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INTRODUCTION: Slow colon transit and visceral hypersensitivity are recognized as major pathophysiological mechanisms in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). However, there is a lack of therapies targeting both abdominal pain and colonic motility. This study was designed to investigate the long-term effects and possible mechanisms of transcutaneous electrical acustimulation (TEA) in patients with IBS-C. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with IBS-C were randomized into 2 groups: daily TEA for 4 weeks (n = 26) and daily sham-TEA for 4 weeks (n = 26). The number of complete spontaneous bowel movements per week (CSBMs/week, primary outcome), Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System, Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life, visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, colonic transit time, and anorectal physiology were evaluated before treatment and at the end of the treatment. Colonic transit was assessed with radiopaque markers. Electrocardiograms were recorded for assessing autonomic functions. RESULTS: (i) TEA improved constipation and abdominal pain. After the treatment, the number of CSBMs/week during the last week in the TEA group was higher than that in the sham-TEA group (3.5 ± 1.6 vs 2.3 ± 0.6, P = 0.002). Similar effects were also noted in the visual analog scale pain score (P = 0.002) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System score (P = 0.025). In addition, there was a significant improvement in the quality of life of patients with constipation. The Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life total score was significantly decreased in the TEA group (P = 0.004). (ii) Compared with sham-TEA, TEA improved colon transit (P = 0.002) and increased the threshold of rectal sensation (desire to defecate, P = 0.004; maximum tolerability, P < 0.001). (iii) TEA increased vagal activity, compared with sham-TEA (P < 0.05); at the end of the treatment, the vagal activity was significantly correlated with colon transit and the CSBMs/week. DISCUSSION: TEA improves constipation and symptoms of IBS by accelerating colon transit and reducing rectal sensation, possibly mediated by using the autonomic mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SiamPRN algorithm performs well in visual tracking, but it is easy to drift under occlusion and fast motion scenes because it uses ℓ 1 -smooth loss function to measure the regression location of bounding box. In this paper, we propose a multivariate intersection over union (MIOU) loss in SiamRPN tracking framework. Firstly, MIOU loss includes three geometric factors in regression: the overlap area ratio, the center distance ratio, and the aspect ratio, which can better reflect the coincidence degree of target box and prediction box. Secondly, we improve the definition of aspect ratio loss to avoid gradient explosion, improve the optimization performance of prediction box. Finally, based on SiamPRN tracker, we compared the tracking performance of ℓ 1 -smooth loss, IOU loss, GIOU loss, DIOU loss, and MIOU loss. Experimental results show that the MIOU loss has better target location regression than other loss functions on the OTB2015 and VOT2016 benchmark, especially for the challenges of occlusion, illumination change and fast motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-break vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs) is an important research direction for scaling VCBs up to a higher voltage level. A VCB module with an integrated operation of double-break is designed to increase synchronization of multi-break VCBs, and the synchronization error beyond the mechanical structure is eliminated. First, the mathematical model and motion model of the transmission system were established. Then the motion characteristics and the double-break synchronization error of the module were analyzed. Finally, the prototype was designed and manufactured for parameter testing and trajectory verification. The analysis shows that the displacement transmission ratio increases with the increase in the transmission pull rod length and the initial closing angle. The length of the transmission pull rod has little effect on the displacement transmission ratio, while the initial closing angle has a major effect on it. The simulation results show that the transmission system can realize maximum control of the double-break mechanical error to within 0.59 mm with the IT12 level and the mechanical error obtained by the root sum squared method can be within 0.3 mm. The maximum mechanical error can be controlled to within 0.06 mm by improving the tolerance and fit of moving pairs to the IT6 level. The experimental results reveal that the maximum mechanical error of double-break's clearance between open contacts is 0.49 mm and the synchronization error is not greater than ±0.1 ms. It is proved that the module can realize high precision synchronous operation. This study provides a practical design idea and processing requirements for the control of synchronous errors of multi-break VCBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An LMO-based electrode supported by less-defective, interconnected graphene conductive networks is proposed for fast and stable Li+ extraction from brine using HCDI. The rGO/LMO electrode delivers a high Li+ adsorption capacity of 4.34 mmol·g−1 with an rapid adsorption rate of 0.33 (mmol·g−1)·min−1, achieving a separation factor of 71.32 at a Mg2+/Li+ molar ratio of 20. By applying rGO/LMO electrodes to the simulated Atacama brine, the separation factor of Li+ from Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ are 473.89, 74.86, 63.07, and 38.55. Particularly, rGO/LMO electrode shows a remarkable cycling stability with a capacity retention rate of 90.73% (50 cycles). This developed less-defective graphene-wrapped LMO electrode holds significant importance in enhancing selective Li+ extraction performance with fast rate and stability. [Display omitted] • An rGO/LMO is proposed for fast and stable Li+ extraction using HCDI. • rGO/LMO achieves a high Li+ adsorption capacity and rate. • rGO/LMO shows excellently Li+ selective extraction from brine. • rGO/LMO displays outstanding cyclical performance of 50 cycles. Hybrid capacitive deionization (HCDI) technology for lithium (Li+) extraction from brine has received growing concern owing to its easy operation, low energy consumption, and environmental friendliness. LiMn 2 O 4 (LMO) as an affordable Li+ extraction material offers a high theoretical capacity, while the slow ion insertion kinetics and unavoidable Mn dissolution restrict its wide usage. Herein, an LMO-based electrode supported by less-defective (inherent lattice defects and oxygen-containing defects), interconnected graphene conductive networks is proposed for fast and stable Li+ extraction from brine using HCDI. The rGO/LMO electrode displays an excellent conductivity of 0.42 S·cm−1 and a high specific capacitance of 418.26 F·g−1. In the HCDI system, the rGO/LMO electrode delivers a Li+ adsorption capacity up to 4.34 mmol·g−1 with a rapid adsorption rate of 0.33 mmol·g−1·min−1 (0.05 mol·L–1 LiCl, 1.0 V), demonstrating both of the outstanding adsorption capacity and rate abilities as defined by Ragone plots. In a solution with a high Mg2+/Li+ molar ratio of 20, the separation factor can reach 71.32. By employing rGO/LMO electrode to simulated Atacama brine, the separation factor of Li+ from Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ are calculated to be 473.89, 74.86, 63.07, and 38.55. Particularly, the rGO/LMO electrode shows remarkable cycling stability with a capacity retention rate of 90.73 % (50 cycles). This developed less-defective graphene-wrapped LMO electrode holds significant importance in enhancing selective Li+ extraction performance with fast rate and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature tolerance is an important trait from both an economic and evolutionary perspective in fish. Because of difficulties with measurements, genome-wide selection using quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting Upper temperature tolerance may be an alternative for genetic improvement. Turbot Scophthalmus maximus (L.) is a cold-water marine fish with high economic value in Europe and Asia. The genetic bases of upper temperature tolerance (UTTs) traits have been rarely studied. In this study, we constructed a genetic linkage map of turbot using simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. A total of 190 SSR and 8,123 SNP were assigned to 22 linkage groups (LGs) of a consensus map, which spanned 3,648.29 cM of the turbot genome, with an average interval of 0.44 cM. Moreover, we re-anchored genome sequences, allowing 93.8% physical sequences to be clustered into 22 turbot pseudo-chromosomes. A high synteny was observed between two assemblies from the literature. QTL mapping and validation analysis identified thirteen QLTs which are major effect QTLs, of these, 206 linked SNP loci, and two linked SSR loci were considered to have significant QTL effects. Association analysis for UTTs with 129 QTL markers was performed for different families, results showed that eight SNP loci were significantly correlated with UTT, which markers could be helpful in selecting thermal tolerant breeds of turbot. 