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The lifespan of the guide rail is a bottleneck restricting the operational life of electromagnetic railguns. A well‐designed arc extinguishing device can reduce the arcing erosion caused by residual currents within the guide rail. The CuW alloy is widely used in the high‐pressure arc extinction field due to its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, high strength, and hardness. Based on the theory of equilibrium state arc plasma, a finite element model of the air arc‐CuW electrode coupling in the arc extinction device was established to study millisecond‐level arc initiation, evolution, extinguishing characteristics, and distribution patterns under extreme and harsh operational conditions with a current input of 110 kA. The highest temperature in the arc column region was found to exceed 50,000 K. The study elucidated the influence of arc extinction device parameters on arc evolution, breakdown time, and breakdown voltage. Consequently, it established that the R70 spherical electrode exhibits optimal arc extinguishing characteristics. The aim of this research is to provide theoretical support for optimizing the arc suppression device. Additionally, experiments on high‐speed and high‐current arc extinction device discharges were conducted to validate the finite element analysis results regarding arc diffusion patterns and electrode erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work focused on the effect of deposition path on the transient temperature distribution, heat transfer, residual deformation and residual stress of a rectangular solid deposited by electron beam freeform fabrication technology. To achieve this aim, three representative deposition paths were involved to produce rectangular solid by electron beam freeform fabrication technology. Thermal‐mechanical decoupling simulations were carried out with respect to three different deposition paths. Both of the experimental and simulation results showed that a shorter deposition track can remarkably reduce the residual stress and warping. After separating the deposition area into small segments, remarkable local bulges were formed near the conjunction lines, and overheating was prone to occur at the turning points of the conjunction lines. The present work is helpful to the selection of deposition path for additive manufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North China Craton (NCC) is renowned for cratonic reactivation and dramatic destruction. Detailed lithospheric structure is crucial for understanding the geological evolution and seismogenesis of the NCC. We imaged the lithospheric structure of the central and eastern NCC with ambient noise and teleseismic surface wave tomography. Our new model unveils remarkable N‐S variation in the lithospheric structure. An E‐W elongated lithospheric weak zone, coinciding with contemporary left‐lateral shearing revealed by geodetic observation, occupies the northern central and eastern NCC. Our model suggests that radical destruction of the eastern NCC in the late Mesozoic facilitated the late‐Cenozoic shearing induced by the continuous India‐Eurasia convergence. The late‐Cenozoic shearing progressively altered the pre‐thinned lithosphere accompanied by asthenospheric upwelling and strong seismic activity. Our results suggest a transition from the Pacific subduction dominating tectonic regime to the India‐Asia collision dominating lithospheric deformation framework in the Cenozoic and ongoing lithospheric alteration of the NCC. Plain Language Summary: The NCC is one of the oldest cratons in China and a typical example of cratonic reactivation. The NCC experienced significant destruction since the Mesozoic with conspicuous internal deformation and seismic activity within the central and eastern NCC. The fine lithospheric structure is essential for our understanding of the geological evolution of the ancient craton. We imaged the lithospheric structure of the central and eastern NCC with ambient noise and teleseismic surface wave tomography. Our results reveal complicated lithospheric structure due to the superposition of multi‐stage lithospheric modification. In addition to the predominant Mesozoic‐Cenozoic cratonic destruction, Cenozoic shearing of the lithosphere, induced by the far‐field effect of the India‐Asia collision, also has a profound influence on the present lithospheric structure and regional seismicity. These new results benefit our understanding of the evolution of the NCC in the Cenozoic and the genetic mechanism of regional seismic hazards. Key Points: High‐resolution lithospheric structure of the central and eastern North China Craton (NCC)Significant N‐S variations in lithospheric strength and seismicity within the NCCTransition of the deformation style and ongoing lithospheric destruction of the NCC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To develop and validate an artificial intelligence system, the Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis Artificial Intelligence Conduct System (PAICS), to detect different patterns of fetal intracranial abnormality in standard sonographic reference planes for screening for congenital central nervous system (CNS) malformations.Methods: Neurosonographic images from normal fetuses and fetuses with CNS malformations at 18-40 gestational weeks were retrieved from the databases of two tertiary hospitals in China and assigned randomly (ratio, 8:1:1) to training, fine-tuning and internal validation datasets to develop and evaluate the PAICS. The system was built based on a real-time convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm, You Only Look Once, version 3 (YOLOv3). An image dataset from a third tertiary hospital was used to further validate, externally, the performance of the PAICS and to compare its performance with that of sonologists with different levels of expertise. Furthermore, a prospective video dataset was employed to evaluate the performance of the PAICS in a real-time scan scenario. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve (AUC) were calculated to assess the performance of the PAICS and to compare this with the performance of sonologists with different levels of experience.Results: In total, 43 890 images from 16 297 pregnancies and 169 videos from 166 pregnancies were used to develop and validate the PAICS. The system achieved excellent performance in identifying 10 types of intracranial image pattern, with macro- and microaverage AUCs, respectively, of 0.933 (95% CI, 0.798-1.000) and 0.977 (95% CI, 0.970-0.985) for the internal validation image dataset, 0.902 (95% CI, 0.816-0.989) and 0.898 (95% CI, 0.885-0.911) for the external validation image dataset and 0.969 (95% CI, 0.886-1.000) and 0.981 (95% CI, 0.974-0.988) in the real-time scan setting. The performance of the PAICS was comparable to that of expert sonologists in terms of macro- and microaverage accuracy (P = 0.863 and P = 0.775, respectively), sensitivity (P = 0.883, P = 0.846) and AUC (P = 0.891, P = 0.788), but required significantly less time (0.025 s per image for PAICS vs 4.4 s for experts, P < 0.001).Conclusions: Both in the image dataset and in the real-time scan setting, the PAICS achieved excellent diagnostic performance for various fetal CNS abnormalities. Its performance was comparable to that of experts, but it required less time. A CNN algorithm can be trained to detect fetal CNS abnormalities. The PAICS has the potential to be an effective and efficient tool in screening for fetal CNS malformations in clinical practice. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Methods Results Conclusion Performing obstetric ultrasound scans is challenging for inexperienced operators; therefore, the prenatal screening artificial intelligence system (PSAIS) software was developed to provide real‐time feedback and guidance for trainees during their scanning procedures. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential benefits of utilizing such an artificial intelligence system to enhance the efficiency of obstetric ultrasound training in acquiring and interpreting standard basic views.A prospective, single‐center randomized controlled study was conducted at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen University. From September 2022 to April 2023, residents with no prior obstetric ultrasound experience were recruited and assigned randomly to either a PSAIS‐assisted training group or a conventional training group. Each trainee underwent a four‐cycle practical scan training program, performing 20 scans in each cycle on pregnant volunteers at 18–32 gestational weeks, focusing on acquiring and interpreting standard basic views. At the end of each cycle, a test scan evaluated trainees' ability to obtain standard ultrasound views without PSAIS assistance, and image quality was rated by both the trainees themselves and an expert (in a blinded manner). The primary outcome was the number of training cycles required for each trainee to meet a certain standard of proficiency (i.e. end‐of‐cycle test scored by the expert at ≥ 80%). Secondary outcomes included the expert ratings of the image quality in each trainee's end‐of‐cycle test and the discordance between ratings by trainees and the expert.In total, 32 residents and 1809 pregnant women (2720 scans) were recruited for the study. The PSAIS‐assisted trainee group required significantly fewer training cycles compared with the non‐PSAIS‐assisted group to meet quality requirements (P = 0.037). Based on the expert ratings of image quality, the PSAIS‐assisted training group exhibited superior ability in acquiring standard imaging views compared with the conventional training group in the third (P = 0.012) and fourth (P < 0.001) cycles. In both groups, the discordance between trainees' ratings of the quality of their own images and the expert's ratings decreased with increasing training time. A statistically significant difference in overall trainee–expert rating discordance between the two groups emerged at the end of the first training cycle and remained at every cycle thereafter (P < 0.013).By assisting inexperienced trainees in obtaining and interpreting standard basic obstetric scanning views, the use of artificial intelligence‐assisted systems has the potential to improve training effectiveness. © 2024 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Economic development has brought rapid shifts in the food environment of Chinese children and adolescents. Objectives: To assess the changes in childhood nutritional status across ethnic groups and economic status from 2005 to 2014. Methods: 664 094 Chinese Han and 224 151 ethnic minority children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years were assessed in three national cross‐sectional surveys (2005, 2010 and 2014). Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of each ethnic group was categorized into four strata of socioeconomic status. To assess ethnic disparities at each time point, we used logistic regression to estimate the prevalence odds ratios (OR) for thinness, overweight and obesity in the 24 ethnic minority groups vs Han Chinese. Results: Children in the two upper economic strata (over about US$4000 GDP per capita) had a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, while those in the two lower economic strata (below US$4000 GDP per capita) had a high prevalence of thinness. From 2005 to 2014, the prevalence of thinness decreased from 18.6% to 13.1% in Han children, and from 20.4% to 17.1% in ethnic minority students. At the same time, the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 10.4% to 17.7% in Han children, and from 4.3% to 9.2% in ethnic minority students, respectively. Conclusions: A rapid nutritional transition has occurred from 2005 to 2014 with shifts from thinness to overweight and obesity in both Han and ethnic minority children and adolescents, reflecting local GDP per capita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard for assessing dietary sodium intake is to measure 24-hour urine sodium. On average, 93% of daily sodium intake is excreted over 24-hours. Expense and difficulties in obtaining complete 24-hour collections have led to the measurement of sodium concentration in spot and single-void urine samples, using predictive equations to estimate 24-hour urine sodium. Although multiple predictive equations have been developed, in addition to having an average bias, all the equations overestimate 24-hour sodium at lower levels of 24-hour sodium and underestimate 24-hour urine sodium at higher levels of 24-hour sodium. One of the least biased estimating equations is the INTERSALT equation, which incorporates a spot urine creatinine concentration. The authors hypothesized that differential fractional excretion of sodium (FeNa)(derived from a morning void collection) relative to creatinine would impact on the accuracy of the INTERSALT equation in estimating 24-hour urine sodium. In a prospective study of 139 adults aged 65 years and over, three sequential morning void and 24-hour urine samples were examined. There was a significant correlation between increasing FENa and the difference between estimated and measured 24-hours urine sodium (r = 0.358, P < .01). In the lowest quartile of FENa, the INTERSALT equation overestimated 24-hour urine sodium, but underestimated 24-hour urine sodium with greater magnitude in each of the subsequent quartiles of FENa. Differential excretion of sodium relative to creatinine, potentially impacted by renal blood flow and hydration, among other factors, affected the accuracy of the INTERSALT equation. Additional research may refine the INTERSALT and other predictive equations to increase their accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the prevalence, distribution, and factors associated with bone erosion detectable by ultrasound in patients with gout.Methods: Ultrasound scans were performed in 980 patients with gout, and bone erosion was detected. The prevalence and distribution of bone erosion in gout patients were calculated. Both clinical variables and ultrasound signs were entered into a multivariate logistic regression analysis to clarify the factors associated with bone erosion in patients with gout.Results: Bone erosion was found in 431 (44.0%) of the 980 patients with gout, and in 338 (78.4%) of these patients, the bone erosion was found in the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. A multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age, duration of gout, the existence of tophi, ultrasound-detected synovial hypertrophy, and joint effusion were independently associated with bone erosion. A tophus was the most powerful factor associated with bone erosion, with an odds ratio (OR) of 4.218 (95% confidence interval 3.092-5.731). The risk for bone erosion also increased as the number of tophi increased (P < 0.001). However, after stratifying the size of tophi, the ORs did not increase significantly (P = 0.206).Conclusion: A high percentage of gout patients had bone erosions; the first MTP joint was the most frequently involved site. Age, duration of gout, tophi, and synovial hypertrophy were factors associated with bone erosion in gout patients. The number of tophi, but not their size, was strongly associated with bone erosion in patients with