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Due to the development of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging processing technology, image-based identification of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) has played an important role in understanding inner ear illnesses, such as Meniere's disease or fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss. We segmented the inner ear, consisting of the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals, using a 3D-based deep neural network model for accurate and automated EH volume ratio calculations. We built a dataset of MR cisternography (MRC) and HYDROPS-Mi2 stacks labeled with the segmentation of the perilymph fluid space and endolymph fluid space of the inner ear to devise a 3D segmentation deep neural network model. End-to-end learning was used to segment the perilymph fluid and the endolymph fluid spaces simultaneously using aligned pair data of the MRC and HYDROPS-Mi2 stacks. Consequently, the segmentation performance of the total fluid space and endolymph fluid space had Dice similarity coefficients of 0.9574 and 0.9186, respectively. In addition, the EH volume ratio calculated by experienced otologists and the EH volume ratio value predicted by the proposed deep learning model showed high agreement according to the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot analysis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Comprehending the phylogeography of invasive organisms enhances our insight into their distribution dynamics, which is instrumental for the development of effective prevention and management strategies. In China, Pomacea canaliculata and Pomacea maculata are the two most widespread and damaging species of the non-native Pomacea spp.. Given this species' rapid spread throughout country, it is urgent to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of its different geographic populations, a task undertaken in the current study using the COI and ITS1 mitochondrial and ribosomal DNA genes, respectively. The result of this study, based on a nationwide systematic survey, a collection of Pomacea spp., and the identification of cryptic species, showed that there is a degree of genetic diversity and differentiation in P. canaliculata, and that all of its variations are mainly due to differences between individuals within different geographical populations. Indeed, this species contains multiple haplotypes, but none of them form a systematic geographical population structure. Furthermore, the COI gene exhibits higher genetic diversity than the ITS1 gene. Our study further clarifies the invasive pathways and dispersal patterns of P. canaliculata in China to provide a theoretical basis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The world's first five-agent network, also called Wuxing network in ancient China, had been fully established in the second century BC. Surprisingly, the key to cracking the operation of Wuxing network is the golden ratio, the world's most astonishing number originating from ancient Greece. Wuxing network is composed of five agents located on the vertices of a pentagon such that adjacent agents cooperate with each other, while spaced-apart agents oppose each other. Although it was proposed more than 2000 years ago, it is still an unparalleled network operation protocol. This article reveals the role of the golden ratio in the balance and stability of Wuxing network, and demonstrates how to detect the golden ratio experimentally in Wuxing electronic circuits and in Wuxing formation flight of drones., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The burdens and trends of gastric cancer are poorly understood, especially in high-prevalence countries. Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, we analyzed the incidence, death, and possible risk factors of gastric cancer in five Asian countries, in relation to year, age, sex, and sociodemographic index. The annual percentage change was calculated to estimate the trends in age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized death rate (ASDR). The highest ASIR per 100,000 person-years in 2019 was in Mongolia [44 (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 34 to 55)], while the lowest was in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) [23 (95% UI, 19 to 29)]. The highest ASDR per 100,000 person-years was in Mongolia [46 (95% UI, 37 to 57)], while the lowest was in Japan [14 (95% UI, 12 to 15)]. Despite the increase in the absolute number of cases and deaths from 1990 to 2019, the ASIRs and ASDRs in all five countries decreased with time and improved sociodemographic index but increased with age. Smoking and a high-sodium diet were two possible risk factors for gastric cancer. In 2019, the proportion of age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years attributable to smoking was highest in Japan [23% (95% UI, 19 to 28%)], and the proportions attributable to a high-sodium diet were highest in China [8.8% (95% UI, 0.21 to 33%)], DPRK, and the Republic of Korea. There are substantial variations in the incidence and death of gastric cancer in the five studied Asian countries. This study may be crucial in helping policymakers to make better decisions and allocate appropriate resources., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The cell-free transcriptome in amniotic fluid (AF) has been shown to be informative of physiologic and pathologic processes in pregnancy; however, the change in AF proteome with gestational age has mostly been studied by targeted approaches. The objective of this study was to describe the gestational age-dependent changes in the AF proteome during normal pregnancy by using an omics platform. The abundance of 1310 proteins was measured on a high-throughput aptamer-based proteomics platform in AF samples collected from women during midtrimester (16-24 weeks of gestation, n = 15) and at term without labor (37-42 weeks of gestation, n = 13). Only pregnancies without obstetrical complications were included in the study. Almost 25% (320) of AF proteins significantly changed in abundance between the midtrimester and term gestation. Of these, 154 (48.1%) proteins increased, and 166 (51.9%) decreased in abundance at term compared to midtrimester. Tissue-specific signatures of the trachea, salivary glands, brain regions, and immune system were increased while those of the gestational tissues (uterus, placenta, and ovary), cardiac myocytes, and fetal liver were decreased at term compared to midtrimester. The changes in AF protein abundance were correlated with those previously reported in the cell-free AF transcriptome. Intersecting gestational age-modulated AF proteins and their corresponding mRNAs previously reported in the maternal blood identified neutrophil-related protein/mRNA pairs that were modulated in the same direction. The first study to utilize an aptamer-based assay to profile the AF proteome modulation with gestational age, it reveals that almost one-quarter of the proteins are modulated as gestation advances, which is more than twice the fraction of altered plasma proteins (~ 10%). The results reported herein have implications for future studies focused on discovering biomarkers to predict, monitor, and diagnose obstetrical diseases., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The amniotic fluid (AF) cell-free RNA was shown to reflect physiological and pathological processes in pregnancy, but its value in the prediction of spontaneous preterm delivery is unknown. Herein we profiled cell-free RNA in AF samples collected from women who underwent transabdominal amniocentesis after an episode of spontaneous preterm labor and subsequently delivered within 24 h (n = 10) or later (n = 28) in gestation. Expression of known placental single-cell RNA-Seq signatures was quantified in AF cell-free RNA and compared between the groups. Random forest models were applied to predict time-to-delivery after amniocentesis. There were 2385 genes differentially expressed in AF samples of women who delivered within 24 h of amniocentesis compared to gestational age-matched samples from women who delivered after 24 h of amniocentesis. Genes with cell-free RNA changes were associated with immune and inflammatory processes related to the onset of labor, and the expression of placental single-cell RNA-Seq signatures of immune cells was increased with imminent delivery. AF transcriptomic prediction models captured these effects and predicted delivery within 24 h of amniocentesis (AUROC = 0.81). These results may inform the development of biomarkers for spontaneous preterm birth.

