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Aim This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of melatonin in treating insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods Comprehensive searches were conducted in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from their inception to April 20, 2022. Data were extracted and assessed for quality by two researchers. Statistical analysis was performed using the Stata 15.0 software. Results Four studies including 238 patients were included. The results showed that compared with the control group, melatonin could shorten the sleep-onset latency (standardized mean difference [SMD] = − 1.34, 95% CI: −2.19 to −0.48), reduce the number of awakenings (SMD = -2.35, 95% CI: −4.62 to −0.08), and prolong the total sleep time (SMD = 1.42, 95% CI: 0.5–2.33) in children with ASD. Conclusion Melatonin has a certain effect on relieving sleep disturbances in children with ASD, which can shorten sleep latency, reduce the number of awakenings, and prolong total sleep time. Larger studies are required to verify this hypothesis.

Melanocortin 3 and 4 receptors are two important neural G protein-coupled receptors that regulate energy homeostasis in vertebrates. Melanocortin receptor accessory protein 2 (MRAP2) is also involved in the regulation of food intake and body weight as a variable regulator of melanocortin receptors. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a valuable cold-water fish cultured worldwide. In the rainbow trout model, we cloned and identified mrap2a, a paralog of mrap2. Rainbow trout mrap2a consisted of a 690 bp ORF and was expected to encode a putative protein of 229 amino acids. The qPCR results showed that rainbow trout mrap2a was expressed at high levels in brain tissue similar to mc3r and mc4r. In addition, co-immunoprecipitation verified that MRAP2a interacts with MC3R and MC4R in vitro and that MRAP2a is involved in and regulates the constitutive activity and signaling of MC3R and MC4R. MRAP2a reduced constitutive and agonist-stimulated cAMP levels of MC3R; furthermore, MRAP2a increased constitutive ERK1/2 activation but reduced ligand-induced stimulation at high levels of expression. For MC4R, MRAP2a showed decreased cAMP basal activity but increased agonist-stimulated cAMP signaling and increased ACTH ligand sensitivity. However, MRAP2a failed to affect MC4R constitutive activity and agonist-induced ERK1/2 signaling. Undoubtedly, our study will have great significance for revealing the conserved role of MC4R and MC3R signaling in teleost fish, especially in cold-water fish growth and energy homeostasis.

Echinococcosis is a zoonotic parasitic infectious disease caused by human or domestic animals infected with Echinococcus granulosus. China is the country with the heaviest disease burden caused by Echinococcosis in the world. Therefore, it is feasible to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of echinococcosis using relevant ecological methods, combined with environmental factors and human activities. In this study, MaxEnt was used to predict the distribution range of E. granulosus in China under current and future climate scenarios and explain the impact of environmental variables on its distribution. The results showed that elevation (El), annual mean temperature (bio1), human footprint (Hf), annual precipitation (bio12), mean temperature of warmest quarter (bio10), and mean temperature of wettest quarter (bio8) were identified as the dominant environmental variables. In Tibet, the most suitable habitats (25.9 × 10

To explore the relationship between binocular imbalance (BI) and the abnormal development of binocular refraction. BI data were collected by enrolling the first 1,000 adolescents and children aged 6-18 years in Shenzhen Eye Hospital from April 2020 to January 2021. In this cross-sectional study, the imbalance value (IV) did not show a statistical correlation with the spherical equivalent (SE) (oculus dexter [OD]

