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Objective: To investigate the effect of growth hormone on low-prognosis patients who were diagnosed by POSEIDON criteria. Methods: Poor ovarian reserve patients were included if their AMH Results: A total of 574 cycles (155 in GH group, 419 in Control group) were analyzed. For all the poor ovarian reserve patients, there were no significant differences between GH and control group, in aspects of HMG dosage, duration of HMG, the number of oocytes retrieved, the number of 2PN, the number of embryos, transferrable embryos ,good-quality embryos, clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate and clinical live birth rate. In stratified analysis, the variables of G4 were not significantly different, and in G3, duration of HMG (8.11±1.86vs. 8.80±1.98, P﹤0.05) was significantly different. Further study on non-first cycle patients, a total of 274 cycles (122 in GH group, 152 in Control group) were analyzed, there were no differences between GH group and control group, in aspects of HMG dosage, duration of HMG, the number of oocytes retrieved, the number of 2PN, the number of embryos, transferrable embryos ,good-quality embryos, clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate and clinical live birth rate. In stratified analysis, the variables of G3’ were not significantly different. In G4’, duration of HMG (8.74±2.31 vs. 7.90±2.56, P﹤0.05) was significantly different, the number of oocytes retrieved(8.74±2.31 vs. 7.90±2.56, P﹤0.05), clinical pregnancy rate(22.97% vs. 8.45%, P﹤0.05), and clinical live birth rate(14.86% vs. 4.23%, P﹤0.05) were significantly different between GH and control groups. The outcomes of linear regression and logistic regression analysis were approximately consistent with that of Chi square test. Conclusions: GH co-treatment with the mild stimulation protocol in poor ovarian reserve patients who reached or were older than 35 years old, and failed in at least one previous cycle, could significantly increase the number of oocytes retrieved, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate.

Deep cutaneous fungal infections including deep dermatophytosis are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised patients. Variable and longer turnaround time on tissue culture results delay diagnosis. We sought to seek the fast bedside diagnosis for disseminated deep dermatophytosis by direct microscopy using a blunt scalpel or needle aspiration before biopsy. This is a 6-year retrospective review of patients with a diagnosis of disseminated deep dermatophytosis seen at a single tertiary care institution. Trichophyton rubrum was isolated in four patients, and T. mentagrophyte complex in one patient. All the dermatophyte isolates can grow at 37 °C. Microscopy of purulence sampling from intact nodules demonstrated abundant septate hyphae, and also isolation from purulence was concordance with skin tissue culture. Ultrasound-guided sampling from non-eroded can yield purulence, and direct microscopy of purulence may facilitate rapid diagnosis of deep dermatophytosis and serve to prevent disease progression and dissemination.

Low light levels during rice (Oryza sativa L.) growing seasons may lead to significant reductions in grain yield and quality. The effect of shading stress on remobilization of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) from the stem plus sheath (SPS) to the grain, a process crucial to rice grain formation, was investigated. Field shading experiments were conducted in Hanyuan and Wenjiang, China, using two rice varieties (Huanghuazhan and Guichao II) subjected to shading stress after heading. Stored NSC of 60.00-159.15 g m-2 were remobilized from SPS after heading, contributing 9.63%-23.63% to grain dry weight at maturity. Shading stress resulted in the 23.99%-50.30% and 31.65%-61.33% reduction in NSC content of SPS at 20 d after heading (DAH20) and maturity stages, respectively. This contributed to the 13.80%-89.00% increase in the remobilization of stored NSC from SPS to the grain (RASN) and 15.86%-73.30% increase in remobilization percentage of removed NSC from SPS to the grain (RPRN). The effect of shading stress on remobilization differed between sites and varieties. Owing to a greater sink capacity, shading stress led to a higher RASN and RPRN from heading to DAH20 for ‘Huanghuazhan’ in Hanyuan. To compensate for photosynthate deficiency under shading stress, rice is adapted to remobilize stored NSC during early grain filling stages. Consequently, grain yield loss caused by shading could be reduced by increasing the SPS remobilization ability (especially in low light areas). Increasing NSC accumulation in SPS before heading for later remobilization may be a feasible way to alleviate rice yield loss under adverse light conditions.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Donepezil in treating the cognitive decline in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: Nine literature databases in domestic and abroad were searched by computer, and the search deadline was November 2, 2020. The randomized controlled trials (RCT) using donepezil to treat the cognitive decline in patients with PD were screened. The MMSE (Mini-Mental State Exam) scores, MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) scores and adverse events of the included RCTs were extracted. Meta-analysis was implemented with RevMan 5.3 software, and the subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the effects of mean age and mean course of disease on the MMSE scores. Results: 14 RCTs with 1263 patients were selected, including 646 cases in the experimental group and 617 cases in the control group. There were 1209 effective patients who completed MMSE score, including 612 in the experimental group and 597 in the control group. Meta-analysis results showed that MMSE scores in the experimental group were higher than that in the control group after using donepezil intervention, and the difference was statistically significant [SMD=0.55, 95% CI (0.24, 0.87), P=0.0006]. It was also found that the MoCA scores of experimental group were higher than that of control group after using donepezil intervention, and the difference was statistically significant [SMD=1.25,95% CI (0.79, 1.72),P

