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The expression of periostin in the tissue of colorectal cancer patients and its correlation with clinical features were studied. Periostin expression was ~4 fold up-regulated in cancer tissues compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Serum levels of periostin in patients were significantly elevated to 32.6 ± 10.8 ng/mL vs 20.4 ± 11.1 ng/mL in healthy volunteers. Higher preoperative serum periostin levels in patients were closely related to advanced-stage disease (stage III/IV), distant and lymph nodes metastasis. High level of periostin expression was detected in the SW480 human colon carcinoma cells, and could be down-regulated by small interfering RNAs (siRNA). The siRNA-mediated knockdown of periostin arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and induced apoptotic cell death in the SW480 cells. In conclusion, periostin is a promising prognostic and therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Earthquakes and other catastrophic events frequently occurring worldwide can be considered as outliers and cause a growing and urgent need to improve our understanding of the negative effects imposed by such disasters. Earthquakes can intensively impact the birth outcomes upon psychological and morphological development of the unborn children, albeit detailed characteristics remain obscure. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We utilized the birth records at Du Jiang Yan and Peng Zhou counties to investigate the birth outcomes as a consequence of a major earthquake occurred in Wenchuan, China on May 12, 2008. Totally 13,003 of neonates were recorded, with 6638 and 6365 for pre- and post- earthquake, respectively. Significant low birthweight, high ratio of low birthweight, and low Apgar scores of post-earthquake group were observed. In contrast, the sex ratio at birth, birth length and length of gestation did not show statistical differences. The overall ratio of birth-defect in the post-earthquake (1.18%) is statistically high than that of pre-earthquake (0.99%), especially for those in the first trimester on earthquake day (1.47%). The birth-defect spectrum was dramatically altered after earthquake, with the markedly increased occurrences of ear malformations. The ratio of preterm birth post-earthquake (7.41%) is significant increased than that of pre-earthquake (5.63%). For the birth outcomes of twins, significant differences of the ratio of twins, birth weight, ratio of low birthweight and birth-defect rate were observed after earthquake. CONCLUSION: A hospital-based study of birth outcomes impacted by the Wenchuan earthquake shows that the earthquake was associated with significant effects on birth outcomes, indicating it is a major monitor for long-term pregnant outcomes.

The present study was designed to compare the functional outcome of the intraspinal transplantation of CD34+ human umbilical cord blood (CB) cells with that of human bone marrow stromal (BMS) cells in adult rats with spinal cord injury. Sixty adult Wistar rats were subjected to left spinal cord hemisection, and then divided into three groups randomly. The control group received an injection of PBS without cells, while the two other groups of rats received a transplantation of 5 × 105 CD34+ CB or BMS cells, respectively. Functional outcome was measured using the modified Tarlov score at days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after transplantation. A statistically significant improvement in functional outcome and survival rate in the experimental groups of rats was observed compared with the control group. Rats that received CD34+ CB cells achieved a better improvement in functional score than those that received BMS cells at days 7 and 14 after transplantation. Histological evaluation revealed that bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled CD34+ CB and BMS cells survived and migrated into the injured area. Some of these cells expressed glial fibriliary acidic protein (GFAP) or neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN). Our data demonstrate for the first time that intraspinal transplantation of human CD34+ CB cells provides benefit in function recovery after spinal cord hemisection in rats and suggest that CD34+ CB cells may be an excellent choice of cells as routine starting material of allogenic and autologous transplantations for the treatment of spinal cord injury.

IntroductionTriple semicircular canal plugging is effective in controlling vertigo in patients with Meniere's disease, however, whether the rate of causing hearing loss during treatment is still not uniform. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) on hearing in Meniere's disease (MD) patients.MethodsDatabases Reviewed were PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Clinical Trials, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP. The study reported on the duration, follow-up time, hearing loss, and vertigo control outcomes in MD patients evaluated by TSCP. Stata 17 software was used for data analysis and assessing the risk of bias.ResultsThis meta-analysis included 367 MD patients from 7 studies. TSCP efficiently alleviated vertigo with a rate of 99% (95% CI: 0.97, 1.00) and had a hearing loss rate of 22% (95% CI: 0.16, 0.28). Subgroup analysis revealed that for hearing loss, the proportion of patients with disease duration more than or less than 12 months was 14% (95% CI: 0.05, 0.26) and 24% (95% CI: 0.19, 0.29), respectively. For vertigo control, the rates were 100% (95% CI: 0.96, 1.00) and 99% (95% CI: 0.97, 1.00), respectively. For hearing loss, the follow-up time of MD patients more than or less than 24 months was 20% (95% CI: 0.07, 0.38) and 23% (95% CI: 0.18, 0.29), respectively. For vertigo control, the rates were 99% (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00) and 99% (95% CI: 0.97, 1.00), respectively. The duration of the disease and follow-up time had no significant impact on hearing loss and vertigo control rates.ConclusionsTSCP was efficient for vertigo control but with a risk of hearing loss. It could be used as a surgical method for hearing preservation in advanced MD patients.

In this study, we investigated the recent deterioration of the radiation pattern performance of conformal arrays, which are applied to fields such as aircraft and vehicles. We analyzed the radiation pattern of conformal arrays in the array factor stage by combining previous studies on various beam-forming techniques for conformal arrays. To efficiently calculate and utilize the radiation pattern of conformal arrays, we derived an array factor based on phase composition for nonplanar arrays of three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems. As an amplitude tapering method for controlling the sidelobe level of the derived 3D array factor, we propose a Bernstein polynomial generalization method based on Genetic Learning Particle Swarm Optimization. The proposed 3D array factor was verified using a cavity-backed patch antenna operating at the X-band through EM simulation of conformal arrays as a single element.

In this paper, we propose a method for near-field-based 5G sub 6-GHz array antenna diagnosis using transfer learning. A classification network was implemented for normal/abnormal operation of the array antenna and the failure of a specific port. Furthermore, a regression network that could predict the amplitude and phase of the excitation signal of the array antenna was employed. Additionally, to accelerate the array antenna diagnosis, several near-field lines were sampled and reflected in the regression network. The proposed method was verified by measuring a fabricated 5G sub-6 GHz band 4×4 array antenna in various scenarios using a divider and coaxial cables. The tests showed that the trained network accurately diagnosed 29 of 30 measurement results.

