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Ramulus Mori (Sangzhi) alkaloids (SZ-A) derived from twigs of mulberry (Morus alba L., genus Morus in the Moraceae family) was approved by the National Medical Products Administration in 2020 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition to excellent hypoglycemic effect, increasing evidence has confirmed that SZ-A exerts multiple pharmacological effects, such as protecting pancreatic ß-cell function, stimulating adiponectin expression, and alleviating hepatic steatosis. Importantly, a specific distribution of SZ-A in target tissues following oral absorption into the blood is essential for the induction of multiple pharmacological effects. However, there is a lack of studies thoroughly exploring the pharmacokinetic profiles and tissue distribution of SZ-A following oral absorption into the blood, particularly dose-linear pharmacokinetics and target tissue distribution associated with glycolipid metabolic diseases. In the present study, we systematically investigated the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of SZ-A and its metabolites in human and rat liver microsomes, and rat plasma, as well as its effects on the activity of hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450s). The results revealed that SZ-A was rapidly absorbed into the blood, exhibited linear pharmacokinetic characteristics in the dose range of 25–200 mg/kg, and was broadly distributed in glycolipid metabolism-related tissues. The highest SZ-A concentrations were observed in the kidney, liver, and aortic vessels, followed by the brown and subcutaneous adipose tissues, and the heart, spleen, lung, muscle, pancreas, and brain. Except for the trace oxidation products produced by fagomine, other phase I or phase II metabolites were not detected. SZ-A had no inhibitory or activating effects on major CYP450s. Conclusively, SZ-A is rapidly and widely distributed in target tissues, with good metabolic stability and a low risk of triggering drug-drug interactions. This study provides a framework for deciphering the material basis of the multiple pharmacological functions of SZ-A, its rational clinical use, and the expansion of its indications.

A new species of the genus Suwallia Ricker, 1943, S. kuandian sp. nov., from Liaoning Province of northeastern China is described, illustrated, and compared with similar species. Suwallia asiatica Zhiltzova & Levanidova, 1978 is reported for the first time from China. Additionally, Sweltsa illiesi Zhiltzova & Levanidova, 1978 and the chloroperlid genus Alaskaperla Stewart & DeWalt, 1991 are reported for the first time from China. The habitus and diagnostic features of these species are illustrated with color images.

Introduction: Vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) is correlated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through the biological functions of regulating plasma vitamin D (VD) level and the inflammatory process. Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of VD level and VDBP gene polymorphisms on the risk of NAFLD in a Chinese population. Methods: Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels were measured and seven VDBP candidate genetic variants (rs222020, rs2282679, rs4588, rs1155563, rs7041, rs16847024, rs3733359) were genotyped among participants in this case-control study. The control group was frequency-matched to the NAFLD case group by age and gender. Correlation analysis and multiple linear regressions were used to screen determinants of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels. Multivariable unconditional logistic regression was performed to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The prediction capability of models containing independent factors was estimated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Results: Age, body mass index, and triacylglycerol were independent factors influencing VD levels. Participants with low VD levels had significantly higher prevalence of NAFLD compared to subjects with normal VD levels (p < 0.001). A low VD level contributed to increased the risk of NAFLD, independent of metabolic factors known to affect VD levels (adjusted OR = 2.282, 95% CI = 1.422–3.661, p = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that individuals carrying rs7041-G allele had a significantly decreased the risk of NAFLD occurrence compared to T allele (additive model: adjusted OR = 0.814, 95% CI = 0.713–0.929, p = 0.002; codominant model: adjusted OR = 0.623, 95% CI = 0.449–0.866, p = 0.005), after adjusting for age, gender, and overweight. Stratification by multiple metabolic disorders did not alter this relationship. Moreover, we developed a simple model including age, gender, metabolic disorders, and VDBP single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to assess NAFLD risk, an AUC of which being 0.817, significantly higher than the model not included VDBP SNP, with Hosmer-Lemeshow test fitting well (p = 0.182). Conclusions: Low plasma VD levels may increase susceptibility to NAFLD, while rs7041-G allele in VDBP contributed to a decreased NAFLD risk among Chinese population. The VDBP variant significantly improved the capability for NAFLD risk assessment, which could be used for early screening and management of NAFLD.

BackgroundNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is recognized to be closely associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, while previous studies have emphasized the important role of calcium homeostasis from the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM) in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. This article will assess the association between genetic polymorphisms of Ca2+ transport proteins and molecular chaperones in MAM and NAFLD risk.MethodsA case-control study was conducted in a community of Nanjing, China during April to December 2020. 2701 subjects were enrolled and genotyped for 6 genetic variants in HSPA5 and ITPR2 genes. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess impact of these variants on NAFLD risk.ResultsAfter adjusting for age, gender, total cholesterol and glucose, we identified that HSPA5 rs12009 variant genotypes (recessive model: OR= 0.801, 95% CI= 0.652-0.986, P= 0.036), rs430397 variant genotypes (recessive model: OR= 0.546, 95% CI= 0.314-0.950, P= 0.032), and ITPR2 rs11048570 variant genotypes (recessive model: OR= 0.673, 95% CI= 0.453-0.999, P= 0.049) were associated with a reduced risk of NAFLD. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis indicated that gender, glucose, body mass index, triglycerides and favorable alleles were independent influencers of NAFLD (all P< 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.764 (95% CI= 0.745-0.783, P< 0.001).ConclusionThe variant genotypes of Ca2+ transport-associated genes HSPA5 (rs12009 and rs430397) and ITPR2 (rs11048570) might contribute to the reduction of the NAFLD risk in Chinese Han population, which can provide new insight into NAFLD pathogenesis.

The sawtooth lattice shares some structural similarities with the kagome lattice and may attract renewed research interest. Here, we report a comprehensive study on the physical properties of Fe$_2$SiSe$_4$, an unexplored member in the olivine chalcogenides with the sawtooth lattice of Fe. Our results show that Fe$_2$SiSe$_4$ is a magnetic semiconductor with band gap of 0.66~eV. It first undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at T$_{m1}$=110~K, then an ferrimagnetic-like one at T$_{m2}$=50~K and finally a magnetic transition at T$_{m3}$=25~K which is likely driven by the thermal populations of spin-orbit manifold on the Fe site. Neutron diffraction analysis reveals a non-collinear antiferromagnetic structure with propagation vector $\mathbf{q_1}$=(0,0,0) at T$_{m2}$, Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures

