Search

Background and Objectives Materials and Methods Results Conclusion An extra health screening, including glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC) and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), was initiated for regular donors aged over 40 in Taiwan in November 2015. This study aimed to determine its benefits on donor health management and retention.A stratified random mail survey was conducted among donors who received HbA1c, TC and LDL‐C screening between November 2015 and June 2017 to investigate their awareness of the screening, medical histories and post‐screening behaviours. Their subsequent screening results and donation records from 3 years before and after the initial screening were obtained up to December 2021.In total, 2070 donors participated in the mail survey, with participation rates ranging 15.7%–23.2% across study groups. The screening newly detected hyperglycaemia in 1.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2%–2.0%) and hyperlipidaemia in 1.0% (95% CI: 0.7%–1.4%) of participants, with 42.7% (95% CI: 40.3%–45.2%) of participants unaware of the screening. Participants with initially abnormal or borderline TC or LDL‐C results showed significant decreases in the subsequent screening (all p values<0.05). No difference was found in participants' awareness of the screening. However, those who sought medical consultation or made specific lifestyle changes tended to show greater improvements. Awareness of the screening was associated with increased whole blood donations and donated units.The extra health screening has limited benefits for donor health management without additional interventions, but it may motivate donors to donate more frequently. Raising donors' awareness of the screening is also crucial to maximize its benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we present a unified chemical synthesis of three subgroups of cephalotaxus diterpenoids. Key to the success lies in adopting a synthetic strategy that is inspired by biosynthesis but is opposite in nature. By employing selective one‐carbon introduction and ring expansion operations, we have successfully converted cephalotane‐type C18 dinorditerpenoids (using cephanolide B as a starting material) into troponoid‐type C19 norditerpenoids and intact cephalotane‐type C20 diterpenoids. This synthetic approach has enabled us to synthesize cephinoid H, 13‐oxo‐cephinoid H, 7‐oxo‐cephinoid H, fortalpinoid C, 7‐epi‐fortalpinoid C, cephanolide E, and 13‐epi‐cephanolide E. Furthermore, through the development of an intermolecular asymmetric Michael reaction between β‐oxo esters and β‐substituted enones, we have achieved the enantioselective synthesis of advanced intermediates within our synthetic sequence, thus formally realizing the asymmetric total synthesis of the cephalotaxus diterpenoids family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term atmospheric water vapour hydrogen (δ2H), oxygen (δ18O) and deuterium excess (d‐excess) can provide unique insights into the land‐atmosphere coupling processes. The in‐situ measurements of atmospheric water vapour δ2H, δ18O and d‐excess were conducted above a reed wetland of Liaodong Bay (2019–2020). We found significant inter‐annual variations in atmospheric water vapour isotopes between the two growing (May–September) seasons. The δ2H, δ18O and d‐excess of atmospheric water vapour exhibited different seasonal and diurnal cycles concerning the vertical measurement heights, especially in 2019. The isotopic differences of atmospheric water vapour among vertical measurement heights were more evident in the daytime. Rainfall events directly impacted the diurnal patterns of water vapour isotopes, and the influences depended on rainfall intensities. However, only weak correlations existed between water vapour isotopes and local meteorological factors (R2 = 0.01–0.16, p < 0.001), such as water vapour concentration (w), Relative Humidity (RH) and surface air temperature (Ta). Based on the back‐air trajectory analyses, the spatial–temporal dynamics of atmospheric water vapour isotopes are highly synchronized with monsoon activities. Different water vapour sources influence the water vapour isotope in this region and the higher d‐excess value is related to the intense convection brought by the monsoon. High‐resolution measurements of atmospheric water vapour isotopes will improve our understanding of the hydrological cycles in coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful use of stable isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) in ecohydrological studies relies on the accurate extraction of unfractionated water from different types of soil samples. Cryogenic vacuum distillation (CVD) is a common laboratory‐based technique used for soil water extraction; however, the reliability of this technique in reflecting soil water δ2H and δ18O is still of concern.This study examines the reliability of a newly developed automatic cryogenic vacuum distillation (ACVD) system. We further assessed the impacts of extraction parameters (i.e. extraction time, temperature and vacuum) and soil properties on the recovery of soil water δ2H and δ18O for the ACVD and traditional cryogenic vacuum distillation (TCVD) systems. Finally, we investigated the potential influence of CVD (ACVD and TCVD) technique on the prediction of plant water uptake through a sensitivity analysis.Both ACVD and TCVD similarly extracted water from the rewetted soils, but none of the CVD systems successfully recovered the isotopic signatures of doped water from soil materials. Mean δ2H offsets of extracted soil water were −2.6 ± 1.3‰ and −2.4 ± 1.7‰ for ACVD and TCVD, respectively, while mean δ18O offsets were −0.16 ± 0.14‰ and −0.39 ± 0.37‰. The isotopic offsets of CVD systems were positively correlated with soil clay content, and negatively correlated with soil water content. Using corrected soil data (with CVD offsets) could improve the prediction of plant water uptake based on its high correlation with the environmental factors.This study identifies the isotopic offsets of CVD systems (i.e. ACVD and TCVD) and provides possible solutions for better predicting plant water sources. Even though, the wide use of CVD techniques probably induce noticeable uncertainties in the prediction of plants water uptake depths. The dataset of soil water extraction in this study will have implications for the technological development of CVD techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the utility of rapid medical trio exome sequencing (ES) for prenatal diagnosis using the skeletal dysplasia as an exemplar.Method: Pregnant women who were referred for genetic testing because of ultrasound detection of fetal abnormalities suggestive of a skeletal dysplasia were identified prospectively. Fetal samples (amniocytes or cord blood), along with parental blood, were send for rapid copy number variations testing and medical trio ES in parallel.Results: Definitive molecular diagnosis was made in 24/27 (88.9%) cases. Chromosomal abnormality (partial trisomy 18) was detected in one case. Sequencing results had explained the prenatal phenotype enabling definitive diagnoses to be made in 23 cases. There were 16 de novo dominant pathogenic variants, four dominant pathogenic variants inherited maternally or paternally, two recessive conditions with pathogenic variants inherited from unaffected parents, and one X-linked condition. The turnaround time from receipt of samples in the laboratory to reporting sequencing results was within 2 weeks.Conclusion: Medical trio ES can yield very timely and high diagnostic rates in fetuses presenting with suspected skeletal dysplasia. These definite diagnoses aided parental counseling and decision making in most of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the electron–hole wave function overlaps as well as the carrier confinement are both improved by an inversely graded Al‐composition design in the multiple‐quantum‐well (MQW) active region of deep‐ultraviolet light‐emitting diodes (DUV–LEDs). Simulation results show that at a current of 250 mA, the light output power (LOP) of the DUV–LEDs with graded composition MQWs has achieved a remarkable enhancement of 38.7% as compared to that with conventional MQWs, and the efficiency droop is significantly reduced from 32.2% to 9.3%. The enhanced performance is attributed to the increased wave function overlap of the electrons and holes due to the alleviated polarization electric field. Furthermore, the depth of quantum wells (QWs) is increased by the increased polarization‐induced charges and results in a better carrier confinement in the well layers. In addition, the LOP is further enhanced by 20.5% and the efficiency droop is reduced to 6.2% by engineering the last quantum barrier in the graded MQWs, which is attributed to the further reduction in the electron leakage. The proposed structure provides a valuable guideline for the high‐efficiency DUV–LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a high‐resolution paleoclimate proxy record facilitating adaptation measures on drought impacts, we constructed a regional composite tree‐ring chronology of teak (Tectona grandis) by combining three local site chronologies from southern Myanmar. Our regional tree‐ring record is strongly correlated with the November–April self‐calibrated Palmer drought severity index and enabled us to reconstruct drought variability for the period 1802–2016. The reconstruction explained 46.5% of the actual self‐calibrated Palmer drought severity index variance. Over the past two centuries, we detected one extreme (1812) and six severe drought years (1810, 1811, 1816, 1852, 1887, and 1980). Dry periods coincided with six major famines that occurred in India. Spatial correlation analyses revealed that drought occurrence is linked to broader‐scale atmospheric circulations of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, especially during the positive phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. Our