1,363 gene sequences were genomically annotated, and 26 QTL markers were annotated. We believe these genes could be valuable candidates affecting high temperatures, providing valuable genomic resources for the study of genetic mechanisms regulating thermal stress. Similarly, they may be used in marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs to improve turbot performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of radioiodine-induced salivary gland damage by evaluating progressive changes in salivary glands using ultrasound. Four hundred forty-six patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma who underwent total or near-total thyroidectomy and postoperative radioiodine therapy were retrospectively reviewed. From the first to the fifth follow-up visits, the positive rate of major salivary gland changes on ultrasound gradually increased from 2.0% to 33.0% (P<0.001) and possibly stabilized at the fifth visit (approximately 36 months). The first positive result was detected at an average of 20.78±8.72 months. Only 21 of the 161 positive cases eventually achieved negative ultrasound results (Fisher's test, P<0.001), and the 21 cases simply showed a coarse echotexure. In conclusion, ultrasound changes appeared late, and most of these changes were not reversed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propose the concept of park-and-ride-sharing (P&RS) and develop a bottleneck model with P&RS. • Discover three possible equilibrium ride-sharing matching patterns and three possible equilibrium traffic flow patterns to the proposed bottleneck model. • Design three parking charge schemes to minimize total system cost. • Analytically determine the optimal parking charge schemes and the corresponding optimal allocation scheme of bottleneck capacity to HOV lanes. • Illustrate the effect of P&RS on travelers' travel choice and the performance of the proposed parking charge schemes. In this paper, park-and-ride-sharing (P&RS) is proposed to manage morning peak hour congestion in a monocentric linear city, where there is a multilane highway with a single bottleneck connecting the residential area and the central business district (CBD). To realize ride-sharing matching, a ride-sharing parking lot (RSPL) and a ride-sharing meeting point (RSMP) are set up somewhere between the origin and the bottleneck. To encourage ride-sharing participation, the lanes of the highway are physically divided into high occupancy vehicle (HOV) and general purpose (GP) lanes for only ride-sharing vehicles and non-ride-sharing vehicles, respectively. The user equilibrium principle in terms of generalized travel cost is adopted to formulate commuters' mode choice and arrival time choice at the RSMP. It is demonstrated that there exist three possible equilibrium ride-sharing matching patterns and three possible equilibrium traffic flow patterns. All possible equilibrium ride-sharing matching and traffic flow patterns are analytically derived. In addition, to minimize total system cost (TSC), three break-even parking charge schemes are designed under the case that all parking lots are managed by the government. The optimal allocation scheme of bottleneck capacity to HOV lanes under each parking charge scheme is analytically derived. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the properties of the proposed bottleneck model with P&RS and the effectiveness of the designed parking charge schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dysregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has been identified in various human diseases. Here, we probed into the potential mechanism of circRNA_0092516 in osteoarthritis (OA). The expression of circRNA_0092516 was tested by quantitative real-time PCR. MTT, flow cytometry and western blot were applied to confirm the functions of circRNA_0092516 in vitro. Besides, RNA pull-down and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments were applied to probe into the mechanism. circRNA_0092516 was raised in the tissues of OA patients and chondrocytes stimulated by IL-1β. The potential mechanism analysis expounded that circRNA_0092516 bound to miR-337-3p, and the interference with circRNA_0092516 boosted chondrocyte proliferation and restrained cell apoptosis through the miR-337-3p/phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) axis, thereby improving OA. In-vivo experiments expounded that circRNA_0092516 regulated cartilage production through miR-337-3p. Overall, our data expounded that the interference with circRNA_0092516 boosted chondrocyte proliferation and restrained cell apoptosis through the miR-337-3p/PTEN axis, eventually slowed down the progress of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a new technique named controlled reclosing in which the peak value and duration time of reclosing current can be controlled to reduce the enormous pressure to power system when reclosing in permanent fault. Based on the analysis to the reclosing current in different voltage phase angles and a fast estimation algorithm for current parameters, a new reclosing strategy named controlled reclosing was proposed in which fault phases were reclosed in turn in optimum voltage phase angle, and the periodic component amplitude of reclosing current was calculated in a very short time and compared with a setting value to find earth fault; and the pair combinations in fault phases were reclosed synchronously in turn in optimum line-to-line voltage phase angle to find the phase-to-phase fault. A new implementation for controlled reclosing using triggered vacuum switch or power electronics switch was proposed. The simulation results showed that the proposed strategy can reduce the peak value and duration time of reclosing current and determined the fault type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate traffic flow prediction is highly important for relieving road congestion. Due to the intricate spatial–temporal dependence of traffic flows, especially the hidden dynamic correlations among road nodes, and the dynamic spatial–temporal characteristics of traffic flows, a traffic flow prediction model based on an interactive dynamic spatial–temporal graph convolutional probabilistic sparse attention mechanism (IDG-PSAtt) is proposed. Specifically, the IDG-PSAtt model consists of an interactive dynamic graph convolutional network (IL-DGCN) with a spatial–temporal convolution (ST-Conv) block and a probabilistic sparse self-attention (ProbSSAtt) mechanism. The IL-DGCN divides the time series of a traffic flow into intervals and synchronously and interactively shares the captured dynamic spatiotemporal features. The ST-Conv block is utilized to capture the complex dynamic spatial–temporal characteristics of the traffic flow, and the ProbSSAtt block is utilized for medium-to-long-term forecasting. In addition, a dynamic GCN is generated by fusing adaptive and learnable adjacency matrices to learn the hidden dynamic associations among road network nodes. Experimental results demonstrate that the IDG-PSAtt model outperforms the baseline methods in terms of prediction accuracy. Specifically, on METR-LA, the mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) induced by IDG-PSAtt for a 60 min forecasting scenario are reduced by 0.75 and 1.31, respectively, compared to those of the state-of-the-art models. This traffic flow prediction improvement will lead to more precise estimates of the emissions produced by mobile sources, resulting in more accurate air quality forecasts. Consequently, this research will greatly support local environmental management efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Efficient total syntheses of the naturally occurring, potent antibiotic compounds (−)‐crinipellin A and (−)‐crinipellin B are described. The key advanced intermediate, a fully functionalized tetraquinane core, was constructed by a novel thiourea/palladium‐catalyzed Pauson–Khand reaction. This intermediate can serve as a common intermediate for the collective total synthesis of other members of the crinipellin family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Efficient total syntheses of the naturally occurring, potent antibiotic compounds (−)‐crinipellin A and (−)‐crinipellin B are described. The key advanced intermediate, a fully functionalized tetraquinane core, was constructed by a novel thiourea/palladium‐catalyzed Pauson–Khand reaction. This intermediate can serve as a common intermediate for the collective total synthesis of other members of the crinipellin family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Removals of Rhodamine B (RhB) and Acid red 1 using the organic modification of bentonite from aqueous phase were optimized. The organobentonite was synthesized by replacing exchangeable Na + ions in Na-bentonite (Na-Bt) with cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and systematically explored for its adsorption behavior as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of dyes. Batch adsorption studies manifested that the maximum adsorption capacity of dyes were found to be 173.5 mg/g and 157.4 mg/g for RhB and Acid red 1 at the initial concentration of 300 mg/L at 30 °C and pH 9 and 8, respectively. The investigations of adsorption isotherm and kinetics model showed that the adsorption isotherm data were fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm and the adsorption kinetic was better by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Besides, the thermodynamic parameters indicate that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the properties of the obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and zeta potential analysis. The results of the characterization provided evidence of the morphological properties and how well the adsorption process performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of articular cartilage and its main pathological feature is cartilage destruction, but its specific pathogenesis is still debatable. The aim of this study was to explore the role of miR-337-3p in OA pathogenesis. Methods The expression of miR-337-3p and PTEN in osteoarthritic cartilage tissues was detected using quantitative real time PCR and western blot, respectively. The regulation of miR-337-3p on PTEN was examined by luciferase reporter gene assays. The manipulation of miR-337-3p and PTEN was mediated by siRNA interference technology. The cell viability was analyzed by MTT assays. Results MiR-337-3p expression was significantly down-regulated in osteoarthritic cartilage tissues compared with normal cartilage tissues. Further studies confirmed that miR-337-3p overexpression evidently promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of OA chondrocytes. PTEN expression was significantly up-regulated in osteoarthritic cartilage tissues and was negatively regulated by miR-337-3p in chondrocytes. PTEN silencing could improve the proliferation of OA chondrocytes and increased pAKT protein expression in OA chondrocytes. Conclusion MiR-337-3p regulated OA chondrocytes proliferation through PTEN/AKT axis and thus involved in OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a novel float gate HEMT with Gan cap under the gate is studied, its DC and RF characteristics have been shown by using SILVACO TCAD tool, as contrast, the simulation of the conventional T shape gate hemt, which fitting well with the experimental result, is also demonstrated. The proposed structure offers approximately 5 times improvement in power gain cutoff frequency (f m a x) and current gain Cut-off frequency(f T) (from 5.68 and 3.7 GHz to 30.1 and 20.1 GHz, respectively.) and it greatly enhances the linearity of the Gan based HEMT, a much flatter curve for f T /f m a x versus gate voltage are also shown, and 1 V positive threshold voltage shift is gained, meanwhile the off-state drain leakage current is also improved to a certain extend, therefor the hemt obtains a much higher Ion/Ioff ratio, without sacrificing the saturate current. Besides, the degradation of drain current due to the self-heating effect is also ameliorated by applying the novel structure. Finally, the corresponding electrical characteristic changes are systematically analyzed according to the energy band and other schematic diagrams, the physical insight is given in explaining the mechanism inside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lectins are a superfamily of carbohydrate-binding proteins that are widely distributed throughout living organisms. In earlier work, we identified lily-type lectin ( Sm LTL) in the skin mucus of turbot Scophthalmus maximus , and we characterized the protein in the present study. Results from qRT-PCR indicated that Sm LTL was expressed highly in skin, intestine and gill tissue. Changes in Sm LTL expression occurred in these tissues in response to environmental stressors including ciliate infection, high temperature and salinity. Recombinant Sm LTL purified from Escherichia coli was able to haemagglutinate mouse erythrocytes in the absence of calcium, and was inhibited by d -mannose. In addition, Sm LTL displayed selective binding to bacterial species including Edwardsiella tarda a nd Vibrio anguillarum , and exhibited toxicity towards Philasterides dicentrarchi, with a mortality of over 60% after 24 h at a concentration of only 100 μgml −1 . To investigate this toxicity further, we measured binding of Sm LTL after incubating the ciliate in FITC- Sm LTL solution. Surface fluorescence decreased substantially in the presence of 400 mM d -mannose. Together these results suggest that lily-type lectins serve as the first line of defence against microbial attack and play a pivotal role in the mucosal immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Solution and aqueous miniemulsion polymerizations of vinyl chloride (VC) mediated by (3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-tridecafluorooctyl-2-((ethoxycarbonothioyl)thio) propanoate) (X1) were studied. The living characters of X1-mediated solution and miniemulsion polymerizations of VC were confirmed by polymerization kinetics. The miniemulsion polymerization exhibits higher rate than solution polymerization. Final conversions of VC in the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) miniemulsion polymerization reach as high as 87% and are independent of X1 concentration. Initiation process of X1-mediated RAFT miniemulsion polymerization is controlled by the diffusion-adsorption process of prime radicals. Due to the heterogeneity of polymerization environments and concentration fluctuation of RAFT agent in droplets or latex particles, PVCs prepared in RAFT miniemulsion exhibit relatively broad molecular weight distribution. Furthermore, chain extensions of living PVC (PVC-X) with VC, vinyl acetate (VAc), and N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) reveal that PVC-X can be reinitiated and extended, further confirming the living nature of VC RAFT polymerization. PVC- b-PVAc diblock copolymer is successfully synthesized by the chain extension of PVC-X in RAFT miniemulsion polymerization. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 2092-2101 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Impaired gastric accommodation is recognized as one of major pathophysiologies in functional dyspepsia and gastroparesis. Electroacupuncture has been shown to improve gastric accommodation in laboratory settings. It is, however, unknown whether it exerts similar ameliorating effect in humans and whether needleless transcutaneous electroacupuncture (TEA) is also effective in improving gastric accommodation. Aim The aim was to investigate the effects of TEA on gastric accommodation, gastric slow waves, and dyspeptic related symptoms. Methods Thirteen healthy volunteers were studied in four randomized sessions: control, cold nutrient liquid, cold nutrient liquid + sham-TEA, and cold nutrient liquid + TEA. The subjects were requested to drink Ensure until reaching maximum satiety. The electrogastrogram (EGG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded to assess the gastric and autonomic functions respectively. Results 1) Gastric accommodation was reduced with the cold drink in comparison with the warm drink ( P = 0.023). TEA improved the impaired gastric accommodation from 539.2 ± 133.8 ml to 731.0 ± 185.7 ml ( P = 0.005). 2) The percentage of normal gastric slow waves in six subjects was significantly decreased in the cold session ( P = 0.002) and improved in the TEA session ( P = 0.009 vs sham; P < 0.001 vs cold). 3) TEA showed significant improvement in the bloating (80.8 ± 5.7 vs 61.2 ± 26.2, P = 0.011), postprandial fullness (48.1 ± 12.0 vs 34.2 ± 21.2, P = 0.042), and nausea (29.6 ± 10.9 vs 19.2 ± 11.2, P = 0.026) in comparison with sham-TEA session. 4) Neither cold drink nor TEA altered vagal activities ( P > 0.05). Conclusions TEA improves impaired gastric accommodation and slow waves induced by cold drink and the effect does not seem to be mediated via the vagal mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofeedback therapy is a well-known and effective therapeutic treatment for constipation. A previous study suggested that adaptive biofeedback (ABF) training was more effective than traditional (fixed training parameters) biofeedback training. The aim of this study was to verify the effectiveness of ABF in relieving constipation-related symptoms. We noticed that in traditional biofeedback training, a patient usually receives the training twice per week. The long training sessions usually led to poor compliance. This study proposes an intensive biofeedback therapy and compares intensive therapy with nonintensive therapy in patients with constipation-related symptoms. Methods. 63 patients with constipation-related symptoms were treated with ABF between 2012 and 2013. These patients were further divided into the intensive therapy and nonintensive therapy groups. Results. A total of 63 patients were enrolled in the study, including 24 in the nonintensive therapy group and 39 in the intensive therapy group. 