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Many prospective cohort studies have investigated the association between the consumption of alcohol and CKD risk and have revealed inconsistent results. In the present study, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis of these studies to assess this association.We searched the PubMed and Embase databases up to 2020 and reviewed the reference lists of relevant articles to identify appropriate studies. We calculated the pooled relative risks with 95% CIs using random effects models, and then performed subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Dose-response meta-analyses were performed by sex separately. We identified 25 eligible prospective cohort studies, including 514,148 participants and 35,585 incident CKD cases. Compared with the category of minimal alcohol intake, light (RR = 0.90, I2 = 49%), moderate (RR = 0.86, I2 = 40%), and heavy (RR = 0.85, I2 = 51%) alcohol intake were associated with a lower risk of CKD. Subgroup meta-analysis by sex indicated that light (RR = 0.92, I2 = 0%), moderate (RR = 0.83, I2 = 39%) and heavy (RR = 0.76, I2 = 40%), alcohol consumption were inversely associated with CKD risk in male. Dose-response meta-analyses detected a nonlinear inverse association between alcohol consumption and the risk of CKD in all participants and linear inverse association in female participants. This meta-analysis shows that light ( 24 g/day) alcohol consumption are protective against chronic kidney disease in adult participants especially in males.

Many prospective cohort studies have investigated the association between the consumption of alcohol and CKD risk and have revealed inconsistent results. In the present study, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis of these studies to assess this association.We searched the PubMed and Embase databases up to 2020 and reviewed the reference lists of relevant articles to identify appropriate studies. We calculated the pooled relative risks with 95% CIs using random effects models, and then performed subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Dose-response meta-analyses were performed by sex separately. We identified 25 eligible prospective cohort studies, including 514,148 participants and 35,585 incident CKD cases. Compared with the category of minimal alcohol intake, light (RR = 0.90, I2 = 49%), moderate (RR = 0.86, I2 = 40%), and heavy (RR = 0.85, I2 = 51%) alcohol intake were associated with a lower risk of CKD. Subgroup meta-analysis by sex indicated that light (RR = 0.92, I2 = 0%), moderate (RR = 0.83, I2 = 39%) and heavy (RR = 0.76, I2 = 40%), alcohol consumption were inversely associated with CKD risk in male. Dose-response meta-analyses detected a nonlinear inverse association between alcohol consumption and the risk of CKD in all participants and linear inverse association in female participants. This meta-analysis shows that light (12 g/day), moderate (12-24 g/day), and heavy (24 g/day) alcohol consumption are protective against chronic kidney disease in adult participants especially in males.

The article "Effect of VEGF on neuronal degeneration and interaction between Alzheimer's disease biomarkers" by H.-C. Yuan, C.-W. Jiang, L.-Y. Hou, Y.-B. Lv, X.-Z. Feng, L.-F. Guo, G. Sun, K. Liu, Y.-J. Liu, B. Xu, C.-Y. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2017; 21 (16): 3649-3657 has been withdrawn.

To investigate the relationship between interleukin-8 levels in expressed prostatic secretion and expressions of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and Bcl-2 in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).A series of 50 consecutive patients diagnosed with BPH and scheduled for transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) were included. Patients were divided into two groups, simple BPH and BPH with chronic prostatitis (CP). The grade of inflammatory changes in the prostate was then determined blindly by two experienced pathologists, according to the classification system. Expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) was collected right before TURP for IL-8 detection using ELISA kits. The resected prostatic tissue was harvested for immunohistochemistry to measure the expression of Bcl-2 and bFGF.A total of 30 (60%) patients were confirmed to have prostatic histologic inflammation. The volume of the prostate in BPH with CP was obviously larger than that in simple BPH (P=0.022). The NIH chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI) and international prostate symptom score (IPSS) of BPH with CP were both higher than those of simple BPH (P0.05). Significantly increased levels of IL-8 were observed in EPS obtained from BPH patients with CP (mean level, 43.29 ng/L), compared with patients with simple BPH (mean level, 36.90 ng/L) (P=0.003). The expression of Bcl-2 in BPH with CP (mean level, 6.17) increased significantly, compared with those in simple BPH (mean level, 2.45) (P=0.013). The expression of bFGF in BPH with CP (mean level, 7.57) also obviously elevated, compared with those in simple BPH (mean level, 5.05) (P=0.008). Correlation coefficients of IL-8 levels in EPS and expression of Bcl-2 or bFGF indicated that IL-8 had strong correlation with Bcl-2 and bFGF respectively both in simple BPH and BPH with CP (0R1, P0.05).IL-8, Bcl-2 and bFGF are significantly up-regulated in BPH with CP patients, compared with simple BPH patients. Inflammation might play an important role in the outcome and development of benign prostatic hyperplasia and makes it more severe.

