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Background: Liver allograft fibrosis (LAF) is prevalent among children with long-term survival after liver transplantation (LT). The authors aimed to identify clinical risk factors, with a focus on the impact of immunosuppression (IS) level in the early post-transplant period on LAF. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on pediatric LT recipients with at least 1-year of follow-up. Cox regression models were used to analyze risk factors associated with LAF, and landmark analysis was used to evaluate the impact of IS level on LAF. Longitudinal analysis was also conducted in patients with paired biopsies. Results: A total of 139 patients involving 174 liver biopsies were included. With 2.3 to 5.9 years of follow-up, LAF was detected in 91.4% of patients (7.9% were significant), up to 88.2% of whom showed normal liver function. Episodes of acute rejection, biliary complications, cytomegalovirus infection, and prolonged cold ischemia time were independent risk factors. Besides, the risk of LAF in patients with relatively low IS levels at postoperative 1-3, 3-6, 6-12, and 12-36 months was higher than the counterparts. Especially, in patients with relatively high IS levels (mean tacrolimus trough concentration = 5.1 ng/ml) during postoperative 12-36 months, the risk of LAF was 67% lower in the short future (P=0.006). In paired analysis, patients with increased IS levels were more likely to achieve fibrosis-reduction (HR=7.53, P= 0.025). Conclusions: Mild to moderate LAF is common among pediatric LT recipients and can appear early and silently. Maintaining adequate levels of IS during 1-3 years after LT seems crucial to ensure protection against LAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf rolling (LR) is one of the defensive mechanisms that plants have developed against adverse environmental conditions. LR is a typical drought response, promoting drought resistance in various gramineae species, including wheat, maize, and rice. Rice cultivation faces the formidable challenge of water deprivation because of its high water requirements, which leads to drought-related symptoms in rice. LR is an important morphological characteristic that plays a key role in controlling water loss during water insufficiency, thereby regulating leaf area and stature, which are crucial agronomic traits determining yield criteria. Bulliform, sclerenchyma, mesophyll, and vascular bundles are the cells that engage in LR and commonly exhibit adaxial or abaxial types of rolling in rice. The specific genes linked to rolling, either adaxially or abaxially, are discussed here. In addition to the factors influencing LR, here is a short review of the morphological, physiological and molecular responses of this adaptation under drought stress. Moreover, this review highlights how LR combats the consequences of drought stress. The eco-physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying this morphological adaptation in rice should be further explored, as they might be useful in dealing with various degrees of drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe postreperfusion syndrome (PRS) is a critical and potentially catastrophic event during deceased donor liver transplantation (LT). Terlipressin has been widely used as a renoprotective agent during the perioperative period of LT. This study was designed to evaluate whether prophylactic terlipressin would reduce the occurrence of severe PRS in deceased donor LT. Methods: In this single-center, randomized, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned adults who underwent deceased donor LT to receive 1 mg of terlipressin or placebo immediately after portal vein (PV) clamping. The primary outcome was the incidence of severe PRS after PV declamping, defined according to hypotension-based criteria per the Peking criteria. Results: Between March 2019 and January 2021, we enrolled 64 patients and randomly assigned 32 to the terlipressin group and 32 to the control group. Severe PRS was significantly less frequent in the terlipressin group than in the control group (9.4 vs. 53.1%; OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02-0.36; P< 0.001). The vasopressor requirements for inferior vena cava clamping and severe PRS were significantly reduced by the intervention compared to controls (all P<0.01). Prophylactic terlipressin stabilized the mean arterial pressure (P= 0.001) and heart rate (P=0.040) at 30 min after anhepatic phase but increased the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) at 5 min after reperfusion (P= 0.003). Patients in the terlipressin group had a decreased right PV flow velocity following reperfusion (P=0.001), a longer postoperative mechanical ventilation time (P =0.029), a lower initial poor graft function rate (P =0.012), and lower peak alanine transaminase levels (P= 0.032) after transplantation. Conclusion: The prophylactic use of terlipressin reduces the incidence of severe PRS in deceased donor LT. However, concerns remain regarding elevated PCWP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We