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We previously reported that immunoglobulin superfamily member 9 (IGSF9) as a tumor specific immune checkpoint promoted the tumor immune escape, however, as an adhesion molecule, whether IGSF9 promotes tumor invasion and metastasis has not been reported. Here, the full length, the intracellular domain (ID) not extracellular domain (ECD) of IGSF9 could alter tumor cell morphology from a flat and polygonal shape to elongated strips, suggesting that IGSF9 signal pathway has the potential to mediate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Real-time PCR and western blotting also showed that the mesenchymal markers were significantly up-regulated, and the epithelial markers were significantly down-regulated in IGSF9 and IGSF9-ID groups. Meanwhile, immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin was clearly translocated into the nucleus in IGSF9 and IGSF9-ID groups. The in vitro and in vivo data showed that IGSF9, IGSF9-ID and ECD could promote tumor invasion and metastasis. Mechanistically, IGSF9-ID could recruit GSK-3β to result in the accumulation and nuclear translocation of β-catenin to trigger EMT. Anti-IGSF9 could significantly inhibit the invasion and metastasis, and IGSF9 is an effective candidate for lung cancer therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We aimed to report a summary of clinical outcomes following preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic conditions, by performing a systematic review of published literature on clinical pregnancy and live birth rates following preimplantation genetic testing due to a monogenic indication. Additionally, we aimed to undertake a subgroup analysis of clinical outcomes of concurrent monogenic and aneuploidy screening., Data Sources (including Years Searched): Three electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed) were searched from inception to May 2024. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA (STUDY DESIGN, POPULATIONS, AND INTERVENTIONS [IF APPLICABLE]): Quantitative data audits, observational studies and case series reporting clinical outcomes for individuals undergoing preimplantation genetic testing for a monogenic indication were included. Only studies using blastocyst biopsies with polymerase chain reaction-based or genome-wide haplotyping methods for molecular analysis were eligible to reflect current laboratory practice., Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: Quality assessment was performed following data extraction using an adaptation of the Joanna Briggs critical appraisal tool for case series. Results were extracted, and pooled mean clinical pregnancy rates and birth rates were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. We compared outcomes between those with and without concurrent PGT-A., Results: Our search identified 1372 publications; 51 were eligible for inclusion. Pooled data on 5305 cycles and 5229 embryo transfers yielded 1806 clinical pregnancies and 1577 births. This translated to clinical pregnancy and birth rates of 34.0% [95%CI: 32.8-35.3%] and 29.7% [95%CI: 28.5-31.0%] per cycle and 24.8% [95%CI: 23.6-26.0%] and 21.7% [95%CI: 20.8-23.1%] per embryo transfer. In studies with concurrent aneuploidy screening, clinical pregnancy and birth rates were 43.3% [95%CI: 40.2-46.5%] and 37.6% [95%CI: 34.6-40.8%] per cycle and 37.0% [95%CI: 33.9-40.3%] and 31.8% [95%CI: 28.8-35.0%] per embryo transfer. Studies without aneuploidy screening reported clinical pregnancy and birth rates of 32.5% [95%CI: 31.0-34.1%] and 28.1% [95%CI: 26.6-29.7%] per cycle and 21.2% [95%CI: 19.8-22.6%] and 18.6% [95%CI: 17.3-20.0%] per embryo transfer., Conclusions: This systematic review reveals promising clinical outcome figures for this indication group. Additionally, synthesizing the published scientific literature on clinical outcomes from preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic conditions provides a rigorous, non-commercial evidence base for counselling., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Adequate protection of the environment is one of the hot spots of concern for all sectors of society due to severe environmental pollution. The solution to this issue is friendly management of the environment. With the rapid growth of Chinese Manufacturing SMEs for economic development, environmental pollution and abuse of resources are arising. To resolve these issues, Chinese manufacturing SMEs are accelerating the implementation of green innovation in their industries. However, it is a complex task that involves enterprise, government, and social considerations. Therefore, it is essential to identify the green drivers for this implementation. With a focus on China's current situation from previous research and views from experts, this study aims to investigate how Chinese Manufacturing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are responding to resource misuse and environmental pollution by implementing green innovation, emphasising the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving environmental performance. This study primarily looks into the factors that influence the adoption of green innovations by analysing the growth paths of Chinese SMEs operating in highly polluting industries over a longer time frame than five years. Artificial Intelligence is a valuable tool for solving the issues of ecological degradation. A quantitative method has been implemented for the Chinese companies' samples from the deeply polluting industries for more than five years. The findings of this paper advise that the average board size, the governing board meetings, and organizational performance are positively connected with the Chinese firms' environmental process. Board independence and diversity of gender have irrelevant associations with ecological performance. A convenient threshold regression model has been used to accumulate the respondents' data. It also reveals that larger board sizes and more frequent governing board meetings are positively associated with improved environmental performance among these firms. The findings state the critical implications for the firm executives, policymakers, environmental activists, and regulators. This result supports the insight drained from the resource dependence, stakeholder, firm agency, and legitimacy theories., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a 28-year-old male patient with unipolar depression were reprogrammed with reprogramming factors by electroporation. The pluripotency of transgene-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) was verified by immunofluorescence staining for pluripotency markers, and these iPSCs were able to differentiate into the 3 germ layers in vitro. These iPSCs also showed normal karyotypes. Thus, we believe that these iPSCs could be valuable models for exploring the underlying biological mechanism of depression and the safety of antidepressants through the use of iPSCs differentiated into different kinds of neurons or brain organoids., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The objective of this randomised controlled trial was to compare the periodontal healing at the distal of the adjacent second molar after coronectomy or surgical removal and the surgical morbidities of the 2 techniques., Methods: This is a pilot study of a split-mouth randomised clinical trial comparing the periodontal healing of the adjacent second molar after coronectomy or total removal of lower third molars, which was registered with the University of Hong Kong Clinical Trial Centre as HKUCTR-2948 on 21 February 2020. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were taken preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. Changes in the bone level from the cemento-enamel junction, periodontal probing depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) at the distal of the adjacent second molar were compared. Surgical morbidities in terms of pain, infection, neurologic deficit, root exposure, and need for second surgery for removal were assessed., Results: Forty patients (22 male, 18 female) with mean age of 26.7 years were evaluated at 6 months postoperatively. Both coronectomy and total removal groups demonstrated statistically significant reduction in PPD and CAL. There was an alveolar bone gain of 1.28 ± 0.88 mm in the coronectomy group and 1.13 ± 0.73mm in the control group, which was statistically significant (P < .001 for both groups)., Conclusions: Early findings show the periodontal healing at the adjacent second molar of coronectomy was as good as that of total removal of lower third molar. There were no differences in terms of surgical morbidities between both groups., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None disclosed., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The current study aimed to determine the effects of different levels of fermented Juncao grass (FG) on growth parameters, blood constituents, immunity, and antioxidative properties of broilers. A total of 240 (21-d-old) broiler chicks were randomly distributed to four dietary treatments of sixty birds, with