Lungs are the primary metastatic sites for osteosarcomas responsible for associated mortality. Recent data has documented role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in proliferation and growth of osteosarcoma cells. We evaluated a role of lncRNAs in the lung metastasis of osteosarcoma with the goal of identifying a unique signature. Comparison of different lncRNAs in tumor samples from osteosarcoma with and without lung metastasis led to identification of MALAT1 as the most differentially upregulated lncRNA in the osteosarcoma patients with lung metastasis. MALAT1 was also high in osteosarcoma cells KRIB and MALAT1's targeted downregulation in these cells led to decreased invasive potential and identification of miR-202 as the miRNA that is sponged by MALAT1. In the lung metastasis in vivo model, parental KRIB cells metastasized to lungs and such metastasis was significantly inhibited in KRIB cells with downregulated MALAT1. Ectopic miR-202 expression attenuated KRIB downregulation-mediated effects on lung metastasis. In yet another in vivo model involving parental SAOS-2 and lung-metastatic derivatives SAOS-2-LM, MALAT1 expression was found to be elevated in lung metastatic cells, which also correlated with reduced miR-202. In conclusion, MALAT1-miR-202 represents a potential lncRNA-miRNA signature that affects lung metastasis of osteosarcomas and could potentially be targeted for therapy.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) promotes tumor invasion and metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is often related with acquisition of stemness characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine whether EMT and stemness characteristics induced by TGF-β might be associated with epigenetic regulation in lung cancer. A human normal lung epithelial cell line and four lung cancer cell lines were treated with TGF-β. Transcriptome analysis of BEAS-2B and A549 cells incubated with TGF-β were analyzed through next-generation sequencing (NGS). Western blotting was carried out to investigate expression levels of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Wound healing and Matrigel invasion assay, sphere formation assay, and in vivo mice tumor model were performed to evaluate functional characteristics of EMT and stemness acquisition. To investigate whether activation of EMT and stem cell markers might be involved in epigenetic regulation of lung cancer, experiment using a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (5-azacytidine, AZA), methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite sequencing were performed. NGS revealed changes in expression levels of EMT markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, fibronectin, vimentin, slug and snail) and stem cell markers (CD44 and CD87) in both BEAS-2B and A549 cells. Functional analysis revealed increased migration, invasion, sphere formation, and tumor development in mice after TGF-β treatment. Expression of slug and CD87 genes was activated following treatment with AZA and TGF-β. MSP and bisulfite sequencing indicated DNA demethylation of slug and CD87 genes. These results suggest that TGF-β induced EMT and cancer stemness acquisition could be associated with activation of slug and CD87 gene by their promoter demethylation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-related chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) influences lung cancer progression and to elucidate the associated mechanisms in a mouse model of lung cancer. C57/BL6 mice in a CIH group were exposed to intermittent hypoxia for two weeks after tumor induction and compared with control mice (room air). Hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and metastasis-related matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) were measured. The expression levels of several hypoxia-related pathway proteins including HIF-1α, Wnt/ß-catenin, the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and mammalian target of rapamycin-ERK were measured by western blot. The number (P < 0.01) and volume (P < 0.05) of tumors were increased in the CIH group. The activity of MMP-2 was enhanced after CIH treatment. The level of VEGF was increased significantly in the CIH group (p < 0.05). ß-catenin and Nrf2 were translocated to the nucleus and the levels of downstream effectors of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling increased after IH exposure. CIH enhanced proliferative and migratory properties of tumors in a mouse model of lung cancer. ß-catenin and Nrf2 appeared to be crucial mediators of tumor growth.