The work involves the development of a commercial manufacturing process for both multicrystalline and monocrystalline solar cells that combines Natcore's patent pending passivation technology.

Variations in fecal Schistosoma japonicum egg counts were studied in ZhuXi administrative village, JiangXi Province, China. Population stool examinations were collected with duplicate, standard, 41.5-mg Kato-Katz thick smears on seven consecutive days for 570 individuals from two natural (individual) villages: village I with high endemicity and village II with low endemicity. The proportion of individuals with at least one positive count increased from 42.4% after a single measurement to 68.3% after seven measurements in village I (n = 356), and from 17.0% to 36.0% in village II (n = 214), respectively. This demonstrates a very high variation in repeated S. japonicum egg counts and a considerable lack of sensitivity of the Kato-Katz technique; light and moderate infections are especially missed with a single or a few measurements. The observed day-to-day variation in individual egg counts is highly aggregated (variance higher than the mean) and suggestive of a negative binomial distribution. For five individuals on three days, repeated sampling from different locations of a stool specimen shows a clear trend with egg counts decreasing from the beginning of the stool to the end and from the outside layer to the center. Ten multiple samples from a particular subsection (10-30 g) of a stool specimen for 44 positive individuals still showed aggregation in egg counts, particularly for high intensities of infection. This means that the aggregation in repeated daily S. japonicum egg counts cannot be explained alone by a specific day-to-day component and variation in the concentration of eggs at different locations in the stool. There also exists clustering of eggs within parts of the stool.

Objectives: An ideal wound closure device would repair the wound with minimal complexity. In this report, we describe a simple wound closure method using BioGlue sealant. Method: Eleven canines underwent transtracheal pericardial window creation under endoscopic guidance for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). The tracheal wound was closed using BioGlue sealant. The integrity of the wound was assessed by determining the amount of air leaking under mechanical ventilation. Results: Transtracheal thoracic exploration and pericardial window creation was successful for all of the canines, and adequate wound closure was achieved in 10 of the canines. There was 1 case of NOTES-related death arising from misplacement of the endotracheal tube in the left lower lobar bronchus. This caused a collapse of the left upper lobe and ventilatory failure. Minor lung injuries occurred in 3 canines and minor mediastinal bleeding was encountered in 1 canine during the creation of the access site. Conclusion: BioGlue sealant was found to be effective in sealing the tracheal wound in all but 1 of the canines. This study demonstrates that the use of the sealant is a simple and efficient means of endoscopically closing the tracheal access site in NOTES.

Current industrial robots deflect as much as 25 times their specified accuracy due to their capacity load. This paper presents the local optimization criteria for the distribution of actuator stiffness (or compliance) of a given manipulator configuration to enhance the overall stiffness of the structure and to guarantee a specified level of precision under a known magnitude of machining load resulting from drilling, routing, riveting, etc. Position dependent kinematic influence coefficients [2] form a convenient basis for the compliance matrix for demonstration of the role of significant physical parameters and efficient computation in the analysis and design process. Specific examples dealing with optimal distribution of actuator compliance are presented. The techniques developed in this paper and the previous work [6,7] can greatly reduce the design cycle time for accurate, reliable manipulators, and makes adjustment of the distribution of system parameters to enhance controllability more feasible, especially when precision control under external disturbance is required.

