanol. The results showed that, the net energy ratio was greater than 1 and the value of net energy gain was positive in the three production modes, in which the maximum value appeared in the circular economy mode (CEM). The environment emission mainly occurred to bioethanol conversion unit in the conventional production mode (CPM) and the cogeneration mode (CGM), and eutrophication potential (EP) and global warming potential (GWP) were the most significant environmental impact category. While compared with CPM and CGM, the environmental impact of CEM significantly declined due to increasing recycling, and plant cultivation unit mainly contributed to EP and GWP. And the comprehensive evaluation score of environmental impact decreased by 73.46% and 23.36%. This study showed that CEM was effective in improving energy efficiency, especially in reducing the environmental impact, and it provides a new method for bioethanol production.

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of the crack of a cracked tooth on an artificial simulation model with Periapical Radiography (PR) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in vitro, providing the basis for early diagnosis and an appropriate treatment plan.Forty-four teeth with different extents of artificial cracks, created by exposure to liquid nitrogen after hot water at 100°C, were collected. They were subjected to PR and CBCT. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) examination, regarded as a relatively more accurate measurement than others, was used to measure and record the crack depth. Three observers, an endodontic graduate student, an experienced endodontist, and an experienced radiologist, examined the PR and CBCT results independently, and the presence or absence of cracks with PR and CBCT were respectively recorded. The external consistency ICC with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to analyze the consistency among the graduate student, endodontist, and radiologist; ROC curves were used for the analysis of diagnostic performance of both radiographic modalities for tooth cracks with crack depth.For the interpretation of the PR results, there were statistically significant differences among the three different observers (P < 0.001), and the interpretation of the CBCT results (P < 0.001). In the group of results read by the graduate student, the sensitivity of diagnosis with CBCT and PR was 77.27% and 22.73%, respectively (P < 0.001). In the group of results read by the endodontist, the sensitivity of diagnosis with CBCT and PR was 81.81% and 8.19%, respectively (P < 0.001). In the group of results read by the radiologist, the sensitivity of diagnosis with CBCT and PR was 88.64% and 11.36%, respectively (P < 0.001). As for CBCT diagnosis, the critical value for the graduate, endodontist, and radiologist was 3.20 mm, 2.06 mm, and 1.24 mm, respectively. For the PR diagnosis, the critical value for the graduate, endodontist, and radiologist was 6.12 mm, 6.94 mm, and 6.94 mm, respectively.Within the limitations of this study, on an artificial simulation model of cracked teeth for early diagnosis, we recommend that it would be better for a cracked tooth to be diagnosed by a radiologist with CBCT than PR, CBCT with a minimum depth of 1.24 mm.

Seed weight is a critical and direct trait for oilseed crop seed yield. Understanding its genetic mechanism is of great importance for yield improvement in Brassica napus breeding. Two hundred and fifty doubled haploid lines derived by microspore culture were developed from a cross between a large-seed line G-42 and a small-seed line 7-9. According to the 1000-seed weight (TSW) data, the individual DNA of the heaviest 46 lines and the lightest 47 lines were respectively selected to establish two bulked DNA pools. A new high-throughput sequencing technology, Specific Locus Amplified Fragment Sequencing (SLAF-seq), was used to identify candidate genes of TSW in association analysis combined with bulked segregant analysis (BSA). A total of 1,933 high quality polymorphic SLAF markers were developed and 4 associated markers of TSW were procured. A hot region of ~0.58 Mb at nucleotides 25,401,885-25,985,931 on ChrA09 containing 91 candidate genes was identified as tightly associated with the TSW trait. From annotation information, four genes (GSBRNA2T00037136001, GSBRNA2T00037157001, GSBRNA2T00037129001 and GSBRNA2T00069389001) might be interesting candidate genes that are highly related to seed weight.

After committing an error, participants tend to perform more slowly. This phenomenon is called post-error slowing (PES). Although previous studies have explored the PES effect in the context of observed errors, the issue as to whether the slowing effect generalizes across tasksets remains unclear. Further, the generation mechanisms of PES following observed errors must be examined. To address the above issues, we employed an observation-execution task in three experiments. During each trial, participants were required to mentally observe the outcomes of their partners in the observation task and then to perform their own key-press according to the mapping rules in the execution task. In Experiment 1, the same tasksets were utilized in the observation task and the execution task, and three error rate conditions (20%, 50% and 80%) were established in the observation task. The results revealed that the PES effect after observed errors was obtained in all three error rate conditions, replicating and extending previous studies. In Experiment 2, distinct stimuli and response rules were utilized in the observation task and the execution task. The result pattern was the same as that in Experiment 1, suggesting that the PES effect after observed errors was a generic adjustment process. In Experiment 3, the response deadline was shortened in the execution task to rule out the ceiling effect, and two error rate conditions (50% and 80%) were established in the observation task. The PES effect after observed errors was still obtained in the 50% and 80% error rate conditions. However, the accuracy in the post-observed error trials was comparable to that in the post-observed correct trials, suggesting that the slowing effect and improved accuracy did not rely on the same underlying mechanism. Current findings indicate that the occurrence of PES after observed errors is not dependent on the probability of observed errors, consistent with the assumption of cognitive control account. Moreover, the PES effect appears across tasksets with distinct stimuli and response rules in the context of observed errors, reflecting a generic process. Additionally, the slowing effect and improved accuracy in the post-observed error trial do not occur together, suggesting that they are independent behavioral adjustments in the context of observed errors.

