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The identification of additional Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) complex species/genotypes in recent years raises the possibility that there might be more variation among this species in China than is currently understood. The aim of this study was to explore intra- and inter-species variation and population structure of Echinococcus species isolated from sheep in three areas of Western China. Of the isolates, 317, 322, and 326 were successfully amplified and sequenced for cox1, nad1, and nad5 genes, respectively. BLAST analysis revealed that the majority of the isolates were E. granulosus s.s., and using the cox1, nad1, and nad5 genes, respectively, 17, 14, and 11 isolates corresponded to Elodea canadensis (genotype G6/G7). In the three study areas, G1 genotypes were the most prevalent. There were 233 mutation sites along with 129 parsimony informative sites. A transition/transversion ratio of 7.5, 8, and 3.25, respectively, for cox1, nad1, and nad5 genes was obtained. Every mitochondrial gene had intraspecific variations, which were represented in a star-like network with a major haplotype with observable mutations from other distant and minor haplotypes. The Tajima's D value was significantly negative in all populations, indicating a substantial divergence from neutrality and supporting the demographic expansion of E. granulosus s.s. in the study areas. The phylogeny inferred by the maximum likelihood (ML) method using nucleotide sequences of cox1–nad1–nad5 further confirmed their identity. The nodes assigned to the G1, G3, and G6 clades as well as the reference sequences utilized had maximal posterior probability values (1.00). In conclusion, our study confirms the existence of a significant major haplotype of E. granulosus s.s. where G1 is the predominant genotype causing of CE in both livestock and humans in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job attainment is an important component of socioeconomic status (SES). There is currently a paucity of genomic research on an individual's job attainment, as well as how it is related to other SES variables and overall well-being at the whole genome level. By incorporating O*NET occupational information into the UK Biobank database, we performed GWAS analyses of six major job attainment characteristics—job complexity, autonomy, innovation, information demands, emotional demands, and physical demands—on 219,483 individuals of European ancestry. The job attainment characteristics had moderate to high pairwise genetic correlations, manifested by three latent factors: cognitive, emotional, and physical requirements. The latent factor of overall job requirement underlying the job attainment traits represented a critical genetic path from educational attainment to income (P < 0.001). Job attainment characteristics were genetically positively correlated with positive health and well-being outcomes (i.e., subject well-being, overall health rating, number of non-cancer illnesses etc. (|rg|: 0.14–0.51), similar to other SES indices; however, the genetic correlations exhibited opposite directions for physical demands (|rg|: 0.14–0.51) and were largely negligible for emotional demands. By adopting a finer-grained approach to capture specific job attainment phenotypes, our study represents an important step forward in understanding the shared genetic architecture among job attainment characteristics, other SES indices, and potential role in health and well-being outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive interest in open-minded discussion in organizations, inconsistencies regarding its antecedents and consequences remain. Drawing upon cooperation and competition theory, we propose a theoretical framework of open-minded discussion. On the basis of 114 primary studies (128 independent samples), a meta-analytic investigation showed that cooperative goal interdependence was positively associated with open-minded discussion, which in turn was positively related to desirable work outcomes, including performance, creativity, relationship quality, LMX, and commitment, whereas competitive and independent goal interdependence were negatively related to open-minded discussion and desirable outcomes. We also explored three moderators: culture (i.e., East Asian cultures and North American cultures), level of analysis (i.e., incident, individual, and team level), and research area (i.e., goal interdependence and conflict management). Results support the theorizing that cooperative goal interdependence develops mutual benefit motivation and integrative conflict management that in turn lead to open-mindedness where collaborators combine their best ideas that result in high quality contributions to organizations. Through the meta-analysis, we offer a more stringent test of cooperation and competition theory and expand the research on open-minded discussion in organizations across various contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to objectively assess the morbidity of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in iliofemoral vein thrombosis treated with catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) and