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Background: Residing in a disadvantaged neighborhood has been linked to increased mortality. However, the impact of residential segregation and social vulnerability on cause-specific mortality is understudied. Additionally, the circulating metabolic correlates of neighborhood sociodemographic environment remain unexplored. Therefore, we examined multiple neighborhood sociodemographic metrics, i.e., neighborhood deprivation index (NDI), residential segregation index (RSI), and social vulnerability index (SVI), with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer-specific mortality and circulating metabolites in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). Methods: The SCCS is a prospective cohort of primarily low-income adults aged 40–79, enrolled from the southeastern United States during 2002–2009. This analysis included self-reported Black/African American or non-Hispanic White participants and excluded those who died or were lost to follow-up ≤ 1 year. Untargeted metabolite profiling was performed using baseline plasma samples in a subset of SCCS participants. Results: Among 79,631 participants, 23,356 deaths (7214 from CVD and 5394 from cancer) were documented over a median 15-year follow-up. Higher NDI, RSI, and SVI were associated with increased all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality, independent of standard clinical and sociodemographic risk factors and consistent between racial groups (standardized HRs among all participants were 1.07 to 1.20 in age/sex/race-adjusted model and 1.04 to 1.08 after comprehensive adjustment; all P < 0.05/3 except for cancer mortality after comprehensive adjustment). The standard risk factors explained < 40% of the variations in NDI/RSI/SVI and mediated < 70% of their associations with mortality. Among 1110 circulating metabolites measured in 1688 participants, 134 and 27 metabolites were associated with NDI and RSI (all FDR < 0.05) and mediated 61.7% and 21.2% of the NDI/RSI-mortality association, respectively. Adding those metabolites to standard risk factors increased the mediation proportion from 38.4 to 87.9% and 25.8 to 42.6% for the NDI/RSI-mortality association, respectively. Conclusions: Among low-income Black/African American adults and non-Hispanic White adults living in the southeastern United States, a disadvantaged neighborhood sociodemographic environment was associated with increased all-cause and CVD and cancer-specific mortality beyond standard risk factors. Circulating metabolites may unveil biological pathways underlying the health effect of neighborhood sociodemographic environment. More public health efforts should be devoted to reducing neighborhood environment-related health disparities, especially for low-income individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the associations of RIPK1 polymorphisms, plasma levels and mRNA expression with susceptibility to epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and clinical outcome. Methods: Three hundred and nineteen EOC patients included in a 60-month follow-up program and 376 controls were enrolled. Two tag SNPs (rs6907943 and rs9392453) of RIPK1 were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. Plasma levels of RIPK1 and RIPK1 mRNA expression in white blood cells were determined by ELISA and qPCR, respectively. Results: For rs9392453, significantly increased EOC risk was found to be associated with C allele (P = 0.002, OR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.15–1.92), and with CT/CC genotypes in the dominant genetic model (P = 0.006, OR = 1.54, 95%CI 1.12–2.08). CC haplotype (rs6907943-rs9392453) was associated with increased EOC susceptibility. CC genotype of rs6907943 and CT/CC genotypes of rs9392453 were associated with early onset (age ≤ 50 years) of EOC (OR = 2.5, 95%CI 1.03–5.88, and OR = 1.64, 95%CI 1.04–2.63, respectively). AC genotype of rs6907943 was associated with better overall survival of EOC patients in the over-dominant genetic model (P = 0.035, HR = 0.41, 95%CI 0.18–0.94). Multivariate survival analysis identified the AC genotype of rs6907943 as an independent protective factor for survival of early onset patients (P = 0.044, HR = 0.12, 95%CI 0.02–0.95). Compared to controls, significantly increased plasma levels of RIPK1 and reduced RIPK1 mRNA expression were observed in patients. Conclusions: Our results suggest that tag SNPs of RIPK1, increased plasma levels of RIPK1 protein and reduced RIPK1 mRNA expression in white blood cells, may influence the susceptibility to EOC. SNP rs6907943 may be a useful marker to distinguish EOC patients with high risk of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the lack of nationwide epidemiological studies, congenital hypothyroidism (CH) incidence in China has increased. We aimed to evaluate the trends of CH and the possible reasons behind them. Data from screened newborns from the Chinese Newborn Screening Information System from 2012 to 2019 was collected. We applied the Bayesian hierarchical Poisson regression model and meta-analysis to estimate incidence or proportion over the years. The estimated CH incidence increased from 4.01 per 10,000 births in 2012 to 5.77 per 10,000 births in 2019. The average annual growth rate (ARG) of CH incidence for all provinces varied from 0.59 to 20.96%. The most rapid rise in incidence was observed in cases with an initial thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration of < 10 mIU/L. The meta-analysis results showed that the proportion of permanent CH increased by 0.024% (95%CI: 0.011%, 0.037%) annually. Each 1 mIU/L decrease in TSH cutoff value was associated with a 2.96% increase in CH incidence. In the same period, the proportion of premature CH cases increased from 6.60 to 9.10%, which was much higher than the increase in preterm births. A significant relationship was not found between provincial growth rates in screening coverage and provincial baseline incidences of CH. Conclusion: CH incidence has substantially increased in China. The slight adjustment of the TSH cutoff value and increasing preterm birth rate contribute to such a trend; however, the contribution is limited. What is Known: • An uptrend in congenital hypothyroidism (CH) incidence has been reported in many European and American countries in the last two decades; however, no studies have been conducted in China to explain the increased CH incidence. • We provide a detailed epidemiological report on the trends of CH during 2012–2019 in China, with an attempt to explore the reasons behind it. What is New: • This first-ever national-wide epidemiological report in China showed an uptrend in CH incidence with variations over regions and CH subtypes. The mild lowering of TSH cutoff values and the increasing preterm birth rate contributed to this uptrend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer is a disease with increasing incidence worldwide, and there is an urgent need for chemotherapy and biological targeted therapy. Epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) is an important initiation stage for tumor cells to acquire the ability to invade and metastasize. A growing number of findings suggest that human Schlafen family member 5(SLFN5) plays a key role in malignancy. However, the role of SLFN5 in ovarian cancer cells has not been fully elucidated. Samples were collected from patients with ovarian cancer diagnosed in Hangzhou First People's Hospital, and the expression of SLFN5 was detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR. The relationship between SLFN5 expression and the progression and malignancy of ovarian cancer was analyzed by using the expression profile data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The mRNA expression levels of SLFN5 related upstream and downstream signaling pathways were studied by fluorescence quantitative PCR. Silencing SLFN5 was performed by siRNA transfection. The expression of SLFN5 and transfer-related proteins was examined by Western blot. Transwell and wound healing