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In this work, Cr2O3/TiO2 composite coatings were prepared on α-Al2O3 insulating ceramic matrix surface by screen printing and solid phase sintering methods to yield an average film thickness of about 14.10 μm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed changes in the pore structures of the coatings at different TiO2 contents. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis of the coating surface roughness suggested a TiO2 content of 0.025 mol to yield the best surface roughness and pore structure of the coating. The calculation showed an increase in the energy level of the deep trap center on the surface from 1.506 eV to 1.547 eV, reaching a maximum. The surface resistivity of insulating ceramics decreased from 1016 Ω to 1012 Ω. The formation of deep surface traps and the decrease in surface resistivity promoted charge dispersion and suppressed the formation of flashover channels, effectively improving the surface flashover voltage of the ceramics.

Abstract Purpose The most appropriate time of primary tumor radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) with EGFR-TKIs remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the time factor of primary tumor radiotherapy on long-term overall survival(OS)and provide a theoretical basis for further clinical research. Patients and methods In total, 238 patients with EGFR-TKIs and OS ≥ 12 months were statistically analysed. Patients were grouped: the D group without primary tumor radiotherapy and the R group with it.The R group were divided into three groups according to the interval between the start of EGFR-TKIs and the start of primary tumor radiotherapy: R0 − 30(

Abstract Background Early-onset prostate cancer (EOPC, ≤ 55 years) has a unique clinical entity harboring high genetic risk, but the majority of EOPC patients still substantial opportunity to be early-detected thus suffering an unfavorable prognosis. A refined understanding of age-based polygenic risk score (PRS) for prostate cancer (PCa) would be essential for personalized risk stratification. Methods We included 167,517 male participants [4882 cases including 205 EOPC and 4677 late-onset PCa (LOPC)] from UK Biobank. A General-, an EOPC- and an LOPC-PRS were derived from age-specific genome-wide association studies. Weighted Cox proportional hazard models were applied to estimate the risk of PCa associated with PRSs. The discriminatory capability of PRSs were validated using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves with additional 4238 males from PLCO and TCGA. Phenome-wide association studies underlying Mendelian Randomization were conducted to discover EOPC linking phenotypes. Results The 269-PRS calculated via well-established risk variants was more strongly associated with risk of EOPC [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.99–2.78] than LOPC (HR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.89–2.01; I 2 = 79%). EOPC-PRS was dramatically related to EOPC risk (HR = 4.70, 95% CI 3.98–5.54) but not to LOPC (HR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.96–1.01), while LOPC-PRS had similar risk estimates for EOPC and LOPC (I 2 = 0%). Particularly, EOPC-PRS performed optimal discriminatory capability for EOPC (area under the ROC = 0.613). Among the phenomic factors to PCa deposited in the platform of ProAP (Pro state cancer A ge-based P heWAS; https://mulongdu.shinyapps.io/proap ), EOPC was preferentially associated with PCa family history while LOPC was prone to environmental and lifestyles exposures. Conclusions This study comprehensively profiled the distinct genetic and phenotypic architecture of EOPC. The EOPC-PRS may optimize risk estimate of PCa in young males, particularly those without family history, thus providing guidance for precision population stratification.

AimsThe present study aimed to investigate the accuracy of the Glunovo® real-time continuous glucose monitoring system (rtCGMS).MethodsWe conducted a 14-day interstitial glucose level monitoring using Glunovo® rtCGMS on thirty hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes. The flash glucose monitoring (FGM) was used as a self-control. Consistency tests, error grid analysis, and calculation of the mean absolute relative difference (MARD) were performed using R software to assess the accuracy of Glunovo® rtCGMS.ResultsGlunovo® exhibited an overall MARD value of 8.89% during hospitalization, compared to 10.42% for FGM. The overall percentages of glucose values within ±10%/10, ± 15%/15, ± 20%/20, ± 30%/30, and ±40%/40 of the venous blood glucose reference value were 63.34%, 81.31%, 90.50%, 97.29%, and 99.36% for Glunovo®, respectively, compared with 61.58%, 79.63%, 88.31%, 96.22% and 99.23% for FGM. The Clarke Error Grid Analysis showed that 99.61% of Glunovo® glucose pairs and 100.00% of FGM glucose pairs within zones A and B.ConclusionOur study confirms the superior accuracy of Glunovo® in monitoring blood glucose levels among hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes.

Based on the geo-spatial distribution and rich social media data of many important scenic tourist places (high-level scenic spots in China), this study presents a quantitative analysis using GIS technology and several spatial statistical tools to examine the geographical distribution and network attention of these spots. It is found that there is a clear geographical imbalance in the spatial distribution of these scenic spots in China, primarily concentrated in the lower-lying and densely populated eastern regions. Using spatial autocorrelation methods to assess the degree of match between these two spatial patterns, it is observed that the spatial network attention and geographical distribution of hotspots are mutually correlated only in major coastal cities. The results enhance our understanding of effective tourism network marketing instruments and provide further insight into the geographical layout of scenic spots in the country.

Abstract Background EGFR‐mutant (EGFR‐M) and ALK‐positive (ALK‐P)are common in malignant pleural effusion (MPE) with metastatic non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (MPE‐NSCLC). The impact of thoracic tumor radiotherapy on survival in such patients remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether thoracic tumor radiotherapy could improve overall survival (OS) in such patients. Methods According to whether or not patients accepted thoracic tumor radiotherapy, 148 patients with EGFR‐M or ALK‐P MPE‐NSCLC treated with targeted therapy were classified into two groups: DT group without thoracic tumor radiotherapy and DRT group with thoracic tumor radiotherapy. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance clinical baseline characteristics. Overall survival was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier, compared by log‐rank test, and evaluated using Cox proportional hazards model. Results Median survival time (MST) was 25 months versus 17 months in the DRT group and DT group. The OS rates at 1, 2, 3, 5 years in the DRT group and DT group were 75.0%, 52.8%, 26.8%, 11.1% and 64.5%, 28.4%, 9.2%, 1.8%, respectively (χ2 = 12.028, p = 0.001). Compared with DT group, the DRT group still had better survival after PSM (p = 0.007). Before and after PSM, factors associated with better OS through multivariable analysis were that thoracic tumor radiotherapy, radiotherapy, N0‐2, and ALK‐TKIs. Grades 4–5 radiation toxicities were not observed in patients; 8 (11.6%) and 7 (10.1%) out of the DRT group suffered from Grade 3 radiation esophagitis and radiation pneumonitis, respectively. Conclusion Our results for EGFR‐M or ALK‐P MPE‐NSCLC showed that thoracic tumor radiotherapy may be crucial factor in improving OS with acceptable toxicities. Potential biases should not be neglected: Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm this result.