Few studies have tested the influence of climatic factors on yields by adjusting sowing dates at both low and high altitudes. We investigated the influence of the synergistic effects of temperature...

Introduction: Tinea capitis (TC) is a disease caused by dermatophytes on the scalp and hair. This disease mainly infects pre-school children, although there has been a gradual increase in the number of adults infected with TC over recent years. Here, we retrospectively analyzed epidemiological data relating to adult TC (ATC) in Hangzhou, eastern China, over the last decade.Materials and Methods: We analyzed all adult patients who were referred to the Mycology Laboratory of Hangzhou Third People's Hospital (Affiliated Hangzhou Dermatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine) between 2012 and 2021 and suspected of having TC. Mycological tests were used to confirm the diagnosis. We acquired arrange of epidemiological data for analysis, including age, gender, and the distribution of dermatophytes. We also collated data relating to risk factors, such as tinea with other sites, underlying diseases, and a history of animal contact. Results: A total of 165 patients were diagnosed with ATC, including 77 males (46.7%) and 88 females (53.3%). The gender ratio was 0.875 and the mean age was 49±23.1 years (range: 18-96 years). The most dominant dermatophytes were Trichophyton violaceum (25.6%) and Trichophyton rubrum (25.6%), followed by Microsporum canis (24.4%). Anthropophilic dermatophytes accounted for 63.3% of all cases. Interestingly, 63 patients (38.2%) with a confirmed diagnosis of ATC also presented tinea with other sites.Conclusion: This study indicated that ATC infection is more commonly found in women, especially in those aged >45 years. Anthropophilic dermatophytes, T. violaceum and T. rubrum, were found to be the most dominant dermatophytes, followed by M. canis. Dermatologists should consider that tinea with other sites may represent a risk factor for ATC.

In rice (Oryza sativa L.), yield is related to characteristics of branches and spikelets. To investigate the effects of late sowing date on differentiation and degeneration of spikelets in rice, field experiments were conducted in Chongzhou and Hanyuan, China. Differentiation and survival of branches and spikelets in Hanyuan were lower than that of Chongzhou, whereas degeneration was greater than that of Chongzhou. In Chongzhou, sowing date affected differentiation and survival of primary, secondary, and total branches, as well as differentiation and degeneration of secondary and total spikelets. In Hanyuan, sowing date affected degeneration of secondary and total branches, and the survival and degeneration of primary spikelets. Late-sown plants experienced higher temperatures in the jointing to heading period, and there were higher sunshine hours. Rainfall and humidity were higher in Chongzhou, but lower in Hanyuan. Late sowing increased differentiation, degeneration, and survival number of branches and spikelets in Chongzhou. However, in Hanyuan, late sowing increased differentiation and degeneration of branches, but decreased survival of branches, which reduced spikelet differentiation and degeneration, resulting in fewer branches. Thus, the key to higher yield in Chongzhou was to increase differentiation of spikelets, whereas in Hanyuan, it was to reduce degeneration of branches and spikelets.

