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Abstract Carotenoids play essential roles in plant growth and development and provide plants with a tolerance to a series of abiotic stresses. In this study, the function and biological significance of lycopene β-cyclase, lycopene ε-cyclase, and β-carotene hydroxylase, which are responsible for the modification of the tetraterpene skeleton procedure, were isolated from Lycium chinense and analyzed. The overexpression of lycopene β-cyclase, lycopene ε-cyclase, and β-carotene hydroxylase promoted the accumulation of total carotenoids and photosynthesis enhancement, reactive oxygen species scavenging activity, and proline content of tobacco seedlings after exposure to the salt stress. Furthermore, the expression of the carotenoid biosynthesis genes and stress-related genes (ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase) were detected and showed increased gene expression level, which were strongly associated with the carotenoid content and reactive oxygen species scavenging activity. After exposure to salt stress, the endogenous abscisic acid content was significantly increased and much higher than those in control plants. This research contributes to the development of new breeding aimed at obtaining stronger salt tolerance plants with increased total carotenoids and vitamin A content.

Background During the run-in phase of the TESTING study, approximately half of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) were excluded due to proteinuria below 1 g/24 h after intensive supportive therapy. The long-term prognosis of these patients needs further investigation.Methods 112 screening failed patients in the TESTING study from 10 centers in China were enrolled in this retrospective study. The prognosis of 88 patients, who were excluded because of proteinuria below 1 g/24 h, was analyzed by Landmark Kaplan-Meier analysis. The composite kidney endpoint was defined by a ≥ 50% reduction in eGFR, ESKD (eGFR

Anthropogenic activities are driving significant changes in coastal ecological environments, increasingly spotlighting microorganisms associated with seagrass bed ecosystems. Labyrinthula is primarily recognized as a saprophytic protist associated with marine detritus, and it also acts as an opportunistic pathogen affecting marine algae, terrestrial plants and mollusks, especially in coastal environments. The genus plays a key role in the decomposition of marine detritus, facilitated by its interactions with diatoms and through the utilization of a diverse array of carbohydrate-active enzymes to decompose seagrass cell walls. However, human activities have significantly influenced the prevalence and severity of seagrass wasting disease (SWD) through factors such as climate warming, increased salinity and ocean acidification. The rise in temperature and salinity, exacerbated by human-induced climate change, has been shown to increase the susceptibility of seagrass to Labyrinthula, highlighting the adaptability of pathogen to environmental stressors. Moreover, the role of seagrass in regulating pathogen load and their immune response to Labyrinthula underscore the complex dynamics within these marine ecosystems. Importantly, the genotype diversity of seagrass hosts, environmental stress factors and the presence of marine organisms such as oysters, can influence the interaction mechanisms between seagrass and Labyrinthula. Besides, these organisms have the potential to both mitigate and facilitate pathogen transmission. The complexity of these interactions and their impacts driven by human activities calls for the development of comprehensive multi-factor models to better understand and manage the conservation and restoration of seagrass beds.

BackgroundNeglect is a common form of abuse, and long-term care facilities record higher incidences of this abuse. Given that older adult care workers are the main workforce in these facilities, their neglectful behavior requires public health attention. Internal individual characteristics can lead to older adult abuse, and managing workers who abuse older adults may require various methods. This study aimed to identify the profiles of neglect among older adult care workers in long-term care facilities and explore the influencing factors of neglect.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of older adult care workers from 15 long-term care facilities in Shandong Province (N = 421) completed a questionnaire on the characteristics associated with neglect. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct neglect profiles and promote the understanding of individual characteristics associated with varying levels of neglect. One-way analysis of variance and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the population characteristic differences.ResultsOlder adult care workers exhibited three neglect profiles, namely, the “low-risk group,” “medium-risk group,” and “high-risk group.” Males, participants with no employment qualification certificate, and those who did not attend regular training represented the majority of those in the “high-risk group.” Participants with a monthly income of more than ¥ 4,000 and nursing 1–2 older adults simultaneously represented the majority of those in the “low-risk group.”ConclusionLong-term care facility administrators should tailor interventions to individual care worker profiles to reduce neglect behaviors and improve care levels.