As a key index to evaluate whether a city is attractive or has a healthy, comprehensive, and sustainable development potential, urban vitality is critical to the future development and construction of a city. Exploring the mechanism of how the built environment influences urban vitality from the perspective of urban morphology can be conducive to future urban space planning and design and can provide city planners with quantitative and scientific decision-making support. This study uses urban POI, cellular signaling, and nighttime light remote sensing data from Shenzhen to measure its cultural, social, and economic vitality, which constitutes a comprehensive vitality assessment of the city. Spatial features of these urban vitalities were then analyzed to further illustrate their distribution patterns. Using Bivariate Moran's I method, the spatial autocorrelations between economic, social, and cultural vitality were calculated. From the five dimensions of Density, Design, Diversity, Distance to Transit, and Destination Accessibility, the 5D detection index system was constructed to measure the urban built environment. This study also used GeoDetector to detect and analyze the spatial differentiation between various built environmental factors and comprehensive, economic, social, and cultural vitality and to explore the mechanism of the influence of the built environment on urban vitality. The results show that: 1) The spatial distribution of comprehensive vitality is extremely uneven in Shenzhen, with a higher vitality in the southern and western regions of Shenzhen city and a lower vitality in the northern and eastern regions. Areas with higher comprehensive vitality usually developed along the main roads and metro lines and are distributed in strips along the coastline of central-southern and western Shenzhen. The high-value areas of the urban comprehensive vitality center are primarily concentrated in city- or district-level commercial centers, and employment centers. Comprehensive vitality in Shenzhen reflects social vitality. 2) Urban comprehensive, economic, social, and cultural vitality are significantly affected by the built environment, as indicated by the 5D system. High POI and building density, average building floors, and land use entropy, have significant positive impacts on urban vitality. However, residential population density did not have a significant impact on each aspect of urban vitality. 3) Some interactions between built environment factors had a greater impact on urban comprehensive vitality, such as residential population density, road network density, land use entropy, and road network density. Overall, the interaction between building density, average building floors, land use entropy, and other factors, have a more positive impact on each aspect of urban vitality. 4) The presentation of urban comprehensive vitality is the result of multiple dimensions and factors. In the influencing mechanism of urban comprehensive vitality, building density and average building floors were the fundamental factors. POI density and land use entropy were the direct driving factors. Residential population density was an inducing factor. Distance from the administrative center, intersection density, road network density, metro station density, and bus station density were adjustive factors. The research results therefore provide valuable suggestions for the optimal allocation of resources and the rational layout of urban functional facilities in Shenzhen.

Recognizing patterns in lung sounds is crucial to detecting and monitoring respiratory diseases. Current techniques for analyzing respiratory sounds demand domain experts and are subject to interpretation. Hence an accurate and automatic respiratory sound classification system is desired. In this work, we took a data-driven approach to classify abnormal lung sounds. We compared the performance using three different feature extraction techniques, which are short-time Fourier transformation (STFT), Mel spectrograms, and Wav2vec, as well as three different classifiers, including pre-trained ResNet18, LightCNN, and Audio Spectrogram Transformer. Our key contributions include the bench-marking of different audio feature extractors and neural network based classifiers, and the implementation of a complete pipeline using STFT and a fine-tuned ResNet18 network. The proposed method achieved Harmonic Scores of 0.89, 0.80, 0.71, 0.36 for tasks 1-1, 1-2, 2-1 and 2-2, respectively on the testing sets in the IEEE BioCAS 2022 Grand Challenge on Respiratory Sound Classification.

Based on the idea of software and hardware co-design, this article uses HLS tools to design and implement a convolutional neural network accelerator on the PYNQ-Z2 platform, and uses the matrix cutting optimization method for convolution operations to balance resource consumption and computing resources , so that the performance of the accelerator is optimized. This article uses the MNIST data set to test the performance of the accelerator IP core. The experimental results show that: for a single image test, the accelerator achieves an acceleration effect of 5.785 compared with the ARM platform, and an acceleration of 9.72 for a 1000 image test. As a result, as the number of test images continues to increase, the performance of the accelerator will become better and better.

Rhopalopsole liui sp. nov. ( Figs. 1, 2 & 7a) Male. Forewing length 6.5 mm (n=2). Head (Fig. 1e) brown, occiput light brown, slightly wider than pronotum; compound eyes black; antennae (Fig. 7a) light brown, scape brown, without long hairs. Pronotum (Fig. 1e) light brown, surface with brown regularly shaped longitudinal stripes, corners rounded; wings membrane pale brown hyaline,veins grayish brown. Legs and abdomen light brown. Terminalia. Tergum 9 (Figs. 1a & 2a) mostly sclerotized, mid-posterior margin forming a strongly sclerotized, rectangular band with triangular posteromedial apex. Subgenital plate (Figs. 1b & 2b) of sternum 9 much longer than wide and rounded apically, basally with a tongue-like vesicle covered by dense hairs. Tergum 10 (Figs. 1a & 2a) central plate bilobed, separated medially to form a pair of reniform sclerites, distal portions darker and covered with sensilla basiconica; transverse bars triangular with anterior edge strongly sclerotized. Lateral projections (Figs. 1c, 1d, 2c) of tergum 10 short and sclerotized, generally triangular in dorsal/dorsolateral view and elliptical in lateral view. Cercus (Figs. 1a–1d, 2a–2c) slightly upcurved medially, without apical spine. Epiproct (Figs. 1c, 1d, 2a, 2c) basally thick with erect, strongly sclerotized, hook-like, sharp apex in lateral view. Subanal lobe (Figs. 1b, 1c, 2b– 2d) of large size, distinctly upturned distally, apex and lateral margins darkly sclerotized, covered by longitudinal furrows and with two dark forked projections in ventral surface. Female. Unknown. Type Material. Holotype male (CAU): China, Chongqing municipality, Jiangjin District, Simianshan Town, Dawopu, 28.5823° N, 106.3519° E, 885 m, 27-IV-2013, leg. Xingyue Liu. Paratype: 1 male (HIST), same data as holotype. Etymology. This species is named after the collector, Dr. Xingyue Liu, a world expert on Megaloptera. Distribution. China, Chongqing municipality (former Sichuan Province). Remarks. Rhopalopsole liui is a member of the R. shaanxiensis group of Sivec et al. (2008) with short or obsolete lateral projections of tergum 10 and large subanal lobes. The new species seems related to R. qinlinga (Sivec et al. 2008) in having similar forked processes in ventral surface of subanal lobe, however, the central plate of Rhopalopsole liui sp. nov. has a pair of reniform sclerites and shorter lateral projections, while R. qinlinga has a narrow central plate and lateral projections of the 10 tergum being long and forked to acute apices (figs. 34.1 & 34.2, Sivec et al. 2008).