experiments investigated the migration and invasion ability of ovarian cancer cells. TCGA database analysis results showed that in the population with high SLFN5 expression, compared with the group with low SLFN5 expression, OS was worse (P = 0.011). SLFN5 silencing had a significant inhibitory effect on EMT and invasion movement of ovarian cancer cells. RT-PCR method was used to detect the mRNA changes of SLFN5 in ovarian cancer tissue and adjacent tissue. It was found that the expression of SLFN5 in ovarian cancer tissue was increased, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). Together, these results suggest that SLFN5 may play a synergistic role in tumorigenesis and development of ovarian cancer cells, providing a potential target for future drug development for the treatment of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurement while drilling (MWD) technology is important for obtaining downhole parameters. As an essential parameter in drilling engineering, lateral force provides a powerful reference basis for judging the downhole drilling direction. Although stress measurement technology has matured, research on downhole lateral forces, especially near-bit lateral forces during the drilling process in petroleum exploration, is lacking. Based on the force analysis of a short measurement circuit, the lateral force measurement value of a drill bit and centralizer was converted to a drill string's radial-bending-force measurement. Two perpendicular lateral force components were measured using strain gauge technology, a lateral force measurement theory model was established, and a set of MWD systems was designed according to the model. The systems' function was verified through laboratory and field tests, and the field-test data were successfully obtained in the field application. The test results showed that the tested MWD system had acceptable accuracy, stability, and reliability and had the application potential to measure lateral force in the drilling industry. This article provides a new idea to study lateral force while drilling, which is of great significance to oil-drilling exploration and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many sports towns have emerged in China in recent years, and the prerequisite for their healthy development requires a suitable investment strategy. Therefore, this article constructs an optimal decision model in which the sports industry is the primary industry, promoting the development of other industries. The results show that subsidies from higher levels of government can incentivize sports towns to invest in sports capital; there is a complementary relationship between the sports capital and other capital investments and sports product marketing efforts; as the subsidy rate increases, profits of the towns and the social benefits created show an inverted U-shape. Choosing the correct subsidy rate is essential for both the towns and their parent government. The research framework and results provide a valuable tool for sports towns and their parent governments to make decisions and adapt their strategies to changing circumstances timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The temporal relationship between adiposity and gut microbiota was unexplored. Whether some gut microbes lie in the pathways from adiposity to insulin resistance is less clear. Our study aims to reveal the temporal relationship between adiposity and gut microbiota and investigate whether gut microbiota may mediate the association of adiposity with insulin resistance in a longitudinal human cohort study.Methods: We obtained repeated-measured gut shotgun metagenomic and anthropometric data from 426 Chinese participants over ~3 years of follow-up. Cross-lagged path analysis was used to examine the temporal relationship between BMI and gut microbial features. The associations between the gut microbes and insulin resistance-related phenotypes were examined using a linear mixed-effect model. We examined the mediation effect of gut microbes on the association between adiposity and insulin resistance-related phenotypes. Replication was performed in the HMP cohort.Results: Baseline BMI was prospectively associated with levels of ten gut microbial species. Among them, results of four species (Adlercreutzia equolifaciens, Parabacteroides unclassified, Lachnospiraceae bacterium 3 1 57FAA CT1, Lachnospiraceae bacterium 7 1 58FAA) were replicated in the independent HMP cohort. Lachnospiraceae bacterium 3 1 57FAA CT1 was inversely associated with HOMA-IR and fasting insulin. Lachnospiraceae bacterium 3 1 57FAA CT1 mediated the association of overweight/obesity with HOMA-IR (FDR<0.05). Furthermore, Lachnospiraceae bacterium 3 1 57FAA CT1 was positively associated with the butyrate-producing pathway PWY-5022 (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Our study identified one potentially beneficial microbe Lachnospiraceae bacterium 3 1 57FAA CT1, which might mediate the effect of adiposity on insulin resistance. The identified microbes are helpful for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets, as to mitigate the impact of adiposity on insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Untargeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is inevitably affected by batch effects that are caused by non-biological systematic bias. Previously, we developed a novel method called WaveICA to remove batch effects for untargeted metabolomics data. To detect batch effect information, the method relies on a batch label. However, it cannot be used in the scenario in which there is only one batch of data or the batch label is unknown. Objectives: We aim to improve the WaveICA method to remove batch effects for untargeted metabolomics data without using batch information. Methods: We improved the WaveICA method by developing WaveICA 2.0 to remove batch effects for metabolomics data, and provided an R package WaveICA_2.0 to implement this method. Results: The performance of the WaveICA 2.0 method was evaluated on real metabolomics data. For metabolomics data with three batches, the performance of the WaveICA 2.0 method was similar to that of the WaveICA method in terms of gathering quality control samples (QCSs) and subject samples together in principle component analysis score plots, increasing the similarity of QCSs, increasing differential peaks, and improving classification accuracy. For metabolomics data with only one batch, the WaveICA 2.0 method had a strong ability to remove intensity drift and reveal more biological information and outperformed the QC-RLSC and QC-SVRC methods in our study using our metabolomics data. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the WaveICA 2.0 method can be used in practice to remove batch effects for untargeted metabolomics data without batch information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of inborn errors of metabolism varies widely across countries. Very few studies have analyzed the incidence of these disorders in Mainland China. We aimed to estimate the overall and disease-specific incidences of inborn errors of metabolism in Chinese newborns and investigate the geographical distribution of these disorders. Methods: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate newborn inborn errors of metabolism screening by tandem mass spectroscopy in Mainland China between 2016 and 2017. A total of 246 newborn screening centers were surveyed using a standardized questionnaire. We examined the cumulative and disease-specific incidences of inborn errors of metabolism in Mainland China as a whole and in different geographical locations. Results: Over 7 million newborns were screened and 2747 were diagnosed with inborn errors of metabolism, yielding an overall incidence of 38.69 per 100,000 births (95% confidence interval: 37.27–40.17). The most common disorders were amino acid disorders (17.14 per 100,000 births, 95% confidence interval: 16.21–18.13), followed by organic acid disorders (12.39 per 100,000 births, 95% confidence interval: 11.60–13.24) and