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Purpose: To assess the variability and correlation of ocular biometric parameters in eyes with cataracts and examine their association with age and gender. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on biometric data from 7,458 eyes without retinal pathologies, using an optical biometer equipped with low-coherence reflectometry technology. Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) were used to evaluate the relationships between age, gender, and various ocular parameters, including axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal refractive power (Km), and white-to-white (WTW) measurement. Results: The mean AL was 23.82 ± 1.83 mm (SD). Among the study cohort, 8.0 % (593 eyes) were categorized as having short AL (AL ≤ 22 mm), 60.5 % (4,520 eyes) as having normal AL (22 mm < AL ≤ 24 mm), 21.2 % (1,579 eyes) as having long AL (24 mm < AL ≤ 26 mm), and 10.3 % (766 eyes) as having a AL (> 26 mm). The mean age of the cohort was 64.18 ± 14.95 years (range: 18 - 98 years), with males averaging 56.53 ± 13.88 years and females averaging 72.19 ± 11.41 years. Mean values for ACD, LT, Km, CCT, WTW, and angle kappa were found to vary with both age and gender. Males demonstrated significantly longer AL, deeper ACD, thicker LT, larger WTW, and lower Km compared to females (P < 0.05). Although males exhibited a greater anterior segment length (ASL), this difference did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.05). No significant correlation was found between ACD and AL in the short and long AL groups, while a positive correlation was observed in the normal and long AL groups. Additionally, LT demonstrated a negative correlation with AL in the normal AL group but a positive correlation in the long AL group. Conclusions: Cataracts develop at a greater age in female patients than in males. Ocular biometric parameters, including ACD, LT, CCT, Km, and (WTW) measurement, are influenced by age and gender. Lens thickness is the primary factor affecting ACD, though CCT, Km, and WTW also play significant roles. Furthermore, a negative correlation between AL and LT was identified, with variations depending on AL classification.

Iron is considered as an attractive alternative material for bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS). The sirolimus eluting iron bioresorbable scaffold (IBS), developed by Biotyx Medical (Shenzhen, China), is the only iron-based BRS with an ultrathin-wall design. The study aims to investigate the long-term efficacy, safety, biocompatibility, and lumen changes during the biodegradation process of the IBS in a porcine model. A total of 90 IBSs and 70 cobalt-chromium everolimus eluting stents (EES) were randomly implanted into nonatherosclerotic coronary artery of healthy mini swine. The multimodality assessments including coronary angiography, optical coherence tomography, micro-computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and histopathological evaluations, were performed at different time points. There was no statistical difference in area stenosis between IBS group and EES group at 6 months, 1year, 2 years and 5 years. Although the scaffolded vessels narrowed at 9 months, expansive remodeling with increased mean lumen area was found at 3 and 5 years. The IBS struts remained intact at 6 months, and the corrosion was detectable at 9 months. At 5 years, the iron struts were completely degraded and absorbed in situ, without in-scaffold restenosis or thrombosis, lumen collapse, aneurysm formation, and chronic inflammation. No local or systemic toxicity and abnormal histopathologic manifestation were found in all experiments. Results from real-time PCR indicated that no sign of iron overload was reported in scaffolded segments. Therefore, the IBS shows comparable efficacy, safety, and biocompatibility with EES, and late lumen enlargement is considered as a unique feature in the IBS-implanted vessels.

Abstract Background The control of schistosomiasis is particularly difficult in sub-Saharan Africa, which currently harbours 95% of this disease. The target population for preventive chemotherapy (PC) is expanded to all age group at risk of infection, thus increasing the demands of praziquantel (PZQ) tablets according to the new released guideline by World Health Organization. Due to the gap between available PZQ for PC and requirements, alternative approaches to assess endemicity of schistosomiasis in a community, are urgently needed for more quick and precise methods. We aimed to find out to which degree the infection status of snails can be used to guide chemotherapy against schistosomiasis. Methods We searched literature published from January 1991 to December 2022, that reported on the prevalence rates of Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium in the intermediate snails Biomphalaria spp. and Bulinus spp., respectively, and in humans. A random effect model for meta-analyses was used to calculate the pooled prevalence estimate (PPE), with heterogeneity assessed using I-squared statistic (I 2 ), with correlation and regression analysis for the exploration of the relationship between human S. mansoni and S. haematobium infections and that in their specific intermediate hosts. Results Forty-seven publications comprising 59 field investigations were included. The pooled PPE of schistosomiasis, schistosomiasis mansoni and schistosomiasis haematobium in humans were 27.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 24.0–31.1%], 25.6% (95% CI: 19.9–31.3%), and 28.8% (95% CI: 23.4–34.3%), respectively. The snails showed an overall infection rate of 8.6% (95% CI: 7.7–9.4%), with 12.1% (95% CI: 9.9–14.2%) in the Biomphalaria spp. snails and 6.9% (95% CI: 5.7–8.1%) in the Bulinus spp. snails. The correlation coefficient was 0.3 (95% CI: 0.01–0.5%, P

Background and aimsIn recent years, the relationship between metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) or colorectal adenoma (CRA) has gained widespread attention. Previous meta-analyses on this subject either incorporated numerous cross-sectional studies, which were susceptible to bias, or concentrated solely on a restricted number of cohort studies. Moreover, with the release of a substantial number of high-quality cohort studies on this subject in the past two years, the findings continue to be debated and contradictory. Therefore, we conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies to quantitatively evaluate the magnitude of the association between them.MethodsComprehensive searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were conducted without language restrictions from the time of their creation up to December, 2023. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were calculated by the generic inverse variance based on the random-effects model. Moreover, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed.ResultsA total of 15 cohort studies were analyzed in this meta-analysis, which included 9,958,412 participants. The meta-analysis of 13 cohort studies showed that MASLD was linked to a higher risk of CRC (HR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.15-1.36, P < 0.00001). Additionally, further subgroup analysis indicated that the combined HR remained consistent regardless of the study location, nomenclature of fatty liver disease (FLD), confirmation methods for FLD, sample size, follow-up time, and study quality. Furthermore, the meta-analysis of four cohort studies demonstrated that MASLD was correlated with an increased risk of CRA (HR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.17-1.64, P = 0.0002). The sensitivity analysis results further validated the robustness of the aboved findings.ConclusionThe results of our meta-analysis indicated that MASLD was associated with an increased risk of incident CRC/CRA. In the future, it is necessary to conduct more prospective cohort studies to thoroughly assess potential confounding factors, particularly in individuals from Europe and North America. Furthermore, related mechanism studies should be conducted to enhance our understanding of the link between MASLD and CRC/CRA.Systematic review registrationOpen Science Framework registries (https://osf.io/m3p9k).