six replicate pens and ten birds in each. Fermented grass was added to the basal diet at four levels with 0, 5, 10, and 15% FG. The results revealed that broilers fed 5% FG had significantly higher (P < 0.05) final body weight (FBW), average daily gain (WG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI). The best conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded for broilers supplemented with 5% FG compared to the group supplemented with 15% FG (P < 0.05). Increasing FG % decreased (P < 0.05) anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10. However, FG increased (P < 0.05) proinflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, IL-1, IL-2, IL-12, and TNF-α (P < 0.05). Moreover, IgA, IgG, and IgM levels increased (P < 0.05) with increasing FG %. In addition, increasing FG % in broiler rations significantly increased (P < 0.05) serum antioxidant levels of T-AOC, GSH-PX, SOD, CAT, NO and GSH, but decreased (P < 0.05) MDA levels compared to the control group. Conclusively, fermented Juncao grass would be considered a novel herbal feed additive for improving broiler performance, immunity, antioxidant, and health status. Nevertheless, further research at the molecular level is needed to quantify the effects of these herbal components on cellular and humoral immune functions in broiler chickens., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Electro-conductive hydrogels emerge as a stretchable conductive materials with diverse applications in the synthesis of flexible strain sensors. However, the high-water content and low cross-links density cause them to be mechanically destroyed and freeze at subzero temperatures, limiting their practical applications. Herein, we report a one-pot strategy by co-incorporating cellulose nanofiber (CNF), Poly pyrrole (PPy) and glycerol with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to prepare hydrogel. The addition of PPy endowed the hydrogel with good conductivity (∼0.034 S/m) compared to the no PPy@CNF group (∼0.0095 S/m), the conductivity was increased by 257.9 %. The hydrogel exhibits comparable ionic conductivity at -18 °C as it does at room temperature. It's attributed to the glycerol as a cryoprotectant and the formation of hydrated [Zn(H 2 O) n ] 2+ ions via strong interaction between Zn 2+ and water molecules. Moreover, the cellulose nanofiber intrinsically assembled into unique hierarchical structures allow for strong hydrogen bonds between adjacent cellulose and PPy polymer chains, greatly improve the mechanical strength (stress∼0.65 MPa, strain∼301 %) and excellent viscoelasticity (G'max ∼ 82.7 KPa). This novel PPy@CNF-PVA hydrogel exhibits extremely high Gauge factor (GF) of 2.84 and shows excellent sensitivity, repeatability and stability. Therefore, the hydrogel can serve as reliable and stable strain sensor which shows excellent responsiveness in human activities monitoration., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important gaseous constituents in the troposphere, impacting local and regional air quality, human health, and climate. Oxidation of VOCs, with the participation of nitrogen oxides (NO x ), leads to the formation of tropospheric ozone (O 3 ). Accurately apportioning the emission sources and transformation processes of ambient VOCs, and effectively estimation of OH reactivity and ozone formation potential (OFP) will play an important role in reducing O 3 pollution in the atmosphere and improving public health. In this study, field measurements were conducted at a regional background site (Hok Tsui; HT) in Hong Kong from October to November 2020 with proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS). VOC data coupled with air mass back trajectory cluster analysis and receptor modelling were applied to reveal the pollution pattern, emission sources and transformation of ambient VOCs at HT in autumn 2020. Seven sources were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis, namely vehicular + industrial, solvent usage, primary oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs), secondary OVOCs 1, secondary OVOCs 2 (aged), biogenic emissions, and background + biomass burning. Secondary formation and vehicular + industrial emissions are the vital sources of ambient VOCs at HT supersite, contributing to 20.8 % and 46.7 % of total VOC mixing ratios, respectively. Integrated with backward trajectory analysis and correlations of VOCs with their oxidation products, short-range transport of air masses from inland regions of southeast China brought high levels of total VOCs but longer-range transport of air masses brought more secondary OVOCs in aged air masses. Photolysis of OVOCs was the most important contributor to OH reactivity and OFP, among which aldehyde was the dominant contributor. The results of this study highlight the photochemical processing of VOCs from different source regions which should be considered in strategy making for pollution reduction., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Shuncheng Lee reports financial support was provided by Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Shuncheng Lee reports financial support was provided by Environment and Conservation Fund. Shuncheng Lee reports financial support was provided by Green Tech Fund., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Carbonyl compounds are ubiquitous and play vital roles in tropospheric photochemistry and oxidation capacity, particularly affecting radical cycling and ozone formation. An enhanced method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed to simultaneously quantify 47 carbonyl compounds with carbon (C) numbers from 1 to 13. Applying this new method to samples collected at ground and ship-borne field campaigns, we investigated the abundance, characteristic distribution, and photochemical activity of carbonyl species in the coastal atmosphere of Hong Kong. The total concentration of detected carbonyls ranged from 9.1 to 32.7 ppbv and exhibited distinct spatial variability. In addition to the usual abundant carbonyl species (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone), aliphatic saturated aldehydes with C ≥ 5 (particularly hexaldehyde and nonanaldehyde), and di‑carbonyls, exhibit significant abundance and photochemical reactivity in the coastal site and on the sea. The measured carbonyls could contribute to an estimated peroxyl radical formation rate of 1.88-8.43 ppb/h via OH oxidation and photolysis, greatly enhancing oxidation capacity and radical cycling. The ozone formation potential (OFP) estimated from the maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) was dominated (69 %-82 %) by formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, with significant contribution (4 %-13 %) from di‑carbonyls. Furthermore, another dozens of long-chain carbonyls without MIR values, which were typically below detection or not included in the conventional analytical method, would increase the ozone formation rate by an additional 2 %-33 %. Additionally, the glyoxal, methylglyoxal, benzaldehyde and other α, β-unsaturated aldehydes also exhibited considerable contribution to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation potential. This study highlights the importance of various reactive carbonyls in the atmospheric chemistry of urban and coastal regions. The newly developed method can effectively characterize more carbonyl compounds and advance our understanding of their roles in photochemical air pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a novel and an efficient strategy for improving soil degradation and productivity. However, the effect of PGPR on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) seedling growth under salt stress remains unclear. Here, microcosm experiments were designed to verify the effects of Bacillus cereus TC012 (BC), Bacillus methylotrophicus TC023 (BM), and Bacillus amyloliquefacien TC037 (BA) on tobacco grown in salt-affected soil. The results showed that BC, BM, and BA treatments significantly increased the height of tobacco plants by 38.65%, 91.94%, and 90.66%, respectively. Furthermore, the growth of various components of tobacco plant, such as stem girth, seedling biomass, carotenoid, and chlorophyll were stimulated in salt-affected soils. The changes in the salinity of the tobacco plant mostly relies on the improvement of proline, soluble protein, soluble sugar content, plant protective enzymatic activity, and K + /Na + ratios. Increases in indole-3-acetic acid, zeatin riboside and gibberellic acid also promoted tobacco growth. Additionally, inoculation with PGPR enhanced the enzymatic activity of laccase, urease, neutral protease, acid phosphatase, and sucrase in soil samples and had positive effects on the physicochemical properties. The soil bacterial communities significantly improved after inoculation with PGPR. In particular, the relative abundance of Pseudomonas and Bacillus significantly increased. Overall, PGPR inoculation has great potential to alleviate salt damage in tobacco plants and may have far reaching benefits to the agricultural community., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: COVID-19 infection in pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of progression to severe disease, but vaccine uptake by pregnant women is hindered by persistent safety concerns. COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy has been shown to reduce stillbirth, but its relationship with preterm birth is uncertain., Objective: This study aimed to measure the rate of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among women giving birth in Melbourne, Australia, and to compare perinatal outcomes by vaccination status., Study Design: This was a retrospective multicenter cohort study conducted after the June 2021 government recommendations for messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. Routinely collected data from all 12 public maternity hospitals in Melbourne were extracted on births at ≥20 weeks' gestation from July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. Maternal sociodemographic characteristics were analyzed from the total birth cohort. Perinatal outcomes were compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated women for whom weeks 20 to 43 of gestation fell entirely within the 9-month data collection period. The primary outcomes were the rates of stillbirth and preterm birth (spontaneous and iatrogenic) in singleton pregnancies of at least 24 weeks' gestation, after exclusion of congenital anomalies. Secondary perinatal outcomes included the rate of congenital anomalies among infants born at ≥20 weeks' gestation and birthweight ≤third centile and newborn intensive care unit admissions among infants born without congenital anomalies at ≥24 weeks' gestation. We calculated the adjusted odds ratio of perinatal outcomes among vaccinated vs unvaccinated women using inverse propensity score-weighting regression adjustment with multiple covariates; P<.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Births from 32,536 women were analyzed: 17,365 (53.4%) were vaccinated and 15,171 (47.6%) were unvaccinated. Vaccinated women were more likely to be older, nulliparous, nonsmoking, not requiring an interpreter, of higher socioeconomic status, and vaccinated against pertussis and influenza. Vaccination status also varied by region of birth. Vaccinated women had a significantly lower rate of stillbirth compared with unvaccinated women (0.2% vs 0.8%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.18; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.37; P<.001). Vaccination was associated with a significant reduction in total preterm births at <37 weeks (5.1% vs 9.2%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.71; P<.001), spontaneous preterm birth (2.4% vs 4.0%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.56-0.96; P=.02), and iatrogenic preterm birth (2.7% vs 5.2%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.65; P<.001). Infants born to vaccinated mothers also had lower rates of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. There was no significant increase in the rate of congenital anomalies or birthweight ≤3rd centile in vaccinated women. Vaccinated women were significantly less likely to have an infant with a major congenital anomaly compared with the unvaccinated group (2.4% vs 3.0%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.56-0.94; P=.02). This finding remained significant even when the analysis was restricted to women vaccinated before 20 weeks' gestation., Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was associated with a reduction in stillbirth and preterm birth, and not associated with any adverse impact on fetal growth or development. Vaccine coverage was substantially influenced by known social determinants of health., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm, causes major damage to maize and >80 other crops worldwide. Since S. frugiperda successfully invaded China in 2018 via long-distance migration from Myanmar, it has caused major maize yield losses and posed a severe threat to maize production and food security. The biocontrol approach for S. frugiperda using natural enemies is environmentally safe and effective. Estimating the potential suitable area (PSA) for S. frugiperda and its natural enemies can provide insights for its biocontrol and management. Therefore, based on the global distribution records and bioclimatic variables, we modeled the PSA of S. frugiperda and three egg parasitoids in China using an ensemble model (EM). We found that the prediction results of the EM were more reliable than those of a single model. The PSAs of S. frugiperda and its three egg parasitoids were mainly attributed to temperature variables. The PSA of S. frugiperda was divided into migratory and overwintering areas using the mean January 10 °C isotherm from 2018 to 2022. In the overwintering area, Trichogramma chilonis had the largest PSA overlap with S. frugiperda (94.57 %), followed by Telenomus remus (68.64 %) and Trichogramma dendrolimi (67.53 %). Telenomus remus and Tr. chilonis were the most effective egg parasitoids against S. frugiperda in the overwintering area. In the migratory area, Tr. chilonis had the largest PSA overlap with S. frugiperda (91.36 %), followed by Tr. dendrolimi (81.70 %) and Te. remus (15.23 %). Trichogramma dendrolimi would be the most effective egg parasitoid against S. frugiperda in the Yangtze River Basin and northeastern China. Trichogramma chilonis was the most effective egg parasitoid against S. frugiperda in central China. Our findings indicate that the three native egg parasitoids would be "good regulators" of S. frugiperda outbreaks in China., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Schizophrenia (SCZ) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are complex polygenic disorders with brain morphology abnormalities. The etiologies and relationship of both disorders remain elusive, and should be further investigated. Thus, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from an OCD patient, his mother with SCZ and his healthy father with reprograming method. All iPSCs were characterized to have normal karyotype and expression of pluripotency makers. These iPSCs will be a valuable model to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms and association of both diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Transcervical transplantation of embryos has been wildly used in several species. However, it has not been successful in feline species because of their unique cervix structure combined with poor in vitro culture systems for embryos. In the present study, a simple device to guide the embryo transfer (ET) tube through the cervix and into the uterus was developed. To supply better blastocysts for ET, the in vitro culture system of feline embryos was also optimized. Results showed that 91.67 ± 4.17% of embryos developed to the blastocyst stage in QAU-4 medium compared with 49.17 ± 6.51% in KSOM medium. The total cell number of blastocysts reached 87.1 ± 22.1 in QAU-4 medium compared with 29.8 ± 2.1 in KSOM. Embryoid body formation was also observed in QAU-4 medium. Finally, by the improved technical scheme, CRX (Cone-Rod Homeobox) gene-edited kittens were successfully bred. To date, this is the first report, to our knowledge, of knockout kittens successfully delivered after transcervical ET with a simple transfer tube., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest that would prejudice the impartiality of this scientific work., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Altered hub regions in brain network have been consistently reported in patients with schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether similar altered hub regions of the brain would be exhibited in individuals with subclinical features of schizophrenia such as social anhedonia (SA). In this study, we examined the hub regions of resting-state social brain network (SBN) of 35 participants with SA and 50 healthy controls (HC). We further examined the prediction effect of hub-connected FCs with SBN on the real-life social network characteristics. Our findings showed that the right amygdala, left temporal lobe and right media superior frontal gyrus were the hub regions of SBN both in SA and HC groups. In the SA group, the left temporal lobe connected functional connectivity (FC) did not predict social network characteristics, while the other FCs strengthened the association with social network characteristics. These findings were replicated in an independent sample of 33 SA and 32 HC. These findings suggested that the left temporal lobe as one of the hub regions of SBN exhibited the abnormality of their connected FCs in the association with social network characteristics in individuals with SA., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None to declare., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: This research aims explored the sleep disorder (SD) role in major depressive disorder (MDD), and the SD influencing their cognition., Methods: 372 MDD patients and 457 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled., Results: Patients increased a 38.88 times SD risk compared with HCs. In patients, visuospatial/constructional