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Although anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 33 antibodies have been reported to be present in various connective tissue diseases (CTDs), the clinical significance of anti-RA33 in CTDs is still obscure. This study was performed to explore the clinical significance of anti-RA33 in CTDs, especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A total of 565 patients with positive anti-nuclear antibodies who had been tested for anti-RA33 were included in this study and were further classified into RA33-positive and RA33-negative groups. The association between anti-RA33 and the clinical features of CTDs was examined. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to explore the diagnostic value of anti-RA33 in SLE and SLE-related organ involvement. The results showed that SLE was the most common disease in CTD patients positive for anti-RA33 (48.8%). Compared with the RA33-negative group, higher proportions of SLE-associated antibodies and SLE patients with a high disease activity as well as lower levels of serum complement components were observed in the RA33-positive group (all p

Inspired by the requirements of miniaturization and multifunction of molecular devices, we investigate the quantum transport properties of three unique molecular devices with silicon carbide chains bridging gold electrodes by an ab initio approach.

Yu-Tong Wu,1,* Dong-Qing Ye,2,* Cui-Hong Lian1 1Department of Dermatology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, The Third People’s Hospital of Longgang District, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Cui-Hong Lian, Department of Dermatology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, 3002 Sungang West Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8615814692161, Fax +86 755-83366388, Email liancuihong@email.szu.edu.cnAbstract: Giant condylomata acuminata (a sexually transmitted disease caused by HPV infection) currently is treated in many methods. Surgery, the mainstay treatment of giant condylomata acuminata, may cause a high cost or scar formation. It is important to explore effective and safe treatment options. Although the external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine treatment of condyloma acuminatum has not been widely used, in our case, the use of traditional Chinese medicine successfully treated a perianal giant condyloma acuminatum patient who also suffered from mixed hemorrhoid and IgA nephropathy meanwhile. The treatment process was simple and the effect obvious. There was no recurrence more than 10 months after treatment finished, and the patients felt safe, comfortable and highly coordinated. The outcome of this case suggests that the traditional Chinese medicine might be considered as a mild and effective option for the treatment of giant condyloma acuminatum.Keywords: giant condylomata acuminata, IgA nephropathy, Chinese medicine, HPV infection

The accurate measurement of the net charge on a nanoparticle is critical in both the research and application of nanoparticles. Particularly, in the field of precision sensing based on optically levitated nanoparticles, the precise measurement of the net charge on a nanoparticle is prerequisite for stable levitation before electric control process and for the detecting of quantities such as the electric field. However, the accurate measurement of the net charge on a levitated nanoparticle still faces challenges. Here, we proposes a method to measure the net charge accurately through its thermally and harmonically driven motional signals. With the numerical calculation of the dynamic temperature of the optically-levitated nanoparticle, the long-term dynamic net charge on the nanoparticle can be tracked. This method can achieve an accurate measurement with the accuracy of better than 5% at thermal equilibrium pressures of more than 10 mbar and accuracy of ~20% till 3 mbar, where the net charge barely changes spontaneously, and nonlinearities in the levitated oscillator is relatively small. As the net charge is integer discrete, the method provides nearly completely accurate measurements of nanoparticles with few charges. The result can be applied to improve the measurement accuracy for mass and density through iteration and this method provides a way toward non-contact characterization of aerology, space dust, etc., 9 pages, 8 figures

It has been challenging to achieve multi-photochromic systems without affecting the individual photoswitching properties of the constituent units. Herein, we present the design and synthesis of a new family of platinum-acetylide dendrimers containing up to twenty-one photochromic dithienylethene (DTE) units that exhibit both high photochromic efficiency and individual switching properties. Upon irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) and visible (vis) light, the resultant metallodendrimers display high conversion yield and good fatigue resistance. More interestingly, cyclization-cycloreversion kinetics revealed that the photochromic property of each DTE unit in these metallodendrimers is unaffected by its neighbor and the full ring-closure of up to twenty-one DTE units in one single dendrimer has been achieved.