Schistosomiasis, a parasite infectious disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum, often leads to egg granuloma and fibrosis due to the inflammatory reaction triggered by egg antigens released in the host liver. This study focuses on the role of the egg antigens CP1412 protein of S. japonicum (SjCP1412) with RNase activity in promoting liver fibrosis. In this study, the recombinant egg ribonuclease SjCP1412, which had RNase activity, was successfully prepared. By analysing the serum of the population, it has been proven that the anti-SjCP1412 IgG in the serum of patients with advanced schistosomiasis was moderately correlated with liver fibrosis, and SjCP1412 may be an important antigen associated with liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis. In vitro, the rSjCP1412 protein induced the human liver cancer cell line Hep G2 and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells apoptosis and necrosis and the release of proinflammatory damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). In mice infected with schistosomes, rSjCP1412 immunization or antibody neutralization of SjCP1412 activity significantly reduced cell apoptosis and necroptosis in liver tissue, thereby reducing inflammation and liver fibrosis. In summary, the SjCP1412 protein plays a crucial role in promoting liver fibrosis during schistosomiasis through mediating the liver cells apoptosis and necroptosis to release DAMPs inducing an inflammatory reaction. Blocking SjCP1412 activity could inhibit its proapoptotic and necrotic effects and alleviate hepatic fibrosis. These findings suggest that SjCP1412 may be served as a promising drug target for managing liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis japonica.

AIM: To investigate the expression changes of MMP-12 during the long-term axon regeneration induced by the lens injury after the optic nerve clamp trauma in sprague-dawley(SD)rats.METHODS: The optic nerve injury model and lens injury model of SD rats were established, and the 24 experimental animals were divided into control group; lens injury group; optic nerve injury group; lens injury combined with optic nerve injury group, with 6 rats in each group. Reference transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the expression changes of differentially expressed genes in the injured optic nerve region, and relevant differentially expressed genes with high expression were screened. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)were used to quantify the expression changes of matrix metalloproteinase-12(MMP-12)in the injured optic nerve region.RESULTS: The Principal Component Analysis of transcriptome sequencing indicated that lens injury combined with optic nerve injury was the principal component of gene expression change. Analysis of gene expression differences showed that the expression of MMP-12 gene was up-regulated in the lens injury combined with optic nerve injury group. The mRNA expression level of MMP-12 in the lens injury combined optic nerve injury group was up-regulated compared with the control group, the optic nerve injury group and the lens injury group at 14d and 21d after successful modeling(P

Background and aim: With conflicting data from previous observational studies on the relationship between hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and pancreatic cancer (PC), we decided to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to evaluate any potential association. Design: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We conducted a search of three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) from the time of their creation up to June 2023. The summary results, including hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), were pooled using a generic inverse variance method and a random-effects model. Furthermore, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results: In this meta-analysis, 22 cohort studies with a total of 10,572,865 participants were analyzed. Meta-analysis from 15 cohort studies revealed that HBV infection was correlated with an increased risk of PC (HR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.40–1.68, p

Abstract Background Acute thoracic aortic dissection (ATAD) is a fatal condition characterized by tear of intima, formation of false lumen and rupture of aorta. However, the subpopulations of normal and dissected aorta remain less studied. Methods Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed including 5 patients with ATAD and 4 healthy controls. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to verify the findings. Results We got 8 cell types from human ascending aorta and identified 50 subpopulations including vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), endothelial cells, fibroblasts, neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. Six transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 metalloreductase (STEAP4) was identified as a new marker of synthetic VSMCs. CytoTRACE identified subpopulations with higher differentiation potential in specified cell types including synthetic VSMCs, enolase 1+ fibroblasts and myeloid-derived neutrophils. Synthetic VSMCs-derived C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) might interact with neutrophils and fibroblasts via C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and atypical chemokine receptor 3 (ACKR3), respectively, which might recruit neutrophils and induce transdifferentitation of fibroblasts into synthetic VSMCs. Conclusion We characterized signatures of different cell types in normal and dissected human ascending aorta and identified a new marker for isolation of synthetic VSMCs. Moreover, we proposed a potential mechanism that synthetic VSMCs might interact with neutrophils and fibroblasts via CXCL12-CXCR4/ACKR3 axis whereby deteriorating the progression of ATAD, which might provide new insights to better understand the development and progression of ATAD.

Abstract Thermoelectric (TE) performance of polycrystalline stannous selenide (SnSe) has been remarkably promoted by the strategies of energy band, defect engineering, etc. However, due to the intrinsic insufficiencies of phonon scattering and carrier concentration, it is hard to simultaneously realize the regulations of electrical and thermal transport properties by one simple approach. Herein, we develop Cu and Ce co-doping strategy that can not only greatly reduce lattice thermal conductivity but also improve the electrical transport properties. In this strategy, the incorporated Cu and Ce atoms could induce high-density SnSe2 nanoprecipitation arrays on the surface of SnSe microplate, and produce dopant atom point defects and dislocations in its interior, which form multi-scale phonon scattering synergy, thereby presenting an ultralow thermal conductivity of 0.275 W·m-1·K-1 at 786 K. Meanwhile, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, carrier concentration, and mobility testing reveal that more extra hole carriers and lower conducting carrier scattering generate after Cu and Ce co-doping, thereby improving the electrical conductivity. The co-doped Sn0.98Cu0.01Ce0.01Se bulk exhibits an excellent ZT value up to ~1.2 at 786 K and a high average ZT value of 0.67 from 300 to 786 K. This work provides a simple and convenient strategy of enhancing the TE performance of polycrystalline SnSe.