Abstract Metastatic breast-cancer is a major cause of death in women worldwide, yet the relationship between oncogenic drivers that promote metastatic versus primary cancer is still contentious. To elucidate this relationship in treatment-naive animals, we hereby describe mammary-specific transposon-mutagenesis screens in female mice together with loss-of-function Rb, which is frequently inactivated in breast-cancer. We report gene-centric common insertion-sites (gCIS) that are enriched in primary-tumors, in metastases or shared by both compartments. Shared-gCIS comprise a major MET-RAS network, whereas metastasis-gCIS form three additional hubs: Rho-signaling, Ubiquitination and RNA-processing. Pathway analysis of four clinical cohorts with paired primary-tumors and metastases reveals similar organization in human breast-cancer with subtype-specific shared-drivers (e.g. RB1-loss, TP53-loss, high MET, RAS, ER), primary-enriched (EGFR, TGFβ and STAT3) and metastasis-enriched (RHO, PI3K) oncogenic signaling. Inhibitors of RB1-deficiency or MET plus RHO-signaling cooperate to block cell migration and drive tumor cell-death. Thus, targeting shared- and metastasis- but not primary-enriched derivers offers a rational avenue to prevent metastatic breast-cancer.

BackgroundAntiretroviral Therapy (ART) in children remains challenging due to resource-constrained settings. We conducted a 13-year, prospective, multicenter cohort study on the effectiveness and safety of LPV/r-based regimens in ART-naive and ART-experienced children.MethodsFrom January 2008 to May 2021, children living with HIV-1 were recruited with LPV/r-based regimens from 8 clinical research sites in 6 provinces in China. Effectiveness outcomes were virologic failure (defined as at least two consecutive measurements of VL > 200 copies/mL after 6 months of ART) and immune response (defined as CD4% recovered to more than 25% after 12 months of treatment). The safety outcomes were treatment-related grade 2–4 adverse events and abnormal laboratory test results.ResultsA total of 345 ART-naïve children and 113 ART-experienced children were included in this cohort study. The median follow-up time was 7.3 (IQR 5.5–10.5) years. The incidence density of virologic failure was 4.1 (95% CI 3.3–4.9) per 100 person-years in ART-naïve children and 5.0 (95% CI 3.5–6.5) per 100 person-years in ART-experienced children. Kaplan Meyer (KM) curve analysis showed children with ART experience were at a higher risk of virologic failure (p 5 days of LPV intake (aHR = 1.889, 1.004–3.554); The risk factor of virologic failure in ART-experienced children was missed dose times >5 days (aHR = 2.689, 1.299–5.604) and mother as caregivers for ART administration (aHR = 0.475, 0.238–0.948). However, during long-term treatment, viral suppression rates between ART-naïve and ART-experienced children remained similar. No significant differences were observed in the immune response, treatment-related grade 2–4 events, and abnormal laboratory test results between ART-naïve children and ART-experienced children.ConclusionOur research underscores that with consistent, long-term treatment of LPV/r-based regimens, ART-experienced children can achieve therapeutic outcomes comparable to ART-naïve children. It provides crucial insights on LPV/r-based regimens in pediatric HIV treatment, especially in resource-limited settings where high-cost Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTs) are inaccessible. This evidence-based understanding provides an essential addition to the global therapeutic strategies for pediatric HIV treatment.

Background: Environmental pollutant measurement is essential for accurate health risk assessment. However, the detection of humans’ internal exposure to pollutants is cost-intensive and consumes time and energy. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) have been widely applied in genetic studies of complex trait diseases. It is important to construct a genetically relevant environmental surrogate for pollutant exposure and to explore its utility for disease prediction and risk assessment. Objectives: This study enrolled 714 individuals with complete genomic data and exposomic data on 22 plasma-persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Methods: We first conducted 22 POP genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and constructed the corresponding environmental pollutant-based PRS (EpPRS) by clumping and P value thresholding (C + T), lassosum, and PRS-CS methods. The best-fit EpPRS was chosen by its regression R2. An adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework was developed to assess the effects of contaminants on candidate diseases. Furthermore, Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to explore the causal association between POPs and cancer risk. Results: The C + T method produced the best-performing EpPRSs for 7 PCBs and 4 PBDEs. EpPRSs replicated the correlations of environmental exposure measurements based on consistent patterns. The diagnostic performance of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) PRS was improved by the combined model of T2DM-EpPRS of PCB126/BDE153. Finally, the AKT1-mediated AOP framework illustrated that PCB126 and BDE153 may increase the risk of T2DM by decreasing AKT1 phosphorylation through the cGMP-PKG pathway and promoting abnormal glucose homeostasis. MR analysis showed that digestive system tumors, such as colorectal cancer and biliary tract cancer, are more sensitive to POP exposure. Conclusions: EpPRSs can serve as a proxy for assessing pollutant internal exposure. The application of the EpPRS to disease risk assessment can reveal the toxic pathway and mode of action linking exposure and disease in detail, providing a basis for the development of environmental pollutant control strategies.

Obesity is a major global health issue that contributes to the occurrence of metabolic disorders. Based on this fact, understanding the underlying mechanisms and to uncover promising therapeutic approaches for obesity have attracted intense investigation. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) can help burns excess calories. Therefore, promoting White adipose tissue (WAT) browning and BAT activation is an attractive strategy for obesity treatment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs, which are involved in regulation of adipogenic processes and metabolic functions. Evidence is accumulating that miRNAs are important regulators for both brown adipocyte differentiation and white adipocyte browning. Here we report that the expression of miR-669a-5p increases during the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 and C3H10T1/2 adipocytes. miR-669a-5p supplementation promotes adipogenic differentiation and causes browning of 3T3-L1 and C3H10T1/2 cells. Moreover, the expression of miR-669a-5p is upregulated in iWAT of mice exposed to cold. These data demonstrate that miR-669a-5p plays a role in regulating adipocyte differentiation and fat browning. Abbreviations: Acadl: long-chain acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenase; Acadm: medium-chain acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenase; Acadvl: very long-chain acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenase, very long chain; Aco2: mitochondrial aconitase 2; BAT: brown adipose tissue; Bmper: BMP-binding endothelial regulator; Cpt1-b:carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b; Cpt2: carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2; Crat: carnitine acetyltransferase; Cs: citrate synthase; C2MC: Chromosome 2 miRNA cluster; DMEM: Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium; eWAT: epididymal white adipose tissue; ETC: electron transport chain; FAO: fatty acid oxidation; Fabp4:fatty acid binding protein 4; FBS: fetal bovine serum; Hadha: hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase trifunctional multienzyme complex subunit alpha; Hadhb: hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase trifunctional multienzyme complex subunit beta; HFD: high fat diet; Idh3a: isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 alpha; iWAT: inguinal subcutaneous white adipose tissue; Lpl: lipoprotein lipase; Mdh2: malate dehydrogenase 2; NBCS: NewBorn Calf Serum; mt-Nd1: mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 1; Ndufb8:ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit B8; Nrf1: nuclear respiratory factor 1; Pgc1α: peroxisome proliferative activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha; Pgc1b: peroxisome proliferative activated receptor, gamma, coactivator 1 beta; Pparγ: peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma; Prdm16: PR domain containing 16; Rgs4: regulator of G-protein signaling 4; Sdhb: succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit B; Sdhc: succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit C; Sdhd: succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit D; Sh3d21: SH3 domain containing 21; Sfmbt2: Scm-like with four mbt domains 2; TG: triglyceride; TCA: tricarboxylic acid cycle; Tfam: transcription factor A, mitochondrial; TMRE: tetramethylrhodamine, methyl ester; Ucp1: uncoupling protein 1; Uqcrc2: ubiquinol cytochrome c reductase core protein 2; WAT: White adipose tissue