Cynanchum auriculatum is a traditional herbal medicine in China and can grow in saline soils. However, little is known in relation to the underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, C. auriculatum seedlings were exposed to 3.75‰ and 7.5‰ salinity. Next, transcriptome profiles of leaves were compared. Transcriptome sequencing showed 35,593 and 58,046 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in treatments with 3.75‰ and 7.5‰, compared with the control, respectively. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses of these DEGs enriched various defense-related biological pathways, including ROS scavenging, ion transportation, lipid metabolism and plant hormone signaling. Further analyses suggested that C. auriculatum up-regulated Na + /H + exchanger and V-type proton ATPase to avoid accumulation of Na + . The flavonoid and phenylpropanoids biosynthesis pathways were activated, which might increase antioxidant capacity in response to saline stress. The auxin and ethylene signaling pathways were upregulated in response to saline treatments, both of which are important plant hormones. Overall, these results raised new insights to further investigate molecular mechanisms underlying resistance of C. auriculatum to saline stress.

In recent years, there are increasing interest on applying ultrasonic irradiation for the synthesis of zeolite due to its advantages including remarkable shortened synthesis duration. In this project, the potential of ultrasonic irradiation treatment on the synthesis of zeolite RHO was investigated. Ultrasonic irradiation treatment time was varied from 30 to 120 minutes for the synthesis of zeolite RHO. The zeolite RHO solid samples were characterized with X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. The application of ultrasonic irradiation treatment in this study has accelerated the synthesis of zeolite RHO where the synthesis duration has been significantly shortened to 2 days compared to 8 days required by conventional hydrothermal heating without ultrasonic irradiation treatment. Highly crystalline zeolite RHO crystals in truncated octahedron morphology were successfully formed.

Recent molecular studies concluded that the endometrium has a resident microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus spp. and is therefore similar to that of the vagina. These findings were largely derived from endometrial samples obtained through a transcervical catheter and thus prone to contamination. Herein, we investigated the molecular microbial profiles of mid-endometrial samples obtained through hysterectomy and compared them with those of the cervix, vagina, rectum, oral cavity, and controls for background DNA contamination. Microbial profiles were examined through 16S rRNA gene qPCR and sequencing. Universal bacterial qPCR of total 16S rDNA revealed a bacterial load exceeding that of background DNA controls in the endometrium of 60% (15/25) of the study subjects. Bacterial profiles of the endometrium differed from those of the oral cavity, rectum, vagina, and background DNA controls, but not of the cervix. The bacterial profiles of the endometrium and cervix were dominated by Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Cloacibacterium, and Comamonadaceae. Both 16S rRNA gene sequencing and Lactobacillus species-specific (L. iners & L crispatus) qPCR showed that Lactobacillus was rare in the endometrium. In conclusion, if there is a microbiota in the middle endometrium, it is not dominated by Lactobacillus as was previously concluded, yet further investigation using culture and microscopy is necessary.

