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Background Traditional phenotype-based screening for β-globin variant and β-thalassemia using hematological parameters is time-consuming with low-resolution detection. Development of a MALDI–TOF–MS assay using alternative markers is needed. Methods We constructed a MALDI–TOF–MS-based approach for identifying various β-globin disorders and classifying thalassemia major (TM) and thalassemia intermedia (TI) patients using 901 training samples with known HBB/HBA genotypes. We then validated the accuracy of population screening and clinical classification in 2 separate cohorts consisting of 16 172 participants and 201 β-thalassemia patients. Traditional methods were used as controls. Genetic tests were considered the gold standard for testing positive specimens. Results We established a prediction model for identifying different forms of β-globin disorders in a single MALDI–TOF–MS test based on δ- to β-globin, γ- to α-globin, γ- to β-globin ratios, and/or the abnormal globin-chain patterns. Our validation study yielded comparable results of clinical specificity (99.89% vs 99.71%), and accuracy (99.78% vs 99.16%) between the new assay and traditional methods but higher clinical sensitivity for the new method (97.52% vs 88.01%). The new assay identified 22 additional abnormal hemoglobins in 69 individuals including 9 novel ones, and accurately screened for 9 carriers of deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin or δβ-thalassemia. TM and TI were well classified in 178 samples out of 201 β-thalassemia patients. Conclusions MALDI–TOF–MS is a highly accurate, predictive tool that could be suitable for large-scale screening and clinical classification of β-globin disorders.

Silver nanodisks (AgNDs) have been successfully synthesized by using ferric chloride as an auxiliary agent in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone and

In order to ease consequences of spudcan-footprint interactions during jack-up rigs reinstalling in the vicinity of an existing seabed footprint, three new types of spudcan shapes, that is, a lotus-shaped spudcan with six circular holes, a flat-bottomed spudcan, and a concave-shaped spudcan, were proposed to perform an optimizing study of the spudcan structures, and the effectiveness of them were analyzed comparatively with other different measures. Firstly, 3D Large Deformation Finite Element (LDFE) analyses were carried out using the Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) method in the commercial finite element package ABAQUS. After calibrating the validity of the numerical calculation model against existing centrifuge test data and LDFE results, the differences in interaction mechanism between the novel spudcans and the generic spindle-shaped spudcan were studied when penetrating near an existing footprint with an eccentric distance of 0.5D, and the horizontal range of plastic deformation of the disturbed soils, the inclination angle of the spudcan and the offset distance of the pile legs were analyzed comparatively as well. The results show that the proposed novel spudcans can mitigate the maximum horizontal sliding force and the maximum bending moment at the top of the pile leg obviously, compared with those of the generic one, which were reduced by 32.59%, 22.47%, 28.18%, and 26.32%, 12.88%, 18.02%, respectively. It also can be seen that all novel structures can ease the adverse consequences of spudcan-footprint interactions effectively, and can improve the in -place stability of the spudcan as well. Finally, three possible measures in mitigating interactions of the spudcan-footprint were contrasted, that is, the novel spudcan (represented by the lotus-shaped spudcan with six holes), stomping method, and perforation drilling method. The results show that all of them can reduce adverse impacts induced by interactions of the spudcan-footprint, and also can improve the in-place stability of the spudcan during reinstallation. In addition, among them, according to the effect of reducing the additional stress of the spudcan, the effectiveness of them can be listed as follows: perforation drilling near an existing footprint > the lotus-shaped spudcan with six holes > stomping method. In terms of the vertical bearing capacity of the spudcan, the lotus-shaped spudcan with six holes can improve it as much as 16.33% compared with the spindle-shaped structure due to the particularity of the structure. While reducing the continuity and strength of soil foundations, the perforation drilling measure leads to the decrease of the vertical bearing capacity of the spudcan by 13.07%. It can be concluded that all the three measures have merits and demerits, so the relevant construction environment conditions and engineering practice should be fully considered when selecting measures to deal with interactions of the spudcan-footprint.