AIM: To examine the clinicopathological characteristics of adult orbital xanthogranulomatous disease(AOXGD). METHODS: From January 2015 to January 2021, the researchers collected postoperative pathological diagnoses cases of AOXGD from Xi'an People's Hospital(Xi'an Fourth Hospital), retrospectively analyzed clinical pathological data, and reviewed related literature. RESULTS: A total of five AOXGD cases were collected, including three cases of adult-onset xanthogranuloma(AOX), one case of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma(NBX), and one case of Erdheim-Chester disease(ECD). The five patients were composed of middle-aged and elderly patients with local orbital lesions were treated. Microscopic examination revealed that the orbital skin and subcutaneous tissue had foam-like non-Langerhans histiocytes that exhibited diffused or nested infiltration. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the cells were positive for CD68, CD163, FXⅢa, lysozyme, negative for S100, CD1a, Langerin, HMB-45, MDM2. One ECD patient had orbital lesions as the first symptom and exhibited a combination of retroperitoneal lesions, right atrium pseudotumor, and long bones, heart, kidney lesions. The diagnosis of AOXGD depends on clinical manifestations and pathological features. The treatment was based on subtypes and clinical manifestations to select corresponding strategies, which mainly include the administration of glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, and surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: AOXGD is relatively rare in clinical practice. AOXGD can manifest as a local orbital disease or an orbital disease combined with a systemic disease. In the clinical and pathological work of ophthalmology, the understanding and identification of this group of diseases should be strengthened, and correct diagnosis and standard treatment should be promoted.

During transitional periods, college freshmen may experience mental health issues. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale—21-item version (DASS-21) is commonly used for mental health assessment in China. However, evidence is lacking regarding its applicability with freshmen as a demographic. Debates also exist regarding its factor structure. This study aimed to evaluate the DASS-21′s psychometric properties with Chinese college freshmen and investigate its association with three kinds of problematic Internet use. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit two samples of freshmen—one of 364 (female 248; mean age 18.17 years) and the other of 956 (female 499; mean age 18.38 years) participants. McDonald’s ω and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to evaluate both the scale’s internal reliability and construct validity. The results indicated acceptable reliability, with a one-factor structure inferior to a three-factor structure in terms of model fit. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that problematic Internet use was significantly and positively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among Chinese college freshmen. Based on the prerequisite of measurement equivalence across two samples, the study also found that freshmen’s problematic Internet use and psychological distress were likely to be affected by the strict measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-imj-10.1177_10815589221150643 for Clinical significance of anti-rheumatoid arthritis 33 antibody in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus by Wen-Yi Lu, Xiao-Ping Hong, Jing-Yi Xie, Cui-Lian Liu, Cui-Hong Chen, Qin-Huang, Bao-Dong Sun, Dong-Zhou Liu and Yu-Lan Chen in Journal of Investigative Medicine

Additional file 1. The Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Etiology of Diarrhea Surveillance Study Team.

Supplementary Material 1

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-imj-10.1177_10815589221150643 for Clinical significance of anti-rheumatoid arthritis 33 antibody in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus by Wen-Yi Lu, Xiao-Ping Hong, Jing-Yi Xie, Cui-Lian Liu, Cui-Hong Chen, Qin-Huang, Bao-Dong Sun, Dong-Zhou Liu and Yu-Lan Chen in Journal of Investigative Medicine

Additional file 2. Supplementary methods.

