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Qiaoling Wei,1– 3,* Liangliang Niu,1– 3,* Xianjin Zhou,4 Han Chen,1,2 Rui Jiang1– 3 1Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and ENT Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Ocular Trauma Center, Eye and ENT Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Rui Jiang; Han Chen, Tel +86-21-64377134, Fax +86-21-6477134, Email 2jiang@163.com; avnus@163.comPurpose: To evaluate the effects of retinal surgery on the ocular surface and corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SNP).Methods: Ninety-eight patients undergoing 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy for various vitreoretinal disorders were prospectively studied. We collected detailed operative and perioperative data, measuring dry eye syndrome (DED) severity and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores before surgery and at postoperative intervals. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) quantified SNP and dendritic cell (DC) densities.Results: Fifty-three patients were analyzed. Post-surgery, OSDI scores rose from a baseline of 5.5 ± 3.5 to 12.24 ± 6.5 at one month, later reducing to 7.8 ± 4.0 after a year. DED severity increased from 0.6 ± 0.6 initially to 1.6 ± 0.6 at three months, returning to near baseline (0.9 ± 0.6) one year after surgery. DC densities increased notably by the third (58.85 ± 75.6 cells/mm²) and ninth (59.95 ± 86 cells/mm²) postoperative months, especially in patients undergoing combined phacoemulsification, vitrectomy, and C3F8 gas tamponade. SNP parameters, particularly nerve fiber density and length, showed significant declines one month post-surgery, not recovering to baseline levels within a year. Fiber density dropped from 19.06 ± 8.3 fibers/mm² preoperatively to 4.68 ± 4.8 fibers/mm² at one month, partially recovering to 10.64 ± 8.2 fibers/mm² at twelve months. Fiber length decreased from 13.31 ± 3.2 mm/mm² to 6.86 ± 3.4 mm/mm² at one month, later improving to 9.81 ± 4.5 mm/mm² at twelve months, notably in patients with silicone oil (SiO2) tamponade.Conclusion: Retinal surgery, especially when combined with phacoemulsification and C3F8 or SiO2 tamponade, significantly affects ocular surface integrity and SNP density, with these changes lasting up to a year. Expanded studies with more patients and longer follow-up, using finer 25- and 27-gauge vitrectomy tools, are recommended to confirm and extend these findings.Keywords: corneal subbasal nerve plexus, ocular surface, retinal surgical procedures, confocal microscopy, dry eye syndrome after vitrectomy, intraocular surgery

Jian Yu,1,2,* Huan Xu,1,2,* Jiaojiao Wei,1,2 Liangliang Niu,1,2 Haohao Zhu,1,3 Chunhui Jiang1,2 1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Myopia of State Health Ministry and Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration of Shanghai, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Fifth People’s Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chunhui Jiang, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, 83 Fenyang Road, Shanghai, 200031, People’s Republic of China, Email chhjiang70@163.com Haohao Zhu, Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Fifth People’s Hospital, Fudan University, 128 Ruili Road, Shanghai, 200240, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-21-64308151, Fax +86-21-64300477, Email haohao700315@163.comBackground: Bacterial endophthalmitis is an acute progressive visual threatening disease and one of the most important causes of blindness worldwide. Current treatments are unsatisfactory due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and the formation of biofilm.Purpose: The aim of our research was to construct a novel nano-delivery system with better antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects.Methods: This study developed a novel antibiotic nanoparticle delivery system (MXF@UiO-UBI-PEGTK), which is composed of (i) moxifloxacin (MXF)-loaded UiO-66 nanoparticle as the core, (ii) bacteria-targeting peptide ubiquicidin (UBI29-41) immobilized on UiO-66, and (iii) ROS-responsive poly (ethylene glycol)-thioketal (PEG-TK) as the surface shell. Then the important properties of the newly developed delivery system, including biocompatibility, toxicity, release percentage, thermal stability, ability of targeting bacteria, and synergistic antibacterial effects on bacterial biofilms and endophthalmitis, were evaluated.Results: In vitro, MXF@UiO-UBI-PEGTK exhibited significant antibiotic effects including the excellent antibiofilm property against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at high levels of ROS. Moreover, MXF@UiO-UBI-PEGTK demonstrated outstanding efficacy in treating bacterial endophthalmitis in vivo.Conclusion: This novel nanoparticle delivery system with ROS-responsive and bacteria-targeted properties promotes the precise and effective release of drugs and has significant potential for clinical application of treating bacterial endophthalmitis. Keywords: endophthalmitis, nanoparticles, bacterial biofilms, ROS-responsive, moxifloxacin