Previous research has highlighted the roles of oxytocin in empathy and altruistic behaviors. Based on these findings, recent studies have examined the association between the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and outcome-based moral judgment with sacrificial dilemmas (e.g. runaway trolley case). However, little is known about the relationships between OXTR polymorphisms and intent-based moral judgment of harms (e.g. attempted but failed harm or intentionally committed harm). This study investigated the association between the OXTR rs53576 and intent-based moral judgment in college students (N = 544) and prisoners (N = 540). Results indicated that both students and prisoners with the GG genotype of OXTR rs53576 rated attempted but failed harm as less permissible than those with the AA and AG genotypes. These findings highlight the role of the OXTR gene in intent-based moral judgment.

Objective To present the experience on prenatal features of 17q12 microdeletion and microduplication syndromes. Materials and methods Prenatal chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) were conducted between January 2015 and December 2018 at a single Chinese tertiary medical centre. Information of cases identified with 17q12 microdeletion or microduplication syndromes were retrospectively collected. Foetal ultrasonographic findings were reviewed, and other information about the gestation week at diagnosis, inheritance and pregnancy outcomes were also included. Results Ten pregnancies with 17q12 microdeletion and 4 with 17q12 microduplication were identified. The copy number variation (CNV) sizes were 1.39–1.94 Mb in the deleted cases and 1.42–1.48 Mb in the duplicated cases, respectively. All the duplicated and deleted regions included HNF1B and LHX1 genes. Most individuals with 17q12 deletion presented kidney anomalies (9/10), with renal hyperechogenicity being the most common finding (7/10). Fetuses with 17q12 duplication presented a wide phenotypic spectrum, including “double bubble” sign, structural anomalies of the heart and growth anomalies. Conclusions Our experience further demonstrated the high correlation between 17q12 microdeletion and renal anomalies especially hyperechogenic kidneys. Structural anomalies of the heart were newly identified phenotypes of 17q12 duplication during prenatal period. Besides, growth anomalies and duodenal atresia might be associated with the duplication.

Synthesis of silver nanowires (Ag NWs) has been studied for decades. However, Ag NWs with diameters below 20 nm synthesised by simple and robust approaches are still rarely reported. In this work, Ag NWs with an average diameter of ∼15 nm and an aspect ratio of over 1000 have been prepared by using a Grignard reagent 5-chloro-2-thienylmagnesium bromide as an assistant additive. In particular, the presence of 5-chloro-2-thienylmagnesium bromide is proven to be beneficial for the in situ formation of smaller AgBr and AgCl particles step by step in comparison with traditional inorganic halide ions, and then promote the final growth of ultrafine Ag NWs.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an early-onset neurodevelopmental disorder in which genetics play a major role. Molecular diagnosis may lead to a more accurate prognosis, improved clinical management, and potential treatment of the condition. Both copy number variations (CNVs) and single nucleotide variations (SNVs) have been reported to contribute to the genetic etiology of ASD. The effectiveness and validity of clinical targeted panel sequencing (CTPS) designed to analyze both CNVs and SNVs can be evaluated in different ASD cohorts. CTPS was performed on 573 patients with the diagnosis of ASD. Medical records of positive CTPS cases were further reviewed and analyzed. Additional medical examinations were performed for a group of selective cases. Positive molecular findings were confirmed by orthogonal methods. The overall positive rate was 19.16% (109/569) in our cohort. About 13.89% (79/569) and 4.40% (25/569) of cases had SNVs only and CNVs only findings, respectively, while 0.9% (5/569) of cases had both SNV and CNV findings. For cases with SNVs findings, the SHANK3 gene has the greatest number of reportable variants, followed by gene MYT1L. Patients with MYT1L variants share common and specific clinical characteristics. We found a child with compound heterozygous SLC26A4 variants had an enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome and autistic phenotype. Our results showed that CTPS is an effective molecular diagnostic tool for ASD. Thorough clinical and genetic evaluation of ASD can lead to more accurate diagnosis and better management of the condition.