In this paper, a low-profile HF (high-frequency) meandered dipole antenna with a ferrite-loaded artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) is proposed. To operate in the HF band while retaining a compact size, ferrite with high permeability is applied to the unit cell of the AMC. The operating frequency bandwidth of the designed unit cell of the AMC is 1.89:1 (19–36 MHz). Thereafter, a meandered dipole antenna is designed by implementing a binary genetic algorithm and is combined with the AMC. The overall size of the designed antenna is 0.06×0.06×0.002 λ3 at the lowest operating frequency. The proposed dipole antenna with a ferrite-loaded AMC is fabricated and measured. The measured VSWR bandwidth (

Abstract Endosymbionts regulate the behavior of pest species, which could provide insights into their control. The citrus leafminer (Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton) is a widely distributed pest associated with diseases of citrus, especially of young trees. Here, we determined the endosymbiont composition of P. citrella in citrus orchards across China. The resulting dataset comprised average 50,430 high-quality reads for bacterial 16S rRNA V3-V4 regions of endosymbionts from 36 P. citrella larvae sampled from 12 citrus orchards across China. The sequencing depth and sampling size of this dataset were sufficient to reveal most of the endosymbionts of P. citrella. In total, 2,875 bacterial amplicon sequence variants were obtained; taxonomic analysis revealed a total of 372 bacterial genera, most of which were Proteobacteria phylum with Undibacterium being the most abundant genus. This dataset provides the first evidence of P. citrella endosymbionts that could support the development of pest management approaches in citrus orchards.

Abstract Background Several proteins in the tripartite-motif (TRIM) family are associated with the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), but research on the role of TRIM69 was lacking. The present study examined the correlation between TRIM69 expression and colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). Methods mRNA sequencing data for COAD patients was extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas to analyze correlations between TRIM69 expression and patients’ clinical features as well as survival. Potential associations with immune cells and chemosensitivity also were predicted using various algorithms in the TIMER, Limma, clusterProfiler, GeneMANIA, and Gene Set Cancer Analysis platforms. Subsequently, polymerase chain reaction analysis and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect TRIM69 expression in COAD tissue samples from real-world patients. Results TRIM69 expression was lower in COAD tissues than in normal tissues and correlated with the pathologic stage and metastasis (M category). Additionally, TRIM69 was found to be involved in several immune-related pathways, notably the NOD-like signaling pathway. These results suggest that high TRIM69 expression has the potential to enhance tumor sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockers. Conclusions From our findings that TRIM69 expression was significantly reduced in COAD compared with non-cancer tissues and associated with pathologic stage and metastasis, we conclude that increasing TRIM69 expression and/or activity may help to improve therapeutic outcomes. Accordingly, TRIM69 represents a potentially valuable marker of metastasis and target for adjuvant therapy in COAD.

Purpose Investigate the mechanism of how sodium butyrate (NaBut) improves mitochondrial function and kidney tissue injury in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) via the AMPK/PGC-1α pathway.Methods Assess the effects of NaBut on glucose and insulin tolerance, urine, and gut microbial composition in db/db and db/m mice. Use flow cytometry and western blotting to detect the effects of NaBut on apoptosis, kidney mitochondrial function, and AMPK/PGC-1α signaling. Use HK-2 cells induced by high glucose (HG) to establish the DKD model in vitro and detect changes in the AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway and mitochondrial function after NaBut intervention.Results NaBut attenuated blood glucose levels and reversed increases in urine and serum levels of glucose, BUN, Ucr, TG, TC, and UAE in db/db mice. NaBut improved insulin tolerance, reversed PGC-1α and p-AMPK expression level in the kidneys of db/db mice, and improved lipid accumulation and mitochondrial function. NaBut was able to reverse the effects of elevated glucose, compound C, and siRNA-PGC on ROS and ATP levels. Additionally, it increased protein expression of PGC-1α and p-AMPK.Conclusion NaBut activates the kidney mitochondrial AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway and improves mitochondrial dysfunction in DKD, thus protecting kidney tissue in vitro and in vivo.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome infection can lead to cognitive dysfunction represented by changes in the default mode network. Most recent studies have been cross-sectional and thus have not revealed dynamic changes in the default mode network following acquired immune deficiency syndrome infection and antiretroviral therapy. Specifically, when brain imaging data at only one time point are analyzed, determining the duration at which the default mode network is the most effective following antiretroviral therapy after the occurrence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. However, because infection times and other factors are often uncertain, longitudinal studies cannot be conducted directly in the clinic. Therefore, in this study, we performed a longitudinal study on the dynamic changes in the default mode network over time in a rhesus monkey model of simian immunodeficiency virus infection. We found marked changes in default mode network connectivity in 11 pairs of regions of interest at baseline and 10 days and 4 weeks after virus inoculation. Significant interactions between treatment and time were observed in the default mode network connectivity of regions of interest pairs area 31/V6.R and area 8/frontal eye field (FEF). L, area 8/FEF.L and caudal temporal parietal occipital area (TPOC).R, and area 31/V6.R and TPOC.L. ART administered 4 weeks after infection not only interrupted the progress of simian immunodeficiency virus infection but also preserved brain function to a large extent. These findings suggest that the default mode network is affected in the early stage of simian immunodeficiency virus infection and that it may serve as a potential biomarker for early changes in brain function and an objective indicator for making early clinical intervention decisions.