reconstruction provides a useful historical perspective for assessing adaptation measures intent on mitigating future drought impacts in Myanmar. Plain Language Summary: We developed a 226‐year‐long ring‐width regional chronology of teak by combining three site chronologies from southern Myanmar. Teak growth is mainly controlled by moisture availability during the dry season, making teak a suitable species for assessing drought variation in southern Myanmar. We reconstructed a 215‐year drought history and find prolonged droughts occurred in 1808–1823, 1837–1843, 1863–1876, 1883–1891, 1895–1901, 1908–1912, 1922–1930, 1941–1945, 1952–1963, 1976–1994, and 2010–2015. We also found a strong association between drought variability in southern Myanmar and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation phenomenon. The results are useful to devise necessary policies and strategies for coping with the adverse impacts of drought and protecting the livelihoods of regional populations. Key Points: The radial growth of teak in southern Myanmar is mainly limited by moisture availability during the dry seasonDry episodes in the past 200 years in southern Myanmar coincided with six major famines in India and other regional drought reconstructionsDrought variations in southern Myanmar may be linked to large‐scale climate drivers, mainly tropical SST variations and El Niño events [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fog is an important supplemental source of water in regions with heavy fog and little rainfall. In the present study, we used the stable isotope content of xylem water to investigate the dry season water source partition between soil and fog water of two evergreen tree species ( Cleistanthus sumatranus and Lasiococca comberi), two deciduous tree species ( Mayodendron igneum and Lagerstroemia tomentosa), two liana species ( Acacia pennata and Combretum latifolium) and understory seedlings of three tree species ( C. sumatranus, L. comberi and Celtis philippensis) in a tropical karst forest in southern Yunnan, China. The soil gravimetric water content (GWC) and volumetric water content (VWC), pre-dawn leaf water potential (Ψpre-dawn) and leaf water absorbance were also measured. There were no significant differences in both GWC and VWC among 10 to 100 cm depths in the dry season. In the dry season 2009, Ψpre-dawn of the two evergreen tree species and the understory seedlings down to −4.5 to −6.3 MPa, and which were significantly lower than those of a normal dry season. The proportion that fog contributed to xylem water ranged from 15.8% (understory seedling of C. sumatranus) to 41.3% (liana species C. latifolium). After immersing in water for 3 h, leaves of all the studied species absorbed a significant volume of water. Our results reveal that the woody plants in the tropical karst forest of Xishuangbanna use fog water as an important supplement in the dry season, with more fog water being used by lianas than by trees. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant activation of dermal fibroblasts during wound healing often leads to debilitating fibrotic changes in the skin, such as scleroderma and keloids. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we established a wound‐induced skin fibrosis (WISF) mouse model in mature adult mice, characterised by excessive deposition of collagen bundles, loss of dermal adipocytes, and enrichment of DPP4+Ly6A+THY1+ hypodermal interstitial adipocyte progenitors (HI‐APs) and pericytes, resembling human fibrotic skin diseases. This WISF model exhibited an age‐dependent gain of fibrotic characteristics, contrasting with the wound‐induced hair neogenesis observed in younger mice. Through comprehensive analyses of the WISF, we delineated a trajectory of fibroblast differentiation that originates from HI‐APs. These progenitors highly expressed several extracellular matrix (ECM) genes and exhibited a TGFβ pathway signature. TGFβ was identified as the key signal to inhibit the adipogenic potential and maintain the fibrogenic potential of dermal APs. Additionally, administering a TGFβ receptor inhibitor to wound scar reduced the abundance of ECM‐producing APs. Finally, analysis of human scleroderma skin tissues revealed a negative correlation between the expression of AP‐, ECM‐, and TGFβ pathway‐related genes and PPARG. Overall, this study establishes a wound‐induced skin fibrosis mouse model and demonstrates that TGFβ‐mediated blockage of HI‐AP differentiation is crucial for driving fibrotic pathology. Targeting HI‐APs and adipogenesis may provide novel avenues for developing disease‐modifying therapies for fibrotic skin diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple protocol is described for the zinc promoted aza-Barbier-Darzen type reaction of imines (I) with dibromopropene (II) to give optically active trans-2-substituted vinyl aziridines in moderate yields and high diastereoselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]