PurposeActionable mutations are common in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)with malignant pleural effusion(MPE)(MPE-NSCLC). The pattern of failure in MPE-NSCLC treated with targeted therapy after MPE control remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the failure pattern of such patients in a cohort study and explore the possibility of radiotherapy.Patients and methodsComputed tomography scans of 86 patients were reviewed in this study. We classified first pattern of failure after MPE control as initial disease sites only (IF), new distant sites only (NF), or IF and NF detected simultaneously (INF). Patients evaluated suitable for radiotherapy after disease progression were divided into two groups: D group without radiotherapy and RD group with radiotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used for survival analyses.ResultsDisease progression after MPE control was observed in 42 patients with complete serial imaging. Median time to any progression was 9.5 months. Rate of the IF, NF and INF were 50%, 17% and 33% for all patients,60%,0% and 40% for patients with MPE recurrence (n=10,23.8%) and 47%, 22% and 31% for patients (n=32,76.2%) without MPE recurrence, respectively. Out of 10 patients(23.8%) with MPE recurrence, 7 patients simultaneous underwent primary tumor progression and 5 MPE were cytologically confirmed in 7 patients with examination. The overall survival (OS )rates at 1, 2, 3 years for the RD group and D group were 88.2%, 50.5%, 21.7% and 80.0%, 20.3%, 0%, respectively; the corresponding MST were 26.1 months and 17.5 months, respectively (χ2 = 4.959, p =0.026)ConclusionsOur data indicates that 50% of patients with actionable mutations MPE- NSCLC after MPE control are likely to fail at their initial sites of disease and the use of radiotherapy may bring OS benefits during the course of their disease. Multicenter RCT is necessary to confirm the result in the future.

The metastasis of tumor cells into vital organs is a major cause of death from diverse types of malignancies [...]

Summary: Background: Polygenic risk score (PRS) has been demonstrated to be effective in identifying individuals at high risk of developing cancer, but its prognostic value remains unclear. Methods: We constructed site-specific PRSs by aggregating the risk effect of independent variants derived from previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) across 17 cancer types. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the association of each PRS with cancer survival, leveraging data from two prospective European cohorts, namely the UK Biobank involving 19,628 incident cases and The Cancer Genome Atlas involving 7079 prevalent cases. The combined PRS (CPRS), determined by merging site-specific PRSs, was further used to assess the prognostic effect of PRS on overall cancer in a sex-specific manner. Findings: We discovered that the cancer risk-related PRS was associated with neither overall survival (OS) nor cancer-specific survival (CSS) of each site-specific cancer with an underlying false discovery rate (FDR) P > 0.05, as evidenced by consistent findings from the two cohorts. Furthermore, the fixed-effect meta-analysis of the two cohorts provided no evidence to support for an association between CPRS and overall cancer survival in both males [OS: hazard ratio (HR)meta = 1.00, Pmeta = 0.760; CSS: HRmeta = 1.01, Pmeta = 0.447] and females (OS: HRmeta = 0.97, Pmeta = 0.067; CSS: HRmeta = 0.96, Pmeta = 0.054). Similar results were observed across multiple sensitivity analyses. Interpretation: Our findings indicate that the risk-specific PRS might not be a clinically useful tool in cancer prognosis prediction and further studies focusing on the development of polygenic prognostic score are warranted. Funding: This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82173601 and 82073631), and Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (Public Health and Preventive Medicine).

Aim. The prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been increasing and a large proportion of patients still do not achieve adequate or sustainable glycemic control on the basis of previous hypoglycemic treatment. In this present study, we explored whether dorzagliatin, a novel glucokinase activator (GKA), could improve glycemic control and lessen glucose fluctuation in drug-naïve patients with T2DM. Methods. A self-comparative observational study of 25 drug-naïve patients with T2DM (aged 18–75 years and HbA1c of 7.5%–11.0%) treated with dorzagliatin 75 mg twice daily for 52 weeks. Before and after dorzagliatin intervention, the serum levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, and C-peptide were measured repeatedly during fasting and after a mixed meal. The continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device was also used to obtain 24-hour glucose profiles and assess the changes in glycemic variability parameters. Results. After 52 weeks of treatment with dorzagliatin, a numerally greater reduction in HbA1c of 1.03% from the baseline was observed in patients with T2DM, accompanied by significant improvement in insulin resistance and insulin secretion. Moreover, the standard deviation of blood glucose (SDBG) and the mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE) derived from CGM data were significantly decreased after dorzagliatin therapy. The 24-h glucose variation profile showed that study patients had obviously lower mean glucose levels during the postprandial period from the baseline to week 52, an effect also demonstrated by the significant decrease in the incremental area under glucose concentration versus time curve for 2 h (iAUC0–2 h) after meals. Conclusions. This study suggests that dorzagliatin therapy could effectively improve glycemic control and glucose fluctuation in drug-naïve patients with T2DM.

To investigate the research hotspots and development trends of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) over the past 20 years, this study analyzed relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection spanning from 2002 to 2022. The data were visualized using CiteSpace, showcasing the publication volume trends, countries, keywords, cited references, authors, and affiliated institutions. Based on 1079 articles, the annual publication volume showed an overall upward trend. The United States had the most extensive research coverage and highest publication volume, whereas China had the fastest growing publication rate in recent years. However, relatively little cooperation occurred among research teams and institutions. Over time, research topics became increasingly diverse, with water conservation and yield increases being the primary research objectives. In addition to improving irrigation and fertilizer use efficiency, SDI has also been applied in research on the safe utilization of unconventional water resources (wastewater and salt water) and the optimization of soil conditions. Among these, aerated irrigation technology—aimed at improving root growth in the rhizosphere—may become a new branch of SDI research. Currently, the main research focus in the field of SDI is the diffusion and distribution of water in the crop root zone, for which Hydrus model simulation is a particularly important method.