This study investigates Ga-doped n-type PbTe thermoelectric materials and the dynamic phase conversion process of the second phases via Cu2Se alloying. Introducing Cu2Se enhances its electrical transport properties while reducing its lattice thermal conductivity (κlat) via weak electron–phonon coupling. Cu2Te and CuGa(Te/Se)2 (tetragonal phase) nanocrystals precipitate during the alloying process, resulting in Te vacancies and interstitial Cu in the PbTe matrix. At room temperature, Te vacancies and interstitial Cu atoms serve as n-type dopants, increasing the carrier concentration and electrical conductivity from ≈1.18 × 1019 cm−3 and ≈1870 S cm−1 to ≈2.26 × 1019 cm−3 and ≈3029 S cm−1, respectively. With increasing temperature, the sample exhibits a dynamic change in Cu2Te content and the generation of a new phase of CuGa(Te/Se)2 (cubic phase), strengthening the phonon scattering and obtaining an ultralow κlat. Pb0.975Ga0.025Te-3%CuSe exhibits a maximum figure of merit of ≈1.63 at 823 K, making it promising for intermediate-temperature device applications. Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Ministry of Education (MOE) Submitted/Accepted version This work was supported in part by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2020YFA0710303). At Northwestern work was supported in part by the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under Grant No. DE-SC0014520, (sample preparation, synthesis, XRD, TE measurements, TEM measurements, DFT calculations). This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52102218, U1905215, and 52072076) and the Fujian Science & Technology Innovation Laboratory for Optoelectronic Information of China (No. 2021ZZ127). The authors acknowledge the Minjiang Scholar Professorship (GXRC-21004), the EPIC facility of Northwestern University's NUANCE Center, which received support from the Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource (NSF ECCS-1542205), the MRSEC program (NSF DMR-1720139) at the Materials Research Center, International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN), Keck Foundation, State of Illinois, through IIN, and the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract Nos. DE-AC02-06CH11357 and DE-AC02-05CH11231. The high temperature Hall effect measurements made at the University of Michigan were supported by a grant from the U. S. Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-SC0018941). The authors also acknowledge the access to facilities for high-performance computational resources at Northwestern University and Singapore MOE AcRF Tier 1 RG128/21, Singapore A*STAR project A19D9a0096.

Additional file 2. Supplementary methods.

Gut microbial disturbance has been established as potential pathogenesis of mental disorders. However, the signatures and differences regarding patients with schizophrenia (SCH) or bipolar disorder (BD) in emerging adulthood as well as their subtypes have been poorly addressed.In the present study, stool samples obtained from 63 emerging adult patients with schizophrenia (SCH), 50 with bipolar disorder (BD), and 40 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed by 16 S rRNA gene sequencing; psychiatric symptoms and psychological, social, and professional functioning were also assessed.We found that gut microbiota composition was remarkably changed in the patients with SCH and BD. Moreover, the distinct gut microbiome signatures and their potential function in bipolar depression (BP-D) and SCH with predominantly negative symptoms (SCH-N) as well as bipolar mania (BP-M) and SCH with predominantly positive symptoms (SCH-P) were also observed. Furthermore, we identified diagnostic potential biomarkers that can distinguish BD from HC (38 genera, AUC = 0.961), SCH from HC (32 genera, AUC = 0.962), and BD from Scheme (13 genera, AUC = 0.823). Potential diagnostic biomarkers that can distinguish BD-D from SCH-N (16 genera, AUC = 0.969) and BD-M from SCH-P (31 genera, AUC = 0.938) were also identified.This study provides further understanding of abnormal gut microbiome in emerging adulthood patients with SCH and BD and lay the potential foundation for the development of microbe-based clinical diagnosis for BD and SCH.