Rhopalopsole liui sp. nov. ( Figs. 1, 2 & 7a) Male. Forewing length 6.5 mm (n=2). Head (Fig. 1e) brown, occiput light brown, slightly wider than pronotum; compound eyes black; antennae (Fig. 7a) light brown, scape brown, without long hairs. Pronotum (Fig. 1e) light brown, surface with brown regularly shaped longitudinal stripes, corners rounded; wings membrane pale brown hyaline,veins grayish brown. Legs and abdomen light brown. Terminalia. Tergum 9 (Figs. 1a & 2a) mostly sclerotized, mid-posterior margin forming a strongly sclerotized, rectangular band with triangular posteromedial apex. Subgenital plate (Figs. 1b & 2b) of sternum 9 much longer than wide and rounded apically, basally with a tongue-like vesicle covered by dense hairs. Tergum 10 (Figs. 1a & 2a) central plate bilobed, separated medially to form a pair of reniform sclerites, distal portions darker and covered with sensilla basiconica; transverse bars triangular with anterior edge strongly sclerotized. Lateral projections (Figs. 1c, 1d, 2c) of tergum 10 short and sclerotized, generally triangular in dorsal/dorsolateral view and elliptical in lateral view. Cercus (Figs. 1a–1d, 2a–2c) slightly upcurved medially, without apical spine. Epiproct (Figs. 1c, 1d, 2a, 2c) basally thick with erect, strongly sclerotized, hook-like, sharp apex in lateral view. Subanal lobe (Figs. 1b, 1c, 2b– 2d) of large size, distinctly upturned distally, apex and lateral margins darkly sclerotized, covered by longitudinal furrows and with two dark forked projections in ventral surface. Female. Unknown. Type Material. Holotype male (CAU): China, Chongqing municipality, Jiangjin District, Simianshan Town, Dawopu, 28.5823° N, 106.3519° E, 885 m, 27-IV-2013, leg. Xingyue Liu. Paratype: 1 male (HIST), same data as holotype. Etymology. This species is named after the collector, Dr. Xingyue Liu, a world expert on Megaloptera. Distribution. China, Chongqing municipality (former Sichuan Province). Remarks. Rhopalopsole liui is a member of the R. shaanxiensis group of Sivec et al. (2008) with short or obsolete lateral projections of tergum 10 and large subanal lobes. The new species seems related to R. qinlinga (Sivec et al. 2008) in having similar forked processes in ventral surface of subanal lobe, however, the central plate of Rhopalopsole liui sp. nov. has a pair of reniform sclerites and shorter lateral projections, while R. qinlinga has a narrow central plate and lateral projections of the 10 tergum being long and forked to acute apices (figs. 34.1 & 34.2, Sivec et al. 2008)., Published as part of Chen, Jing, Wang, Hongliang & Li, Weihai, 2022, Two new species of the genus Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) from China, pp. 569-578 in Zootaxa 5129 (4) on page 570, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5129.4.6, http://zenodo.org/record/6504168, {"references":["Sivec, I., Harper, P. P. & Shimizu, T. (2008) Contribution to the study of the Oriental genus Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera: Leuctridae). Scopolia, 64, 1 - 122."]}

Rhopalopsole yadonga sp. nov. (Figs. 3–6 & 7b) Male. Forewing length 6.5–7.0 mm (n=4). Head black (Fig. 3a), slightly wider than pronotum; compound eyes dark brown; antennae (Fig. 7b) dark brown, inner margin with long hairs. Pronotum (Fig. 3a) brown, surface with dark brown longitudinal median and paramedial elliptical rugosities, anterior corners rounded, posterior corners angulate; wings subhyaline, veins brown; legs brown. Abdomen brown, terminalia mostly dark brown. Terminalia. Tergum 9 (Figs. 3b, 4a, 5b) heavily sclerotized except medial portion anterior to a pair of darkly sclerotized transverse bands at posterior margin, the bands generally rectangular and covered by dense scales; Sternum 9 (Figs. 3c & 4b) longer than wide and rounded apically, basally with densely hirsute oval vesicle on a short pedicel. Tergum 10 (Figs. 3b, 4a, 5a, 5d) central plate subquadrate, with three darkly sclerotized separated sclerites, the mesal sclerite covered by sparse scales; transverse bars anteromedially darkened and thickened, with anterior portion projecting inward, posterior margins forming strongly sclerotized stripe. Lateral projections (Figs. 3d, 4c, 5c) sclerotized, a rounded plate basally, wider than long in lateral view, and inner margin of the projections enlarged apically and appearing as a bilobed tip in dorsal view, in lateral view the upper lobe forming circular notch with the lower point. Cercus (Figs. 3b–3d, 4a–4c) hirsute and upcurved medially, without apical spine. Epiproct (Figs. 3b, 4a, 5d) hook like, regularly tapering to apex. Subanal lobes (Figs. 3b–3c, 4a–4c, 5a, 5c) of large size, distinctly sclerotized, strongly upcurved apically, in ventral aspect apices are trilobed; in top view, the middle portion forming two bipartite lobes. Female. Forewing length 6.5–7.5 mm (n=3). Subgenital plate (Fig. 6a) posteriorly produced into a semicircular lobe with an unsclerified triangular membrane medially in ventral view, and the lobe slightly bulging in lateral view (Fig. 6b). Sternum 8 with a pair of narrowly separately triangular sclerites, the anterior margin nearly overlapping with the posterior margin of subgenital plate. Type Material. Holotype male (CAU): China, Tibet Autonomous Region, Yadong County, 27.4979° N, 88.9219° E, 3400 m, 12-VII-2018, leg. Liang Wang. Paratypes: 3 males, 2 females (HIST), 1 male, 1 female (CAU), same data as holotype. Etymology. This specific name refers to the county from which it was collected. Distribution. China, Tibet Autonomous Region. Remarks. Rhopalopsole yadonga is a member of the R. magnicerca group as defined by Sivec et al. (2008), the group having on tergum 9 a pair of strongly sclerotized transverse bars that are covered in small, rounded knobs or scales. The new species can be easily distinguished from other members of the group by the inner margin of the lateral projections of tergum 10 being enlarged and incised apically. Additionally, the subgenital plate in females is similar to R. longispina Yang & Yang, 1991 of the R. magnicerca species group (see figs. 43 & 44, Li & Yang, 2012). The subgenital plate in the new species has a much wider subgenital plate (Fig. 6a); sclerites of sternum 8 are triangular and narrowly separated whereas those of R. longispina are L-shaped and widely separated., Published as part of Chen, Jing, Wang, Hongliang & Li, Weihai, 2022, Two new species of the genus Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) from China, pp. 569-578 in Zootaxa 5129 (4) on pages 570-577, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5129.4.6, http://zenodo.org/record/6504168, {"references":["Sivec, I., Harper, P. P. & Shimizu, T. (2008) Contribution to the study of the Oriental genus Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera: Leuctridae). Scopolia, 64, 1 - 122.","Li, W. H. & Yang, D. (2012) A review of Rhopalopsole magnicerca group (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) from China. Zootaxa, 3582, 17 - 32."]}

Two new species of the genus Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) are described from China: Rhopalopsole liui Chen, Wang & Li, sp. nov. from from Municipality of Chongqing (former Sichuan Province) and Rhopalopsole yadonga Chen, Wang & Li, sp. nov. from from the Tibet Autonomous Region. The new species are compared to similar congeners in the R. shaanxiensis and R. magnicerca groups, respectively.