gout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Consortium for Quality Research on Dietary Sodium/Salt (TRUE) is a coalition of intentional and national health and scientific organizations formed because of concerns low-quality research methods were creating controversy regarding dietary salt reduction. One of the main sources of controversy is believed related to errors in estimating sodium intake with urine studies. The recommendations and positions in this manuscript were generated following a series of systematic reviews and analyses by experts in hypertension, nutrition, statistics, and dietary sodium. To assess the population's current 24-hour dietary sodium ingestion, single complete 24-hour urine samples, collected over a series of days from a representative population sample, were recommended. To accurately estimate usual dietary sodium at the individual level, at least 3 non-consecutive complete 24-hour urine collections obtained over a series of days that reflect the usual short-term variations in dietary pattern were recommended. Multiple 24-hour urine collections over several years were recommended to estimate an individual's usual long-term sodium intake. The role of single spot or short duration timed urine collections in assessing population average sodium intake requires more research. Single or multiple spot or short duration timed urine collections are not recommended for assessing an individual's sodium intake especially in relationship to health outcomes. The recommendations should be applied by scientific review committees, granting agencies, editors and journal reviewers, investigators, policymakers, and those developing and creating dietary sodium recommendations. Low-quality research on dietary sodium/salt should not be funded, conducted, or published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low‐intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (Li‐ESWT) has been introduced as a treatment for penile diseases. Its impact on testicular function during treatment remains unknown. Objectives: To clarify whether Li‐ESWT impairs testicular function during the treatment of penile diseases by investigating the impact of Li‐ESWT on testosterone synthesis and spermatogenesis in adult rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty‐four male Sprague‐Dawley rats were equally divided into the following three groups: control group, 1.6 BAR group, and 3.2 BAR group. Rats in the experimental groups were treated with Li‐ESWT at different energy levels (300 shocks at 1.6 BAR or 3.2 BAR, 2 Hz frequency) three times a week for 3 weeks. The control group did not receive any treatment during the same period of time. One day after the last shock wave treatment, serum and testicular tissue testosterone concentrations were measured, and sperm quality was assayed. Histologic examination of the testes and quantitative real‐time PCR were performed. Results: Testosterone levels in both the serum and testicular tissue did not change after Li‐ESWT exposure. The expression levels of steroidogenic enzymes (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 cholesterol side‐chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), and 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β‐HSD)) were not impacted by Li‐ESWT. The 3.2 BAR group showed a significantly lower sperm count and lower expression of synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SYCP3) in testicular tissue than the control group. No significant differences in sperm quality or SYCP3 expression were observed between the control group and the 1.6 BAR group. Conclusion: Li‐ESWT exposure at 3.2 BAR inhibited spermatogenesis and decreased sperm quality, which indicated that male patients with a desire to preserve fertility should undergo low‐energy Li‐ESWT or other treatment modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) occurs in ~10% of infants of HBV‐infected mothers with positive hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) after immunoprophylaxis. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of telbivudine used during late pregnancy for preventing mother‐to‐child transmission of HBV. We conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study in 5 hospitals from 2012 to 2014, which enrolled HBV‐infected singleton pregnant women with positive HBeAg. By their choice, women were divided into therapy (telbivudine 600 mg/day, from gestation 28‐32 weeks to 3‐4 weeks postpartum) and control (no antiviral agent) groups. Infants received passive‐active immunoprophylaxis and follow‐up at the age of 7‐14 months. Totally, 328 pregnant women were included: 149 in the telbivudine group and 179 in the control group. Baseline HBV DNA levels were similar in the 2 groups (7.43 vs 7.37 log10 IU/mL, P = .711). At delivery, HBV DNA levels in the telbivudine and control groups were 3.80 and 7.26 log10 IU/mL, respectively (P < .0001). Of the infants, 128 (85.9%) in the telbivudine group and 156 (87.2%) in the control group were followed up. No infant in the telbivudine group had chronic infection, while 2 (1.28%) infants in the control group did (P = .503). Three (2.34%) infants in the telbivudine group, but none in the control group, had severe congenital or developmental abnormalities (P = .090). The data indicate that telbivudine may block perinatal HBV transmission. However, larger studies are required to clarify whether anti‐HBV therapy in pregnancy is associated with severe adverse effects in the foetuses and infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Numerous studies have reported that larval experience can affect subsequent host plants selection and future oviposition decisions of many different species, but the investigation of pre‐imaginal experiences on host preference of adults has rarely been tested for soil‐dwelling insects. In this study, we present evidence that larval feeding experience can affect adult host preference in the onion maggot, Delia antiqua. By rearing D. antiqua on different host plants, we were able to examine the role of the natal host of different generations and the effect of larval density on host‐choice behaviour. We also performed bioassays by means of switched host treatment to evaluate the host‐selection principle. Choice bioassays among the three host species demonstrated that D. antiqua females preferred to oviposit on their natal host in each generation and host‐switching treatments. Additionally, increasing larval density could intensify this ovipositional preference on the natal host. The overall results showed that host preference of female D. antiqua is determined by larval experience and density. These findings also add support for the controversial Hopkins’ host‐selection principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine the associations between personality traits and suicidal ideation ( SI) and attempt ( SA) in mood disorder patients and community controls. Method We recruited 365 bipolar, 296 major depressive disorder patients, and 315 community controls to assess their lifetime suicidality. Participants filled out self-reported personality questionnaires to collect data of personality traits, including novelty seeking ( NS), harm avoidance ( HA), extraversion (E), and neuroticism (N). We used logistic regression models adjusted for diagnoses to analyze combinational effects of personality traits on the risk of suicide. Additionally, radar charts display personality profiles for suicidal behaviours by groups. Results All personality traits were associated with the risk of suicidality with various effect size, except for E that showed protective effect. High N or HA had prominent and independent risk effects on SI