AbstractBackground Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is very common and sometimes refractory to treatment in hemodialysis patients. In a trial conducted in Japan, nalfurafine, effectively reduced itching of treatment-resistant CKD-aP. Our present bridging study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nalfurafine in Chinese cohort with refractory CKD-aP.Methods In this phase III, multicenter bridging study conducted at 22 sites in China, 141 Chinese cases with refractory CKD-aP were randomly (2:2:1) assigned to receive 5 μg, 2.5 μg of nalfurafine or a placebo orally for 14 days in a double-blind manner. The primary end point was the mean decrease in the mean visual analogue scale (VAS) from baseline.Results A total of 141 patients were included. The primary endpoint analysis based on full analysis set (FAS), the difference of mean VAS decrease between 5 μg nalfurafine and placebo group was 11.37 mm (p = .041); the difference of mean VAS decrease between 2.5 μg and placebo group was 8.81 mm (p = .110). Both differences were greater than 4.13 mm, which met its predefined success criterion of at least 50% efficacy of the key Japanese clinical trial. The per protocol set (PPS) analysis got similar results. The incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was 49.1% in 5μg, 38.6% in 2.5 μg and 33.3% in placebo group. The most common ADR was insomnia, seen in 21 of the 114 nalfurafine patients.Conclusions Oral nalfurafine effectively reduced itching with few significant ADRs in Chinese hemodialysis patients with refractory pruritus.

As a common coal-based solid waste, fly ash is widely used in material filling. However, due to the high resistivity of fly ash itself, the antistatic performance of the filling material is poor. Therefore, antistatic composite powder was prepared by coating nano-sized antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) on the surface of fly ash, and its preparation mechanism was discussed. The composite powders were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD and FTIR. The results show that the interaction between SiO2 and SnO2 appears at the wave number of 727.12 cm−1, and the obvious SnO2 crystal phase appears on the surface of fly ash. The volume resistivity of calcined fly ash is 1.72 × 1012 Ω·cm, and the volume resistivity of ATO fly ash is reduced to 6 × 103 Ω·cm. By analyzing the limiting oxygen index, melt index, tensile strength, elongation at break, cross-section morphology and surface electrical resistivity of EVA, it was found that the addition of antistatic powder to EVA can improve its antistatic performance without deteriorating the mechanical properties of EVA.

Abstract Background For most women who have had a previous cesarean section, vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) is a reasonable and safe choice, but which will increase the risk of adverse outcomes such as uterine rupture. In order to reduce the risk, we evaluated the factors that may affect VBAC and and established a model for predicting the success rate of trial of the labor after cesarean section (TOLAC). Methods All patients who gave birth at Northwest Women’s and Children’s Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018, had a history of cesarean section and voluntarily chose the TOLAC were recruited. Among them, 80% of the population was randomly assigned to the training set, while the remaining 20% were assigned to the external validation set. In the training set, univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify indicators related to successful TOLAC. A nomogram was constructed based on the results of multiple logistic regression analysis, and the selected variables included in the nomogram were used to predict the probability of successfully obtaining TOLAC. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to judge the predictive ability of the model. Results A total of 778 pregnant women were included in this study. Among them, 595 (76.48%) successfully underwent TOLAC, whereas 183 (23.52%) failed and switched to cesarean section. In multi-factor logistic regression, parity = 1, pre-pregnancy BMI

Myeloblastosis (MYB) proteins represent one of the largest families of eukaryotic transcription factors and regulate important processes in growth and development. Studies on MYBs have mainly focused on animals and plants; however, comprehensive analysis across other supergroups such as SAR (stramenopiles, alveolates, and rhizarians) is lacking. This study characterized the structure, evolution, and expression of MYBs in four brown algae, which comprise the biggest multicellular lineage of SAR. Subfamily 1R-MYB comprised heterogeneous proteins, with fewer conserved motifs found outside the MYB domain. Unlike the SHAQKY subgroup of plant 1R-MYB, THAQKY comprised the largest subgroup of brown algal 1R-MYBs. Unlike the expansion of 2R-MYBs in plants, brown algae harbored more 3R-MYBs than 2R-MYBs. At least ten 2R-MYBs, fifteen 3R-MYBs, and one 6R-MYB orthologs existed in the common ancestor of brown algae. Phylogenetic analysis showed that brown algal MYBs had ancient origins and a diverged evolution. They showed strong affinity with stramenopile species, while not with red algae, green algae, or animals, suggesting that brown algal MYBs did not come from the secondary endosymbiosis of red and green plastids. Sequence comparison among all repeats of the three types of MYB subfamilies revealed that the repeat of 1R-MYBs showed higher sequence identity with the R3 of 2R-MYBs and 3R-MYBs, which supports the idea that 1R-MYB was derived from loss of the first and second repeats of the ancestor MYB. Compared with other species of SAR, brown algal MYB proteins exhibited a higher proportion of intrinsic disordered regions, which might contribute to multicellular evolution. Expression analysis showed that many MYB genes are responsive to different stress conditions and developmental stages. The evolution and expression analyses provided a comprehensive analysis of the phylogeny and functions of MYBs in brown algae.