Abstract Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic chronic autoimmune disease; cellular glutamine metabolism in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) of RA was known to be essential for RA pathogenesis and progression. NEAT1, a long non-coding RNA, functions as an oncogene in diverse cancers. The exact roles and molecular mechanisms of NEAT1 in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) of RA patients are unknown. Methods Expression of NEAT1 and miR-338-3p was measured by qRT-PCR. lncRNA-miRNA and miRNA-mRNA interactions were predicted from starBase and validated by RNA pull-down and luciferase assay. The glutamine metabolism of FLSs was evaluated by glutamine uptake and glutaminase activity. Cell death in FLSs in response to H2O2 was assessed by MTT and Annexin V assays. Results NEAT1 was significantly upregulated, and miR-338-3p was significantly downregulated in FLSs from RA patients compared to normal FLSs. Silencing of NEAT1 and overexpression of miR-338-3p suppressed glutamine metabolism in FLSs-RA and promoted H2O2-induced apoptosis. Bioinformatics analysis showed that NEAT1 sponges miR-338-3p to form competing endogenous RNA (ceRNAs), which was verified by RNA pull-down assay and luciferase assay FLSs-RA had an increased rate of glutamine metabolism compared to normal FLSs increased compared to normal FLSs. The results confirmed that GLS (Glutaminase), a key enzyme in glutamine metabolism, is a direct target of miR-338-3p in FLSs-RA. miR-338-3p inhibition of glutamine metabolism was verified by rescue experiments verified. Finally, restoration of miR-338-3p in FLSs-RA expressing NEAT1 overcomes NEAT1-promoted glutamine metabolism and resistance to apoptosis. Conclusions This study reveals the essential role and molecular targets of NEAT1-regulated glutamine metabolism and FLSs-RA dysfunction in fibroblast-like synoviocytes of RA and indicates that blocking the molecular pathway via non-coding RNAs may be beneficial for RA patients.

Objective To investigate the MRI manifestations of AIDS associated with neurosyphilis and improve the understanding of this condition.Methods Data showing the imaging characteristics and clinical manifestations in patients with clinically proven AIDS associated with neurosyphilis in Bei-jing You’an Hospital Affiliated of Capital Medical University were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Results A total of 32 patients were included and a total of 29 lesions were found. The location of le-sions was: temporal lobe 7 cases (24.14%), basal gangli 6 cases (20.69%), frontal lobe 6 cases (20.69%), parietal lobe 3 cases (10.34%), occipital lobe 3 cases (10.34%), centrum semiovale 2 cases (6.90%) and cerebral atrophy was present in 2 cases (6.90%). According to the site of TP invasion and clinical mani-festations, the types of cases were as follows: 9 asymptomatic cases (28.12%), 2 meningeal cases (6.25%), 5 meningeal vascular cases (15.62%), 15 parenchymal cases (46.88%) and 1 gumma case (3.13%). After injection of Gd-DTPA, gyria-enhancment was detected in meningal neurosyphilis, lamella and gyria-enhancment was found in meningovascular neurosyphilis, while irregular enhancing was noted in the cerebral gumma. Cerebral atrophy was manifested in a patient with general paresis of the insane. The symptoms improved after anti-syphilis treatment.Conclusion AIDS with neurosyphilis has atypical MRI manifestations. Comprehensive analysis of imaging data and laboratory examination is helpful to assist in early diagnosis of neurosyphilis.

Huanglongbing (HLB), the most prevalent citrus disease worldwide, is responsible for substantial yield and economic losses. Phytobiomes, which have critical effects on plant health, are associated with HLB outcomes. The development of a refined model for predicting HLB outbreaks based on phytobiome markers may facilitate early disease detection, thus enabling growers to minimize damages. Although some investigations have focused on differences in the phytobiomes of HLB-infected citrus plants and healthy ones, individual studies are inappropriate for generating common biomarkers useful for detecting HLB on a global scale. In this study, we therefore obtained bacterial information from several independent datasets representing hundreds of citrus samples from six continents and used these data to construct HLB prediction models based on 10 machine learning algorithms. We detected clear differences in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbiomes of HLB-infected and healthy citrus samples. Moreover, phytobiome alpha diversity indices were consistently higher for healthy samples. Furthermore, the contribution of stochastic processes to citrus rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbiome assemblies decreased in response to HLB. Comparison of all constructed models indicated that a random forest model based on 28 bacterial genera in the rhizosphere and a bagging model based on 17 bacterial species in the phyllosphere predicted the health status of citrus plants with almost 100% accuracy. Our results thus demonstrate that machine learning models and phytobiome biomarkers may be applied to evaluate the health status of citrus plants.

Abstract Background To explore the correlation between the volume of putamen and brain cognitive impairment in patients with HIV and to predict the feasibility of early-stage HIV brain cognitive impairment through radiomics. Method Retrospective selection of 90 patients with HIV infection, including 36 asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI) patients and 54 pre-clinical ANI patients in Beijing YouAn Hospital. All patients received comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and MRI scanning. 3D Slicer software was used to acquire volume of interest (VOI) and radiomics features. Clinical variables and volume of putamen were compared between patients with ANI and pre-clinical ANI. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to analysis multiple comparisons between groups. The relationship between cognitive scores and VOI was compared using linear regression. For radiomics, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce model overfitting and calculations and then a support vector machine (SVM) was used to build a binary classification model. For model performance evaluation, we used an accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Result There were no significant differences in clinical variables between ANI group and pre-clinical-ANI group (P>0.05). The volume of bilateral putamen was significantly different between AHI group and pre-clinical group (P

Abstract Stem cells can be used for regenerative medicine and as treatments for disease. The application of tissue engineering-related transplantation, stem cells, and local changes in the microenvironment is expected to solve major medical problems. Currently, most studies focus on tissue repair and regeneration, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are among the most common research topics. MSCs are applicable as seed cells, and they represent one of the current hot topics in regenerative medicine research. However, due to storage limitations and because cell senescence occurs during in vitro expansion, their clinical application is challenging. Exosomes, which are secreted by MSCs through paracrine signalling, not only have the same effects as MSCs, but they also have the advantages of targeted delivery, low immunogenicity, and high repairability. This article reviews the acquisition methods, characteristics, biological functions, and clinical applications of exosomes.

