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Recently, a growing body of evidence has suggested that abnormal ovarian angiogenesis, secondary to the imbalance between various angiogenic markers, is involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS, and this has led to the use of various interventions (such as Diane-35) to restore the normal ovarian angiogenesis. Therefore, we conducted the current investigation to determine the role of such markers (endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endostatin (ES), and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1)) in the pathogenesis of PCOS along with the associated changes in ovarian blood flow in patients with PCOS compared to healthy controls, both before and after a course of oral contraception. A total of 381 patients with PCOS and 98 healthy females of childbearing age were recruited from July 2014 to June 2017 at the Reproductive Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. The serum levels of VEGF, ES, and TSP-1 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while ovarian perfusion was measured by the pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) by using transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound. Repeated analyses were carried out after 3 months of Diane-35 treatment. Post-treatment serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio of patients with PCOS decreased significantly (P <0.05). The RI values of most PCOS patients increased after treatment (P<0.05), while PI was significantly increased in all patients (P<0.05). However, variable changes in the serum levels of TSP-1, VEGF, and ES after treatment were observed. Serum VEGF levels showed a negative correlation with serum LH/FSH ratio, T concentration, and ES (P <0.05), while ES levels were negatively correlated with serum T concentrations only (P<0.05). The markers of angiogenesis (VEGF, ES, and TSP-1) were expressed differently among PCOS patients, who also responded differently to the same course of Diane-35 treatment. This field still warrants further investigation to reach a more definitive conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developing countries exhibit a high disease burden from shigellosis. Owing to the different incidences in males and females, this study aims to analyze the features involved in the transmission of shigellosis among male (subscript m) and female (subscript f) individuals using a newly developed sex-based model. Methods: The data of reported shigellosis cases were collected from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention in Hubei Province from 2005 to 2017. A sex-based Susceptible–Exposed–Infectious/Asymptomatic–Recovered (SEIAR) model was applied to explore the dataset, and a sex-age-based SEIAR model was applied in 2010 to explore the sex- and age-specific transmissions. Results: From 2005 to 2017, 130 770 shigellosis cases (including 73 981 male and 56 789 female cases) were reported in Hubei Province. The SEIAR model exhibited a significant fitting effect with the shigellosis data (P < 0.001). The median values of the shigellosis transmission were 2.3225 × 108 for SARmm (secondary attack rate from male to male), 2.5729 × 108 for SARmf, 2.7630 × 10-8 for SARfm, and 2.1061 × 10-8 for SARff. The top five mean values of the transmission relative rate in 2010 (where the subscript 1 was defined as male and age ≤ 5 years, 2 was male and age 6 to 59 years, 3 was male and age ≥ 60 years, 4 was female and age ≤ 5 years, 5 was female and age 6 to 59 years, and 6 was male and age ≥ 60 years) were 5.76 × 10-8 for β61, 5.32 × 10-8 for β31, 4.01 × 10-8 for β34, 7.52 × 10-9 for β62, and 6.04 × 10-9 for β64. Conclusions: The transmissibility of shigellosis differed among male and female individuals. The transmissibility between the genders was higher than that within the genders, particularly female-to-male transmission. The most important route in children (age ≤ 5 years) was transmission from the elderly (age ≥ 60 years). Therefore, the greatest interventions should be applied in females and the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on annual runoff data collected from several hydrological stations in the Nen River Basin from 1956 to 2004, the cumulative filter method, Mann-Kendall method and Morlet wavelet analysis were used to analyze variations in the characteristics and factors influencing runoff. Specifically, the general characteristics list as: The distribution of runoff was found to be uneven within a year, and the annual variation showed an overall decreasing trend. The abrupt change points of runoff were found to be in the early 1960s, middle 1980s and late 1990s. Multiple time scales analysis revealed three time-scale cycles, a long-term cycle of about 20-35 years with a scale center of 25 years, another cycle of about 8-15 years with a scale center of 11 years and a short-term cycle of about 5 years. Based on the Morlet wavelet transform coefficients figure of the 25-year time scale, it is preliminarily estimated that the Nen River Basin will enter a high flow period in 2013. The results obtained using various methods were consistent with each other. The physical causes of the results were also analyzed to confirm their accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new species, Exophiala asiatica, isolated from an infection of the pharynx in a 20-year-old, immunocompetent woman in Nanjing, China. The infection was initiated by a fishbone prick in the pharynx, soon developed with facial nodules but subsequently seemed to have disappeared. Tonsil ulceration with progressive soreness of the pharynx was observed 3 years later. Dysphagia, headache and paralysis occurred four years after first signs of infection. Hyphae and yeast-like cells were detected in tissue and a black fungus was recovered repeatedly from pharynx tissue. Despite antifungal therapy for more than one year, the patient died of apparent cerebral dissemination of the etiologic agent. On the basis of morphology, nutritional physiology, ribosomal small subunit DNA and ITS sequence data the strain could not be matched with any existing species. A new species, Exophiala asiatica, is therefore proposed.

Objective: Numerous methods have been developed for recording cleft lip and palate deformities, but none has been universally accepted due to limitations, inadequate description of the cleft deformities, and varying complexity., Design: The classification system introduced in this article is designed to describe detailed information of the cleft deformities with five-digit codes. The anatomic description of the cleft components is denoted with five Arabic numerals in order of right lip, right alveolus and primary palate, secondary palate, left alveolus and primary palate, and left lip. The extent of the cleft deformities is recorded using the numerals 0 to 4 (i.e., from intact to complete)., Setting: Department of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University., Results: This new classification system allows a numerical description of any kind of complete cleft, incomplete cleft, asymmetry, and complex clefts with an intervening intact segment (all simulated cases)., Conclusions: The simplicity and precision of this five-digit classification system make it easy to understand, and it can be used for computerized data analysis.