This study aimed to investigate the long-term biocompatibility, safety, and degradation of the ultrathin nitrided iron bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) in vivo, encompassing the whole process of bioresorption in porcine coronary arteries. Fifty-two nitrided iron scaffolds (strut thickness of 70 μm) and 28 Vision Co–Cr stents were randomly implanted into coronary arteries of healthy mini-swine. The efficacy and safety of the nitrided iron scaffold were comparable with those of the Vision stentwithin 52 weeks after implantation. In addition, the long-term biocompatibility, safety, and bioresorption of the nitrided iron scaffold were evaluated by coronary angiography, optical coherence tomography, micro-computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry and histopathological evaluations at 4, 12, 26, 52 weeks and even at 7 years after implantation. In particular, a large number of struts were almost completely absorbed in situ at 7 years follow-up, which were first illustrated in this study. The lymphatic drainage pathway might serve as the potential clearance way of iron and its corrosion products.

AIM: To investigate the effect of lncRNA MALAT1 on the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of retinal vascular endothelial cells and its molecular mechanism.METHODS: The expression levels of lncRNA MALAT1 in plasma of normal control group, diabetic without retinopathy group and diabetic retinopathy group were detected by qPCR and the effect of glucose culture on the expression levels of lncRNA MALAT1 were detected by qPCR too. The expression level of miR-124-3p was detected by qRT-PCR; Western blotting was used to detect the expression level of SOX7; The targeting relationship between lncRNA MALAT1 and miR-124-3p, miR-124-3p and SOX7 were detected by the dual-luciferase reporter system; CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation activity; Transwell assay was used to detect the migration ability of cells; Angiogenesis of hRMECs cells was measured by in vitro tube formation assay.RESULTS:The expression level of lncRNA MALAT1 in plasma of diabetic retinopathy patients was significantly higher than that of diabetic without retinopathy group and normal control group(P

Background: Chronic urticaria (CU) is a commonly seen skin disorder featured by recurring wheals, with or without angioedema, lasting for at least 6 weeks. Runzao Zhiyang capsule (RZC) has been widely applied to treat patients with CU. This study is aimed at systematically evaluating the efficacy and safety of RZC in treating CU.Materials and Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of RZC on treating CU from Chinese and English databases were searched. Data were collected by two independent researchers. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was adopted for evaluating the risk of bias. The meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.3 software. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessment were conducted by Stata 14.0 software.Results: Totally 27 studies were included in the analysis, involving 2,703 patients. The pooled results showed that compared with second-generation H1-antihistamines (sgAHs) therapy alone, RZC combined with sgAHs is more effective in improving the total effective rate (RR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.25 to 1.39, p < 0.00001), the quality of life measured by Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) (MD = −2.63, 95% CI: −3.68 to −1.58, p < 0.00001) and the serum IFN-γ level (SMD = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.58 to 4.62, p < 0.0001), and reducing the recurrence rate (RR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.55, p < 0.00001), the serum total IgE level (SMD = −2.44, 95% CI: −3.51 to −1.38, p < 0.00001), the serum IL-4 level (SMD = −2.96, 95% CI: −4.10 to −1.83, p < 0.00001), and the incidence of adverse events including dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, and constipation (RR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.85, p = 0.009; RR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.84, p = 0.01; RR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.95, p = 0.03; RR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.85, p = 0.03).Conclusion: The current evidence indicates that RZC may be an efficient therapeutic regimen in patients with CU. Nevertheless, owing to the suboptimal quality of the included studies, more large-scale, well-designed RCTs are required to verify the obtained findings.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/; Identifier: CRD42022313177.

Abstract Finely tuned mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling is important for cancer cell survival. Perturbations that push cells out of the MAPK fitness zone result in cell death. Previously, in a screen of the North China Pharmaceutical Group Corporation’s pure compound library of microbial origin, we identified elaiophylin as an autophagy inhibitor. Here, we demonstrated a new role for elaiophylin in inducing excessive endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, ER-derived cytoplasmic vacuolization, and consequent paraptosis by hyperactivating the MAPK pathway in multiple cancer cells. Genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library screening identified SHP2, an upstream intermediary of the MAPK pathway, as a critical target in elaiophylin-induced paraptosis. The cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay further confirmed the direct binding between the SHP2 and elaiophylin. Inhibition of the SHP2/SOS1/MAPK pathway through SHP2 knockdown or pharmacological inhibitors distinctly attenuated elaiophylin-induced paraptosis and autophagy inhibition. Interestingly, elaiophylin markedly increased the already-elevated MAPK levels and preferentially killed drug-resistant cells with enhanced basal MAPK levels. Elaiophylin overcame drug resistance by triggering paraptosis in multiple tumor-bearing mouse models resistant to platinum, taxane, or PARPi, suggesting that elaiophylin might offer a reasonable therapeutic strategy for refractory ovarian cancer.

Objective(s): Sleep deprivation is a common health problem in modern society and is negatively associated with deleterious effects on cognitive functions such as learning and memory ability. This study was undertaken to provide a detailed account of the effect of chronic ozone intraperitoneal injection on the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation on brain function in rats. Materials and Methods: Sleep deprivation was induced using the modified multiple platform model. The rats received REM sleep deprivation with an intraperitoneal injection of ozone or midazolam for 28 days. The effects of ozone on REM sleep deprivation-induced hippocampus-dependent learning and memory deficits were studied by the following approaches: Morris water maze (MWM) tests were used to evaluate spatial learning and memory of rats. Morphological changes in the brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. RNA-sequence was performed to seek a common mechanism. The expression of the targeted gene was examined by qPCR and Western blotting.Results: Ozone intraperitoneal injection reversed spatial learning and memory deficits associated with REM sleep deprivation, ameliorating pathological brain damage and down-regulating the hippocampal expression of Sema3A in rats after REM sleep deprivation. Conclusion: Ozone intraperitoneal injection alleviated sleep deprivation-induced spatial learning and memory deficits by protecting hippocampal neurons via down-regulation of the expression of Sema3A in the hippocampus.

Abstract Non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage is a highly destructive intracranial disease with high mortality and morbidity rates. The main risk factors for cerebral hemorrhage include hypertension, amyloidosis, vasculitis, drug abuse, coagulation dysfunction, and genetic factors. Clinically, surviving patients with intracerebral hemorrhage exhibit different degrees of neurological deficits after discharge. In recent years, with the development of regenerative medicine, an increasing number of researchers have begun to pay attention to stem cell and exosome therapy as a new method for the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage, owing to their intrinsic potential in neuroprotection and neurorestoration. Many animal studies have shown that stem cells can directly or indirectly participate in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage through regeneration, differentiation, or secretion. However, considering the uncertainty of its safety and efficacy, clinical studies are still lacking. This article reviews the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage using stem cells and exosomes from both preclinical and clinical studies and summarizes the possible mechanisms of stem cell therapy. This review aims to provide a reference for future research and new strategies for clinical treatment.