Background To combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were implemented worldwide, which impacted a broad spectrum of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). Methods Etiologically diagnostic data from 142 559 cases with ARIs, who were tested for 8 viral pathogens (influenza virus [IFV], respiratory syncytial virus [RSV], human parainfluenza virus [HPIV], human adenovirus [HAdV], human metapneumovirus [HMPV], human coronavirus [HCoV], human bocavirus [HBoV], and human rhinovirus [HRV]) between 2012 and 2021, were analyzed to assess the changes in respiratory infections in China during the first COVID-19 pandemic year compared with pre-pandemic years. Results Test-positive rates of all respiratory viruses decreased during 2020, compared to the average levels during 2012–2019, with changes ranging from −17.2% for RSV to −87.6% for IFV. Sharp decreases mostly occurred between February and August when massive NPIs remained active, although HRV rebounded to the historical level during the summer. While IFV and HMPV were consistently suppressed year-round, RSV, HPIV, HCoV, HRV, and HBoV resurged and went beyond historical levels during September 2020–January 2021, after NPIs were largely relaxed and schools reopened. Resurgence was more prominent among children Conclusions Activities of respiratory viral infections were reduced substantially in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, and massive NPIs were likely the main driver. Lifting of NPIs can lead to resurgence of viral infections, particularly in children.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis are nonspecific and rarely have obvious associations with clinical characteristics and outcomes. This study aimed to comprehensively describe the MRI features of patients with NMDAR encephalitis, examine their associations with clinical characteristics, and evaluate their predictive power for disease recurrence and prognosis.We retrospectively extracted the clinical data and brain MRI findings of 144 patients with NMDAR encephalitis. Patients underwent a 2-year follow-up to assess disease outcomes. We evaluated the associations of brain MRI findings at the onset with clinical characteristics, recurrence, and prognosis.Initial MRI showed typical abnormalities in 65 patients (45.1%); of these, 34 (29.3%) developed recurrence and 10 (9.4%) had poor prognosis (mRS ≥3). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that insula abnormalities were associated with acute seizure (odds ratio [OR] = 3.048, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.026-9.060) and white matter lesions were associated with cognitive impairment (OR = 2.730, 95% CI: 1.096-6.799). Risk factors for a poor 2-year prognosis included a higher number of brain MRI abnormalities (OR = 1.573, 95% CI: 1.129-2.192) and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions (OR = 15.312, 95% CI: 1.684-139.198). The risk factors for 2-year recurrence included abnormalities of the thalamus (HR = 3.780, 95% CI: 1.642-8.699).Brain MRI features of patients with NMDAR encephalitis were associated with clinical manifestations, prognosis, and recurrence. Higher numbers of MRI abnormalities and ICU admissions were predictive of poor prognosis. Abnormalities of the thalamus constituted a recurrence-related risk factor.

Carbon/Carbon(C/C) composites are widely used in aerospace industry due to their diverse advantages such as low density, reliable thermal shock resistance and excellent mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. However, their awful oxidation resistance, especially at higher temperatures, has greatly limited their further applications. Ultra-high temperature ceramics(UHTCs) are ceramics whose melting points are higher than 3000 ℃. Some advanced performances like high strength, high hardness and outstanding thermal stabilities have given the UHTCs huge potential in ultra-high temperature applications. Using UHTCs to modify the matrix of C/C composites is a commonly applied method to improve the oxidation resistance of the C/C composites. There are numerous methods to fabricate UHTCs modified C/C composites(C/C-UHTCs), yet none of them could assure low cost, high efficiency and uniform bulk density simultaneously. Compared to C/C composites, C/C-UHTCs possess better performances both in anti-oxidation ablation and mechanical properties. But, the long-term(over 120 s) anti-oxidation ablation properties and anti-oxidation ablation properties of prototype structures are waiting to be improved to meet the updated requirements of modern sharp-edged aerospace vehicles. Meanwhile, reducing the brittleness of the modified composites and improving the reliability of the structure should be considered in order to avoid the hazard brittle fracture of the composites. In order to provide references to future studies, the state of the arts of the C/C-UHTCs were reviewed from four perspectives, which were manufacture processes, microstructure morphologies, anti-oxidation ablation properties and mechanical performances. Moreover, the future research tendency of this kind of composites was also predicted in this work.

Background Panic disorder (PD) is thought to be related with deficits in emotion regulation, especially in cognitive reappraisal. According to the cognitive model, PD patients’ intrinsic and unconscious misappraisal strategies are the cause of panic attacks. However, no studies have yet been performed to explore the underlying neuromechanism of cognitive reappraisal that occur on an unconscious level in PD patients. Methods Twenty-six patients with PD and 25 healthy controls (HC) performed a fully-verified event-block design emotional regulation task aimed at investigating responses of implicit cognitive reappraisal during an fMRI scan. Participants passively viewed negatively valanced pictures that were beforehand neutrally, positively, or adversely portrayed in the task. Results Whole-brain analysis of fMRI data showed that PD patients exhibited less activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) compared to HC, but presented greater activation in parietal cortex when negative pictures were preceded by positive/neutral vs negative descriptions. Simultaneously, interactive effects of Group × Condition were observed in the right amygdala across both groups. Furthermore, activation in dlPFC and dmPFC was is negatively correlated to severity of anxiety and panic in PD when negative images were preceded by non-negative vs negative descriptions. Conclusions Emotional dysregulation in PD is likely the result of deficient activation in dlPFC and dmPFC during implicit cognitive reappraisal, in line with impaired automatic top-down regulation. Correlations between severity of anxiety and panic attack and activation of right dlPFC and dmPFC suggest that the failure to engage prefrontal region during implicit cognitive reappraisal might be associated wtih the severity of anxiety and panic; such functional patterns might be the target of possible treatments.

