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Objective. We here evaluated the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and vaginal infections, including bacterial vaginosis (BV), trichomonas vaginalis (TV), and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Methods. A total of 4,449 women were enrolled in this study and given gynecological examinations. HPV genotyping and viral load determination were performed using a real-time PCR. Vaginal infections were diagnosed using wet mounts of vaginal secretions, gram-stained vaginal secretion smears, and chemical enzyme kits. Results. In this study, the overall HPV-positive rate was 25.06%, and vaginal infection tended to occur in women with HPV infection (P0.05). The most common genotypes were HPV58 and HPV53 in women with normal vaginal microecology and HPV16 and HPV52 in the women suffering from vaginal infection. The viral loads among groups for HPV16 and HPV52 showed no statistically significant differences (P=0.940; P=0.167). Conclusions. Our study revealed that BV and TV are associated with HPV infection, especially high-risk HPV infection, while VVC has no association with HPV infection. Further studies are needed to explore the detailed mechanism.

Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the change of the ratio of monocytes to lymphocytes in patients with active tuberculosis, such as to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods. All data were collected from the clinical database of The Fifth People’s Hospital of Taiyuan, China. A total of 151 patients who had newly diagnosed active tuberculosis with tuberculosis therapy in hospital and 129 healthy controls were selected. Results. Median ratio of monocytes to lymphocytes was 0.45 (IQR: 0.28–0.67) in patients before treatment and 0.32 (IQR: 0.25–0.46) on discharge (P

The objective of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of traditional vaginal surgery and transvaginal mesh (TVM) surgery on severe pelvic organ prolapse (POP). We performed a retrospective chart review study of 258 severe POP patients who underwent surgery between November 2010 and September 2016. One hundred forty patients underwent traditional vaginal surgery and 118 TVM surgery. The Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantitation (POP-Q) staging was used for objective evaluation. The Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Disease Life Impact Questionnaire Simplified Version-7 (PFIQ-7), and Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire (PISQ-12) were used for subjective evaluation. Their complications were also recorded. All the data were collected in the outpatient department through the follow-up at 3 months, 1, 3, and 5 years after the operation. Forty patients in the traditional vaginal surgery group and 25 in the TVM group were lost to follow-up. There was no difference in the POP-Q score between the groups (P = 0.346). The recurrence rate increased with follow-up time, reaching nearly 20% in the two groups by 5 years. The TVM group has higher PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores and lower PISQ-12 scores than the traditional vaginal surgery group at six months, 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively (P < 0.001). Mesh exposure has occurred in the TVM group. Both surgeries showed similar objective satisfaction and recurrence rate. However, traditional vaginal surgery has higher subjective satisfaction than TVM in our study and does not risk exposure to prosthetic material.

Stomata in leaves regulate gas (carbon dioxide and water vapor) exchange and water transpiration between plants and the atmosphere. SLow Anion Channel 1 (SLAC1) mediates anion efflux from guard cells and plays a crucial role in controlling stomatal aperture. It serves as a central hub for multiple signaling pathways in response to environmental stimuli, with its activity regulated through phosphorylation via various plant protein kinases. However, the molecular mechanism underlying SLAC1 phosphoactivation has remained elusive. Through a combination of protein sequence analyses, AlphaFold-based modeling and electrophysiological studies, we unveiled that the highly conserved motifs on the N-and C-terminal segments of SLAC1 form a cytosolic regulatory domain (CRD) that interacts with the transmembrane domain(TMD), thereby maintaining the channel in an autoinhibited state. Mutations in these conserved motifs destabilize the CRD, releasing autoinhibition in SLAC1 and enabling its transition into an activated state. Our further studies demonstrated that SLAC1 activation undergoes an autoinhibition-release process and subsequent structural changes in the pore helices. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the activation mechanism of SLAC1 and shed light on understanding how SLAC1 controls stomatal closure in response to environmental stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Large studies on female sexual function have been conducted globally. Nonetheless, whether the state of female sexual function in China is significantly different from that in the rest of the world is largely unknown. Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate the associated risk factors for sexual problems in women in Shanxi, China, by conducting a populationbased cross-sectional epidemiological survey. Methods: Using the Chinese version of the Female Sexual Function Index (CV-FSFI), we surveyed women aged 20-70 years to diagnose the sexual problems. We used multiple linear regression models to estimate the risk factors for sexual problems. Outcomes: We used the CV-FSFI for investigating the female sexual function. Results: Our results included 6720 women, of whom 1205 were the sexually inactive and 5515 were sexually active. The mean FSFI score for sexually active women was 25.38±4.20 (99% CI 25.27-25.49). Negative numerical coefficients were found for model predictors of age (B=-0.134, P <0.001), postmenopausal status (B=-2.250, P <0.001), chronic diseases (B=-0.512, P <0.001), and gynecologic diseases (B=-0.767, P <0.001). In contrast, positive numerical coefficients were found for education (B=0.466, P <0.001) and cesarean section (B=0.312, P =0.009). Clinical Implications: It is important to pay attention to the sexual health of women and explore the factors influencing the sexual problems of women in China. Strengths and Limitations: The present study is to our knowledge the first to evaluate the sexual function of women in Shanxi, China. Answers to questions asked in the CV-FSFI survey may be somewhat subjective, and thus additional tools and documentation are probably needed for accurate assessment. Conclusion: Similarly to other worldwide studies, our study found that increasing age, postmenopausal status, chronic diseases, and gynecological diseases were risk factors for sexual problems, whereas high education levels and cesarean section childbirth were protective factors for sexual problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of traditional vaginal surgery and transvaginal mesh (TVM) surgery on severe pelvic organ prolapse (POP). We performed a retrospective chart review study of 258 severe POP patients who underwent surgery between November 2010 and September 2016. One hundred forty patients underwent traditional vaginal surgery and 118 TVM surgery. The Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantitation (POP-Q) staging was used for objective evaluation. The Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Disease Life Impact Questionnaire Simplified Version-7 (PFIQ-7), and Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire (PISQ-12) were used for subjective evaluation. Their complications were also recorded. All the data were collected in the outpatient department through the follow-up at 3 months, 1, 3, and 5 years after the operation. Forty patients in the traditional vaginal surgery group and 25 in the TVM group were lost to follow-up. There was no difference in the POP-Q score between the groups (P = 0.346). The recurrence rate increased with follow-up time, reaching nearly 20% in the two groups by 5 years. The TVM group has higher PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores and lower PISQ-12 scores than the traditional vaginal surgery group at six months, 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively (P < 0.001). Mesh exposure has occurred in the TVM group. Both surgeries showed similar objective satisfaction and recurrence rate. However, traditional vaginal surgery has higher subjective satisfaction than TVM in our study and does not risk exposure to prosthetic material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is used for studying selective catalytic reduction of N[O.sub.x] by ethanol over Ag/[Al.sub.2][O.sub.3] catalysts. The results have shown that N[O.sub.x] conversion is enhanced because of the presence of DBD plasma at lower temperature.