ZnO ceramics should have good mechanical properties to meet their applications in semiconductor industry. Based on experiments and the first principles, the effect of Mo doping on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of ZnO and AZO ceramics were studied, and the model of the effect of Mo doping on ZnO crystal defects was established. The results of the structures and fracture-surface morphology of different systems show that doping Mo atoms is beneficial for ZnO and AZO ceramics to eliminate the lattice defects, promote the grain growth and reduce the porosity at low doping concentration. However, when the doping concentration is too high, the new phase of Zn3Mo2O9 is formed and precipitated in 4MZO crystal. Correspondingly, the lattice distorted of doping systems is so serious that hinders the growth of grains and further affects the mechanical properties. Then, the bilinear stress-strain (σ-e) relationship was constructed by nanoindentation and finite element method. The results of mechanical properties by nanoindentation experiment and the first-principles simulation show that doping Mo can improve the hardness, elastic modulus, initial yield stress, plastic tangent modulus and creep resistance of ZnO and AZO ceramics. In particular, the mechanical properties of MZO ceramics are significantly improved because of the formation of Mo–O covalent bond between Mo6+ and O2−. In addition, it is worth noting that due to the synergistic and compensation effect of Al and Mo co-doped atoms, which is favor for reducing the lattice strain, improving the resistance to lattice deformation and forming the covalence of MAZO system, the mechanical properties of MAZO ceramics are increased remarkably.

A generalized Logistic system with two delays is investigated, and the conditions for the positive equilibrium occurring local Hopf bifurcation are obtained. Numerical results show that delayed system considered have complicated dynamic behaviours, such as period oscillation, doubling-bifurcations, chaos and Hopf bursting.

The uneven distribution and large size of the second phase weakens the effect of dispersion strengthening in ODS-W alloys. In this article, the W-Al

Bundle sheath cells play a crucial role in photosynthesis in C4 plants, but the structure and function of photosystem II (PSII) in these cells is still controversial. Photoprotective roles of bundle sheath chloroplasts at the occurrence of environmental stresses have not been investigated so far. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll a fluorescence is the photoprotective mechanism that responds to a changing energy balance in chloroplasts. In the present study, we found a much higher NPQ in bundle sheath chloroplasts than in mesophyll chloroplasts under a drought stress. This change was accompanied by a more rapid dephosphorylation of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) subunits and a greater increase in PSII subunit S (PsbS) protein abundance than in mesophyll cell chloroplasts. Histochemical staining of reactive oxygen species (ROS) suggested that the high NPQ may be one of the main reasons for the lower accumulation of ROS in bundle sheath chloroplasts. This may maintain the stable functioning of bundle sheath cells under drought condition. These results indicate that the superior capacity for dissipation of excitation energy in bundle sheath chloroplasts may be an environmental adaptation unique to C4 plants.

BackgroundIn this study, we evaluated the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and gene mutations of five children with citrullinemia type I (CTLN1) diagnosed in our department and identified two novel ASS1 gene mutations.MethodsWe examined the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and gene mutations of the five children through data collection, tandem mass spectrometry, and whole-exon sequencing. MutationTaster, regSNP-intron, and SWISS-MODEL were used for bioinformatic analysis to evaluate the two novel gene mutations. We analyzed differences in blood ammonia and citrulline levels based on clinical phenotypes. Finally, we reviewed the medical literature describing Chinese children with CTLN1.ResultsASS1 C773 + 6T > G and c.848 delA as well as c.952_953 del insTT and c.133G > A have not been previously reported in the Human Gene Mutation Database. Using MutationTaster and regSNP-intron, we predicted that these mutations affected protein function. The 3D structure obtained using SWISS-MODEL supported this prediction. Through comparative analysis showed that the ammonia level of the neonatal type was markedly higher than that of other types, whereas citrulline levels did not differ between groups.ConclusionWe identified two novel mutations that cause disease. The blood ammonia level of neonatal form citrullinemia was markedly higher than that of other types. The genotype-phenotype association in Chinese patients remains unclear and should be further evaluated in genetic studies of larger sample sizes.