100% (N=21) of constipation patients achieved the primary efficacy endpoint (≥3 bowel movements/week). There was significant improvement in constipation-related symptoms after adaptive biofeedback. The intensive biofeedback therapy did not show better performance compared to nonintensive biofeedback therapy. Conclusions. This investigation provides support for the efficacy of biofeedback for constipation-related symptoms. The efficacy of intensive therapy is similar to nonintensive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Composite Design (CCD) and response surface methodology were used in the experiment to examine the combined effect of temperature (16-28°C) and salinity (18-42) on Hsp70 and IgM genes expression levels in turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus) liver and kidney. The results showed that the coefficients of determination ( R =0.965 2 for liver Hsp70, 0.972 9 for kidney Hsp70, 0.921 for liver IgM and 0.962 1 for kidney IgM) and probability values ( P<0.01) were significant for the regression model. The interactive effect between temperature and salinity on liver Hsp70, kidney Hsp70 and liver IgM were not significant ( P>0.05), while the interactive effect between temperature and salinity on kidney IgM was significant ( P<0.01). The model equation could be used in practice for forecasting Hsp70 and IgM genes expression levels in the liver and kidney of juvenile turbot via applying statistical optimization of the response of interest, at which the maximum liver Hsp70, kidney Hsp70, liver IgM and kidney IgM of 1.48, 1.49, 2.48, and 1.38, respectively, were reached. The present model may be valuable in assessing the feasibility of turbot farming at different geographic locations and, furthermore, could be a useful reference for scientists studying the immunity of turbot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse effects of rare earth elements (REEs) have been increasingly reported in the past decades and have raised concern about their environmental toxicities. However, the available data is insufficient to elucidate the toxic effects, mechanisms, and whether the toxicity across all REEs is uniform. In this study, zebrafish were exposed to 0, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 6.4, 12.8 and 25.6 mg/L Ln(NO 3) 3 •6H 2 O to test the acute toxicity of La(III), Ce(III), and Nd(III). LC 50 of the three lanthanides was compared to the extent of the impact on gene expression. We carried out the functionally grouped network-based transcriptome analysis using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to explore the molecular mechanisms. The acute toxicity test showed that LC 50 of La(III), Ce(III), and Nd(III) were 2.53, 2.03, and 2.76 mg/L, respectively. Consistent with acute toxicity, Ce(III) caused a little more DEGs than La(III) and Nd(III). Some biological processes such as metabolism of xenobiotics, oocyte meiosis, steroid biosynthesis, DNA replication, and p53 signaling pathway were affected following exposure of all the three lanthanides. Ce(III) also induced changes in the chemokine-mediated signaling pathway. The results indicated that the lethality is comparable, and the toxic patterns are similar across the three lanthanides. This study gives comparative research on the toxicities of three lanthanides to model organism zebrafish. [Display omitted] • Toxic effects of selected lanthanides are compared using functionally grouped network-based transcriptome analysis. • La(III), Ce(III), and Nd(III) show comparable lethality and similar toxic patterns. • Pathways within reproductive system and metabolic of xenobiotics of zebrafish are significantly affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hearts of fish play a major role in their physiological plasticity and acclimation to different thermal conditions. To understand the precise mechanism and the pathways activated by thermal cardiac stress in fish, we sampled cardiac tissue from juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) exposed to control (14°C) and test (20°C, 24°C, and 28°C) conditions, and performed digital RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). A total of 3359 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The results of an expression tendency analysis and KEGG annotation analysis of the DEGs demonstrated that energy metabolism played a core role in thermal stress in turbot for the majority of the up-regulated genes. This was followed by lipid metabolism, mitochondrial function, glycolysis, and carbohydrate metabolism. RNA modifications are gaining the interest of biologists worldwide. In this study, at the transcriptome level, our results showed that 246 m6A-containing genes were detected in the DEGs, which were related to EIF3C, EIF3D, EIF3J, METTL16, RBM15B, VIRMA, and YTHDC1. This indicates that m6A is involved in the regulation of heat stress in turbot. This study is an important step towards understanding the cardiac adaptive response to thermal stress. Importantly, the plasticity of cardiac tissue could predict the adaptability of fish species to environmental temperature. • The key pathways associated with energy metabolism were regulated by thermal stress in heart. • In the major related to energy metabolism signaling pathway, including carbohydrate metabolism, mitochondrial function, glycolysis, and lipid metabolism. • m6A is one of the most abundant RNA modifications, which is involved in the regulation of heat stress in turbot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwanese loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus ssp. Taiwan) have mutant phenotypes with golden-pink eyes and golden-red body colour without any blotches. We consider this colour variation comparable to albinism reported in other species. However, the molecular mechanism underlying these mutations is unknown. In the present study, we conducted a comparative analysis of transcripts from the skin of wild-type and mutant fish. A total of 6516 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 3317 (50.9%) upregulated unigenes and 3199 (49.1%) downregulated unigenes in mutant individuals. Additional annotation comparing known pigmentation genes and KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the melanogenesis pathway is the key pathway regulating pigment synthesis. Oca2 , slc45a2 and mc1r were identified as potential genes associated with albinism. Analysis of the top 10 KEGG pathways revealed that some DEGs were liked to lipid metabolism, such fish skin transcriptome results have not been reported previously. The fatty acid composition of fish skin was analysed by gas chromatography, and the results were consistent with the RNA-Seq analysis. We propose that cells possess intrinsic mechanisms to dampen inflammation and avoid excessive damage, resulting in albino mutants. This is the first report of a mutant-type (golden-red albinism) Taiwanese loach with golden-red skin colour from fish farms in China. The findings provide a basis for studying the molecular mechanism underlying the abnormalities of pigmentation, and will facilitate the future genetic selection and breeding of Taiwanese loach in aquaculture. • This is the first study on the transcriptomic of the mutant Taiwanese loach with golden-red skin. • Melanogenesis pathway is the key pathway, and alteration of key genes may lead to albinism. • This is the first report of lipid metabolism were significantly elevated in the skin of MR fish. • It provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of golden-red mutant loach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) represents the deadliest form of brain tumour, characterized by its low survival rate and grim prognosis. Cytokines released from glioma‐associated microglia/macrophages are involved in establishing the tumour microenvironment, thereby crucially promoting GBM progression. MS4A6A polymorphism was confirmed to be associated with neurodegenerative and polymorphism disease pathobiology, but whether it participates in the regulation of GBM and the underlying mechanisms is still not elucidated. Here, we found that MS4A6A was significantly upregulated in GBM patient samples. The results from the single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNA‐seq) database and immunostaining demonstrated the specific expression of MS4A6A in microglial cells. In vitro, microglial overexpression of MS4A6A stimulated the proliferation and migration of glioblastoma cells. Moreover, high MS4A6A mRNA expression was related to poor prognosis in GBM patients. Our study highlights the potential of MS4A6A as a promising biomarker for GBM, which may provide novel strategies for its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor alpha (PPARα), as a transcription factor, plays an important role in the regulation of lipid metabolism. To better understand the regulatory role of PPARα in lipid metabolism in turbot, we analyzed the sequence structure of PPARα and its stress response to a high temperature. We also investigated the regulation of genes related to lipid metabolism after the knockdown of PPARα. The CDS of PPARα was 1410 bp, encoding 469 amino acids. The relative molecular weight of the protein was 52.64 kDa, and the predicted pI was 5.63. The architecture of the PPARα gene exhibited a ZnF‐C4 domain and a HOLI domain. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PPARα has been highly conserved during evolution. The qPCR results showed that the mRNA level of PPARα was significantly increased, and the expression of the lipid synthesis genes FASN and SCD was significantly downregulated under high‐temperature stress. PPARα interference and inhibition results showed that the expression levels of FASN and SCD were significantly increased. Our results suggest that high temperatures activate PPARα and inhibit lipid synthesis by downregulating the expression of FASN and SCD in order to reduce lipid deposition and maintain lipid metabolism disorder caused by high‐temperature stress. This is the first report of PPARα in turbot. It will help for studying the evolution of PPARα and provide a reliable reference for studying the regulation mechanism of lipid metabolism in fish under stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor suppressor protein, p53 plays a crucial role in protecting genetic integrity. Once activated by diverse cell stresses, p53 reversibly activates downstream target genes to regulate cell cycle and apoptosis. However, few studies have investigated the effects of thermal stress in turbot, specifically the p53 signaling pathway. In this study, the rapid amplification of cDNA ends was used to obtain a full-length cDNA of the turbot p53 gene (Sm -p53) and perform bioinformatics analysis. The results showed that the cDNA of the Sm -p53 gene was 2928 bp in length, encoded a 381 amino acid protein, with a theoretical isoelectric point of 