To explore the risk factors for schistosomal liver fibrosis.192 hepatitis-negative patients with schistosomiasis were selected and divided into 3 groups according to the result of B ultrasound examination, that is, grade 2 and 3 fibrosis group(81 patients), grade 1 fibrosis group (61 patients) and control group (non-fibrosis, 50 patiets). The univariate and multivariate ordinal regression model was made to analyse the possibly harmful factors influencing the liver damages of these patients.Four factors were found to be positively associated with schistosomal liver fibrosis. They were: number of treatments of schistosomiasis (OR = 1.75), interval of schistosomal infection(OR = 1.40), history of drinking wine (OR = 1.95) and familial history of advanced schistosomiasis (OR = 2.11).Patients with repeated schistosome infection, long duration of schistosomal infection, long history of drinking and familial history of advanced schistosomiasis had higher risk for liver fibrosis than schistosomiasis patients without these factors.

Schistosomiasis japonica in China has a long history and wide distribution. In the last three decades, great achievements have been obtained in schistosomiasis control. Among 12 formerly endemic provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, transmission has been successfully controlled in 2 provinces, 1 municipality and 1 autonomous region. Among 380 formerly endemic counties, transmission has been interrupted in 158 and is under control in 101. Most remaining endemic areas are located in marshlands, lake and mountainous regions. By the ecological and epidemiological features, the endemic areas in lake and mountainous regions can be classified into different categories. Infection is related to exposure to infected lake and ditch water. The inhabitant activities and level of education have much to do with the frequency of water contact. The density of the infected snail is the main index of determining the high-risk place in the mountain and lake regions, and livestock such as buffalo and pigs, the principal reservoir in the endemic areas. Properly arranged annual chemotherapy with praziquantel can reduce the prevalence rate of inhabitants and livestock. However, the prevalence rate can climb again rapidly. Therefore, a maintenance phase is urgently needed. Modification of the snail-ridden environment should be linked with agricultural development and construction of water conservancy. Surveillance should be strengthened in the area where schistosomiasis has been controlled.

Achievements and successes have been obtained in schistosomiasis control in China. An epidemic survey was carried out and its results analyzed.

In Dongting and Boyang Lake regions, the main reservoirs of schistosomiasis were farm cattle (mostly buffaloes), pigs and mobile nonnatives. However, the role of these reservoirs in different types of endemic areas were not the same in the transmission of schistosomiasis. In islet-beach type area, the main infectious sources were pigs and local residents. The proportion of IRC (Index of Real Contamination) of local residents and pigs to the total IRC was 30.9% and 39.9% respectively. In fork-beach type area having luxuriant grass and abundant aquatic products, there were a number of buffaloes and people from other places. The proportion of IRC of the nonnative buffaloes and mobile nonnatives made up 51.9% and 21.8% of the total IRC respectively, the main reservoirs being from other places. The embankment-beach type area had a vast snail-infected area and a large number of buffaloes from both local and other places as well as mobile nonnatives. The proportion of IRC of buffaloes and nonnatives made up 69.8% and 21.4% of the total IRC respectively, serving as the main reservoirs. As regard to season differences, the infected buffaloes were the main reservoirs during dry seasons, especially from March to May, whereas the mobile nonnatives including fishermen and boatmen were the main infectious sources during flood seasons from June to October.

A multi-finger n-type Si/SiGe modulation-doped field-effect transistor fabricated on Si substrate for RF power amplification is demonstrated for the first time. Load-pull measurements performed at 2 GHz on a ten-finger device with a gate length of 0.3 μm and a gate width of 750 μm show a maximum output power of 14 dBm and power gain of 16 dB at 1 dB compression point with power added efficiency of 15%.