score was lower in SD than non-SD, and PSQI score was negatively associated with visuospatial/constructional score of SD. In SD and non-SD, RBANS scores were lower in MDD than HCs, excepted for visuospatial/constructional in non-SD., Conclusion: The SD as a MDD risk factor, has more serious visuospatial/constructional impairment alleviated via improving sleep/depression in patients., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest The authors reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is the most common perinatal infection and a significant cause of sensorineural hearing loss, cerebral palsy, and neurodevelopmental disability. There is a paucity of human gene expression studies examining the pathophysiology of cytomegalovirus infection., Objective: This study aimed to perform a whole transcriptomic assessment of amniotic fluid from pregnancies with live fetuses to identify differentially expressed genes and enriched Gene Ontology categories associated with congenital cytomegalovirus infection., Study Design: Amniotic fluid supernatant was prospectively collected from pregnant women undergoing amniocentesis for suspected congenital cytomegalovirus infection because of first-trimester maternal primary infection or ultrasound features suggestive of fetal infection. Women who had received therapy to prevent fetal infection were excluded. Congenital cytomegalovirus infection was diagnosed via viral polymerase chain reaction of amniotic fluid; cytomegalovirus-infected fetuses were paired with noninfected controls, matched for gestational age and fetal sex. Paired-end RNA sequencing was performed on amniotic fluid cell-free RNA with the Novaseq 6000 at a depth of 30 million reads per sample. Following quality control and filtering, reads were mapped to the human genome and counts summarized across genes. Differentially expressed genes were identified using 2 approaches: voomWithQualityWeights in conjunction with limma and RUVSeq with edgeR. Genes with a false discovery rate <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Differential exon use was analyzed using DEXSeq. Functional analysis was performed using gene set enrichment analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Manual curation of differentially regulated genes was also performed., Results: Amniotic fluid samples were collected from 50 women; 16 (32%) had congenital cytomegalovirus infection confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. After excluding 3 samples without matched controls, 13 cytomegalovirus-infected samples collected at 18 to 23 weeks and 13 cytomegalovirus-negative gestation-matched controls were submitted for RNA sequencing and analysis (N=26). Ten of the 13 pregnancies with cytomegalovirus-infected fetuses had amniocentesis because of serologic evidence of maternal primary infection with normal fetal ultrasound, and 3 had amniocentesis because of ultrasound abnormality suggestive of cytomegalovirus infection. Four cytomegalovirus-infected pregnancies ended in termination (n=3) or fetal death (n=1), and 9 resulted in live births. Pregnancy outcomes were available for 11 of the 13 cytomegalovirus-negative controls; all resulted in live births of clinically-well infants. Differential gene expression analysis revealed 309 up-regulated and 32 down-regulated genes in the cytomegalovirus-infected group compared with the cytomegalovirus-negative group. Gene set enrichment analysis showed significant enrichment of multiple Gene Ontology categories involving the innate immune response to viral infection and interferon signaling. Of the 32 significantly down-regulated genes, 8 were known to be involved in neurodevelopment and preferentially expressed by the brain. Six specific cellular restriction factors involved in host defense to cytomegalovirus infection were up-regulated in the cytomegalovirus-infected group. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted the activation of pathways involved in progressive neurologic disease and inflammatory neurologic disease., Conclusion: In this next-generation sequencing study, we revealed new insights into the pathophysiology of congenital cytomegalovirus infection. These data on the up-regulation of the intraamniotic innate immune response to cytomegalovirus infection and the dysregulation of neurodevelopmental genes may inform future approaches to developing prognostic markers and assessing fetal responses to in utero therapy., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Acrylamide (AA) is a heat-induced food contaminant, mainly metabolized by the liver. Increasing evidences have proved that ferroptosis is linked to the pathogenesis of liver disease. In the current study, the underlying mechanism of AA-induced rat hepatic stellate (HSC-T6) cells ferroptosis was investigated by detecting changes in iron levels, expressions of ferroptosis-related proteins and indicators of mitochondrial dysfunction. The results showed that AA treatment led to iron levels increased and expressions of long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 4 (ACSL4), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) proteins in HSC-T6 cells were all altered. Treatment with the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) markedly reversed the impact of AA, suggesting that AA induced ferroptosis in HSC-T6 cells. Mechanistically, AA induced the onset of ferroptosis by affecting XCT-GSH-GPX4 antioxidant signaling. Moreover, AA created a peroxidative environment for ferroptosis by inducing oxidative stress in HSC-T6 cells through mitochondrial dysfunction, as evidenced by increased mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) release, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) depolarization, and decreased mitochondrial ATP. Our results indicated that AA resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis, and dysregulation of XCT-GSH-GPX4 antioxidant signaling was a key factor in AA-induced ferroptosis., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a worsening of perinatal outcomes in many regions around the world. Melbourne, Australia, had one of the longest and most stringent lockdowns worldwide in 2020 while recording only rare instances of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women., Objective: This study aimed to compare the stillbirth and preterm birth rates in women who were exposed or unexposed to lockdown restrictions during pregnancy., Study Design: This was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study of perinatal outcomes in Melbourne before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. The lockdown period was defined as the period from March 23, 2020 to March 14, 2021. Routinely-collected maternity data on singleton pregnancies ≥24 weeks gestation without congenital anomalies were obtained from all the 12 public hospitals in Melbourne. We defined the lockdown-exposed cohort as those women for whom weeks 20 to 40 of gestation occurred during the lockdown and the unexposed control group as women from the corresponding calendar periods 12 and 24 months before. The main outcome measures were stillbirth, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction (birthweight < third centile), and iatrogenic preterm birth for fetal compromise. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis to compare the odds of stillbirth, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and iatrogenic preterm birth for fetal compromise, adjusting for multiple covariates., Results: There were 24,817 births in the exposed group and 50,017 births in the control group. There was a significantly higher risk of preterm stillbirth in the exposed group than the control group (0.26% vs 0.18%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.05; P=.015). There was also a significant reduction in the preterm birth of live infants <37 weeks (5.68% vs 6.07%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.99; P=.02), which was largely mediated by a significant reduction in iatrogenic preterm birth (3.01% vs 3.27%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.99; P=.03), including iatrogenic preterm birth for fetal compromise (1.25% vs 1.51%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.93; P=.003). There were also significant reductions in special care nursery admissions during lockdown (11.53% vs 12.51%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-0.95; P<.0001). There was a trend to fewer spontaneous preterm births <37 weeks in the exposed group of a similar magnitude to that reported in other countries (2.69% vs 2.82%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-1.05; P=.32)., Conclusion: Lockdown restrictions in Melbourne, Australia were associated with a significant reduction in iatrogenic preterm birth for fetal compromise and a significant increase in preterm stillbirths. This raises concerns that pandemic conditions in 2020 may have led to a failure to identify and appropriately care for pregnant women at an increased risk of antepartum stillbirth. Further research is required to understand the relationship between these 2 findings and to inform our ongoing