We investigated the structures and bonding of two series of early transition-metal oxide clusters, M2On- and M2On (M = Nb, Ta; n = 5-7) using photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and density-functional theory (DFT). The stoichiometric M2O5 clusters are found to be closed shell with large HOMO-LUMO gaps, and their electron affinities (EAs) are measured to be 3.33 and 3.71 eV for M = Nb and Ta, respectively; whereas EAs for the oxygen-rich clusters are found to be much higher: 5.35, 5.25, 5.28, and 5.15 eV for Nb2O6, Nb2O7, Nb2O6, and Nb2O7, respectively. Structural searches at the B3LYP level yield triplet and doublet ground states for the oxygen-rich neutral and anionic clusters, respectively. Spin density analyses reveal oxygen radical, diradical, and superoxide characters in the oxygen-rich clusters. The M2O7(-) and M2O7 clusters, which can be viewed to be formed by M2O5-/0 + O2, are utilized as molecular models to understand dioxygen activation on M2O5- and M2O5 clusters. The O2 adsorption energies on the stoichiometric M2O5 neutrals are shown to be surprisingly high (1.3-1.9 eV), suggesting strong capabilities to activate O2 by structural defects in Nb and Ta oxides. The PES data also provides valuable benchmarks for various density functionals (B3LYP, BP86, and PW91) for the Nb and Ta oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a renewable carbon resource, biomass can be converted into polyols, aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, and other products by traditional catalytic liquefaction method, which has been widely used in production and life. The efficient development and utilization of biomass energy will play a very positive role in solving the problems of energy and ecological environment. A way of combining the plasma electrolysis with traditional catalytic liquefaction realizes the efficient liquefaction of sawdust, which provides a new liquefaction way for traditional biomass conversion. In this experiment, the effects of solution composition, catalyst content and power supply on solution resistance and liquefaction rate are analyzed. It is found that solution composition and catalyst content have a great influence on solution resistance. The results show that the liquefaction rate is highest and the resistance is smallest when the solution resistance is 500 Ω. The liquefaction rate is greatly affected by the solution temperature, and the solution temperature is determined by the output power between the two electrodes. The output power includes the heating power of the electric field and the discharge power of the plasma. We measure the electric potential field distribution in the solution and the plasma power. It is found that the output power between the two poles increases nonlinearly (from 0 to 270 W) with time. In two minutes, the electric field heating power increases from 0 to 105 W and then decreases to 70 W, while the plasma power increases from 0 to 200 W. It is well known that in the first 70 seconds of the experiment the electric field heating is dominant, and then the plasma heating turns into a main thermal source. In this paper, plasma electrolysis and traditional catalytic liquefaction are combined to achieve the efficient liquefaction of sawdust, which provides a new way for biomass liquefaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable and homogeneous well-aligned air microplasma device for application at atmospheric pressure is designed and its electrical and optical characteristics are investigated. Current-voltage measurements and intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) images show that the well-aligned air microplasma device is able to generate a large-area and homogeneous discharge at the applied voltages ranging from 12 kV to 14 kV, with a repetition frequency of 5 kHz, which is attributed to the diffusion effect of plasma on dielectric surface. Moreover, this well-aligned microplasma device may result in the uniform and large-area surface modification of heat-sensitive PET polymers without damage, such as optimization in hydrophobicity and biocompatibility. In the biomedical field, the utility of this well-aligned microplasma device is further testified. It proves to be very efficient for the large-area and uniform inactivation of E. coli cells with a density of 103/cm2 on LB agar plate culture medium, and inactivation efficiency can reach up to 99% for 2-min treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explains that differential thermal analyses (DTA) experiments on aluminium-iron oxide were carried out. 99.6 percent pure aluminium powder and chemical pure iron oxide powder were mixed in stoichiometric ratio; DTA is an efficient tool for research of solid phase transformations and reactions; Large exothermic heat and violent intensity of the aluminothermic reaction.

Investigates the fabrication of a hercynite-free ceramic-lined steel pipe using self-propagating high-temperature synthesis gravitational-thermite process. Phases of the ceramic liner; Compounds added to the aluminothermite; Microstructure of the steel pipe.

The article offers information on the Aluminum-activated malate transporters (ALMTs) form an anion channel family that plays essential roles in diverse functions in plants. It discusses that the molecular basis of ALMT12/QUAC1 activity remains elusive. Here, we describe the cryo-EM structure of ALMT12/QUAC1 from Glycine max at 3.5-Å resolution; and mentions that The transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains are assembled into a twisted two-layer architecture.