and SA. Combinations of high N and low E, or high HA and NS were the risk personality profiles for suicidality. Higher N scores further distinguished SA from SI in mood disorder patients. Conclusion Introvert personality traits showed independent risk effects on suicidality regardless of diagnosis status. Among high-risk individuals with suicidal thoughts, higher neuroticism tendency is further associated with increased risk of suicide attempt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superplastic forming is widely used in aeronautic industry to produce complex parts due to the ability of the material to sustain very large deformation. One of the main problems lies in the determination of the pressure law applied during the process to control the strain rate evolution. Many algorithms exist in numerical codes to predict the pressure law, but they generally use a constant value of maximum strain rate as reference to control the pressure law. These simulations give globally good results while lead to long cycle times. In this work, the pressure law is computed in order to control the forming process by a non-constant strain rate. The value of the optimum strain rate is indeed adapted to the level of strain developed within the part during the forming. This approach is applied on the 2024 aluminium alloy. Uniaxial tensile tests are performed to determine the influence of strain level on the maximum allowable strain rate. Then, the new pressure control algorithm is implemented in the ABAQUS code. Numerical simulations of generic parts are finally performed and the results show a significant reduction of the forming time without decreasing the quality of the parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Relatively little is known about the electrical rhythmicity of the whole colon, where long neural pathways are preserved. Methods Smooth muscle electrical activity was recorded extracellularly from the serosa of isolated flat-sheet preparations consisting of the whole mouse colon (n=31). Key Results Two distinct electrical patterns were observed. The first, long intense spike bursts, occurred every 349±256 seconds (0.2±0.2 cpm), firing action potentials for 31±11 seconds at 2.1±0.5 Hz. They were hexamethonium- and tetrodotoxin-sensitive, but persisted in nicardipine as 2 Hz electrical oscillations lacking action potentials. This pattern is called here neurogenic spike bursts. The second pattern, short spike bursts, occurred about every 30 seconds (2.0±0.6 cpm), with action potentials firing at about 1 Hz for 9 seconds (1.0±0.2 Hz, 9±4 seconds). Short spike bursts were hexamethonium- and tetrodotoxin-resistant but nicardipine-sensitive and thus called here myogenic spike bursts. Neurogenic spike bursts transiently delayed myogenic spike bursts, while blocking neurogenic activity enhanced myogenic spike burst durations. External stimuli significantly affected neurogenic but not myogenic spike bursts. Aboral electrical or mechanical stimuli evoked premature neurogenic spike bursts. Circumferential stretch significantly decreased intervals between neurogenic spike bursts. Lesioning the colon down to 10 mm segments significantly increased intervals or abolished neurogenic spike bursts, while myogenic spike bursts persisted. Conclusions & Inferences Distinct neurogenic and myogenic electrical patterns were recorded from mouse colonic muscularis externa. Neurogenic spike bursts likely correlate with neurogenic colonic migrating motor complexes ( CMMC) and are highly sensitive to mechanical stimuli. Myogenic spike bursts may correspond to slow myogenic contractions, whose duration can be modulated by enteric neural activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numerical simulation was conducted to analyse the fatigue crack growth in gear with the finite element codes ansys (ANSYS, Inc. Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.) and franc3 d (Fracture Analysis Consultants, Inc. Ithaca, New York, USA.), and the corresponding fatigue test was also carried out. During the simulation, the location of maximal stress induced by the external force was first determined by the code ansys, and then the obtained results were imported into the franc3 d to analyse the crack growth. The analysed results were input into the codes ansys and franc3 d again to compute the stress and the stress intensity factor in the following steps. After several rounds of analysis, the results of the fatigue crack propagation were obtained. The investigations show that the crack mode I is dominant during the crack growth and the stress intensity factor KI raises with increase of crack growth length and a series of quarter-elliptical cross sections of the ruptured gear tooth are obtained. The simulation results are in good accordance with experimental findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Priority effects among wood decomposers have been demonstrated by manipulating fungal assembly history via inoculations in dead wood and then tracking community development using DNA sequencing. Individual wood-degrading fungi have been shown, however, to initiate decay after having colonized living trees as endophytes., To track these 'upstream' colonizers across the endophyte-saprophyte transition, we coupled high-throughput sequencing with wood physiochemical analyses in stem sections extracted from healthy birch trees ( Betula papyrifera; 4-7 cm dia.). We incubated wood in microcosms, limiting communities as endophytes−only or challenging endophytes with Fomes fomentarius or Piptoporus betulinus at high exogenous inoculum potential., Initial fungal richness in birch stems averaged 143 OTUs and decreased nearly threefold after five months of decomposition. Although F. fomentarius successfully colonized some stem sections incubated at 25 °C, decayed wood was generally dominated by saprophytic fungi that were present originally in lower abundances as endophytes., Among saprophytes, fungi in the brown rot functional guild consistently dominated, matching wood residues bearing the chemical hallmarks of brown rot. Despite this functionally redundant outcome, the taxa that rose to dominate in individual sections varied. Surprisingly, the brown rot taxa dominating wood decomposition were better known for lumber degradation rather than log decay in ground contact., Given the isolation from colonizers in our design, this redundancy of brown rot as the outcome suggests that these taxa and more generally brown rot fungi could have adapted to decompose wood where there is lower competitive pressure. Competitive avoidance would complement the diffuse depolymerization mechanisms of brown rot fungi, which are likely more prone to sugar pilfering by other organisms than the processive depolymerization mechanisms of white rot fungi., Overall, this guild-level predictability of fungal endophyte development and consequence is encouraging given the challenges of predicting wood decomposition, and it provides a base for testing these dynamics under increasing natural complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new enteric microsporidian was found to be associated with the mass mortality of hatchery-bred juvenile groupers, Epinephelus spp., in China. The outbreak usually occurred during the rainy season between May and November when water temperature ranged from 26 to 30 °C and salinity from 28 to 34 ppt, although this microsporidian can be detected year round. External clinical signs included severe emaciation, white faeces syndrome, anorexia, sinking to the bottom of culture ponds and mass mortality (up to 90%). Upon necropsy, severe intestinal oedema and thin and transparent intestinal wall could