stenting under the protection of inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. All patients with an unprovoked episode of iliofemoral vein thrombosis combined with iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS) during January 2011 and January 2015 were enrolled. Clinical records of all patients were evaluated. Firstly, cox regression was performed to find out the factors impacted the incidence of PTS. Then, Kaplan Meier analysis was conducted to verify the roles of these factors in PTS. A total of 247 patients who underwent CDT and IVC filter insertion for iliofemoral vein thrombosis and were found stenosis in the iliac vein after CDT were included in this study. Among them, 74 patients suffered PTS diagnosed via Villalta scale. Comparison with patients without stent implantation and filter withdrawal, patients with stent implantation and filter withdrawal had a less risk of PTS, but patients with a lesion in the left or bilateral proximal deep vein had a more risk of PTS. Cox regression found that stent implantation was a preventive measure to prevent PTS (OR 0.541, 95% CI 0.334-0.876, p = 0.012). The Kaplan-Meier curve found that patients with stent implantation had a less ratio of PTS occurrence (P = 0.008). In patients with iliofemoral vein thrombosis and IVCS, stent implantation to solve the residual obstruction after CDT might play an important role in preventing PTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study pulse control assisted dynamical decoupling through a central spin model in a total Hilbert space. We find that the effective decoupling can be realized by applying a sequence of external pulses. Compared with the bang-bang control which needs infinite strength and infinitesimal short pulses, we show that there is a large parameter space that allows an effective nonperturbative dynamical control. Furthermore, our numerical calculation shows that the reliability can be held for random pulses, such as random pulse time interval or random strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the risk factors for recurrence of inferior vena cava (IVC)-type Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) after stenting and evaluate the feasibility and primary outcomes of endovascular therapies for recurrent BCS.Methods: A retrospective analysis of 219 patients was performed to identify risk factors for recurrence. The images of the recurrent patients during follow-up duration and interventional surgery were also reviewed to find the possible reasons of recurrence. The outcome of endovascular therapies for recurrent BCS was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis.Results: Among the 219 patients, 172 patients with primary IVC-type BCS underwent stenting and 28 patients experienced recurrence. Multivariate analysis identified age, Child-Pugh score, MELD and total bilirubin as independent recurrent indicators. Possible causes of recurrence include thrombosis in the stent, re-obstruction in or above the stent, and stent-related hepatic vein obstruction. Twenty-five patients with recurrent BCS underwent endovascular therapies with a few complications and achieved a high level of short- and mid-term patency.Conclusion: Age, total bilirubin and severity of liver function are the main risk factors for BCS recurrence. These risks might contribute to thrombosis or subsequent fibrous obstruction. Endovascular therapies are effective and safe management options that yield positive outcomes for recurrent BCS.Key Points: • Risk factors for recurrent Budd-Chiari syndrome were identified by multivariate analysis. • Causes of recurrent Budd-Chiari syndrome were investigated by assessing radiological images. • There is a correlation between risk factors and causes of recurrence. • Endovascular therapies for recurrent Budd-Chiari syndrome are effective and safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycyrrhiza uralensis is a widely used Chinese herb and glycyrrhizic acid is believed to be its marker compound. Three key enzymes, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR), squalene synthase (SQS) and beta-amyrin synthase (β-AS), are involved in the glycyrrhizic acid biosynthetic pathway. In this paper, the relationship between copy number variations (CNVs) of HMGR, SQS and β- AS genes and the content levels of glycyrrhizic acid in G. uralensis were investigated. CNVs of the 62 G. uralensis samples from different origins were determined by real-time PCR and their glycyrrhizic acid contents were analyzed by HPLC. The real-time PCR results showed that the copy numbers of HMGR, SQS1 and β- AS in the 62 G. uralensis samples were either one copy or two copies. According to the copy number patterns of HMGR, SQS1 and β- AS, the 62 G. uralensis samples can be divided into six groups. Among the six groups, group B with two copies of HMGR, one copy of SQS1 and β- AS contained relatively higher contents of glycyrrhizic acid. The accumulation of glycyrrhizic acid was lower in the group C with two copies of β- AS, one copy of SQS1 and HMGR. The results of this work may provide a basis for enhancing the accumulation of glycyrrhizic acid in cultivars of G. uralensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]