The Dingqu River Basin, a major tributary of the upper Yangtze River, is located at southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. The fishes of this plateau constitute a major faunal component of this basin, particularly Schizothoracinae (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) and Triplophysa (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae). Hydropower development is an impact that affects natural habitats and biological resources of the upper Yangtze River and this has led to a decrease in biodiversity. This study investigated the species diversity of fishes of the Dingqu River Basin and accumulated basic data for conservation of biodiversity and assessment of ecological health of the upper Yangtze River.The upper streams of the Jinshajiang River harbours numerous endemic fish species in China. Most of them belong to the Qianghai-Tibet Plateau fish fauna. However, while the fish species of the Jinshajiang River have been well studied, there is still a gap in the research on fish species diversity of the Dingqu River Basin tributary. This study provides information for 18 native fish species belonging to two orders, four families, three subfamilies and eight genera, and is the first complete record of fishes in the Dingqu River Basin, a primary tributary of the Yangtze River. Supplemental information of species diversity in the Jinshajiang River is also provided. The study includes two datasets, which present taxonomic, distribution, habitat condition, endemism and threat information for each species collected from the Dingqu River Basin and historical literature, respectively. In particular, these fish species all have limited distribution within the south-eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau areas of China and could determine the importance of habitat protection for the upper Yangtze River.

BackgroundSubjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are susceptible to osteoporosis. This study was conducted to evaluate the association between glycemic variability evaluated by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and osteoporosis in type 2 diabetic patient.MethodsA total of 362 type 2 diabetic subjects who underwent bone mineral density (BMD) measurement and were monitored by a CGM system from Jan 2019 to May 2020 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Glycemic variability was calculated with the Easy GV software, including 24-hour mean blood glucose (24-h MBG), the standard deviation of 24-h MBG (SDBG), coefficient of variation (CV), mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE), and time in range between 3.9 and 10.0 mmol/L (TIR). Other potential influence factors for osteoporosis were also examined.ResultsBased on the T-scores of BMD measurement, there were 190 patients with normal bone mass, 132 patients with osteopenia and 40 patients with osteoporosis. T2DM patients with osteoporosis showed a higher 24-h MBG, SDBG, CV, and MAGE, but a lower TIR (all p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, female gender, body mass index (BMI), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), serum uric acid (SUA) and MAGE independently contribute to osteoporosis, and corresponding odds ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 1.129 (1.072-1.190), 4.215 (1.613-11.012), 0.801 (0.712-0.901), 2.743 (1.385-5.431), 0.993 (0.988-0.999), and 1.380 (1.026-1.857), respectively. Further receiver operating characteristic analysis with Youden index indicated that the area under the curve and its 95% CI were 0.673 and 0.604-0.742, with the optimal cut-off value of MAGE predicting osteoporosis being 4.31 mmol/L.ConclusionIn addition to conventional influence factors including age, female gender, BMI, LDL-C and SUA, increased glycemic variability assessed by MAGE is associated with osteoporosis in type 2 diabetic patients.

AimsWe evaluated the efficacy and significant changes in the levels of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP-4) and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with chiglitazar versus sitagliptin.MethodsEighty-one T2DM patients with haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level of 7.5%–10.0% were selected. Based on the study criteria, patients were randomly assigned to receive chiglitazar (32 mg), chiglitazar (48 mg), or sitagliptin (100 mg) orally for 24 weeks. Sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, lipid profiles, glucose profiles, and serum RBP-4 levels were determined at baseline and at the end of the therapy.ResultsAfter treatment for 24 weeks, significant changes in fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (Fins), 2 h-blood glucose (2h-BG), the score values of insulin resistance/insulin secretion/β cell function (HOMA-IR, HOMA-IS, and HOMA-β), triglyceride (TG), free fatty acid (FFA), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and RBP-4 levels were detected in patients with chiglitazar administration and sitagliptin administration. Changes in RBP-4 levels were positively correlated with changes in HOMA-IR and 2 h-BG in linear regression.ConclusionsChiglitazar showed a greater improvement in parameters of diabetes than sitagliptin, and changes in serum RBP-4 levels were associated with changes in insulin-sensitizing parameters.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, CT.gov identifier: NCT02173457.

AimsTo examine the glycaemic variability and safety of basal and premixed insulin by using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems.Methods393 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with basal or premixed insulin for more than 3 months were enrolled. Patients were classified into a basal insulin group or premixed insulin group according to their insulin regimens. CGMs were used for 72 h with their previous hypoglycaemic regimen unchanged. The following glycaemic parameters were calculated for each 24 h using CGM data.ResultsDespite similar HbA1c and fasting C-peptide concentrations, glycaemic variability (GV), including the mean amplitude of glycaemic excursion (MAGE), standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV), and the time below range (TBR) were significantly lower in the basal insulin group than these in the premixed insulin group. Night-time hypoglycaemia was lower in the basal insulin group than that in the premixed insulin group (p

Abstract In the design of electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing materials, it is still a great challenge to optimize the relationship between the attenuation capability and impedance matching synergistically. Herein, a 3D porous MoS2/MXene hybrid aerogel architecture with conformal heterogeneous interface has been built by atomic layer deposition (ALD) based on specific porous templates to optimize the microwave absorption (MA) performance comprehensively. The original porous structure of pristine Ti3C2Tx aerogel used as templates can be preserved well during ALD fabrication, which prolongs the reflection and scattering path and ameliorates the dielectric loss. Meanwhile, plenty of heterointerfaces between MoS2 and Ti3C2Tx have been fabricated based on conformally ALD‐deposited MoS2 with controlled thickness on the porous surfaces of the templates, which can effectively optimize the impedance matching and transform its response to EM waves from shielding into absorbing. Moreover, the interaction between the attenuation capability and impedance matching can also be modulated by the number of ALD cycle in MoS2 fabrication. After optimization, MoS2/MXene hybrid aerogel obtained under 300 ALD cycles shows a minimum reflection loss of −61.65 dB at the thickness of 4.53 mm. In addition, its preferable lightweight, high surface area, mechanical, and hydrophobicity properties will also be conducive to further practical applications.