Four Si3N4 crystal structures were predicted using an ab initio evolutionary methodology. The mechanical and dynamic stabilities were confirmed by the density functional theory assuming zero-pressure conditions. Energetic stability calculations indicated that the structures are metastable phases at ambient pressure, but their formation is more favorable at high pressures. At zero pressure, the densities of the hp-Si3N4, cp-Si3N4, oc-Si3N4, and ti-Si3N4 phases were 3.21, 3.28, 3.70, and 3.24 g/cm3, respectively. The calculated band structures and densities of states indicated that they have semiconductive properties, with gaps ranging from 0.754 to 3.968 eV. Mechanical property calculations revealed that the hardness of the Si3N4 compounds ranged between 11.2 and 23.3 GPa, which were higher than the corresponding values for the synthesized Si3N4 phases. These four Si3N4 structures are potentially valuable candidates for the synthesis of Si3N4 compounds.

This work reveals a novel mechanism by which pulmonary vascular endothelial cells, via regulating the transdifferentiation of microvascular pericytes into myofibroblasts, contribute to the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Since targeting the formation of myofibroblasts may prevent the development and benefit the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, this study provides not only mechanistic understanding but also promising therapeutic targets for pulmonary fibrosis.

Decitabine is a hypomethylating drug that is used to treat myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) at a recommended dose and schedule (20 mg/m2 per day, for 5 consecutive days). However, due to its relatively high incidence of side effects and its effects on neoplastic cells, many studies have begun to explore the clinical application of a low dose of decitabine for treating MDS. In this retrospective study, we examined the effects of a very-low-dose decitabine schedule for treating MDS. A total of 13 patients diagnosed with de novo MDS received a schedule of intravenous decitabine administration at 6 mg/m2 per day for 7 days, repeated every 4 weeks. The complete response rate was 30.8%, and the overall response rate was 69.2%. In patients with complete remission, the median time to granulocyte recovery greater than 0.5 × 109/L during complete remission (CR) was 15 days. In patients with remission, the median time to granulocyte recovery greater than 0.5 × 109/L was 10.5 days. The 1-year survival rate was 72.7% and the median survival was 28.0 months. In summary, we demonstrated that a very-low-dose decitabine schedule has an appreciable response and survival rate, as well as appreciable tolerance and medical compliance for treating MDS.

Myrothecol A (1), a rare 10,13-cyclo macrocyclic trichothecene, and two known compounds (2 and 3) were isolated from the fungus Myrothecium roridum, which was obtained from the gut of a locust Atractomorpha sinensis Bolivar. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined through HRESIMS (high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy), NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), ECD (electronic circular dichroism), and Mo2(OCOCH3)4-induced ECD experiments. Compounds 1−3 exhibited potent cytotoxic effects against human tumor cell lines MGC803 and NCI-H1975 with IC50 values between 68 nM and 28.72 μM. These results suggested that macrocyclic trichothecenes could be a kind of potential precursors for the anti-cancer drug development.

Seed coat colour is an important determinant of the visual quality of dry beans, as seeds are sold as a dry commodity. Phenolic compounds have a major effect on the colour of bean seeds. The objectives of the study were to determine the changes in phenolic compounds during seed development and in whole seeds of yellow bean genotypes with contrasting seed coat colour, and the effects of storage temperature and duration on seed phenolics and colour. Condensed tannin, phenolic acid, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were observed as early as 10 d after flowering in the developing seeds of Arikara Yellow, which darken at harvest and during postharvest storage. In contrast, for CDC Sol and AAC Y073 seeds which remain yellow, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were consistently low. Seed brightness (L*) and yellow colour (b*) were negatively correlated with phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity, and conversely seed redness (a*) was positively correlated with phenolic compounds, confirming a negative influence of phenolic compounds on seed coat colour. Yellow bean genotypes had low anthocyanin but were high in β-carotene. Storage temperature influenced condensed tannin and seed coat colour, whereas the duration of storage influenced phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and seed coat colour. Higher temperatures (20 or 30 °C) and longer storage duration (120 or 180 d) generally resulted in darker seeds with increasing redness compared with seeds stored at 6 °C or for 60 d. AAC Y073 and CDC Sol with improved seed coat colour may increase consumer preference, value, and marketability of yellow beans.