fatty acid oxidation disorders (9.16 per 100,000 births, 95% confidence interval: 8.48–9.89). The overall and disease-specific incidence rates differed significantly across geographical locations (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The overall incidence of inborn errors of metabolism in Chinese newborns is relatively high. It is urgent to establish the recommended uniform screening panel for inborn errors of metabolism to guide the national and regional tandem mass spectroscopy newborn screening programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-life driving coil is the prerequisite for electromagnetic forming industrial application. Up to date, the temperature rise is one of the major factors that restrain its working life. For the purpose of reducing the temperature rise of the driving coil, this paper proposes a new coupled cooling method, in which an extra cooling coil is placed on one side of the driving coil, then the Joule heating is coupledly transferred by delaying the breakover control of the driving coil. To achieve this purpose, a finite element simulation model of Electrical Circuit- Electromagnetic Field-Thermal Coupling in the plates setting of the electromagnetic forming is established, after which the influence rules of coil turns, cross-sectional area and materials of cooling coil on temperature rise are analyzed. Then, this paper also establishes a coupled cooling circuit model, in which the influence of cooling coil structure parameters on the Joule heating of driving coil is analyzed. Furthermore, Simulation results show that effective Joule heating transfer can be reached by the best optimization scheme of the cooling driving coil. Specifically, the average temperature rise reduces by 13 degrees, namely 22.8% by using this new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Metabolomics provides new insights into disease pathogenesis and biomarker discovery. Samples from large-scale untargeted metabolomics studies are typically analyzed using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry platform in several batches. Batch effects that are caused by non-biological systematic biases are unavoidable in large-scale metabolomics studies, even with properly designed experiments. The statistical analysis of large-scale metabolomics data without managing batch effects will yield misleading results. In this study, we propose a novel algorithm, called WaveICA, which is based on the wavelet transform method with independent component analysis, as the threshold processing method to capture and remove batch effects for large-scale metabolomics data. The WaveICA method uses the time trend of samples over the injection order, decomposes the original data into multi-scale data with different features, extracts and removes the batch effect information in multi-scale data, and obtains clean data. The WaveICA method was tested on real metabolomics data. After applying the WaveICA method, scattered quality control samples (QCS) and subject samples in a PCA score plot of the original data were closely clustered, respectively. The average Pearson correlation coefficients for all peaks of the QCS increased from 0.872 to 0.972. Additionally, WaveICA significantly improved the classification accuracy for metabolomics data. The method was compared with three representative methods, and outperformed all of them. To conclude, WaveICA can efficiently remove batch effects while revealing more biological information. This method can be used in large-scale untargeted metabolomics studies to preprocess raw metabolomics data. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Proposing a novel method to remove batch effects for metabolomics data. • The proposed method could efficiently remove batch effects. • The proposed method could reveal more biological information. • The proposed method outperformed other representative methods. • Providing an R package to easily implement this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analytically study the dynamical behavior of the quantum coherence of a single-qubit coupled to a bosonic reservoir at zero temperature via plugging additional non-interacting qubits into the reservoir in both Markovian and non-Markovian regimes. The influences of detuning, memory effects and number of additional qubits on the dynamics of the quantum coherence are considered. It is found that, via increasing the number of the additional qubits in the reservoir, the quantum coherence can be preserved. Moreover, the method based on the combination of larger effective detuning, the stronger non-Markovian effects and the more number of additional qubits, can more effectively prevent the loss of the quantum coherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Many studies have demonstrated that right-sided colon cancer (RCC) has a higher mortality rate and worse prognosis than left-sided colon cancer (LCC). However, the underlying biological mechanism that can account for these differences is unclear. Methods In this study, plasma metabolic profiles in 147 LCC patients and 105 RCC patients were systematically analyzed by the ultra high performance liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF/MS) platform in conjunction with univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Results Metabolic signatures revealed considerable differences between patients with RCC and LCC, and clear separations were observed between the two groups in partial least-squares discriminant analysis score plots. In total, six metabolites were identified as potential metabolite markers for tumor location in RCC compared with LCC, including upregulated trimethylamine N-oxide and indoxyl sulfate, and downregulated anserine, L-targinine, gamma-glutamyl-gamma-aminobutyraldehyde and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. These differences highlight that significant alternations occur in the pathways of methane metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, histidine metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism and vitamin B6 metabolism in RCC compared with LCC. Conclusions Identified biomarkers and metabolic pathways may facilate our understanding of the different mortality rates and prognoses between RCC and LCC. Highlights • Metabolic signatures revealed considerable differences between RCC and LCC. • Six metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers for tumor location. • Metabolomics facilated our understanding of the differences between RCC and LCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the association between patterns of distant metastases and overall survival in metastatic ovarian cancer and identify prognostic factors for site-specific distant metastases. Methods Data was obtained from the SEER database between 2010 and 2014. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify variables associated with overall survival. Survival times between different groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests. Results We analyzed 1481 patients. The most common distant metastatic site was liver, followed by distant lymph nodes, lung, bone, and brain. The site of distant metastases was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Using liver metastases as reference, overall survival was lower for lung metastases ( p  = 0.0297) and higher for distant lymph node metastases ( p  = 0.0006). Using distant lymph nodes as reference, distant metastases to the liver ( p  = 0.0006), lung ( p  < 0.0001), brain ( p  = 0.0455), and bone ( p  = 0.0138) were all associated with worse overall survival. The number of metastatic sites did not affect overall survival. We also found that surgery and chemotherapy affected overall survival for patients with distant lymph node metastases only; age, histological subtype, surgery, and chemotherapy affected overall survival for patients with liver metastases only, while histological subtype and chemotherapy affected overall survival for patients with lung metastases only. Conclusions The site of distant metastases