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Abstract Background To investigate the effect of different working periods on missed diagnoses in patients with colorectal polyps in colonoscopy. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who were diagnosed with colorectal polyps during colonoscopy in an outpatient department between July and December 2022. These patients were subsequently hospitalized for resection during this period. Patients with missed diagnoses were those who had newly discovered polyps in a second colonoscopy. The working periods were categorized as work, near the end of work, and delayed work, respectively, in the morning and afternoon. Results A total of 482 patients were included, and the miss rate of diagnosis was 48.1% (232/482), mainly in the transverse colon (25%), and the ascending colon (23%). Patient age was a risk factor for the miss rate of diagnosis (OR = 1.025, 95%CI: 1.009–1.042, P = 0.003) and was also associated with the number of polyps detected for the first colonoscopy (χ2 = 18.196, P = 0.001). The different working periods had no statistical effect on the missed rate of diagnosis (χ2 = 1.998, P = 0.849). However, there was an increasing trend in miss rates towards the end of work and delayed work periods, both in the morning and afternoon. The highest miss rate (60.0%) was observed during delayed work in the afternoon. Additionally, poor bowel preparation was significantly more common during delayed work in the afternoon. Conclusions The increasing trend in miss rates towards the end of work and delayed work periods deserves clinical attention. Endoscopists cannot always stay in good condition under heavy workloads.

Abstract Background Cyp19a1a is a key enzyme in the pathway that converts androgens into estrogen and is regulated by TGF-β signaling. Smad4 and FoxH1 are downstream effectors of TGF-β signaling and may play important roles in ovarian development in M. albus. Methods We investigated the expression pattern of the Smad4 and FoxH1 using qRT‒PCR and immunofluorescence, then tested the changes of smad4 and foxh1 by qRT‒PCR after ovary incubation with FSH in vitro, and analysed the regulation of cyp19a1a transcription by Smad4 and FoxH1 by dual-luciferase reporter assays. Results We found that Smad4 encoded a putative protein of 449 amino acids and harbored the three conserved domains typical of this protein family. Smad4 and foxh1 exhibited similar expression patterns during ovarian development and after FSH incubation, with Pearson’s coefficients of 0.873 and 0.63–0.81, respectively. Furthermore, Smad4, FoxH1 and Cyp19a1a colocalized in the granulosa cells and theca cells of ovaries during the mid-to-late vitellogenic stage. Smad4 repressed cyp19a1a activity via SBE1 (− 1372/−1364) and SBE2 (− 415/−407) in the cyp19a1a promoter, whereas mutating SBE1 or SBE2 restored cyp19a1a promoter activity. Co-overexpression of Smad4 and FoxH1 significantly reduced cyp19a1a promoter activity. Conclusions This study provides new insights into the potential functions of transcription factors Smad4 and FoxH1 in ovarian development and the transcriptional regulation mechanism of cyp19a1a in M. albus, which will reveal Smad4/FoxH1-mediated TGF-β signaling in reproduction and the regulation of the cyp19a1a. Plain English summary Aromatase, encoded by cyp19a1a, is involved in ovarian development and plays an important role in the quality of eggs, as well the sex ratio, of the teleost fish, M. albus. The research on the transcriptional regulation of cyp19a1a has contributed to the understanding of its role in ovarian development. In previous study, it was shown that FoxH1 inhibits cyp19a1a transcription. In the present study, Smad4 was confirmed as a cyp19a1a transcriptional repressor and Smad4 may also coordinate with FoxH1 to repress cyp19a1a transcription. At present, we provide a new perspective for the transcriptional regulation of cyp19a1a by transcription factors Smad4 and FoxH1 in teleost fish ovary. In the future, the regulatory networks of Smad4 and FoxH1 will be further studied and the gene editing technology will be applied to screen specific regulatory factors of cyp191a1a gene, so as to alter the female cycle and modulate the sex ratio of the eggs production.