Lixia Niu, Zhiyuan Yang College of Business Management, Liaoning Technical University, Huludao City, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhiyuan Yang, College of Business Management, Liaoning Technical University, 188 Longwan South Street, Huludao City, Liaoning Province, 125105, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 186-9148-9190, Email 2412228407@qq.comPurpose: In the post-pandemic era, the employment environment in China has been worsening. New generation employees are faced with higher work requirements. Against the backdrop, the “involution” culture has been a mainstream culture of different walks of life. Pressure of competition brought about by “involution” has made overtime behaviors increasingly prevailing among new generation employees. In this background, this research discusses about the impact of organizational performance climate on new generation employees’ overtime behaviors as well as the role of job insecurity and perceived employability in the process.Patients and Methods: The data collection is conducted in the currently popular industries. Ultimately, 348 valid questionnaires are collected. Later, the regression analysis and bootstrap methods are used to test the theoretical hypotheses.Results: Organizational performance climate can promote new generation employees’ overtime behaviors; job insecurity plays a mediating role between organizational performance climate and new generation employees’ overtime behaviors; perceived employability can negatively moderate the correlation between job insecurity and overtime behaviors, and negatively moderate the mediating effect between performance climate and overtime behaviors.Conclusion: Based on conservation of resources theory, this research explains the new generation employees’ overtime behaviors formation mechanism under the “involution” culture in China. These results deepen the understanding of the overtime work mechanism according to characteristics of new generation employees and post-pandemic era, which can provide theoretical support and practical guidance for a reasonable control of employees’ overtime behaviors under the “involution” culture.Keywords: new generation employees, overtime behaviors, performance climate, perceived employability, job insecurity

Chenchen Zhang,1 Yuan Yin,1 Jing Zhao,1 Yanxia Li,1 Yuanping Wang,1 Zhaoying Zhang,1 Lingzhi Niu,2 Yajuan Zheng1 1Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yajuan Zheng, Email zhengyajuan124@126.comAbstract: Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is an ocular pathological change that results from an imbalance between angiogenic factors and antiangiogenic factors as a result of various ocular insults, including infection, inflammation, hypoxia, trauma, corneal degeneration, and corneal transplantation. Current clinical strategies for the treatment of CNV include pharmacological treatment and surgical intervention. Despite some degree of success, the current treatment strategies are restricted by limited efficacy, adverse effects, and a short duration of action. Recently, gene-based antiangiogenic therapy has become an emerging strategy that has attracted considerable interest. However, potential complications with the use of viral vectors, such as potential genotoxicity resulting from long-term expression and nonspecific targeting, cannot be ignored. The use of ocular nanosystems (ONS) based on nanotechnology has emerged as a great advantage in ocular disease treatment during the last two decades. The potential functions of ONS range from nanocarriers, which deliver drugs and genes to target sites in the eye, to therapeutic agents themselves. Various preclinical studies conducted to date have demonstrated promising results of the use of ONS in the treatment of CNV. In this review, we provide an overview of CNV and its current therapeutic strategies and summarize the properties and applications of various ONS related to the treatment of CNV reported to date. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive review of these considerable advances in ONS in the field of CNV therapy over the past two decades to fill the gaps in previous related reports. Finally, we discuss existing challenges and future perspectives of the use of ONS in CNV therapy, with the goal of providing a theoretical contribution to facilitate future practical growth in the area.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: ocular nanosystems, nanocarriers, corneal neovascularization, drug delivery, gene therapy