Abstract Background The timing of when to initiate dialysis for progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients has not been well established. There has been a strong trend for early dialysis initiation for these patients over the past decades. However, the perceived survival advantage of early dialysis has been questioned by a series of recent observational studies. The only randomized controlled trial (RCT) research on this issue found the all-cause mortality, comorbidities, and quality of life showed no difference between early and late dialysis starters. To better understand optimal timing for dialysis initiation, our research will evaluate the efficacy and safety of deferred dialysis initiation in a large Chinese population. Methods The trial adopts a multicenter, cluster randomized, single-blind (outcomes assessor), and endpoint-driven design. Eligible participants are 18–80 years old, in stable CKD stages 4–5 (eGFR > 7 ml/min /1.73 m2), and with good heart function (NYHA grade I or II). Participants will be randomized into a routine or deferred dialysis group. The reference eGFR at initiating dialysis for asymptomatic patients is 7 ml/min /1.73 m2 (routine dialysis group) and 5 ml/min/1.73 m2 or less (deferred dialysis group) in each group. The primary endpoint will be the difference of all-cause mortality and acute nonfatal cerebro-cardiovascular events between the two groups. The secondary outcomes include hospitalization rate and other safety indices. The primary and secondary outcomes will be analyzed by appropriate statistical methods. Discussion This study protocol represents a large, cluster randomized study evaluating deferred and routine dialysis intervention for an advanced CKD population. The reference eGFR to initiate dialysis for both treatment groups is targeted at less than 7 ml/min/1.73m2. With this design, we aim to eliminate lead-time and survivor bias and avoid selection bias and confounding factors. We acknowledge that the study has limitations. Even so, given the low-targeted eGFR values of both arms, this study still has potential economic, health, and scientific implications. This research is unique in that such a low targeted eGFR value has never been studied in a clinical trial. Trial registration The trial has been approved by ClinicalTrials.gov (Trial registration ID NCT02423655). The date of registration was April 22, 2015.

Background/Aims: This study explored the correlation between hypertension and non-muscle myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) gene polymorphisms in Chinese chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: This case-control study included 301 patients with CKD and 293 healthy controls. The E1 haplotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs3752462 and rs4821480 were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The association between MYH9 polymorphisms and high systolic blood pressure (SBP ≥ 140 mmHg) susceptibility in CKD patients was analysed. Results: The cases and controls had similar genotype and allele distributions at rs3752462 and rs4821480. No GG genotype at rs4821480 was observed. Patients with SBP P = 0.001). Creatinine clearance (OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98-0.10, P = 0.01) was associated with SBP in patients with CKD. The risk of SBP ≥ 140 mmHg was 0.24-fold greater among patients with the CC genotype than among patients with the TT genotype (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The rs3752462 polymorphism of MYH9 is associated with SBP in patients with CKD. The T allele in the dominant model was associated with an elevated risk for high SBP.

A magnesium hydroxide (MH)-modified calcined fly ash (CFA) nanocomposite (CFAMH) with core-shell structure was obtained with a heterogeneous nucleation method, and its application for removal of copper, zinc and nickel ions from aqueous acidic solution was studied. The microstructure and surface properties of CFA, CFAMH and MH powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier translation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The preparation mechanism of CFAMH was discussed based on zeta potential and FTIR data. The results showed that nano-flake MH with thickness 13.4 nm was well coated on the surface of CFA. The specific surface area was increased from 2.5 to 31.0 m2/g. Si-O-Mg-OH bonds formed from the condensation of Si-OH and Mg-OH. The removal efficiency of heavy metals on CFAMH nanocomposite is higher than that of CFA and MH and follows an order of Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Ni2+. Solubility product constant (Ksp) is an important constant for the removal order of heavy metals on FA, CFAMH and MH. CFAMH nanocomposite can be a cheap material for removing heavy metal ions from acidic wastewater.