Wheat stripe rust, due to infection by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a devastating disease that causes significant global grain yield losses. Yr36, which encodes Wheat Kinase START1 (WKS1), is an effective high-temperature adult-plant resistance gene and confers resistance to a broad spectrum of Pst races. We previously showed that WKS1 phosphorylates the thylakoid ascorbate peroxidase protein and reduces its ability to detoxify peroxides, which may contribute to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). WKS1-mediated Pst resistance is accompanied by leaf chlorosis in Pst-infected regions, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that WKS1 interacts with and phosphorylates PsbO, an extrinsic member of photosystem II (PSII), to reduce photosynthesis, regulate leaf chlorosis, and confer Pst resistance. A point mutation in PsbO-A1 or reduction in its transcript levels by RNA interference resulted in chlorosis and reduced Pst sporulation. Biochemical analyses revealed that WKS1 phosphorylates PsbO at two conserved amino acids involved in physical interactions with PSII and reduces the binding affinity of PsbO with PSII. Presumably, phosphorylated PsbO proteins dissociate from the PSII complex and then undergo rapid degradation by cysteine and aspartic proteases. Taken together, these results demonstrate that perturbations of wheat PsbO by point mutation or phosphorylation by WKS1 reduce the rate of photosynthesis and delay the growth of Pst pathogen before the induction of ROS.

In the present report, we describe an unusual case of mixed infection of Candida albicans and Talaromyces marneffei in the oral cavity and oropharynx with cutaneous involvement. On the CHROMagar Candida plate, green colonies (identified as C. albicans) and tiny violet colonies (identified as T. marneffei) grew from the throat swab after incubation for 96 hours. 10 clinical isolates of T. marneffei were used to verify their color production on CHROMagar Candida. All colonies were violet on the fourth, seventh and ninth day incubated at 37 °C. T. marneffei appears violet on the CHROMagar Candida plate, but it may be easily ignored because of its slow growth and small colony size, especially after incubation for 48 hours. Therefore, when using CHROMagar Candida plate to detect specimens in AIDS patients, special attention must be paid to detect non–yeasts such as T. marneffei for up to 96 hours.

BACKGROUND This study assessed the clinical characteristics of neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and differences in therapy in comparison to RDS. MATERIAL AND METHODS The clinical data of 925 preterm infants with respiratory distress were collected and divided into 4 groups. Group A and B both met the diagnosis of neonatal RDS, whereas infants in group B also showed inflammatory response. Group C met the Montreux definition of neonatal ARDS and group D was the control. RESULTS We found that 73.50% of the 925 preterm infants were diagnosed with RDS, of which RDS with inflammatory response accounted for 42.05%. ARDS accounted for 5.29% and control group accounted for 21.19%. Group C infants were the heaviest (2168.16±654.43 g) and had the oldest gestational age. The pregnancy-induced hypertension was highest (30.07%) in group B and lowest in group D (13.26%). Group C had higher iNO and longer invasive ventilator times, but had less frequent surfactant treatment, as well as shorter oxygen time and hospital stay. Group B had significantly longer invasive ventilator use than in Group A. In group A, PDA, ROP, and PPHN were the most common complications, with morbidity rates at 78.35%, 8.4%, and 25.77%, respectively, while group C had higher incidence of PDA (71.42%) and coagulation disorders (38.77%). CONCLUSIONS ARDS mainly occurs in late preterm infants. Its treatment is dependent on iNO and invasive ventilator-assisted therapy, and the surfactant treatment rate was relatively lower in comparison to RDS. RDS accompanied with inflammatory response is also dependent on prolonged use of an invasive ventilator.

To characterize the clinical and mycological features of favus of scrotum due to Trichophyton rubrum. A single-site prospective study was carried out in an outpatient dermatology clinic. Microscopic examination and fungal culture were done using skin scrapings. Scales on the scrotum were stained with PAS and visualized by microscopy, including in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). Two strains were analyzed by RAPD typing. Scutular lesions were fixed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cultures of the scale from the scrotum and/or groin in all patients showed a growth of T. rubrum. T. rubrum strains from scrotum and groins in one patient were demonstrated as the same strain by RAPD typing. The average age of patients was 34.1 ± 12.78 years. The mean course was 8.2 ± 5.07 days. All the patients received only topical treatment for 2 weeks without recurrence. Direct smear, calcofluor-white staining and in vivo RCM study of the scrotal favus in patients showed a massive number of septate branching hyphae, while fewer septate hyphae in scales in the groin. Abundant hyphae were found only in the outer layer of the stratum corneum of the scrotum under SEM and TEM with intact bilateral cell walls, and normal nucleus, liposomes and reticulum. Few distorted hyphae structures, cell wall degeneration, degenerated cytoplasm and the autophagy phenomenon could be seen in scales from groin under TEM. Scrotal favus due to T. rubrum is still a true infection, which most often occurred in immunocompetent patients.