BACKGROUND:Antiplatelet agents are commonly used for cardiovascular diseases, but their pleiotropic effects in critically ill patients are controversial. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of cohort studies to investigate the effect of antiplatelet therapy in the critically ill. METHODS:Nine cohort studies, retrieved from PubMed and Embase before November 2015, involving 14,612 critically ill patients and 4765 cases of antiplatelet users, were meta-analysed. The main outcome was hospital or 30-day mortality. Secondary outcome was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or acute lung injury (ALI). Random- or fixed-effect models were taken for quantitative synthesis of the data. RESULTS:Antiplatelet therapy was associated with decreased mortality (odds ratio (OR) 0.61; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.52-0.71; I2 = 0%; P

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and consolidation chemotherapy have been used to treat intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients in first complete remission (CR1). However, it is still unclear which treatments are most effective for these patients. The aim of our study was to analyze the relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) benefit of allogeneic HSCT (alloHSCT) for intermediate-risk AML patients in CR1. A meta-analysis of prospective trials comparing alloHSCT to non-alloHSCT (autologous HSCT [autoHSCT] and/or chemotherapy) was undertaken. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library though October 2014, using keywords and relative MeSH or Emtree terms, 'allogeneic'; 'acut*' and 'leukem*/aml/leukaem*/leucem*/leucaem*'; and 'nonlympho*' or 'myelo*'. A total of 7053 articles were accessed. The primary outcomes were RFS and OS, while the secondary outcomes were treatment-related mortality (TRM) and relapse rate (RR). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for each outcome. The primary outcomes were RFS and OS, while the secondary outcomes were TRM and RR. We included 9 prospective controlled studies including 1950 adult patients. Patients with intermediate-risk AML in CR1 who received either alloHSCT or non-alloHSCT were considered eligible. AlloHSCT was found to be associated with significantly better RFS, OS, and RR than non-alloHSCT (HR, 0.684 [95% CI: 0.48, 0.95]; HR, 0.76 [95% CI: 0.61, 0.95]; and HR, 0.58 [95% CI: 0.45, 0.75], respectively). TRM was significantly higher following alloHSCT than non-alloHSCT (HR, 3.09 [95% CI: 1.38, 6.92]). However, subgroup analysis showed no OS benefit for alloHSCT over autoHSCT (HR, 0.99 [95% CI: 0.70, 1.39]). In conclusion, alloHSCT is associated with more favorable RFS, OS, and RR benefits (but not TRM outcomes) than non-alloHSCT generally, but does not have an OS advantage over autoHSCT specifically, in patients with intermediate-risk AML in CR1.

The perceptual load theory in selective attention literature proposes that the interference from task-irrelevant distractor is eliminated when perceptual capacity is fully consumed by task-relevant information. However, the biased competition model suggests that the contents of working memory (WM) can guide attentional selection automatically, even when this guidance is detrimental to visual search. An intriguing but unsolved question is what will happen when selective attention is influenced by both perceptual load and WM guidance. To study this issue, behavioral performances and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded when participants were presented with a cue to either identify or hold in memory and had to perform a visual search task subsequently, under conditions of low or high perceptual load. Behavioural data showed that high perceptual load eliminated the attentional capture by WM. The ERP results revealed an obvious WM guidance effect in P1 component with invalid trials eliciting larger P1 than neutral trials, regardless of the level of perceptual load. The interaction between perceptual load and WM guidance was significant for the posterior N1 component. The memory guidance effect on N1 was eliminated by high perceptual load. Standardized Low Resolution Electrical Tomography Analysis (sLORETA) showed that the WM guidance effect and the perceptual load effect on attention can be localized into the occipital area and parietal lobe, respectively. Merely identifying the cue produced no effect on the P1 or N1 component. These results suggest that in selective attention, the information held in WM could capture attention at the early stage of visual processing in the occipital cortex. Interestingly, this initial capture of attention by WM could be modulated by the level of perceptual load and the parietal lobe mediates target selection at the discrimination stage.

The Stroop effect is one of the most robust and well-studied phenomena in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. However, little is known about the relationship between intrinsic brain activity and the individual differences of this effect. In the present study, we explored this issue by examining whether resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) signals could predict individual differences in the Stroop effect of healthy individuals. A partial correlation analysis was calculated to examine the relationship between regional homogeneity (ReHo) and Stroop effect size, while controlling for age, sex, and framewise displacement (FD). The results showed positive correlations in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), the left insula, the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), and the medial frontal gyrus (MFG), and negative correlation in the left precentral gyrus (LPG). These results indicate the possible influences of the LIFG, the left insula, and the LPG on the efficiency of cognitive control, and demonstrate that the key nodes of default mode network (DMN) may be important in goal-directed behavior and/or mental effort during cognitive control tasks.