Alternaria species are commonly found as saprophytes, endophytes and plant pathogens. During a survey of small-spored Alternaria in China, two new species were discovered from Cucurbitaceae plants collected in Hubei and Sichuan provinces. This study identified two new species of Alternaria using seven genes (ITS, GAPDH, TEF1, RPB2, Alt a 1, EndoPG, and OPA10-2) for phylogenetic analyses and morphological characteristics. The two new species A. jingzhouensis and A. momordicae were described and illustrated. Alternaria jingzhouensis sp. nov., associated with Citrullus lanatus, is characterized by producing muriform, ellipsoidal, flask-shaped, rostrate, and beaked conidia. It differs from A. koreana, A. ovoidea, and A. baoshanensis by bearing conidia in a simple conidiogenous locus with occasionally longer beaks in a chain, and from A. momordicae sp. nov. by having shorter beaks. Alternaria momordicae sp. nov. from Momordica charantia was distinct from A. koreana, A. ovoidea, and A. baoshanensis by producing muriform, long ellipsoid or ovoid to obclavate, sometimes inverted club-shaped conidia on a single conidiogenous locus with a wider body and longer beak in a chain, and distinct from A. jingzhouensis sp. nov. by a longer beak conidia. These two species were clearly distinguished from other species in the section Alternaria based on DNA based phylogeny and morphological characteristics. The morphological features were discussed and compared to relevant species in the present paper.

A long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is longer than 200 bp. It regulates various biological processes mainly by interacting with DNA, RNA, or protein in multiple kinds of biological processes. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated during nutrient starvation, especially glucose starvation and oxygen deficiency (hypoxia), and exposure to toxins that inhibit mitochondrial respiratory chain complex function. AMPK is an energy switch in organisms that controls cell growth and multiple cellular processes, including lipid and glucose metabolism, thereby maintaining intracellular energy homeostasis by activating catabolism and inhibiting anabolism. The AMPK signalling pathway consists of AMPK and its upstream and downstream targets. AMPK upstream targets include proteins such as the transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), liver kinase B1 (LKB1), and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase β (CaMKKβ), and its downstream targets include proteins such as the mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1), hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), and silencing information regulatory 1 (SIRT1). In general, proteins function relatively independently and cooperate. In this article, a review of the currently known lncRNAs involved in the AMPK signalling pathway is presented and insights into the regulatory mechanisms involved in human ageing and age-related diseases are provided.

Abstract Background The ricefield eel Monopterus albus undergoes a natural sex change from female to male during its life cycle, and previous studies have shown the potential mechanisms of this transition at the transcriptional and protein levels. However, the changes in protein levels have not been fully explored, especially in the intersexual stage. Results In the present study, the protein expression patterns in the gonadal tissues from five different periods, the ovary (OV), early intersexual stage gonad (IE), middle intersexual stage gonad (IM), late intersexual stage gonad (IL), and testis (TE), were determined by untargeted proteomics sequencing. A total of 5125 proteins and 394 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were detected in the gonadal tissues. Of the 394 DEPs, there were 136 between the OV and IE groups, 20 between the IM and IE groups, 179 between the IL and IM groups, and 59 between the TE and IL groups. Three candidate proteins, insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 isoform X1 (Igf2bp3), triosephosphate isomerase (Tpi), and Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase isoform X1 [(Cu-Zn) Sod1], were validated by western blotting to verify the reliability of the data. Furthermore, metal metabolite-related proteins were enriched in the IL vs. IM groups and TE vs. IL groups, which had close relationships with sex change, including Cu2+-, Ca2+-, Zn2+- and Fe2+/Fe3+-related proteins. Analysis of the combined transcriptome data revealed consistent protein/mRNA expression trends for two metal metabolite-related proteins/genes [LOC109953912 and calcium Binding Protein 39 Like (cab39l)]. Notably, we detected significantly higher levels of Cu2+ during the sex change process, suggesting that Cu2+ is a male-related metal metabolite that may have an important function in male reproductive development. Conclusions In summary, we analyzed the protein profiles of ricefield eel gonadal tissues in five sexual stages (OV, IE, IM, IL, and TE) and verified the plausibility of the data. After preforming the functional enrichment of metal metabolite-related DEPs, we detected the contents of the metal metabolites Zn2+, Cu2+, Ca2+, and Fe2+/Fe3+ at these five stages and screened for (Cu-Zn) Sod1 and Mmp-9 as possible key proteins in the sex reversal process.