In past few years, as security ciphers in the Internet of Things (IoT), the research of lightweight block cipher has attracted tremendous attention in cryptography. The SPN structure has been widely used in the design of block cipher. However, the encryption and decryption processes of ciphers based on the SPN structure are different. We design a new SPN structure, which is perfect for lightweight block cipher. The new SPN structure makes that the encryption process is the same as decryption. Moreover, input and output data directions are the same for encryption and decryption processes. Thus, the same process can absolutely be shared in decryption and encryption both for software and hardware implementation. Further, we propose a family of involutional lightweight block cipher, called Loong, based on the proposed SPN structure and components. Rigorous analysis indicates that Loong is of high security against cryptanalysis, especially the differential attack and linear attack. As shown by our experiments and comparisons, Loong is compact in hardware environment and is suitable for the IoT.

Chalkiness, one of the key factors in determining the market price and quality of rice grains, is markedly influenced by the environment. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of shading on rice chalkiness by conducting a field experiment in Wenjiang, Sichuan, China, in 2013 and 2015. Rice cultivars IIyou 498 and Yixiangyou 2115 were selected and shaded during the grain filling period; this resulted in a 53% shading environment. The results showed that chalkiness, caryopsis and amyloplast development, amylose content, and amylopectin chain-length distribution of rice grains, were markedly affected by shading. Shading significantly increased chalky rice rate and chalkiness degree of rice grains at the bottom of the panicle, which contributed to the increase in chalkiness of the entire panicle. Shading had a greater influence on grains at the bottom spikelet positions than on those at the top and middle positions. More loosely packed amyloplasts with greater airspace and reduction in amylose content of grains at the bottom spikelet positions were possibly due to the significant delay in the development of caryopsis. Furthermore, except for the bottom spikelet positions of Yixiangyou 2115, a reduction in short-length chains coupled to an increase in long-length chains of amylopectin was noted under shading. Shading increased rice chalkiness primarily by postponing caryopsis development at the bottom spikelet positions and disturbing the starch characteristics of rice grains. Therefore, more attention needs to be focused on the grains positioned at the bottom of panicle.

Tinea capitis remains a common public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. OBJECTIVES To investigate the changes of the predominant dermatophytes of tinea capitis in children in Hangzhou in recent 9 years. METHODS The age, gender and pathogen spectrum of 650 children with tinea capitis at the Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Third People's Hospital of Hangzhou, Anhui Medical University from 2011 to 2019 were analysed, and the distribution of pathogens from 1998 to 2000 was compared. RESULTS Among the 650 cases, 340 cases (48.2%) were males and 310 cases (51.8%) were females. The main population infected with tinea capitis was children aged 0-10 years (620 cases, 95.4%). From 2011 to 2019, the predominant dermatophyte was changed from Trichophyton violaceum (2011) to Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex (2012-2015) and later to Microsporum canis (2016-2019). In the past 9 years, M. canis (250 cases, 38.5%) was the most common dermatophyte and followed by T mentagrophytes complex (209 cases, 32.2%). The dermatophyte spectrum was statistically different between the years 2011 and 2019 (Chi square: χ2 = 69.75, P

