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Abstract Background Sex and reproductive status differences exist in both non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and body composition. Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between body composition and the severity of liver steatosis and fibrosis in NAFLD in different sex and reproductive status populations. Methods This cross-sectional study included 880 patients (355 men, 417 pre-menopausal women, 108 post-menopausal women). Liver steatosis and fibrosis and body composition data were measured using FibroScan and a bioelectrical impedance body composition analyzer (BIA), respectively, and the following parameters were obtained: liver stiffness measurement (LSM), controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), visceral fat area (VFA), appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM), and FFM to FM ratio (FFM/FM). Multiple ordinal logistic regression (MOLR) was used to analyze the independent correlation between body composition indicators and liver steatosis grade and fibrosis stage in different sex and menopausal status populations. Results Men had higher WC, ASM, ASMI, FFM, and FFM/FM than pre- or post-menopausal women, while pre-menopausal women had higher PBF, VFA, and FM than the other two groups (p

Abstract Background The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol is advantageous given that it can avoid severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), especially for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Basic and clinical evidence has shown that a threshold of luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulation is required for adequate follicular development and oocyte maturation. Ultra-low or high levels of LH are detrimental to pregnancy outcomes. We previously demonstrated that LH could be an indicator for the timing and dosage of antagonist administration in a retrospective study. Methods/design In this randomized, single-center, non-inferiority trial, we aim to test the hypothesis that there is no significant difference in cumulative ongoing pregnancy rates between PCOS patients stimulated with LH-based flexible protocol versus traditional flexible GnRH antagonist protocol. The primary efficacy endpoint will be the cumulative ongoing pregnancy rate per cycle. The secondary outcomes will be clinical pregnancy rate, cancelation rate, serious OHSS rate, and cost-efficiency. The cumulative ongoing pregnancy rate per cycle in PCOS women was 80%. Considering that a non-inferiority threshold should retain 80% of the clinical effect of a control treatment, a minimal clinical difference of 16% (two-sided: α, 2.5%; β, 20%) and a total of 196 patients were needed. Anticipating a 10% dropout rate, the total number of patients required was 216. Discussion The results of this study will provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of the LH-based flexible GnRH antagonist protocol in PCOS patients. Moreover, it evaluates the cost-efficiency of both protocols. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800018129. Date assigned: 31 August 2018. Protocol version: 1.0 (18 July 2017)

BackgroundSome degree of platelet index abnormality has been found clinically in the autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), but the findings are not uniform.MethodsThe PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for relevant articles published up to August 16th, 2022, with no restrictions on the language of the articles. Reference lists of eligible articles were also searched. A random effect model was used to pool the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) between AITD patients and healthy controls, and subgroup analyses were performed.ResultsA total of 19 articles with 6173 people (3824 AITD patients and 2349 healthy people) were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that PLT and MPV values were significantly increased in AITD patients when compared with healthy people (SMD: 0.164, 95% CI: 0.044 to 0.285; SMD: 0.256, 95% CI: 0.013 to 0.500), while no significant difference was found in PDW between the AITD group and the control group (SMD: 0.060, 95% CI: -0.164 to 0.284). Subgroup analysis according to disease type and thyroid function revealed that for PLT, this difference was only found in the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and hypothyroid groups, but not in the Graves’ disease (GD) and hyperthyroid groups. For MPV, the results were the opposite of those for PLT: MPV was significantly higher in the GD, hyperthyroid, and euthyroid groups than in the control group, but not in the HT and hypothyroid groups. Sensitivity analysis showed that the stability of the pooled MPV was not good. No publication bias was found.ConclusionsPLT and MPV are significantly elevated in patients with AITD, with PLT being more significantly elevated in HT and hypothyroidism, and MPV being more significantly increased in GD and hyperthyroidism. Appropriate clinical attention can be paid to the thyroid function of patients when abnormal platelet indices are found, and conversely, the consequences of abnormal platelet parameters such as elevated MPV lead to an increased occurrence of cardiovascular events, which should also be addressed in the AITD population.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022341823.

Summary: Rhizomicrobiome plays important roles in plant growth and health, contributing to the sustainable development of agriculture. Plants recruit and assemble the rhizomicrobiome to satisfy their functional requirements, which is widely recognized as the 'cry for help' theory, but the intrinsic mechanisms are still limited.In this study, we revealed a novel mechanism by which plants reprogram the functional expression of inhabited rhizobacteria, in addition to the de novo recruitment of soil microbes, to satisfy different functional requirements as plants grow. This might be an efficient and low‐cost strategy and a substantial extension to the rhizomicrobiome recruitment theory.We found that the plant regulated the sequential expression of genes related to biocontrol and plant growth promotion in two well‐studied rhizobacteria Bacillus velezensis SQR9 and Pseudomonas protegens CHA0 through root exudate succession across the plant developmental stages. Sixteen key chemicals in root exudates were identified to significantly regulate the rhizobacterial functional gene expression by high‐throughput qPCR.This study not only deepens our understanding of the interaction between the plant–rhizosphere microbiome, but also provides a novel strategy to regulate and balance the different functional expression of the rhizomicrobiome to improve plant health and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is significant to detect the bridge from LiDAR automatically and quickly, which is regarded as an important artificial building and transport hub. In this paper, a skinny triangle-based detection algorithm of bridge over water is proposed. First, Triangulated Irregular Network(TIN) is generated in LiDAR data, during which a skinny triangle is used to detect points on the river edge and bridge, and the elevation difference between them is used to separate those points. Second, a nonlinear classifier designed with TIN is used to separate the LiDAR points on the river edge. Points of bridge borders can be separated automatically and adaptively according to the collinear characteristics of the bridge border. Finally, creating fitted curves to obtain river bank and bridges borders respectively. The coordinate of bridge angular points can be obtained by solving the equations set, which is consists of the river bank curve and bridges borders curve simultaneous. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can perform well to extract bridge over water from LiDAR data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a distributed and worldwide soilborne disease. The application of biocontrol microbes or agricultural chemicals has been widely used to manage tomato bacterial wilt. However, whether and how agricultural chemicals affect the antagonistic ability of biocontrol microbes is still unknown. Here, we combined potassium phosphite (K-Phite), an environmentally friendly agricultural chemical, and the biocontrol agent Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QPF8 (strain F8) to manage tomato bacterial wilt disease. First, K-Phite at a concentration of 0.05% (wt/vol) could significantly inhibit the growth of R. solanacearum . Second, 0.05% K-Phite enhanced the antagonistic capability of B. amyloliquefaciens F8. Third, the greenhouse soil experiments showed that the control efficiency for tomato bacterial wilt in the combined treatment was significantly higher than that of the application of B. amyloliquefaciens F8 or K-Phite alone. Overall, our results highlighted a novel strategy for the control of tomato bacterial wilt disease via application and revealed a new integrated pattern depending on the enhancement of the antagonistic capability of biocontrol microbes by K-Phite.