ABSTRACTWith the development of social media, it has become increasingly important to quickly and accurately identify social media texts related to disasters (e.g. typhoon) to aid in rescue and recovery efforts. Currently, multi-class classification and pre-trained language model Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) are widely used for text classification. However, most studies on typhoon damage classification are multi-class single-label, which contradicts to the reality that a social media text may correspond to multiple types of damage. Moreover, the outputs of the hidden layers of BERT are not fully utilized. This paper proposes a two-stage multi-class multi-label classification method for typhoon damage assessment by fully integrating the outputs of the hidden layers of BERT. In the first stage, sentence vectors are adopted to identify typhoon damage-related texts. In the second stage, word matrices are applied for multi-class multi-label classification to further classify the texts into five damage categories (i.e. transportation, public, electricity, forestry, and waterlogging). The two stages are trained end-to-end to identify typhoon damage from social media texts. Experiments on [Formula: see text] texts during typhoon landfall in Chinese coastal regions demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy of text classification and comprehensively assess typhoon damage.

Objectives Persistent severe acute kidney injury (PS-AKI) is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Our study attempted to evaluate the diagnostic value of chemokines for early-stage PS-AKI prediction.Methods According to the KDIGO criteria, 115 COVID-19 patients diagnosed with stage 2/3 AKI were recruited from the intensive care unit between December 2022 and February 2023. Primary clinical outcomes included detecting PS-AKI in the first week (≥ KDIGO stage 2 ≥ 72 h). Cytometric Bead Array was used to detect patient plasma levels (interleukin-8 (IL-8), C-C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), chemokine (C-X-C Motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), and interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10)) of chemokines within 24 h of enrollment.Results Of the 115 COVID-19 patients with stage 2/3 AKI, 27 were diagnosed with PS-AKI. Among the four measured chemokines, only the IL-8 level was significantly elevated in the PS-AKI group than in the Non-PS-AKI group. IL-8 was more effective as a biomarker while predicting PS-AKI with an area under the curve of 0.769 (0.675-0.863). This was superior to other biomarkers related to AKI, including serum creatinine. Moreover, plasma IL-8 levels of >32.2 pg/ml on admission could predict PS-AKI risk (sensitivity = 92.6%, specificity = 51.1%). Additionally, the IL-8 level was associated with total protein and IL-6 levels.Conclusion Plasma IL-8 is a promising marker for the early identification of PS-AKI among COVID-19 patients. These findings should be validated in further studies with a larger sample size.

Alismatis Rhizoma (AR) is a crucial substance for discovering new triterpenoids to address hyperlipidemia and obesity. Currently, approximately 120 triterpenoids have been identified in AR, making the discovery of new triterpenoids increasingly challenging. Thus, based on the advantages of HPLC-HRMS, it was utilized to identify both reported and new triterpenoids, and then in-silico analysis was employed to predict the functions of these new triterpenoids. Twenty reported triterpenoids and four new triterpenoids (25-methoxy-16-oxo-11-anhydroalisol A, 25-methoxy-16-oxo-alisol A, 25-methoxy-16-oxo-alisol A 23-acetate, and 25-methoxy-16-oxo-alisol A 24-acetate) from AR were identified using HPLC-HRMS, and then KEGG analysis suggested four new triterpenoids might be activated the PPAR signaling pathway to relieve hyperlipemia. The results of PPI and molecular docking indicated PPARA might be the key targets for anti-hyperlipidemia of four new triterpenoids, of which 25-methoxy-16-oxo-11-anhydroalisol A has better binding activity with PPARA. Additionally, 25-methoxy-16-oxo-11-anhydroalisol A has more potential as a candidate drug because of its better absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and lower toxicity. Hence, our findings proved there are new triterpenoids with anti-hyperlipidemia medicinal potential in AR, thereby guiding the direction of future works and reducing the consumption of time and financial resources.