elucidate here the temperature and strain rate sensitivity of a duplex stainless steel through the development of deformation maps and by studying the flow behaviour during hot compression tests in the temperature range of 1223–1473 K and at strain rates between 0.01 and 30 s −1. The flow curves exhibited softening after attaining a peak condition and the flow stress increased with the decrease of temperature and increase of strain rate. The observed change in the activation energy is attributed to strain partitioning between the two constituent phases and the deformation maps were characterised by two regions of flow instability. On the other hand, the microstructural evolution indicated that the strain rate and deformation temperature had a significant impact on the flow behaviour. In the flow stability region, the continuous dynamic recrystallisation (DRX) of ferrite was strongly activated, while in the flow instability region, both the continuous dynamic recrystallisation in ferrite and discontinuous DRX in austenite were weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been known that chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a type 2 inflammation–dominated disease; however, the reasons causing such type of mucosal inflammation in CRSwNP are not well elucidated. We sought to investigate the role of microRNA-21-5p (miR-21-5p) in regulating mucosal type 2 inflammation in CRSwNP. miR-21-5p expression was detected in nasal mucosa of patients with CRSwNP. Correlations between miR-21-5p and indicators of type 2 inflammation were further analyzed. miR-21 knockout mice were used to explore the role of miR-21-5p in a murine model of eosinophilic (E) CRSwNP. Target gene of miR-21-5p related to type 2 inflammation in CRSwNP was identified. The upregulated miR-21-5p in the nasal mucosa of patients with CRSwNP, compared with control subjects, was expressed higher in patients with ECRSwNP than in patients with nonECRSwNP. miR-21-5p expression was positively correlated with mucosal eosinophil infiltrations and the expression of type 2 inflammatory cytokines. In the CRSwNP mice, miR-21 knockout significantly attenuated type 2 inflammation, as indicated by eosinophil infiltrations and expression of cytokines/chemokines in nasal mucosa and lavage fluid; moreover, genes associated with type 2 inflammation were extensively downregulated at the transcriptome level in miR-21 knockout mice. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, which was negatively correlated with miR-21-5p expression in human nasal mucosa, was identified as the target of miR-21-5p. Overexpression of miR-21-5p induced IL-33 expression, whereas glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist decreased IL-33 production in airway epithelial cells. miR-21-5p aggravates type 2 inflammation in the nasal mucosa of patients with CRSwNP via targeting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor/IL-33 signaling, which may be a potential therapeutic target for CRSwNP. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhuanghua is a representative variety of Nanjing Yun brocade, symbolising the highest achievement of ancient Chinese textile technology. It has been widely used as a clothing fabric since its appearance. This paper firstly explored the characteristics of weaving materials, fabric weaves, and fabric weaving of Zhuanghua based on a literature review, manufactory visiting, and a market survey. To preserve the textile application, the permeability, shape preservation property, and appearance preservation property of fabric were tested for wearability. Specifically, six pieces of Zhuanghua satin were selected as the primary samples, along with six pieces of customised plain satin as the matching samples. Influenced by the Zhuangzhi technique, the Zhuanghua satin presented the following features. The thickness and air permeability of the Zhuanghua satin varied between patterned and non-patterned parts. The Zhuanghua satin in the weft direction showed higher tensile strength, stronger stiffness, and weak crease recovery ability. The average weft elongation at break of Zhuanghua satin increased by 25% and the weft flexural rigidity by 3-8 times, while the average weft crease recovery angle decreased by nearly 30°. The performance of anti-fuzzing and anti-pilling was improved, and the grades increased by 1 and 2, respectively. The study is conducive to a more scientific understanding and development of Yun brocade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Urinary stone disease (USD) has been associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease in Western populations. However, the metabolic disorders associated with unilateral and bilateral renal stones and the association of these types of stones with CKD and kidney tubular injury markers, such as urine N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and alpha-1-microglobulin (a1-MG), have not been fully examined. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 10,281 participants in rural China in 2014. All the subjects underwent renal ultrasound to detect USD; stone formers were divided into groups with unilateral or bilateral renal stones by ultrasound examinations. CKD was defined as a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, <60 mL/minute/1.73 m2 ) and/or albuminuria (albumin-to-creatinine ratio (30 mg/gm). Increased urine NAG and a1-MG levels were defined as their values above the 75th percentile of the sample distribution. Results: Among all the participants, 4.9% (507) had unilateral renal stones, and 0.7% (75) had bilateral renal stones. The proportion of CKD in the nonstone, unilateral and bilateral renal stone formers was 11.0%, 19.2% and 29.7%, respectively (p for trend <0.001). Individuals with bilateral renal stones had the highest proportion of metabolic components, such as elevated blood pressure and serum glucose. In multivariate analyses after adjustment for multiple confounders, bilateral renal stones were significantly associated with an increased risk of decreased eGFR (OR 3.38; 95% CI 1.05e10.90), albuminuria (OR 3.01; 95% CI 1.76e5.13), CKD (OR 3.18; 95% CI 1.88e5.36), increased urine NAG-tocreatinine ratio (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.21e3.16) and a1-MG-to-creatinine ratio levels (OR 2.54; 95% CI 1.56e4.12) compared with the lack of stones. Conclusions: Bilateral renal stones were associated with a higher risk of CKD and higher levels of kidney tubular injury markers. Clinicians should pay attention to metabolic disorders in bilateral renal stone formers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Locally increased IgE levels plays a pathologic role in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). This study aimed to investigate whether Staphylococcus aureus could induce aberrant IgE synthesis in CRSwNP and the potential mechanisms involved. Total IgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 concentrations in the supernatants of the cultures stimulated with S aureus lysate were assessed by ELISA. S aureus –induced cellular responses were investigated by single-cell RNA sequencing. Flow cytometry and quantitative reverse transcription PCR were used to analyze B-cell subsets and stimulated cell ε-germline transcript expression, respectively. IgE-positive B-cell and germinal center localization were assessed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. S aureus lysate induced IgE production in the supernatants of nasal polyp (NP) tissues but not in those of healthy nasal mucosa. Moreover, IgE levels increased from days 2 to 4 after stimulation, paralleling the enhanced ε-germline transcript, IL-5, and IL-13 expression. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that there were increased IL-5 and IL-13 in group 2 innate lymphoid cells and identified a clonal overlap between unstimulated memory B cells and S aureus –stimulated plasma cells. The enriched IgE within NPs was mainly produced by IgE-negative memory B cells. Cellular evidence indicated that the IgE memory response to S aureus might also exist in the peripheral blood of CRSwNP patients. The S aureus –induced IgE memory response was associated with elevated IgE levels in NPs, asthma, and postoperative CRSwNP recurrence. S aureus induced an IgE response via IgE-negative memory B cells in CRSwNP patients, possibly contributing to CRSwNP development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective Lung cancer is the highest incidence of cancer in the world, which seriously threatens human health. Early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer is particularly important for the survival of lung cancer patients. Serum tumor markers have been widely used as an important method for early diagnosis of tumor. However, there are few early diagnostic markers for lung cancer. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression level of Lipocalin-2 and its clinical significance in serum of patients with lung cancer. Methods The serum levels of Lipocalin-2 in 60 lung cancer patients and 63 healthy people were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the relationship between the expression level of Lipocalin-2 and the clinical characteristics of lung cancer was analyzed. Results The expression level of Lipocalin-2 in peripheral blood serum of patients with lung cancer was significantly higher than that of healthy people, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The expression of Lipocalin-2 in patients with lung cancer was related to the differentiation, stage and lymph node metastasis of pathological tissues, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The expression level of Lipocalin-2 in serum of patients with poorly differentiated lung cancer was higher than that of patients with well differentiated lung cancer; the expression level of Lipocalin-2 in serum of patients with lymph node metastasis was higher than that of patients without lymph node metastasis; the expression level of Lipocalin-2 in patients with clinical stage III + IV lung cancer was significantly higher than that of patients with clinical stage I + II lung