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INTRODUCTION: The objective of current study was to develop and validate comprehensive nomograms for predicting the survival of young women with breast cancer. METHODS: Women aged

RtxA1 is a major cytotoxin of Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus) causing fatal septicemia and necrotic wound infections. Our previous work has shown that RpoS regulates the expression and secretion of V. vulnificus RtxA1 toxin. This study was conducted to further investigate the potential mechanisms of RpoS on RtxA1 secretion. First, V. vulnificus TolCV1 and TolCV2 proteins, two Escherichia coli TolC homologs, were measured at various time points by Western blotting. The expression of TolCV1 was increased time-dependently, whereas that of TolCV2 was decreased. Expression of both TolCV1 and TolCV2 was significantly downregulated in an rpoS deletion mutation. Subsequently, we explored the roles of TolCV1 and TolCV2 in V. vulnificus pathogenesis. Western blot analysis showed that RtxA1 toxin was exported by TolCV1, not TolCV2, which was consistent with the cytotoxicity results. Furthermore, the expression of TolCV1 and TolCV2 was increased after treatment of the host signal bile salt and the growth of tolCV1 mutant was totally abolished in the presence of bile salt. A tolCV1 mutation resulted in significant reduction of V. vulnificus induced-virulence in mice. Taken together, TolCV1 plays key roles in RtxA1 secretion, bile salt resistance, and mice lethality of V. vulnificus, suggesting that TolCV1 could be an attractive target for the design of new medicines to treat V. vulnificus infections.

Executive functions are of vital importance in the process of active cognition, which is thought to be associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). As a valid brain stimulation technology, high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) has been used to optimize cognitive function in healthy adults. Substantial evidence indicates that short-term or single anodal tDCS sessions over the left DLPFC will enhance the performance of executive functions. However, the changes in performance and cortical activation of executive functions after modulation by repeated anodal HD-tDCS is as yet unexplored. This study aims to examine changes in three core components of executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) produced by nine HD-tDCS sessions (1.5 mA, over left DLPFC, 20 min per session), and to use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to bilaterally record DLPFC neural activity. A total of 43 participants were divided randomly into two study groups (anodal group vs. sham group) to complete nine interventions. Our results demonstrate that the enhancement of cognitive flexibility in the anodal group was significantly better than that in the sham group. Additionally, a Stroop effect-related decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration in the DLPFC was observed in the anodal group but not the sham group. In conclusion, our study found that repeated anodal HD-tDCS sessions can significantly promote cognitive flexibility, one of the core components of executive function, and that alterations in DLPFC activation can enhance our understanding of the neuroplastic modifications modulated by HD-tDCS.

Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) significantly improves the prognosis for myocardial infarction, the no-reflow phenomenon is still the major adverse complication of PCI leading to increased mortality, especially for the patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) combined with diabetes. To reduce the occurrence of no-reflow, prognostic factors must be identified for no-reflow phenomenon before PCI. A total of 262 participants with acute STEMI and diabetes were recruited into our cardiovascular center and underwent primary PCI for the analyses of prognostic factors of no-reflow. The patients were divided into two groups according to thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI): the normal flow and no-reflow groups, and related factors were analyzed with different statistical methods. In the present investigation, the in-hospital peak glycemia was significantly higher in the no-reflow group than the normal flow group, while more narrowed vessels, higher level of initial TIMI flow, were observed in the patients of the no-reflow group. A multivariate logistic regression analysis further demonstrated that peak glycemia was an independent predictor for no-reflow in the diabetic patients with STEMI. Our data indicated the importance of the proper control of glucose before PCI for the diabetic patients with STEMI before PCI to reduce the occurrence of the no-reflow after operation.

Plasma treatment is considered a straightforward, cost-effective, and environmental-friendly technique for surface modification of film materials. In this study, air plasma treatment was applied for performance improvement of pure PVA, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/PVA, and CNC/oxalic acid (OA)/PVA films. Compared with the original performance of pure PVA, the mechanical properties and water resistance of air plasma treated films were greatly improved. Among them, the CNC/OA/PVA film treated by three minutes of air plasma irradiation exhibits the most remarkable performance in mechanical properties (tensile strength: 132.7 MPa; Young’s modulus: 5379.9 MPa) and water resistance (degree of swelling: 47.5%; solubility: 6.0%). By means of various modern characterization methods, the wettability, surface chemical structure, surface roughness, and thermal stability of different films before and after air plasma treatment were further revealed. Based on the results obtained, the air plasma treatment only changed the surface chemical structure, surface roughness, and hydrophobicity, while keeping the inner structure of films intact.