The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) explains a variety of reward-motivated behaviors as the result of the activation of biologically-based systems. Inspired by the influences of parental bonding and opioid peptide on reward system, we investigated the contributions of parental bonding and mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) towards motivation systems (i.e., the BAS, BIS-anxiety, and FFFS-fear). Results indicated that (1) parental care was negatively related to FFFS-fear, but parental overprotection was positively related to both FFFS-fear and BIS-anxiety; (2) parental care significantly interacted with OPRM1 rs1799971 in reward responsiveness with diathesis-stress model. Poor parental care reduced reward responsiveness among individuals with the G allele, but not those with the AA genotype. These findings from this study demonstrate a new gene-environment interactive mechanism of the RST.

Glomerular mesangial cell (MC) proliferation is one of the main pathological changes in diabetic nephropathy (DN), but its mechanism needs further elaboration. The Hippo and PI3K/Akt signalling pathways are involved in the regulation of MC proliferation, but their relationship in hyperglycaemia-induced MC proliferation has not been reported. We used db/db mice and high-glucose-cultured mesangial cells to generate a diabetic nephropathy model. An MST1-knockdown plasmid was used to identify whether the PI3K/Akt pathway is linked to the Hippo pathway through MST1. LY294002 and SC79 were used to verify the role of the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway in MC cells. RNA silencing and overexpression were performed by using YAP and PTEN-expression/knockdown plasmids to investigate the function of YAP and PTEN, respectively, in the Hippo and PI3K/Akt signalling pathways. By examining a potential feedback loop, we found decreased phosphorylation of MST1 and Lats1 and increased PI3K/Akt activation in db/db mice and high glucose-treated MCs, along with increased MC proliferation. The results of our gene silencing experiment proved PI3K/Akt-mediated intervention in the Hippo pathway and the regulatory effect of YAP on PI3K/Akt through PTEN. The Hippo pathway is inhibited under diabetic conditions, leading to YAP activation and promoting MC proliferation. The PI3K/Akt pathway is activated through the inhibitory effect of YAP on its repressor, PTEN. Finally, activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibits the Hippo pathway, resulting in nuclear YAP accumulation and accelerating MC proliferation and DN formation.

Immoral behaviors make individuals abominate and punish transgressors. Inspired by the associations between the Val66Met polymorphism of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) gene and emotional responses following negative events, we investigated whether this polymorphism was also associated moral emotions such as punishment and forgiveness following interpersonal transgression. To do so, we categorized 340 individuals according to the BDNF Val66Met and assessed moral emotions by using 12 hypothetic scenarios in different conditions of intention and interpersonal consequence. The results indicated that this polymorphism was significantly associated with moral aversion and punishment towards transgressors. Victims with the Val/Val genotype expressed less aversion and punishment than the Met carriers, regardless of intention and interpersonal consequence. Moreover, this polymorphism was associated with forgiveness. Victims with the Val/Val genotype expressed more forgiveness than the Met carriers. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of the BDNF Val66Met to moral emotions.

The wide application of massive plastic products in our daily life leads to the rapid generation of plastic wastes. The end-of-life management of plastic wastes has become a serious public concern. Converting plastic waste to energy products is a promising solution to both energy shortage and environment pollution. Plastic waste could be converted to pyrolysis gas, pyrolytic oil and pyrolytic char after pyrolysis in rotary kiln. The loading of heat carrier in the rotary kiln has an important impact on the particle movement and heat transfer, hence affecting the distribution of gas, oil and char in the pyrolysis products. This article used quartz sand as the heat carrier to pyrolyze plastic waste, and the heat carrier loading increased from 5% to 15%. With the increase of heat carrier loading, the yield of oil and char increased, but the gas yield decreased. By the analysis of particle movement and heat transfer in EDEM, it was found that loading more heat carrier could increase both the translational velocity and angular velocity of particles. The translational velocity showed an almost linear correlation to the loading of heat carriers. A noticeable phenomenon is that the velocity profile of 5% heat carrier loading was instable with time. This is because low heat carrier loading such as 5% could not impose sufficient friction on the kiln wall, and the heat carrier bed slipped on the kiln wall from time to time. On the contrary, the slipping move did not occur in cases with heat carrier loading more than 10% because of sufficient friction on the kiln wall. At these higher heat carrier loadings, the only way to release of gravitational potential is the rolling of particles from the top position along the bed surface. This rolling mode of particle movement certainly caused high angular velocity of particles, and increased the frequency of particle contacts. With 5% heat carrier loading, the average angular velocity of particles was one magnitude lower due to the fact that particles were slipping as a whole rather than each particle rolling from the top to the bottom. Owing to the difference of particle movement at different heat carrier loadings, the heat transfer was also affected by the heat carrier loadings. The cases with more heat carrier could definitely enhance the physical contact between particles, which facilitated the heat transfer from heat carrier to plastic particles. The temperature profile from EDEM showed that the plastic waste particles were heated at a higher heating rate if more heat carrier was in the rotary kiln. Therefore, loading more heat carriers accelerated volatilization process, and reduced the retention time of volatiles. This led to the increment of oil production and decrement of gas production. In addition, the increased loading of heat carrier could maintain the temperature of particle bed at higher level to enhance the carbonation reaction of volatiles, which increased the yield of pyrolytic char. The DEM simulation provided the detailed information of particle’s movement and heat transfer, which could be used as an effective tool to interpret the experimental observation and optimize the process parameters.