Needle core biopsy (NCB) is one of the most widely used and accepted methods for the diagnosis of focal hepatic lesions. Although many studies have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of NCB in predicting the tumor grade, it is still under debate.To identify the influence of number of biopsies on NCB diagnostic accuracy.153 patients with HCC were selected from patients who received preoperative NCB under the guidance of ultrasonography in our hospital. The diagnostic reference standard was the surgical pathologic diagnosis.Using a 3-tier grading scheme (well, moderate and poor), the accuracy of NCB has no significant differences among different number of passes in HCC ≤5 cm. For HCC >5≤8 cm, the increasing number of passes could increase the diagnostic accuracy (63.3%, 81.8%, and 84.8% for passes one, two, and three, respectively). While in HCC>8 cm, the diagnostic accuracy of passes one, two, and three were 62.1%, 69%, and 75.8%, respectively.The accuracy of NCB in assessing tumor grading associated with tumor size and number of passes. Meanwhile, a minimum of two passes should be performed to get better accuracy in patients with HCC >5 cm.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a multi-faceted construct consisting of our ability to perceive, monitor, regulate and use emotions. Despite much attention being paid to the neural substrates of EI, little is known of the spontaneous brain activity associated with EI during resting state. We used resting-state fMRI to investigate the association between the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) and EI in a large sample of young, healthy adults. We found that EI was significantly associated with ALFFs in key nodes of two networks: the social emotional processing network (the fusiform gyrus, right superior orbital frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus and left inferior parietal lobule) and the cognitive control network (the bilateral pre-SMA, cerebellum and right precuneus). These findings suggest that the neural correlates of EI involve several brain regions in two crucial networks, which reflect the core components of EI: emotion perception and emotional control.

The Cre/loxP system is increasingly exploited for genetic manipulation of DNA in vitro and in vivo. It was previously reported that inactive ''split-Cre'' fragments could restore Cre activity in transgenic mice when overlapping co-expression was controlled by two different promoters. In this study, we analyzed recombination activities of split-Cre proteins, and found that no recombinase activity was detected in the in vitro recombination reaction in which only the N-terminal domain (NCre) of split-Cre protein was expressed, whereas recombination activity was obtained when the C-terminal (CCre) or both NCre and CCre fragments were supplied. We have also determined the recombination efficiency of split-Cre proteins which were co-expressed in hair roots of transgenic tobacco. No Cre recombination event was observed in hair roots of transgenic tobacco when the NCre or CCre genes were expressed alone. In contrast, an efficient recombination event was found in transgenic hairy roots co-expressing both inactive split-Cre genes. Moreover, the restored recombination efficiency of split-Cre proteins fused with the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) was higher than that of intact Cre in transgenic lines. Thus, DNA recombination mediated by split-Cre proteins provides an alternative method for spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression in transgenic plants.

In order to solve the problems of the existing wide-area backup protection (WABP) algorithms, the paper proposes a novel WABP algorithm based on the distribution characteristics of fault component current and improved Dempster/Shafer (D-S) evidence theory. When a fault occurs, slave substations transmit to master station the amplitudes of fault component currents of transmission lines which are the closest to fault element. Then master substation identifies suspicious faulty lines according to the distribution characteristics of fault component current. After that, the master substation will identify the actual faulty line with improved D-S evidence theory based on the action states of traditional protections and direction components of these suspicious faulty lines. The simulation examples based on IEEE 10-generator-39-bus system show that the proposed WABP algorithm has an excellent performance. The algorithm has low requirement of sampling synchronization, small wide-area communication flow, and high fault tolerance.

ER1626, a novel compound, is a derivate of indeno-isoquinoline ketone. This study was designed to evaluate the biological activity and potential anti-tumor mechanism of ER1626.MTT assay, scratch assay and flow cytometry were used to determine cell proliferation, cell migration and cell cycle distribution as well as cell apoptosis on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells. We also explored the antiangiogenic effect of ER1626 on HUVEC cells and chicken embryos. The expression of estrogen receptor protein was investigated with western-blot analysis.ER1626 down-regulated the expression of estrogen receptor α protein and up-regulated β protein in MCF-7 and Ishikawa cells. The value of IC50 of ER1626 on MCF-7 and Ishikawa cells were respectively 8.52 and 3.08 µmol/L. Meanwhile, ER1626 decreased VEGF secretion of MCF-7 and Ishikawa cells, disturbed the formation of VEGF-stimulated tubular structure in HUVEC cells, and inhibited the angiogenesis on the chicken chorioallantoic membrane. Scratch assay revealed that ER1626 suppressed the migration of MCF-7, Ishikawa and HUVEC cells. In addition to induction tumor cell apoptosis, ER1626 arrested cell cycle in G1/G0 phase in MCF-7 cells and G2/M phase in Ishikawa cells.In conclusion, our results demonstrated that ER1626 has favorable bioactivities to be a potential candidate against breast cancer and angiogenesis.