Olver–Rosenau equations presented by Olver and Rosenau can be rewritten to the dynamic system by the wave transformation. The system is a Hamiltonian system with the first integral, and its phase-space and equilibrium point analysis are given in different parameter spaces in detail. On this basis, we can derive various solutions of the original equation relating these orbits in different phase-space planes, and the theoretical basis of the numerical solution is provided for engineering application and production practice.

In order to investigate the clinical and microbiological characteristics of patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs) in intensive care unit (ICU), the clinical data of 612 cIAIs patients from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively collected. Clinical characteristics, distribution of pathogens and drug resistance were statistically analyzed. It was found that patients with community-acquired intra-abdominal infections (CA-IAIs) made up a majority of cIAIs patients. The positive rate of abdominal drainage fluid culture was 55.56%. Gramnegative bacteria accounted for the majority, the most commonly isolated bacteria of which were Escherichia coli (20.96%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.20%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.57%). The most commonly isolated gram-positive bacteria were Enterococcus (16.88%) and Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, 3.90%). Enterobacter isolates showed high resistance rate to most cephalosporins and low resistance rate to piperacillin/tazobactam and carbapenems. Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) screen positive isolates from CA-IAIs patients showed an increasing trend in past three years. Enterococcus and MRSA showed high resistance rate to clindamycin, quinolone, erythromycin and tetracycline, while they showed high sensitivity rate to linezolid, tegacycline, teicoplanin and vancomycin. Our results indicate that isolated bacteria from abdominal drainage fluid show high resistance rates to commonly used antibiotics in ICU patients with cIAIs. The curative effects on diseases should be monitored continuously when antibiotics are used. Meanwhile, we should always keep eyes on drug-resistant bacteria, especially when the treatment efficacy is not good.

What is already known about this topic? Symptoms of malnutrition including anemia, stunting, wasting, and being underweight among children remained one of the major public health problems in poorer areas in China. More research is needed to guide interventions to improve nutrition and health among children in low-income regions. What is added by this report? The prevalences of anemia, stunting, wasting, and being underweight were 51.9%, 25.6%, 14.6%, and 9.5%, respectively, among children aged 6 to 24 months in the poorest areas of Liangshan. Associated factors were gender, age, education level and occupation of mother, breastfeeding, and caregiver knowledge. What are the implications for public health practice? Improving caregiver knowledge of nutrition and child feeding practices is crucial to address malnutrition among children. These findings can help more precisely understand the child health needs in poorer areas in order to develop effective interventions. They also provide evidence-based information to formulate child health promotion strategies in other countries with similar situations.

In recent years, many methods have been used to find the exact solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. One of them is called the first integral method, which is based on the ring theory of commutative algebra. In this paper, exact travelling wave solutions of the Non-Boussinesq wavepacket model and the (2 + 1)-dimensional Zoomeron equation are studied by using the first integral method. From the solving process and results, the first integral method has the characteristics of simplicity, directness and effectiveness about solving the exact travelling wave solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. In other words, tedious calculations can be avoided by Maple software; the solutions of more accurate and richer travelling wave solutions are obtained. Therefore, this method is an effective method for solving exact solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations.

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a detrimental premature aging disease caused by a point mutation in the human LMNA gene. This mutation results in the abnormal accumulation of a truncated pre-lamin A protein called progerin. Among the drastically accelerated signs of aging in HGPS patients, severe skin phenotypes such as alopecia and sclerotic skins always develop with the disease progression. Here, we study the HGPS molecular mechanisms focusing on early skin development by differentiating patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to a keratinocyte lineage. Interestingly, HGPS iPSCs showed an accelerated commitment to the keratinocyte lineage than the normal control. To study potential signaling pathways that accelerated skin development in HGPS, we investigated the WNT pathway components during HGPS iPSCs-keratinocytes induction. Surprisingly, despite the unaffected β-catenin activity, the expression of a critical WNT transcription factor LEF1 was diminished from an early stage in HGPS iPSCs-keratinocytes differentiation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiment further revealed strong bindings of LEF1 to the early-stage epithelial developmental markers K8 and K18 and that the LEF1 silencing by siRNA down-regulates the K8/K18 transcription. During the iPSCs-keratinocytes differentiation, correction of HGPS mutation by Adenine base editing (ABE), while in a partial level, rescued the phenotypes for accelerated keratinocyte lineage-commitment. ABE also reduced the cell death in HGPS iPSCs-derived keratinocytes. These findings brought new insight into the molecular basis and therapeutic application for the skin abnormalities in HGPS.