6.73. It was composed of a DNA binding and a tetramerization domain. Expression of Sm -p53 in different tissues was detected and quantified by qRT-PCR, and was highest in the liver. We also investigated the expression profiles of Sm -p53 in different tissue and TK cells after thermal stress. These result suggested that Sm -p53 plays a key role, and provides a theoretical basis for Sm -p53 changes in environmental stress responses in the turbot. • A full-length cDNA encoding Sm-p53 from turbot was cloned for the first time. • This is the first time to report the expression level of Sm-p53 in vivo and in kidney cell after thermal stress in turbot. • Our study has confirmed that Sm-p53 is a critical regulator of thermal stress in fish. • Sm-p53 could be used as potential representative biomarkers as an early heat stress bioindicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive application of radioactive element uranium (U) and its compounds in the nuclear industry has significantly increased the risk of exposure to the environment. Therefore, research on the safety risks and toxicity mechanisms of U exposure has received increasing attention. This paper reviews the toxic effects of U on different species under different conditions, and summarizes the potential toxicity mechanisms. Under the exposure of U, reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in cells will damage membrane structure in cells, and inhibit respiratory chain reaction by reducing the production of NADH and ATP. It also induce the expression of apoptosis factors such as Bcl-2, Bid, Bax, and caspase family to cause apoptosis cascade reaction, leading to DNA degradation and cell death. We innovatively list some methods to reduce the toxicity of U because some microorganisms can precipitate uranyl ions through biomineralization or reduction processes. Our work provides a solid foundation for further risk assessment of U. Image 103 • The effects of different factors on the biotoxicity of U were classified and compared. • The methods for reducing U toxicity by microorganisms was summarized. • The toxic mechanism of U was comprehensively summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION Does the change in endometrial thickness (EMT) from the end of the follicular/estrogen phase to the day of embryo transfer (ET) determine subsequent pregnancy outcomes? SUMMARY ANSWER Endometrial compaction from the late-proliferative to secretory phase is not associated with live birth rate (LBR) and other pregnancy outcomes. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Endometrial compaction has been suggested to be indicative of endometrial responsiveness to progesterone, and its association with ET outcome has been investigated but is controversial. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A systematic review with meta-analysis was carried out. PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched to identify relevant studies from inception to 18 November 2022. The reference lists of included studies were also manually screened for any additional publications. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Cohort studies comparing ET pregnancy outcomes between patients with and without endometrial compaction were included. A review of the studies for inclusion, data extraction, and quality assessment was performed by two independent reviewers. The effect size was synthesized as odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed by the I 2 statistic and Egger's test, respectively. The primary outcome was LBR. Secondary outcomes included biochemical pregnancy rate (BPR), clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), miscarriage rate (MR), ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR), and ectopic pregnancy rate (EPR). MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Seventeen cohort studies involving 18 973 ET cycles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The pooled results revealed that there were no significant differences between endometrial compaction and non-compaction groups in LBR (crude OR (cOR) = 0.95, 95% CI 0.87–1.04; I 2 = 0%; adjusted OR (aOR) = 1.02, 95% CI 0.87–1.19, I 2 = 79%), BPR (cOR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.81–1.06; I 2 = 0%; aOR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.75–1.03, I 2 = 0%), CPR (cOR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.81–1.18; I 2 = 70%; aOR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.72–1.02, I 2 = 13%), MR (cOR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.90–1.32; I 2 = 0%; aOR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.64–1.31; I 2 = 0%), and EPR (cOR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.31–1.61; I 2 = 61%). The OPR was marginally higher in crude analysis (cOR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.01–2.16; I 2 = 81%) among women with compacted endometrium, but was not evident in adjusted results (aOR = 1.36, 95% CI 0.86–2.14; I 2 = 84%). Consistently, the pooled estimate of LBR remained comparable in further subgroup and sensitivity analyses according to the degree of compaction (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20%), type of ET (fresh, frozen, or euploid only), and endometrial preparation protocol (natural or artificial). No publication bias was observed based on Egger's test. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Although the number of included studies is sufficient, data on certain measures, such as EPR, are limited. The inherent bias and residual confounding were also inevitable owing to the observational study design. Furthermore, inconsistent definitions of pregnancy outcomes may affect the accuracy of our pooled analysis. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Given the lack of prognostic value, assessing endometrial compaction or repeated EMT measurement on the day of ET may not be necessary or warranted. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (20224BAB216025), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82260315), and Central Funds Guiding the Local Science and Technology Development (20221ZDG020071). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42022384539 (PROSPERO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbot harbor a relatively remarkable ability to adapt to opposing osmotic challenges and are an excellent model species to study the physiological adaptations of flounder associated with osmoregulatory plasticity. The kidney transcriptome of turbot treated 24 h in water of hypo-salinity(salinity 5) and seawater(salinity 30) was sequenced and characterized. In silico analysis indicated that all unigenes had significant hits in seven databases. The functional annotation analysis of the transcriptome showed that the immune system and biological processes associated with digestion, absorption, and metabolism played an important role in the osmoregulation of turbot in response to hypo-salinity. Analysis of biological processes associated with inorganic channels and transporters indicated that mineral absorption and bile secretion contributed to iono-osmoregulation resulting in cell volume regulation and cell phenotypic plasticity. Moreover, we analyzed and predicted the mechanisms of canonical signaling transduction. Biological processes involved in renin secretion, ECM-receptor interaction, adherens junction, and focal adhesion played an important role in the plasticity phenotype in hypo-stress, while the signal transduction network composed of the MAPK signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway with GABAergic synapse, worked in hypo-osmoregulation signal transduction in the turbot. In addition, analysis of the tissue specificity of targeted gene expression using qPCR during salinity stress was carried out. The results showed that the kidney, gill, and spleen were vital regulating organs of osmotic pressure, and the osmoregulation pattern of euryhaline fish differed among species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abnormally high temperature produces a stress response in turbot causing large economic losses in the turbot aquaculture industry of China. A genetic improvement of the upper thermal tolerance (UTT) of turbot could allow cultured fish to adapt. A genetic evaluation of UTT is required for determining the practicability of including this trait into a breeding program. In this study, data were recorded from a temperature tolerance test conducted on 3 200 individual turbots from 32 full-sib groups. A cross-sectional linear model and a cross-sectional threshold probit model were used to analyze the test-period survival and a cross-sectional threshold logit model was used to analyze the test-day survival. In addition, phenotypic and genetic correlations between body weight and survival data were estimated. The estimated heritability values obtained from the cross-sectional linear model (CSL), the cross-sectional threshold (probit) model (THRp), and the cross-sectional threshold (logit) model (THRl) were 0.247 9±0.108 3, 0.288 3±0.161 2, and 0.106 9±0.045 2, respectively. The correlation coefficients among the full-sib family estimated breeding values (EBVs) obtained from the three models were greater than 0.998 6 and all models produced an almost identical family ranking. The accuracies of selection obtained with the CSL, THRp, and THRl model were 0.773 8, 0.775 4, and 0.784 4, respectively, the greatest from the THRl model. The genetic correlations between body weight and survival data EBVs from the CSL, THRp, and THRl models were 0.020 1, −6.201 1× 