Sweltsa illiesi Zhiltzova & Levanidova, 1978 (Figs. 3, 5c) Sweltsa illiesi Zhiltova & Levanidova, 1978: 18; Zhiltzova 1995: 15; Teslenko 2009: 699; Teslenko & Zhiltsova, 2009: 85. Material examined. 3 males and 5 females (CAU). China, Jilin Province, Antu County, Changbai Mountain, Changbai Waterfall, N 42.2705, E 128.1083, 1850 m, 2012.VII.25, Zejian Li, Jigang Jiang. Diagnosis and remarks. The pale head has an inverted V-shaped pigmentation in the ocellar triangle (Fig. 3a). The median abdominal stripe is trapezoidal at each tergum and terminates at the posterior margin of tergum 7 (Fig. 5c). Tergum 10 with a pair of distinctly sclerotized transverse lateral bands, the medial portion between the bands greatly enlarged in the shield-like darkly sclerotized plate (Fig. 3b). Sternum 9 a large, trapezoidal, plate with truncate posterior margin (Fig. 3c). Epiproct torch-shaped, basal third is broad, and then abruptly narrowed to apex, apical half parallel-sided, in lateral aspect the apex moderately enlarged and evenly up-curved (Figs. 3b, 3d). It is recorded from China for the first time. Distribution. Russia Far East (DeWalt et al. 2021); Jilin of China.

Suwallia kuandian Shi, Wang & Li, sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 5a) Material examined. Holotype male (CAU): China, Liaoning Province, Dandong City, Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, Quanshan Forest Farm, N 41.0684, E 124.9837, 2009.VII.5, Junchao Wang. Paratype: 1 male (HIST), same data as holotype. Adult habitus. Body color pale in ethanol. Head pale without markings or stigmata (Fig. 1a). Antenna pale brown, with basal segments paler. Pronotum slightly rugose, generally brownish yellow with pale medial stripe, lateral margins brown (Fig. 1a). Mesonotum and metanotum with brown U-shaped marks. Wings hyaline. Legs pale yellow. Median abdominal stripe is trapezoidal at each tergum and terminates at the posterior margin of tergum 7 (Figs. 1b, 5a). Male terminalia. Tergum 9 medially golden-brown and moderately sclerotized, before the slightly produced posterior margin. Tergum 10 anterior margins with two narrowly separately paramedial sclerites, with invaginated subrectangular medial sclerite, which is arch-shaped in lateral view; posterior portion under epiproct widened, ca. half as long as wide (Figs. 1b, 1c). Hemitergal processes finger-shaped and anteromedially recurved. Epiproct knoblike and longer than wide, with stout posterolateral bifurcation (Fig. 1b). A distinct triangular aedeagal sclerite with darker lateral margins is visible through the cuticle of sternum 9 (Fig. 1d). Everted aedeagus mostly membranous, distinctly curved dorsally, with ventral sclerite subapical apical part with a triangular dorsal notch. The sclerite is medially oblong-elliptical with reticular dark filaments, laterally with closely set setae-like filaments in ventral view (Figs. 1e, 1f). Female: Unknown. Larva and egg. Unknown. Distribution. China ( Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County ). Etymology. The species is named after the type locality, Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County. Diagnosis and remarks. The new species is superficially similar to S. sachalina (Zhiltzova, 1978), but it is easily separated from that species externally by the head without markings and much wider posterior portion of medial sclerite. In S. sachalina, the head has large median markings, the posterior portion of medial sclerite nearly quadrate (fig. 13A, Alexander & Stewart 1999; figs. 5���7, Zhiltzova, 1978; figs. 521���523, Teslenko & Zhiltzova 2009). The aedeagal armartures of S. sachalina visualized through the cuticle are medially separated but those in S. kuandian sp. nov. are entire, and the everted armatures is generally a large triangular spinose patch posterior to a black transverse bar that differs much from S. kuandian sp. nov. The new species also shares similar posterolateral bifurcation on epiproct with S. bimaculata (Okamoto, 1912), S. kawaii Li & Li, 2021 (in Li. et al. 2021) and S. thoracica (Okamoto, 1912). However, the posterolateral bifurcate process in S. bimaculata, S. kawaii and S. thoracica is acute and subequal to or longer than epiproct (figs. 4B, 22B, Alexander & Stewart 1999; fig. 1b, Li. et al. 2021) whereas that process in S. kuandian sp. nov. is stout and much shorter than epiproct. Their shape of aedeagal armatures also differs: S. bimaculata has a V-shaped patch (fig. 4 D, Alexander & Stewart 1999), that structure in S. kawaii is plate-like with apical notch (fig. 2b, Li. et al. 2021) and the aedeagus of S. thoracica is only finely spinulated. Additionally, a similar large dark occellar markings extending forward to clypeus in those three species may easily tell externally from the colorless head in S. kuandian sp. nov., Published as part of Shi, Wenju, Wang, Hongliang & Li, Weihai, 2022, A new species and three new records of Chloroperlidae (Plecoptera) from northeastern China, pp. 584-592 in Zootaxa 5093 (5) on page 585, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5093.5.7, http://zenodo.org/record/5964536, {"references":["Alexander, K. D. & Stewart, K. W. (1999) Revision of the genus Suwallia Ricker (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 125 (3), 185 - 250. Available from: https: // www. jstor. org / stable / 25078681 (accessed 29 October 2021)","Teslenko, V. A. & Zhiltzova, L. A. (2009) Key to the stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera) of Russia and adjacent countries. Imagines and nymphs. Dalnauka, Vladivostok, 382 pp. [in Russian]","Okamoto, H. (1912) Erster Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Japanischer Plecopteren. Transactions of the Sapporo Natural History Society, 4, 105 - 170.","Li, W. L., Wang, Y. Y., Wang, Y. & Li, W. H. (2021) A new species of Suwallia Ricker, 1943 from Japan, and the identity of Alloperla teleckojensis Samal, 1939 (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae). Zootaxa, 5040 (4), 575 - 581. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 5040.4.7"]}