Abstract Background Schizothorax o’connori is an endemic fish distributed in the upper and lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River in China. It has experienced a fourth round of whole gene replication events and is a good model for exploring the genetic differentiation and environmental adaptability of fish in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has led to changes in the river system, thereby affecting gene exchange and population differentiation between fish populations. With the release of fish whole genome data, whole genome resequencing has been widely used in genetic evolutionary analysis and screening of selected genes in fish, which can better elucidate the genetic basis and molecular environmental adaptation mechanisms of fish. Therefore, our purpose of this study was to understand the population structure and adaptive characteristics of S. o’connori using the whole-genome resequencing method. Results The results showed that 23,602,746 SNPs were identified from seven populations, mostly distributed on chromosomes 2 and 23. There was no significant genetic differentiation between the populations, and the genetic diversity was relatively low. However, the Zangga population could be separated from the Bomi, Linzhi, and Milin populations in the cluster analysis. Based on historical dynamics analysis of the population, the size of the ancestral population of S. o’connori was affected by the late accelerated uplift of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the Fourth Glacial Age. The selected sites were mostly enriched in pathways related to DNA repair and energy metabolism. Conclusion Overall, the whole-genome resequencing analysis provides valuable insights into the population structure and adaptive characteristics of S. o’connori. There was no obvious genetic differentiation at the genome level between the S. o’connori populations upstream and downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The current distribution pattern and genetic diversity are influenced by the late accelerated uplift of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the Fourth Ice Age. The selected sites of S. o’connori are enriched in the energy metabolism and DNA repair pathways to adapt to the low temperature and strong ultraviolet radiation environment at high altitude.

Abstract Background Whole-genome methylation sequencing of cfDNA is not cost-effective for tumor detection. Here, we introduce reduced representative methylome profiling (RRMP), which employs restriction enzyme for depletion of AT-rich sequence to achieve enrichment and deep sequencing of CG-rich sequences. Methods We first verified the ability of RRMP to enrich CG-rich sequences using tumor cell genomic DNA and analyzed differential methylation regions between tumor cells and normal whole blood cells. We then analyzed cfDNA from 29 breast cancer patients and 27 non-breast cancer individuals to detect breast cancer by building machine learning models. Results RRMP captured 81.9% CpG islands and 75.2% gene promoters when sequenced to 10 billion base pairs, with an enrichment efficiency being comparable to RRBS. RRMP allowed us to assess DNA methylation changes between tumor cells and whole blood cells. Applying our approach to cfDNA from 29 breast cancer patients and 27 non-breast cancer individuals, we developed machine learning models that could discriminate between breast cancer and non-breast cancer controls (AUC = 0.85), suggesting possibilities for truly non-invasive cancer detection. Conclusions We developed a new method to achieve reduced representative methylome profiling of cell-free DNA for tumor detection.

Abstract Lightweight flexible piezoelectric polymers are demanded for various applications. However, the low instinctively piezoelectric coefficient (i.e. d33) and complex poling process greatly resist their applications. Herein, we show that introducing dynamic pressure during fabrication is capable for poling polyvinylidene difluoride/barium titanate (PVDF/BTO) composites with d33 of ~51.20 pC/N at low density of ~0.64 g/cm3. The melt-state dynamic pressure driven energy implantation induces structure evolutions of both PVDF and BTO are demonstrated as reasons for self-poling. Then, the porous material is employed as pressure sensor with a high output of ~20.0 V and sensitivity of ~132.87 mV/kPa. Besides, the energy harvesting experiment suggests power density of ~58.7 mW/m2 can be achieved for 10 N pressure with a long-term durability. In summary, we not only provide a high performance lightweight, flexible piezoelectric polymer composite towards sustainable self-powered sensing and energy harvesting, but also pave an avenue for electrical-free fabrication of piezoelectric polymers.