10−4, and −3.115 4×10−4, respectively, and the phenotypic correlations between the two traits were −0.837 1 and −0.667 1, respectively. The findings of this study provide background information to determine the best strategy of selection for the genetic improvement of UTT in turbot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: TANK‐binding kinase 1 (TBK1) is involved in regulating the pathological process of a variety of inflammatory diseases in the central nervous system. However, its role and underlying molecular mechanisms in spinal cord injury (SCI) remain largely unknown. Methods: We employed the TBK1 inhibitor amlexanox (ALX) to address this question. An in vivo clip‐compressive SCI model and in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced astrocyte inflammation model were established to examine the effects of TBK1 inhibition on the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Results: In this study, we found that TBK1 and TBK1‐medicated innate immune pathways, such as TBK1/IRF3 and noncanonical NF‐κB signaling, were activated in astrocytes and neurons after SCI. Furthermore, inhibition of TBK1 by ALX alleviated neuroinflammation response, reduced the loss of motor neurons, and improved the functional recovery after SCI. Mechanistically, inhibition of TBK1 activity promoted the activation of the noncanonical NF‐κB signaling pathway and inhibited p‐IRF3 activity in LPS‐induced astrocytes, and the TBK1 activity was required for astrocytic activation through yes‐associated protein (YAP) signaling after SCI and in LPS‐induced astrocytes inflammation model. Conclusion: TBK1‐medicated innate immune pathway in astrocytes through YAP signaling plays an important role in the pathogenesis of SCI and inhibition of TBK1 may be a potential therapeutic drug for SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The purpose of this study is to understand the distribution of syndrome types, the data of four diagnostic information variables, and the correlative degree and diagnostic value of four diagnosis indexes and syndromes in patients with the recovery period of ischemic stroke through clinical case data. Methods. This study developed a unified clinical case collection table, following the clinical research design, measurement, and evaluation methods, using Chi-Square test, logistic regression analysis, and diagnostic test evaluation methods for data screening, analysis, and testing. Results. According to the comprehensive comparison, analysis, and evaluation, the study concluded that the specificity, sensitivity, positive likelihood ratio, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy, and Youden index of "thick fur, slippery pulse" was the highest. Conclusion. "thick fur, slippery pulse" is the best combination to diagnose the phlegm-stasis in channels during the recovery period of ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, and its typical characteristics are neuroinflammation and the demyelination of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1) is an essential factor mediating axonal degeneration and SARM1 deletion reduces the neuroinflammation in spinal cord injury. This study aimed to explore the roles of SARM1 and its underlying mechanisms in MS. Methods: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE, a model of MS) model was established. Immunostaining, western blot, electron microscope, and HE staining were used to examine the pathological manifestations such as inflammation, demyelination, and neuronal death in SARM1f/f EAE mice and SARM1Nestin‐CKO EAE mice. In addition, RNA‐seq, real‐time PCR and double‐immunostaining were used to examine the underlying mechanism of SARM1 in EAE mice. Results: SARM1 was upregulated in neurons of the spinal cords of EAE mice. SARM1 knockout in CNS ameliorated EAE with less neuroinflammation, demyelination, and dead neurons. Mechanically, SARM1 knockout resulted in the reduction of insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) in neurons of EAE mice, which might inhibit the neuroinflammation through inhibiting NF‐κB signaling. Finally, activation of NF‐κB partially aggravated the neuroinflammation and demyelination deficits of SARM1Nestin‐CKO EAE mice. Conclusions: These results identified the unknown role of SARM1 in the promotion of neuroinflammation and demyelination and revealed a novel drug target pathway of SARM1/IGFBP2/NF‐κB for MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination on fertility warrants clarification in women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. To study the association between female COVID-19 vaccination and outcomes of assisted reproductive treatment. PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and medRxiv and bioRxiv were searched for eligible studies from December 1, 2019, to November 30, 2022, with no language restrictions. Observational studies comparing assisted reproductive outcomes between women with and without COVID-19 vaccination were included. The pooled estimates were calculated using the random-effects models as mean differences (MDs), standardized MDs, or odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I 2 statistic. The number of oocytes retrieved and clinical pregnancy rate. Twenty-one cohort studies involving a total of 19,687 treatment cycles were included. In a comparison of the vaccinated vs. unvaccinated groups, the pooled MD for oocyte number was −0.06 (95% CI, −0.51 to 0.39; I 2 = 0), and the pooled odds ratio for clinical pregnancy was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.85–1.05; I 2 = 0). Similarly, there were no statistically significant adverse effects identified in other outcomes determined a priori, including 4 cycle characteristics, 6 laboratory parameters, and 3 pregnancy indicators. Most results were consistently unchanged in subgroup and sensitivity analyses, with no evidence of publication bias according to Egger's test. Our work did not find significant differences in assisted reproductive outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated women. However, more data are warranted to confirm the safety of COVID-19 vaccination for assisted reproductive treatment and in female fertility in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the use of zero-emission vehicles is an important measure for reducing pollutant and carbon dioxide emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks (MHDTs). This study took Hainan Island as an example. Based on big data such as industrial layout and traffic flow, it clarified that the main channels of freight transportation on Hainan Island are concentrated in the northern region, including the surrounding areas of Haikou; the important ports of Haikou, Yangpu, and Basuo; and Chengmai and Tunchang counties. Furthermore, pathways for the promotion of zero-emission MHDTs are proposed, which can reduce exhaust emissions by 1549 tons of NOx, 62 tons of particulate matter (PM), and 3.60 million tons of CO2 by 2030. Compared with the vehicle type categorization plan, the spatial layout plan can achieve higher emission reduction benefits in the medium term (2025). In addition, in conjunction with existing policies and planning requirements, this study also puts forward policy suggestions for the promotion of zero-emission MHDTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A full-length lily-type lectin (SmLTL) was identified from turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) in this study. By searching database for protein identification and function prediction, SmLTL were confirmed. The full-length cDNA of SmLTL is composed of 569 bp and contains a 339 bp ORF that encodes 112 amino acid residues. The SmLTL peptide is characterized by a specific β-prism architecture and contains three mannose binding sites in a three-fold internal repeat between amino acids 30–99; two of the repeats share the classical mannose binding domain (QxDxNxVxY) while the third binding site was similar to other fish-specific binding motifs (TxTxGxRxV). The primary, secondary, and tertiary structures of SmLTL were predicted and analyzed, indicating that the SmLTL protein was hydrophilic, contained 5.36% α-helices, 39.29% extended strands, 16.07% β-folds, and 39.29% random coils, and three β-folds. Quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis revealed that the SmLTL mRNA was abundantly expressed in skin, gill, and intestine. Low levels of SmLTL expression were observed in other tissues. The expression of SmLTL in gill, skin and intestine increased at mRNA level after stimulation of Vibrio anguillarum, our results suggest that SmLTL serve as the first line of defence against microbial infections and play a pivotal role in the innate mucosal immune system. The current study indicates that SmLTL is a member of the lilytype lectin family and the information reported here will provide an important foundation for future research on the role of this protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to complex pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia, medications to treat functional dyspepsia are not effective for all patients. Transcutaneous electrical acustimulation (TEA) is an potentially effective therapy for functional dyspepsia without proofs of definite mechanisms. Aims: We aimed to investigate the therapeutic impacts of TEA on postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) and explore potential neuroimmune mechanisms. Methods: We conducted a double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial in 30 PDS patients randomized for 4-week TEA or