Despite the significance of cognitive workload in smartphone application usability and the considerable population using smartphones daily, cognitive workload as one attribute of usability tends to be overlooked in the HCI field. Moreover, limited studies included cognitive workload as one attribute that often measured summative cognitive workload using subjective measures. A significant limitation of subjective measures is that they can only assess the overall, subjective- perceived cognitive workload after the procedures/tasks are completed but cannot reflect the procedures’ workload fluctuations. It, therefore, is not able to associate increased cognitive workload with potential user interface design issues. This study will use mixed methods to empirically study (1) the feasibility of using eye-tracking (i.e., Tobii nano) and low-cost electroencephalogram (EEG, i.e., MUSE 2) devices to measure real-time cognitive workload changes during mobile application use, and (2) the potential to use increased cognitive workload as clues to pinpoint user interface areas containing potential usability design issues in mobile applications.

The cover image is based on the Research Article PDGFA‐associated protein 1 is a novel target of c‐Myc and contributes to colorectal cancer initiation and progression by Hong‐Yong Cui et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/cac2.12322. [Image: see text]

Lightning talk for the US National Science Foundation CSSI PI Meeting, July 2022. The Internet of Samples (iSamples) is a multidisciplinary project developing transdisciplinary infrastructure services to identify material samples, record metadata about them, and link with other samples, derived data, and published research results. iSamples consists of two key components: iSamples-Core, a core data model and accompanying taxonomies providing a common, extensible mechanism for describing physical samples; and iSamples-in-a-Box (iSB), a containerized, standalone system that enables creation of identifiers and associated metadata, metadata management, sample identifier resolution, and discovery of samples. iSB is typically deployed in proximity with an existing collection to provide a common iSamples-Core view of physical sample records and expose consistent service interfaces to facilitate open human and programmatic access. iSB may be deployed in a hierarchy, with aggregator instances accumulating content, and further presenting that content to other instances. All instances provide common functionality and may be configured to support domain extensions to the iSamples-Core model. In this manner, the iSamples infrastructure provides a consistent, general view across all physical sample records, while also enabling domain specific views., Funded by the US National Science Foundation (CSSI) projects 2004815, 2004839, 2004562, and 2004642

Lipidomics has been established as a potential tool for the investigation of mental diseases. However, the composition analysis and the comparison of the peripheral lipids regarding adult women with major depressive depression (MDD) or bipolar depression (BPD) has been poorly addressed. In the present study, age-matched female individuals with MDD (n = 28), BPD (n = 22) and healthy controls (HC, n = 25) were enrolled. Clinical symptoms were assessed and the plasma samples were analyzed by comprehensive lipid profiling based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). We found that the composition of lipids was remarkably changed in the patients with MDD and BPD when compared to HC or compared to each other. Moreover, we identified diagnostic potential biomarkers comprising 20 lipids that can distinguish MDD from HC (area under the curve, AUC = 0.897) and 8 lipids that can distinguish BPD from HC (AUC = 0.784), as well as 13 lipids were identified to distinguish MDD from BPD with moderate reliability (AUC = 0.860). This study provides further understanding of abnormal lipid metabolism in adult women with MDD and BPD and may develop lipid classifiers able to effectively discriminate MDD from BPD and HC.