Energetic structural materials (ESMs) are a new type of structural materials with bearing and damage characteristics. In this work the microstructure, mechanical properties and energy release characteristics of multi-element Ti–Zr–Ta alloys with good casting performance were studied. The microstructure of the TixZrTa alloys gradually change from BCC + HCP to single BCC structure with the increase of Ti. While the Ti2ZryTa alloys was still uniform and single BCC structure with the increase of Zr. The evolution of microstructure and composition then greatly affect the mechanical properties and energy-release characteristics of Ti–Zr–Ta alloys. The synergistic effect of dual phase structure increases the fracture strain of TixZrTa (x = 0.2, 0.5) with the Ti content decreases, while the fracture strain of TixZrTa (x = 2.0, 3.0, 4.0) gradually increase with the Ti content increases caused by the annihilation of the obstacles for dislocation movement. And as Zr content increases, the fracture strain of Ti2ZryTa alloys decrease, then the oxidation reaction rate and fragmentation degree gradually increase. The higher oxidation rate and the lager exposed oxidation area jointly leads the higher releasing energy efficiency of TixZrTa alloys with low Ti content and Ti2ZryTa alloys with high Zr content.

The prediction of equilibrium components for chemical reactions is a considerable section in the metallurgical industry. According to the ion and molecule coexistence theory (IMCT), a modified mass action concentration model based on a thermodynamic database is proposed in this paper, which complys with the law of mass conservation and can be applied in the batching process for Al-Ti-Ca-oxide system that originates from SHS (Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis) metallurgy. The trend for slag and alloy component under different batching conditions are in good agreement with experiment, while the difference between the theoretical calculation and experiment can be attributed to the deviation from the thermodynamic equilibrium. The modified mass action concentration model with melts and slag can be used to predict the composition and content of the system when equilibrium is achieved at a certain temperature under a specific material ratio, which is conducive to reducing the cost of the experiment and predicting the operability of the actual process. Moreover, it is believed that this thermodynamic insight may has certain application prospects in these metallurgical procedure based on the equilibrium process.

Abstract Background Population‐based epidemiological evidence regarding the association between fruit and vegetable intake and the incidence of hypertension is inconsistent. This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the association between fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of new‐onset hypertension. Methods Based on the project of Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China‐PAR), 58,981 Chinese adults without hypertension at baseline were included. Information on fruit and vegetable intake was collected using a food‐frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of incident hypertension. Results During 640,795 person‐years of follow‐up, 21,008 new cases of hypertension were recorded. Compared with participants in the lowest quintile (Q1) of total fruit and vegetable (TFV) intake, the HRs (95% CIs) of incident hypertension were 0.90 (0.86–0.95), 0.85 (0.81–0.90), 0.82 (0.78–0.86), and 0.83 (0.78–0.88) for the Q2 to Q5 group (ptrend

Abstract Background Gut microbiota are closely related to the development and regulation of the host immune system by regulating the maturation of immune cells and the resistance to pathogens, which affects the host immunity. Early use of antibiotics disrupts the homeostasis of gut microbiota and increases the risk of asthma. Gut microbiota actively interact with the host immune system via the gut‐lung axis, a bidirectional communication pathway between the gut and lung. The manipulation of gut microbiota through probiotics, helminth therapy, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to combat asthma has become a hot research topic. Body This review mainly describes the current immune pathogenesis of asthma, gut microbiota and the role of the gut‐lung axis in asthma. Moreover, the potential of manipulating the gut microbiota and its metabolites as a treatment strategy for asthma has been discussed. Conclusion The gut‐lung axis has a bidirectional effect on asthma. Gut microecology imbalance contributes to asthma through bacterial structural components and metabolites. Asthma, in turn, can also cause intestinal damage through inflammation throughout the body. The manipulation of gut microbiota through probiotics, helminth therapy, and FMT can inform the treatment strategies for asthma by regulating the maturation of immune cells and the resistance to pathogens.