Few cases of uraemic tumoral calcinosis (UTC) have been reported. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of parathyroidectomy for UTC. Historical clinical data of patients with end-stage renal disease and UTC who underwent parathyroidectomy were analysed. Absorption of metastatic calcification was compared before and after operation. Changes in intact parathyroid hormone, serum calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase levels were analysed before parathyroidectomy and at 1 week and 3, 6, and 12 months after parathyroidectomy. Eight patients met the enrolment criteria (men, 6; mean age, 38.6 SD 10.9 years). Uraemic tumoral calcinosis, which developed 2–8 years after dialysis began, was caused by secondary hyperparathyroidism. Massive calcium deposition was found in the shoulder (n = 6), hip (n = 3), and elbow (n = 2). Four patients had > 2 joints affected, and a single joint was involved for four patients. Seven patients had rapid remission (p p > 0.05). Parathyroidectomy has promising efficacy for UTC treatment and regulation of serum intact parathyroid hormone and phosphorus. Hypocalcaemia is a common complication after parathyroidectomy. Current Controlled Trials ChiCTR2000041311, date of registration: Dec. 23, 2020.

Design and construction of special surface microstructures has made many amazing breakthroughs in directional liquid transport. Despite much progress in this field, challenges still remain in on-demand switchable direction transport of liquid in situ and real-time via transforming the arrangement of the surface microstructure and external stimuli. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy to achieve switchable direction transport of liquid via a tunable anisotropic microarray surface, that is, assembling a V-shaped prism microarray (VPM) surface, which can also be intelligently manipulated by thermal stimuli. By transforming the parallel and staggered prism microstructure arrangement of the VPM, switchable direction transport of a liquid can be successfully achieved on the VPM surface. Flow direction switching among unidirectional transport, bidirectional transport, and reverse unidirectional transport is also achieved on the temperature-adaptive VPM surface by thermal stimuli, which can be used for on-demand liquid transport according to the paths of the microfluidic channels. The work provides a way for precise liquid manipulation in desired liquid transport, which may be utilized in nonpower conveying systems, autolubrication, life fluid medical instruments, and other microfluidic devices.

