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In the context of global population growth and environmental degradation, research on the synergies of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is important for sustainable regional development. Using symbiosis and synergy theories, the authors constructed a synergy evaluation index for the WEF nexus and used the set pair analysis-variable fuzzy sets model to analyze the WEF nexus synergies in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH) of China, from 2005 to 2017. The main factors affecting WEF nexus synergies were also analyzed, with results indicating that: 1) the WEF nexus synergies were the best in Beijing, followed by the BTH as a whole, Tianjin, and then Hebei. We also found that WEF nexus synergy grades have been gradually improving over time, with Beijing improving the most, and Tianjin the least. 2) The WEF nexus synergy grades in each region, for symbiotic units, symbiotic relationships, and symbiotic environments, have also gradually improved. And symbiotic relationship synergies were better than symbiotic environment synergies than symbiotic unit synergies. 3) The WEF nexus symbiotic unit synergies were strongest in Tianjin, followed by Beijing, the BTH as a whole, and then Hebei. The symbiotic relationship synergies were strongest in Beijing, followed by Hebei, the BTH as a whole, and then Tianjin. The symbiotic environment synergies were also strongest in Beijing, followed this time by the BTH as a whole, Tianjin, and then Hebei. 4) Economic factors and symbiotic unit synergies were found to be the aspects most influential on WEF nexus synergies in each region. In addition, symbiotic relationship synergies were found to have important impacts on the WEF nexus synergies in Hebei and the BTH as a whole. Overall, we were able to conclude that the methodology developed in this study provided a scientific basis for synergy optimization in the context of a regional WEF nexus., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is an agonizing complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and it is challenging to treat ED in DM patients. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a unique therapeutic strategy comprising intrinsic growth factors. An attempt was made to explore the potentiality of the PRP treatment in DM-induced ED rats in various groups (control, DM-non-ED, DM-ED, and DM-ED treated with PRP). Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce DM in rats. The blood glucose levels of the DM rats were maintained at >300 mg/dl. In the 18-week experiment, survival rate, body weight, intracavernous pressure (ICP) variations, and arterial blood pressure were analyzed. The tissue restoration results were validated by histological, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopic analysis. PRP treatment of DM-ED rats significantly increased all parameters of erectile function compared to pre-treatment of PRP and DM-ED treated with vehicle. The histological results revealed that PRP treatment substantially enhanced the regeneration of myelinated nerves and decreased the atrophy of corporal smooth muscle. Notably, the PRP treatment immensely enhanced the survival rate in post-surgery DM-ED rats. These results indicated certain benefits of PRP treatment in delaying damage and preventing post-surgery complications in DM patients. Hence, PRP treatment is a novel multifactorial strategy for DM-ED patients.

This study aimed to determine the mechanism of ketamine-induced cystitis without metabolism. A total of 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into control, ketamine, and norketamine groups. To induce cystitis, rats in the ketamine and norketamine groups were treated with intravesical instillation of ketamine and norketamine by mini-osmotic pump, which was placed in subcutaneous space, daily for 24 h for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, all rats were subjected to bladder functional tests. The bladders were collected for histological and pathological evaluation. Compared to control, ketamine treatment demonstrated an increase in the bladder weight, high bladder/body coefficient, contractive pressure, voiding volume, collagen deposition, reduced smooth muscle content, damaged glycosaminoglycan layer, and low bladder compliance. Compared to ketamine, norketamine treatment showed more severe collagen deposition, smooth muscle loss, damaged glycosaminoglycan layer, and increased residual urine. Intravesical administration of ketamine and norketamine induced cystitis with different urodynamic characteristics. Norketamine treatment caused more severe bladder dysfunction than ketamine treatment. Direct treatment of the bladder with norketamine induced symptoms more consistent with those of bladder outlet obstruction than ketamine cystitis. Detailed studies of cellular mechanisms are required to determine the pathogenesis of ketamine cystitis.