Lixia Niu, Yong Liu College of Business Management, Liaoning Technical University, Huludao City, Liaoning, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lixia Niu; Yong Liu, Tel +86 13591994025 ; +86 18342962068, Email nlx8941@126.com; 2567420402@qq.comPurpose: To analyze the impact of leadership safety commitment on miners’ safety participation behavior and to explore the mediating effect of miners’ psychological safety and the moderating effect of perceived supervisor safety attitude (PSSA) and perceived coworker safety attitude (PCSA).Methods: A total of 1446 valid questionnaires were collected from miners working in state-owned mines in China from August to October 2019. A variety of scales were used to measure the variables, including “Our management has strict requirements for safe work when working backward”, “I made mistakes in the team, and other coworkers often have opinions about me”, “I will be regarded as a troublemaker if I raise safety issues”, “When we complete work safely, the supervisor is satisfied”, “My coworkers sometimes ignore safety rules”.Results: Leadership safety commitment has a significant positive effect on miners’ safety participation behavior; psychological safety of miners partially mediates the relationship between leadership safety commitment and the safety participation behavior of miners; and PSSA and PCSA moderate the intermediary effect of miners’ psychological safety on leadership safety commitment and miners’ safety participation behavior. When PSSA or PCSA is positive, the mediating effect of psychological safety is stronger.Conclusion: This paper analyzes miners’ safety participation behavior from the perspective of resilience and discusses the impact of leadership safety commitment on miners’ safety participation behavior. These offer theoretical guidance and inspiration for the management of organizations to enhance the positive effects of workplace leadership safety commitment and improve miners’ safety participation behavior.Keywords: leadership safety commitment, resilience safety participation behavior, psychological safety, perceived safety attitude, social information processing theory

Xinlin Xiong,1– 3 Zhenhua Luo,4,5 Haiyan Zhou,3 Zonggang Duan,1 Li Niu,3 Kai Zhang,1 Guangwei Huang,1 Wei Li1,3 1Clinical College, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Chengdu University Affiliated Hospital, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Guizhou Medical University Affiliated Hospital, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China; 4NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Central Lab, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wei Li, Email liwei249188@sina.comObjective: Little is currently known on the role of T-cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT) expression in Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (TIGIT+Tregs) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and alterations of TIGIT+Tregs in ACS patients.Methods: We enrolled 117 subjects, including 61 ACS patients, 26 chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) patients, and 30 control subjects without coronary artery disease. The quantification of TIGIT+Tregs was determined by flow cytometry; serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were also measured.Results: TIGIT+Tregs expression was significantly lower in ACS patients compared with CCS and control patients (P< 0.05). The expression of TIGIT+Tregs was comparable in patients with and without traditional risk factors (P> 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that TIGIT+Tregs levels are independent predictors of ACS (P< 0.01). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed the expression levels of TIGIT+Tregs had a discriminative power for ACS (P< 0.01). IL-6 levels were increased (P< 0.01), while TGF-β was decreased in ACS patients compared with CCS and control patients (P< 0.01). Meanwhile, an inverse correlation between IL-6 and TIGIT+Tregs was observed (P< 0.01), while a positive correlation between TGF-β and TIGIT+Tregs was found (P< 0.05).Conclusion: TIGIT+Tregs levels are significantly reduced in ACS, accompanied by upregulated IL-6 and downregulated TGF-β expression. The downregulated TIGIT+Tregs are independent predictors of ACS. These findings suggest that TIGIT+Tregs may have an anti-inflammatory and protective effect on ACS, and its decreased expression may be associated with atherosclerotic plaque destabilization.Keywords: T-cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain, regulatory T cell, acute coronary syndrome, inflammation

Li Niu,&ast; Yan Liu,&ast; Xin Wang School of Medicine, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xin Wang Email wangxin0072@126.comBackground: Migrants are one of the most vulnerable populations facing many health issues. Inadequate health care access and unequal insurance are the most challenging. This study aimed to construct a nomogram to predict the risk of hospitalization forgone among internal migrants in China.Methods: We analyzed the 2014 Mobile Population Social Integration and Mental Health Survey (MPSIMHS) launched by National Health and Family Planning Commission. Using the Probability Proportionate to Size Sampling method (PPS), MPSIMHS sampled from eight cities (districts) with a total sample size of 15,999. Of total 589 patients who were diagnosed with hospitalization requirement, 116 forwent their hospitalization, 473 had no forgone. Demographics, socioeconomic status, and health conditions were analyzed using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. A nomogram was built and validated by applying bootstrap resampling.Results: After model selection, gender, age group, marital status, migration range, insurance (having NRMI), and self-evaluated health were chosen into the nomogram to predict the risk of hospitalization forgone. The nomogram that predicted the risk of hospitalization forgone was validated for discrimination and calibration using bootstrap resampling. The calibration curves illustrated optimal agreement between the actual and predicted probabilities of the nomogram. The value of C-index from bootstrap was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.76– 0.85).Conclusion: This study identified some possible factors contributing to migrant’s hospitalization forgone: being single, male and middle-aged, having fixed health insurance, and having bad or great self-evaluated health. By integrating significant and easy-to-get prognostic factors, a nomogram was developed to estimate an individual patient’s risk of hospitalization forgone, which might have practical utility and the potential to assist clinicians in making hospitalization recommendations.Keywords: urbanization, internal migrant, hospitalization forgone, nomogram, China