Purpose To construct a Bacillus subtilis strain for improved purity of poly-γ-glutamic acid. Results The construction of strain GH16 was achieved by knocking out five extracellular protein genes and an operon from Bacillus subtilis G423. Then we analyzed the protein content in the γ-PGA produced by the resultant strain GH16/pHPG which decreased by 6.08%. Subsequently the fla-che operon, PBSX and the yrpD, ywoF and yclQ genes were knocked out successively and the mutant strain GH17, GH18, and GH19 was obtained. Ultimately, the protein content was reduced by 43.9%. In addition, the polysaccharide content in the γ-PGA was decreased from 2.21–1.93% due to the epsA-O operon was knocked. Conclusion γ-PGA has potential applications as a drug carrier, sustained-releasing agent and medical composite in medicine. To our knowledge, this is the first report of engineered Bacillus subtilis strains which can produce γ-PGA with a purity higher than 97%. Our results confirmed that this upstream strategy significantly enhanced specific protein purity by the removal of extracellular protein genes in Bacillus subtilis, and it is promising in other protein purification.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Limited studies are available comparing the outcomes of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) with or without adjunctive Er:YAG laser (ERL) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study evaluated the effects of ERL adjunctive NSPT on single-rooted teeth of inadequately controlled T2DM patients with periodontitis. METHODS Twenty-two inadequately controlled T2DM participants with periodontitis were recruited. Adopting a double-blinded split-mouth design and under block randomization, we investigated the effects of ERL in calculus removal then degranulation mode, or a sham treatment, adjunct NSPT, which included two visits of full-mouth root surface debridement delivered within 4-10 days, to test or control single-rooted teeth (Wuxi Stomatology Hospital, trial 2017-016). We followed periodontal parameters (plaque %, bleeding on probing [BOP] %, probing pocket depth [PPD], probing attachment level [PAL]) and selected systemic parameters (fasting plasma glucose [FPG], glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c%], high sensitivity C-reactive protein) at baseline, one, three, and six months after periodontal treatment. RESULTS The study was completed as planned. Periodontal parameters, FPG and HbA1c% of the 22 participants appeared significantly improved at six months (p < 0.001). The 44 ERL treated, compared to 44 sham treated single-rooted teeth exhibited significant improvement in BOP, mean PPD, and mean PAL at various postoperative follow-up time points (effect size ≥0.44; p < 0.001). No adverse event was reported. CONCLUSION Periodontal treatment outcomes in the T2DM patients with inadequate glycemic control were better in the single-rooted teeth received ERL adjunct NSPT. Further studies are warranted to confirm the observations reported in this short-term clinical study.

It was aim to study the physicochemical features and biocompatibility of electrospun collagen-chitosan membranes, and its potential in guided bone regeneration. Electrospinning technology was applied in the fabrication of electrospun collagen membranes and electrospun collagen-chitosan membranes following observation of scanning electron microscope. Physicochemical properties including tensile strength, elongation rate, porosity, degradation rate, and biocompatibility of membranes were measured then.

Inspired by the roles of serotonin in an emotional aversion to harmful actions, we examined to what extent serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT)–linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), a proxy for measuring serotonin function, underpinned the individual differences in moral judgment through cross-sectional analysis and two-wave comparison. The cross-sectional analysis with a larger cohort (N = 1197) showed that the SS carriers of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, corresponding to the low ratio of serotonin recycling from the synaptic cleft, rated impersonal harmful actions (e.g. flipping a switch to divert a train to hit one person instead of five people) as more permissible as compared with the L-allele carriers. The two-wave comparison with a subsample from the larger cohort (N = 563) indicated that the association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and moral permissibility of impersonal harmful actions was stable from wave 1 to wave 2. Thus, these findings highlight the importance of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism to harmful moral behaviors.

Liquid transport and permeation on solid surfaces with gradient wettability had attracted tremendous research attention to solve some important problems of interface science and technology. On account of the existing problem of film pore blocking during the oily water separation process, however, it still remains a challenge to achieve rapid, continuous, high flux liquid mixture separation, e.g., oil/water separation, on a micro-structured surface. Here we demonstrate a strategy to achieve unidirectional motion and selective permeation of underwater oil droplet and water on the Cu(OH)2 nanowires structured copper foil/mesh surface with a density and length gradient. The gradient Cu(OH)2 nanowires fabricated by anodic oxidation method with anodization time gradient, shows wettability gradient from hydrophilic/oleophobic to superhydrophilic/superoleophobic and adhesion force gradient to underwater oil from high to low. As a result, the underwater oil droplet can only move unidirectionally from the superhydrophilic/superoleophobic scope to the hydrophilic/oleophobic area on the nanowires structured copper foil/mesh surface, meanwhile, water can only permeate on the superhydrophilic area, but not permeate on the hydrophobic area of the nanowires structured copper mesh. Therefore, a new way was presented to provide more contact area of oil/water mixture, owing to the unidirectional motion of underwater oil droplets and selective permeation of water, for rapid, continuous, high flux oil/water mixture separation with different interfacial tension in engineering field, which would also be promising to develop smart interface materials for microfluidic devices.