affected overall survival in metastatic ovarian cancer. Patients with specific distant metastatic sites should receive special treatment and management. The identified prognostic factors can help clinician evaluate the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients with distant metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies recently developed Fourier quantile unit root test to investigate timeseries property of inflation in seven Eastern European countries. Thismethod combines the quantile unit root test with smooth unknown multiple breaks through Fourier function, and has good size and power when the data follows heavy tailed distribution. Our results showthat the inflation rates are stationary within each quantile for Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Lithuania, while the other four countries contain a unit root within some quantiles. We also find the speed of inflation adjustment towards to its long-run equilibrium for each country is asymmetric. Our results have important policy implications for monetary authorities in these Eastern European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new system with an exponential nonlinear term, which can exhibit ten-ring attractors, is introduced in this paper. The proposed chaotic system is totally different from the existing systems in previous works. Some basic dynamical properties of the system are analyzed theoretically and numerically. Existence and uniqueness of the solution of the presented system are proved. Next, the tracking control for the proposed system with exponential convergence rate is addressed. Finally, numerical simulations are also performed to verify the effectiveness of presented schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An acid-catalyzed multicomponent tandem double cyclization protocol has been developed for the synthesis of polyfunctional 4,9-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazolines from simple and readily available arylglyoxal monohydrates, 2-aminobenzylamine, and trans-β-nitrostyrenes. This practical and metal-free reaction proceeds through an imine formation/cyclization/Michael addition/Henry cyclization protocol, resulting in the construction of four new bonds and two ring moieties directly in one pot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An acid-catalyzed multicomponent tandem cyclization protocol has been developed for the synthesis of polyfunctional dihydroindolizino[8,7-b]indoles from simple and readily available arylglyoxal monohydrates, tryptamines, and trans-β-nitrostyrenes or malononitrile. This reaction represents a highly efficient and convenient methodology for the synthesis of diversely substituted heteropolycyclic scaffolds under mild, metal-free conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal lung disease of unknown etiology. Immune disorders play an important role in IPF pathogenesis. Here, we show that Th9 cells differentiate and activate in the lung tissue of patients with IPF and bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis mice. Moreover, we found that Th9 cells promote pulmonary fibrosis in two ways. On the one hand, Th9 cells promote fibroblast differentiation, activation, and collagen secretion by secreting IL-9. On the other hand, they promote differentiation of Th0 cells into Th2 cells by secreting IL-4. Th9 cells and Th2 cells can promote each other, accelerating the Th1/Th2 imbalance and eventually forming a positive feedback of pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, we found that neutralizing IL-9 in both preventive and therapeutic settings ameliorates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, we identified several critical signaling pathways involved in the effect of neutralizing IL-9 on pulmonary fibrosis by proteomics study. From an immunological perspective, we elucidated the novel role and underlying mechanism of Th9 cells in pulmonary fibrosis. Our study suggested that Th9-based immunotherapy may be employed as a treatment strategy for IPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel soluble regular ladder poly(benzoyl-3-aminopropyl)silsesquioxane (LPBAS) was facilely prepared under effective assistance of concerted H-bonding self-assembly of amido groups of side chains and silanol groups, respectively, of a new template monomer [1,3-bis(benzoyl-3-aminopropyl)-1,1,3,3-tetraethoxydisiloxane] (M). The ordered ladder structure of LPBAS is manifested in: (1) the presence of two Bragg peaks representing the ladder width (d) and ladder thickness (t) in X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern; (2) narrow base-line width (w = 6) of resonance absorption for -CH2SiO3/2 moiety in 29Si-NMR and (3) high glass transition temperature Tg= 112°C in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the Si' lnikov theorem, this paper proposed a new three-dimensional square chaotic system, which had tow equilibrium poits. There was hyperbolic saddle focus. The formation mechanism showed that this chaotic system had Smale horseshoes (homoclinic chaos). Under satisfying the homoclinic Si' lnikov theorem, the large number of parameter values, which could be found, made that the system was chaotic state. Numerical simulation results show the effectiveness of the theoretical results. Finally, Smale horseshoses had been found in the system using undetermined-coefficient method, and it was chaotic in the sense of Si' lnikov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of non-executive employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) on energy firms' innovation. Based on 248 Chinese energy companies covered by the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) database from 2006 to 2018, we document that non-executive ESOPs have a significantly positive impact on the number of patents applied by energy companies. To alleviate the endogeneity concerns, we adopt the two-way fixed effects model, the system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM), and the instrumental variable approach to identify the causal relationship. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that non-executive ESOPs foster patent applications through risk-taking incentives implied by options, rather than the performance-based incentives. In addition, the positive effect is particularly pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, companies with higher R&D intensity, and companies with less free-riding. Our results highlight the importance of rank-and-file employee incentives for the technological innovation of Chinese energy companies, and provide clear policy implications to manages and regulators to design appropriate incentive schemes for employees to promote corporate innovation. Image 1 • We investigate effects of non-executive employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) on energy firms' innovation. • Non-executive ESOPs have a significantly positive impact on the number of patents applied by energy companies. • Non-executive ESOPs foster patent applications through risk-taking incentives implied by options. • Our results provide clear policy implications to manages and regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postterm births are associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, but few studies have investigated the epidemiological characteristics of postterm births. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of postterm births and examine the potential association between maternal sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and postterm births. Data were collected from China's National Maternal Near Miss Surveillance System, 2012-2016. A logistic regression was used to assess the association between sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and postterm births. A Poisson regression was used to determine the crude and adjusted trends of postterm births over time across regions. Among the 6,240,830 singleton births with gestational periods of 37 weeks or longer, 1.16% were postterm. The prevalence of postterm births was significantly higher in the western region and among mothers who delivered at a level ≤2 hospital, had a lower education, or were younger. A reduced risk of postterm births was observed among primiparous women, mothers who previously had a caesarean section, mothers with pregnancy complications, and mothers with ten or more antenatal visits. The risk of postterm births decreased as the number of antenatal visits increased. The overall postterm birth rates significantly decreased from 1.49% in 2012 to 0.70% in 2016. The postterm birth rates were markedly reduced in the east, central, and west regions, and the rate of the decrease was greater in the east than in the west. Furthermore, substantial decreases were observed across regions in 2014 and 2016. In conclusion, multiple sociodemographic and obstetric factors are associated with the prevalence of postterm births. A significant decreasing trend in postterm birth rates was observed in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health insurance availability and affordability are vital elements in diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancer and thus constitute clinical significance as well. Although past studies have explored the disparity in mortality figures for patients with different insurance statuses, this population-based study is pioneering in analyzing the changes in cancer mortality risks over time amid macroeconomic shifts. The study uses Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data of 424,889 non-elderly patients with breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancer diagnosed during 2007–2010 and 2011–2015. In addition to discussing incidence figures and insurance patterns, the study uses Kaplan-Meier and Cox's proportional hazard models to examine the changes in survival probability and mortality risks for insurance-stratified patients with female-specific cancer across the two time periods. Patients without insurance have an increased risk of mortality over time relative to insured patients. Moreover, uninsured patients face this heightened risk more than Medicaid patients. Despite public policy measures as well as advancements in diagnostic facilities and treatment technology, the increased relative mortality of patients without insurance limits the long-term affordability of cancer treatment for economically vulnerable patients in comparison with insured patients. • Recession caused lower ratio of insured patients, limiting treatment affordability. • Patients with cancer without insurance have higher relative mortality risk than before. • Uninsured patients face the heightened risk more than Medicaid-covered patients. • Over time, mortality gap between patients with and without insurance has widened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cancer patients exhibit disparity in mortality risks across demographic divisions as well as insurance groups. The effects of macroeconomic environment also vary for such strata. This study analyses the gaps between mortality risks for male and female cancer patients with and without insurance and examines how such gaps transform over time with macroeconomic shifts. Methods: Demographic, clinical and treatment records of 45,750 melanoma and 91,157 lung cancer patients diagnosed in 2007–2009 and 2011–2013 were extracted from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Kaplan–Meier test was applied to ascertain survival probability of each insurance group, while Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess relative mortality risk for Medicaid and uninsured patients, for the whole data as well as separately for both time periods and genders. Results: Both the hazard ratios and change thereof over time are greater for female patients without insurance, than for male patients. More than any insurance–gender subgroup, uninsured female patients of melanoma have much increased hazard ratios, from 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–1.92] to 2.22 [95% CI, 1.67–2.94]. Conclusion: Despite diagnostic improvements and technology advancements, the adverse effects of macroeconomic crisis are associated with increased relative mortality risks for cancer patients without insurance, more for women than men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains an incurable disease. Previous metabolomic studies show that metabolic signatures in plasma distinguish CRC patients from healthy controls. Chronic enteritis (CE) represents a risk factor for CRC, with a 20 fold greater incidence than in healthy individuals. However, no studies have performed metabolomic profiling to investigate CRC biomarkers in CE. Objective: Our aims were to identify metabolomic signatures in CRC and CE and to search for blood-derived metabolite biomarkers distinguishing CRC from CE, especially early-stage biomarkers. Methods: In this case–control study, 612 subjects were prospectively recruited between May 2015 and May 2016, and including 539 CRC patients (stage I, 102 cases; stage II, 259 cases; stage III, 178 cases) and 73 CE patients. Untargeted metabolomics was performed to identify CRC-related metabolic signatures in CE. Results: Five pathways were significantly enriched based on 153 differential metabolites between CRC and CE. 16 biomarkers were identified for diagnosis of CRC from CE and for guiding CRC staging. The AUC value for CRC diagnosis in the external validation set was 0.85. Good diagnostic performances were also achieved for early-stage CRC (stage I and stage II), with an AUC value of 0.84. The biomarker panel could also stage CRC patients, with an AUC of 0.72 distinguishing stage I from stage II CRC and AUC of 0.74 distinguishing stage II from stage III CRC. Conclusions: The identified metabolic biomarkers exhibit promising properties for CRC monitoring in CE patients and are superior to commonly used clinical biomarkers (CEA and CA19-9). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Acid-Catalyzed Multicomponent Tandem Double Cyclization: A One-Pot, Metal-Free Route to Synthesize Polyfunctional 4,9-Dihydropyrrol(2,1-b)quinazolines" by J.-T. Ma, Y.-D. Wu and A.-X. Wu is presented.

An abstract of the article "Acid-Catalyzed Multicomponent Tandem Double Cyclization: A One-Pot, Metal-Free Route to Synthesize Polyfunctional 4,9-Dihydropyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazolines" by Qun Cai and colleagues is presented.

An efficient base-promoted tandem cyclization for the synthesis of polyfunctional 2-hydroxy-2,3-dihydrofurans from arylglyoxal monohydrates and 3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-3-oxopropanenitrile has been established. The investigation of the mechanism suggested that this reaction proceeds through a Knoevenagel condensation-Michael addition-oxidation-cyclization sequence. This method demonstrates the compatibility with a wide range of functional groups to produce the 2-hydroxy-2,3-dihydrofuran scaffolds in good to excellent yields in one pot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple, readily available starting materials are used for the preparation of the desired alkaloid scaffold under metal-free conditions A) or B). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the global prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH), though it is known to vary across countries and time periods. This meta-analysis aims to estimate the global and regional prevalence of CH among births between 1969 and 2020. PubMed, Web of Sciences, and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies between January 1, 1975, and March 2, 2020. Pooled prevalence was calculated using a generalized linear mixed model, and expressed as a rate per 10,000 neonates. The meta-analysis involved 116 studies, which analyzed 330,210,785 neonates, among whom 174,543 were diagnosed with CH. The pooled global prevalence of CH from 1969 to 2020 was 4.