Abstract Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a primary complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). The pathology of DN is still vague, and diagnostic accuracy is not enough. This study was performed to identify miRNAs and genes that have possibilities of being used as therapeutic targets for DN in type 2 DM. Methods Human miRNA data GSE51674 and gene data GSE111154 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) in the kidney between control and DN patients were screened out. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed, and key lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA pairs were selected accordingly. Potential drugs targeting DEGs were screened out and validated using PCR analysis. Results Totally, 83 DEmiRNAs and 293 DEGs were identified in GSE51674 and GSE111154, respectively. Thirteen of the top 20 DEmiRNAs (10 up and 10 down) targeted to 47 DEGs. In the ceRNA network, RP11-363E7.4/TTN-AS1/HOTAIRM1-hsa-miR-106b-5p-PTGER3 and LINC00960-hsa-miR-1237-3p-MMP-2 interaction pairs were identified as the key ceRNA network. Interestingly, PTGER3 and hsa-miR-1237-3p were downregulated, and MMP-2 and hsa-miR-106b-5p were upregulated in the kidney of patients with DN compared with normal controls, respectively. PTGER3 and MMP-2 were targeted by drugs including iloprost, treprostinil, or captopril, and the deregulation of the two genes was confirmed in the plasma samples from patients with DN as compared with controls. Conclusions We speculated that the RP11-363E7.4/TTN-AS1/HOTAIRM1-hsa-miR-106b-5p-PTGER3 and LINC00960-hsa-miR-1237-3p-MMP-2 networks were associated with diabetic renal injury.

Abstract Background Pediatric COVID-19 is relatively mild and may vary from that in adults. This study was to investigate the epidemic, clinical, and imaging features of pediatric COVID-19 pneumonia for early diagnosis and treatment. Methods Forty-one children infected with COVID-19 were analyzed in the epidemic, clinical and imaging data. Results Among 30 children with mild COVID-19, seven had no symptoms, fifteen had low or mediate fever, and eight presented with cough, nasal congestion, diarrhea, headache, or fatigue. Among eleven children with moderate COVID-19, nine presented with low or mediate fever, accompanied with cough and runny nose, and two had no symptoms. Significantly (P

Abstract The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of a rapidly spreading illness, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), affecting more than seventeen million people around the world. Diagnosis and treatment guidelines for clinicians caring for patients are needed. In the early stage, we have issued “A rapid advice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia (standard version)”; now there are many direct evidences emerged and may change some of previous recommendations and it is ripe for develop an evidence-based guideline. We formed a working group of clinical experts and methodologists. The steering group members proposed 29 questions that are relevant to the management of COVID-19 covering the following areas: chemoprophylaxis, diagnosis, treatments, and discharge management. We searched the literature for direct evidence on the management of COVID-19, and assessed its certainty generated recommendations using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Recommendations were either strong or weak, or in the form of ungraded consensus-based statement. Finally, we issued 34 statements. Among them, 6 were strong recommendations for, 14 were weak recommendations for, 3 were weak recommendations against and 11 were ungraded consensus-based statement. They covered topics of chemoprophylaxis (including agents and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) agents), diagnosis (including clinical manifestations, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respiratory tract specimens, IgM and IgG antibody tests, chest computed tomography, chest x-ray, and CT features of asymptomatic infections), treatments (including lopinavir-ritonavir, umifenovir, favipiravir, interferon, remdesivir, combination of antiviral drugs, hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine, interleukin-6 inhibitors, interleukin-1 inhibitors, glucocorticoid, qingfei paidu decoction, lianhua qingwen granules/capsules, convalescent plasma, lung transplantation, invasive or noninvasive ventilation, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)), and discharge management (including discharge criteria and management plan in patients whose RT-PCR retesting shows SARS-CoV-2 positive after discharge). We also created two figures of these recommendations for the implementation purpose. We hope these recommendations can help support healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the liver, and its morbidity and mortality have been increasing in recent years. The early diagnosis and prompt treatment of small HCC are crucial to improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients. In China, hepatitis B virus infection is the main cause. HCC with a single tumor nodule of ≤ 3 cm in diameter, or HCC with a number of nodules, in which each nodule is ≤ 2 cm in diameter, with a total diameter of ≤ 3 cm, is considered as small HCC. The MRI liver-specific contrast agent can detect small HCC at the early stage. This has important clinical implications for improving the survival rate of patients. Main body Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can significantly improve the sensitivity and specificity of the detection of HBV-related small hepatocellular carcinoma, providing an important basis for the clinical selection of appropriate personalized treatment. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can reflect the degree of HCC differentiation, and the evaluation of HCC on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI would be helpful for the selection of the treatment and prognosis of HCC patients. The present study reviews the progress of the application of Gd-EOB-DTPA in the early diagnosis of small HCC, its clinical treatment, the prediction of the degree of differentiation, and the assessment of recurrence and prognosis of HCC, including the pharmacoeconomics and application limitations of Gd-EOB-DTPA. The value of the application of HCC with the Gd-EOB-DTPA was summarized to provide information for improving the quality of life and prolonging the survival of patients. Conclusion Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI has the diagnostic capability for small HCC with a diameter of ≤ 2 cm. This will have a broader application prospect in the early diagnosis of small liver cancer with a diameter of ≤ 1 cm in the future. The relationship between GD-EOB-DTPA-MRI and the degree of HCC differentiation has a large research space, and Gd-EOB-DTPA is expected to become a potential tool for the preoperative prediction and postoperative evaluation of HCC, which would be beneficial for more appropriate treatments for HCC patients.

This is the protocol of updated our previously guideline named “A rapid advice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia (standard version)”. This protocol included guideline methodology, target users, target population, conflict of interest policy, evidence searching, review and assessment, grading of evidence and recommendations development of recommendations, and updating plan. We also attached three appendices for readers: list of clinical questions, searching strategies, survey questionnaire of conflict of interest.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of syphilis infection on the microstructure of white matter (WM) in HIV-infected male patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).Methods: Twenty-seven HIV-infected male patients with current syphilis or a history of syphilis (HIV +/syphilis +), twenty-nine HIV-infected male patients without syphilis co-infection (HIV +/syphilis–), and twenty-nine healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. All participants received DTI, and all patients received comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was adopted to analyze the DTI measures: fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationships between DTI measures and cognitive performance.Results: There were no significant differences in DTI measures between HIV+/syphilis– and HC. Compared with HC, lower FA was found in body of corpus callosum (BCC), splenium of corpus callosum (SCC), genu of corpus callosum (GCC), the bilateral anterior corona radiata (ACR), superior corona radiata (SCR), posterior corona radiata (PCR), and posterior thalamic radiation (PTR) in HIV+/syphilis+ (p < 0.05). Higher RD was found in BCC and SCC (p < 0.05). Compared with HIV+/syphilis–, lower scores were found in complex motor skills (CMS) in HIV+/syphilis+, lower FA was found in BCC, SCC, GCC, the bilateral ACR, SCR, PCR, PTR, cingulate gyrus (CGC), the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO), the retrolenticular part of internal capsule (RLIC), sagittal stratum (SS), external capsule (EC) in HIV+/syphilis+ (p < 0.01). Correlation analysis uncorrected for multiple comparisons showed there was a positive correlation between FA in GCC and CMS, FA in BCC, and CMS in HIV+/syphilis+.Conclusions: Syphilis co-infection can have an additive or synergistic effect on the brain WM in HIV-infected subjects. HIV-infected patients without syphilis should be actively treated to avoid syphilis infection.