Background Postnatal care and growth in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants are being increasingly focused on worldwide. However, few data from China have been reported, expecially multicenters. This multicenter study was designed to investigate the problems existing in postnatal care, weight gain and the related risk factors in in-patient ELBW infants. Methods Eligible ELBW infants admitted to involved neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in 2017 in Beijing were studied retrospectively. Except for general early outcomes, Weight Z score and feeding practice related information was caculated, and collected. Growth retardation (GR) was diagnosed if body weight Z score at discharge dropped more than one standard deviation (SD) compared with birth. Results Of our cohort of 137 ELBW infants, 92 infants discharged with medical advice were analyzed. Full enteral feeding reached at 37.0 (27.0, 51.8)days. Exclusive breast milk feeding rate was 30.4% at discharge. All infants had decreased weight Z score, and its change was similar in different weight subgroups. The incidence of GR was 66.3%. Multiple-factor analysis showed the risk factors for GR were small for gestational age(OR 34.768, 95%CI 1.652-731.728), average weight gain rate 28days(OR 6.867, 95%CI 1.211–38.957), P༜0.05. Keeping ELBW infants staying in hospital longer was beneficial to their weight gain (OR = 0.950, 95% CI 0.909–0.993, P

Background Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common symptom in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing treatment with chemotherapy. However, evidence upon which to base management strategies is scarce. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been shown to be beneficial to patients with CRF. Chinese herbal injections should be administered under an evidence-based approach. This trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of the addition of the Shenmai injection (SMI) to conventional therapy for CRF in NSCLC patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods/design The study is a two-group, prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SMI for CRF NSCLC patients undergoing chemotherapy. Eligible participants will be randomized to either a treatment group receiving a 5-day Shenmai injection regimen plus conventional therapy or a control group receiving only conventional therapy. The primary outcome is fatigue, assessed using severity scores from the Functional Assessment for Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) measurement system. Secondary outcomes include symptom distress scores, depression, sleep disorders, quality of life, and levels of immunologic indicators. Assessments will be carried out at baseline and on day 5 (the end of the intervention). Discussion This study can provide evidence to support clinical decision-making in the management of CRF in NSCLC patients undergoing chemotherapy in a way that can be scaled up and used throughout China. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (chictr.org.cn), ChiCTR-INR-17013737. Registered on 6 December 2017. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-2845-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of sodium butyrate on the neonatal mouse model of necrotizing enterocolitis and analyze its possible mechanism. Methods Sixty c57BL/6 neonatal mice were randomly divided into two groups (n=30): PBS group and butyric acid group. At the third day after birth, mice in both groups were respectively given PBS and sodium butyrate solution by gavage once a day for 7 days, and neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) model was established by hypoxia, cold stimulation and artificial feeding. The newborn mice were sacrificed overnight after modeling. HE staining and double-blind pathological score were performed to observe the pathological changes of ileocecal intestinal tissue. The mRNA expressions of IL-6, IL-10, TGF-β1 and TNF-a were tested by quantitative real-time PCR. The levels of IL-10 and TGF-β1 in intestine tissues were evaluated using ELISA. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the ratio of regulatory T cells (Treg) on CD4+ T cells in both groups. Results When mice were sacrificed overnight after NEC modeling, the body weight was significantly higher in butyric acid group (4.50±0.42g) than in PBS group (4.16±0.60g, P0.05) existed in survival rate of butyric acid group (76.34%) and PBS group (67.95%). The pathological damage score of intestinal tissue showed that the median score of intestinal injury was significantly lower in butyric acid group [1.33(1.33-1.67)] than in PBS group [2.00(1.67-2.25), P

We aimed to clarify the effectiveness of polyaspartic acid (PASP)-urea on nitrogen (N) accumulation and N use efficiency in rice. We compared PASP-urea with conventional urea with two N management ...

Shading stress has become a worldwide phenomenon and can lead to rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield loss by decreasing the seed setting percentage (the percentage of filled spikelets to total spikelets per panicle), which depends primarily on spikelet fertility. However, the effect of shading stress on rice spikelet pollination and fertilization processes is not fully understood. Here, a field experiment, spanning two years (2019 and 2020), was conducted using two rice varieties (Huanghuazhan and Fyou 498) grown under full sunlight and 53 % shade. No significant difference in pollen I2-KI staining rate was observed between the full sunlight control and the shading treatment in 2019 and 2020. However, shading stress significantly decreased the in vitro pollen germination rate of spikelets that opened 5 d and 8 d after shading in 2020. Shading stress also significantly reduced the anther dehiscence rate of both varieties in both years (except for Huanghuazhan at 2 d after shading in 2019), and a mass of pollen grains remained in the anthers. Together with a reduction in the stigma exsertion rate, shading stress reduced the number of pollen grains per stigma by 29.4–71.2 % and the number of germinated pollen grains per stigma by 9.8–63.2 %. Consequently, shading stress significantly decreased the fertilization rate in these varieties, which contributed to a marked yield loss. We assert that shading stress decreased the fertilization rate by inhibiting key pollination and fertilization processes, particularly anther dehiscence and pollen grain release.