Cellular senescence is a process that leads to a state of irreversible cell growth arrest induced by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic stresses. Senescent cells (SnCs) accumulate with age and have been implicated in various age-related diseases in part via expressing the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Elimination of SnCs has the potential to delay aging, treat age-related diseases and extend healthspan. However, once cells becoming senescent, they are more resistant to apoptotic stimuli. Senolytics can selectively eliminate SnCs by targeting the SnC anti-apoptotic pathways (SCAPs). They have been developed as a novel pharmacological strategy to treat various age-related diseases. However, the heterogeneity of the SnCs indicates that SnCs depend on different proteins or pathways for their survival. Thus, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for apoptotic resistance of SnCs will provide new molecular targets for the development of cell-specific or broad-spectrum therapeutics to clear SnCs. In this review, we discussed the latest research progresses and challenge in senolytic development, described the significance of regulation of senescence and apoptosis in aging, and systematically summarized the SCAPs involved in the apoptotic resistance in SnCs.

Cancer staging provides a common language that is used to describe the severity of an individual's cancer, which plays a critical role in optimizing cancer treatment. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) is the most widely accepted method for cancer staging. Despite its widespread use, to date, only limited tools have been developed to implement the RPA algorithm for cancer staging. Moreover, most of the available tools can be accessed only from command lines and also lack visualization, making them difficult for clinical investigators without programing skills to use. Therefore, we developed a web server called autoRPA that is dedicated to supporting the construction of prognostic staging models and performance comparisons among different staging models. Based on the RPA algorithm and log-rank test statistics, autoRPA can establish a decision-making tree from survival data and provide clinicians an intuitive method to further prune the decision tree. Moreover, autoRPA can evaluate the contribution of each submitted covariate that is involved in the grouping process and help identify factors that significantly contribute to cancer staging. Four indicators, including hazard consistency, hazard discrimination, percentage of variation explained, and sample size balance, are introduced to validate the performance of the designed staging models. In addition, autoRPA can also be used to compare the performance of different prognostic staging models using a standard bootstrap evaluation method. The web server of autoRPA is freely available at http://rpa.renlab.org.

AimThis study aims at evaluating glycemic control during Basalin or Lantus administration in adults with controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus using continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM).Methods47 patients with well-controlled T2DM using both Basalin and oral hypoglycemic drugs were recruited. CGM were applied from day 1 to day 3 with the unchanged dose of Basalin and then removed from day 4. A washout was performed with Lantus at the same dose as Basalin from day 4 to day 10. Then patients were continued to install the CGM under Lantus administration from day 11 to day 13. Variables of CGM, such as the area under the curve (AUC) for both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, 24h mean blood glucose (24h MBG), 24h standard deviation of blood glucose (24h SDBG), 24h mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (24h MAGE), PT (percentage of time), and time in range (TIR), were calculated and compared between Basalin group and Lantus group.ResultsThe group of Lantus showed lower 24h MBG (p 10.0 mmol/L, BG > 13.9 mmol/L) than Basalin group. In summary, for T2DM population with HbA1c ≤ 7%, Lantus may be a better choice compared with Basalin.

2′-O-methylations (2′-O-Me or Nm) are one of the most important layers of regulatory control over gene expression. With increasing attentions focused on the characteristics, mechanisms and influences of 2′-O-Me, a revolutionary technique termed Nm-seq were established, allowing the identification of precise 2′-O-Me sites in RNA sequences with high sensitivity. However, as the costs and complexities involved with this new method, the large-scale detection and in-depth study of 2′-O-Me is still largely limited. Therefore, the development of a novel computational method to identify 2′-O-Me sites with adequate reliability is urgently needed at the current stage. To address the above issue, we proposed a hybrid deep-learning algorithm named DeepOMe that combined Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Bidirectional Long Short-term Memory (BLSTM) to accurately predict 2′-O-Me sites in human transcriptome. Validating under 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-fold cross-validation, we confirmed that our proposed model achieved a high performance (AUC close to 0.998 and AUPR close to 0.880). When testing in the independent data set, DeepOMe was substantially superior to NmSEER V2.0. To facilitate the usage of DeepOMe, a user-friendly web-server was constructed, which can be freely accessed at http://deepome.renlab.org.

Abstract Background Early life microflora is an important determinant of immune and metabolic development and may have lasting consequences. However, the mode of delivery and the effect of povidone iodine disinfection on neonatal oral microflora colonization are still unclear. The objective of the study was to understand the effects of the use of polyvidone iodine on infant’s oral microflora after transvaginal examination during delivery, provided data support for the establishment of neonatal oral microflora health. Methods A total of 20 cases of full-term neonatal delivered in October 2017 in Shenzhen Bao’an Maternity and Child Health Hospital through vaginal delivery. These neonates were randomly divided into two groups, the conventional disinfection group and the non-disinfection group. Simultaneously, 10 infants with elective cesarean section were taken as comparison. With Illumina MiSeq platform, 16S rRNA V3-V4 sequencing method was used to analyze bacterial DNA of oral secretions. Results At the phylum level, compared to the non-disinfection group, higher relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and lower proportion of Firmicutes were observed in the cesarean section group and the disinfection group. As main composition of phylum Firmicutes, genus Lactobacillus presented extremely low in the cesarean section group and the disinfection group, whereas it was the absolute dominant bacteria in the non-disinfection group. Compared with the caesarean section group, only Lactobacillus increased in majority of the non-disinfection group. There was no increase in Lactobacillus in the disinfection group, but Prevotella, Escherichia-Shigella, Staphyloccus, and Klebsiella increased significantly. Through KEGG pathway analysis, we found that there were more harmful pathways such as staphylococcus aureus infection, viral myocarditis and sporulation in the disinfection group. Conclusions The mode of delivery affects the infant’s Lactobacillus obtained from the mother. Moreover, vulvar disinfection played an important part in the colonization of neonatal oral microbiota. And the impact of the first oral colonizers on infant health needs further follow-up investigations.

Traditional degumming of bast fibers results in problems such as environmental pollution and inferior fiber quality. For these reasons, biodegumming was considered as a potential process for bast fibers. In biodegumming process, decomposition of noncellulosic components was the pivotal problem. In this manuscript, the bast fiber of Apocynum venetum was processed with combinatorial processing, containing physical, chemical and microbial effect. The structural bio-recalcitrance was analyzed at molecular, supermolecular and morphological level in each stage. The results show that main substance in recalcitrance of Apocynum venetum bast is lignin and hemicellulose. And the protein and wax is also the constituent of bio-recalcitrance. The recalcitrance in the bast tissue can be divided into three layers. The spatial structure and the distribution of the noncellulosic substances also contribute to the recalcitrance. This paper provides directions for pretreatment design to render biomass more amenable to bioprocessing.