sham-TEA. Dyspeptic symptoms, gastric accommodation, gastric emptying and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed. Duodenal mucosal inflammation was also evaluated. Results: The dyspeptic symptoms were improved with TEA compared with sham-TEA (P = 0.03). The initial satiety volume and the maximum tolerable volume (MTV) were both improved after the TEA treatment, compared with the sham-TEA group (P all < 0.05). The gastric emptying time (T1/2) was not altered with TEA or sham-TEA. The TEA treatment increased vagal activity and decreased sympathovagal ratio assessed by HRV (P all < 0.01). The IL-6 expression in bulb mucosa was downregulated by the TEA treatment compared to the baseline (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Noninvasive TEA improves gastric accommodation and dyspeptic symptoms, possibly by downregulating the IL-6 expression in duodenal bulb mucosa via the vagal efferent pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, great efforts have been devoted to reducing emissions from mobile sources with the dramatic growth of motor vehicle and nonroad mobile source populations. Compilation of a mobile source emission inventory is conducive to the analysis of pollution emission characteristics and the formulation of emission reduction policies. This study summarizes the latest compilation approaches and data acquisition methods for mobile source emission inventories. For motor vehicles, a high-resolution emission inventory can be developed based on a bottom-up approach with a refined traffic flow model and real-world speed-coupled emission factors. The top-down approach has advantages when dealing with macroscale vehicle emission estimation without substantial traffic flow infrastructure. For nonroad mobile sources, nonroad machinery, inland river ships, locomotives, and civil aviation aircraft, a top-down approach based on fuel consumption or power is adopted. For ocean-going ships, a bottom-up approach based on automatic identification system (AIS) data is adopted. Three typical cases are studied, including emission reduction potential, a cost-benefit model, and marine shipping emission control. Outlooks and suggestions are given on future research directions for emission inventories for mobile sources: building localized emission models and factor databases, improving the dynamic updating capability of emission inventories, establishing a database of emission factors of unconventional pollutants and greenhouse gas from mobile sources, and establishing an urban high temporal-spatial resolution volatile organic compound (VOC) evaporation emission inventory. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex reproductive disorder, that affects approximately 5–10% of women of reproductive age. The disease is complex because its evolution may be impacted by genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. Previous studies have emphasized the important roles of estrogen receptors in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Objective: To use whole exome sequencing (WES) to assess possible pathogenic factors in a PCOS patient who exhibited estrogen insensitivity during hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatment. Methods: Genome sequencing and variant filtering via WES were performed in a patient with PCOS. DNA extraction from 364 unrelated female controls without PCOS was followed by PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing and sequence alignment. Evolutionary conservation analysis, protein structural modelling and in silico prediction were applied to analyse the potential pathogenicity of the novel ESR1 mutation. Result(s): During the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) period of an IVF cycle, the patient experienced markedly prolonged ovarian stimulation due to a poor response to gonadotropins (Gn) and elevated serum FSH. A novel heterozygous ESR1 mutation, c.619G > A/p.A207T, leading to the replacement of a highly conserved alanine with a threonine, was identified in this patient, via WES analysis. This novel variant was not identified in 364 unrelated female controls without PCOS, or in the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) or 1000 Genome Project. Conclusion(s): We identified a novel heterozygous ESR1 mutation in a Han Chinese PCOS woman exhibiting clinical signs of estrogen insensitivity. This study may provide new strategies for IVF therapy, especially for patients who exhibit estrogen insensitivity during IVF cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcription factors of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (pparγ) is a ligand-activated receptor that plays key roles in lipid metabolism and inflammation. In this study, we cloned the pparγ cDNA of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). It has a 1659 bp coding sequence (CDS) and encodes 552 amino acids. The deduced PPARγ protein of turbot contains two highly conserved domains, a C4-type zinc finger, a nuclear hormone receptor DNA-binding region signature, and a HOLI domain (ligand-binding domain of hormone receptors) identical to that of in other species. qPCR results showed that the expression level of pparγ and the expression of the fatty acid transporters fatp and cd36 were significantly increased under high-temperature stress. This indicates that high temperatures activate the transcriptional activity of pparγ , and lipid metabolism plays an important role in turbot under high-temperature stress. In addition, RNA interference was used to explore the regulation of pparγ on lipid metabolism of turbot at high temperatures. The results showed that the mRNA level of pparγ was significantly decreased. After the expression level of pparγ was inhibited, the expression levels of fatp and cd36 were significantly decreased. At the same time, GW9662 (a pparγ antagonist) was used to inhibit pparγ activity in turbot kidney cells, and fatp and cd36 gene expressions were detected. The mRNA expression levels of pparγ , fatp , and cd36 were significantly decreased. Our results suggest that high temperatures activate pparγ in turbot and that pparγ regulates lipid transport and maintains lipid metabolism homeostasis through positive regulation of the expression of downstream genes fatp and cd36. This study further elucidates that the pparγ -mediated signaling pathway may play an important role in regulating lipid metabolism during heat stress in teleost fish. • The pparγ gene of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) was cloned and identified. • pparγ is activated in turbot under high temperatures. • The mRNA expression levels of lipid transporters fatp and cd36 were significantly increased at high temperature. • pparγ plays an important role in lipid transport regulation in turbot at high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Turbot Scophthalmus maximus is an economically important species extensively aquacultured in China. The genetic selection program is necessary and urgent for the sustainable development of this industry, requiring more and more genome background knowledge. Transcriptome sequencing is an excellent alternative way to identify transcripts involved in specific biological processes and exploit a considerable quantity of molecular makers when no genome sequences are available. In this study, a comprehensive transcript dataset for major tissues of S. maximus was produced on basis of an Illumina platform. Results: Total RNA was isolated from liver, spleen, kidney, cerebrum, gonad (testis and ovary) and muscle. Equal quantities of RNA from each type of tissues were pooled to construct two cDNA libraries (male and female). Using the Illumina paired-end sequencing technology, nearly 44.22 million clean reads in length of 100 bp were generated and then assembled into 106,643 contigs, of which 71,107 were named unigenes with an average length of 892 bp after the elimination of redundancies. Of these, 24,052 unigenes (33.83% of the total) were successfully annotated. GO, KEGG pathway mapping and COG analysis were performed to predict potential genes and their functions. Based on our sequence analysis and published documents, many candidate genes with fundamental roles in sex determination and gonad differentiation (dmrt1), growth (ghrh, myf5, prl/prlr) and immune response (TLR1/TLR21/TLR22, IL-15/IL-34), were identified for the first time in this species. In addition, a large number of credible genetic markers, including 21,192 SSRs and 8,642 SNPs, were identified in the present dataset. Conclusion: This informative transcriptome provides valuable new data to increase genomic resources of Scophthalmus maximus. The future studies of corresponding gene functions will be very useful for the management of reproduction, growth and disease control in turbot aquaculture breeding programs. The molecular markers identified in this database will aid in genetic linkage analyses, mapping of quantitative trait loci, and acceleration of marker assisted selection programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant glioma among brain tumors with low survival rate and high recurrence rate. Columbianadin (CBN) has pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, thrombogenesis-inhibiting and anti-tumor effects. However, it remains unknown that the effect of CBN on GBM cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, we found that CBN inhibited the growth and proliferation of GBM cells in a dose-dependent manner. Subsequently, we found that CBN arrested the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase and induced the