Objectives. The clinical and imaging features of asymptomatic carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Methods. The clinical and chest computed tomography imaging data of 47 asymptomatic carriers and 36 symptomatic COVID-19 patients were derived. All patients underwent 4–6 CT scans over a period of 2–5 days. Results. The bulk of asymptomatic carriers who developed symptoms and most of the COVID-19 patients were older than 18 years of age with a decreased lymphocyte count, abnormal hepatic and renal function, and increased D-dimer and C-reactive protein. In the early stage, the pulmonary lesion involved mostly 1–2 lobes at the peripheral area in asymptomatic carriers but more than three lobes at both the central and peripheral areas in COVID-19 patients. In the progression stage, the lesion of asymptomatic carriers extended from the peripheral to the central area, and no significant difference was found in the lesion range compared with the symptomatic control group. In early improvement stage, the lesion was rapidly absorbed, and lesions were located primarily at the peripheral area in asymptomatic carriers; contrastingly, lesions were primarily located at both the central and peripheral areas in symptomatic patients. Asymptomatic carriers reflected a significantly shorter duration from disease onset to peak progression stage compared with the symptomatic. Conclusions. Asymptomatic carriers are a potential source of transmission and may become symptomatic COVID-19 patients despite indicating less severe pulmonary damage, earlier improvement, and better prognosis. Early isolation and intervention can eliminate such carriers as potential sources of transmission and improve their prognosis.

On January 20, 2020, the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China issued the No. 1 document of 2020, which officially incorporated the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia into the Class B infectious diseases specified in the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, and adopted the Class A infectious diseases prevention and control measures. The article summarizes the origin of 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia, related concepts, and respiratory coronavirus that often causes unexplained pneumonia. It focuses on the pathology and radiology manifestations of SARS, and the principles of management of 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia.

For near-field synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, frequency domain imaging algorithms typically require the array elements to be uniformly arranged to facilitate the application of fast Fourier transform (FFT) operations; this greatly restricts the array types that can be used for practical applications. For arrays with non-uniformly positioned antennas, no general and efficient imaging algorithm is available yet. To address this issue, an effective algorithm for efficient three-dimensional (3D) SAR imaging with arbitrary linear multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) array topologies is proposed. Specifically, non-uniform FFT (NUFFT) technology is utilized to tackle the non-uniform sampling issues in both the spatial and the wavenumber domain. Despite the intuitive idea, to achieve satisfied imaging, some issues are non-trivial and should be carefully addressed. Both simulations and experiments show the superiority of the proposed algorithm on computational complexity while maintain the same high imaging precision compared with the back-projection algorithm (BPA). Moreover, we suggest that the concept of NUFFT-based imaging can also be generalized to other imaging regimes with arbitrary array configurations.

Spicy foods are very popular in many countries of the world, but there is still a lack of a simple and intuitive unit to characterize the pungency degree of spicy foods. In this study, the pungency degrees of Spicy Hotpot were evaluated by a large-scale consumer testing, and six levels of pungency degree were graded and connected with contents of main capsaicinoids (CMC) in Spicy Hotpot, from which a new unit of pungency degree was established, the “Li Spicy Unit” (LSU), with the equation: LSU = 10.369 ln (CMC) + 65.264. In addition, it was found that LSU was also suitable for evaluating the pungency degree of several other spicy foods. Therefore, LSU can be a good indicator of the pungency degree of diverse spicy foods. The new LSU can provide an easy tool for public education to help consumers pick spicy foods with a suitable pungency degree.

The continuous accumulation of extracellular matrix will eventually lead to glomerular sclerosis, interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy and vascular sclerosis, which are involved in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). If these processes can be discovered early and effective interventions given in time, the progression of kidney disease may be delayed. Therefore, exploring new biomarkers and therapeutic targets that can identify CKD at an early stage is urgently needed. In recent years, studies have shown that urine periostin may be used as a marker of early renal tubular injury. And in an animal model experiment of hypertensive nephropathy, periostin is involved in the progression of kidney injury and reflects its progression. Here we review the current progress on the role of periostin in pathologic pathways of kidney system to explore whether periostin is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of CKD.

Background Herpangina is a highly infectious disease, which is usually prevalent in preschool children. Methods This study analyzed the clinical and pathogenic characteristics of herpangina children to demonstrate the epidemiology of herpangina. Clinical manifestations, laboratory indicators and pharyngeal swabs were collected from children with herpangina who were monitored by Tongzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, 2008. Utilizing pharyngeal swabs, virus extraction and amplification were performed for nucleotide identification and sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis was conducted based on all sequences amplified in this study and strains retrieved from GenBank. Results Among 190 children with herpangina, 69.0% (131/190) were positive for enterovirus. Eight genotypes were identified, mainly including CV-A6 (39/131), CV-A4 (25/131), CV-A10 (24/131). The phylogenetic analysis showed one CV-A6 strain of Tongzhou was imported from Japan. CV-A10 strains were clustered into five groups (A-E). The dominant cluster of CV-A10 was Group E6 between 2009 and 2013, and converted to Group E5 after 2013. CV-A6 was the predominant pathogen causing herpangina in Tongzhou in 2018, followed by CV-A4 and CV-A10. Conclusions The circulation of coxsackievirus had spatiotemporal cluster. In controlling the transmission of herpangina, the surveillance and reporting system should be enhanced.