The relationship of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and insulin resistance remains inclusive. Our study aimed to investigate this association in the project of Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China-PAR). Specifically, we examined the associations between long-term PM2.5 exposure and three surrogate indicators of insulin resistance: the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), TyG with waist circumference (TyG-WC) and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR). Additionally, we explored potential effect modification of dietary intake and components. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the associations between PM2.5 and the indicators with an unbalanced repeated measurement design. Our analysis incorporated a total of 162,060 observations from 99,329 participants. Each 10 μg/m3 increment of PM2.5 was associated with an increase of 0.22 % [95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.20 %, 0.25 %], 1.60 % (95 % CI: 1.53 %, 1.67 %), and 2.05 % (95 % CI: 1.96 %, 2.14 %) in TyG, TyG-WC, and METS-IR, respectively. These associations were attenuated among participants with a healthy diet, particularly those with sufficient intake of fruit and vegetable, fish or tea (pinteraction

Wetlands play a crucial role in achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. Exploring spatiotemporal distribution is one of the fundamental task in wetland research. However, existing large-scale and long-term series wetland mapping methods have challenges related to classification accuracy and obtaining inter-annual wetland samples. Therefore, a rapid sample collection and precise classification method are needed to support wetland resource assessment, conservation, and ecological restoration. In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning method suitable for large-scale and long-term series wetland classification. First, we acquire and preprocess the long-term series remote sensing data on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Second, the maximum wetland extent is extracted using decision trees and the Otsu algorithm (OTSU). Third, the attention and pyramid structure-based multidimensional feature extraction network (APSMnet) and the inter-annual sample migration algorithm (ISM) are proposed for realizing inter-annual wetland classification and wetland change analysis. Experiments conducted on Landsat 7 data of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) from 2000 to 2022 demonstrate that the overall accuracy (OA), average accuracy (AA), and kappa coefficient (Kappa) achieved by the proposed wetland classification method are 0.9664, 0.9396, and 0.9570, respectively. Long-term series trend analysis reveals that mangrove/swamp areas experience fluctuations influenced by urbanization and ecological policies, ultimately undergoing restoration and becoming stable. The codes and datasets are made available publicly at https://github.com/louanjun/APSMnet.

Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality strategies bring both opportunities and challenges to the development of green buildings. In this context, the development of high-quality green buildings requires a focus on improving carbon reduction effects throughout their entire lifespan. Based on a systematic review of the achievements and existing problems in the development of green buildings in China over the past thirty years, this article benchmarks the new trends in green building standards in developed countries abroad, dissects the new requirements for the development of green buildings in China under the new situation, and proposes a high-quality carbon reduction pathways from four aspects: theoretical research, policy systems, technical systems, and software platforms. Finally, it proposes implementation suggestions for collaborative development from four dimensions: theoretical methods for calculating carbon emissions, green finance policies, a full-process carbon reduction technology system, and carbon emission accounting tools.

As of now, there are no satisfactory treatments for spinal cord injury (SCI), so new therapeutic approaches are necessary to be explored. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell exosomes (ADMSC-Exo), delightfully, show remarkable therapeutic effects. Therefore, we try to investigate the effects and mechanisms of ADMSC-Exo on SCI, as well as to provide novel approaches for the treatment of SCI. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) were isolated from rats and then exosomes (Exo) were extracted from the cells. The extracted Exo were identified by flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Then, the SCI rat model was established by the spinal cord impactor and injected with 200 µl PBS or Exo into their tail veins at 30 min, 24 h, and 48 h after surgery. The rats in the Control group and Exo group only exposed the spine. Motor function recovery was assessed on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28; histopathological changes and apoptosis levels in spinal cord tissues were observed by HE staining and TUNEL staining; the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-a, IL-6, and MCP-1 in spinal cord tissues were measured by ELISA; the expression levels of iNOS, IL-12, Arg1, and Mrc1 in spinal cord tissues were detected by qRT-PCR; and Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1 protein expression in spinal cord tissues were detected by Western blot. ADMSC-Exo were successfully isolated and identified. ADMSC-Exo significantly relieved SCI and promoted motor function recovery in SCI rats. Moreover, ADMSC-Exo inhibited the expression of both inflammatory factors in the spinal cord tissues and M1 microglia, promoted the expression of M2 microglia, and activated the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Altogether, ADMSC-Exo can not only ameliorate SCI, but also promote the motor function recovery of rats. And the mechanism of ADMSC-Exo improving SCI may be achieved by activating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and microglial polarization.