Currently, porcine coronaviruses are prevalent in pigs, and due to the outbreak of COVID-19, porcine coronaviruses have become a research hotspot. porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus (TGEV), and Porcine Deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) mentioned in this study mainly cause diarrhea in pigs. These viruses cause significant economic losses and pose a potential public health threat. In this study, specific primers and probes were designed according to the M gene of PEDV, the S gene of TGEV, and the M gene of PDCoV, respectively, and TaqMan probe-based multiplex real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was developed for the simultaneous detection of PEDV, TGEV, and PDCoV. This method has high sensitivity and specificity, and the detection limit of each virus can reach 2.95 × 100 copies/μl. An assay of 160 clinical samples from pigs with diarrhea showed that the positive rates of PEDV, TGEV, and PDCoV were 38.13, 1.88, and 5.00%; the coinfection rates of PEDV+TGEV, PEDV+PDCoV, TGEV+PDCoV, PEDV+TGEV+PDCoV were 1.25, 1.25, 0, 0.63%, respectively. The positive coincidence rates of the multiplex qRT-PCR and single-reaction qRT-PCR were 100%. This method is of great significance for clinical monitoring of the porcine enteric diarrhea virus and helps reduce the loss of the breeding industry and control the spread of the disease.

A Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, motile bacterium with multi-flagella, strain RST, was isolated from bacterial wilt of tobacco in Yuxi city of Yunnan province, China. The strain contains the major fatty acids of C16:0, summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1ω6c), and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c and/or C18:1ω6c). The polar lipid profile of strain RST consists of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and unidentified aminophospholipid. Strain RST contains ubiquinones Q-7 and Q-8. 16S rRNA gene sequence (1,407 bp) analysis showed that strain RST is closely related to members of the genus Ralstonia and shares the highest sequence identities with R. pseudosolanacearum LMG 9673T (99.50%), R. syzygii subsp. indonesiensis LMG 27703T (99.50%), R. solanacearum LMG 2299T (99.28%), and R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis LMG 27706T (99.21%). The 16S rRNA gene sequence identities between strain RST and other members of the genus Ralstonia were below 98.00%. Genome sequencing yielded a genome size of 5.61 Mbp and a G + C content of 67.1 mol%. The genomic comparison showed average nucleotide identity (ANIb) values between strain RST and R. pseudosolanacearum LMG 9673T, R. solanacearum LMG 2299T, and R. syzygii subsp. indonesiensis UQRS 627T of 95.23, 89.43, and 91.41%, respectively, and the corresponding digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values (yielded by formula 2) were 66.20, 44.80, and 47.50%, respectively. In addition, strains belonging to R. solanacearum phylotype I shared both ANIb and dDDH with strain RST above the species cut-off values of 96 and 70%, respectively. The ANIb and dDDH values between the genome sequences from 12 strains of R. solanacearum phylotype III (Current R. pseudosolanacearum) and those of strain RST were below the species cut-off values. Based on these data, we concluded that strains of phylotype I, including RST, represent a novel species of the genus Ralstonia, for which the name Ralstonia nicotianae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Ralstonia nicotianae sp. nov. is RST (=GDMCC 1.3533T = JCM 35814T).

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of applying continuous nursing care based on hierarchical diagnosis and treatment in Stage II cardiac rehabilitation of patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and provide a theoretical basis for clinical nursing intervention.MethodsPatients in PCI postoperative II cardiac rehabilitation were selected and randomly divided into the experimental group (community group), the experimental group (rehabilitation group), and the control group. Patients in the control group received the routine cardiac rehabilitation management scheme, while those in the experimental groups received continuous nursing protocol based on the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment mode. All patients were compared for the cardiac rehabilitation evaluation indexes at discharge and 6 months after discharge.ResultsCompared with the control group, the left ventricular ejection fraction, 6-minute walking distance test, medication compliance, and quality of life were all improved in the two experimental groups, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The improvement in the rehabilitation group was more significant than in the community group. There were more patients with high cardiac rehabilitation compliance in the rehabilitation group than in the community group, with the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.05).ConclusionContinuous nursing care rehabilitation based on the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment mode can improve the cardiac function of patients after PCI, enhance their quality of life, and improve their rehabilitation and medication compliance, facilitating their cardiac rehabilitation.

Abstract Background The morbidity of rifampicin/multidrug-resistant tuberculous meningitis (RR/MDR-TBM) has shown an increasing trend globally. Its mortality rate is significantly higher than that of non-rifampicin/multidrug-resistant tuberculous meningitis (NRR/MDR-TBM). This article aimed to explore risk factors related to RR/MDR-TBM, and compare therapeutic effects of linezolid (LZD)- and non-linezolid-containing regimen for RR/MDR-TB patients in Shenzhen city. Furthermore, we aimed to find a better therapy for pathogen-negative TBM with RR/MDR-TBM related risk factors. Methods We conducted a retrospective study enrolling 137 hospitalized cases with confirmed TBM from June 2014 to March 2020. All patients were divided into RR/MDR-TBM group (12 cases) and NRR/MDR-TBM group (125 cases) based on GeneXpert MTB/RIF and (or) phenotypic drug susceptibility test results using cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). The risk factors related to RR/MDR-TBM were investigated through comparing clinical and examination features between the two groups. The mortality rate of RR/MDR-TBM patients treated with different regimens was analyzed to compare their respective therapeutic effects. A difference of P

Oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) has been extensively used, with satisfactory outcomes for the treatment of degenerative lumbar disease. This article aims to demonstrate a modified lateral approach, also known as the anteroinferior psoas (AIP) technique for OLIF, which is expected to enhance security by operating under direct vision. The core procedures of our technique are as follows. First, a minimal skin incision is recommended 2 cm backward compared with the normal incision of OLIF, facilitating the oblique placement of the working channel and the orthogonal maneuver for the cage placement. Second, two special custom‐made retractors, as an alternative to the index finger, are used to pull the psoas muscle to the dorsal side and pull the abdominal organs together with extraperitoneal fate to the ventral side under direct visualization, making the exposure of the working channel convenient and safe and avoiding radiation exposure. Third, the anterior border of the psoas is bluntly dissected and retracted backwards, obviously enlarging the retroperitoneal anatomic corridor and then expanding clinical indications of OLIF. The benefits of this technique include that it has a short learning curve, satisfactory clinical outcomes, and low risk of perioperative complications.