Ratoon rice (RR) is characterized by higher production combined with enhanced rice quality. However, limited information is available regarding the mechanism of quality enhancement of RR. In this study, three varieties were used to investigate differences in the components, the fine structural and physicochemical properties of starch, and the textural characteristics of cooked rice between the main crop and RR. Compared to the main crop, RR significantly increased the starch and amylose content, amylose to amylopectin ratio, weight average molecular weight of the starch granule, and fa (DP 6–12) and fb1 (DP 13–24) chain proportions of amylopectin. However, it decreased the amylopectin and protein content, mean diameter and number average molecular weight of the starch granule, and fb2 (DP25-36) and fb3 (DP > 37) chain proportions of amylopectin. This contributed to an increase in branching degree, polydispersity, ΔHgel, Tc-R, ΔHret, and retrogradation percentage, as well as a decrease in the average chain length and polymerization degree of amylopectin and crystallinity degree, and water solubility of RR. These differences might contribute to the increase in hardness and decrease in stickiness of cooked RR.

Extreme prematurity is associated with a substantial burden on health care systems worldwide. However, little is known about the prognosis of infants born extremely preterm in developing countries, such as China.To describe survival and major morbidity among infants born extremely preterm in China over the past decade.This retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2019. Included individuals were infants with gestational age less than 28 weeks discharged from 1 of 68 neonatal intensive care units located in 31 provinces in China. Data were analyzed from August through October 2020.Extremely preterm birth.Survival to discharge and major morbidity (ie, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, grades III-IV intraventricular hemorrhage, white matter injury, stage II-III necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, or severe retinopathy of prematurity) were measured.Among 8514 eligible infants, 5295 (62.2%) were male and 116 infants (2.0%) were small for gestational age (SGA). Overall, 5302 infants (62.3%) survived to discharge. The survival rate was 1 of 21 infants (4.8%) at 22 weeks, 13 of 71 infants (18.3%) at 23 weeks, 144 of 408 infants (35.3%) at 24 weeks, 480 of 987 infants (48.6%) at 25 weeks, 1423 of 2331 infants (61.0%) at 26 weeks, and 3241 of 4692 infants (69.1%) at 27 weeks. Survival increased from 136 of 241 infants (56.4%; 95% CI, 50.1%-62.7%) in 2010 to 1110 of 1633 infants (68.0%; 95% CI, 65.7%-70.2%) in 2019 for infants born at 24 to 27 weeks (mean difference, 11.5%; 95% CI, 4.9%-18.2%; P .001), without a significant change for infants born at less than 24 weeks. Major morbidity was found in 5999 of 8281 infants overall, for a rate of 72.4%, which increased from 116 of 223 infants (52.0%; 95% CI, 45.4%-58.6%) to 1363 of 1656 infants (82.3%; 95% CI, 80.5%-84.1%) from 2010 to 2019 (mean difference, 30.3%; 95% CI, 23.5%-37.1%, P .001). Regional variations in survival were identified, with an almost 2-fold increase (1.94-fold; 95% CI, 1.66-2.27; P .001) from 188 of 474 infants (39.7%) in northwest China to 887 of 1153 infants (76.9%) in north China. Gestational age (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.084; 95% CI, 1.063-1.105; P .001), birth weight (aRR, 1.028; 95% CI, 1.020-1.036; P .001), premature rupture of membranes (aRR, 1.025; 95% CI, 1.002-1.048; P = .03), and antenatal steroids (aRR, 1.029; 95% CI, 1.004-1.055; P = .02) were associated with improved survival, while being born SGA (aRR, 0.801; 95% CI, 0.679-0.945; P = .01), being male (aRR, 0.975; 95% CI, 0.954-0.997; P = .02), multiple birth (aRR, 0.955; 95% CI, 0.929-0.982; P = .001), having a mother with gestational diabetes (aRR, 0.946; 95% CI, 0.913-0.981; P = .002), and low Apgar score (aRR, 0.951; 95% CI, 0.925-0.977; P .001) were found to be risk factors associated with decreased chances of survival.This study found that infants born extremely preterm were at increased risk of mortality and morbidity in China, with a survival rate that improved over time and a major morbidity rate that increased. These findings suggest that more active and effective treatment strategies are needed, especially for infants born at gestational age 25 to 27 weeks.