Alaskaperla longidentata (Rau��er, 1968) (Figs. 4, 5d) Chloroperla longidentata Rau��er, 1968: 378. Triznaka longidentata (Rau��er, 1968): Zwick 1972: 35; Zwick 1973: 300. Alaskaperla longidentata (Rau��er, 1968): Zwick 2007: 67; Teslenko 2009: 699; Surenkhorloo 2009: 713; Teslenko & Zhiltsova, 2009: 80; Judson & Nelson 2012: 26. Material examined. 1 male and 2 females (CAU). China, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Genhe City, Mangui Town, 2009.VII.25, Gang Yao. Diagnosis and remarks. Head is pale without markings or stigmata (Fig. 4a). Median abdominal stripe on each tergum ending at posterior margin of tergum 7 (Fig. 5d). Tergum 10 medially slightly sclerotized, sternum 9 long, nearly triangular, posterior margin sharp (Figs. 4b, 4c). Epiproct is gradually widened toward to apex in dorsal view along its entire length and hook-like with sharp apex in lateral view (Figs. 4b, 4d). The genus and species are reported from China for the first time. Distribution. Russia, Altai, Magadanskaya, Amurskaya and Khabarovsk Krai (Teslenko & Zhiltsova, 2009); Mongolia (DeWalt et al. 2021); Inner Mongolia of China., Published as part of Shi, Wenju, Wang, Hongliang & Li, Weihai, 2022, A new species and three new records of Chloroperlidae (Plecoptera) from northeastern China, pp. 584-592 in Zootaxa 5093 (5) on pages 589-591, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5093.5.7, http://zenodo.org/record/5964536, {"references":["Rauser, J. (1968) 67. Plecoptera. Ergebnisse der zoologischen Forschungen von Dr. Z. Kaszab in der Mongolei. Entomologische Abhandlungen, 34 (5), 329 - 398.","Zwick, P. (1972) Alloperla joosti nov. spec. und Andere Asiatische Chloroperlidae (Plecoptera). Mitteilungen aus dem Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin, 48 (1), 35 - 39. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnz. 19720480105","Zwick, P. (1973) Insecta: Plecoptera. Phylogenetisches System und Katalog. Das Tierreich, 94, 1 - 465.","Zwick, P. (2007) Intercontinental disjunction in Alaskaperla (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae). Aauatic Insects, 29 (1), 67 - 69. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 01650420701217094","Surenkhorloo, P. (2009) Updated species list of stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Mongolia. Aquatic Insects, 31 (Supplement 1), 707 - 720. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 01650420903146364","Judson, S. W. & Nelson, C. R. (2012) A guide to Mongolian stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera). Zootaxa, 3541 (1), 1 - 118. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 3541.1.1","DeWalt, R. E., Maehr, M. D., Neu-Becker, U. & Stueber, G. (2021) Plecoptera Species File Online. Version 5.0 / 5.0. Available from: http: // plecoptera. speciesfile. org (accessed 25 October 2021)"]}

Suwallia asiatica Zhiltzova & Levanidova, 1978 (Figs. 2, 5b) Suwallia asiatica Zhiltova & Levanidova, 1978: 14; Zhiltzova 1995: 14; Teslenko 2009: 699; Teslenko & Zhiltsova, 2009: 87. Material examined. 1 male and 7 females (CAU). China, Liaoning Province, Dandong City, Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, Quanshan Forest Farm, N 41.0684, E 124.9837, 2009.VII.5, Junchao Wang. Diagnosis and Remarks. Head pale without markings (Fig. 2a). Tergum 10 with a V-shaped sclerite and hemitergal processes exceptionally long, finger-shaped, and fully scleritized in male (Fig. 2b). The median abdominal stripe on each tergum ending at posterior margin of tergum 7 and a small vestige at anterior margin of tergum 8 (Fig. 5b). Aedeagus membranous and simple, apical half curved dorsally, subquadate in ventral aspect with a pair of mesolateral lobes and a small indistinct central quadrate sclerite (Figs. 2c���2e). Female subgenital plate has a pair of short finger-shaped posterolateral lobes, the incision arch-like between the lobes (Fig. 2f). Distribution. Russia Far East (DeWalt et al. 2021); Liaoning of China., Published as part of Shi, Wenju, Wang, Hongliang & Li, Weihai, 2022, A new species and three new records of Chloroperlidae (Plecoptera) from northeastern China, pp. 584-592 in Zootaxa 5093 (5) on pages 585-588, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5093.5.7, http://zenodo.org/record/5964536, {"references":["Zhiltzova, L. A. & Levanidova, I. M. (1978) Novie vidi vesnianok (Plecoptera) s Dalnego Vostoka. Novie vidi Zivotnih, Akademia Nauk SSSR Trudy Zoologicheskogo instituta, 61, 3 - 29.","Zhiltzova, L. A. (1995) Katalog tipovyh ekzemplyarov kollektsii zoologicheskogo instituta RAN. Vesnyanki (Plecoptera). SPB, St. Petersburg, 37 pp.","DeWalt, R. E., Maehr, M. D., Neu-Becker, U. & Stueber, G. (2021) Plecoptera Species File Online. Version 5.0 / 5.0. Available from: http: // plecoptera. speciesfile. org (accessed 25 October 2021)"]}

Sweltsa illiesi Zhiltzova & Levanidova, 1978 (Figs. 3, 5c) Sweltsa illiesi Zhiltova & Levanidova, 1978: 18; Zhiltzova 1995: 15; Teslenko 2009: 699; Teslenko & Zhiltsova, 2009: 85. Material examined. 3 males and 5 females (CAU). China, Jilin Province, Antu County, Changbai Mountain, Changbai Waterfall, N 42.2705, E 128.1083, 1850 m, 2012.VII.25, Zejian Li, Jigang Jiang. Diagnosis and remarks. The pale head has an inverted V-shaped pigmentation in the ocellar triangle (Fig. 3a). The median abdominal stripe is trapezoidal at each tergum and terminates at the posterior margin of tergum 7 (Fig. 5c). Tergum 10 with a pair of distinctly sclerotized transverse lateral bands, the medial portion between the bands greatly enlarged in the shield-like darkly sclerotized plate (Fig. 3b). Sternum 9 a large, trapezoidal, plate with truncate posterior margin (Fig. 3c). Epiproct torch-shaped, basal third is broad, and then abruptly narrowed to apex, apical half parallel-sided, in lateral aspect the apex moderately enlarged and evenly up-curved (Figs. 3b, 3d). It is recorded from China for the first time. Distribution. Russia Far East (DeWalt et al. 2021); Jilin of China., Published as part of Shi, Wenju, Wang, Hongliang & Li, Weihai, 2022, A new species and three new records of Chloroperlidae (Plecoptera) from northeastern China, pp. 584-592 in Zootaxa 5093 (5) on pages 588-589, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5093.5.7, http://zenodo.org/record/5964536, {"references":["Zhiltzova, L. A. & Levanidova, I. M. (1978) Novie vidi vesnianok (Plecoptera) s Dalnego Vostoka. Novie vidi Zivotnih, Akademia Nauk SSSR Trudy Zoologicheskogo instituta, 61, 3 - 29.","Zhiltzova, L. A. (1995) Katalog tipovyh ekzemplyarov kollektsii zoologicheskogo instituta RAN. Vesnyanki (Plecoptera). SPB, St. Petersburg, 37 pp.","DeWalt, R. E., Maehr, M. D., Neu-Becker, U. & Stueber, G. (2021) Plecoptera Species File Online. Version 5.0 / 5.0. Available from: http: // plecoptera. speciesfile. org (accessed 25 October 2021)"]}

In order to accurately decompose the surface morphology of machined surface and trace the potential errors of the machine, a comprehensive improved algorithm is proposed, which combines wavelet pac...