Abstract To meet the growing demand for global electrical energy storage, high‐energy‐density electrode materials are required for Li‐ion batteries. To overcome the limit of the theoretical energy density in conventional electrode materials based solely on the transition metal redox reaction, the oxygen redox reaction in electrode materials has become an essential component because it can further increase the energy density by providing additional available electrons. However, the increase in the contribution of the oxygen redox reaction in a material is still limited due to the lack of understanding its controlled parameters. Here, it is first proposed that Li‐transition metals (TMs) inter‐diffusion between the phases in Li‐rich materials can be a key parameter for controlling the oxygen redox reaction in Li‐rich materials. The resulting Li‐rich materials can achieve fully exploited oxygen redox reaction and thereby can deliver the highest reversible capacity leading to the highest energy density, ≈1100 Wh kg−1 among Co‐free Li‐rich materials. The strategy of controlling Li/transition metals (TMs) inter‐diffusion between the phases in Li‐rich materials will provide feasible way for further achieving high‐energy‐density electrode materials via enhancing the oxygen redox reaction for high‐performance Li‐ion batteries.

Summary: In December 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia, which was named COVID-2019, emerged as a global health crisis. Scientists worldwide are engaged in attempts to elucidate the transmission and pathogenic mechanisms of the causative coronavirus. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, making it critical to track and review the state of research on COVID-19 to provide guidance for further investigations. Here, bibliometric and knowledge mapping analyses of studies on COVID-19 were performed, including more than 1,500 papers on COVID-19 available in the PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases from January 1, 2020 to March 8, 2020. In this review, we found that because of the rapid response of researchers worldwide, the number of COVID-19-related publications showed a high growth trend in the first 10 days of February; among these, the largest number of studies originated in China, the country most affected by pandemic in its early stages. Our findings revealed that the epidemic situation and data accessibility of different research teams have caused obvious difference in emphases of the publications. Besides, there was an unprecedented level of close cooperation and information sharing within the global scientific community relative to previous coronavirus research. We combed and drew the knowledge map of the SARS-CoV-2 literature, explored early status of research on etiology, pathology, epidemiology, treatment, prevention, and control, and discussed knowledge gaps that remain to be urgently addressed. Future perspectives on treatment, prevention, and control are also presented to provide fundamental references for current and future coronavirus research.

Human beings are currently experiencing a serious public health event. Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has infected about 3 million people worldwide and killed more than 200,000, most being the elderly or people with potential chronic diseases or in immunosuppressive states. According to big data analysis, there are many proteins homologous to or interacting with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which, therefore, may not be the only receptor for the novel coronavirus; other receptors may also exist in host cells of different species. These potential receptors may also play an important role in the infection process of the novel coronavirus. The current study aimed to discover such key proteins or receptors and analyze the susceptibility of different animals to the novel coronavirus, in order to reveal the transmission process of the virus in cross-species infection. We analyzed the proteins coded by the ACE2 gene in different mammalian species and predicted their correlation and homology with the human ACE2 receptor. The major finding of our predictive analysis suggested ACE2 gene-encoded proteins to be highly homologous across mammals. Based on their high homology, their possibility of binding the spike-protein of SARS-CoV-2 is quite high and species such as Felis catus, Bos taurus, Rattus norvegicus etc. may be potential susceptible hosts; special monitoring is particularly required for livestock that are in close contact with humans. Our results might provide ideas for the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus pneumonia.