Objective The aim of the present paper was to evaluate cases of lumbar degenerative diseases treated with oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) using a modified lateral approach (i.e. anteroinferior psoas exposure under direct vision) and to analyze the effect and safety of this approach. Methods From June 2016 to April 2019, a total of 226 patients with an average age of 65.5 ± 16.2 years (98 men and 128 women) with degenerative lumbar diseases who underwent the AIP approach of OLIF were followed up and analyzed retrospectively. Data concerning operative and clinical parameters were collected, including operative time, intraoperative estimated blood loss, duration of postoperative hospital stay, and time to ambulation after surgery. For the assessment of clinical outcomes, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score (for back pain) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) were calculated. Complications were also recorded as surgical exposure approach‐related complications. More than 6 months after surgery, 132 patients consented to having MRI examinations to evaluate the psoas muscle atrophy when they were followed up. Results The mean operative time was 82.5 ± 31.6 min. The mean operative time for each segment of OLIF was 43.3 ± 15.5 min. The mean blood loss was 48.0 ± 11.6 mL. The mean blood loss for each segment of OLIF was 25.3 ± 10.1 mL. No patients needed blood transfusion intraoperatively or postoperatively. The mean hospital stay was 4.1 ± 2.1 days. All patients were followed up for 12–31 months (mean 18.2 months). Clinical assessment showed that the VAS and ODI scores at 6 months after surgery were markedly lower than the preoperative scores (P 0.05). There was no significant difference in percentage changes of the cross‐sectional area of the lean psoas muscle and the T2 signal intensity ratio of gross psoas to quadratus lumborum muscles between the left side (operative side) and the right side (nonoperative side) (P > 0.05). A total of 11 surgical exposure approach‐related complications were reported, with an incidence of 4.9%: transient thigh pain/numbness, psoas weakness (2.2%), sympathetic chain injury (1.3%), cage subsidence (0.9%), and segmental artery injury (0.4%). There was no permanent motor neurological deficit, and no injury of vascular, ureter or peritoneal membranes. Conclusion The anteroinferior psoas approach for OLIF is safe and can preserve the psoas and lumbar plexus.

Background:Bulinus globosus snail was the intermediate host of schistosome hematobium and hard to be found during the dry season. This study aimed to understand the vertical distribution of B. globosus in desiccated and re-hydrated soils and provide evidence on whether snails can drill into the soil for summer.Methods: Four laboratory/field experiments were designed to study the downward movement of the snails in desiccated soils or upward movement in re-watered soils. In Experiment 1, aquaria containing snails on the soil surface were placed in an outdoor environment to desiccate naturally. Then, snails were retrieved from different soil layers. In Experiment 2, snails on the soil surface were covered with an extra 5 cm layer of soil and 4 cm layer of water. The snail positions and survival rates were checked on the first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth day. In Experiment 3, a seasonal ditch was selected in the field. After the soil in the ditch was naturally desiccated, 1cm, 1–3cm, 3–5cm, and 5–10 cm depth of soil layers were screened to retrieve snails. In Experiment 4, after the above ditch was naturally re-watered, snails were checked in the surface water once a week for 5 weeks.Results: At the end of Experiment 1, all the snails were only found at the soil surface. At the end of Experiment 2, snails were found neither within nor on top of the 4 cm layer of extra mud. At the end of Experiment 3, 96.92% of snails remained on the soil surface. Next, 2.77% of living snails were found in the mud crack within 1–5 cm depth. In Experiment 4, after the experimental field was naturally re-watered, no snails were found above the soil surface.Conclusion:B. globosus snails do not initially move downward into the soil during the dry season or upward to the soil surface after being re-watered.

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, which destroys many economic crops such as rice and maize, has recently invaded China. Insect viruses as biological control agents play important roles in killing pests. One potential viral insecticide is the environmentally highly infective and virulent densovirus. We successfully rescued Junonia coenia densovirus (JcDV) using its infectious clone in different insect cell lines and larvae of three insect species. Results showed that the lysate of cultured insect cells transfected by the JcDV infectious clone killed the 2nd instar S. frugiperda. The LD50 of homogenate from JcDV-infected Spodoptera litura to the 2nd instar S. frugiperda (1.76×108 viral genome copies per larva during 10 d post infection) was higher than that of the 2nd instar S. litura (7.39×107 JcDV genome copies) or Helicoverpa armigera larvae (9.71×107 JcDV genome copies). The LT50 of the S. litura homogenate (2.60×109 viral genome copies each larva) to the 2nd instar S. frugiperda was 6.96 d, longer than that of the S. litura (6.18 d) or the 2nd instar H. armigera (5.94 d). JcDV could infect the fat body of H. armigera, but not S. frugiperda or S. litura. Although JcDV can infect all three lepidopteran species, their susceptibility to the virus differs. JcDV has great potential as a biological control agent against pests such as S. frugiperda.

Abstract. Background:. The mechanism and characteristics of early and late drug-eluting stent in-stent restenosis (DES-ISR) have not been fully clarified. Whether there are different outcomes among those patients being irrespective of their repeated treatments remain a knowledge gap. Methods:. A total of 250 patients who underwent initial stent implantation in our hospital, and then were readmitted to receive treatment for the reason of recurrent significant DES-ISR in 2016 were involved. The patients were categorized as early ISR (

Objectives To evaluate the mechanical properties and provide a theoretical basis of a diaphyseal prosthesis with tooth mechanism using the finite element analysis method from the point of view of biomechanics. Methods A 3D digital femur model was generated based on a 28‐year‐old healthy man's femoral computed tomography (CT) data in Mimics 17.0 and the customized diaphyseal prostheses with/without tooth mechanism were designed in SolidWorks 2016. The 3D femur model after 8 cm osteotomy in the middle of its shaft and the prostheses with/without tooth mechanism was imported into Abaqus 2016 and the finite element analysis models were established. Three biomechanical tests (compression test, torsion test, and 3P‐bending test) under broken load were simulated in FEA to evaluate the performance of the prostheses. Results The stress distributions of the two prostheses were similar and the maximum von Mises stresses placed on them were very close in each test. The maximum von Mises stresses on the prosthesis with tooth mechanism were 31.55, 319.7, and 447.4 MPa, respectively, and those on the prosthesis without tooth mechanism were 26.26, 300.4, and 455.2 MPa, respectively, in the compression, torsion, and 3P‐bending tests. The maximum von Mises stresses on them were far below the ultimate tensile strength or ultimate compressive strength of the titanium alloy. Conclusions The diaphyseal prosthesis with tooth mechanism is helpful to adjust the rotation of the long bone during operation. Compared with the conventional diaphyseal prosthesis (without tooth mechanism), the diaphyseal prosthesis with tooth mechanism also has a good biomechanical performance and does not increase the risk of prosthetic failure.