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.96–4.57). The geographic region with highest prevalence was the Eastern Mediterranean (7.91, 95% CI 6.09–10.26), where the prevalence was 2.48-fold (95% CI 2.04–3.01) that in Europe. The national income level with the highest prevalence was upper-middle (6.76, 95% CI 5.66–8.06), which was 1.91-fold (95% CI 1.65–2.22) that in high-income countries. Global prevalence of CH was 52% (95% CI 4–122%) higher in 2011–2020 than in 1969–1980, after adjusting for geographic region, national income level, and screening strategy. Conclusion: The global prevalence of CH increased from 1969 to 2020, which may reflect the implementation of national neonatal screening, neonatal testing for thyroid-stimulating hormone, and a lowering of the diagnostic level of this hormone. Additional factors are likely to be driving the increase, which should be identified in future research. What is Known: • Cumulated evidence had suggested that the occurrences of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) among newborns were varied in different countries.. • Up-trends of the birth prevalence of CH were observed in many European and American countries. What is New: • This is the first meta-analysis to estimate global and regional prevalence of CH among newborns. • The global prevalence of CH has increased by 127% since 1969. The Eastern Mediterranean has the highest prevalence and stands out with the most pronounced escalation in the prevalence of CH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we estimated the trend of unintentional injury mortality among children aged under-five years in China during 2010–2020. Methods: Data were obtained from China's Under 5 Child Mortality Surveillance System (U5CMSS). The total unintentional injury mortality and all specific-causes unintentional injury mortality was calculated, annual numbers of deaths and live births were adjusted by a 3-year moving average under-reporting rate. The Poisson regression model and the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method were used to calculate the average annual decline rate (AADR) and the adjusted relative risk (aRR) of the unintentional injury mortality. Results: In 2010–2020, a total of 7,925 unintentional injury-related deaths were reported in U5CMSS, accounting for 18.7% of all reported deaths. The overall proportion of unintentional injury-related deaths to total under-five children deaths has increased from 15.2% to 2010 to 23.8% in 2020 (χ2 = 227.0, p < 0.001), the unintentional injury mortality significantly decreased from 249.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010 to 178.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, with an AADR 3.7% (95%CI 3.1–4.4). The unintentional injury mortality rate decreased from 2010 to 2020 in both urban (from 68.1 to 59.7 per 100,000 live births) and rural (from 323.1 to 230.0 per 100,000 live births) areas (urban: χ2 = 3.1, p < 0.08; rural: χ2 = 113.5, p < 0.001). The annual rates of decline in rural areas and urban areas were 4.2% (95%CI 3.4–4.9) and 1.5% (95%CI 0.1–3.3), respectively. The leading causes of unintentional injury mortality were suffocation (2,611, 32.9%), drowning (2,398, 30.3%), and traffic injury (1,428, 12.8%) in 2010–2020. The cause-specific of unintentional injury mortality rates decreased with varying AADRs in 2010–2020, except for traffic injury. The composition of unintentional injury-related deaths also varied by age group. Suffocation was the leading cause in infants, drowning and traffic injury were the leading causes in children aged 1–4 years. Suffocation and poisoning has high incidence in October to March and drowning has high in June to August. Conclusion: The unintentional injury mortality rate of children aged under-five years decreased significantly from 2010 to 2020 in China, but great inequity exists in unintentional injury mortality in urban and rural areas. Unintentional injuries are still an important public health problem affecting the health of Chinese children. Effective strategies should be strengthened to reduce unintentional injury in children and these policies and programmes should be targeted to more specific populations, such as rural areas and males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An acid-promoted multicomponent reaction for the synthesis of diverse fully substituted oxazole derivatives from simple and readily available arylglyoxal monohydrates, nitriles, and various C-nucleophiles has been developed. This protocol features wide functional group diversity which is capable of installing 4-hydroxycoumarin, 2-naphthol, and 1,3-cyclohexanedione motifs to oxazoles. Mechanistic analysis indicates that a classical Robinson-Gabriel reaction served as the key step for this tandem transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient chemoselective synthesis of multifunctionalized tetrahydro-1 H -pyrrolo[1,2- c ]imidazole and tetrahydropyrrolo[1,2- c ]thiazole derivatives has been established from arylglyoxal monohydrates, nitriles, and thioureas. A series of control experiments suggested that this reaction proceeded through the convergent integration of two self-sorting domino sequences. This synthetic strategy is promising for diversity-oriented synthesis of alkaloid analogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soil salinization extensively hampers the growth, yield, and quality of crops worldwide. The most effective strategies to counter this problem are a) development of crop cultivars with high salt tolerance and b) the plantation of salt-tolerant crops. Glycyrrhiza inflata, a traditional Chinese medicinal and primitive plant with salt tolerance and economic value, is among the most promising crops for improving saline-alkali wasteland. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for the adaptive response of G. inflata to salinity stress remain largely unknown. Result: G. inflata retained a high concentration of Na+ in roots and maintained the absorption of K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ under 150 mM NaCl induced salt stress. Transcriptomic analysis of G. inflata roots at different time points of salt stress (0 min, 30 min, and 24 h) was performed, which resulted in 70.77 Gb of clean data. Compared with the control, we detected 2645 and 574 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 30 min and 24 h post-salt-stress induction, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses revealed that G. inflata response to salt stress post 30 min and 24 h was remarkably distinct. Genes that were differentially expressed at 30 min post-salt stress induction were enriched in signal transduction, secondary metabolite synthesis, and ion transport. However, genes that were differentially expressed at 24 h post-salt-stress induction were enriched in phenylpropane biosynthesis and metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, glycerol metabolism, hormone signal transduction, wax, cutin, and cork biosynthesis. Besides, a total of 334 transcription factors (TFs) were altered in response to 30 min and 24 h of salt stress. Most of these TFs belonged to the MYB, WRKY, AP2-EREBP, C2H2, bHLH, bZIP, and NAC families. Conclusion: For the first time, this study elucidated the salt tolerance in G. inflata at the molecular level, including the activation of signaling pathways and genes that regulate the absorption and distribution of ions and root growth in G. inflata under salt stress conditions. These findings enhanced our understanding of the G. inflata salt tolerance and provided a theoretical basis for cultivating salt-tolerant crop varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel soluble and reactive amide-bridged ladderlike polyhydrosiloxane (ALPHS) was first synthesized by an amido H-bonding self-assembled template. ALPHS with molecular weight $\overline{M}_{\rm n} = 18300$ has very highly ordered ladderlike structure, which was confirmed by a sharp resonance absorption peak of [–Si(H)O2/2] moiety with the half peak width Δ1/2 < 0.5 in 29Si-NMR spectrum. Presence of the reactive Si–H groups gives ALPHS an opportunity to further derive a variety of functional polymers by versatile Si–H reactions such as