Dextransucrase (EC2.4.5.1) from strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides 0326, which synthesizes dextran and oligosaccharides, which act as prebiotics, are popularly used in such industries as food and medicine. A novel dextransucrase efficient in synthesizing oligosaccharides was designed. We constructed the truncation mutant DSR-S1-ΔA (residues 1-3087bp) by deleting the 1494bp fragment of the C-terminal. The novel enzyme (MW: 110kDa) loss activity, when sucrose was used as only substrate. After adding an acceptor, DSR-S1-ΔA was fully activated but with heavily impaired polysaccharide synthesis ability. Instead, the enzyme produced a large amount of oligosaccharides. DSR-S1-ΔA showed transglycosylation for synthesizing more oligosaccharides of lower degree of polymerization (DP) with different acceptors, and it also improved the selection range of dextransucrase acceptor response to acceptors. The enzyme developed in this study can be applied in glycodiversifcation studies.

Background: Like any other countries, respiratory distress syndrome is a major cause of infantile mortality in China, especially in low birth weight infants. Objectives: The study aimed to determine the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome and identify some predictors of mortality in Chinese infants with confirmed respiratory distress syndrome (Level of Evidence: III). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the demographic characteristics, perinatal risk factors, and clinical manifestations of 600 infants with Downes’ score of ≥ 4 admitted to the Affiliated BaYi Children’s Hospital, China, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, China, from 1 January 2013 to 1 December 2018. Infants were divided into two cohorts, non-survivors (who died, n = 109) and survivors (who survived, n = 491). Factors predicting infant mortality were determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis at a 95% confidence level. Results: Infants of the non-survivor cohort were more likely to have severer respiratory distress (P = 0.003), to be of low birth weight ( 6, extreme low birth weight (< 1,000 g, P = 0.001), preterm delivery (gestational age < 37 weeks, P = 0.003), and cesarean delivery (P = 0.002) were found to be the independent risk factors of infant death. Conclusions: Preterm delivery, extremely low birth weight, and cesarean section were the risk factors of infant death from respiratory distress syndrome.

Light is a basic environmental factor required for plant growth and development; however, these are not only affected by light quantity, but also by light quality - light and radiation of different wavelengths and different compositions. In four different rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.), two kinds of shading materials, white cotton yarn (Shading (W)) and black nylon net (Shading (B)) were used to simulate cloudy days. Yield decreased under Shading (W) (15.3–17.7%) and Shading (B) (16.6–20.0%) compared to under sunny day (CK), and different effects on rice quality, which is mainly affected by changes in light quality, were observed. The change in light quality (Blue, Green, Red and R/FR proportions) represented under Shading (W) was significantly different from that under CK and Shading (B) conditions. Red light composition under Shading (W) was closer to that of the cloudy day condition. The proportion of blue light under Shading (W) was significantly lower than that under CK conditions; under Shading (B), it was higher than that under all conditions. The differences in light quality may affect photosynthesis in leaves and final starch synthesis, resulting in increased chalky grain rate, chalkiness, and poor rice quality. White cotton yarn as the shading material for further research used to simulate the influence of the light environment on rice growth under cloudy conditions will be better than black net.

Increase in grain nitrogen concentration (GNC), which is directly affected by nitrogen (N) application, can help overcome the issues of malnutrition. Here, the effects of urea type (polyaspartic acid (PASP) urea and conventional urea) and N management method (two splits and four splits) on GNC and N concentration of head rice were investigated in field experiments conducted in Sichuan, China, in 2014 and 2015. N concentration of grain and head rice were significantly (P