Two new aspidosperma-type monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, 16

Owing to their entropy stabilization and multi-principal effect, transition-metal-based high-entropy oxides are attracting extensive attention as an effective family of anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, spinel-type (Al0.2CoCrFeMnNi)0.58O4-δ HEO nanocrystalline powder with high concentration of oxygen vacancies is successfully prepared by the method of solution combustion synthesis (SCS), and explored as a novel anode active material for LIBs. As compared to (CoCrFeMnNi)0.6O4-δ, the inactive Al3+-doped (Al0.2CoCrFeMnNi)0.58O4-δ anode provides more than twice the reversible specific capacity of 554 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at a specific current of 200 mA g−1, accompanied with good rate capability (634 mAh g−1 even at 3 A g−1) and cycling performance. The enhanced electrochemical properties can be attributed to that inactive Al3+-doping resulted into the more space for Li+ intercalation and deintercalation, enhanced structural stability, and the improved electronic conductivity and Li+ diffusivity.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical correlation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) with PRL-3 and MMP9 expression in the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).Materials and MethodsBetween January 2016 and December 2018, the EMT phenotype-based subsets of CTCs and the expression levels of PRL-3 and MMP9 in CTCs were identified, and their clinical values in 172 patients were evaluated. The CTCs were isolated, classified, and counted using the CanPatrol™ CTC filtration system. The CTC subsets (epithelial cells, mesenchymal cells and biphenotypic cells), as well as PRL-3 and MMP9 expression, were detected by RNA in situ hybridization.ResultsCTCs were detected in 93.0% (160/172) of the included patients with CRC. Positive PRL-3 and MMP9 expression in CTC and M-CTC was found in 75.0% (102/136) and 80.8% (97/120) of the patients, respectively. The proportion of patients with positive PRL-3 and MMP9 expression in M-CTC was significantly associated with distant metastasis (pConclusionEMT phenotypes and CTC numbers can be used as prognostic indicators for metastasis and survival in patients with CRC, and the combination of PRL-3 and MMP9 expression in CTCs is a promising clinical marker for patients with CRC.

Background: Acute meningitis or encephalitis (AME) results from a neurological infection causing high case fatality and severe sequelae. AME lacked comprehensive surveillance in China. Methods: Nation-wide surveillance of all-age patients with AME syndromes was conducted in 144 sentinel hospitals of 29 provinces in China. Eleven AME-causative viral and bacterial pathogens were tested with multiple diagnostic methods. Findings: Between 2009 and 2018, 20,454 AME patients were recruited for tests. Based on 9,079 patients with all-four-virus tested, 28.43% (95% CI: 27.50%‒29.36%) of them had at least one virus-positive detection. Enterovirus was the most frequently determined virus in children

To investigate the effects of Cr doping on the microstructure and tribological properties of multi-layered diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, Cr-DLC films with Cr contents ranging from 0 to 22 at.% were deposited on 0Cr19Ni10 stainless steel and Si wafer surfaces by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The thickness of the transition layer is 180 nm and the Cr-DLC film ranging from 1.3 to 1.5 µm. The microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of the films were systematically investigated at room temperature in atmospheric environment. Results show that increasing the Cr target current can effectively improve the incident particle density and reduce surface roughness. As a strong carbon metal, Cr has significant influence on the structure and properties of the film for bonding with carbon atoms during deposition. High-energy Cr particles are favorable for films to increase the sp3 hybrid bond ratio and reduce internal stress. The high-hardness sp3 hybrid phase, Cr carbide, oxide dispersion can effectively improve the mechanical properties of the film, but overdoping is detrimental for mechanical properties of the film. The internal stress shows a continuous trend of decreasing with the increasing Cr content and it reduced up to 80% compared with pure DLC films. The films prepared with Cr sputtering current of 0.4 A demonstrate the best tribological properties, and the friction coefficient and wear rate are 0.15 and 2.9 × 10−7 mm3/Nm, respectively.