Dan Wang,1 Feng Zhu,1 Shijun Xi,1 Lu Niu,1 Jacob Kraemer Tebes,2 Shuiyuan Xiao,1 Yu Yu1,2 1Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2Division of Prevention and Community Research, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USACorrespondence: Yu YuDepartment of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Upper Mayuanlin Road 238, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-731-84805459; +86 1 203-745-9531Email yuyu2016@csu.edu; yu.yu@yale.eduIntroduction: The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is one of the most widely used scales for social support. Although previous studies have shown good reliability and concurrent validity, conflicting evidence exists on its factor structures.Aim: To validate the MSPSS among caregivers of people with schizophrenia in China and assess its factor structure.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 449 family caregivers in 12 communities for psychometric testing, eg, internal consistency reliability, test–retest reliability, construct validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).Results: The MSPSS showed good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.95, good test–retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.91, and kappa ranging from 0.62 to 0.71. Concurrent validity was supported by its negative correlations with perceived stress, and significant positive correlations with caregiving rewarding feelings, family functioning, and coping. EFA yielded a two-factor structure (family vs non-family), while CFA generally supported a three-factor structure (family, friends, and significant others).Conclusion: Our findings show good psychometric properties of the MSPSS among caregivers of people with schizophrenia in China. EFA yields two-factor structure and CFA yields three factors consistent with the theory underlying the measure’s development.Keywords: Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, reliability, validity, factor analysis, Chinese

Yang Liu,1 Bo Zhang,1 Wen-Bin Cao,1 Hai-Yan Wang,2 Lei Niu,3 Guo-Zhi Zhang1 1Department of General Surgery, North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan City, Hebei Province 063000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, The 982 Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Tangshan City, Hebei Province 063000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tangshan Hong Ci Hospital Co. Ltd, Tangshan City, Hebei Province 063000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Guo-Zhi ZhangDepartment of General Surgery, North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan City, Hebei Province 063000, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-15833471100Email myfypwly@163.comBackground: Colon cancer (CC) is a common digestive tract tumor, and the increase of new and dead patients every year still puzzles clinical workers. LncRNA eosinophil granule ontogeny transcript (EGOT), as a newly discovered long-chain noncoding RNA (lncRNA), is differentially expressed in other tumors, but there are fewer studies of it in colon cancer.Methods: The relative expression and diagnostic value of EGOT in CC were detected and analyzed by starBase online website and qRT-PCR. The patients were followed-up for five years, and Cox regression was used to analyze the independent prognostic factors of CC. The effects of EGOT overexpression (pcDNA-RGOT) on CC cell function were detected by CCK-8, transwell and flow cytometry. WB was applied to detect autophagy. The influence of knocking out EGOT (sh-EGOT) on tumor growth was observed by tumor allogeneic inhibition. The microRNA (miR) and mRNA in the downstream of EGOT were predicted and the ceRNA network map was drawn.Results: The online database and qRT-PCR detection showed that EGOT was highly expression in patients with CC and had good diagnostic value. The five-year survival rate of patients with high expression of EGOT decreased. EGOT and TNM staging were independent prognostic factors of patients with CC. Functional analysis revealed that the growth and invasion abilities of cells increased, and the apoptosis rate decreased after overexpression. Upregulation of EGOT inhibited autophagy of CC cells and promoted cell growth. However, the tumor in nude mice was significantly lessened after knockout of EGOT. Bioinformatic analysis showed that microRNA-33a-5p and microRNA-33b-5p had targeted binding sites with EGOT.Conclusion: EGOT is highly expressed in CC and has high diagnostic value. In addition, inhibition of EGOT can promote autophagy of CC cells and inhibit cell growth and metastasis, which is expected to be a potential therapeutic index.Keywords: LncRNA EGOT, colon cancer, diagnosis, autophagy