Bundle sheath cells play a crucial role in photosynthesis in C4 plants, but the structure and function of photosystem II (PSII) in these cells is still controversial. Photoprotective roles of bundle sheath chloroplasts at the occurrence of environmental stresses have not been investigated so far. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll a fluorescence is the photoprotective mechanism that responds to a changing energy balance in chloroplasts. In the present study, we found a much higher NPQ in bundle sheath chloroplasts than in mesophyll chloroplasts under a drought stress. This change was accompanied by a more rapid dephosphorylation of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) subunits and a greater increase in PSII subunit S (PsbS) protein abundance than in mesophyll cell chloroplasts. Histochemical staining of reactive oxygen species (ROS) suggested that the high NPQ may be one of the main reasons for the lower accumulation of ROS in bundle sheath chloroplasts. This may maintain the stable functioning of bundle sheath cells under drought condition. These results indicate that the superior capacity for dissipation of excitation energy in bundle sheath chloroplasts may be an environmental adaptation unique to C4 plants.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Metaphycus eriococci (Timberlake, 1916) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was obtained via next-generation sequencing. This mitochondrial genome is 15,749 bp in len...

The uneven distribution and large size of the second phase weakens the effect of dispersion strengthening in ODS-W alloys. In this article, the W-Al2O3 composite powders were fabricated using a wet chemical method, resulting in a finer powder and uniformly dispersed Al2O3 particles in the tungsten-based alloy. The particle size of the pure tungsten powder is 1.05 μm and the particle size of W-0.2 wt.%Al2O3 is 727 nm. Subsequently, the W-Al2O3 alloy plates were successfully obtained by induction sintering and rolling processes. Al2O3 effectively refined grain size from powder-making to sintering. The micro-hardness of the tungsten alloy plates reached 512 HV0.2, which is 43.7% higher than that of pure tungsten plates. The nano-hardness reached 14.2 GPa, which is 24.1% higher than that of the pure tungsten plate; the compressive strength reached 2224 MPa, which is 37.2% higher than that of the pure tungsten.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Cerceris quinquefasciata (Rossi, 1792) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) was obtained via next-generation sequencing. This mitochondrial genome is 16,188 bp in length with 37 classical eukaryotic mitochondrial genes and two A + T-rich region. All the 13 PCGs begin with typical ATN codons. Among them, eleven PCG genes terminate with TAA, two with T–. All of the 22 tRNA genes, ranging from 58 to 72 bp with typical cloverleaf structure except for trnS1, whose dihydrouridine (DHU) arm forms a simple loop. Phylogenetic analysis highly supported Crabronidae is the sister group of anthophila bees.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to identify whether the anterior spinal artery (ASA) is occluded in severe cervical compressive myelopathy (CCM) according to computed tomography angiography (CTA); occlusion was defined as spinal canal sagittal diameter compression of more than 80%. Study design: A retrospective study. Setting: Xinqiao Hospital, Chongqing, China. Participants: The sample comprised 11 patients with spinal canal sagittal diameter compression of more than 80%. Interventions: The patient underwent CTA of the ASA after admission. Covisualization of the ASA and the artery of Adamkiewicz was used to identify the ASA. Outcome Measures: Spinal cord compression and decompression were determined with 1.5-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. The neurologic status was evaluated according to the classification of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA). Results: No ASA occlusion was found in all 11 severe CCM patients who presented with chronic or acute onset. All patients demonstrated improved neurological status after the anterior cervical decompression and fusion procedure. Conclusion: ASA occlusion was not observed in CCM patients with spinal canal sagittal diameter compression of more than 80%.

