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Despite the lack of nationwide epidemiological studies, congenital hypothyroidism (CH) incidence in China has increased. We aimed to evaluate the trends of CH and the possible reasons behind them. Data from screened newborns from the Chinese Newborn Screening Information System from 2012 to 2019 was collected. We applied the Bayesian hierarchical Poisson regression model and meta-analysis to estimate incidence or proportion over the years. The estimated CH incidence increased from 4.01 per 10,000 births in 2012 to 5.77 per 10,000 births in 2019. The average annual growth rate (ARG) of CH incidence for all provinces varied from 0.59 to 20.96%. The most rapid rise in incidence was observed in cases with an initial thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration of < 10 mIU/L. The meta-analysis results showed that the proportion of permanent CH increased by 0.024% (95%CI: 0.011%, 0.037%) annually. Each 1 mIU/L decrease in TSH cutoff value was associated with a 2.96% increase in CH incidence. In the same period, the proportion of premature CH cases increased from 6.60 to 9.10%, which was much higher than the increase in preterm births. A significant relationship was not found between provincial growth rates in screening coverage and provincial baseline incidences of CH. Conclusion: CH incidence has substantially increased in China. The slight adjustment of the TSH cutoff value and increasing preterm birth rate contribute to such a trend; however, the contribution is limited. What is Known: • An uptrend in congenital hypothyroidism (CH) incidence has been reported in many European and American countries in the last two decades; however, no studies have been conducted in China to explain the increased CH incidence. • We provide a detailed epidemiological report on the trends of CH during 2012–2019 in China, with an attempt to explore the reasons behind it. What is New: • This first-ever national-wide epidemiological report in China showed an uptrend in CH incidence with variations over regions and CH subtypes. The mild lowering of TSH cutoff values and the increasing preterm birth rate contributed to this uptrend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the global prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH), though it is known to vary across countries and time periods. This meta-analysis aims to estimate the global and regional prevalence of CH among births between 1969 and 2020. PubMed, Web of Sciences, and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies between January 1, 1975, and March 2, 2020. Pooled prevalence was calculated using a generalized linear mixed model, and expressed as a rate per 10,000 neonates. The meta-analysis involved 116 studies, which analyzed 330,210,785 neonates, among whom 174,543 were diagnosed with CH. The pooled global prevalence of CH from 1969 to 2020 was 4.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.96–4.57). The geographic region with highest prevalence was the Eastern Mediterranean (7.91, 95% CI 6.09–10.26), where the prevalence was 2.48-fold (95% CI 2.04–3.01) that in Europe. The national income level with the highest prevalence was upper-middle (6.76, 95% CI 5.66–8.06), which was 1.91-fold (95% CI 1.65–2.22) that in high-income countries. Global prevalence of CH was 52% (95% CI 4–122%) higher in 2011–2020 than in 1969–1980, after adjusting for geographic region, national income level, and screening strategy. Conclusion: The global prevalence of CH increased from 1969 to 2020, which may reflect the implementation of national neonatal screening, neonatal testing for thyroid-stimulating hormone, and a lowering of the diagnostic level of this hormone. Additional factors are likely to be driving the increase, which should be identified in future research. What is Known: • Cumulated evidence had suggested that the occurrences of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) among newborns were varied in different countries.. • Up-trends of the birth prevalence of CH were observed in many European and American countries. What is New: • This is the first meta-analysis to estimate global and regional prevalence of CH among newborns. • The global prevalence of CH has increased by 127% since 1969. The Eastern Mediterranean has the highest prevalence and stands out with the most pronounced escalation in the prevalence of CH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron deficiencies are the most common nonenteric syndromes observed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, but little is known about their impacts on immune tolerance. Here we show that homeostasis of regulatory T cells in the intestine was dependent on high cellular iron levels, which were fostered by pentanoate, a short-chain fatty acid produced by intestinal microbiota. Iron deficiencies in Treg caused by the depletion of Transferrin receptor 1, a major iron transporter, result in the abrogation of Treg in the intestine and lethal autoimmune disease. Transferrin receptor 1 is required for differentiation of c-Maf+ Treg, major constituents of intestinal Treg. Mechanistically, iron enhances the translation of HIF-2α mRNA, and HIF-2α in turn induces c-Maf expression. Importantly, microbiota-produced pentanoate promotes iron uptake and Treg differentiation in the intestine. This subsequently restores immune tolerance and ameliorated iron deficiencies in mice with colitis. Our results thus reveal an association between nutrient uptake and immune tolerance in the intestine. Iron deficiencies are a common non intestinal symptom seen in patients with irritable bowel disease. Here the authors show an associative link between microbiota assisted uptake of nutrients including iron and the promotion of immune tolerance in the intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from human cohorts indicates that chronic insomnia is associated with higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), yet whether gut microbiota plays a role is unclear. Here, in a longitudinal cohort (n = 1809), we find that the gut microbiota-bile acid axis may link the positive association between chronic insomnia and CMD. Ruminococcaceae UCG-002 and Ruminococcaceae