responses to the pandemic., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cell identity conversion in liver injury is the process that mature cells, specifically hepatocytes or cholangiocytes, convert into cells with other identities, which is found to play a pivotal role in liver regeneration. A better characterization of cell identity conversion will not only facilitate the understanding of liver tissue repair but also the development of novel regenerative therapies. In this review, we discuss the latest advances in cell identity conversion during liver regeneration, including conversions between hepatocytes and cholangiocytes and hepatocyte reprogramming to liver progenitor-like cells. To develop a unified description of cellular states in injury-related liver regeneration, we further propose the quantitative approach to explore cell identity conversion based on the Waddington's landscape., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pure deep eutectic solvents (DESs) system of choline chloride (ChCl)/Lactic acid (Lac) were demonstrated to be an effective strategy for extraction of lignin. In this study, two kinds of different promising solid acid (SA) with DESs were designed to promote the pretreatment of lignocellulose. The SA of phosphotungstic acid (H 3 O 40 PW 12 ) and iron bromide (FeBr 3 ) were introduced into DESs to extract poplar wood lignin and evaluate the antioxidant activity. It was found that 82.2% and 80.9% of lignin were obtained from poplar wood under H 3 O 40 PW 12 -ChCl/Lac acid and FeBr 3 -choline ChCl/Lac system with 4 h and 8 h, respectively. The lignin fractions with a high purity (>89%), low molecular weight (Mw 1800-2000 g/mol). Besides, the antioxidant activities of lignin fractions were better than butyl hydroxyanisole (BHA). Therefore, DES lignin has prominent antioxidant activity and could developed a potential natural cosmetics and food packaging., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: High-grade serous tubo-ovarian cancer (HGSC) is the most common histological subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer, and highly lethal. Currently there is no effective screening test and prognosis is poor as the majority of cases are diagnosed at the advanced stage. Cell free RNAs including microRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated in ovarian cancer tissue and are detectable in the circulation. This study aimed to determine whether circulating cell free miRNAs may be potential biomarkers for the detection of HGSC., Methods: Plasma was collected from women with HGSC (Grade 3, n = 24), and benign ovarian masses (n = 24). RNA was extracted from patient plasma and subjected to miRNA targeted next generation sequencing (NGS). A subsequent validation cohort was assessed using plasma collected from women with HGSC (n = 14) and controls (with a benign ovarian mass; n = 15). RNA was extracted and assessed using quantitative RT-PCR., Results: Differential gene expression (DGE) of the NGS data revealed a significant increase in the miRNA, miR200c, in the circulation of women with HGSC (p less than 0.05) compared to controls. In the validation cohort miR200c expression by qPCR was found to also be increased in the circulation of women with HGSC compared to controls (p = 0.0023)., Conclusions: Circulating miR200c may be a promising candidate biomarker for the detection of HGSC. Further larger cohort studies exploring earlier stages are needed to determine whether circulating miR200c may be a sensitive and specific biomarker of tubo-ovarian cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recently recommended offering genetic counseling and diagnostic testing for enlarged nuchal translucency at ≥3.0 mm, regardless of previous negative screening with noninvasive prenatal testing., Objective: This study aimed to perform a population-based, individual record linkage study to determine the optimal definition of an enlarged nuchal translucency for the detection of atypical chromosome abnormalities., Study Design: This was a retrospective study of women resident in Victoria, Australia, undergoing combined first-trimester screening during the 24-month period from January 2015 to December 2016. Linkages between statewide results for combined first-trimester screening, prenatal diagnostic procedures, and postnatal cytogenetic results from products of conception and infants up to 12 months of age were used to ascertain the frequency and type of chromosome abnormality by gestation and nuchal translucency measurement. An atypical chromosome abnormality was defined as any major chromosome abnormality other than whole chromosome aneuploidy involving chromosomes 21, 18, 13, X, and Y., Results: Of the 81,244 singleton pregnancies undergoing combined first-trimester screening, 491 (0.60%) had a nuchal translucency of ≥3.5 mm, 534 (0.66%) had a nuchal translucency of 3.0 to 3.4 mm, and 80,219 (98.74%) had a nuchal translucency of < 3.0 mm. When grouped by nuchal translucency multiples of the median (MoM), 192 (0.24%) had a nuchal translucency of ≥3.0 MoM, 513 (0.63%) had a nuchal translucency of 1.9 to 2.9 MoM, and 80,539 (99.13%) had a nuchal translucency of <1.9 MoM. A total of 1779 pregnancies underwent prenatal or postnatal diagnostic testing, of which 89.60% were performed by whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism chromosomal microarray. The frequency of total major chromosome abnormalities was significantly higher in the group with a nuchal translucency of ≥3.5 mm (147 of 491, 29.94%) than the group with a nuchal translucency of 3.0 to 3.4 mm (21 of 534, 3.93%) or a nuchal translucency of <3.0 mm (71 of 80,219, 0.09%) (P<.001). There were 93 atypical chromosome abnormalities in the total screened cohort. The frequency of an atypical chromosome abnormality was 4.07% (95% confidence interval, 2.51-6.22), 0.37% (95% confidence interval, 0.05-1.35), and 0.09% (95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.11) in the groups with a nuchal translucency of ≥3.5 mm, 3.0 to 3.4 mm, and <3.0 mm, respectively. The frequency of atypical chromosome abnormalities was 4.69% (95% confidence interval, 2.17-8.71), 2.53% (95% confidence interval, 1.36-4.29), and 0.09% (95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.11) in the groups with a nuchal translucency of ≥3.0 MoM, 1.9 to 2.9 MoM, and <1.9 MoM, respectively. When defining thresholds for offering diagnosis with chromosomal microarray at 11 to 13 weeks, both a nuchal translucency threshold of 1.9 MoM and a fixed threshold of 3.0 mm captured 22 of 93 fetuses (23.7%) with an atypical chromosome abnormality. Of these, 50.0% had a coexisting fetal abnormality on ultrasound. However, the gestation-specific threshold of 1.9 MoM had a better specificity than 3.0 mm. The positive predictive value of an enlarged nuchal translucency for any atypical chromosome abnormality was 1 in 47 for nuchal translucency of >3.0 mm and 1 in 32 for nuchal translucency of >1.9 MoM. Our nuchal translucency threshold of 1.9 MoM captured 0.87% of fetuses, thus approximating the 99th centile., Conclusion: A gestational age-adjusted nuchal translucency threshold of 1.9 MoM or 99th centile is superior to the fixed cutoff of 3.0 mm for the identification of atypical chromosome abnormalities. The risk of an atypical chromosome abnormality in a fetus with an enlarged nuchal translucency is more than tripled in the presence of an additional ultrasound abnormality., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is an urgent need for wound dressings to treat partial-thickness burns. Hydrogels are a promising material that can maintain hydration to promote necrotic tissue removal. Tilapia peptides (TP) and hydroxyapatite (HA) were incorporated into chitosan system to prepare new types of hydrogels. The hydrogels were cross-linking by tannin (TA), which were developed to promote rapid wound healing in a New Zealand rabbit partial-thickness burn model. Nanohydroxyapatite (NHA) was synthesized by coprecipitation method, which made hydrogels have a highly porous structure comprised of interconnected pores, excellent water absorption and low hemolysis. Besides, the hydrogels showed excellent antimicrobial activities against both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), as well as the cytocompatibility on endothelial cells. Moreover, the hydrogels promoted epithelial and dermal regeneration, reduce the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 and promote the skin regeneration by enhancing expression of collagen, STAT3, and VEGF., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: Recently, Delta-like homolog 1 (DLK1) was identified as a potential marker of small-for-gestational-age (SGA; <10th centile) fetuses; mouse studies suggest reduced levels may represent a fetal stress signal. We sought to measure DLK1 in a large independent cohort of maternal blood samples, correlate levels with measures of placental insufficiency and assess whether DLK1 might be placental derived., Methods: The Fetal Longitudinal Assessment of Growth (FLAG) study was a prospective blood collection from 2000 women. We assessed a