be observed. The mature spores are tiny, measuring 1.3-1.5 (1.35 ± 0.13) × 1.6-2.4 (2.16 ± 0.31) μm and can be found in the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm of most enteric epithelial cells of host. Epidemiological investigation showed that this species was distributed throughout most of the culture area of grouper fingerlings in Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi provinces in China, with maximum prevalence of 95%. Molecular analysis based on the partial small subunit rRNA sequence (1045 bp) placed this species within the Enterocytozoonidae, but sequence identities to other species were below 90%. The exact taxonomic position warrants study of the ultrastructural characteristics of the developmental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmacokinetics and elimination of florfenicol and florfenicol amine in grouper held in sea water at 23.3 ± 0.8 °C were studied using HPLC method after they were given a single peroral dose of florfenicol at 24 mg kg−1 body weight. Florfenicol was rapidly absorbed from intestine and distributed extensively to all the tissues examined. The maximum concentrations ( Cmax, μg g−1 or μg mL−1) in plasma and tissues were observed at 2-6 h (the time to reach maximum concentration, Tmax) except for bile ( Tmax = 24 h) and were in the order of intestine (52.02 ± 25.07) > bile (49.41 ± 28.16) > gill (45.12 ± 11.10) > plasma (28.28 ± 5.43) > liver (21.97 ± 12.08) > muscle (21.63 ± 6.12) > kidney (20.88 ± 11.28) > skin (19.10 ± 5.88). The drug distribution level was higher in plasma than in extravascular tissues except for bile, based on the ratios of the area under concentration-time curve between tissue and plasma (AUCtissue/plasma). The elimination of florfenicol was rapid in fish, and the corresponding half-lives ( T1/2β) in the order of magnitude were bile (13.92 h) > muscle or liver (12.31 h) > skin (11.77 h) > plasma (11.57) > gill (11.04 h) > intestine (10.55 h) > kidney (10.05 h). The delayed Tmax, lower Cmax and longer T1/2β for florfenicol amine compared with florfenicol were measured in grouper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clubroot disease, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, has become a major problem in the production of cruciferous crops worldwide. In this study, a population of 121 doubled haploid ( DH) lines derived from a crossing between a resistant and a susceptible canola ( Brassica napus) genotype was subjected to phenotypic and genotypic studies to determine the inheritance and location of the resistance gene(s). After inoculation with pathotype 3 of P. brassicae, the lines showed a 1:1 segregation ratio for resistance, indicating that resistance in this population is controlled by a single gene. Fifteen PCR-based markers that were known to be linked to clubroot resistance (CR) genes were screened against genomic DNA from parents and resistant and susceptible bulks. Marker GC1680, linked to the CR gene CRa, exhibited polymorphism between the parents and between the resistant and susceptible bulks. CRa target primers were used to amplify fragments from the two parents and the resultant sequences were compared. A high degree of sequence similarity was found between the parents in the nucleotide binding site domain of CRa. In contrast, sequence polymorphisms were detected in the leucine-rich repeat ( LRR) domain. One pair of primers that amplify a band from the LRR region of the resistant parent but not the susceptible parent was used to screen the DH population. Amplicons were obtained from 60 of the 61 resistant lines and two of the 60 susceptible lines; thus, three recombinants were found. Based on these results, a resistance locus linked to CRa was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ambient temperature, crude protein levels and their interaction on performance and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens. A total of 216 Arbor Acre broiler chickens (108 males and 108 females) were used in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement and randomly reared at two temperatures (normal temperature: 23 °C; daily cyclic high temperature: 28-32 °C) and fed on three diets with different crude protein levels (153.3, 183.3 or 213.3 g/kg, with constant essential amino acids) from 28 to 42 days of age. Daily cyclic high ambient temperature decreased final body weight, average daily weight gain, average daily feed intake and serum total protein contents (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.008 respectively), but increased feed/gain, mortality, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, serum uric acid contents and serum creatine kinase activity (p = 0.008, p = 0.003, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.003 respectively), irrespective of crude protein levels. At the ambient temperature, reducing crude protein levels resulted in an increase in feed/gain (p < 0.001), but a decrease in serum total protein and uric acid contents. Only serum creatine kinase activity in broiler chickens was interacted by daily cyclic high ambient temperature and dietary crude protein levels (p = 0.003). These results indicated that daily cyclic high ambient temperature had a great effect on performance and serum biochemical parameters in broiler chickens, whereas dietary crude protein levels affected them partially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus agalactiae has become one of the most important emerging pathogens in the aquaculture industry and has resulted in large economic losses for tilapia farms in China. In this study, three pairs of specific primers were designed and tested for their specificities and sensitivities in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions ( qPCRs) after optimization of the annealing temperature. The primer pair IGS-s/ IGS-a, which targets the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region, was finally chosen, having a detection limit of 8.6 copies of S. agalactiae DNA in a 20 μL reaction mixture. Bacterial tissue tropism was demonstrated by qPCR in Oreochromis niloticus 5 days post-injection with a virulent S. agalactiae strain. Bacterial loads were detected at the highest level in brain, followed by moderately high levels in kidney, heart, spleen, intestines, and eye. Significantly lower bacterial loads were observed in muscle, gill and liver. In addition, significantly lower bacterial loads were observed in the brain of convalescent O. niloticus 14 days post-injection with several different S. agalactiae strains. The qPCR for the detection of S. agalactiae developed in this study provides a quantitative tool for investigating bacterial tissue tropism in infected fish, as well as for monitoring bacterial colonization in convalescent fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Termed as random media, rocks, composites, alloys and many other heterogeneous materials consist of multiple material phases that are randomly distributed through the medium. This paper presents a robust and efficient algorithm for reconstructing random media, which can then be fed into stochastic finite element solvers for statistical response analysis. The new method is based on nonlinear transformation of Gaussian random fields, and the reconstructed media can meet the discrete-valued marginal probability distribution function and the two-point correlation function of the reference medium. The new method, which avoids iterative root-finding computation, is highly efficient and particularly suitable for reconstructing large-size random media or a large number of samples. Also, benefiting from the high efficiency of the proposed reconstruction scheme, a