Background: Data on burden and changing trends of breast cancer are of value for policymaking. We aimed to determine the pattern of breast cancer incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), as well as temporal trends, from 1990 to 2017.Methods: We collected detailed information on breast cancer between 1990 and 2017 using the results of the Global Burden of Disease study. The number of incident cases, deaths, and DALYs attributable to breast cancer are reported as well as age-standardized rates. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) in age-standardized rates were calculated to quantify the temporal trends. Moreover, the attributable burden to breast cancer risk factors was also estimated.Results: There were 1,960,682 incident cases and 611,625 deaths of breast cancer globally in 2017, contributing to 17,708,600 DALYs. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) increased between 1990 and 2017, while the age-standardized mortality rates and DALY rates decreased. The corresponding EAPCs were 0.41, −0.62, and −0.56, respectively. These trends were heterogeneous across regions and countries. The increase in the ASIRs was more prominent in countries with a low sociodemographic index. The percentages of breast cancer deaths due to alcohol use and tobacco were decreasing, while deaths due to high body mass index and high fasting plasma glucose were increasing.Conclusion: Breast cancer remained a major public health concern globally. The trends of incidence, mortality, and DALYs were heterogeneous across regions and countries, suggesting that the allocation of appropriate health care resources for breast cancer should be considered at the national scale and even at the subnational scale.

The majority of research indicates that trait emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in personal well being; however, the deeper mechanisms of this link remain unclear. The study explored the impact of psychological empowerment and work engagement in the link between trait EI and job satisfaction. Female nurses (370) completed the EI Scale, the Psychological Empowerment Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and the Brief Index of Affective Job Satisfaction. The results of structural equation modeling demonstrated that work engagement partially mediated the association between trait EI and job satisfaction. Moreover, the serial one mediator model revealed that trait EI could influence job satisfaction via the serial mediating impact of “psychological empowerment–work engagement.” These results help to a better understanding of the association between these variables and demonstrate that high trait EI may improve occupational well being from emotional perspectives.

Size effect plays a crucial role in catalytic hydrogenation. The highly dispersed ultrasmall clusters with a limited number of metal atoms are one candidate of the next generation catalysts that bridge the single-atom metal catalysts and metal nanoparticles. However, for the unfavorable electronic property and their interaction with the substrates, they usually exhibit sluggish activity. Taking advantage of the small size, their catalytic property would be mediated by surface binding species. The combination of metal cluster coordination chemistry brings new opportunity. CO poisoning is notorious for Pt group metal catalysts as the strong adsorption of CO would block the active centers. In this work, we will demonstrate that CO could serve as a promoter for the catalytic hydrogenation when ultrasmall Pd clusters are employed. By means of DFT calculations, we show that Pdn n=2‐147 clusters display sluggish activity for hydrogenation due to the too strong binding of hydrogen atom and reaction intermediates thereon, whereas introducing CO would reduce the binding energies of vicinal sites, thus enhancing the hydrogenation reaction. Experimentally, supported Pd2CO catalysts are fabricated by depositing preestablished [Pd2(μ-CO)2Cl4]2- clusters on oxides and demonstrated as an outstanding catalyst for the hydrogenation of styrene. The promoting effect of CO is further verified experimentally by removing and reintroducing a proper amount of CO on the Pd cluster catalysts.

Fiber polymer has been extensively used to improve the mechanical properties and durability of concrete. However, the studies of the effect of fiber polymer on the dynamic performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is still very limited. In this study, we prepared two types of RAC formulations: RAC reinforced with basalt fibers (BFs) and RAC reinforced with polypropylene fibers (PPs), and compared the effects of fiber types and contents on the air void content, workability (slump), mechanical properties (compressive and flexural strength), dynamic characteristics (dynamic modulus of elasticity and damping ratio), and chloride resistance of RAC. The experimental results showed that the air void content and slump value decreased with the increase of replacement percentage of RCA and fiber contents. Adding PPs provided a more negative effect on the slump of RAC than BFs. The mixtures containing 0.2% PPs and BFs both obtained the highest flexural strength. The addition of PPs was more effective than BFs in improving the damping ratio of RAC, and the mixtures containing 0.3% PPs and BFs both obtained the highest damping ratio. Compared to the RAC without addition of fiber, the charge passed of specimen with addition of PPs approximately increased by 45%, while the specimen with addition of BFs approximately increased by 30%, when the fiber content was 0.3%. This study demonstrates the potential of using fiber to promote the dynamic properties of RAC.

Here, with the state-of-the-state electron microscope, the authors report three-dimensional atomic-scale observation of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 from various directions, revealing unprecedented insight into the evolution of both atomic and electronic structures during delithiation.