UCG-003 are the main genera mediating the positive association between chronic insomnia and CMD. These results are also observed in an independent cross-sectional cohort (n = 6122). The inverse associations between those gut microbial biomarkers and CMD are mediated by certain bile acids (isolithocholic acid, muro cholic acid and nor cholic acid). Habitual tea consumption is prospectively associated with the identified gut microbiota and bile acids in an opposite direction compared with chronic insomnia. Our work suggests that microbiota-bile acid axis may be a potential intervention target for reducing the impact of chronic insomnia on cardiometabolic health. Chronic insomnia is associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Here, in two clinical cohorts (n = 7,931), authors show that gut microbiota-bile acid axis may be an intervention target to attenuate the impact of chronic insomnia on cardiometabolic health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Untargeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is inevitably affected by batch effects that are caused by non-biological systematic bias. Previously, we developed a novel method called WaveICA to remove batch effects for untargeted metabolomics data. To detect batch effect information, the method relies on a batch label. However, it cannot be used in the scenario in which there is only one batch of data or the batch label is unknown. Objectives: We aim to improve the WaveICA method to remove batch effects for untargeted metabolomics data without using batch information. Methods: We improved the WaveICA method by developing WaveICA 2.0 to remove batch effects for metabolomics data, and provided an R package WaveICA_2.0 to implement this method. Results: The performance of the WaveICA 2.0 method was evaluated on real metabolomics data. For metabolomics data with three batches, the performance of the WaveICA 2.0 method was similar to that of the WaveICA method in terms of gathering quality control samples (QCSs) and subject samples together in principle component analysis score plots, increasing the similarity of QCSs, increasing differential peaks, and improving classification accuracy. For metabolomics data with only one batch, the WaveICA 2.0 method had a strong ability to remove intensity drift and reveal more biological information and outperformed the QC-RLSC and QC-SVRC methods in our study using our metabolomics data. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the WaveICA 2.0 method can be used in practice to remove batch effects for untargeted metabolomics data without batch information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patients with lung metastases (LM) from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) (EOCLM) usually have a poor prognosis. However, there is no consensus on the optimal management of these patients. In this study, we aimed to take a look at the incidence of LM and factors associated with its occurrence as well as the prognosis in newly diagnosed EOC with LM on a population level. Methods: EOC patients diagnosed between the years 2010 and 2016 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database. Multivariable logistic regression and multivariable Cox regression were used to investigate the factors that could predict the occurrence of and prognosis after diagnosis of EOC with LM. Results: Of the 33,418 qualified EOC patients, 2240 (6.7%) were noted to have LMs at the time of EOC diagnosis. Higher T stage, N1 stage, advanced tumor grade, and elevated cancer antigen-125 levels were found to be associated with a higher risk of having LM at the time of EOC diagnosis. The median survival time after diagnosis with EOCLM was found to be 13.0 months (interquartile range: 3.0–34.0 months). Being unmarried and having mucinous histology were both associated with increased all-cause death risk from EOCLM. However, the primary tumor originated from the midline of ovaries, surgical management, and whether patient received chemotherapy or not predicted improved overall survival. The median survival time of patients was significantly longer for EOCLM cases managed surgically (31.0 months) versus those who did not have surgery (4.0 months), as well as EOCLM cases received chemotherapy (23.0 months) versus those who did not have chemotherapy (2.0 months). Conclusion: This retrospective cohort study showed that de novo LM was infrequent in EOC patients overall and when present predicted poor prognosis. The findings can be potentially useful in formulating for follow-up strategies, screening tools, and personalized interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of targeted reserve requirement ratio cuts (TRRRCs) on tax avoidance among small and micro enterprises (SMEs) with operating revenues below specific cutoffs in China. Using a regression discontinuity design, we causally show that, by increasing loan availability, TRRRCs significantly alleviate the financial constraints and cash dependence of SMEs and consequently reduce tax avoidance. This is especially the case among firms with lower market power and higher entertainment and travel costs. Our findings provide evidence for the real effect of TRRRCs on corporate tax avoidance and show the inclusive effect of TRRRCs on SMEs. In doing so, we indirectly reveal a rent-seeking channel underlying bank lending, thus offering clear policy implications for regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts wavelet analysis to explore the time–frequency comovement and causality between the exchange rates and the interest rate differentials in China (compared to the USA) over the period from February 1999 to March 2018. While the existing literature in general treats the relationship between the two variables as being symmetric, this paper attempts to detect possible asymmetric patterns by extending the standard wavelet analysis to an asymmetric analysis. In addition, given that the relationship might be affected by exchange rate expectations and foreign exchange interventions, we further employ the partial wavelet tools to filter out the effects of the two controlled variables. The results show that the general pattern of the comovement and causality does not change. The comovement