Abstract A 27-year-old male with HIV-associated naïve and high-risk Burkitt’s lymphoma sequentially received short-term, high-dose non-myeloablative chemotherapy and autologous CD34-positive stem cell transfusion in the setting of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). Prompt hematopoietic recovery was observed after 2 weeks and clinical remission from Burkitt’s lymphoma within approximately 30 months after transplantation. The HIV RNA load was inhibited persistently, and drug resistance was not observed. The CD4+ T cell count approached 323 cells/μL in a recent follow-up study. This case suggests that the use of intensive non-myeloablative chemotherapy with transplantation, combined with antiretroviral therapy, in HIV-related naive and high-risk Burkitt’s lymphoma was tolerated and safe.

Vitamin A (VA), which is stored in several forms in most tissues, is required to maintain metabolite homeostasis and other processes, including the visual cycle, energy balance, epithelial cell integrity, and infection resistance. In recent years, VA molecules, also known as retinoids, have been extensively explored and used in the treatment of skin disorders and immune-related tumors. To date, several observational and interventional studies have explored the relationship between VA status and the pathogenesis of diabetes. In particular, VA micronutrients have been shown to regulate pancreatic development, β-cell function, pancreatic innate immune responses, and pancreatic stellate cells phenotypes through multiple mechanisms. However, there are still many problems to be proven or resolved. In this review, we summarize and discuss recent and available evidence on VA biological metabolism in the pancreas. Analysis of the effects of VA on metabolism in the pancreas will contribute to our understanding of the supportive physiological roles of VA in pancreas protection.

In this paper, a recognition model based on the improved hybrid particle swarm optimisation (HPSO) optimised backpropagation network (BP) is proposed to improve the efficiency of radar working state recognition. First, the model improves the HPSO algorithm through the nonlinear decreasing inertia weight by adding the deceleration factor and asynchronous learning factor. Then, the BP neural network’s initial weights and thresholds are optimised to overcome the shortcomings of slow convergence rate and falling into local optima. In the simulation experiment, improved HPSO-BP recognition models were established based on the datasets for three radar types, and these models were subsequently compared to other recognition models. The results reveal that the improved HPSO-BP recognition model has better prediction accuracy and convergence rate. The recognition accuracy of different radar types exceeded 97%, which demonstrates the feasibility and generalisation of the model applied to radar working state recognition.

In this paper, a cognitive electronic jamming decision-making method based on improved Q-learning is proposed to improve the efficiency of radar jamming decision-making. First, the method adopts the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm’s Metropolis criterion to enhance the exploration strategy, balancing the contradictory relationship between exploration and utilization in the algorithm to avoid falling into local optima. At the same time, the idea of stochastic gradient descent with warm restarts (SGDR) is introduced to improve the learning rate of the algorithm, which reduces the oscillation and improves convergence speed at the later stage of the algorithm iteration. Then, a cognitive electronic jamming decision-making model is constructed, and the improved Q-learning algorithm’s specific steps are given. The simulation experiment takes a multifunctional radar as an example to analyze the influence of exploration strategy and learning rate on decision-making performance. The results reveal that compared with the traditional Q-learning algorithm, the improved Q-learning algorithm proposed in this paper can fully explore and efficiently utilize and converge the results to a better solution at a faster speed. The number of iterations can be reduced to more than 50%, which proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the method applied to cognitive electronic jamming decision-making.

High-throughput sequencing technologies have identified millions of genetic mutations in multiple human diseases. However, the interpretation of the pathogenesis of these mutations and the discovery of driver genes that dominate disease progression is still a major challenge. Combining functional features such as protein post-translational modification (PTM) with genetic mutations is an effective way to predict such alterations. Here, we present PTMsnp, a web server that implements a Bayesian hierarchical model to identify driver genetic mutations targeting PTM sites. PTMsnp accepts genetic mutations in a standard variant call format or tabular format as input and outputs several interactive charts of PTM-related mutations that potentially affect PTMs. Additional functional annotations are performed to evaluate the impact of PTM-related mutations on protein structure and function, as well as to classify variants relevant to Mendelian disease. A total of 4,11,574 modification sites from 33 different types of PTMs and 1,776,848 somatic mutations from TCGA across 33 different cancer types are integrated into the web server, enabling identification of candidate cancer driver genes based on PTM. Applications of PTMsnp to the cancer cohorts and a GWAS dataset of type 2 diabetes identified a set of potential drivers together with several known disease-related genes, indicating its reliability in distinguishing disease-related mutations and providing potential molecular targets for new therapeutic strategies. PTMsnp is freely available at: http://ptmsnp.renlab.org.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the established therapeutics against tumors. As the major immunotherapy approach, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) achieved remarkable success in the treatment of malignancies. However, the clinical gains are far from universal and durable, because of the primary and secondary resistance of tumors to the therapy, or side effects induced by ICIs. There is an urgent need to find safe combinatorial strategies that enhance the response of ICIs for tumor treatment. Diets have an excellent safety profile and have been shown to play pleiotropic roles in tumor prevention, growth, invasion, and metastasis. Accumulating evidence suggests that dietary regimens bolster not only the tolerability but also the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy. In this review, we discussed the mechanisms by which tumor cells evade immune surveillance, focusing on describing the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of resistance to ICIs. We also summarized the impacts of different diets and/or nutrients on the response to ICIs therapy. Combinatory treatments of ICIs therapy with optimized diet regimens own great potential to enhance the efficacy and durable response of ICIs against tumors, which should be routinely considered in clinical settings.

Background. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the continuously stored data from the Abbott FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring (FGM) system in Chinese diabetes patients during standard meal tests when glucose concentrations were rapidly changing. Subjects and Methods. Interstitial glucose levels were monitored for 14 days in 26 insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes using the FGM system. Standard meal tests were conducted to induce large glucose swings. Venous blood glucose (VBG) was tested at 0, 30, 60, and 120 min after standard meal tests in one middle day of the first and second weeks, respectively. The corresponding sensor glucose values were obtained from interpolating continuously stored data points. Assessment of accuracy was according to recent consensus recommendations with median absolute relative difference (MARD) and Clarke and Parkes error grid analysis (CEG and PEG). Results. Among 208 paired sensor-reference values, 100% were falling within zones A and B of the Clarke and Parkes error grid analysis. The overall MARD was 10.7% (SD, 7.8%). Weighted least squares regression analysis resulted in high agreement between the FGM sensor glucose and VBG readings. The overall MTT results showed that FGM was lower than actual VBG, with MAD of 22.1 mg/dL (1.2 mmol/L). At VBG rates of change of -1 to 0, 0 to 1, 1 to 2, and 2 to 3 mg/dl/min, MARD results were 11.4% (SD, 8.7%), 9.4% (SD, 6.5%), 9.9% (SD, 7.5%), and 9.5% (SD, 7.7%). At rapidly changing VBG concentrations (>3 mg/dl/min), MARD increased to 19.0%, which was significantly higher than slow changing BG groups. Conclusions. Continuously stored interstitial glucose measurements with the FGM system were found to be acceptable to evaluate VBG in terms of clinical decision during standard meal tests. The continuously stored data from the FGM system appeared to underestimate venous glucose and performed less well during rapid glucose changes.