cancer, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Lipocalin-2 is highly expressed in serum of patients with lung cancer, which is related to pathological differentiation, stage and lymph node metastasis. It is expected to become a potential new tumor marker for clinical diagnosis of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impedance response contains rich information about an electrochemical system under investigation. Disentangling this highly convoluted information requires physical models. In this work, we develop a theoretical impedance model for a water-filled Pt nanopore, as a representative element in electrocatalytically active layers of polymer electrolyte fuel cells or electrolysis cells. The model accounts for double-layer charging, proton conduction and oxygen transport in the pore as well as chemisorption and oxygen reduction reaction at the Pt surface. It relaxes two widely used assumptions, namely, electroneutrality in solution phase and infinitely fast adsorption kinetics. Analytical impedance expressions are obtained for different limiting cases and impedance fingerprints of interfacial charging and chemisorption effects are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gross primary production (GPP) is a measure for crop productivity, indicating yield and expressing C exchange of agro-ecosystems. A multitude of satellite sensors at varying spatial and spectral resolution brings a possibility to use remotely sensed data for regional and global GPP estimation. More work is still needed to develop algorithms for GPP estimation applicable to multiple, if not all, vegetation types, phenological phases, and environmental conditions. This study employed neural networks (NN), multiple linear regressions (MLR), and vegetation indices (VI) to develop algorithms for GPP estimation based solely on remotely sensed data in two crops, maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], with contrasting canopy architectures, leaf structures, and photosynthetic pathways. The focus of the study was to devise algorithms not requiring re-parameterization for different crop species. Data used in the models included in situ hyperspectral reflectance and satellite surface reflectance products. For the tested NN, MLR, and VI algorithms, the bands selected to obtain minimal errors in maize and soybean combined were mainly located in red edge and near infrared (NIR) spectral regions. For both in situ reflectance and satellite surface reflectance, a NN estimated GPP with normalized root mean square errors (NRMSE) below 14 and 18.7%, respectively, and VI using bands in red edge and NIR with NRMSE 15.6 and 20.4%, respectively. The results showed that the models based on the red edge and NIR bands may facilitate accurate assessments of crop GPP at multiple scales, from close range to satellite platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freezing site of super-cooled water and its effects on the triple-phase interface and pathway during PEFC cold start remain a subject of controversy. To address this deficiency, dynamic electrochemical characterizations, such as cyclic voltammetry (H2/N2), galvanostatic (H2/Air) and potentiostatic EIS (H2/N2, at OCV and 0.2 V), are attempted during the isothermal sub-zero operation of a fuel cell from the start till the failure. The EIS data are fitted using transmission line models, revealing a significant rise in mass transfer resistance and rather constant ohmic, activation resistance and proton conductivity of catalyst layer. Consecutive CVs before, during and after the cell failure show no change. These results show that ice does not cover the surface of the catalysts, but rather blocks the pores of cathode catalyst layer, resulting in the suffocation of oxygen supply to the reaction sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical process is used in carbon fiber surface treatment predominantly. The cell parameters like voltage and current are usually given in average. However, because carbon fiber's resistance is quite high, the electricity potential along the fiber tow decreases rapidly, which affects not only the results but also the efficiency. Nevertheless, no literature has talked about this until now. In this paper we set up a model and got a series of formulas, apparently for the first time, capable of simulating the distributions of potential and current along a carbon fiber tow, and power consumption under different cell parameters such as fiber gauge and electrode distance. Through analysis we found that under a certain voltage between the fiber roller and the graphite cathode, the longer the fiber length soaked in the bath, the greater the attenuation of potential and current along fiber tow, and the more the useless power was consumed. It is probably considered that the distance between carbon fiber tow and graphite cathode should be as close as possible, however, when the distance was too close, the potential decayed much sharply, resulting in low efficiency. The model or the formulas can help find the optimum choice of cell parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degeneration of the central auditory system, which is characterized by reduced understanding of speech and source localization of sounds, is an important cause of age-related hearing loss (presbycusis). Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays an essential role in the development of the auditory system but its potential role in presbycusis remains unclear. In this study, we used a rat model of aging, created by chronic systemic exposure to d-galactose (d-gal), and explored changes in Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the auditory cortex. A decrease in Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the auditory cortex was found in both naturally aging and d-gal-mimetic aging rats, as indicated by increased GSK3β activity and decreased β-catenin activity. Moreover, lithium chloride (Licl), an activator of Wnt signaling pathway, was administered long term to 15-month-old d-gal-treated rats. Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by Licl attenuated d-gal-induced auditory cortex apoptosis and neurodegeneration. Bmi1, a transcription factor implicated in antiaging and resistance to apoptosis, can be modulated by β-catenin activity. Here, we showed that the expression of Bmi1 was reduced and the expression of its downstream genes, p16INK4a, p19Arf, and p53 were increased in the auditory cortex both of naturally aging and d-gal-mimetic aging rats. In addition, Licl significantly increased Bmi1 expression and reduced p16INK4a, p19Arf, and p53 expression. Our results indicated that decreased Wnt/β-catenin signaling might participate in the pathogenesis of central presbycusis through modulating the expression of Bmi1. Wnt/β-catenin signaling might be used as a potential therapeutic target against presbycusis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Body mass index [BMI] is widely used to measure nutritional status in Crohn’s disease [CD] patients, but limitations remain. Measuring handgrip strength index, in addition to BMI, may aid in overcoming limitations. Methods: A total of 150 patients with CD and 254 controls were included in this study. All patients and controls underwent BMI, handgrip strength and bioelectrical impedance analysis. Bioelectrical impedance analysis included body cell mass, bone mineral content, skeletal muscle mass and body fat mass. A total of 88 CD patients were age-, sex- and BMI-matched with healthy controls for further analysis. Results: BMI, body cell mass, body cell mass index, handgrip strength and handgrip strength index were all significantly decreased in the group of CD patients compared with controls [p < 0.0001]. When paired by BMI, healthy controls had significantly increased body cell mass index[p = 0.0344] and handgrip strength index [p = 0.0010] compared to patients. In addition, handgrip strength was well correlated with body cell mass [r = 0.8365, p < 0.0001]. Conclusions: BMI is widely used for detecting malnutrition, but it is less sensitive in predicting loss of body cell mass and skeletal muscle mass. Our study shows that handgrip strength index is an effective and convenient parameter to predict the functional nutritional status and muscular health in CD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) in Western countries is characterized by eosinophilia, IgE production, and T H 2 cytokine expression. Type 2 innate lymphoid cells from polyps produce IL-5 and IL-13 in response to IL-25 and IL-33, although the relevance of this axis to local mucosal T-cell responses is unknown. Objective We sought to investigate the role of the IL-25/IL-33 axis in local mucosal T-cell responses in patients with CRSwNP. Methods Polyp tissue and blood were obtained from patients undergoing nasal polypectomy. Control nasal biopsy specimens and blood were obtained from healthy volunteers. Tissue was cultured in a short-term explant model. T-cell surface phenotype/intracellular cytokines were assessed by means of flow cytometry. T-cell receptor variable β-chain analysis was performed with the immunoSEQ assay. Microarrays were performed for gene expression analysis. Results IL-25 receptor (IL-17RB)–expressing T H 2 effector cells were identified in nasal polyp tissue but not the healthy nasal mucosa or periphery. IL-17RB + CD4 + polyp–derived T H 2 cells coexpressed ST2 (IL-33 receptor) and responded to IL-25 and IL-33 with enhanced IL-5 and IL-13 production. Within IL-17RB + CD4 + T cells, several identical T-cell receptor variable β-chain complementarity-determining region 3 sequences were identified in different subjects, suggesting clonal expansion driven by a common antigen. Abundant IL-17–producing T cells were observed in both healthy nasal mucosal and polyp populations, with T H 17-related genes the most overexpressed compared with peripheral blood T cells. Conclusion IL-25 and IL-33 can interact locally with IL-17RB + ST2 + polyp T cells to augment T H 2 responses in patients with CRSwNP. A local T H 17 response might be important in healthy nasal mucosal immune homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]