is intensified at the low frequency after the exchange rate reform in 2005. Moreover, exchange rates are found to positively comove with interest rate differentials, and the former leads the latter. More importantly, we provide robust evidence of meaningful asymmetry and substantial time and frequency variations in the comovement and causality between the two variables. These findings provide important implications for improving the transmission of monetary policy in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains an incurable disease. Previous metabolomic studies show that metabolic signatures in plasma distinguish CRC patients from healthy controls. Chronic enteritis (CE) represents a risk factor for CRC, with a 20 fold greater incidence than in healthy individuals. However, no studies have performed metabolomic profiling to investigate CRC biomarkers in CE. Objective: Our aims were to identify metabolomic signatures in CRC and CE and to search for blood-derived metabolite biomarkers distinguishing CRC from CE, especially early-stage biomarkers. Methods: In this case–control study, 612 subjects were prospectively recruited between May 2015 and May 2016, and including 539 CRC patients (stage I, 102 cases; stage II, 259 cases; stage III, 178 cases) and 73 CE patients. Untargeted metabolomics was performed to identify CRC-related metabolic signatures in CE. Results: Five pathways were significantly enriched based on 153 differential metabolites between CRC and CE. 16 biomarkers were identified for diagnosis of CRC from CE and for guiding CRC staging. The AUC value for CRC diagnosis in the external validation set was 0.85. Good diagnostic performances were also achieved for early-stage CRC (stage I and stage II), with an AUC value of 0.84. The biomarker panel could also stage CRC patients, with an AUC of 0.72 distinguishing stage I from stage II CRC and AUC of 0.74 distinguishing stage II from stage III CRC. Conclusions: The identified metabolic biomarkers exhibit promising properties for CRC monitoring in CE patients and are superior to commonly used clinical biomarkers (CEA and CA19-9). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analytically study the dynamical behavior of the quantum coherence of a single-qubit coupled to a bosonic reservoir at zero temperature via plugging additional non-interacting qubits into the reservoir in both Markovian and non-Markovian regimes. The influences of detuning, memory effects and number of additional qubits on the dynamics of the quantum coherence are considered. It is found that, via increasing the number of the additional qubits in the reservoir, the quantum coherence can be preserved. Moreover, the method based on the combination of larger effective detuning, the stronger non-Markovian effects and the more number of additional qubits, can more effectively prevent the loss of the quantum coherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorders are a member of the pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) that have been increasing dramatically since described by Leo Kanner in 1943. In the past decade, the number of epidemiological publications addressing air pollution exposures and autism has grown correspondingly, but the association is still unclear. Whether air pollutants play a causal role and which substances are related with autism requires further study. We systematically reviewed the literature from 2005 to 2016 in MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine), Web of Science, and PubMed and summarized the association between different air pollutants and autism. Furthermore, we further discussed the exposure time window and potential confounders that should be considered in the association analysis studies. Our objective is to summarize the association between different air pollutants and autism with literature, which has been published since 2005, and explore whether the exposure time window and potential confounders have influence on this association. These results could provide more comprehensive information about the association between air pollutants and autism and be helpful towards further validation study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a pH/temperature sensitive bead with core-shelled structure, as a drug carrier, was prepared by grafting of N-acryloylglycinates on the surface of sodium alginate beads. The pH and temperature sensitivity of the beads originate from sodium alginate (SA) and copoly( N-acryloylglycinates), respectively. Here, indomethacin (IMC) was selected as a drug model molecule and loaded in SA beads. The release of IMC was systematically investigated as a function of temperature, pH, and SA concentration. The amount of IMC released from beads was as high as 61.6%in pH = 7.4 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) over 620 min, whereas only 27.9% IMC diffused into the pH = 2.1 PBS. In addition, the release rates of IMC at 37.5°C were faster than that at 20.0°C and decreased with increasing SA concentration in the beads. The result indicates that the sensitive beads have the potential to be used as an effective pH/temperature-controlled delivery system in the biomedical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, poly( N-methyl acryloylglycine methyl ester) (PNMAME) was prepared as a novel thermosensitive material with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at around 49.5°C. The chemical structures of the monomer NMAME and PNMAME were characterized by 1H NMR and IR measurements. The LCST was investigated systematically as a function of PNMAME concentration, inorganic salt solution and pH value. The results indicated that LCST of PNMAME was obviously dependent on PNMAME concentration and pH. The LCST was increased with a decrease in pH value and PNMAME concentration. To obtain a thermo-sensitive hydrogel with the phase transition temperature close to human body temperature, the copolymerization was conducted between NMAME and N-acryloylglycine ethyl ester (NAGEE). The release behavior of caffeine was evaluated at different temperatures and contents of cross-linkers ( N, N-methylenebis(acrylamide) (NMBA)). The increase of cross-linker content led to a decrease in the release rate of caffeine