Abstract Background The day-to-day (DTD) management model encourages patients to actively participate in their healthcare by setting goals. We determined the effectiveness of the DTD model in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, as compared with conventional outpatient education (OE). Methods We randomized 254 H. pylori-positive patients into a DTD group (127 patients) and an OE group (127 patients) prior to primary treatment with 14-day bismuth-containing quadruple therapy, including esomeprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin. Both groups received consistent medication instructions. Patients in the DTD group recorded daily attendance after completing their daily medication plan from day 1 to day 14. The medication compliance, follow-up compliance, H. pylori eradication rates, and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. Results In the modified intention-to-treat (MITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses, the DTD group showed significantly higher medication compliance than the OE group (P = 0.001 and P = 0.031, respectively). Both the MITT and PP analyses showed significant differences in follow-up compliance (P

Vacuum interrupters are important components to ensure the safety of medium and high-voltage power transmission, and contact material is an important factor affecting the performance of vacuum interrupters. CuCr contact materials have been used in most commercial vacuum interrupters. This paper summarizes the research status of the electrical properties of CuCr contacts used in vacuum interrupters, analyses the factors influencing the electrical properties of CuCr contacts, and summarizes the relevant mechanisms, which point out the direction for improving the properties of CuCr alloys and promotes the development of subsequent research on the electrical properties of CuCr contacts. Finally, the electrical properties of CuCr contacts prepared by self-propagating metallurgy based on the Al–CuO–Cr2O3 reaction system are summarized.

Microalloying is an effective approach to improve the performance of CuCr alloys. This paper presents a new idea for the preparation of CuCrFe alloys by self-propagation reduction in-situ microalloying. It is found that the addition of Fe alloying components reduces the Gm and ΔGm of the CuCr melt, which inhibits the occurrence of the liquid phase decomposition process. When the Fe content of CuCrFe alloy is 1.5%, compared with the Cr-rich phase of CuCr alloy, the second phase undergoes significant refinement, the average particle size refined from 21.7 μm to 19.3 μm and the standard deviation reduced from 10.59 to 8.73, and the addition of Fe is beneficial to the spheroidization and refinement of the Cr-rich phase. Fe is mainly combined with Cr, and CuCrFe alloy still exists in the form of two phases. After solution + aging treatment, the average particle size of the second phase in CuCr alloy decreases from 21.8 μm to 17.9 μm, and that in CuCrFe alloy decreases from 19.6 μm to 18.6 μm. The conductivity of CuCrFe alloy increases from 10.5 MS m−1 to 15.9 MS m−1, and the hardness increases from 95.0 HB to 117.0 HB. After heat treatment, the nano-spherical are present in the Cr-rich phase of the CuCrFe alloy, while Fe is completely solid-soluble in the Cr-rich phase; the Cu-rich matrix shows a diffuse distribution of fine second phases, which play a role in strengthening the second phase in the matrix.

Background: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella and herpes zoster (VHZ), which is endemic worldwide. Although infection with VZV represents a considerable health threat, the global, regional and national burden of VZV infection, especially the probable relationship between VZV vaccines and the epidemiology of VZV infection, is poorly known. We sought to estimate the global spatial patterns and temporal trends of VHZ burden in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Numbers and age-standardized rates (ASR) of VHZ incidence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were estimated using data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study (GBD) 2019. Spatiotemporal trends in ASR were evaluated by estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). Results: Worldwide, in 2019, there were approximately 84.0 million incidence and 0.9 million DALYs due to VHZ. The corresponding ASIR (age-standardized incidence rate) and ASDR (age-standardized DALY rate) drastically decreased in children (aged 50 years old), with highest ASIR and ASDR in the High-income Asia Pacific and Western Sub-Saharan Africa, respectively. From 1990–2019, the corresponding EAPC in ASIR were 0.03 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 0.02–0.04). Whereas the global EAPC in ASDR decreased in all regions (−1.59, 95% UI: −1.64 to −1.55), expect for Australasia (0.46, [0.05, 0.88]). Notably, in 2019, age-specific rates of VHZ DALYs presented a rapid growth trend after 70 years old. Conclusion: The spatiotemporal trends of VHZ were heterogeneous across countries from 1990 to 2019. The spatiotemporal trend in ASIR is highest in the High sociodemographic index (SDI) region, however the EAPC in ASDR is lowest, in part probably due to VHZ vaccination. Therefore, reducing morbidity and burden strategies such as vaccines programs for the prevention of VHZ should be promoted in those regions with high growth incidence and/or burden, especially for the population after 70 years old.