hydrosilylation, condensation, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patients with lung metastases (LM) from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) (EOCLM) usually have a poor prognosis. However, there is no consensus on the optimal management of these patients. In this study, we aimed to take a look at the incidence of LM and factors associated with its occurrence as well as the prognosis in newly diagnosed EOC with LM on a population level. Methods: EOC patients diagnosed between the years 2010 and 2016 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database. Multivariable logistic regression and multivariable Cox regression were used to investigate the factors that could predict the occurrence of and prognosis after diagnosis of EOC with LM. Results: Of the 33,418 qualified EOC patients, 2240 (6.7%) were noted to have LMs at the time of EOC diagnosis. Higher T stage, N1 stage, advanced tumor grade, and elevated cancer antigen-125 levels were found to be associated with a higher risk of having LM at the time of EOC diagnosis. The median survival time after diagnosis with EOCLM was found to be 13.0 months (interquartile range: 3.0–34.0 months). Being unmarried and having mucinous histology were both associated with increased all-cause death risk from EOCLM. However, the primary tumor originated from the midline of ovaries, surgical management, and whether patient received chemotherapy or not predicted improved overall survival. The median survival time of patients was significantly longer for EOCLM cases managed surgically (31.0 months) versus those who did not have surgery (4.0 months), as well as EOCLM cases received chemotherapy (23.0 months) versus those who did not have chemotherapy (2.0 months). Conclusion: This retrospective cohort study showed that de novo LM was infrequent in EOC patients overall and when present predicted poor prognosis. The findings can be potentially useful in formulating for follow-up strategies, screening tools, and personalized interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As reported, 27-93 % of pregnant women take at least one drug during pregnancy. However, drug exposure during pregnancy still lacks sufficient foetal safety evidence of human origin. It is urgent to fill the knowledge gap about medication safety during pregnancy for optimization of maternal disease treatment and pregnancy drug consultation.Methods and Analysis: The China Teratology Birth Cohort (CTBC) was established in 2019 and is a hospital-based open-ended prospective cohort study with the aim of assessing drug safety during pregnancy. Pregnant women who set up the pregnancy health records in the first trimester or who seek drug consultation regardless of gestational age in the member hospitals are recruited. Enrolled pregnant women need to be investigated four times, namely, 6-14 and 24-28 weeks of gestational age, before discharge after hospital delivery, and 28-42 days after birth. Maternal medication exposure during pregnancy is the focus of the CTBC. For drugs, information on the type, name, and route of medication; start and end time of medication; single dose; frequency of medication; dosage form; manufacturer; and reason for medication is collected. The adverse pregnancy outcomes collected in the study include birth defects, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, post-term birth, low birth weight, macrosomia, small for gestational age, large for gestational age and low Apgar score. CTBC uses an electronic questionnaire for data collection and a cloud system for data management. Biological samples are collected if informed consents are obtained. Multi-level logistic regression, mixed-effect negative binomial distribution regression and spline function regression are used to explore the effect of drugs on the occurrence of birth defects.Discussion: The findings of the study will assist in further understanding the risk of birth defects and other adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with maternal drug exposure and developing the optimal treatment plans and drug counselling for pregnant women.Trial Registration: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University and registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx , registration number ChiCTR1900022569 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-catalyzed growth of GaAs nanowires (NWs) on silicon (Si) is an effective way to achieve integration between group III–V elements and Si. High-crystallinity uniform GaAs NW arrays were grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In this paper, we describe systematic experiments which indicate that the substrate treatment is crucial to the highly crystalline and uniform growth of one-dimensional nanomaterials. The influence of natural oxidation time on the crystallinity and uniformity of GaAs NW arrays was investigated and is discussed in detail. The GaAs NW crystallinity and uniformity are maximized after 20 days of natural oxidation time. This work provides a new solution for producing high-crystallinity uniform III–V nanowire arrays on wafer-scale Si substrates. The highly crystalline uniform NW arrays are expected to be useful for NW-based optical interconnects and Si platform optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our study was to elucidate the functions of miR-30c-5p on adenomyosis for exploring novel treatment strategies. We first detected the expression of miR-30c-5p in clinical adenomyotic tissues and isolated endometrial cells from adenomyotic tissues. Next, gain and loss-of-function assays were performed to detect the effect of miR-30c-5p on adenomyotic endometrial cells. Further, luciferase assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction as well as western blot were conducted to investigate the potential target of miR-30c-5p; and transwell assay, wound-healing assay and CCK-8 assay were used to evaluate the effects of miR-30c-5p and its target on regulating biological functions of adenomyotic endometrial cells. Our results found that miR-30c-5p was down-regulated in both adenomyosis tissues and adenomyotic epithelial cells, which correlated with dysmenorrhea, longer duration of symptoms and more menstrual bleeding. Moreover, the overexpression of miR-30c-5p inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of adenomyotic epithelial cells, where miR-30c-5p knockdown had an opposite effect. Furthermore, we confirmed mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) was one of the direct targets of miR-30c-5p, indicating its important role in miR-30c-5p-mediated suppression of proliferation, invasion and migration in adenomyotic epithelial cells. This study showed that the interaction of miR-30c-5p with MAPK1 can regulate the proliferation, invasion and migration in adenomyotic epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of holoprosencephaly (HPE) in China with special reference to prevalence and associated anomalies. Methods: Data were abstracted from the Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network for the period 2007–2014. Birth prevalence of HPE were assessed by birth year, fetal/infant sex, maternal age, and maternal residential area. Poisson regressions were used to calculate the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals, and linear chi-square test was used to explore time trend for the prevalence of HPE. Results: A total of 1222 HPE cases were identified in 13,284,142 births, yielding an overall prevalence of 0.92 per 10,000 births. The annual prevalence of HPE presented an upward trend (P<0.001), from 0.54 per 10,000 births in 2007 to 1.21 per 10,000 births in 2014. Higher prevalence was found in older maternal-age groups (30–34 years, adjusted PR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02–1.40; ≥35 years, adjusted PR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.26–1.86) in comparison with the maternal-age group of 25 to 29 years. Higher prevalence was also found in infants born to mothers resided in urban areas (adjusted