A higher platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has a clinical correlation with shorter survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study evaluated the association between the PLR and survival in patients with advanced NSCLC with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Between January 2012 and July 2016, 237 patients with stage IV NSCLC were selected for evaluation. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine a cutoff for the PLR. Clinicopathological characteristics were compared between the high and low PLR groups, and the role of PLR as a predictive/prognostic maker was investigated. Among the 237 patients, 122 were assigned to the low PLR group and the other 115 to the high PLR group. According to multivariate analysis, male sex, not receiving active anticancer treatment, low hemoglobin level, low albumin level, high C-reactive protein level, and high PLR were identified as significant risk factors for shorter overall survival (OS) (p = 0.010, <0.001, 0.011, 0.004, 0.003, and <0.001, respectively). In the subgroup multivariate analysis of driver mutation-negative NSCLC, high Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score, not receiving active anticancer treatment, low hemoglobin level, high C-reactive protein level, and high PLR were identified as significant risk factors for shorter OS (p = 0.047, <0.001, = 0.036, = 0.003, and <0.001, respectively). A high pretreatment PLR is independently associated with poor survival in stage IV NSCLC with MPE and in a subgroup of epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase wild-type NSCLC.

Development of maternal blood transcriptomic markers to monitor placental function and risk of obstetrical complications throughout pregnancy requires accurate quantification of gene expression. Herein, we benchmark three state-of-the-art expression profiling techniques to assess in maternal circulation the expression of cell type-specific gene sets previously discovered by single-cell genomics studies of the placenta. We compared Affymetrix Human Transcriptome Arrays, Illumina RNA-Seq, and sequencing-based targeted expression profiling (DriverMap TM ) to assess transcriptomic changes with gestational age and labor status at term, and tested 86 candidate genes by qRT-PCR. DriverMap identified twice as many significant genes (q < 0.1) than RNA-Seq and five times more than microarrays. The gap in the number of significant genes remained when testing only protein-coding genes detected by all platforms. qRT-PCR validation statistics (PPV and AUC) were high and similar among platforms, yet dynamic ranges were higher for sequencing based platforms than microarrays. DriverMap provided the strongest evidence for the association of B-cell and T-cell gene signatures with gestational age, while the T-cell expression was increased with spontaneous labor at term according to all three platforms. We concluded that sequencing-based techniques are more suitable to quantify whole-blood gene expression compared to microarrays, as they have an expanded dynamic range and identify more true positives. Targeted expression profiling achieved higher coverage of protein-coding genes with fewer total sequenced reads, and it is especially suited to track cell type-specific signatures discovered in the placenta. The T-cell gene expression signature was increased in women who underwent spontaneous labor at term, mimicking immunological processes at the maternal-fetal interface and placenta.

Diglyphus species are dominant biocontrol agents for suppressing outbreaks of agromyzid leafminers in fields. In July 2015, we collected a new thelytokous species of Diglyphus in Qinghai, China. The wasp is here named as D. wani Liu, Zhu & Yefremova sp. nov., based on morphological and molecular analyses. The life history and biocontrol potential of the wasp were studied in the laboratory and by providing Liriomyza sativae larvae. The intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate of increase, and mean generation time were 0.2373 d -1 , 1.2678 d -1 , and 15.9 d, respectively. The wasps showed three types of host-killing behaviour, namely parasitism, host feeding and host stinging, resulting in 47.6, 94.4 and 3.4 host larvae killed per wasp over a lifetime, respectively. The finite total host-killing rate was 1.0071 and the wasp showed strong synovigeny. The wasp may be a crucial biocontrol agent against agromyzid leafminers.

Metabolic syndrome, including obesity and insulin resistance, has been reported to lower lung function in elderly subjects with asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease. This study aimed to find the association between lung function and insulin resistance in Korean young adults. This study used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2013, which is a representative sample of the Korean population. A total of 1,922 young adults aged 19 to 40 were included in the analysis. The association between lung function test and insulin resistance was evaluated. Weighted logistic regression analyses showed a significant negative correlation of insulin resistance with FVC% predicted (correlation coefficient γ = -0.130, P < 0.0001), FEV 1 % predicted (γ = -0.074, P = 0.004) and FEV 1 /FVC ratio (γ = -0.059, P = 0.019) in young adults, especially in subjects without asthma (γ for FVC% predicted, FEV 1 % predicted and FEV 1 /FVC ratio = -0.138, -0.092, and -0.061, respectively). This study demonstrates an inverse correlation between insulin resistance and lung function in Korean young adults. Young adults with preclinical insulin resistance have a higher risk of impaired lung function.

Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) as a selenium (Se)-containing antioxidase plays key role in regulating intracellular redox status. Selenocystine (SeC) a natural available Se-containing amino acid showed novel anticancer potential through triggering oxidative damage-mediated apoptosis. However, whether TrxR-mediated oxidative damage was involved in SeC-induced apoptosis in human glioma cells has not been elucidated yet. Herein, SeC-induced human glioma cell apoptosis was detected in vitro, accompanied by PARP cleavage, caspases activation and DNA fragmentation. Mechanically, SeC caused mitochondrial dysfunction and imbalance of Bcl-2 family expression. SeC treatment also triggered ROS-mediated DNA damage and disturbed the MAPKs and AKT pathways. However, inhibition of ROS overproduction effectively attenuated SeC-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis, and normalized the expression of MAPKs and AKT pathways, indicating the significance of ROS in SeC-induced apoptosis. Importantly, U251 human glioma xenograft growth in nude mice was significantly inhibited in vivo. Further investigation revealed that SeC-induced oxidative damage was achieved by TrxR1-targeted inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Our findings validated the potential of SeC to inhibit human glioma growth by oxidative damage-mediated apoptosis through triggering TrxR1-targeted inhibition.

We investigate theoretically and experimentally the environment-induced voltage shot noise in current biased Josephson junctions induced by phase particle tunneling. Quantum mechanical treatment based on the Caldeira-Leggett model with tight-binding formulation in local Wannier bases gives a clear picture of the voltage shot noise. A universal form of the zero-frequency noise spectrum is obtained, which exhibits a quadratic dependence on the mean voltage in small bias region. The quadratic dependence is verified experimentally on junctions covering a wide range of parameters, and is found also in junction arrays of various array sizes.

Formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2), a classical chemoattractant receptor of G-protein-coupled receptors, is reported to be involved in invasion and metastasis of some cancers, but the role of FPR2 in gastric cancer (GC) has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we found that the levels of FPR2 expression in GC were positively correlated with invasion depth, lymph node metastasis and negatively correlated with the patients' overall survival. Multivariate analysis indicated that FPR2 expression was an independent prognostic marker for GC patients. FPR2-knockdown significantly abrogated the migration and invasion stimulated by Hp(2-20) and Ac(2-26), two well-characterized ligands for FPR2 in GC cells. FPR2 deletion also reduced the tumorigenic and metastatic capabilities of GC cells in vivo. Mechanistically, stimulation with FPR2 ligands resulted in down-regulation of E-cadherin and up-regulation of vimentin, which were reversed by FPR2 knock-down, implying the involvement of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, the activation of FPR2 was accompanied with ERK1/2 phosphorylation, which could be attenuated by FPR2 silencing or treatment with MEK inhibitor, PD98059. Altogether, our results demonstrate that FPR2 is functionally involved in invasion and metastasis, and potentially acts as a novel prognostic marker as well as a potential therapeutic target in human GC.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease affecting the tooth supporting tissues (periodontium) and associated with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance. However, there has been no nation-wide population based epidemiologic study regarding any association between periodontitis and serum IgE. Among the 8,958 participants in the 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-1), 1,731 adults aged 19 to 64 who had measured serum IgE were included in the analysis. Dentists examined the periodontal status of the participants. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the odds ratio of periodontitis in association with total IgE and specific IgE to cockroach and house dust mite. In males, total IgE showed a positive correlation with the presence of periodontitis. The participants in the highest tertile of cockroach specific IgE (T3, >31.6 kU/L) had a significantly increased risk of periodontitis (OR = 2.108; 95% CI, 1.233-3.606). In females, the inverse association occurred between total IgE and periodontitis (OR = 0.409; 95% CI, 0.200-0.839). The present study firstly demonstrated the association between periodontitis and serum IgE, using the Korean nationwide, population-based, cross-sectional health examination and survey. This study suggested a positive correlation between periodontitis and cockroach-specific IgE in Korean male adults.