Abstract Background The iliac crest is the most common autogenous bone graft donor site, although associated with postoperative pain, functional disability, cosmesis, morphology and surgical satisfaction. We assessed each aspect above by comparing iliac crest reconstruction with bone cement and screws following harvest with no reconstruction. Methods We evaluated patients who underwent large iliac crest harvesting, including ten patients who underwent iliac crest defect reconstruction with bone cement and cancellous screws (R group) and ten randomly matched patients without reconstruction (NR group) were evaluated prospectively in the same period. Local pain, cosmesis and other complications were assessed postoperatively at 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Results Pain, cosmesis and satisfaction of patients significantly differed between the two groups. The R group exhibited less complications and lower pain visual analogue scores at postoperative 1 week (p

To understand the effects of diet and age on the rumen bacterial community and function, forty-eight dairy cattle at 1.5 (M1.5), 6 (M6), 9 (M9), 18 (M18), 23 (M23), and 27 (M27) months old were selected. Rumen fermentation profile, enzyme activity, and bacteria community in rumen fluid were measured. The acetate to propionate ratio (A/P) at M9, M18, and M23 was higher than other ages, and M6 was the lowest (p < 0.05). The total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) at M23 and M27 was higher than at other ages (p < 0.05). The urease at M18 was lower than at M1.5, M6, and M9, and the xylanase at M18 was higher than at M1.5, M23, and M27 (p < 0.05). Thirty-three bacteria were identified as biomarkers of the different groups based on the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) when the LDA score >4. The variation partitioning approach analysis showed that the age and diet had a 7.98 and 32.49% contribution to the rumen bacteria community variation, respectively. The richness of Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-002 and Fibrobacter were positive correlated with age (r > 0.60, p < 0.01) and positively correlated with TVFA and acetate (r > 0.50, p < 0.01). The Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group, Pseudobutyrivibrio, and Saccharofermentans has a positive correlation (r > 0.80, p < 0.05) with diet fiber and a negative correlation (r < −0.80, p < 0.05) with diet protein and starch, which were also positively correlated with the acetate and A/P (r > 0.50, p < 0.01). The genera of Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group, Pseudobutyrivibrio, and Saccharofermentans could be worked as the target bacteria to modulate the rumen fermentation by diet; meanwhile, the high age correlated bacteria such as Succinivibrionaceae_UCG-002 and Fibrobacter also should be considered when shaping the rumen function.

To better understand the transition of rumen function during the weaning period in dairy calves, sixteen Holstein dairy calves were selected and divided into two groups: pre-weaning (age = 56 ± 7 day, n = 8) and post-weaning (age = 80 ± 6 day, n = 8). The rumen fluid was obtained by an oral gastric tube. The rumen fermentation profile, enzyme activity, bacteria composition, and their inter-relationship were investigated. The results indicated that the post-weaning calves had a higher rumen acetate, propionate, butyrate, and microbial crude protein (MCP) than the pre-weaning calves (p < 0.05). The rumen pH in the post-weaning calves was lower than the pre-weaning calves (p < 0.05). The protease, carboxymethyl cellulase, cellobiohydrolase, and glucosidase in the post-weaning calves had a lower trend than the pre-weaning calves (0.05 < p < 0.1). There was no difference in α and β diversity between the two groups. Linear discriminant analysis showed that the phylum of Fibrobacteres in the post-weaning group was higher than the pre-weaning group. At the genus level, Shuttleworthia, Rikenellaceae, Fibrobacter, and Syntrophococcus could be worked as the unique bacteria in the post-weaning group. The rumen bacteria network node degree in the post-weaning group was higher than the pre-weaning group (16.54 vs. 9.5). The Shuttleworthia genus was highly positively correlated with MCP, propionate, total volatile fatty acid, glucosidase, acetate, and butyrate (r > 0.65, and p < 0.01). Our study provided new information about the rumen enzyme activity and its relationship with bacteria, which help us to better understand the effects of weaning on the rumen function.

Metallic transition metal dichalcogenides are important materials for catalysis, but scalable and controllable preparation methods are scarce. Here, the authors synthesize 2H-TaS2 as centimetre-scale films of tunable thickness and show they are an efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution.