Approximately 20% of global container transportation activities are used for empty container repositioning, which does not generate profit margins. For container supply ports, in addition to periodically transporting excess empty containers to container shortage ports to reduce their inventory costs and meet empty container demand of container shortage ports, they also need to maintain a certain amount of empty container inventory to meet their uncertain needs in the future. This paper considers the container supply port and container shortage port as a whole, so that the container supply port maintains a certain amount of empty container inventory to meet its own uncertain needs, and empty container repositioning is carried out based on this. Based on queuing theory, an empty container repositioning model was established with the objective function of minimizing the total cost of the empty container inventory system and the empty container repositioning system and designing genetic algorithms to solve the model. The results indicate that considering empty container inventory and repositioning as a whole resulted in a total cost reduction of approximately 7.2%. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted by changing the parameters in the model, and the results of the sensitivity analysis provided support for the decision-making of shipping lines in different situations.

The MYB-CC family is a subtype within the MYB superfamily. This family contains an MYB domain and a predicted coiled-coil (CC) domain. Several MYB-CC transcription factors are involved in the plant’s adaptability to low phosphate (Pi) stress. We identified 30, 34, and 55 MYB-CC genes in Brassica rapa, Brassica oleracea, and Brassica napus, respectively. The MYB-CC genes were divided into nine groups based on phylogenetic analysis. The analysis of the chromosome distribution and gene structure revealed that most MYB-CC genes retained the same relative position on the chromosomes and had similar gene structures during allotetraploidy. Evolutionary analysis showed that the ancestral whole-genome triplication (WGT) and the recent allopolyploidy are critical for the expansion of the MYB-CC gene family. The expression patterns of MYB-CC genes were found to be diverse in different tissues of the three Brassica species. Furthermore, the gene expression analysis under low Pi stress revealed that MYB-CC genes may be related to low Pi stress responses. These results may increase our understanding of MYB-CC gene family diversification and provide the basis for further analysis of the specific functions of MYB-CC genes in Brassica species.

Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease that continues to be a pressing public health problem in many developing countries. The primary pathological damage from the disease is granuloma and fibrosis caused by egg aggregation, and early treatment can effectively prevent the occurrence of liver fibrosis. Therefore, it is very important to identify biomarkers that can be used for early diagnosis of Schistosoma japonicum infection. In this study, a label-free proteomics method was performed to observe the alteration of proteins before infection, 1 and 6 weeks after infection, and 5 and 7 weeks after treatment. A total of 10 proteins derived from S. japonicum and 242 host-derived proteins were identified and quantified as significantly changed. Temporal analysis was carried out to further analyze potential biomarkers with coherent changes during infection and treatment. The results revealed biological process changes in serum proteins compared to infection and treatment groups, which implicated receptor-mediated endocytosis, inflammatory response, and acute-phase response such as mannan-binding lectin serine peptidase 1, immunoglobulin, and collagen. These findings offer guidance for the in-depth analysis of potential biomarkers of schistosomiasis, host protein, and early diagnosis of S. japonicum and its pathogenesis. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD029635.

BackgroundThe published evidence from several randomized controlled clinical trials of immunotherapy for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma has shown promising results. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for relevant articles published before December 30, 2020. The data for efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment were subjected to meta-analysis.ResultsSeven clinical trials comprising 1733 patients were included. The results showed that immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment as second- or later-line treatment was associated with an increased risk of the objective response rate (relative risk: 1.82, 95% confidence interval: 0.82–4.04; P=0.002) and median overall survival (hazard ratio: 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.67–0.85; P

Soils are commonly spatially heterogeneous and earthworms are widely distributed in terrestrial ecosystems. While both soil heterogeneity and earthworms can influence the performance of plants, whether they can interact to affect the growth of bamboo species has not been examined. In a greenhouse experiment, we planted two dwarf bamboo species, Sasa argenteosriata and Sasaella glabra, separately in a heterogeneous soil consisting of two different types of soil patches and in a homogeneous soil in which the two types of soil patches were evenly mixed. These soils were added with or without earthworms. Both S. argenteosriata and S. glabra grew more in the heterogeneous soil than in the homogeneous soil and in the soil with earthworms than in the soil without earthworms. Soil heterogeneity and earthworms did not interact to influence the performance of either bamboo species. Independent of the presence of earthworms, both bamboo species grew equally well in the two types of soil patches within the heterogeneous soil, indicating that the foraging behavior of bamboos is weak; this is likely because resource translocation between interconnected ramets located in different soil patches homogenized plant responses to different resource levels. These results indicate that a heterogeneous supply of nutrients may aid in the growth of bamboo species, and these actions should be integrated into the sustainable management of bamboo forests.