The present study aimed to investigate the role of magnitude in adaptive response of osteoblasts exposed to compressive stress. Murine primary osteoblasts and MC3T3-E1 cells were exposed to compressive stress (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 g/cm 2 ) in 3D culture. Cell viability was evaluated, and expression levels of Runx2, Alp, Ocn, Rankl, and Opg were examined. ALP activity in osteoblasts and TRAP activity in RAW264.7 cells co-cultured with MC3T3-E1 cells were assayed. Results showed that compressive stress within 5.0 g/cm 2 did not influence cell viability. Both osteoblastic and osteoblast-regulated osteoclastic differentiation were enhanced at 2 g/cm 2 . An increase in stress above 2 g/cm 2 did not enhance osteoblastic differentiation further but significantly inhibited osteoblast-regualted osteoclastic differentiation. This study suggested that compressive stress regulates osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation through osteoblasts in a magnitude-dependent manner.

In Kaohsiung, a metropolitan city in Taiwan at high risk of dengue epidemic, weather factors combined with an accidental petrochemical gas explosion (PGE) may affect mosquito‒human dynamics in 2014. Generalized estimating equations with lagged-time Poisson regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of meteorological/mosquito parameters and PGE on dengue incidences (2000-2014) in Kaohsiung. Increased minimum temperatures rendered a 2- and 3-month lagging interactive effect on higher dengue risks, and higher rainfall exhibited a 1- and 2-month lagging interplay effect on lower risks (interaction, P ≤ 0.001). The dengue risk was significantly higher than that in a large-scale outbreak year (2002) from week 5 after PGE accident in 2014 (2.9‒8.3-fold for weeks 5‒22). The greatest cross-correlation of dengue incidences in the PGE-affected and PGE-neighboring districts was identified at weeks 1 after the PGE (r s  = 0.956, P < 0.001). Compared with the reference years, the combined effect of minimum temperature, rainfall, and PGE accounted for 75.1% of excess dengue risk in 2014. In conclusion, time-lagging interplay effects from minimum temperature and rainfall may be respectively associated with early and near environments facilitating dengue transmission. Events that interact with weather and influence mosquito‒human dynamics, such as PGEs, should not be ignored in dengue prevention and control.

With the recent development of molecular approaches to species delimitation, a growing number of cryptic species have been discovered in what had previously been thought to be single morpho-species. Molecular methods, such as DNA barcoding, have greatly enhanced our knowledge of taxonomy, but taxonomy remains incomplete and needs a formal species nomenclature and description to facilitate its use in other scientific fields. A previous study using DNA barcoding, geometric morphometrics and mating tests revealed at least two cryptic species in the Encyrtus sasakii complex. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). To describe these two new species formally (Encyrtus eulecaniumiae sp. nov. and Encyrtus rhodococcusiae sp. nov.), a detailed morphometric study of Encyrtus spp. was performed in addition to the molecular analysis and evaluation of biological data. Morphometric analyses, a multivariate ratio analysis (MRA) and a geometric morphometric analysis (GMA) revealed a great number of differences between the species, but reliable characteristics were not observed for diagnosing the cryptic species. We thus diagnosed these three Encyrtus species on the basis of the characteristics that resulted from genetic markers (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and nuclear 28S rRNA) and biological data. A formal nomenclature and description of cryptic species was provided on the basis of an integrated taxonomy.

A facile production of highly porous graphene foam by using flame treatment of graphene oxide (GO) is proposed. Highly porous architectures with randomly distributed micro-crack and micro-slit were produced due to the high temperature induced ruinous reduction and rapid expansion of GO. Synchronously, abundant oxygen-containing groups (OCGs) on GO sheets could be effectively removed after flame treatment, which renders significantly increased conductivity to the resultant flame reduced GO (FR-GO). The synergistic effect of micro/nanostructuring and the OCGs removal makes FR-GO a promising candidate for electrode materials. Compared with chemically reduced GO (CR-GO), FR-GO delivers much higher specific capacity. It gives us some hints that flame treatment of graphene-based material is a smart strategy for cost-effective production of anode materials for commercial application.