Previous studies have found that “disgust-sensitive” individuals have negative attitudes toward gay and lesbian people, but the underlying mechanisms for such attitudes remain unclear. Based on moral foundations theory, the current paper assumes that the relationship between disgust sensitivity and attitudes toward homosexuality are mediated by moral foundations. In order to test this assumption, the current authors examined the questionnaire answers from a total of 452 Chinese undergraduates who participated in this study. The results showed that disgust sensitivity was positively correlated with negative attitudes toward homosexuality, and positively correlated with moral concerns in five domains (care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity). Authority and sanctity were both associated with attitudes toward homosexuality, while only sanctity mediated the relationship between disgust sensitivity and attitudes toward homosexuality. Overall, the results suggest that considering moral foundations (especially sanctity) may lend more insight to the associations between disgust sensitivity and negative attitudes toward gay and lesbian people.

Concrete has low porosity and compact microstructure, and thus can be vulnerable to high temperature, and the increasing application of various types of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in concrete makes its high-temperature resistant behavior more complex. In this study, we investigate the effects of four formulations with typical SCMs combinations of fly ash (FA), ultra-fine fly ash (UFFA) and metakaolin (MK), and study the effects of SCMs combinations on the thermal performance, microstructure, and the crystalline and amorphous phases evolution of concrete subjected to high temperatures. The experimental results showed that at 400 °C, with the addition of 20% FA (wt %), the thermal conductivity of the sample slightly increased to 1.5 W/(m·K). Replacing FA with UFFA can further increase the thermal conductivity to 1.7 W/(m·K). Thermal conductivity of concrete slightly increased at 400 °C and significantly reduced at 800 °C. Further, combined usage of SCMs delayed and reduced micro-cracks of concrete subjected to high temperatures. This study demonstrates the potential of combining the usage of SCMs to promote the high-temperature performance of concrete and explains the micro-mechanism of concrete containing SCMs at high temperatures.

Non-thermal plasma Technology (NTP) has been widely used in various fields, especially in environmental pollutants treatment field. This paper provides an overview of the global NTP patent landscape by analyzing relative patents based on CNABS and DWPI, selected from 1987 to 2019, which covers patenting activity related to technologies in pollutant removal from the process in the above-mentioned areas. The most common technologies for each area were identified and their developments were analyzed over time. Information related to the main countries, key applicants, current activities and the technology strength were identified by synthesizing important findings from qualitative research and quantitative literature analysis.

This paper presents the experimental findings of a study on the influence of combining usage of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) on the performance of high-strength concrete (HSC) subjected to elevated temperatures. In this study, four types of HSC formulations were prepared: HSC made from cement and fly ash (FA), HSC made from cement and ultra-fine fly ash (UFFA), HSC made from cement and UFFA-metakaolin (MK), and HSC made from cement and FA-UFFA-MK. Mechanical and physical properties of HSC subjected to high temperatures (400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C) were studied. Furthermore, the relation between residual compressive strength and physical properties (loss mass, water absorption, and porosity) of HSC was developed. Results showed that the combined usage of SCMs had limited influence on the early-age strength of HSC, while the 28-d strength had been significantly affected. At 1000 °C, the residual compressive strength retained 18.7 MPa and 23.9 MPa for concretes containing 30% UFFA-5% MK and 10% FA-20% UFFA-5% MK, respectively. The specimen containing FA-UFFA-MK showed the best physical properties when the temperature raised above 600 °C. Combined usage of SCMs (10% FA-20% UFFA-5% MK) showed the lowest mass loss (9.2%), water absorption (10.9%) and porosity (28.6%) at 1000 °C. There was a strongly correlated relation between residual strength and physical properties of HSC exposed to elevated temperatures.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an RNA virus that can efficiently establish chronic infection in humans. The overlap between the HCV replication cycle and lipid metabolism is considered to be one of the primary means by which HCV efficiently develops chronic infections. In the blood, HCV is complex with lipoproteins to form heterogeneous lipo-viro-particles (LVPs). Furthermore, apolipoprotein E (ApoE), which binds to receptors during lipoprotein transport and regulates lipid metabolism, is localized on the surface of LVPs. ApoE not only participate in the attachment and entry of HCV on the cell surface but also the assembly and release of HCV viral particles from cells. Moreover, in the blood, ApoE can also alter the infectivity of HCV and be used by HCV to escape recognition by the host immune system. In addition, because ApoE can also affect the antioxidant and immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory properties of the host organism, the long-term binding and utilization of host ApoE during chronic HCV infection not only leads to liver lipid metabolic disorders but may also lead to increased morbidity and mortality associated with systemic comorbidities.