Backgrounds Alexithymia refers to the difficulties in identifying and describing one's own emotions, lacking of imagination, and an externally oriented thinking style. Studies up to date have examined the associations of 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms with alexithymia. However, the previous findings were mixed. Methods We replicated the associations by scoring on alexithymia with the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and genotyping the polymorphisms of 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met in a large population of college students (N = 1698). Moreover, we also meta-analyzed the associations with five samples (N = 7517) for the 5-HTTLPR and with five samples (N = 2186) for the COMT Val158Met. Results Neither the replicated study nor the meta-analyses indicated the 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met were associated with alexithymia. Conclusions The findings suggest that the 5-HTTLPR and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms are not associated with alexithymia. However, genetic-environmental studies with different ethnicity and psychopathology should be carried in future.

Summary Maize (Zea mays mays) oil is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) and energy, making it a valuable resource for human food, animal feed, and bio‐energy. Although this trait has been studied via conventional genome‐wide association study (GWAS), the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐trait associations generated by GWAS may miss the underlying associations when traits are based on many genes, each with small effects that can be overshadowed by genetic background and environmental variation. Detecting these SNPs statistically is also limited by the levels set for false discovery rate. A complementary pathways analysis that emphasizes the cumulative aspects of SNP‐trait associations, rather than just the significance of single SNPs, was performed to understand the balance of lipid metabolism, conversion, and catabolism in this study. This pathway analysis indicated that acyl‐lipid pathways, including biosynthesis of wax esters, sphingolipids, phospholipids and flavonoids, along with FA and triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthesis, were important for increasing oil and FA content. The allelic variation found among the genes involved in many degradation pathways, and many biosynthesis pathways leading from FAs and carbon partitioning pathways, was critical for determining final FA content, changing FA ratios and, ultimately, to final oil content. The pathways and pathway networks identified in this study, and especially the acyl‐lipid associated pathways identified beyond what had been found with GWAS alone, provide a real opportunity to precisely and efficiently manipulate high‐oil maize genetic improvement., Significance Statement This pathway analysis provided insights into the genetic basis of lipid metabolism, beyond what could be detected via GWAS alone, and indicated specific opportunities to precisely and efficiently manipulate high‐oil maize genetic improvement.

Empathy and aggression are features of the Dark Triad. They are linked to the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. Here, we investigated the relationships between this polymorphism and the Dark Triad traits. We genotyped the BDNF Val66Met of 698 college students and measured personalities of the Dark Triad, self-report empathy, and aggression with scales of the Short Dark Triad, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Buss and Perry’s Aggression Questionnaire, respectively. The Met/Met genotype of the BDNF Val66Met was related to higher scores on Machiavellianism and narcissism as compared with the Val carriers. The association between the BDNF Val66Met and Machiavellianism was mediated by aggression and empathic concern, while the association between this polymorphism and narcissism was only mediated by aggression. This study highlights the importance of the BDNF Val66Met to the Dark Triad and reveals psychobiological pathways where aggression and empathic concern mediate the link between the BDNF gene and the Dark Triad.