Robotic manipulators provide general, programmable motion paths and force functions to carry out processes of a high level of dexterity and flexibility. These systems are characterized by several degrees of freedom of controllable motion. As a consequence the resulting mechanical structure contains a very large number of design values including geometric, mass, compliance, strength, and prime mover parameters [1]. The analysis on which to base the design methods involves the multivariable mathematical relations between these design parameters and the manipulator’s force and motion states which are extraordinarily complex, nonlinear, and highly coupled. Computer-aided procedures for systems of this class become an imperative in order to establish the dynamic formulation, select rational design specifications, and to evaluate the system’s operating characteristics both locally and globally. This paper suggests some applications of optimization techniques to augment the existing analysis formulation in the literature and to create a more powerful foundation for the design of manipulator structures. This enhanced computational capability is based on position-dependent kinematic and modeling coefficients [6] which explicitly demonstrate the role of significant physical parameters in the design process. Specific examples dealing with optimal distribution of actuator load capacity are given in the paper which improves the system’s load capacity or enhances its speed and acceleration capability within the local neighborhood of a given configuration of the manipulator.

Es wird ein Uberblick gegeben uber den Stand der Entwucklung und kommerziellen Nutzung strahlentechnischer Prozesse (Polymerisation und Pfropfung von Plasten, Plastveretzung, Strahlenhārtung von Oberflachenschichten, Verbundmaterialien, Modifizierung textiler Stoffe, strahlenchemische Synthese petrolchemischer Erzeugnisse). Technische und kommerzielle Fragen hinsichtlich der Bestrahlungsanlagen werden behandelt.

There are several methods available for determination of diffusion coefficients. Stefan diffusion tube was most widely used for the measurement of vapor phase diffusivity in binary systems. It was proved theoretically that the radial concentration profile may be negligible in a thin cyclindrical section. It was also shown theoretically that the velocity profile does not affect the mass flux. This report considered longtitudinal diffusivity alone. The diffusivity of toluene-air system was measured from 40°C to 70°C and that of benzoic acid-air system was estimated from 140°C to 160°C.

Laboratory experiments were carried out to study the susceptibility of snail vectors to Oriental anthropophilic Schistosoma. Oncomelania hupensis hupensis was readily infected with the local strain of Schistosoma japonicum (Chinese strain), and also infected with S. japonicum (Philippines strain). O.h. quadrasi was only susceptible to its S. japonicum (Philippines strain). The Oncomelania races were refractory to S. mekongi, S. japonicum-like species (Malaysian strain). Tricula aperta (beta race) was readily infected with S. mekongi, S. sinensium and S. japonicum-like species from Malaysia, but not S. japonicum. T. bollingi was susceptible to S. sinensium and S. mekongi. Robertsiella kaporensis was only susceptible to the local strain, S. japonicum-like species from Malaysia. Geographical isolation may be the cause of these differences in compatibility between the snail vectors and the schistosome parasites.

The surface of adult Schistosoma japonicum-like (Malaysian) was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The basic pattern of surface microtopography is similar to other strains of S. japonicum as previously reported. However, among male member there are some unique differences in the types, number and distribution of surface papillae and morphology of ridges. Three kinds of papillae were observed: (1) the large fungiform papillae (3.5-4 micron in diameter, most without cilia) are more numerous than in other strains of S. japonicum, they concentrate on the lateral aspect of the anterior and middle parts close to the edge of the gynecophoral canal, and on the dorso-lateral aspect of the posterior part towards the tail tip; (2) the small hemispherical papillae (1.5-2 micron in diameter, all bearing cilia) are especially numerous in the suckers, the gynecophoral canal and parts of the tegument around the suckers and close to the tail tip; on the rest of the surface they are evenly distributed; (3) the cratered papillae (3-4 micron in diameter, about half having cilia) are more numerous than on other strains, they concentrate on the lateral aspect of the middle part and on the edges of the gynecophoral canal. The surface ridges (about 0.2-0.3 micron in width) are tall, highly branching and perforated; they are most developed in the middle part. Spines were observed only in the suckers and the gynecophoral canals. In contrast to the male, the female has numerous spines on all parts of the surface except the most anterior, where a large number of long cilia were observed. All three kinds of papillae were present; fungiform papillae are more numerous than in females of other strains; they concentrate on the latero-dorsal aspect of middle and posterior parts, and around the excretory pore. Ridges are much less developed than in the male and are prominent only in the middle part.

Adina M. Merenlender, David S. Woodruff, E. Suchart Upatham*, Vithoon Viyanant*, and H.-C. Yuant, Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093. Present addresses: *Center for Applied Malacology and Entomology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; and tDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China