Current sheets (CSs) are the main region where magnetic reconnections can convert magnetic energy into plasma thermal and kinetic energies. We have studied a CS in the streamer occurred on 3 January 2003 by combining the White-Light (WL) images observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and the EUV spectra detected by the Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS). LASCO C2 WL data show that the speed of a blob in the CS increased from 60 km · s − 1 to 340 km · s − 1 with an acceleration of 60 m · s − 2 in its Field-of-View (FOV). By assuming the Light-of-Sight (LOS) depth of 0.3 – 1.5 R ⊙ , the average electron number density of the CS is (1.52 – 7.60) × 10 7 cm − 3 at the height of the UVCS slit. We investigate intensity distributions of the [Fe xviii ] 974 A and Ly α lines along the UVCS slit. It is shown that the intensity of the [Fe xviii ] line at the CS is significantly higher than those of the surroundings, and the deduced electron temperature range of the CS is (2.94 – 4.04) × 10 6 K during the studied period. However, the intensity of the Ly α line at the CS does not change much when compared with those of the surroundings, and within the CS the intensity on both sides are slightly higher than that in the center. It is possible that the plasma move faster in the center resulting in stronger Doppler dimming effect. Using the observed intensity ratio of the Ly α and [Fe xviii ] lines provided by the UVCS and the calculated electron temperature as constraints, we find that the theoretically calculated emissivity ratio of the Ly α and [Fe xviii ] lines is close to their observed intensity ratio when the plasma speed range is 237 – 254 km · s − 1 at the position of the CS. The collisional component of the Ly α line is about 42 % − 57 % of the radiative component in the CS within the speed range above. The streamer CS we studied has a higher plasma temperature and a faster blob speed than typical values in normal situations. The possible reason is that these two CMEs at the southern side enhanced the magnetic reconnection process in the CS, and more magnetic energy is released to heat and accelerate plasma. Our results on the CS can be regarded as pre-studies of the data analyses for the future mission of the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S).

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide pandemic outbreak with a high mortality. Prognostic factors of critically ill patients with COVID-19 have not been fully elucidated yet. Methods In the present study, 59 patients with COVID-19 from the intensive care unit of the Caidian Branch of Tongji Hospital were enrolled. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, treatment data, and clinical outcomes were collected. Prognostic factors were statistically defined. Results Of the 59 patients studied (67.4±11.3 years), 38 patients were male, 51 had underlying diseases, and 41 patients died during admission. Compared with the survivors, the deceased patients were of older age, had more smoking history, severer fatigue, and diarrhea, a higher incidence of multiple organ injuries, more deteriorative lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia, remarkably impaired cellular immune response, and strengthened cytokine release. Age higher than 70 (OR=2.76, 95% CI=1.45-5.23), arrhythmia (OR=4.76, 95% CI=1.59-14.25), and a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score above 4 (OR=5.16, 95% CI=1.29-20.55) were identified as risk factors for mortality of patients. Conclusion Critically ill COVID-19 patients aged higher than 70, arrhythmia, or a SOFA score above 4 have a high risk of mortality, and need prior medical intervention.

To observe the clinical efficacy of Zhen’ai needling method in Nei Jing (Classic of Internal Medicine) for children with allergic rhinitis (AR) accompanied by adenoid hypertrophy (AH). A total of 74 children who met the screening criteria were divided into a Zhen’ai group and a control group by the random number table method, with 37 cases in each group. The control group was treated with acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36), Hegu (LI 4), Yingxiang (LI 20), Juliao (ST 3), Yintang (GV 29), Shangxing (GV 23) and Baihui (GV 20). The Zhen’ai group added points of Zhen’ai needling method {Shanglianquan [Extra, located at 1 cun above Lianquan (CV 23)], Tianrong (SI 17) and Lieque (LU 7)} in addition to the points in the control group. The needles were retained for 30 min. The treatment was performed twice a week. The total nasal symptom score (TNSS), sino-nasal outcome test-20 (SNOT-20) and symptom scale for AH (SSAH) were assessed before and after 10 treatments. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared after treatment. During the treatment, 5 cases dropped out in the control group and 2 cases in the Zhen’ai group. After treatment, the total effective rate of the Zhen’ai group was 94.3%, versus 93.8% in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The markedly effective rate of the Zhen’ai group was 42.9%, versus 12.5% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P