PR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.08–1.39) and female infants (adjusted PR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.15–1.47). Conclusions: HPE is an important perinatal health issue because of its poor prognosis. This is the first study depicting a picture of epidemiological characteristics of HPE in China, which can provide useful references for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Until now, little was known about the epidemiological characteristics of twins in China due to a lack of reliable national data. In this study, we aimed to analyze temporal trends and perinatal mortality of twins from China. Methods: Data on twins between 2007 and 2014 were obtained from the China National Population-Based Birth Defects Surveillance System. Twin and singleton deliveries after at least 28 weeks of gestation were recruited and followed until postnatal day 42. Twinning rates were defined as the number of twin individuals per 1000 births(stillbirths and live births). The Weinberg’s differential method was utilized to estimate the number of monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Results: During 2007–2014, the twinning rate increased by 32.3% from 16.4 to 21.7 per 1000 total births with an average of 18.8‰. Among twins, both the perinatal mortality rate (26.1 per 1000 total births) and neonatal death rate (15.7 per 1000 live births) presented a downward tendency but remained at a high level. Large urban-rural and geographic disparities were identified in twinning rates, in perinatal and neonatal mortality, and in their temporal trends. Conclusions: The upward trend of twinning rates in China paired with the relatively high rates of perinatal and neonatal mortality among twins highlights the need for improved perinatal care in the light of socio-demographic differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggested an association between maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants and risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs), though the effects of particulate matter ≤10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM 10 ) on CHDs are inconsistent. We used two machine learning models (i.e., random forest (RF) and gradient boosting (GB)) to investigate the non-linear effects of PM 10 exposure during the critical time window, weeks 3–8 in pregnancy, on risk of CHDs. From 2009 through 2012, we carried out a population-based birth cohort study on 39,053 live-born infants in Beijing. RF and GB models were used to calculate odds ratios for CHDs associated with increase in PM 10 exposure, adjusting for maternal and perinatal characteristics. Maternal exposure to PM 10 was identified as the primary risk factor for CHDs in all machine learning models. We observed a clear non-linear effect of maternal exposure to PM 10 on CHDs risk. Compared to 40 μg m −3 , the following odds ratios resulted: 1) 92 μg m −3 [RF: 1.16 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.28); GB: 1.26 (95% CI: 1.17, 1.35)]; 2) 111 μg m −3 [RF: 1.04 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.14); GB: 1.04 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.08)]; 3) 124 μg m −3 [RF: 1.01 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.10); GB: 0.98 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.02)]; 4) 190 μg m −3 [RF: 1.29 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.44); GB: 1.71 (95% CI: 1.04, 2.17)]. Overall, both machine models showed an association between maternal exposure to ambient PM 10 and CHDs in Beijing, highlighting the need for non-linear methods to investigate dose-response relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the epidemiology of congenital hydrocephalus (CH) in China. This study aimed to depict recent changes in CH prevalence and perinatal outcomes of the affected newborns.Methods: Data were obtained from the Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network (CBDMN), which collects demographic information on all newborns above 28 weeks of gestation, and clinical information on neonates with congenital anomalies. CH cases delivered during 2005-2012 were analyzed. Poisson regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals, and linear chi-square test was used to examine time trend of CH prevalence.Results: Five thousand two hundred forty-five isolated and 1245 associated CH cases were identified among 10,574,061 newborns, yielding the prevalence of 4.96, 1.18 and 6.14 per 10,000 births for the isolated, associated and overall hydrocephalus, respectively. The annual prevalence of CH presented a decreasing trend (from 7.52 to 5.98 per 10,000 births, P < 0.001). Higher prevalence was found in both younger (<20 years, PR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.56-2.10) and older (≥35 years, PR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.36-1.61) maternal-age groups in comparison with the maternal-age group of 20 to 24 years. Higher prevalence was also found in infants born to mothers resided in rural areas, male infants, and multiple births. Of non-aborted infants with congenital hydrocephalus, 38.11% were born with low birth weight, 37.53% were preterm birth, and 20.69% died within 7 days after birth.Conclusions: Our findings present a relatively high prevalence and poor perinatal outcomes of CH in China, which can serve as a baseline for future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cases of compounds (III) and (V) the title reaction furnishes the des-iodo products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A convenient and efficient approach for the synthesis of the title imidazole and thiazole derivatives from readily available starting materials by simple solvent-switching is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient Fe/Cu relay-catalyzeddomino protocol has beendeveloped for the synthesis of 2-phenylquinazolin-4-amines from commerciallyavailable ortho-halogenated benzonitriles, aldehydes,and sodium azide. This elegant domino process involved consecutiveiron-mediated [3 + 2] cycloaddition, copper-catalyzed SNAr, reduction, cyclization, oxidation, and copper-catalyzed denitrogenationsequences. The formed structure is the privileged core in drugs andbioactive molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highlyefficient multicomponent domino protocol has been developedfor the synthesis of 5-phenyl-[1,2,3]triazolo[1,5-c]quinazolines from simple and readily available (E)-1-bromo-2-(2-nitrovinyl)benzenes, aldehydes, andsodium azide. This elegant domino process involved consecutive [3+ 2] cycloaddition, copper-catalyzed SNAr, reduction, cyclization,and oxidation sequences. Notably, sodium azide acted as a dual nitrogensource in the construction of this novel fused N-heterocycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A copper-catalyzed domino protocol for the synthesis of 2-(1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)aniline derivatives has been developed from simple and available isatins and hydrazides. This domino process integrated consecutive condensation, base-promoted ring-opening and the key copper-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling for intramolecular C–O bond formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg0.2Zn0.8O/metal nanoparticle systems have been fabricated and investigated. The photoluminescence results indicate that Al and Au nanoparticles could slightly enhance the near-band-edge (NBE) emission from Mg0.2Zn0.8O. In contrast, a giant and tunable NBE emission enhancement could be induced by Ag nanoparticles based on the coupling interaction between the hybridized quadrupole plasmon in Ag nanoparticle aggregation and the excitons of Mg0.2Zn0.8O. Interestingly, the intensity and position of the narrow quadrupole resonance could be controlled by tuning the interspace gap and size of Ag nanoparticles, which was clearly demonstrated both experimentally and theoretically. Our findings may pave the way for further development of high-efficiency UV light-emitting devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]