Emerging evidence indicates that pentraxin 3 is an acute-phase protein that is linked with the immune response to inflammation. It is also a newly discovered marker of anti-inflammatory A2 reactive astrocytes, and potentially has multiple protective effects in stroke; however, its role in the adult brain after traumatic brain injury is unknown. In the present study, a moderate model of traumatic brain injury in mice was established using controlled cortical impact. The models were intraventricularly injected with recombinant pentraxin 3 (the recombinant pentraxin 3 group) or an equal volume of vehicle (the control group). The sham-operated mice underwent craniotomy, but did not undergo the controlled cortical impact. The potential neuroprotective and neuroregenerative roles of pentraxin 3 were investigated on days 14 and 21 after traumatic brain injury. Western blot assay showed that the expression of endogenous pentraxin 3 was increased after traumatic brain injury in mice. Furthermore, the neurological severity test and wire grip test revealed that recombinant pentraxin 3 treatment reduced the neurological severity score and increased the wire grip score, suggesting an improved recovery of sensory-motor functions. The Morris water maze results demonstrated that recombinant pentraxin 3 treatment reduced the latency to the platform, increased the time spent in the correct quadrant, and increased the number of times traveled across the platform, thus suggesting an improved recovery of cognitive function. In addition, to investigate the effects of pentraxin 3 on astrocytes, specific markers of A2 astrocytes were detected in primary astrocyte cultures in vitro using western blot assay. The results demonstrated that pentraxin 3 administration activates A2 astrocytes. To explore the protective mechanisms of pentraxin 3, immunofluorescence staining was used. Intraventricular injection of recombinant pentraxin 3 increased neuronal maintenance in the peri-injured cortex and ipsilateral hippocampus, increased the number of doublecortin-positive neural progenitor cells in the subventricular and subgranular zones, and increased the number of bromodeoxyuridine (proliferation) and neuronal nuclear antigen (mature neuron) double-labeled cells in the hippocampus and peri-injured cortex. Pentraxin 3 administration also increased the number of neurospheres and the number of bromodeoxyuridine and doublecortin double-labeled cells in neurospheres, and enhanced the proliferation of neural progenitor cells in primary neural progenitor cell cultures in vitro. In conclusion, recombinant pentraxin 3 administration activated A2 astrocytes, and consequently improved the recovery of neural function by increasing neuronal survival and enhancing neurogenesis. All experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China on March 1, 2016.

AIM: To explore the distribution pattern of macular choroidal thickness (ChT) and its association with age as well as refractive status in Chinese preschoolers. METHODS: School-based, cross-sectional study. A total of 550 healthy preschool children aged 3 to 6 years old from 6 kindergartens were enrolled. Comprehensive ocular examinations, including measurement of visual acuity, axial length, intraocular pressure and slit-lamp examination before cycloplegia, as well as refraction measurement and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) examination after cycloplegia, were performed. The macular ChT in each sector of the ETDRS grid was measured by the built-in software of SS-OCT. RESULTS: The mean central ChT of the participants was 312±59 μm. The mean axial length and spherical equivalent refraction were 22.36±0.72 mm and 1.51±0.83 D, respectively. Axial length increased with age (P0.05). The central ChT of 3-4, 5 and 6 years old children was 314±59 μm, 312±60 μm and 312±59 μm, respectively (P=0.920). No difference was observed in ChT in most of the sectors between genders. No statistical significant difference was observed among different refractive groups (all P>0.05), though the ChT of each sector seemed to be smaller in myopic children. Axial length and weight were the independent factors of central ChT. Children with longer axial length (β=-21.184, P

The purpose of this analysis is to establish a quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) between eV and ve-degree based topological descriptors and measured physicochemical parameters of phytochemicals screened against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. A computer-based algorithm is developed to compute the eV and ve-degree based topological indices for the considered graphs. Our study revealed that the eV-degree based Zagreb index Mev and ve-degree based first beta Zagreb index M1βve are two important topological indices that can be useful in the prediction of molecular weight and the topological polar surface area of phytochemicals. Applications to certain anticancer drug (Camptothecin-Polymer Conjugate IT-101) are presented at the end.

Tau protein, a microtubule-associated protein, has a high specific expression in neurons and axons. Because traumatic spinal cord injury mainly affects neurons and axons, we speculated that tau protein may be a promising biomarker to reflect the degree of spinal cord injury and prognosis of motor function. In this study, 160 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham group, and mild, moderate, and severe spinal cord injury groups. A laminectomy was performed at the T8 level to expose the spinal cord in all groups. A contusion lesion was made with the NYU-MASCIS impactor by dropping a 10 g rod from heights of 12.5 mm (mild), 25 mm (moderate) and 50 mm (severe) upon the exposed dorsal surface of the spinal cord. Tau protein levels were measured in serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples at 1, 6, 12, 24 hours, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days after operation. Locomotor function of all rats was assessed using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor rating scale. Tau protein concentration in the three spinal cord injury groups (both in serum and cerebrospinal fluid) rapidly increased and peaked at 12 hours after spinal cord injury. Statistically significant positive linear correlations were found between tau protein level and spinal cord injury severity in the three spinal cord injury groups, and between the tau protein level and Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan locomotor rating scale scores. The tau protein level at 12 hours in the three spinal cord injury groups was negatively correlated with Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan locomotor rating scale scores at 28 days (serum: r = −0.94; cerebrospinal fluid: r = −0.95). Our data suggest that tau protein levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid might be a promising biomarker for predicting the severity and functional outcome of traumatic spinal cord injury.

Abstract Background The prevalence of schistosomiasis japonica has decreased significantly, and the responses changing from control to elimination in Jiangsu Province, P.R. China. How to estimate the change in prevalence of schistosomiasis using only serological data will be important and useful. Methods We collected serum samples from 2011 to 2015 to build a serum bank from Dantu County of Jiangsu, China. Serum samples were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the positive rate and optical density (OD) value were obtained. The Bayesian model including the prior information of sensitivity and specificity of ELISA was established, and the estimated infection rates were obtained for different years, genders and age groups. Results There was no significant difference in the mean OD between different years and genders, but there was a significant difference between the different age groups. There were statistically significant differences in the positive rate for different years and age groups, but no significant difference at different genders. The estimated infection rate for the five years was 1.288, 1.456, 1.032, 1.485 and 1.358%, respectively. There was no significant difference between different years and between genders, but a significant difference between different age groups. Conclusions The risk of schistosomiasis transmission in this area still exists, and risk monitoring of schistosomiasis should be strengthened.

In ovarian cancer, the mechanism of chemoresistance is a key question. Here, the authors demonstrate that C/EBPβ and DOT1L together increase methylation of H3K79, which upregulates expression of oncogenic genes and drives poor platinum response and poor survival in ovarian cancer.

Schistosomiasis is serious parasitic disease with an estimated global prevalence of active infections of more than 190 million. Accurate methods for the assessment of schistosomiasis risk are crucial for schistosomiasis prevention and control in China. Traditional approaches to the identification of epidemiological risk factors include pathogen biology, immunology, imaging, and molecular biology techniques. Identification of schistosomiasis risk has been revolutionized by the advent of computer network communication technologies, including 3S, mathematical modeling, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). In this review, we analyze the development of traditional and new technologies for risk identification of schistosomiasis transmission in China. New technologies allow for the integration of environmental and socio-economic factors for accurate prediction of the risk population and regions. The combination of traditional and new techniques provides a foundation for the development of more effective approaches to accelerate the process of schistosomiasis elimination.