Zhao-Hua Wang,1,* Chang Shu,2,* Xiao Ran,1 Cui-Hong Xie,1 Lei Zhang2 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lei ZhangDepartment of Surgery, Tongji Hospital, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430030, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-27-83665312Email zhangl@tjh.tjmu.edu.cnBackground: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide pandemic outbreak with a high mortality. Prognostic factors of critically ill patients with COVID-19 have not been fully elucidated yet.Methods: In the present study, 59 patients with COVID-19 from the intensive care unit of the Caidian Branch of Tongji Hospital were enrolled. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, treatment data, and clinical outcomes were collected. Prognostic factors were statistically defined.Results: Of the 59 patients studied (67.4± 11.3 years), 38 patients were male, 51 had underlying diseases, and 41 patients died during admission. Compared with the survivors, the deceased patients were of older age, had more smoking history, severer fatigue, and diarrhea, a higher incidence of multiple organ injuries, more deteriorative lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia, remarkably impaired cellular immune response, and strengthened cytokine release. Age higher than 70 (OR=2.76, 95% CI=1.45– 5.23), arrhythmia (OR=4.76, 95% CI=1.59– 14.25), and a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score above 4 (OR=5.16, 95% CI=1.29– 20.55) were identified as risk factors for mortality of patients.Conclusion: Critically ill COVID-19 patients aged higher than 70, arrhythmia, or a SOFA score above 4 have a high risk of mortality, and need prior medical intervention.Keywords: severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2, pneumonia, critically ill, mortality, prognostic factor

Purpose Our objective was to investigate the effect of circSMARCC1 on the developmental and biological behavior of colorectal cancer (CRC). Materials and methods The expression of circSAMRCC1 and miR-140-3p in CRC tissues and cell lines (SW620, HCT116, HT29 and SW480) and a normal cell line (NCM460) was detected using qRT-PCR. The expression levels of circSMARCC1 and its linear subtype were detected. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed for the evaluation of the localization of circSAMRCC1 and miR-140-3p in the SW620 cell line. The effects of circSAMRCC1 and miR-140-3p on cell proliferation were investigated using CCK8 and colony formation assays, respectively. The effects of circSAMRCC1 and miR-140-3p on cell migration and invasion were determined using Transwell assay. The binding relationship between circSMARCC1 and miR-140-3p was further assessed by bioinformatics, ChIRP analysis and double luciferase reporter assay. Results The expression of circSAMRCC1 in the CRC tissues and four cell lines is significantly increased, and circSMARCC1 and miR-140-3p are negatively correlated with expression level in the tissue. The downregulation of circSMARCC1 decreased CRC cell viability and suppressed metastasis in vitro and Inhibition of protein (MMP-2, MMP-9, VEGF) expression. miR-140-3p is downregulated in CRC tissues; miR-140-3p mimics inhibited SW620 cell viability, migration and invasion, and miR-140-3p inhibitors reversed the the effect of circSMARCC1 downregulation on cell proliferation, migration and invasion in CRC cells. Conclusion circSMARCC1 competitively combined with miR-140-3p and functioned through a circSMARCC1/miR-140-3p/MMPs axis as a CRC carcinogen, demonstrating its potential as a biomarker for CRC treatment.

Roflumilast is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) and can suppress the hydrolysis of cAMP in inflammatory cells, conferring anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of roflumilast on hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (HALI) in a rat model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into: control group; HALI group; 2.5 mg/kg roflumilast group; and 5 mg/kg roflumilast group. Rats were pressurized to 250 kPa with pure oxygen to induce lung injury. In the roflumilast groups, rats were orally administered with roflumilast at 2.5 or 5 mg/kg once before hyperoxia exposure and once daily for two days after exposure. Rats were sacrificed 72 hours after hyperoxia exposure. The lung tissues were collected for the detection of lung water content, inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB/p-NF-κB protein expression, and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was harvested for the measurement of protein concentration and lactate dehydrogenase activity. Results showed roflumilast at different doses could significantly reduce lung edema, improve lung pathology and reduce the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the lung. The protective effects seemed to be related to the dose of roflumilast. Our study indicates roflumilast has the potential as a medication for the treatment of HALI.