case-control cohort at 28 and 36 weeks from the first 1000 FLAG women, before validating changes in the entire second 1000. A subgroup of FLAG participants underwent ultrasound examinations, and 137 neonates, body composition assessment (PEAPOD). DLK1 secretion was assessed from human placentas ex vivo., Results: Circulating DLK1 was significantly reduced at 28 and 36 weeks' gestation in women destined to deliver a SGA fetus and associated with birthweight centile (n = 999, p < 0.0001), and placental weight (n = 96, p = 0.0064). Ex vivo, DLK1 was abundantly released from human placenta and significantly reduced under hypoxia (n = 7, p < 0.05). We found no relationship between circulating DLK1 and estimated fetal weight, cerebroplacental ratio, uterine artery or umbilical artery pulsatility index. Nor was there a relationship between DLK1 and neonatal fat or lean mass (n = 137)., Conclusion: We confirmed circulating DLK1 is reduced at both 28 and 36 weeks' gestation preceding delivery of a SGA infant, shown that it is not significantly associated with clinical measures of placental insufficiency, and provide new data demonstrating it may be placenta-derived in humans., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest TMM, SPW, ST and TKL are listed as inventors for molecules to identify placental insufficiency unrelated to DLK1., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The key functions of microtubules and the mitotic spindle in cell division make them attractive targets for cancer therapy. In this study, a series of 1-(benzofuran-3-yl)-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole derivatives was synthesized, and their antiproliferative activities against HCT116, HeLa, HepG2, and A549 cells were evaluated. 6-Methoxy-N-phenyl-3-(4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)benzofuran-2-carboxamide (17g) exhibited the strongest antiproliferative activities, with IC 50 values ranging from 0.57 to 5.7 μM. Mechanistic studies showed that 17g inhibited tubulin polymerization, leading to the disruption of mitotic spindle formation, cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, and apoptosis of A549 cells. A docking study indicated that 17g was a good molecular fit at the colchicine binding site of tubulin. These results showed that 17g is a potential anticancer compound that is worthy of further development as a tubulin polymerization inhibitor., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) is an exciting class of sustainable and carbohydrate material, which has great potential applications in molecular adsorption. However, the complex preparation process and limited adsorption capacity of CNCs hinder its commercial application. In this study, we design a novel functional cellulose nanocrystals-based adsorbent by an ingenious mixing of lignin-containing cellulose nanocrystals (LCNCs), sodium alginate (SA), and calcium chloride solution. Benefiting from the sulfonate groups of lignin, carboxyl groups of SA, the maximum adsorptive capability of LCNCs/SA beads for methylene blue was found to be 1181 mg g -1 , which was significantly higher than previously reported biomass-based adsorbents. More importantly, LCNCs/SA beads can be reused several times. This strategy can not only improve the adsorption performance of CNCs-based materials, but also simplify the production technology of CNCs, which greatly promote the commercial application of CNCs materials., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ultra-fine powders of reactive metals are promising fuels/additives for propellants. However, the metal surfaces make these materials very unstable in ambient atmosphere. This study explored the method of applying thin films of inorganic materials onto the surface of Zr powder and investigated the effects of different surface coatings on the energy release and ignition process of Zr. Thin films of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO were deposited on a commercial micron-scale Zr powder by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Growth kinetics of ALD films on the Zr particles were studied using various tools. Chemical and structural characterizations revealed that the Zr particles were completely encapsulated by uniform Al 2 O 3 or ZnO films. The thicknesses of the encapsulation layers could be precisely controlled. ALD Al 2 O 3 coatings exhibited a unique surface-sealing effect, which inhibited the low temperature oxidation of Zr in ambient air. Laser and electrostatic discharge (ESD) ignition tests revealed that ALD Al 2 O 3 coatings extended the ignition delay and reduced the ESD sensitivity of the Zr powder. In comparison, ALD ZnO coatings could not form effective gas diffusion barriers, therefore they could not change the oxidation process of Zr and only showed modest effects on ignition and ESD sensitivity of the Zr powder., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Understanding the natural history of childhood OSA can help to determine disease prognosis and to guide risk stratification and management strategies., Methods: To evaluate the natural history of childhood OSA and factors associated with spontaneous remission and persistent and incident OSA from childhood to late adolescence/early adulthood, a longitudinal analysis of a prospective community-based cohort was designed. Subjects from a cohort established for an OSA prevalence study were invited to participate in this 10-year follow-up study., Results: Two hundred and forty-three participants (59% male) took part, and their mean age was 9.8 (SD, ± 1.8) and 20.2 (SD, ± 1.9) years at baseline and follow-up, respectively. The mean follow-up duration was 10.4 (SD, ± 1.1) years. Associations between baseline and follow-up log-transformed obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) differed by age; a significant positive association was observed only among participants aged 10 years or older at baseline. Overall polysomnographic remission rate (with OAHI < 1 event/h at follow-up) of childhood OSA was 30%, and 69% had an OAHI < 5 events/h at follow-up. Complete remission of OSA was associated with female sex. Incidence of adolescent/adult OSA with an OAHI ≥ 5 events/h at follow-up was 22%. Male sex and higher baseline BMI z score were associated with incident OSA., Conclusions: A proportion of children with OSA, particularly female children, had complete resolution during transition to late adolescence or early adulthood. Childhood and adolescent OSA are distinct entities, with the latter more likely to persist into adulthood. Obesity and male sex are consistent key risk factors for incident OSA., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) remains the second most prevailing cancer worldwide and presents high mortality rates. Given that chemoresistance becomes an enormous obstacle to the therapy for CSCC patients, there is a pressing need to discover novel strategies for enhancing the response of CSCC cells to cisplatin. Emerging evidence has unfolded that miRNAs are participated in regulation of drug resistance in multiple cancers. MiR-3619-5p has been proofed to exert tumor inhibitive activities in human malignancies, but the biological function of miR-3619-5p in the progression of CSCC is still unclear. In this study, we observed that miR-3619-5p expression was pronouncedly dropped in cisplatin-resistant CSCC cells. Subsequently, miR-3619-5p was validated to act as a tumor suppressor in CSCC through retarding cell proliferation and cisplatin resistance. Besides, our findings certified that KPNA4 was highly expressed in cisplatin-resistant CSCC cells. Further, KPNA4 was negatively regulated by miR-3619-5p. Rescue experiments unveiled that KPNA4 counteracted the miR-3619-5p-mediated regulation of CSCC tumorigenesis. On the whole, miR-3619-5p inhibited cell proliferation and cisplatin resistance of CSCC by regulating KPNA4 expression, suggesting that miR-3619-5p/KPNA4 pathway may represent a potential promising strategy for the treatment of patients with CSCC., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Based on detailed data on 102 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measured continuously from 2016.10.9 to 2016.11.17 in Wuhan, the VOC characteristics, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) characteristics, SOA formation potential (SOAP), potential source regions, sources and contributions during different haze episodes were analyzed. The total VOC (TVOC) concentrations on clear days (visibility >10 km), slight haze days (visibility of 5-10 km), and severe haze days (visibility <5 km) were 34.87 ± 14.89 ppbv, 45.06 ± 26.69 ppbv, and 49.55 ± 24.82 ppbv, respectively. The SOAP on haze days (447.04 ± 253.85 ppbv) was significantly higher than that on clear days (300.62 ± 138.48 ppbv), and aromatics were the dominant contributors to SOA formation under different visibility conditions, accounting for approximately 97% of the total SOAP. The ratio of ethylbenzene to m/p-xylene (E/X) indicated that atmospheric photochemical reactions were slightly stronger on haze days. The ratio of toluene to benzene (T/B) indicated that vehicle