Articular cartilage injury is a common type of damage observed in clinical practice. A matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implant was developed to repair articular cartilage as an advancement on the autologous chondrocyte implant procedure. Here, we establish a thin double layer of collagen as a novel and effective bioscaffold for the regeneration of cartilaginous lesions. We created a collagen membrane with double layers using a cover slip, a cover slip, and the collagen was then freeze-dried under vacuum. Carbodiimide as a crosslinking agent was used to obtain a relatively stable collagen construction. The thickness of the knee joint cartilage from grown rabbits was measured from a frozen section. Both type I and type II collagens were characterized using Sodium dodecylsulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and ultraviolet absorption peaks. The aperture size of the scaffold was observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The degradation of the scaffolds in vitro was tested through digestion using collagenase solution. The mechanical capacity of the scaffolds was assessed under dynamic compression. The influence of the scaffold on chondrocyte proliferation was assessed using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colourimetric assay and scanning electron microscopy. The frozen sections of the rabbit femoral condyle showed that the thickness of the weight-bearing area of the articular cartilage was less than 1 mm. The results of the SDS-PAGE and ultraviolet absorption peaks of the collagens were in agreement with the standard photographs in the references. SEM showed that the aperture size of the cross-linked scaffold was 82.14 ± 15.70 μm. The in vitro degradation studies indicated that Carbodiimide cross-linking can effectively enhance the biostability of the scaffolds. The Carbodiimide cross-linking protocol resulted in a mean value for the samples that ranged from 8.72 to 15.95 MPa for the compressive strength. The results of the MTT demonstrated that the scaffold had promoted chondrocyte proliferation and SEM observations showed that the scaffold was a good adhesive and growth material for chondrocytes. Thin type I/II collagen composite scaffold can meet the demands of cartilage tissue engineering and have good biocompatibility.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and changes in antibacterial susceptibility of children in Shenmu City, northern Shaanxi, and provide a basis for rational drug use. Methods The distribution and drug resistance pattern of pathogenic bacteria isolated from children were retrospectively analysed. Results A total of 573 strains of pathogens were cultivated. A total of 201 (35.07%) strains of Gram-positive cocci and 183 (31.93%) strains of Gram-negative cocci were detected. A total of 189 (32.98%) strains of fungi were detected. The resistance rate of Staphylococcus to penicillin was 100% and that to erythromycin was 90.69%. There were varying degrees of resistance to other drugs, but no single strain had vancomycin resistance. Gram-negative bacilli were generally resistant to ampicillin, but had low resistance to the combined preparation of enzyme inhibitors, quinolones, and aminoglycosides, and were highly sensitive to imipenem and meropenem. Conclusion Gram-negative bacilli are the main pathogens of bacterial infection in the paediatric ward. Strengthening clinical monitoring of bacterial distribution in paediatric clinical isolates and understanding changes in drug resistance are important for guiding the rational use of antibiotics. These measures could also prevent emergence and spreading of resistant strains.

Filamentous bacteriophages, also known as filamentous bacterial viruses or Inoviruses, have been studied extensively over the years. They are interesting paradigms in structural molecular biology and offer insight into molecular assembly, a process that remains to be fully understood. In this chapter, an overview on filamentous bacteriophages will be provided. In particular, we review the constituent proteins of filamentous bacteriophage and discuss assembly by examining the structure of the major coat protein at various stages of the process. The minor coat proteins will also be briefly reviewed. Structural information provides key snapshots into the dynamic process of assembly.