Three new macrocyclic trichothecenes possessing rare 6′-ketal moieties, roridoxins A–C (1–3), and five known compounds (4–8) were isolated from the insect-associated fungus Myrothecium roridum. Their structures were confirmed by a combination of NMR and HRESIMS data, while their absolute configurations were unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis and electronic circular dichroism experiments. Trichothecenes 1 and 3 showed potent antifungal activities against four strains of phytopathogenic fungi. In addition, 1, 3, 5, and 6 were found to significantly inhibit the cell growth of Candida albicans with minimal inhibitory concentration values from 8.8 to 18.5 μg/mL. Moreover, they were able to inhibit the biofilm formation of C. albicans better than the positive control.

2D Fe/Co and N/B codoped mesoporous carbon nanosheets (FeCo/NB-Cs) were ingeniously synthesized to strategically boost kinetics of oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) by a facile but advanced route. The FeCo/NB-Cs display ultrahigh specific surface area (SSA) of 1584 m2 g−1 and total pore volume (TPV) of 1.21 cm3 g−1, higher than most of currently reported M-N-C catalysts. Delightfully, FeCo/NB-Cs also exhibit obvious mesoporous properties via easy tailoring of H3BO3 dopant. Without doubt, FeCo/NB-Cs exhibit remarkable ORR/OER catalytic activity (total overpotential, △E = 0.653 V), exceeding most of reported heterogeneous-doped carbon materials. Meanwhile, the FeCo/NB-Cs based zinc-air batteries display high power density and perfect charge-discharge stability. More significantly, theoretical calculation reveals that greatly enhanced catalytic activity of FeCo/NB-Cs originates from higher HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbitals) energy, higher DOS (density of states) and weakened O2 adsorption strength owing to synergetic contribution of Fe/Co and N/B dopants. Consequently, this work not only provides a facile but advanced avenue to rationally design heterogenous-doped carbon nanosheets with high SSA and large TPV but also reveals the insight understanding for synergetic contribution of different active species.

Photocatalytic ozonation is an attractive advanced oxidation process for wastewater treatment, but highly active catalysts with strong response to visible light are urgently needed to push forward its practical application. In this study, a hierarchical biomimetic monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) with leaves morphology was synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and employed as catalyst for oxalic acid and penicillin degradation in photocatalytic ozonation. The results show that the organics degradation was more efficient using leaves shaped BiVO4 as catalyst than the bulk shaped one in photocatalytic ozonation and the synergy index is ranged from 2.8 to 3.3, indicating a superior positive synergistic effect between photocatalysis and ozonation. The higher activity of the leaves shaped BiVO4 was probably attributed to the distinctive biomimetic morphology and preferable band structure with more negative CB potential. Mechanism studies suggested that the main reactive species were h+ and OH for the degradation of persistent oxalic acid in photocatalytic ozonation. In addition, the effect of ozone concentration and inorganic ions and reusability of the material were also intensively investigated.

The structural stability, electronic structure, and superconductivity of cubic sodium hexaboride NaB6 are calculated from first principles using density functional theory (DFT). The calculations of phonon dispersion spectra, formation energy, and elastic constants indicate that the cubic NaB6 is dynamically, thermodynamically, and mechanically stable, respectively. The cubic NaB6 has lower formation energy compared with the experimentally synthesized KB6. The calculated band structure and PDOS demonstrate the metallicity of NaB6. The superconducting transition temperatures at ambient pressure for NaB6 and KB6 are predicted to be 15.7 K with λ = 0.60 and 14.6 K with λ = 0.57, respectively.