Organ shortage is one of the important factors restricting the development of human organ transplantation. The identification and referral of potential donors determine the total scale of organ donation. Whether potential donors can be identified and referred is the most important reason for the difference of organ donation rates in different regions. This paper interprets the chapter of the identification and referral of potential donors in the Guide to the Quality and Safety of Organs for Transplantation (6th edition) issued by European Union in order to provide reference for the staff of organ procurement organization and related medical personnel in China and improve the organ donation rate in China.

Additional file 3.

Additional file 2.

Additional file 1. An article about the rotation method.

Additional file 3: Table S3. Characteristics of Case Group associated with VAS.

Additional file 2: Table S2. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Test of rs28742109, rs12955018, rs987850, rs8093805, rs12965084 and rs145497186 that related to NDUFV2.

Rover localization is one of the perquisites for large scale rover exploration. In NASA's Mars 2020 mission, the Ingenuity helicopter is carried together with the rover, which is capable of obtaining high-resolution imagery of Mars terrain, and it is possible to perform localization based on aerial-to-ground (A2G) imagery correspondence. However, considering the low-texture nature of the Mars terrain, and large perspective changes between UAV and rover imagery, traditional image matching methods will struggle to obtain valid image correspondence. In this paper we propose a novel pipeline for Mars rover localization. An algorithm combing image-based rock detection and rock distribution pattern matching is used to acquire A2G imagery correspondence, thus establishing the rover position in a UAV-generated ground map. Feasibility of this method is evaluated on sample data from a Mars analogue environment. The proposed method can serve as a reliable assist in future Mars missions., Comment: 8 pages, in Chinese language, 9 figures

Additional file 2: Table S2. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Test of rs28742109, rs12955018, rs987850, rs8093805, rs12965084 and rs145497186 that related to NDUFV2.

Additional file 1.

Additional file 2.

Additional file 3: Table S3. Characteristics of Case Group associated with VAS.

Additional file 3.

Additional file 1: Table S1. General data of case and control group.

Objective: To explore the effects of interventional therapy (IT) on Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) gene expression and neuron apoptosis in rabbits with ischemic brain injury caused by carotid artery stenosis, and to further optimize the therapeutic regime of clinical ischemic brain injury (IBI). Methods: 30 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: Sham group (n=10), IBI group (n=10) and IBI+IT group (n=10). A rabbit model of carotid artery stenosis was established to induce IBI. 12 hours later, interventional therapy was achieved through percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) by pumping up the balloon to widen the catheter. The expression of AQP4 mRNA and protein were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot, respectively. The distributions of rabbit hippocampus and cerebral cortex were detected by Nissl staining. The neuronal function of rabbits in the three groups after surgery was assessed with mNSS score. TUNEL (Terminal Transferase-mediated dUTP Nick End-labelling) staining was used to observe neuron apoptosis in rabbit brain tissue. The expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 protein were detected by western blot. Markers of oxidative stress in rabbit brain tissues were detected by Reactive Oxygen Species ELISA Kits. Morphology of the organelles in rabbit brain tissues was observed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: The protein and mRNA expressions of AQP4 in rabbit brain tissues were significantly decreased in the IBI group. Nissl staining results showed that IT improved IBI in rabbit hippocampus. In addition, IT significantly ameliorated the neuronal function of rabbits, and reduced the apoptosis and oxidative stress level of neurons in brain tissues. Furthermore, we found that after IT, organelle damage was significantly reduced in rabbit neurons. Conclusion: After receiving IT, AQP4 gene level and neuron apoptosis were significantly reduced in rabbit brain tissues with ischemic brain injury from carotid artery stenosis.

Introduction: This work reports a patient with recurrent renal calculi subjected to three surgeries in half a year to be in the same position, and the high-throughput sequencing data showed different species in the renal pus and urine samples, which suggested that partial renal infection or stone formation can be judged by the bacteria in urine. Patient concerns: The female patient aged 43 years was referred to the authors’ department on April 13, 2020, due to left waist pain and fever for 3 days. Diagnosis: Kidney stones and hydronephrosis were determined by a urinary system computed tomography scan. Interventions: On April 20, 2020 and June 15, 2020, the patient was successfully treated with left percutaneous nephrolithotomy twice under general anesthesia. An investigation on the health and eating habits of the patient within 6 months was completed at the last admission. The components of the second renal calculus sample were analyzed with an infrared spectrum analyzer. The third renal stone (renal pus, triplicates) was subjected to microbial metagenome sequencing, and urine samples before and after surgery were subjected to 16S RNA sequencing by SEQHEALTH (Wuhan, China). Outcomes: After percutaneous nephrolithotomy, the left kidney stones were basically cleared, stone analysis revealed that the main components were calcium oxalate monohydrate, silica, and a small amount of calcium oxalate dehydrate. Although the urine samples exhibited differences, the renal pus and urine sample shared a single species. Conclusion: It is not clear that the prospects of partial renal infection or stone formation can be judged by the bacteria in urine.

Core–shell MOF composites containing uniform Zr/Hf-MOF shells are constructed using kinetic control., Constructing core–shell metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on two topologically distinct MOFs is a great way to increase MOF material complexity and explore their new functions. However, such a nucleation process is energetically less favored compared to epitaxial growth due to mismatched unit cell parameters. Here, two kinetic factors, nucleation kinetics and dissolution kinetics, are revealed to be two key factors in overcoming this challenge. Through kinetic control, we demonstrate the growth of 4 types of Zr/Hf-MOF shells uniformly and contiguously on 7 different core MOFs including ZIF-8, an acid labile core. Taking advantage of the modular synthesis of Zr-MOFs, we demonstrate that post-synthetic covalent surface modification on a non-functionalizable MOF surface can be made possible through core–shell construction. We also demonstrated that the size selective catalytic behavior can be systematically tuned through changing either the ligand length or ligand functionality.

Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are widely used in evaluating the profile error of the freeform surfaces. Traditional trigger probes are inefficient at collecting large scale measurement sets. A CMM equipped with a sweep scanning probe dramatically improves the efficiency of inspection. However, the large scale data obtained by scanning is challenging for most existing profile error evaluation methods, which are based on iterative algorithms. This paper proposes an efficient and accurate method to evaluate the profile error of freeform surfaces. To simultaneously simplify the calculation and retain the accuracy of evaluation, a new method to extract key points from scanning data set is presented. First, the key points are defined as those measured points with regional outstanding deviations from the design surface. Second, wavelet decomposition is utilized to decompose the curves formed by the deviations of the measured points in the scanning data set, and the key points are extracted according to the decomposition results. In addition, the key points set, as a representation of the scanning data, are evaluated using Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) algorithm. Finally, a simulation example and an actual machined part are used to test the proposed evaluation method. The results prove that the proposed method is both accurate and efficient.

Aiming at the problem that the host computer can not communicate with the multi-node acquisition device at high speed in the distributed data acquisition system,a data converter based on MLVDS interface and USB3.0 interface is designed. The converter uses CYUSB3014 interface chip to achieve high-speed data transmission between computer and FPGA, uses ADN4693E interface chip to complete multi-node data transmission, uses FPGA as the core controller, and resolves multi-node communication logic based on MLVDS custom protocol to implement data interaction between MLVDS interface and USB3.0 interfaces. The test results show that the data conversion result of the converter is accurate and reliable, and the high-speed communication between the host computer and the multi-node data acquisition equipment is realized.

The speciation and content of mercury in flue gas were measured before and after WFGD of eight coal-fired units by Ontario Hydro method and the effect of WFGD on mercury species distribution and concentration was investigated. The results show that mercury is mainly composed of gaseous form and mercury emission concentration after WFGD in different units has very large difference. The effect of WFGD on mercury emission is embodied on synergistic removal of gaseous mercury with average mercury removal efficiency of 36.8%. Mercury is transferred from flue gas to desulfurization gypsum in WFGD. The mercury stability in desulfurization gypsum and the second mercury pollution are worthy of attention.

Additional file 1. Figure S1. Study design. Figure S2. Patient selection on the eICU dataset. Figure S3. Variable missing heatmap under different extraction time window. Figure S4. Heatmap of correlation between clinical variables for phenotyping. Figure S5. OPTICS plots for eICU training/validation cohort. Figure S6. Gap statistics of K-Means on eICU derivation cohort. Figure S7. Consensus k clustering on eICU derivation cohort. Figure S8. t-SNE visualization of phenotype assignments by K-Means and consensus clustering. Figure S9. Line plot visualization of phenotype characteristics by K-Means and consensus clustering. Figure S10. Line plot visualization of phenotype characteristics on 2 clinical cohort. Figure S11. t-SNE visualization of phenotype assignments in 2 clinical cohort and 3 RCTs. Figure S12. Heterogeneity of treatment effect in ALVEOLI Trail. Figure S13. Heterogeneity of treatment effect in FACTT Trail. Figure S14. Heterogeneity of treatment effect in SAILS Trail. Figure S15. Alluvial plot of relationship between clinical phenotypes and Berlin Classification. Figure S16. Predictive power of APACHE score and ARDS severity on derived phenotype. Table S1. Availability of selected clinical variables by dataset. Table S2. Direction of abnormal values and distribution transformation. Table S3. Missing data across cohorts and trials. Table S4. Clinical characteristics of eICU derivation/validation cohorts.Table S5. Clinical characteristics of 3 RCTs. Table S6. Clinical characteristics by phenotype in eICU derivation cohort. Table S7. Clinical characteristics by phenotype in eICU validation cohort. Table S8. Clinical characteristics by phenotype in ALVEOLI. Table S9. Clinical characteristics by phenotype in FACTT. Table S10. Clinical characteristics by phenotype in SAILS. Table S11. Difference in clinical outcomes between phenotypes in three RCTs.

Additional file 10 Fig. S6. Photos showing the phenotypes of red deer and sika deer.

Additional file 5 Fig. S2. A-F indicate the SNP sites that could be accurately classified by the default parameters of GenomeStudio (those with the first and second patterns (Fig. S2A, B). All formed a single cluster (AA, 00, 00; 00, 00, BB), representing a monomorphic locus. Those with the third and fourth patterns (Fig. S2C, D, E, F) were markers that showed three (AA, AB, AB) and two (AA, 00, BB; AA, AB, 00) clearly definable clusters.

Additional file 11 Fig. S7. Photos showing the phenotypes of hybrid deer.

Additional file 6 Fig. S3. A, B indicate the SNP sites that could not be accurately classified even with software adjustment.

Additional file 1 Fig. S1. Fst values of SNP sites on different chromosomes.

Additional file 8 Fig. S4. Venn diagram of sites for analysis. As can be seen from the figure, a total of 991 chip sites have been detected, 973 for MAF > 0.05, 850 for Call Rate > 95%, and 833 for SNP that meets MAF > 0.05 and Call Rate > 95%.

Additional file 1: Fig. S1. Results from RNA-seq and Protein array. a Heatmap from RNA-seq representing expression levels for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between hBMSCs and hEMSCs. Red: upregulation; Blue: downregulation. Expression intensity was based on R software analysis of gene expression levels. b Twenty categories with significant enrichment were screened for functional enrichment analysis of gene ontology (GO). Yellow line: Number of genes. Bars: Significance level. c Heatmap showing up- and down-regulation for DEGs in hBMSCs and hEMSCs related to angiogenesis. d Venn diagram and protein array analysis between hBMSCs and hEMSCs for DEGs. Black circle in Venn diagram represents DEGs related to angiogenesis between hEMSCs and hBMSCs by RNA-seq, while gray circle represents DEGs identified through protein arrays. The intersection of the two circles represents overlapping DEGs between RNA-seq and protein array for angiogenesis, where five angiogenesis-related factors were found, of which PGF and ANG4 were up-regulated in hBMSCs, while FLT-1, TEK (also known as TIE2), and FGF9 were upregulated in hEMSCs. FGF9: Fibroblast growth factor 9; FLT-1: Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1; PGF: Placental growth factor; ANG4: Angiopoietin 4. Table S1. Formulation of Differentiation Media. Table S2. Real-time qPCR primer sets.