apoptosis of GBM cells. In addition, CBN also inhibited the migration and invasion of GBM cells. Mechanistically, we chose network pharmacology approach by screening intersecting genes through targets of CBN in anti-GBM, performing PPI network construction followed by GO analysis and KEGG analysis to screen potential candidate signaling pathway, and found that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Protein Kinase-B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway was a potential target signaling pathway of CBN in anti-GBM. As expected, CBN treatment indeed inhibited the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in GBM cells. Furthermore, YS-49, an agonist of PI3K/Akt signaling, partially restored the anti-GBM effect of CBN. Finally, we found that CBN inhibited GBM growth in an orthotopic mouse model of GBM through inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Together, these results suggest that CBN has an anti-GBM effect by suppressing PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and is a promising drug for treating GBM effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Sow reproductive performance is crucial in the entire pig industry. However, the heritability of reproductive traits is slowthat it is difficult to make great genetic progress by traditional breeding methods. Therefore, in this study, we performed genome-wide association analyses of litter traits in French White sows to explore genes related to sow reproductive traits and we finally detected a notable region (10.72–11.06 Mb on chromosome 7) and four promising genes (JARID2, PDIA6, FLRT2 and DICER1). The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for subsequent molecular breeding. The reproductive traits of sows are one of the important economic traits in pig production, and their performance directly affects the economic benefits of the entire pig industry. In this study, a total of 895 French Large White pigs were genotyped by GeneSeek Porcine 50K SNP Beadchip and four phenotypic traits of 1407 pigs were recorded, including total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA), number healthy piglets (NHP) and litter weight born alive (LWB). To identify genomic regions and genes for these traits, we used two approaches: a single-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a single-step GWAS (ssGWAS). Overall, a total of five SNPs and 36 genomic regions were identified by single-locus GWAS and ssGWAS, respectively. Notably, fourof all five significant SNPs were located in 10.72–11.06 Mb on chromosome 7, were also identified by ssGWAS. These regions explained the highest or second highest genetic variance in the TNB, NBA and NHP traits and harbor the protein coding gene ENSSSCG00000042180. In addition, several candidate genes associated with litter traits were identified, including JARID2, PDIA6, FLRT2 and DICER1. Overall, these novel results reflect the polygenic genetic architecture of the litter traits and provide a theoretical reference for the following implementation of molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant growth is constantly affected by biotic and abiotic stresses, which are especially expressed in plant leaves. Therefore, leaf phenotype is considered to be an important indicator of phenotypic plasticity in plants. The effects of various growth environmental factors on the final size of Arabidopsis thaliana rosette leaves and the number of leaves were analyzed in orthogonal tests using image analysis, and growth curves were estimated statistically. Finally, the optimum growth environment for A. thaliana Col-0 was determined. In this study, temperature, humidity, and light intensity were chosen as factors and studied at the three levels each (temperature: 22 °C, 25 °C, 28 °C; humidity: 50%, 65%, 80%; light intensity: 92 μmol·m−2·s−1; 184 μmol·m−2·s−1; 278 μmol·m−2·s−1). The results showed that light intensity was a major factor in the final leaf size, whereas for the number of plant leaves the most important was temperature. According to the major and minor order of environmental factors, the following scheme appeared to be optimal for A. thaliana growth: temperature 22 °C, humidity 50%, illumination intensity 184 μmol·m−2·s−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) have both reduced gastric accommodation and impaired gastric motility that are difficult to treat. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of transcutaneous electroacupuncture (TEA) for both of these disorders in FD patients. Acute experiments were performed in FD patients to study the effect of TEA and sham-TEA on gastric accommodation assessed by a nutrient drink test and gastric motility assessed by the measurement of the electrogastrogram (EGG). TEA or sham-TEA was performed via cutaneous electrodes at acupoints ST36 and PC6 or sham-points nonacupoints. It was found that (1) gastric accommodation (maximum tolerable volume) was reduced in FD patients compared with the controls P<0.03. TEA improved gastric accommodation in FD patients P<0.02. (2) Acute TEA significantly increased the percentage and power of normal gastric slow waves in the fed state assessed in the FD patients by the EGG in comparison with sham-TEA. (3) TEA increased vagal activity assessed by the spectral analysis of the heart rate variability in the fed state in FD patients. It was concluded that needleless method of transcutaneous electroacupuncture may have a therapeutic potential for treating both impaired gastric accommodation and impaired gastric motility in patients with FD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To study the relationship between blastomere number and pregnancy outcomes of day 3 embryo transfers.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 2237 fresh single day 3 embryo transfer cycles from October 2013 to November 2020. Patients were divided into six groups according to the blastomere number on day 3: ≤ 6-cell (n = 100), 7-cell (n = 207), 8-cell (n = 1522), 9-cell (n = 187), 10-cell (n = 91) and ≥ 11-cell (n = 130). Generalized estimating equation analysis based on multivariate logistic regression model was performed to adjust for potential confounders.Results: The live birth rate (LBR) was 19.0%, 27.1%, 38.9%, 32.1%, 44.0% and 53.8% for the ≤ 6-cell, 7-cell, 8-cell, 9-cell, 10-cell and ≥ 11-cell groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Specifically, the ≤ 6-cell group was associated with reduced LBR compared with the 8-cell group (aOR 0.50, 95% CI 0.29-0.86; P = 0.013). Conversely, the odds of live birth were significantly increased in patients transferred with 10-cell embryos (aOR 1.62, 95% CI 1.03-2.53; P = 0.035) and ≥ 11-cell embryos (aOR 2.14, 95% CI 1.47-3.11; P < 0.001) when using the 8-cell embryo group as reference. Similar trends were also observed in the rates of positive hCG test and clinical pregnancy, while no significant differences were detected in miscarriage risk.Conclusion: Increased blastomere number was associated with higher LBR in fresh single day 3 embryo transfer cycles. This finding questions the consensus on the reduced developmental potential of fast-cleaving embryos. Further large prospective studies are warranted for confirmation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To thoroughly evaluate preoperative risk factors for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients with knee rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: Clinical data of 106 patients with knee RA who underwent unilateral TKA from August 2014 to October 2020 were collected. All patients received ultrasonic examination of the veins of both lower extremities on the third day after TKA and were divided into DVT and non-DVT groups. The associations between age, gender, body mass index (BMI), history of diabetes/hypertension, common serum lipid levels, indicators related to coagulation function, blood viscosity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and postoperative DVT were statistically compared and analyzed. RESULTS: ESR was significantly correlated with DVT risk after TKA (OR = 1.844, 95% CI = 1.022–2.981, P = 0.019). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed the optimal cut-off point of ESR for predicting DVT was 42 mm/h with a sensitivity of 95.5% and specificity of 66.7%. CONCLUSION: An increased preoperative ESR value is a risk factor for DVT in patients with knee RA following unilateral TKA. Pre-surgery control of ESR level and prevention of postoperative DVT in these patients are worthy of attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The longevity of Leptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle ( L. invasa) was studied by microcalorimetry and traditional methods, respectively. As regards the results from microcalorimetry, the heat flow in the process of metabolism of L. invasa declined exponentially. With the temperature increasing, the metabolism of L. invasa was inhibited, and the longevity of L. invasa decreased gradually. At 25 °C, the longevity of L. invasa almost reaches 360 h. At 41 °C, L. invasa will die within 18 h. The same phenomenon was observed under the low temperature. The supercooling point can be determined by microcalorimetry because the heat will be released due to the phase change. The survival aspects of L. invasa on high- and low-temperature exposures were also studied by traditional methods. Similar results were obtained in both methods, which indicated that microcalorimetry can be used to measure the metabolism of insect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]