Many transcribed RNAs are non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), which bind to complementary sequences on messenger RNAs to regulate the translation efficacy. Therefore, identifying the miRNAs expressed in cells/organisms aids in understanding genetic control in cells/organisms. In this report, we determined the binding of oligonucleotides to a receptor-modified silicon nanowire field-effect transistor (SiNW-FET) by monitoring the changes in conductance of the SiNW-FET. We first modified a SiNW-FET with a DNA probe to directly and selectively detect the complementary miRNA in cell lysates. This SiNW-FET device has 7-fold higher sensitivity than reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction in detecting the corresponding miRNA. Next, we anchored viral p19 proteins, which bind the double-strand small RNAs (ds-sRNAs), on the SiNW-FET. By perfusing the device with synthesized ds-sRNAs of different pairing statuses, the dissociation constants revealed that the nucleotides at the 3'-overhangs and pairings at the terminus are important for the interactions. After perfusing the total RNA mixture extracted from Nicotiana benthamiana across the device, this device could enrich the ds-sRNAs for sequence analysis. Finally, this bionanoelectronic SiNW-FET, which is able to isolate and identify the interacting protein-RNA, adds an additional tool in genomic technology for the future study of direct biomolecular interactions.

This study was conducted to investigate prognosis and survival of patients undergoing distal subtotal gastrectomy with D2 and D2+ lymphadenectomy for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. Overall survival rates of 416 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer were compared between D2 and D2+ lymphadenectomy. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis was used to identify significant prognostic factors correlated with LN metastasis and prognosis. Univariate analysis identified tumor size, lymphatic vessel invasion, pT stage, pN stage, TNM stage, locoregional recurrence, and distant recurrence, to significantly correlate with prognosis; Tumor size, LVI, and pT stage were identified as independent factors correlating with LN metastasis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that tumor size, pT stage, pN stage, locoregional recurrence, and distant recurrence were independent prognostic factors; Tumor size and pT stage were independent prognostic factors predicting LN metastasis. When comparing 5-year survival rates of patients who underwent D2 and D2+ lymphadenectomy, as stratified by pT stage and pN stage, a significant difference was found in pN3 patients, but not for pT2-4 and pN0-2 patients, or the patient cohort as a whole. In conclusion, D2 lymphadenectomy for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer undergoing distal subtotal gastrectomy was recommended, especially in eastern Asia.

The interplay between spin and charge in solids is currently among the most discussed topics in condensed matter physics. Such interplay gives rise to magneto-electric coupling, which in the case of solids was named magneto-electric effect, as predicted by Curie on the basis of symmetry considerations. This effect enables the manipulation of magnetization using electrical field or, conversely, the manipulation of electrical polarization by magnetic field. The latter is known as the magnetocapacitance effect. Here, we show that non-equilibrium spin accumulation can induce tunnel magnetocapacitance through the formation of a tiny charge dipole. This dipole can effectively give rise to an additional serial capacitance, which represents an extra charging energy that the tunneling electrons would encounter. In the sequential tunneling regime, this extra energy can be understood as the energy required for a single spin to flip. A ferromagnetic single-electron-transistor with tunable magnetic configuration is utilized to demonstrate the proposed mechanism. It is found that the extra threshold energy is experienced only by electrons entering the islands, bringing about asymmetry in the measured Coulomb diamond. This asymmetry is an unambiguous evidence of spin accumulation induced tunnel magnetocapacitance, and the measured magnetocapacitance value is as high as 40%.

In this report, we describe the preparation and electrochemical characterization of a Pt electrocatalyst, which was synthesized from hexachloroplatinic acid, using the incipient wetness impregnation method. This carbon mesoporous materials (Pt-CMMs) electrocatalyst was used for catalyzing the oxidation of methanol and its oxygen-reduction reaction. The electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol was studied using linear-sweep voltammograms (LSV), polarization and chronoamperometric measurements. Phase characterizations and morphological analyses were performed using 3D excitation-emission fluorescent matrix (EEFM) spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption measurements, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) techniques; the ESEM system was equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The oxidation capacity measured using a LSV might explain the high activity exhibited by the Pt-CMM electrocatalysts in methanol-tolerant oxygen reduction, and the results demonstrated that the potential and current density of the main reaction peak of the Pt-CMMs electrocatalyst changed during the reaction. Moreover, EEFM spectroscopy and XRD were determined to be appropriate and effective methods for characterizing Pt clusters that enhance their intrinsic emission from Pt-CMMs electrocatalysts in electrocatalytic-treatment systems. Furthermore, the ESEM-EDS results showed that fresh Pt nanoparticles were highly dispersed on CMMs and featured a 20 nm diameter and a narrow particle-size distribution.