Cytokine storm resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection is one of the leading causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and lung fibrosis. We investigated the effect of inflammatory molecules to identify any marker that is related to lung fibrosis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Seventy-six COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Youan Hospital between January 21 and March 20, 2020 and recovered were recruited for this study. Pulmonary fibrosis, represented as fibrotic volume on chest CT images, was computed by an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted program. Plasma samples were collected from the participants shortly after admission, to measure the basal inflammatory molecules levels. At discharge, fibrosis was present in 46 (60.5%) patients whose plasma interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were twofold lower than those without fibrosis (p > 0.05). The multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analysis demonstrated the inverse association risk of having lung fibrosis and basal circulating IFN-γ levels with an estimate of 0.43 (p = 0.02). Per the 1-SD increase of basal IFN-γ level in circulation, the fibrosis volume decreased by 0.070% (p = 0.04) at the discharge of participants. The basal circulating IFN-γ levels were comparable with c-reactive protein in the discrimination of the occurrence of lung fibrosis among COVID-19 patients at discharge, unlike circulating IL-6 levels. In conclusion, these data indicate that decreased circulating IFN-γ is a risk factor of lung fibrosis in COVID-19.

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We aimed to investigate the effect of As2O3 treatment on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related genes and pathways in renal cancer. Illumina-based RNA-seq of 786-O cells with or without As2O3 treatment was performed, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using Cuffdiff software. TargetMine was utilized to perform Gene Ontology (GO) pathway and Disease Ontology enrichment analyses. Furthermore, TRANSFAC database and LPIA method were applied to select differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) and pathways related to Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, respectively. Additionally, transcriptional regulatory and pathway crosstalk networks were constructed. In total, 1684 DEGs and 69 TFs were screened out. The 821 up-regulated DEGs were mainly enriched in 67 pathways, 70 GO terms, and 46 disease pathways, while only 1 pathway and 5 GO terms were enriched for 863 down-regulated DEGs. A total of 18 DEGs (4 up-regulated and 14 down-regulated genes) were involved in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Among the 18 DEGs, 4 ones were TFs. Furthermore, 211 pathways were predicted to be linked to the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, As2O3 may have a significant effect on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway for renal cancer treatment. The potential key DEGs are expected to be used as therapeutic targets.

Abstract Background HIV is a neurotropic virus, and it can bring about neurodegeneration and may even result in cognitive impairments. The precise mechanism of HIV-associated white matter (WM) injury is unknown. The effects of multiple clinical contributors on WM impairments and the relationship between the WM alterations and cognitive performance merit further investigation. Methods Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed in 20 antiretroviral-naïve HIV-positive asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI) adults and 20 healthy volunteers. Whole-brain analysis of DTI metrics between groups was conducted by employing tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD). DTI parameters were correlated with clinical variables (age, CD4+ cell count, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, plasma viral load and duration of HIV infection) and multiple cognitive tests by using multilinear regression analyses. Results DTI quantified diffusion alterations in the corpus callosum and corona radiata (MD increased significantly, P

To simulate sheet metal forming processes precisely, an in-house dynamic explicit code was developed to apply a new solid-shell element to sheet metal forming analyses, with a corotational coordinate system utilized to simplify the nonlinearity and to integrate the element with anisotropic constitutive laws. The enhancing parameter of the solid-shell element, implemented to circumvent the volumetric and thickness locking phenomena, was condensed into an explicit form. To avoid the rank deficiency, a modified physical stabilization involving the B-bar method and reconstruction of transverse shear components was adopted. For computational efficiency of the solid-shell element in numerical applications, an adaptive mesh subdivision scheme was developed, with element geometry and contact condition taken as subdivision criteria. To accurately capture the anisotropic behavior of sheet metals, material models with three different anisotropic yield functions were incorporated. Several numerical examples were carried out to validate the accuracy of the proposed element and the efficiency of the adaptive mesh subdivision.

Background: The incidence of cryptococcal meningitis among immunocompetent patients increases, especially in China and imaging plays an important role. The current study was to find the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) manifestation and clinical severity in nonhuman immunodeficiency virus patients with cryptococcal infection of central nervous system (CNS). Methods: A total of 65 patients with CNS cryptococcal infection from August 2014 to October 2016 were retrospectively included in this study. All the patients had MRI data and clinical data. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether the patients were confirmed with identifiable underlying disease. Comparison and correlation of MRI and clinical data in both groups were investigated using independent sample t- test, Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test and Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results: In all 65 patients, 41 cases (41/65, 63.1%; Group 1) had normal immunity and 24 cases (24/65, 36.9%; Group 2) had at least one identifiable underlying disease. Fever, higher percentage of neutrophil (NEUT) in white blood cell (WBC), and increased cell number of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were much common in patients with underlying disease (Group 1 vs. Group 2: Fever: 21/41 vs. 21/24, χ2 = 8.715, P = 0.003; NEUT in WBC: 73.15% vs. 79.60%, Z = −2.370, P = 0.018; cell number of CSF: 19 vs. 200, Z = −4.298, P < 0.001; respectively). Compared to the patients with normal immunity, the lesions are more common in the basal ganglia among patients with identifiable underlying disease (Group 1 vs. Group 2: 20/41 vs. 20/24, χ2 = 7.636, P = 0.006). The number of the involved brain areas in patients with identifiable underlying disease were well correlated with the number of cells and pressure of CSF (r = −0.472, P = 0.031; r = 0.779, P = 0.039; respectively). Conclusions: With the increased number of the involved brain areas in patients with identifiable underlying disease, the body has lower immunity against the organism which might result in higher intracranial pressure and more severe clinical status.

To clarify how to arrive at earthquake ground motion parameters for use in evaluating the high rockfill dams during seismic loading conditions, as well as to evaluate reasonably the seismic response of dams subjected to strong earthquake, the differences of design response spectra determined by scenario earthquake and uniform hazard spectra theory are investigated in detail. Coupled with the safety evaluation of the Houziyan concrete-faced rockfill dam (CFRD) with a height of 200 m located in meizoseismal regions, comprehensive comparisons of key safety evaluation indices are performed using input motions determined from the abovementioned two design response spectra. The key safety evaluation indices include dynamic response acceleration, permanent deformation, safety of the impervious body, safety factor, and sliding displacement of the potential failure sliding body. Additionally, the ultimate seismic capability of the high CFRD is discussed based on the two response spectra. More considerable results can be achieved and offered to the engineers for the seismic design. It is obvious that the uniform hazard spectra, which are used to adopt in the safety evaluation of high CFRD, typically result in conservative evaluations and unnecessary economic cost for seismic design and reinforcements.