Pretreatment processes are essential for the preparation of biofuels from lignocellulosic feedstocks. Based on alkaline H2O2 pretreatment, photocatalytic alkaline H2O2 pretreatment (U-AHP) was investigated to examine the effects of reaction time, alkali concentration, and H2O2 concentration on the enzymatic digestion of corn stover. The optimum process conditions were determined by orthogonal tests: 1% NaOH, 2% H2O2, and reaction time of 8 h. Under these conditions, the lignin removal efficiency of UH-AHP was 90.2% and the saccharification yield was 94.7%. Furthermore, FT-IR, XRD, and SEM analyses showed that U-AHP pretreatment caused structural damage to the maize straw and increased the crystallinity of the cellulose, and it was speculated that the U-AHP pretreatment reaction was a complex mechanism, which might be a multiple synergistic reaction. This study shows that U-AHP pretreatment is a simple, green and effective method to promote lignin removal.

IntroductionThe utilization of large-scale claims databases has greatly improved the management, accessibility, and integration of extensive medical data. However, its potential for systematically identifying comorbidities in the context of skin diseases remains unexplored.MethodsThis study aims to assess the capability of a comprehensive claims database in identifying comorbidities linked to 14 specific skin and skin-related conditions and examining temporal changes in their association patterns. This study employed a retrospective case-control cohort design utilizing 13 million skin/skin-related patients and 2 million randomly sampled controls from Optum’s de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database spanning the period from 2001 to 2018. A broad spectrum of comorbidities encompassing cancer, diabetes, respiratory, mental, immunity, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular conditions were examined for each of the 14 skin and skin-related disorders in the study.ResultsUsing the established type-2 diabetes (T2D) and psoriasis comorbidity as example, we demonstrated the association is significant (P-values

Cathaya argyrophylla, referred as “the giant panda of plants”, is an endangered relict conifer species endemic to subtropical mountainous in China. The remanent populations of C. argyrophylla only survive in four refuges, while how the species migrated into these refuges remains unknown. To investigate the genetic structure and history of C. argyrophylla, here we genotyped four natural populations of C. argyrophylla using restriction site-related DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq). The four populations exhibited a relatively high level of nucleotide diversity (π = 0.29–0.33) and low differentiation (Fst = 0.04–0.12), with relatively high gene flow frequency (Nm = 1.86–6.00). We identified two historical migration events from high latitude populations to low latitude ones. The divergence times were corresponded to the starting time of population decline, which coincided with Naynayxungla Glaciation (∼0.8–0.5 Mya), the last glacial period (LGP, ∼115–11.7 kya) and the Holocene (∼10 kya). These results indicate that historical cooling events drove the endemic status of C. argyrphylla and its migration into low latitude refuges. Our findings provide insights into the evolutionary history and genetic diversity of this endangered species.

A homogeneous CuCr50 alloy ingot prepared in situ by thermite reduction-electromagnetic casting is a type of nonequilibrium solidification structure with a Cu matrix supersaturated with Cr. In this study, the effects of heat treatment on the microstructure of the CuCr50 alloy were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), metallography microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the conductivity, macrohardness and tensile strength of the CuCr50 alloy were measured. The obtained results show that the optimal heat treatment conditions are solution treatment (975 °C for 1 h) and aging treatment (500 °C for 2 h), for which the hardness, conductivity, and tensile strength of the CuCr50 alloy are the best; the macrohardness is 103.33 HB, the conductivity is 18.60 MS/m, and the tensile strength is 199.72 MPa. TEM characterization showed that nanosized Cr particles were precipitated and dispersed in the Cu matrix after the aging treatment; the relationship between the precipitates and the Cu matrix was incoherent, and Cu dissolved into the Cr phase in the form of a solid solution to strengthen the second Cr phase.