exhaust had significant effects on VOCs, but no significant changes occurred during different haze episodes. The ratio of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) to CO indicated that VOCs from solvent usage in painting/coating and industrial emissions increased with increasing haze pollution. Based on backward trajectories and the potential source contribution function (PSCF), short-distance transport was the main source influencing VOC pollution, especially transport from the southwest. Seven sources were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF): industrial sources, vehicular exhaust, solvent usage in painting/coating, fuel evaporation, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) usage, biogenic sources and biomass burning. Moreover, solvent usage in painting/coating, vehicle exhaust and LPG usage were the most important sources that significantly aggravated VOC pollution during haze events. The results can provide references for local governments developing control strategies of VOCs during haze pollution events., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of the ketogenic diet (KD) on generalised convulsions and status epilepticus (SE) in patients with Dravet syndrome (DS)., Methods: Patients with DS having ≥2 generalised convulsions/month despite drug treatment were included in this study and placed on a KD for 6 months. From 3 months before (baseline) to 6 months after KD initiation, caregivers recorded patients' seizure activity, antiepileptic drug use, and adverse events. The KD efficacy was determined by examining the frequency and duration of seizures at 3 and 6 months vs. baseline. Responders were defined as individuals whose generalised convulsions decreased in frequency by ≥50% vs. baseline. Seizures lasting ≥5 min and SE were specifically evaluated. Patients' cognition was also assessed at 3 and 6 months via questionnaire., Results: Twenty patients continued the KD for at least 3 months. Of the 17 responders identified at month 3, seizures decreased by 50-89% and 90-99% in nine and two patients, respectively; six patients were seizure free. The KD was ineffective in three patients, who discontinued the diet. By month 6, seizures decreased by 50-89% and 90-99% in six and one patient(s), respectively; 10 patients were seizure free. The frequency of other seizure types also improved. During all 6 months, neither generalised convulsions lasting ≥5 min nor SE was detected in the 17 responders. The KD also improved patients' cognition., Conclusion: The KD is a good treatment option for medically intractable epilepsy., (Copyright © 2018 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Prenatal genetics has evolved over the last decade to include application of new 'omics technologies to improve perinatal care. The clinical utility of these technologies when applied to direct fetal specimens from amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling is being explored. In this review, we provide an overview of use of prenatal exome sequencing and role in evaluation of the structurally abnormal fetus, potential applications of genome sequencing, and finally, use of transcriptomics to assess placental and fetal well-being.

Fetal structural anomalies are found in up to 3% of all pregnancies and ultrasound-based screening has been an integral part of routine prenatal care for decades. The prenatal detection of fetal anomalies allows for optimal perinatal management, providing expectant parents with opportunities for additional imaging, genetic testing, and the provision of information regarding prognosis and management options. Approximately one-half of all major structural anomalies can now be detected in the first trimester, including acrania/anencephaly, abdominal wall defects, holoprosencephaly and cystic hygromata. Due to the ongoing development of some organ systems however, some anomalies will not be evident until later in the pregnancy. To this extent, the second trimester anatomy is recommended by professional societies as the standard investigation for the detection of fetal structural anomalies. The reported detection rates of structural anomalies vary according to the organ system being examined, and are also dependent upon factors such as the equipment settings and sonographer experience. Technological advances over the past two decades continue to support the role of ultrasound as the primary imaging modality in pregnancy, and the safety of ultrasound for the developing fetus is well established. With increasing capabilities and experience, detailed examination of the central nervous system and cardiovascular system is possible, with dedicated examinations such as the fetal neurosonogram and the fetal echocardiogram now widely performed in tertiary centers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is well recognized for its role in the assessment of fetal brain anomalies; other potential indications for fetal MRI include lung volume measurement (in cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia), and pre-surgical planning prior to fetal spina bifida repair. When a major structural abnormality is detected prenatally, genetic testing with chromosomal microarray is recommended over routine karyotype due to its higher genomic resolution., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: AT-rich interaction domain 1a (Arid1a), a component of the chromatin remodeling complex, has emerged as a tumor suppressor gene. It is frequently mutated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it remains unknown how Arid1a suppresses HCC development and whether Arid1a deficiency could be exploited for therapy, we aimed to explore these questions., Methods: The expression of Arid1a in human and mouse HCCs was determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. Gene expression was determined by quantitative PCR, ELISA or western blotting. Arid1a knockdown HCC cell lines were established by lentiviral-based shRNA. Tumor angiogenesis was quantified based on vessel density. The regulation of angiopoietin (Ang2) expression by Arid1a was identified by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. The tumor promoting function of Arid1a loss was studied with a xenograft model in nude mice and diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC in Arid1a conditional knockout mice. The therapeutic values of Ang2 antibody and sorafenib treatment were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo., Results: We demonstrate that Arid1a deficiency, occurring in advanced human HCCs, is associated with increased vessel density. Mechanistically, loss of Arid1a causes aberrant histone H3K27ac deposition at the angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) enhancer and promoter, which eventually leads to ectopic expression of Ang2 and promotes HCC development. Ang2 blockade in Arid1a-deficient HCCs significantly reduces vessel density and tumor progression. Importantly, sorafenib treatment, which suppresses H3K27 acetylation and Ang2 expression, profoundly halts the progression of Arid1a-deficient HCCs., Conclusions: Arid1a-deficiency activates Ang2-dependent angiogenesis and promotes HCC progression. Loss of Arid1a in HCCs confers sensitivity to Ang2 blockade and sorafenib treatment., Lay Summary: AT-rich interaction domain 1a (Arid1a), is a tumor suppressor gene. Arid1a-deficiency promotes Ang2-dependent angiogenesis leading to hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Arid1a-deficiency also sensitizes tumors to Ang2 blockade by sorafenib treatment., (Copyright © 2017 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: An intergenerational "mismatch," a transition from limited to plentiful living conditions over generations, may increase cardiovascular disease risks. In a migrant population within a homogenous culture, we tested the hypothesis that an intergenerational mismatch in childhood living condition is associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure in childhood and adolescence., Methods: We used data from 6,965 native born Chinese in Hong Kong (participated in "Children of 1997" birth cohort) and migrant Chinese born elsewhere in China in 1997 (N = 9,845). We classified children into those with intergenerational mismatch (child migrants or first-generation migrants) or those without (second+-generation migrants). Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the associations of migration status (child migrants, first-generation migrants or second+-generation migrants) with age- and sex-specific BMI z-score at 8-15 years and age-, sex-, and height-specific blood pressure z-score at 11-13 years, adjusted for sex, month of birth, and age., Results: Compared with second+-generation migrants, first-generation migrants had higher diastolic blood pressure z-score (.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) .02, .06) and BMI z-score (.12, 95% CI .06, .18), whereas child migrants had higher diastolic blood pressure z-score (.03, 95% CI .01, .05) regardless of age at migration and higher BMI z-score if they had migrated in infancy (.17, 95% CI .11, .23)., Conclusion: Different relations for blood pressure and BMI suggest that intergenerational mismatch and proximal exposures may have different impacts on adiposity and blood pressure., (Copyright © 2017 The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