In this study, fly ash (FA) coated with ZIF-8 (ZIF-8/FA) nanocomposite was first synthesized by taking 2-methylimidazole and zinc nitrate hexahydrate as reactants and then used as an adsorbent for adsorption of copper, zinc, and nickel ions from aqueous solution. The characteristic of FA and ZIF-8/FA samples were analyzed based on the data from scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, grain size analyzer and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The results showed that ZIF-8 deposited on the FA evenly. The average crystallite size of ZIF-8 on the surface of FA is 15.85 nm. The specific surface area of FA was increased from 1.8 to 249.5 m2/g. The adsorption efficiency of the ZIF-8/FA nanocomposite for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution was optimized in terms of different parameters such as pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. It was shown that the saturated adsorption amounts of the obtained composite for adsorption of Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ni2+ are 335, 197, and 93 mg·g−1. ZIF-8/FA had better stability and more mesoporous volume than that of ZIF-8 and exhibited higher rate for adsorption of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution than FA and ZIF-8, suggesting an adsorption synergy between ZIF-8 and FA. The adsorption mechanism of heavy metal ions by ZIF-8/FA includes surface adsorption, pore adsorption, and ion exchange. The obtained ZIF-8/FA nanocomposite can solve the encountered problems of FA for low adsorption and the difficult recycling of ZIF-8 for their small size, high cost, and poor stability.

This paper proposes a practical split-window algorithm (SWA) for retrieving land surface temperature (LST) from Landsat-8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) data. This SWA has a universal applicability and a set of parameters that can be applied when retrieving LSTs year-round. The atmospheric transmittance and the land surface emissivity (LSE), the essential SWA input parameters, of the Landsat-8 TIRS data are determined in this paper. We also analysed the error sensitivity of these SWA input parameters. The accuracy evaluation of the proposed SWA in this paper was conducted using the software MODTRAN 4.0. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the simulated LST using the mid-latitude summer atmospheric profile is 0.51 K, improving on the result of 0.93 K from Rozenstein (2014). Among the 90 simulated data points, the maximum absolute error is 0.99 °C, and the minimum absolute error is 0.02 °C. Under the Tropical model and 1976 US standard atmospheric conditions, the RMSE of the LST errors are 0.70 K and 0.63 K, respectively. The accuracy results indicate that the SWA provides an LST retrieval method that features not only high accuracy but also a certain universality. Additionally, the SWA was applied to retrieve the LST of an urban area using two Landsat-8 images. The SWA presented in this paper should promote the application of Landsat-8 data in the study of environmental evolution.

Calcined fly ash (CFA) was first obtained by calcining fly ash (FA) at 815 °C for two hours. Then, composite powders of CFA coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO/CFA, ZCFA) were prepared by heterogeneous nucleation method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Whiteness, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area (BET). Effects of pH value, reaction temperature and time, coating amount, solid-to-liquid ratio, the coating agent concentrations, and dropping speed on the whiteness of ZCFA powders were studied. It was shown that after coated with ZnO particles, the whiteness of CFA was increased from 27.0 to 62.6%, and the specific surface area was increased from 5.80 to 14.61 m2/g. Needle ZnO with the average grain size of 46 nm was deposited on the surface of CFA. Si−O−Zn−OH bonds were formed.

In order to provide a good theoretical guidance for the development and utilization of weathered phosphorite resources, we investigated the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of primary and weathered phosphorites. The analysis of trace elements showed that the primary ore has hydrothermal sedimentation effect in the later stage, the weathered ore has obvious residual enrichment and the phosphate ore belongs to clastic lithologic phosphate rock. In addition, through leaching test method, it was shown that rare earth elements are present in fluorapatite in the form of isomorphic substitution, and the proportion of rare earth elements adsorbed on clay and other minerals was likely to be between 2% and 3%. The light rare earth elements are relatively enriched in both primary and weathered phosphorite, and Ce and Eu have obvious negative anomalies. The primary phosphorite is a dolomitic phosphorite containing rare earth elements, which are naturally enriched by weathering, and its weathered ore has obvious residual enrichment, while the deposit was characterized by normal marine sedimentation and hydrothermal action.