due to higher crossing density in the hydrogel network. In addition, a faster release of caffeine from the hydrogel with 3% NMBA at 37°C was found in contrast to that at 18°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a pH/temperature responsive hydrogel (PMEA) from N-acryloylglycine methyl ester (NAGME), N-acryloylglycine ethyl ester (NAGEE), and acrylic acid (AAc) was synthesized by free radical polymerization. The swelling behaviors and drug release properties of hydrogels were systematically investigated at different temperature, pH, and AAc content. It was found that the hydrogel PMEA demonstrated pH and temperature responsive nature. The caffeine-release behaviors showed that only 49.1% caffeine was released from PMEA in pH 2.70 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) after 500 minutes, whereas more than 93.9% caffeine was gradually diffused into the medium in pH 7.49 PBS over the same time interval. In addition, the caffeine release was much higher at 37°C than that at 14°C in deionized water. As seen from the results, the PMEA seems to be a potential drug carrier with pH-temperature responsiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postterm births are associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, but few studies have investigated the epidemiological characteristics of postterm births. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of postterm births and examine the potential association between maternal sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and postterm births. Data were collected from China's National Maternal Near Miss Surveillance System, 2012-2016. A logistic regression was used to assess the association between sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics and postterm births. A Poisson regression was used to determine the crude and adjusted trends of postterm births over time across regions. Among the 6,240,830 singleton births with gestational periods of 37 weeks or longer, 1.16% were postterm. The prevalence of postterm births was significantly higher in the western region and among mothers who delivered at a level ≤2 hospital, had a lower education, or were younger. A reduced risk of postterm births was observed among primiparous women, mothers who previously had a caesarean section, mothers with pregnancy complications, and mothers with ten or more antenatal visits. The risk of postterm births decreased as the number of antenatal visits increased. The overall postterm birth rates significantly decreased from 1.49% in 2012 to 0.70% in 2016. The postterm birth rates were markedly reduced in the east, central, and west regions, and the rate of the decrease was greater in the east than in the west. Furthermore, substantial decreases were observed across regions in 2014 and 2016. In conclusion, multiple sociodemographic and obstetric factors are associated with the prevalence of postterm births. A significant decreasing trend in postterm birth rates was observed in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a clinically heterogeneous disease, which necessitates a variety of treatments and leads to different outcomes. Only some CRC patients will benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).Objectives: An accurate prediction of response to NACT in CRC patients would greatly facilitate optimal personalized management, which could improve their long-term survival and clinical outcomes.Methods: In this study, plasma metabolite profiling was performed to identify potential biomarker candidates that can predict response to NACT for CRC. Metabolic profiles of plasma from non-response (n = 30) and response (n = 27) patients to NACT were studied using UHPLC-quadruple time-of-flight)/mass spectrometry analyses and statistical analysis methods.Results: The concentrations of nine metabolites were significantly different when comparing response to NACT. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of the potential biomarkers was up to 0.83 discriminating the non-response and response group to NACT, superior to the clinical parameters (carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 199).Conclusion: These results show promise for larger studies that could result in more personalized treatment protocols for CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous metabolomic studies have revealed that plasma metabolic signatures may predict epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) recurrence. However, few studies have performed metabolic profiling of pre- and post-operative specimens to investigate EOC prognostic biomarkers.Objective: The aims of our study were to compare the predictive performance of pre- and post-operative specimens and to create a better model for recurrence by combining biomarkers from both metabolic signatures.Methods: Thirty-five paired plasma samples were collected from 35 EOC patients before and after surgery. The patients were followed-up until December, 2016 to obtain recurrence information. Metabolomics using rapid resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was performed to identify metabolic signatures related to EOC recurrence. The support vector machine model was employed to predict EOC recurrence using identified biomarkers.Results: Global metabolomic profiles distinguished recurrent from non-recurrent EOC using both pre- and post-operative plasma. Ten common significant biomarkers, hydroxyphenyllactic acid, uric acid, creatinine, lysine, 3-(3,5-diiodo-4-hydroxyphenyl) lactate, phosphohydroxypyruvic acid, carnitine, coproporphyrinogen, l-beta-aspartyl-l-glutamic acid and 24,25-hydroxyvitamin D3, were identified as predictive biomarkers for EOC recurrence. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) values in pre- and post-operative plasma were 0.815 and 0.909, respectively; the AUC value after combining the two sets reached 0.964.Conclusion: Plasma metabolomic analysis could be used to predict EOC recurrence. While post-operative biomarkers have a predictive advantage over pre-operative biomarkers, combining pre- and post-operative biomarkers showed the best predictive performance and has great potential for predicting recurrent EOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]