This study aims to introduce an innovative adjustable prone positioning frame (APPF) and explore its feasibility and safety for treatment of severe kyphosis secondary to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) with two-level osteotomy.A retrospective, non-controlled study was conducted to illustrate the process where 13 patients diagnosed with severe kyphosis secondary to AS received operations on the APPF. Parameters of chin brow vertical angle (CBVA), global kyphosis (GK), thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK), lumbar lordosis (LL) and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) were measured. Positioning time, operation time, intraoperative blood loss aḥd complications were also determined. The Scoliosis Research Society outcomes instrument (SRS-22) was applied for clinical assessment.All patients were placed on the APPF successfully with the positioning time of 2.92 ± 0.76 min, received operation with 457.00 ± 88.04 min and had blood loss of 2330.77 ± 1423.25 ml. Four cases experienced pain due to tensional skin of the abdomen and one case suffered cerebrospinal fluid leakage postoperatively, but these patients were all cured conservatively. No neurological complications were observed, although sagittal translation occurred in four patients. Significant improvements were detected in CBVA, GK, TLK, LL and SVA postoperatively (P 0.05), but no significant difference was observed between postoperation and the final follow-up (P 0.05). The SRS-22 scores at 2 years after operation were significantly higher than those before operation (P 0.05).The innovative APPF provided great convenience to place patients with severe kyphosis secondary to AS in a prone position. Performing two-level osteotomy with the aid of APPF is safe, feasible and effective.

Liang Wang,1– 3,* Qiushi Li,4,* Haibo Yan,3 Guangjun Jiao,1 Hongliang Wang,1 Hai Chi,5 Hongming Zhou,1,6 Lu Chen,1 Yu Shan,1 Yunzhen Chen1,2 1Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 2Shandong University Spine and Spine Cord Disease Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Shandong Medical College, Linyi, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Orthopedics, Linyi People’s Hospital, Linyi, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Traumatic Orthopedics, Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital (Affiliated to Shandong University), Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Emergency Trauma Surgery, Linyi Central Hospital, Linyi, Shandong, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yunzhen ChenDepartment of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-531-82166531Email qilucyz@yeah.netPurpose: Glucocorticoids are used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, but glucocorticoid treatment is associated with bone damage. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin found in many plants, and we investigated its protective role on dexamethasone-induced dysfunction in MC3T3-E1 cells and primary osteoblasts.Materials and Methods: MC3T3-E1 cells and primary osteoblasts were treated with dexamethasone in the presence/absence of different doses of resveratrol for 24 or 48 h. Then, 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays were used to evaluate cell viability. Apoptosis was analyzed by a flow cytometry. An alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay and Alizarin Red S staining were used to study osteoblast differentiation. Expression of osteoblast-related genes was measured by real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway and mitochondrial expression of superoxide dismutase were evaluated by Western blotting. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, mitochondrial-complex activity, and mitochondrial DNA content were measured to evaluate mitochondrial function.Results: Resveratrol induced the proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of osteoblasts in the presence of dexamethasone. Resveratrol increased the ALP activity and mineralization of osteoblasts. Resveratrol also attenuated dexamethasone-induced inhibition of mRNA expression of osteogenesis maker genes, including bone morphogenetic protein-2, osteoprotegerin, runt-related transcription factor-2, and bone Gla protein. Resveratrol alleviated dexamethasone-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Resveratrol strongly stimulated expression of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α and sirtuin-3 genes, as well as their downstream target gene superoxide dismutase-2. Resveratrol induced phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). Blockade of AMPK signaling using compound C reversed the protective effects of resveratrol against dexamethasone.Conclusion: Resveratrol showed protective effects against dexamethasone-induced dysfunction of osteoblasts by activating AMPK signaling.Keywords: resveratrol, dexamethasone, osteoblasts, AMPK, mitochondrial function

Zhihao Yang,1,2,* Erbao Bian,1,2,* Yadi Xu,1,2 Xinghu Ji,1,2 Feng Tang,1,2 Chunchun Ma,1,2 Hongliang Wang,1,2 Bing Zhao1,2 1Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, People’s Republic of China; 2Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Bing ZhaoDepartment of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 551 63869502Fax +86 551 63869400Email aydzhb@126.comBackground: Glioma is one of the most common malignant tumors. Glioblastoma (grade IV) is considered the most malignant form of human brain tumors. Maternal expression gene 3 (Meg3) encodes a non-coding RNA (ncRNA) that plays an important role in the development and progression of cancer. However, the role of Meg3 in glioma cells remains largely unclear.Methods: Reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q) PCR was conducted to evaluate the mRNA expression related to cell autophagy and EMT while protein expression was detected by Western blotting. Staining of acidic vacuoles and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect autophagy. The ability of cells to migrate and invade was detected by Transwell migration and invasion assays.Results: In the present study, it was found that the overexpression of Meg3 induced EMT, migration and invasion of glioma cells, whereas Meg3 overexpression induced autophagy of glioma cells. More importantly, the inhibition of autophagy impaired the EMT of glioma cells. In addition, Meg3-induced EMT, migration and invasion could be partially reversed by autophagy inhibitors, chloroquine (CQ) and Lys05, in glioma cells.Conclusion: All data suggest that Meg3 induces EMT and invasion of glioma cells via autophagy. Overall, the findings of the present study demonstrate the importance of Meg3 in the molecular etiology of glioma, which also indicate its potential applications in the treatment of glioma.Keywords: long non-coding RNA, Meg3, EMT, invasion, autophagy, glioma

Hardness is one important water quality parameter that influences the toxicity of cadmium. Several studies have derived water quality criteria (WQC) for cadmium, but most of these studies did not consider environmental factors. Moreover, few studies considered environmental factors when carrying out ecological risk assessments (ERA) based on environmental factors. In this research, six native aquatic organisms in the Shaying River were adopted to conduct toxicity tests for cadmium. By combining published toxicity data for cadmium with hardness values and toxicity data from this study, hardness-dependent WQC were established. When normalized to a hardness of 100 mg/L CaCO3, the criterion maximum concentration (CMC) of 6.46 μg/L and criterion continuous concentration (CCC) of 1.49 μg/L in the Shaying River Basin were derived according to the USEPA guidelines. The acute predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) derived by species sensitivity distribution (SSD) methods based on log-logistic, log-normal and Burr Type III models were 1.03, 2.41 and 1.66 μg/L, respectively. Recommended WQC values finally expressed as a function of hardness: (1) CMC=(1.136672–0.041838 × lnH) × e0.9969×lnH−2.6676; and (2) CCC=(1.101672–0.041838 × lnH) × e1.0083×lnH−6.1156. In addition, three tiers of ERA of cadmium in surface waters were conducted based on hardness obtained during different seasons in the Shaying River using the hazard quotient (HQ), the margin of safety (MOS10), and the joint probability (JPC) methods. In tiered 1, 2, and 3 ERA, cadmium exposure concentrations were standardized to a hardness of 100 mg/L. The three levels of the ERA method in the tiered framework gave consistent results: the ecological risks of cadmium in the Shaying River Basin were at acceptable levels. The present study provides a reference for the derivation of WQC and risk assessment of pollution affected by differences in aquatic species and water quality factors such as hardness.