The computational fluid dynamics-discrete element coupling method is used to simulate the suspension behavior of solid particles in a stirred tank, and the motion trajectories and collision motions of millions of particles are analyzed. These particles have complex interactions with the liquid and the rotating impeller. In this article, we introduce a slip grid method, which is an important method to realize the CFD-DEM coupling. We discuss the influence of liquid flow on the trajectory of solid particles, and analyze the relationship between the eight physical properties of solid particles. It can be concluded that the CFD-DEM coupled approach provides a theoretical way to understand the physics of particle movement in micro- to macro-scales in the solid suspension of a stirred tank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The output window of a high-power laser system is vulnerable to damage, and this is the main limiting factor on the power scaling and structure integrity of the laser system. In endeavoring to obtain higher output powers from the laser system, the impact of the thermal and mechanical effects and the damage mechanism of the output window must be considered. In order to study these issues, a thermal model of the laser window is established based on the heat transfer and thermoelastic theories, and the expressions for the transient thermal and mechanical stress distributions of the output window are deduced in terms of the integral-transform method. Taking the infrared quartz window material as an example, the temperature and mechanical field distributions of a high-power all-solid-state 2-µm laser system window are simulated, and the laser-induced damage mechanism is deeply analyzed. The calculation results show that the laser window-induced damage is mainly caused by melting damage when the temperature exceeds the melting point of the material. The presented theoretical analysis and numerical simulation results are significant for the design and optimization of high-power laser windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of crimson snapper scale peptides (CSSPs) on H2O2-induced oxidative damage in Caco-2 cells. The levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in the cell supernatant, the activity of intracellular antioxidant enzymes, the release of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and the expression of apoptosis-related genes (Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bax and Bcl-2) were measured. The antioxidant effects of CSSPs in intestinal cells were elucidated from the aspects of cellular redox state and apoptosis. Results showed that CSSPs mitigated H2O2-induced oxidative damage in Caco-2 cells through the antioxidant defense system. This effect involved increased activities of antioxidant enzymes and consequent inhibition of LDH release, intracellular ROS accumulation, and MDA and IL-8 production. Furthermore, CSSPs inhibited oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by regulating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, which significantly increased mitochondrial membrane potential, down-regulated the mRNA expression of Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and Bax, and up-regulated the mRNA expression of Bcl-2. In conclusion, CSSPs can effectively reduce the degree of cell damage by maintaining redox homeostasis and inhibiting apoptosis.

BACKGROUND Roxadustat is an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor that stimulates erythropoiesis and regulates iron metabolism. Additional data are needed regarding the effectiveness and safety of roxadustat as compared with standard therapy (epoetin alfa) for the treatment of anemia in patients undergoing dialysis. METHODS In a trial conducted in China, we randomly assigned (in a 2:1 ratio) patients who had been undergoing dialysis and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent therapy with epoetin alfa for at least 6 weeks to receive roxadustat or epoetin alfa three times per week for 26 weeks. Parenteral iron was withheld except as rescue therapy. The primary end point was the mean change in hemoglobin level from baseline to the average level during weeks 23 through 27. Noninferiority of roxadustat would be established if the lower boundary of the two-sided 95% confidence interval for the difference between the values in the roxadustat group and epoetin alfa group was greater than or equal to -1.0 g per deciliter. Patients in each group had doses adjusted to reach a hemoglobin level of 10.0 to 12.0 g per deciliter. Safety was assessed by analysis of adverse events and clinical laboratory values. RESULTS A total of 305 patients underwent randomization (204 in the roxadustat group and 101 in the epoetin alfa group), and 256 patients (162 and 94, respectively) completed the 26-week treatment period. The mean baseline hemoglobin level was 10.4 g per deciliter. Roxadustat led to a numerically greater mean (±SD) change in hemoglobin level from baseline to weeks 23 through 27 (0.7±1.1 g per deciliter) than epoetin alfa (0.5±1.0 g per deciliter) and was statistically noninferior (difference, 0.2±1.2 g per deciliter; 95% confidence interval [Cl], -0.02 to 0.5). As compared with epoetin alfa, roxadustat increased the transferrin level (difference, 0.43 g per liter; 95% Cl, 0.32 to 0.53), maintained the serum iron level (difference, 25 /xg per deciliter; 95% Cl, 17 to 33), and attenuated decreases in the transferrin saturation (difference, 4.2 percentage points; 95% Cl, 1.5 to 6.9). At week 27, the decrease in total cholesterol was greater with roxadustat than with epoetin alfa (difference, -22 mg per deciliter; 95% Cl, -29 to -16), as was the decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (difference, -18 mg per deciliter; 95% Cl, -23 to -13). Roxadustat was associated with a mean reduction in hepcidin of 30.2 ng per milliliter (95% Cl, -64.8 to -13.6), as compared with 2.3 ng per milliliter (95% Cl, -51.6 to 6.2) in the epoetin alfa group. Hyperkalemia and upper respiratory infection occurred at a higher frequency in the roxadustat group, and hypertension occurred at a higher frequency in the epoetin alfa group. CONCLUSIONS Oral roxadustat was noninferior to parenteral epoetin alfa as therapy for anemia in Chinese patients undergoing dialysis. (Funded by FibroGen and FibroGen [China] Medical Technology Development; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02652806.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]