Aim. To evaluate the effect of an inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2 inhibitor, dapagliflozin) on glycemic variability in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) under insulin glargine combined with oral hypoglycemic drugs, using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS). Methods. This prospective, self-controlled, single-center clinical trial recruited 36 patients with T2D under combined insulin glargine and oral hypoglycemic drugs. General clinical data were collected. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and C-peptide levels were assessed before and four weeks of dapagliflozin (10 mg per day) treatment. Blood glucose was monitored for 72 hours before and after treatment using CGMS. Results. After treatment with dapagliflozin, FBG decreased from 6.74±1.78 to 5.95±1.13 mmol/L (p10 mmol/L), high blood glucose index (HBGI), glucose management indicator (GMI), and incremental area under the curve of the glucose level more than 10 mmol/L (AUC>10) and an increase of time-in-range (TIR, 3.9-10 mmol/L) with treatment. Homeostasis model assessment for pancreatic beta-cell function (HOMA-beta) increased significantly with treatment (p

To explore the potential of smashing ridge tillage irrigation, it is necessary to investigate how smashing ridge tillage technology with mulched drip irrigation affects soil water, salinity, and cotton yield in saline fields. We conducted a two-year (2020–2021) field experiment to study the effects of different smashing ridge tillage depths on soil bulk density, moisture, salinity, dry matter production, yield, and its constituents (effective bolls, 100-bell weight). There were three smashing ridge tillage depths: A (20 cm), B (40 cm), and C (60 cm), with traditional tillage as the CT. The results showed that all of the smashing ridge tillage could reduce soil bulk density, improve the utilization and uptake of deep soil water during the rapid growth period, and reduce the soil salt content. Compared with the CT treatment, the average soil bulk density of the 0–60 cm soil layer in treatments A, B, and C in 2020 and 2021 decreased by 3.05%, 5.87%, 10.09%, and 1.65%, 4.48%, and 8.49%, respectively. The average soil water content in the 0–120 cm soil layer at the flowering and boll stage decreased by 3.68%, 6.28%, 9.04%, and 3.59%, 6.52%, and 9.98%, respectively; the soil salt content in the 0–120 cm soil layer at the boll opening stage decreased by 4.21%, 6.75%, 11.95%, and 5.47%, 24.25%, and 54.13%, respectively. Cotton dry matter production and yield tended to increase with an increasing depth of smash ridge tillage. Treatment C obtained the maximum dry matter production, seed cotton yield, effective bolls, and 100-boll weight. The dry matter production at the boll opening stage was significantly increased by 17.16% and 15.91%, and the yield was significantly increased by 65.24% and 84.14% in treatments C in 2020 and 2021, respectively, compared to CT. The smashing ridge tillage of 60 cm can optimize the structure of the soil tillage layer and also reduce soil salinity and increase yield, which is the suitable depth of smashing ridge tillage for saline cotton fields in the south of Xinjiang. The findings of the study can provide some theoretical basis and practical experience for the improvement of saline soils and sustainable agricultural development in South Xinjiang, China.

Abstract This study evaluated the prevalence and factors associated with sleep disturbance in a large cohort of HIV-infected patients across China. A cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy at 20 AIDS clinics. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was self-administered by subjects. Socio-demographic characteristics, medical history and HIV-related clinical data were collected. 4103 patients had complete data for analysis. Sleep disturbances were observed in 43.1% of patients. Associated factors in multivariable analysis included psychological factors: anxiety (odds ratio [OR], 3.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.44–4.00; P

Babesia microti, an intraerythrocytic protozoa, can cause an emerging tick-borne disease—Human babesiosis. The parasite can successfully invade host red blood cells owing to the assistance of molecules expressed by babesia. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), the housekeeping intracellular glycolytic enzyme, can also be expressed in the external of cells, where contributes to binding to several molecules such as plasminogen and actin. In the present study, we identified B. microti GAPDH (BmGAPDH) and generated the recombinant BmGAPDH (rBmGAPDH) via an E. coli expression system. Furthermore, we confirmed its catalytic dehydration activity in vitro. Moreover, we also demonstrated that rBmGAPDH could bind to human plasminogen and mouse α-actin. In addition, we demonstrated that rBmGAPDH could recognize anti-B. microti mouse serum. In conclusion, BmGAPDH is a multifunctional glycolytic enzyme, which can bind to host plasminogen and α-actin.

Objective. To evaluate the effects of once-weekly dulaglutide injection and once-daily glimepiride on glucose fluctuation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS). Methods. A total of 23 patients with T2DM were randomly assigned into two groups for 26 weeks: the dulaglutide group (n=13) and the glimepiride group (n=10). 72-hour CGMS was applied to all patients: before and after the treatment. General clinical data were collected and measured, such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Results. HbA1c of the dulaglutide group was reduced from 8.38±0.93% to 6.68±0.73% after the treatment (P0.05). The Mean Blood Glucose (MBG) of the two groups declined significantly after therapy (P0.05). The percentage time (PT) (>10 mmol/L and 3.9-10 mmol/L) of the two groups was significantly changed after the treatment (P0.05). Conclusion. Once-weekly dulaglutide injection has the same effectiveness as daily glimepiride on lowering blood glucose and decreasing oxidation stress and inflammation and is more effective in controlling glucose fluctuation as compared with glimepiride. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01644500.

As an effective means to coordinate cost–benefit allocation of ecological protection between upstream and downstream cities, ecological compensation is often used to improve collaborative basin-wide freshwater resources management. Yet, due to the complex relationships between upstream and downstream ecosystem services, calculating eco-compensation is not an easy task. We used ecological spillover (the amount of local ecosystem services not used in the region and thus flows to downstream areas) and emergy analysis to determine the amount of eco-compensation that the city of Xuchang should pay to the upstream city of Xinzheng (Qingyi River Basin, China) from 2010 to 2014. Eco-compensation was determined by deducting the emergy of the local, self-supplied ecosystem services of Xuchang City, calculated using an ecological-water-footprint-based analysis, from the emergy of the total ecosystem services used in Xuchang, and monetized accordingly. The results showed that the self-supplied ecosystem services decreased from 2010 to 2014 and, thus, Xuchang relied more on the ecological spillover services flowing from Xinzheng. As a result, eco-compensation increased from 990 million Chinese Yuan (¥) in 2010 to ¥509 billion in 2014, mostly due to increased demands for water purification and reduced precipitation around Xuchang. This method can be further enhanced by introducing larger datasets and can be replicated elsewhere to accurately determine ecological compensation, ensuring basin-wide collaboration towards the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The dual phosphatase CDC25 has recently been identified as a target for diverse triple-negative breast cancers including RB1/PTEN/P53-deficient tumors. Moreover, CDC25 inhibitors effectively synergize with PI3K inhibitors to suppress tumor growth. We discuss these findings and the challenges that lie ahead in bringing CDC25 inhibitors to the clinic.