The impact of erectile dysfunction is distressing to both males and their female partners, but less attention has been paid to identify female partners′ preferred treatment and sexual quality of life outcomes. The present analysis explores female partners′ treatment preference for erectile dysfunction in Chinese Men. This was a phase 4, randomized, open-label, multicenter, crossover study in Chinese men with erectile dysfunction who were naïve to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor treatments. Eligible patients were randomized to sequential 20-mg tadalafil/100-mg sildenafil or 100-mg sildenafil/20-mg tadalafil for 8 weeks each. Of 418 patients, female partners of 64 patients agreed to enter the study; of 64 patients who entered the study with female partners, 63 were randomized, and 62 completed the study. Baseline demographics and disease characteristics were comparable between treatment groups. Significantly more couples preferred tadalafil compared with sildenafil overall (75.4% vs 24.6%; P < 0.001), and irrespective of erectile dysfunction severity at baseline (P ≤ 0.005). Significant improvements in sexual quality of life scores were reported at endpoint (Visit 8) in male patients and female partners in both tadalafil and sildenafil treatment groups (P < 0.001). Significantly higher mean changes from baseline were observed for male patients in the tadalafil group compared with the sildenafil group for the erectile function (P = 0.013) and overall satisfaction (P = 0.019) International Index for Erectile Function domains and the spontaneity domain (P < 0.001) of the Psychological and Interpersonal Relationship Scale. No major safety concerns were reported during the study. Though both treatments were effective, safe, and tolerable, more couples preferred tadalafil compared with sildenafil.

Background: A major question when attempting to eradicate and treat HIV-1 infection is how to reactivate latent proviruses. Stimulating HIV-1-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) has been shown to facilitate the elimination of the latent viral reservoir after viral reactivation. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are known to be capable of lowering both HIV-specific immunoreactions and general immune activation during HIV-1 infection. It was hypothesized that the depletion of Treg cells could increase the HIV-1-specific cytolytic T lymphocyte response and reactivate HIV-1 p24 production. Methods: Treg cells were isolated by isolation kit according to the surface marker of Treg cells. Real-time PCR method was used to quantify HIV-1 DNA. P24 antigens in the cell culture supernatant was done by ELISA. Cells activation and HIV specific HIV-1 CD8+ T cells were analyses using a FACSCalibur flow cytometer and CELLQUEST software. Results: This study included both HIV-infected patients who were antiviral treatment-naïve and patients with sustained viral responses to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 1 or 5 years. It was found that the HIV-DNA levels in Treg cells were approximately 10-fold higher than those in non-Treg CD4+ cells and that the depletion of Treg cells could enhance the frequency of HIV-1-specific CTL and immune activation after 5 years of effective ART. Conclusions: CD4+CD25+CD127 regulatory cells play multiple roles in maintaining HIV-1 p24 production in long-term ART patients. Treg cells may be a target for eliminating the latent HIV reservoir after effective long-term ART.

The study was to compare treatment preference, efficacy, and tolerability of sildenafil citrate (sildenafil) and tadalafil for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) in Chinese men naοve to phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor therapies. This multicenter, randomized, open-label, crossover study evaluated whether Chinese men with ED preferred 20-mg tadalafil or 100-mg sildenafil. After a 4 weeks baseline assessment, 383 eligible patients were randomized to sequential 20-mg tadalafil per 100-mg sildenafil or vice versa for 8 weeks respectively and then chose which treatment they preferred to take during the 8 weeks extension. Primary efficacy was measured by Question 1 of the PDE5 Inhibitor Treatment Preference Questionnaire (PITPQ). Secondary efficacy was analyzed by PITPQ Question 2, the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) erectile function (EF) domain, sexual encounter profile (SEP) Questions 2 and 3, and the Drug Attributes Questionnaire. Three hundred and fifty men (91%) completed the randomized treatment phase. Two hundred and forty-two per 350 (69.1%) patients preferred 20-mg tadalafil, and 108/350 (30.9%) preferred 100-mg sildenafil (P < 0.001) as their treatment in the 8 weeks extension. Ninety-two per 242 (38%) patients strongly preferred tadalafil and 37/108 (34.3%) strongly the preferred sildenafil. The SEP2 (penetration), SEP3 (successful intercourse), and IIEF-EF domain scores were improved in both tadalafil and sildenafil treatment groups. For patients who preferred tadalafil, getting an erection long after taking the medication was the most reported reason for tadalafil preference. The only treatment-emergent adverse event reported by > 2% of men was headache. After tadalafil and sildenafil treatments, more Chinese men with ED naοve to PDE5 inhibitor preferred tadalafil. Both sildenafil and tadalafil treatments were effective and safe.

Background: Liver transplantation has become the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage acute or chronic hepatic disease. Bile duct complications are common events after liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the blood supply of the human bile duct and identify the underlying mechanisms of bile duct complications after liver transplantation. Methods: The duct supply branches from gastroduodenal artery and blood supply of extrahepatic bile duct system were re-evaluated through selective hepatic angiography from 600 patients. In addition, 33 cadavers were injected with latex casting material into the common hepatic artery, then the extrahepatic bile duct and the branches from the common hepatic artery were carefully dissected to visualize the gastroduodenal artery and its branching to the extrahepatic bile duct. Results: The bile duct artery arose from the branch of the gastroduodenal artery in 8.1% (49/600). Of these 49 individuals, the bile duct artery was supplied by the gastroduodenal artery (61.22%, 30/49), the proper hepatic artery (14.29%, 7/49), or both the gastroduodenal artery and the proper hepatic artery (24.49%, 12/49). In our study of 33 cadavers, the percentage that the bile duct artery arose from the gastroduodenal artery was 27.27%. The blood supply to the bile extrahepatic bile ducts was divided into different segments and formed longitudinal and arterial network anastomosed on the walls of the duct. Conclusions: There is a close relationship between the duct supply branches from gastroduodenal artery and the blood supplying patterns of the extrahepatic bile duct system. In liver transplant surgery, the initial part of the gastroduodenal artery is preferred to be preserved in the donor liver. It is of great significance to improve the success rate of operation and reduce complications.