To mitigate the serious problem of Cd-contaminated paddy soil, we investigated the remediation potential of combining in-situ immobilization with a low-Cd-accumulation rice cultivar. A three-season field experiment compared the soil pH, available Cd and absorption of Cd by three rice cultivars with different Cd accumulation abilities grown in Cd-contaminated paddy soil amended with lime (L), slag (S), and bagasse (B) alone or in combination. The three amendments applied alone and in combination significantly increased soil pH, reduced available Cd and absorption of Cd by rice with no effect on grain yield. Among these, the LS and LSB treatments reduced the brown rice Cd content by 38.3-69.1% and 58.3-70.9%, respectively, during the three seasons. Combined with planting of a low-Cd-accumulation rice cultivar (Xiang Zaoxian 32) resulted in a Cd content in brown rice that met the contaminant limit (≤0.2mgkg -1 ). However, the grain yield of the low-Cd-accumulation rice cultivar was approximately 30% lower than the other two rice cultivars. Applying LS or LSB as amendments combined with planting a low-Cd-accumulation rice cultivar is recommended for the remediation of Cd-contaminated paddy soil. The selection and breeding of low-Cd-accumulation rice cultivars with high grain production requires further research., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recent clinical studies have shown conflicting results of the efficacy of renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) to mitigate hypertension. In this study, we compared electrical stimulation (ES) of autonomic nerves on the surface of the left pulmonary artery (LPA) and renal arteries (RAs) on heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and cardiac arrhythmias., Methods: In 16 pentobarbital anesthetized dogs, standard electrocardiography leads and blood pressure (BP) were continuously recorded. After a left thoracotomy, a circumferential multielectrode catheter was secured around the LPA. Atrial pacing was coupled to the ES applied around the LPA during the QRS complex to avoid ventricular excitation. Flank incisions allowed retroperitoneal expose of the RAs and the aortico-renal ganglia (ARG). HR and SBP/DBP were determined at baseline (BL) and during ES of LPA, RA, or ARG., Results: During ES applied to the LPA, HR was unchanged compared to BL values. In four of six animals, ventricular tachyarrhythmias were induced by ES. SBP increased significantly (BL vs ES, 129 ± 17 mm Hg vs 163 ± 21 mm Hg, P ≤ 0.05). ES applied to the RAs and ARG did not affect the HR, but significantly increased SBP/DBP (baseline: 134 ± 24/96 ± 18 mm Hg; RAs stimulation: 157 ± 26/114 ± 18 mm Hg; ARG stimulation: 207 ± 44/147 ± 26 mm Hg, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: ES of vascular autonomic nerves on LPA, RAs, and ARG significantly increased BP but without effects on HR. ES of ARG induced substantially greater hypertensive responses than ES of RAs, implying that ES of ARG may serve as a biomarker or ablation targets for RSD., (©2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Highly Active Antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can effectively reduce the viral load to undetectable levels in most HIV-infected patients. However, some patients may still experience impaired immunologic response associated with increased risk of disease progression and death., Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the HIV DNA load on the immune alteration during successful HAART., Methods: 40 chronic HIV-infected adults initiating HAART were followed for 24 months. The CD4 count, HIV viral load, HIV DNA load, and levels of γ-cytokines IL-2, IL-7 and IL-21 were monitored at baseline (month 0), month 6, 12, 18 and 24 following HAART initiation., Results: The plasma viral load decreased significantly and remained below the detection limits after six months treatment. Likely the HIV DNA load decreased significantly in both cells during 12 months, was undetectable in CD14 monocytes after 18 months, but remained higher in CD3+ T cells during all the follow up. In addition, the HIV DNA load correlated positively between T cells and monocytes in 10 patients who maintained higher HIV DNA load in both cells during 12 months. The CD4 count, IL-2, and IL-21 levels increased significantly during 12 months, whereas IL-7 decreased significantly during 18 months, regardless of the HIV DNA load in T cells. Patients with CD4 count below 200/μl maintained higher HIV DNA load and showed lower increase in CD4 count compared to patients with CD4 count above 200/μl. In patients showing undetectable HIV DNA load in both cells, neither IL-2 nor IL-21 correlated with the CD4 count even after 24 months despite their partial restoration., Conclusion: These results suggest that the HIV DNA load could continuously hamper the CD4 restoration and γ-cytokines functional activities during HAART. This action seemed to be more severe in patients with pre-HAART CD4 count below 200/μl. The CD14 monocytes may contribute to this action as source of T cell infection both before and during HAART.

Objective: To survey the status of diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract cancer in Shanghai., Methods: A clinical epidemiology investigation was carried out on 658 new cases of biliary duct cancers aged 35-74, that registered between June 1997 and May 2001 in urban Shanghai. Clinical findings were collected in 390 gallbladder cancer, 195 bile duct cancer and 73 ampullary cancer., Results: Biliary tract cancers mainly occurred in elderly patients. Ratio of males to female was 1:2.61 in gallbladder cancer, while bile duct cancer and ampullary cancer were slightly more common in men. Association with gallstones was 68.5%, 43.1% and 22.4% for gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer and ampullary cancer, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy rate of B-ultrasonography was 63.1% in gallbladder cancer. Incidental gallbladder cancer accounted for 20%, while stage IVA and IVB patients reached up to 43.6%. Misdiagnosis rate was still high in bile duct cancer and ampullary cancer, it was 19.1% and 47.1% respectively. In addition, most patients presented jaundice at diagnosis. 69 cases (18.2%) of gallbladder cancer, 50 cases (25.6%) of bile duct cancer and 54 cases (74%) of ampullary cancer underwent radical resection, the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 58.5%, 42.8% and 40.7%, 58%, 28.3% and 11.1%, 81.5%, 39.2% and 26.9%, respectively. 79 patients with bile duct cancer underwent palliative drainage, and most cases died within 1 year. Metal endo-prostheses or plastic stents were placed into the biliary tract in 38 patients. The median survival was about 7 months., Conclusions: It is difficult to make early diagnosis of biliary tract cancers. Standardization of the operation for gallbladder cancer must be respected. Surgical exploration should be undertaken when a bile duct cancer is suspected and there are no contraindications to surgery. Pancreatoduodenectomy should be recommended for ampullary cancer.