The storage of hazardous chemicals is an important link in the supply chain. Improper storage of hazardous chemicals can cause great security risks. The occurrence of hazardous chemicals accident not only causes economic losses, but also destroys environment. Much of this is due to the lack of effective means of storing hazardous chemicals. With the continuous development of modern science and technology, many new technologies have been used, such as RFID technology in the Internet of Things. However, many enterprises are still in the traditional stage in the storage of hazardous chemicals. If RFID technology is combined with the storage of hazardous chemicals, it is an effective way to improve management efficiency, reduce operation cost and enhance safety level. In this paper, we use RFID technology to establish the storage management system and traceability system of hazardous chemicals based on Internet of Things. Through the establishment of these two systems, it can effectively save costs, reduce security risks, improve safety levels and increase consumer confidence.

Co-infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become the most common cause of death in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients on antiretroviral therapy. The distribution of HCV genotypes varies with geographical regions and time, and limited studies have focused on the HCV genotype in HIV/HCV co-infection.The distribution of HCV genotypes was evaluated in 414 patients with HIV/HCV co-infection in three regions (South, Central and Northwest) of China from 2008 to 2010. The NS5B region of HCV was characterized using nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Nucleotide sequences obtained were subjected to phylogenetic analysis, and genotypes were assigned using published reference genotypes.Genotype 3 was the most prevalent HCV strain (36.2%), followed by genotype 6 (30.0%), genotype 1 (28.5%), genotype 2 (5.1%), and genotype 5 (0.2%). The distribution varied geographically. Genotype 6 (37.6%) was the predominant strain while genotype 1 (20.2%) was less common in the South compared to the Central and Northwest regions (all P < 0.001). The distribution also varied temporally. There was no significant difference in genotype distribution in Guangdong (a province in the South region), between patient cohorts from 2005-2008 and 2009-2010. However, outside Guangdong, genotypes 3 and 6a became significantly more prevalent (22.4% vs.42.2%, P< 0.001; 8.0% vs. 19.8%, P = 0.004), and genotype 1 less prevalent (54.4% vs.26.6%, P< 0.001) over time.The most dramatic shift in genotypic distribution was the movement of HCV genotypes 3 and 6a outside of Guangdong in HIV/HCV co-infected patients. This movement appeared closely associated with transmission via injected drug use.

The CONSTANS (CO)-like gene family has been well studied for its role in the regulation of plant flowering time. However, their role remains poorly understood in cotton. To better understand the possible roles of CO-like in cotton, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of CO-like genes in cotton. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that CO-like genes naturally clustered into three groups. Segmental duplication and whole genome duplication (WGD), which occurred before polyploidy, were important contributors to its expansion within the At (“t” indicates tetraploid) and Dt subgenomes, particularly in Group III. Long-terminal repeat retroelements were identified as the main transposable elements accompanying 18 genes. The genotype of GhCOL12_Dt displayed low diversity; it was a candidate involved in domestication. Selection pressure analyses indicated that relaxed purifying selection might have provided the main impetus during the evolution of CO-like genes in upland cotton. In addition, the high expression in the torus and calycle indicated that CO-like genes might affect flowering. The genes from Group II, and those from Group III involved in segmental duplication or WGD, might play important roles in response to drought and salt stress. Overall, this comprehensive genome-wide study of the CO-like gene family would facilitate further detailed studies in cotton.

To identify the prevalence and predictors of abnormal renal function among HIV-positive Chinese patients prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and to evaluate subsequent changes in renal function after ART exposure.We conducted a nationwide cohort study of subjects who enrolled in the national Chinese ART program from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. We estimated the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of subjects prior to and after initiating ART. Risk factors for abnormal renal function, as defined by eGFR 6.1 mmol/L (AOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.25-1.72), and hepatitis C co-infection (AOR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06-1.73). Among subjects with baseline eGFR >90 ml/min/1.73m2, the incidence of the eGFR falling to

To identify factors associated with mother-to-child-transmission and late access to prevention of maternal to child transmission (PMTCT) services among HIV-infected women; and risk factors for infant mortality among HIV-exposed infants in order to assess the feasibility of virtual elimination of vertical transmission and pediatric HIV in this setting.Observational study evaluating the impact of a provincial PMTCT program.The intervention was implemented in 26 counties of Yunnan Province, China at municipal and tertiary health care settings. Log linear regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to identify unadjusted and adjusted correlates for late ARV intervention and MTCT. Cox proportional hazard models with robust sandwich estimation were applied to examine correlates of infant mortality.Mother-to-child- transmission rate of HIV was controlled to 2%, with late initiation of maternal ARV showing a strong association with vertical transmission and infant mortality. Risk factors for late initiation of maternal ARV were age, ethnicity, education, and having a husband not tested for HIV. Mortality rate among HIV-exposed infants was 2.9/100 person-years. In addition to late initiation of maternal ARV, ethnicity, low birth weight and preterm birth were associated with infant mortality.This PMTCT program in Yunnan achieved low rates of MTCT. However the infant mortality rate in this cohort of HIV-exposed children was almost three times the provincial rate. Virtual elimination of MTCT of HIV is an achievable goal in China, but more attention needs to be paid to HIV-free survival.

BACKGROUND: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly decreased mortality among Chinese HIV patients. However, emerging HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) poses a growing threat to the long-term success and durability of HAART. METHODS: Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted across the country from 2004 to 2006, respectively. Patients completed a questionnaire and provided blood for CD4 cell count, HIV viral load (VL), and HIV resistance genotyping. Factors associated with HIVDR were identified by logistic regression. RESULTS: 3667 unique patients were included across the three surveys. Among 2826 treatment-experienced patients, median duration of treatment was 17.4 (IQR 8.6-28.4) months and HIVDR was identified in 543 (19.2%). Factors significantly associated with HIVDR included ART drug distribution location, CD4 cell count, initial HAART regimen, self-reported medication adherence, and province. CONCLUSIONS: Virologic failure increased over time on therapy but a significant proportion of patients in failure had no resistance mutations identified, suggesting that treatment adherence is suboptimal and must be emphasized. Due to the significantly higher risk of HIVDR in certain provinces, additional steps to reduce HIVDR should be taken.