From June 2005 to October 2012, there were 135 cases with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea admitted in our hospital who underwent nasal endoscopic repair surgery, and intracranial infection happened in 3 cases after surgery, including intracranial mucormycosis in one case, brain abscess in one case and bacterial infection in one case. These 3 cases underwent surgery to clear up the focus of infection, supplemented by antifungal drugs or antibiotic therapy. Case 1 and Case 2 were followed up for 2 years without CSF rhinorrhea or intracranial infection; Case 3 died due to multiple organ failure. The intracranial complications after nasal endoscopic surgery for repairing CSF leakage are rare and need combined treatment of relevant departments. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2014.08.016

Gastric cancer continues to be the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths worldwide. However, the exact molecular mechanisms are still unclear. Further research to find potential targets for therapy is critical and urgent. In this study, we found that ARPC2 promoted cell proliferation and invasion in the human cancer cell line MKN-28 using a cell total number assay, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay, cell colony formation assay, migration assay, invasion assay, and wound healing assay. For downstream pathways, CTNND1, EZH2, BCL2L2, CDH2, VIM, and EGFR were upregulated by ARPC2, whereas PTEN, BAK, and CDH1 were downregulated by ARPC2. In a clinical study, we examined the expression of ARPC2 in 110 cases of normal human gastric tissues and 110 cases of human gastric cancer tissues. ARPC2 showed higher expression in gastric cancer tissues than in normal gastric tissues. In the association analysis of 110 gastric cancer tissues, ARPC2 showed significant associations with large tumor size, lymph node invasion, and high tumor stage. In addition, ARPC2-positive patients exhibited lower RFS and OS rates compared with ARPC2-negative patients. We thus identify that ARPC2 plays an aneretic role in human gastric cancer and provided a new target for gastric cancer therapy.

The paper mainly focuses on the study of the effects of Rayleigh damping in the simulations of FRP-concrete bonded joints, thereby proposing an approach to determine the value of its appropriate Rayleigh damping. Specifically, the element tests under Mode I and Mode II fracture modes were first carried out to investigate the effects of the mass proportional Rayleigh damping and the stiffness proportional Rayleigh damping. An FRP-concrete bonded joint is then employed to further investigate the effects of Rayleigh damping on the simulation results under Mode II fracture mode. It is shown that low-frequency vibrations are produced in the simulations of the specimens loaded by Mode I loading and could be damped by the mass proportional Rayleigh damping, while high-frequency vibrations are produced in the simulations of the specimens loaded by Mode II loading and could only be damped by the stiffness proportional Rayleigh damping. It also shows that the stiffness proportional damping is essential to damp out the oscillations in such simulations, thereby improving the convergence. In addition, the procedure proposed in this paper can lead to a proper interval for the value of the stiffness proportional Rayleigh damping, beyond which an unreasonable simulation result may be obtained.

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the precursors of gametes responsible for genetic transmission to the next generation. They provide an ideal system for cryopreservation and restoration of biodiversity. Recently, considerable attention has been raised to visualize, isolate and transplant PGCs within and between species. In fish, stable PGC visualization in live embryo and individual has been limited to laboratory fish models such as medaka and zebrafish. One exception is the rainbow trout, which represents the only species with aquaculture importance and has GFP-labeled germ cells throughout development. PGCs can be transiently labeled by embryonic injection of mRNA containing green fluorescence protein gene (GFP) and 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of a maternal germ gene such as vasa, nos1, etc. Stable PGC labeling can be achieved through production of transgenic animals by some transcriptional regulatory sequences from germ genes, such as the vasa promoter and 3'-UTR. In this study, we reported the functional analyses of the red seabream vasa (Pmvas) regulatory sequences, using medaka as a model system. It was showed that injection of GFP-Pmvas3'UTR mRNA was able to label medaka PGCs during embryogenesis. Besides, we have constructed pPmvasGFP transgenic vector, and established a stable transgenic medaka line exhibiting GFP expression in germ cells including PGCs, mitotic and meiotic germ cells of both sexes, under control of the Pmvas transcriptional regulatory sequences. It is concluded that the Pmvas regulatory sequences examined in this study are sufficient for germ cell expression and labeling.

Bayesian spatial risk profiling holds promise to enhance our understanding of the epidemiology of parasitic diseases, and to target interventions in a cost-effective manner. Here, we present findings from a study using Bayesian variogram models to map and predict the seroprevalence of Schistosoma japonicum in Eryuan county, Yunnan province, China, including risk factor analysis. Questionnaire and serological data were obtained through a cross-sectional survey carried out in 35 randomly selected villages with 3,220 people enrolled. Remotely-sensed environmental data were derived from publicly available databases. Bivariate and non-spatial Bayesian multiple logistic regression models were used to identify associations between the local seroprevalence and demographic (i.e. age and sex), environmental (i.e. location of village, altitude, slope, land surface temperature and normalized difference vegetation index) and socio-economic factors. In the spatially-explicit Bayesian model, S. japonicum seroprevalence was significantly associated with sex, age and the location of the village. Males, those aged below 10 years and inhabitants of villages situated on steep slopes (inclination ≥20°) or on less precipitous slopes of >5° above 2,150 m were at lower risk of seroconversion than their respective counterparts. Our final prediction model revealed an elevated risk for seroconversion in the plains of the eastern parts of Eryuan county. In conclusion, the prediction map can be utilized for spatial targeting of schistosomiasis control interventions in Eryuan county. Moreover, S. japonicum seroprevalence studies might offer a convenient means to assess the infection pressure experienced by local communities, and to improve risk profiling in areas where the prevalence and infection intensities have come down following repeated rounds of praziquantel administration.

The purpose of this paper is to construct an implicit algorithm for finding the common solution of maximal monotone operators and strictly pseudocontractive mappings in Hilbert spaces. Some applications are also included.