In order to deliver on-demand HPC services for multi-tenants and solve software dependency problems which rigidly restrict the usage of HPC applications.On the premise of not destroying the existing large scale high performance cluster management,a lightweight HPC cluster delivery model was designed and implement with the Fat-Tree network topology and the virtual HPC cluster model.So as to supply a cloud based HPC rental service for the high performance applications of the multi-tenants and solve the rigid dependable problem of HPC application software stack for more HPC tenants in an easy way,the experimental results show that the proposed method is similar to the performance of the physical nodes,so that the HPC has the on-demand characteristics of the cloud and has a better embedding efficiency.

A method of obstacle detection based on information fusion of millimeter wave radar and machine vision sensor was proposed.Firstly,the millimeter wave radar and camera calibration,image and radar realize spatiotemporal data synchronization,the target position was accurate projection detected by radar images,and then a method of generating radar target region of interest,and the image information using the frame difference method,image detection of moving objects,detection area was put forward.Finally,the radar detection area was compared with the machine vision detection area.The coincidence degree was calculated,and the target was divided into pedestrian or vehicle according to coincidence degree.The experimental results show that the method can detect the obstacle of millimeter wave radar and machine vision well,and make up for the shortage of single sensor in obstacle detection.

Coated controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) have been widely applied in agriculture due to their increased efficiency. However, the widespread and a lot of coated CRFs application may leave undesired coating residues in the soil due to their slow degradation. Limited information is available on the effects of substantial residual coatings on the soil bacterial community. By adding 0, 5, 10, 20, and 50 times quantities of residual coating from conventional application amount of resin and water-soluble coated CRFs, we studied the responses of soil properties and bacterial community composition to these two residual coatings in black soil. The results showed that the resin and water-soluble coatings did not essentially alter the properties of black soil or cause dramatic changes to bacterial diversity within the test concentration range. The residual resin and water-soluble coatings also did not distinctly alter the relative abundance of the top ten bacteria at phylum level. Heatmap results suggested that the treatments were basically clustered into two groups by concentration rather than types of coating material. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the Simpson's diversity index of the bacterial community was significantly correlated with microbial biomass carbon (MBC, r=0.394, P

This paper presents a simple but workable constitutive model for the stress–strain relationship of sandy soil during the process of tunneling construction disturbance in coastal cities. The model was developed by linking the parameter K and internal angle φ of the Duncan–Chang model with the disturbed degree of sand, in which the effects of the initial void ratio on the strength deformation property of sands are considered using a unified disturbance function based on disturbed state concept theory. Three cases were analyzed to investigate the validity of the proposed constitutive model considering disturbance. After validation, the proposed constitutive model was further incorporated into a 3D finite element framework to predict the soil deformation caused by shield construction. It was found that the simulated results agreed well with the analytical solution, indicating that the developed numerical model with proposed constitutive relationship is capable of characterizing the mechanical properties of sand under tunneling construction disturbance.

Physical space, clonal fragmentation and nutrient availability can each affect the growth of clonal plants, but their interactive effect has been little studied. We grew un-fragmented (connected) and fragmented (disconnected) ramet pairs of the floating, clonal plant Salvinia natans in cylindrical containers with different diameters and heights (volumes) filled with solutions of two nutrient levels (high vs. low). To simulate competition environments that are commonly confronted by S. natans, we also added two ramets of another floating plants Spirodela polyrrhiza in each container. Biomass (total biomass, floating biomass and submerged biomass) and number of ramets of S. salvinia were higher in the containers with a larger diameter. Compared to the low nutrient level, the high nutrient level increased number of ramets, and altered submerged to floating mass ratio of S. salvinia. The impacts of physical space on floating mass and number of ramets were stronger under the high than under the low nutrient level. Clonal fragmentation positively affected biomass in the containers with a smaller volume (a smaller height and diameter), but had little impact in the containers with a larger volume (a larger height or diameter). Our results suggest that physical space can interact with nutrients and clonal fragmentation to affect the performance of S. salvinia under competition.

Based on the Adomian decomposition method and Lyapunov stability theory, this paper constructs a fractional-order memristive hyperchaos. Then, the 0–1 test analysis is applied to detect random nature of chaotic sequences exhibited by the fractional-order systems. Comparing with the corresponding integer-order hyperchaotic system, the fractional-order hyperchaos possesses higher complexity. Finally, an image encryption algorithm is proposed based on the fractional-order memristive hyperchaos. Security and performance analysis indicates that the proposed chaos-based image encryption algorithm is highly resistant to statistical attacks.

The aims of this article are to investigate the effects of Th22 and Th17 cells and plasma cytokines in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to examine the correlation between Th22 and Th17 cells levels and disease progression. Blood samples from 70 patients with NAFLD and 26 healthy controls (HCs) were collected. Flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis were performed. ELISA revealed interleukin (IL)-22 plasma level in FibroScan subgroup patients was 2.2-fold higher than that in the HCs ( P

Lateral displacement of pile foundation is crucial to the safety of an overall structure. In this study, a numerical simulation on the lateral displacement of pile foundation under stacking loads was conducted to determine its relation with different influencing factors. Simulation results demonstrated that stacking loads at the pile side mostly influence the lateral displacement of pile foundation. The lateral displacement of pile foundation increases by one order of magnitude when the stacking loads increase from 100 kPa to 300 kPa. Other influencing factors are less important than stacking loads. Lateral displacements of the pile body and at the pile top can be reduced effectively by increasing the deformation modulus of surface soil mass, reducing the thickness of soft soil, and expanding pile diameter. Our analysis indicates that a nonlinear relationship exists between the lateral displacement at the pile top and the pile diameter. The lateral resistance of the pile body can be enhanced by coupling the stacking load along piles and the axial force at the pile top. An actual large-scale engineering project was chosen to simulate the effects of postconstructed embankment on lateral displacement and axial force of bridge pile foundation under different construction conditions and to obtain the lateral displacement of the pile body and the negative frictional resistance caused by soft soil compression under stacking loads. On the basis of the calculated results, engineering safety and stability were evaluated, and a guide for the design and construction was proposed.