Karhunen-Loève (KL) representation of the target random medium can be efficiently estimated by projecting the reconstructed samples onto the KL basis. The resulting uncorrelated KL coefficients can be further expressed as functions of independent Gaussian random variables to obtain an approximate Gaussian representation, which is often required in stochastic finite element analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of acoustic signals and the morphological traits mediating its production and reception are often coupled. The echolocation call frequencies of horseshoe bats normally decline as body size increases, but remarkable exceptions to the rule have been observed, such as Rhinolophus macrotis, R . marshalli and R . rex, having lower echolocation call frequencies than expected for their body size. Forearm length is commonly used to scale allometric relationships across horseshoe bats. However, little is known about the allometric relationships between echolocation call frequencies and morphological traits mediating directly echolocation calls' production or reception, such as the nasal capsule, the cochlea or the pinna. Here we have tested the allometry hypothesis regarding the evolution of echolocation in 12 horseshoe bats distributed in China by integrating echolocation call frequencies, phylogeny, forearm length, cochlea size, pinna size and nasal capsule size. Our results showed no significant correlation between echolocation call frequency and forearm length across these species without considering the phylogeny of the group. However, ear length, ear width and nasal capsule size were significantly and negatively correlated with echolocation call frequencies among the studied species. The fit between the linear regression model and the data was much better for the relationships between echolocation call frequencies and pinna or nasal capsule size than for the relationship between echolocation call frequencies and forearm length. These findings illustrated that both pinna and nasal capsule size were better predictors of echolocation call frequencies than forearm length. Given that the echolocation call frequencies of horseshoe bats can play key roles in sexual selection and speciation, the divergence we observed among species may influence the evolution of echolocation calls across horseshoe bats in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 ( GSK-3) has been linked to regulation of kinesin-dependent axonal transport in squid and flies, and to indirect regulation of cytoplasmic dynein. We have now found evidence for direct regulation of dynein by mammalian GSK-3β in both neurons and non-neuronal cells. GSK-3β coprecipitates with and phosphorylates mammalian dynein. Phosphorylation of dynein intermediate chain ( IC) reduces its interaction with Ndel1, a protein that contributes to dynein force generation. Two conserved residues, S87/ T88 in IC-1B and S88/ T89 in IC-2C, have been identified as GSK-3 targets by both mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis. These sites are within an Ndel1-binding domain, and mutation of both sites alters the interaction of IC's with Ndel1. Dynein motility is stimulated by (i) pharmacological and genetic inhibition of GSK-3β, (ii) an insulin-sensitizing agent (rosiglitazone) and (iii) manipulating an insulin response pathway that leads to GSK-3β inactivation. Thus, our study connects a well-characterized insulin-signaling pathway directly to dynein stimulation via GSK-3 inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment outcomes of Angle Class II subdivision malocclusions may be compromised because of the uncertainty of the aetiology. Previous studies have reported controversial ideas about the origins, but the existence of a primary contributor still remains unknown. Functional factors have been mentioned as a probable cause, but until now, there have been no supporting data. This study was a cross-sectional investigation of the characteristics of Angle Class II subdivision malocclusion, including dental, skeletal and functional factors, by comparison of the subdivision group and the normal occlusion group. The evaluations of dental and skeletal asymmetries of both groups were carried out by cone-beam computed tomography ( CBCT) and analysis of dental casts. The functional deviations were evaluated by cast mounting and measuring. In the subdivision group, the asymmetric position of the glenoid fossa was found to be the most significant skeletal asymmetry. No dentoalveolar asymmetry was found in this group. The most important finding was that, in subdivision malocclusions, functional deviation resulting in pseudoasymmetry occurred in 32·86% of the study participants. This deviation is probably related to the disharmonious arch width between maxillary and mandibular dental arches in the premolar section. The origin of Angle Class II subdivision malocclusion is multifactorial, with dental, skeletal and functional factors included. Functional deviation occurs, probably due to dental arch width disharmony. Asymmetric position of the glenoid fossa may account for most of the skeletal asymmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate absorption characteristics of zinc glycine chelate (Zn-Gly) by evaluating tissues zinc status and the expression of zinc transporters in rats. A total of 24 male rats were randomly allocated to three treatments and administered either saline or 35 mg Zn/kg body weight from zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) or Zn-Gly by feeding tube separately. Four rats per group were slaughtered and tissues were collected at 2 and 6 h after gavage respectively. Our data showed that Zn-Gly did more effectively in increasing (p < 0.05) serum zinc levels, and the activities of serum and liver alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and liver Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) at 2 and 6 h. By 2 h after the zinc load, the mRNA and protein abundance of intestinal metallothionein1 (MT1) and zinc transporter SLC30A1 (ZnT1) were higher (p < 0.05), and zinc transporter SLC39A4 (Zip4) lower (p < 0.05) in ZnSO4 compared to other groups. Zinc transporter SLC39A5 (Zip5) mRNA expression was not zinc responsive, but Zip5 protein abundance was remarkably (p < 0.05) increased in ZnSO4 2 h later. Overall, our results indicated that in short-term periods, Zn-Gly was more effective in improving body zinc status than ZnSO4, and ZnSO4 did more efficiently on the regulation of zinc transporters in small intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grouper Epinephelus spp. is one of the most important mariculture fish species in China and South-East Asian countries. The emerging viral diseases, evoked by iridovirus which belongs to genus Megalocytivirus and Ranavirus, have been well characterized in recent years. To date, few data on lymphocystis disease in grouper which caused by lymphocystis disease virus ( LCDV) were described. Here, a novel LCDV isolate was identified and characterized. Based on the sequence of LCDV major capsid protein ( MCP) and DNA polymerase gene, we found that the causative agents from different species of diseased groupers were the same one and herein were uniformly defined as grouper LCDV ( GLCDV). Furthermore, H& E staining revealed that the nodules on the skin were composed of giant cells that contained inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm. Numerous virus particles with >210 nm in diameter and with hexagonal profiles were observed in the cytoplasm. In addition, phylogenetic analysis based on four iridovirus core genes, MCP, DNA polymerase, myristoylated membrane protein ( MMP) and ribonucleotide