The spatial distribution of proteome at subcellular levels provides clues for protein functions, thus is important to human biology and medicine. Imaging-based methods are one of the most important approaches for predicting protein subcellular location. Although deep neural networks have shown impressive performance in a number of imaging tasks, its application to protein subcellular localization has not been sufficiently explored. In this study, we developed a deep imaging-based approach to localize the proteins at subcellular levels. Based on deep image features extracted from convolutional neural networks (CNNs), both single-label and multi-label locations can be accurately predicted. Particularly, the multi-label prediction is quite a challenging task. Here we developed a criterion learning strategy to exploit the label–attribute relevancy and label–label relevancy. A criterion that was used to determine the final label set was automatically obtained during the learning procedure. We concluded an optimal CNN architecture that could give the best results. Besides, experiments show that compared with the hand-crafted features, the deep features present more accurate prediction with less features. The implementation for the proposed method is available at https://github.com/RanSuLab/ProteinSubcellularLocation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic yield of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) for detecting thoracic aortic graft infection (AGI) in comparison to expert consensus MAGIC criteria. Patients suspected clinically of having thoracic-AGI were prospectively recruited. Consensus MAGIC criteria for AGI were compared to findings on FDG PET imaging. MAGIC criteria were verified against clinical/surgical, radiological, and microbiological/laboratory predefined major and minor parameters. FDG images were interpreted using a semiquantitative visual grading score (VGS, abnormal ≥ 3), focal uptake and quantitative maximum standard FDG uptake value (SUVmax, abnormal ≥ 7.3), and target-to-background FDG ratio (TBRmax, abnormal ≥ 4.2). Of 35 patients suspected of having thoracic-AGI, MAGIC diagnostic criteria were positive for AGI in 25 patients (71%) and negative in 10 (29%). FDG PET imaging was abnormal in 27 patients (77%). Abnormal and normal FDG imaging findings were concordant with MAGIC criteria in 31 patients (88.6%). In 4 patients, FDG imaging results were discordant with MAGIC criteria. By ROC analysis, optimal FDG cut-off values for detecting AGI by MAGIC were ≥ 3 for VGS, ≥ 7.3 for SUVmax and ≥ 4.2 for TBRmax, with concordance with MAGIC criteria in 88.6%, 85.7%, and 88.6% of patients, respectively. Two or more FDG imaging parameters (VGS, focal uptake, SUVmax, and TBRmax) yielded highest diagnostic concordance of 91.4%. VGS inverse odds ratio for AGI was 7.14. In 4 of 6 selective patients who had repeat FDG PET imaging during antibiotic treatment, quantitative FDG imaging values improved over time with associated improvement of laboratory markers of inflammation. FDG PET/CT imaging, using (semi-)quantitative imaging parameters, showed high concordance with expert consensus MAGIC criteria for AGI. These data suggest a potential complementary role of quantitative FDG/CT imaging, not only to detect AGI, but also to monitor response to antibiotic treatment.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the effects of quercetin on Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) translocation in high glucose condition and made an attempt to clarify the underlying mechanisms and provide new ideas for the treatment of diabetic cataract (DC). Methods: The human lens epithelial line SRA01/04 cells were divided into groups mentioned below: normal glucose, high glucose with a specific time (0 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h), high glucose plus the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002, high glucose plus the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor rapamycin, and high glucose plus quercetin with different doses (2 μmol/L, 4 μmol/L and 8 μmol/L). The western blotting assay was used to detect the protein kinase B (Akt), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin (m- TOR), phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) and AQP1. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of AQP1. A Membrane and Cytosol Protein Extraction Kit was applied to separate membrane proteins. Immunofluorescence assay was performed to evaluate the expression and location of AQP1. The effect of quercetin on the expression of AQP1 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling was detected. Results: AQP1 protein was found to be significantly increased in 24 hour when exposed to high glucose condition (P Conclusion: Quercetin significantly decreased the AQP1 elevation and prevented the change of AQP1 location through inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in high-glucose-- cultured SRA01/04 cells, which might have the preventable and inhibitory effects on the early development of diabetic cataract. The specific pathophysiological role of quercetin still needs to be verified.

Dynamic control of liquid wetting behavior on smart surfaces has attracted considerable concern owing to their important applications in directional motion, confined wetting and selective separation. Despite much progress in this regard, there still remains challenges in dynamic liquid droplet manipulation with fast response, no loss and anti‐contamination. Herein, a strategy to achieve dynamic droplet manipulation and transportation on the electric field adaptive superhydrophobic elastomer surface is demonstrated. The superhydrophobic elastomer surface is fabricated by combining the micro/nanostructured clusters of hydrophobic TiO2 nanoparticles with the elastomer film, on which the micro/nanostructure can be dynamically and reversibly tuned by electric field due to the electric field adaptive deformation of elastomer film. Accordingly, fast and reversible transition of wetting state between Cassie state and Wenzel state and tunable adhesion on the surface via electric field induced morphology transformation can be obtained. Moreover, the motion states of the surface droplets can be controlled dynamically and precisely, such as jumping and pinning, catching and releasing, and controllable liquid transfer without loss and contamination. Thus this work would open the avenue for dynamic liquid manipulation and transportation, and gear up the broad application prospects in liquid transfer, selective separation, anti‐fog, anti‐ice, microfluidics devices, etc., Dynamic liquid droplet manipulation and transportation are demonstrated on the superhydrophobic micro/nanostructured elastomer surface via electric field, based on electric adaptive switchable wettability and tunable adhesion. This work provides a new route for precise liquid manipulation and transfer, and is promising in designing and constructing smart interface materials.