PurposeTo assess the population-wide impact of noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) on combined first-trimester screening (CFTS), early ultrasound (11-13 weeks), and invasive prenatal diagnosis in a state with over 73,000 births per year.MethodsAnalysis of population-based data from 2000 to 2015 including (i) invasive prenatal tests, (ii) CFTS uptake, and (iii) total births. Utilization of early ultrasound was analyzed before and after NIPS (2010-2015).ResultsInvasive testing decreased significantly by 39.6% from 2012 to 2015 despite steady births. More than half of all confirmed cases of trisomy 21 were ascertained by NIPS in 2015, despite NIPS comprising only 11.7% of total indications for invasive testing. CFTS uptake declined significantly from 77.5% in 2013 to 68.1% in 2015, but 11- to 13-week ultrasounds did not. In 2015, ultrasound abnormality replaced CFTS as the most common indication for invasive testing and chromosomal microarray was performed for 85.3% of all prenatal karyotypes.ConclusionPrenatal testing is now unequivocally in the genomic era. NIPS is now the screening test that precedes the majority of confirmed diagnoses of trisomy 21. The contributions of NIPS, early ultrasound, and chromosome microarray have led to unprecedented detection rates of major chromosome abnormalities, now found in 20% of all invasive tests.

Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan (HA/CS) composite have significant application in biomedical especially for bone replacement. Inorganic particle shape and size of composite affect the scaffold mechanical property, biological property, and degradation. The aim of this study was to fabricate HA/CS scaffold with good pore connectivity and analyze their biological, degradation properties. Microhydroxyapatite/chitosan (mHA/CS) and nanohydroxyapatite/chitosan (nHA/CS) composite scaffolds with interconnected spherical pore architectures were fabricated. Composite scaffolds structure parameters were analyzed using micro CT. Cell proliferation and morphology were tested and compared between two scaffolds using mouse osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. To research the composite degradation in lysozyme PBS solution, degradation rate and reducing sugar content were tested, and scaffolds morphology were observed by SEM. The results showed that microHA and nanoHA were fabricated by being calcined and synthesis methods, and their infrared spectra are very similar. EDAX composition analysis demonstrated that both of microHA and nanoHA were calcium deficiency HA. Micro-CT results demonstrated the scaffolds had interconnected spherical pores, and the structure parameters were similar. Cell viabilities were significant increased with cultured time, but there were no significant difference between microHA/CS and nanoHA/CS scaffolds. Scaffold structure was gradually destroyed and inorganic composition HA particles are more prominent with degradation time., Significance: (1) Inorganic particle shape and size of composite affect the scaffold mechanical property, biological property, and degradation. NanoHA/CS and microHA/CS scaffolds with good pore connectivity were fabricated and their biological, degradation properties were studied in this manuscript. (2) The scaffold with interconnected porosity construct provides the necessary support for cells to proliferate and maintain their differentiated function, and its architecture related to the structure and morphology of new bone. Polymer scaffolds were fabricated by the technique of compression molding and particulate leaching method, and paraffin microspheres were used as the porogen. (3) MicroHA/CS and nanoHA/CS composite scaffolds are potential materials for use in bone tissue engineering., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Our concept of nucleic acid biology has advanced dramatically over the past two decades, with a growing appreciation that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments are present in all body fluids including plasma. In no other field has plasma DNA been as rapidly translated into clinical practice as in noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal chromosome abnormalities. NIPT is a screening test that requires confirmation with diagnostic testing, but other applications of cfDNA provide diagnostic information and do not require invasive testing. These applications are referred to as noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) and include determination of fetal sex, blood group and some single gene disorders. As technology advances, noninvasive tests based on cell-free nucleic acids will continue to expand. This review will outline the technical and clinical aspects of NIPT and NIPD relevant to the daily practice of maternity carers., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Survivin, a key member of the chromatin passenger complex (CPC), is often highly expressed in human cancers, making it a promising target for cancer treatment. Out of the numerous reported Survivin inhibitors, YM155 is only one entering clinical trial, but was recently failed in the Phase II trial. It is important to develop Survivin inhibitors with new strategies. We recently reported that both Survivin and its binding protein Borealin in the CPC complex are essential for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, suggesting that disrupting the interaction between Survivin and Borealin would be a promising strategy. Here, we developed a high-throughput screening method based on bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) technology in cultured cells, which allowed the identification of small chemical inhibitors specifically blocking the Survivin and Borealin interaction. Primary hits from BiFC were further validated in an in vitro AlphaScreen system, which detects the direct interactions of Survivin and Borealin. Etoposide was identified as one of the effective hits. Direct interaction between Survivin and Etoposide was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance assay, and molecular docking analysis suggested the structural information on how Etoposide inhibits the Survivin and Borealin interaction. These results demonstrate a screening system to identify small molecule chemicals inhibiting Survivin and Borealin interaction. In future, an even larger scale screening may lead to identification of better Survivin and Borealin inhibitors., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The multiple functions of vitamin D3 have stimulated interest in the role that this vitamin may play during pregnancy. The present study investigated the expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in women during the first trimester of pregnancy in order to determine whether VDR is associated with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Forty women at 7-10 weeks gestation with RPL and 40 women of similar gestational age with a healthy pregnancy were recruited. VDR mRNA and protein in chorionic villi and decidua were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), western blot, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The serum levels of VDR were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Women with RPL had a significantly weaker expression of VDR mRNA in villi and decidual tissues compared with the control women (both p < 0.0001). Western blot analysis showed an approximately 46% decrease in VDR expression in villi and a 52% decrease in decidua in the RPL vs. the controls. Serum VDR levels were also significantly lower in the RPL group than in the control group (p = 0.003). Compared with the controls, immunohistochemical and CLSM analysis revealed significantly lower VDR expression in villous cytotrophoblasts and stromal cells, as well as in decidual glandular epithelial and stromal cells (all p < 0.05). In conclusion, these observations show that women with RPL have lower levels of VDR expression in chorionic villi, decidua and serum compared with normal pregnant women, suggesting that decreased VDR expression in the first trimester pregnancy may be associated with RPL., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The concentrations of nutrients (NO2-N, NO3-N, NH4-N, PO4-P, and SiO3-Si) and their ratios in the Lembeh Strait were estimated in April 2013, off the northeastern coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (NO2-N+NO3-N+NH4-N) and PO4-P were low, with a maximum of 0.181 and 0.007 mg/L, respectively. P was found to be the limiting factor controlling phytoplankton growth overall. According to a potential eutrophication assessment model, both the surface water and the water at a depth of 15m were classified as water 1 (poor nutrition). This study provides baseline information including chemical datasets for future pollution monitoring and management programs in this area., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)