reductase ( RNR), consistently showed that GLCDV was mostly related to LCDV- C, followed by LCDV-1. Taken together, our data firstly provided the molecular evidence that GLCDV was a novel emerging iridovirus pathogen in grouper culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the function of myoglobin (Mb) and cytoglobin (Cygb) in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus in response to heat stress, mb and cygb genes were identified and characterized in this study. These genes were widely expressed in all the tested tissues, but strong tissue preferences were observed, with the mb gene being expressed most highly in the heart, cygb1 most highly expressed in the intestine and cygb2 most highly expressed in the brain. After heat-stress challenge, mb and cygb genes were up-regulated in almost all tested tissues. In general, such up-regulation was more dramatic in the tolerant group than in the intolerant group, suggesting that higher expression of mb and cygb genes contributed to greater tolerance of I. punctatus to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted to study the effects of sodium butyrate ( SB) on growth, haematological and immunological characteristics in weanling pigs. A total of 100 male piglets ( Duroc× Landrace× Yorkshire) with a body weight of 8.0 ± 0.2 kg weaned at the age of 28 days were randomly assigned to two treatments with five replicates and 10 pigs per replicate. Piglets received a basal diet (control group) or diets supplemented with 1000 mg/kg SB. The feeding trial lasted for 21 days. The results showed that dietary SB significantly decreased (p < 0.05) diarrhoea incidence of weaned piglets, but did not affect (p > 0.05) the average daily feed intake ( ADFI), average daily gain ( ADG) and feed to gain ( F/ G). Furthermore, piglets fed dietary SB had higher (p < 0.05) serum concentrations of glucose and triglycerides and lower (p < 0.05) serum concentrations of urea nitrogen, cortisol, D-lactic acid and diamine oxidase when compared with the control group. However, dietary SB did not affect concentrations of serum albumin, total protein, insulin and glucagon (p > 0.05). There were no significant (p > 0.05) treatment effects on serum Ig A and Ig M, whereas serum Ig G concentration and Ig A+ cell count in jejunum from pigs fed SB were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in those given the basal diet. In conclusion, the present study indicated that dietary SB significantly decreased diarrhoea incidence of weaned piglets and increased the efficiency of nitrogen utilization. Also, dietary SB could regulate and enhance the immune function of piglets by increasing the serum Ig G concentration and Ig A+ cell count in jejunum. Our results suggest that SB may reduce some of the adverse effects of weaning stress and play an important role in maintaining the integrity of intestinal mucosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Women with gestational diabetes are at high risk for developing diabetes; post-partum weight loss may reduce the risk of diabetes. We evaluated the association of post-partum weight change with changes in glucose, insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in a subsample ( n = 72) of participants from Diet Exercise and Breastfeeding Intervention ( DEBI), a randomized pilot trial of lifestyle intervention for women with gestational diabetes. Methods Glucose and insulin were measured fasting and 2 h after an oral glucose tolerance test at 6 weeks and 12 months post-partum. Women were categorized by weight change (lost > 2 kg vs. maintained/gained) between 6 weeks and 12 months post-partum. Results Compared with women who maintained or gained weight, women who lost > 2 kg experienced significantly lower increases in fasting glucose [age-adjusted means: 0.1 mmol/l (95% CI -0.03 to 0.3) vs. 0.4 mmol/l (95% CI 0.3-0.6); P < 0.01] and 2-h insulin [10.0 pmol/l (95% CI -56.9 to 76.9) vs. 181.2 pmol/l (95% CI 108.3-506.9); P < 0.01] and a significant reduction in 2-h glucose [-0.9 mmol/l (95% CI -1.4 to -0.3) vs. 0.3 mmol/l (95% CI -0.3 to 0.9); P < 0.01]. In multiple linear regression models adjusted for age, Hispanic ethnicity, medication use, meeting the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for gestational weight gain, breastfeeding and randomized group, a 1-kg increase in weight was significantly associated with increases in fasting and 2-h glucose ( P < 0.05), but was not associated with insulin or homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Conclusions In women with gestational diabetes, modest post-partum weight loss may be associated with improvements in glucose metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. Purpose: To examine size and frequency of parapapillary atrophy (beta zone) in patients with intrasellar or perisellar tumours and a glaucoma-like appearance of the intrapapillary optic disc region. Methods: Thirty-four Chinese subjects with intrasellar or perisellar tumours and a glaucoma-like appearance of the intrapapillary optic disc region and 129 age-matched subjects randomly selected from the population-based Beijing Eye Study were enrolled. Beta zone was measured on fundus photographs. Size and location of the tumours were assessed on neuroradiological images. Results: Beta zone was significantly more common (79 ± 7% versus 46 ± 4%; p = 0.001), and it was significantly larger in the tumour group than in the control group (circumferential extent: 135 ± 99 versus 57 ± 72; p < 0.001; relative area: 1856 ± 1923 versus 759 ± 1390; p = 0.002). The width of the intracerebral tumours was significantly associated with the circumferential extent of beta zone ( r = 0.36, p = 0.039) and with the area of beta zone ( r = 0.37, p = 0.032). Tumour width, height and depth were significantly (p = 0.001; p = 0.012; and p < 0.001, respectively) larger in the group of patients with beta zone than in the subgroup of patients without beta zone of parapapillary atrophy. Conclusions: Patients with large intrasellar or perisellar tumours and a glaucoma-like appearance of the intrapapillary region as compared with a population-based control group had a significantly larger and more frequently occurring beta zone of parapapillary atrophy. It suggests that large parasellar or suprasellar tumours can be associated with typical glaucomatous abnormalities in the parapapillary and intrapapillary region of the optic nerve head. It may give hints for the pathogenesis of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective Dentin sialophosphoprotein ( DSPP) and its cleaved products, dentin phosphoprotein ( DPP) and dentin sialoprotein ( DSP), play important roles in biomineralization. Recently, we observed that DSPP is highly expressed in the alveolar bone and cementum, indicating that this molecule may play an important role in the formation and maintenance of a healthy periodontium, and its deletion may cause increased susceptibility to periodontal diseases. The objective of this investigation was to study the effects of Dspp ablation on periodontal tissues by analyzing Dspp null mice. Material and Methods Newborn to 6-mo-old Dspp null mice were examined, and the 3- and 6-mo-old Dspp null mice were characterized in detail using X-ray radiography, histology and scanning electron microscopy (backscattered as well as resin-infiltrating). Wild-type mice of the same age groups served as the normal controls. Results The Dspp null mice showed significant loss of alveolar bone and cementum, particularly in the furcation and interproximal regions of the molars. The alveolar bone appeared porous while the quantity of cementum was reduced in the apical region. The canalicular