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic yield ofPatients suspected clinically of having thoracic-AGI were prospectively recruited. Consensus MAGIC criteria for AGI were compared to findings on FDG PET imaging. MAGIC criteria were verified against clinical/surgical, radiological, and microbiological/laboratory predefined major and minor parameters. FDG images were interpreted using a semiquantitative visual grading score (VGS, abnormal ≥ 3), focal uptake and quantitative maximum standard FDG uptake value (SUVOf 35 patients suspected of having thoracic-AGI, MAGIC diagnostic criteria were positive for AGI in 25 patients (71%) and negative in 10 (29%). FDG PET imaging was abnormal in 27 patients (77%). Abnormal and normal FDG imaging findings were concordant with MAGIC criteria in 31 patients (88.6%). In 4 patients, FDG imaging results were discordant with MAGIC criteria. By ROC analysis, optimal FDG cut-off values for detecting AGI by MAGIC were ≥ 3 for VGS, ≥ 7.3 for SUVFDG PET/CT imaging, using (semi-)quantitative imaging parameters, showed high concordance with expert consensus MAGIC criteria for AGI. These data suggest a potential complementary role of quantitative FDG/CT imaging, not only to detect AGI, but also to monitor response to antibiotic treatment.

Backgrounds Alexithymia, difficulties in identifying and describing one's own feelings, is related to substantial clinical practice. Inspired by the links between serotonin functions and affective disorders, this study investigated associations of the serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2A) gene with alexithymia and mental health. Methods We differentiated subjects according to two functional polymorphisms (i.e., rs6311 and rs6313) of 5-HT2A gene and scored alexithymia and mental health of college students with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90), respectively. Results The analyses basing on sample 1 (N = 566) and sample 2 (N = 602) indicated that the G allele of rs6311 was related to higher score on the TAS-20 as compared to the AA genotype. The analysis with 467 individuals from sample 2 indicated that the rs6311 was associated with mental health, and this association was mediated by alexithymia. Limitations The potential confounding variables such as depression and anxiety were neglected in the analyses. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the contribution of the 5-HT2A to alexithymia, and highlight the link between alexithymia and mental health at genetic level.

Silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1) is a deacetylase, which plays an important role in the occurrence and development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Our previous study shows that Yin yang 1 (YY1), a widely expressed zinc finger DNA/RNA-binding transcription factor, is a novel regulator of renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy. Since the activity of YY1 is regulated via acetylation and deacetylation modification, this study aimed to explore whether Sirt1-induced deacetylation of YY1 mediated high glucose (HG)-induced renal tubular epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and renal fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. We first confirmed that Sirt1 expression level was significantly decreased in the kidney of db/db mice and in HG-treated HK-2 cells. Diabetes-induced Sirt1 reduction enhanced the level of YY1 acetylation and renal tubular EMT. Then, we manipulated Sirt1 expression in vivo and in vitro by injecting resveratrol (50 mg·kg −1 ·d −1 . ip) to db/db mice for 2 weeks or application of SRT1720 (2.5 μM) in HG-treated HK-2 cells, we found that activation of Sirt1 reversed the renal tubular EMT and YY1 acetylation induced by HG condition. On the contrary, Sirt1 was knocked down in db/m mice or EX527 (1 μM) was added in HK-2 cells, we found that inhibition of Sirt1 exacerbated renal fibrosis in diabetic mice and enhanced level of YY1 acetylation in HK-2 cells. Furthermore, knockdown of YY1 inhibited the ameliorating effect of resveratrol on renal tubular EMT and renal fibrosis in db/db mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Sirt1 plays an important role in renal tubular EMT of DN through mediating deacetylation of YY1.