systems and osteocytes in the alveolar bone were abnormal, with reduced numbers of canaliculi and altered osteocyte morphology. The loss of alveolar bone and cementum along with the detachment of the periodontal ligaments ( PDL) led to the apical migration of the epithelial attachment and formation of periodontal pockets. Conclusion Inactivation of DSPP leads to the loss of alveolar bone and cementum and increased susceptibility to bacterial infections in PDL of Dspp null mice. The fact that the loss of DSPP results in periodontal diseases indicates that this molecule plays a vital role in maintaining the health of the periodontium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early stages of infection of canola roots by the clubroot pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae were investigated. Inoculation with 1 × 105 resting spores mL−1 resulted in primary (root hair) infection at 12 h after inoculation (hai). Secondary (cortical) infection began to be observed at 72 hai. When inoculated onto plants at a concentration of 1 × 104 mL−1, secondary zoospores produced primary infections similar to those obtained with resting spores at a concentration of 1 × 105 mL−1. Secondary zoospores caused secondary infections earlier than resting spores. When the plants were inoculated with 1 × 107 resting spores mL−1, 2 days after being challenged with 1 × 104 or 1 × 105 resting spores mL−1, secondary infections were observed on the very next day, which was earlier than the secondary infections resulting from inoculation with 1 × 107 resting spores mL−1 alone and more severe than those produced by inoculation with 1 × 104 or 1 × 105 resting spores mL−1 alone. Compared with the single inoculations, secondary infections on plants that had received both inoculations remained at higher levels throughout a 7-day time course. These data indicate that primary zoospores can directly cause secondary infection when the host is under primary infection, helping to understand the relationship and relative importance of the two infection stages of P. brassicae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of the study was to analyse the prevalence and characteristics of secondary diabetes induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) based chemotherapy in non-diabetic patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Method A total of 422 consecutive CRC patients who received 5-FU-based chemotherapy were retrospectively analysed. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels were determined before each cycle of chemotherapy during active treatment and regular follow-up. The prevalence and characteristics of secondary hyperglycaemia were investigated, with special focus on the clinical outcome. Results Among the 422 CRC patients, 60 had pre-existing hyperglycaemia. In the remaining 362 with normal FPG levels before chemotherapy, 42 (11.6%) and 41 (11.3%) patients developed diabetes and impaired fasting glucose during the study period. Among the 42 secondary diabetic patients, 22 (52.4%) received anti-diabetes drug therapy, in 7 (16.7%) cases the FPG level returned to normal without any active intervention, and 13 (30.9%) cases received diet control and physiotherapy. Thirty-one (8.6%) patients developed diabetes. Based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, an adverse event over Grade 3 occurred in seven cases during follow-up. Diabetes-related adverse events had a serious negative impact on chemotherapy in six cases. Diabetes-related death occurred in three patients. Conclusions Secondary diabetes associated with 5-FU-based chemotherapy occurs in around 10% of CRC patients, with a significant negative impact on treatment and clinical outcome. 5-FU-related diabetes should be regarded as a common side effect of 5-FU treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cDNA library was constructed from field pea leaves infected by the downy mildew pathogen, Peronospora viciae f. sp. pisi, using a suppression subtractive hybridisation approach. The library consists of 399 expressed sequence tags, from which 207 unisequences were obtained after sequence assembly. Of the unisequences, six were shown to be of Peronospora viciae f. sp. pisi origin. The remaining unisequences were subjected to gene ontology analysis and their functions were predicted in silico. Eleven of these unisequences (representing 24 clones) shared significant sequence similarities with Arabidopsis genes known to be involved in downy mildew resistance, including the well-characterised genes RPP5, RPP6 and RPP27. Expression analysis of five selected unisequences by real-time PCR indicated that all five were up-regulated during downy mildew pathogenesis, suggesting a significant role for these genes in the host response to downy mildew infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Recently, contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler ( cTCD) studies have shown that right-to-left shunt ( RLS) may be a risk factor for migraine in Westerners; however, limited data in the literature describes the prevalence of RLS in Chinese patients with migraine. Objective To assess the prevalence of RLS in patients with migraine in China and to evaluate the relationship between the extent of RLS and migraine. Methods A total of 217 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of migraine and 100 volunteers were recruited. c TCD was used to assess the prevalence and the extent of RLS in all subjects. Results In the migraine group, the rate of positive RLS was 44.2% (96/217), with 23.5% (51/217) of these being large. In the healthy group, 28.0% (28/100) were positive for RLS overall, and 5.0% (5/100) were large ( P = 0.006; P < 0.001). In patients having migraines with aura ( Mw A), 66.1% (39/59) were positive for RLS overall, and 37.3% (22/59) were large, which was significantly higher when compared with the healthy group ( P < 0.001; P < 0.001); in patients having migraines without aura ( Mwo A), 36.1% (57/158) were positive for RLS overall, and 18.4% (29/158) were large, which was against significantly higher ( P < 0.001; P = 0.003). In the Mwo A group, the large RLS rate was also higher than in the healthy group ( P = 0.002). Conclusions A close correlation has been documented between RLS and migraine, especially Mw A, but these relationships exist only when the shunts were large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation of sperm morphology with the intrauterine insemination ( IUI) outcome in patients with normal sperm concentration and motility. About 412 couples who underwent 908 IUI cycles were involved in the present study. A total of 110 clinical pregnancies were achieved with a pregnancy rate of 12.11% per cycle. The pregnancy rates per cycle were 7.60%, 12.67%, 13.62% and 13.13% in patients with <5%, 5-9%, 10-14% and >14% normal forms, respectively. The lowest pregnancy rate (7.60%) was obtained in the group with normal forms below 5%. However, this rate was not significantly different from other subgroups. Moreover, no pregnancies occurred in women >35 years old with normal sperm forms below 5%, in comparison with that in other subgroups of the same age. For women younger than 35 years old, no significant difference in pregnancy rate was observed in terms of different level of morphologically normal sperm. Our results show that for patients with normal sperm concentration and motility, IUI is recommended for first-line treatment when the woman is younger than 35 years, or morphologically normal sperm is ≥5%. IVF/ ICSI should be performed when the normal forms are <5% and female age is >35 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]