Lingxia Niu,1,* Chunlin Yao,1,* Yu Wang,1 Yan Sun,1 Juan Xu,2 Yun Lin,1 Shanglong Yao1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yun Lin; Shanglong YaoDepartment of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277# Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430022, Hubei, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 13986288403; +86 13886128437Fax +86 27 85726970Email franklinyun@hust.edu.cn; yaoshanglong@hust.edu.cnPurpose: This study examined whether different neuromuscular-blocking agents (NMBAs) work differently on the short-term outcomes of gastric cancer patients in terms of laboratory test results and severity of postoperative illness, and whether the effect is dose-related.Patients and Methods: Data of 1643 adult patients receiving gastric cancer surgery were analyzed by employing generalized linear models (GLMs), to explore the effects of different NMBAs on neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte–monocyte ratio (LMR) at postoperative day 1 (POD1), POD3, POD7, and return to intended oncologic therapy (RIOT), among others. We adjusted multiple covariants, including patient-, anesthesia-, and surgical complexity-related risk factors.Results: Without adjusting dosage of NMBAs, POD1NLR, POD1PLR (P < 0.05), POD3NLR, POD7NLR, POD3 lymphocytes, POD7LMR (P < 0.01) in gastric cancer patients administered with benzylisoquinoline NMBAs worsened, and the administration of aminosteroidal NMBAs was associated with less risk of transfer to ICU (P < 0.01); without adjusting the types of NMBAs, the highest dose of NMBAs postponed the RIOT (P < 0.05) and was negatively associated with POD3NLR, POD7NLR and POD7LMR (P < 0.01), and increased risk of postoperative transfer to ICU (P < 0.01). When patients given benzylisoquinolines were re-divided in terms of five equal quintiles, from low to high dose, RIOT was delayed and POD7LMR decreased significantly in the fourth and fifth quintile groups as compared to the first quintile group. A higher risk for postoperative transfer to ICU was found in the fifth quintile group as compared to the first quintile group.Conclusion: Patients with gastric cancer given benzylisoquinoline NMBAs had more unfavorable short-term outcomes, such as more severe inflammation and increased risk of transfer to ICU than their counterparts administered aminosteroidal NMBAs, and the effect of benzylisoquinolines was dose-related. The effect of aminosteroids on short-term outcomes was not dose-related in the dosage range we used.Keywords: neuromuscular-blocking agents, benzylisoquinoline, aminosteroid, short-term postoperative outcomes, gastric cancer surgery

Gang Fang, Lizhi Niu, Jibing Chen Fuda Cancer Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou 510665, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jibing ChenFuda Cancer Hospital of Jinan University, No. 2 Of Tangdexi Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510665, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail jibingchen398@163.comBackground and objective: When irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation of abdominal tumors, procedural hypertension often occurs, which often affects the progress of the ablation. Until now, there is no reasonable explanation for this phenomenon. The objective of this research was to explore the cause and solution of procedural hypertension in percutaneous IRE.Methods: In this study, the treatment data of 4 consecutive groups of patients were used to confirm the cause of intraoperative hypertension and then verify the solution. A total of 155 patients with procedural hypertension were screened based on their medical records of pancreatic or hepatic IRE treatment. Procedural hypertension was monitored in 21 new patients, the correlation between serum catecholamines and hypertension was recorded and evaluated using regression analysis. Forty new patients were divided into two groups (distance from needle tip to adrenal gland, < 2 cm vs ≥ 2 cm), and the blood pressure was recorded and compared with two-way ANOVA. Eleven patients with ablative distance < 2 cm were treated in advance with phentolamine to observe for the occurrence of procedural hypertension.Results: Of the 21 re-enrolled patients with ablation of the pancreas and liver tumors, 9 developed intraoperative hypertension with significantly elevated serum catecholamines levels, epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine are all positively associated with hypertension, with P values were 0.0003, 0.0253, and 0.0015, respectively. For the two groups with different needle-insertion distances, hypertension in the < 2 cm group was more significant than that in the other group (for procedural hypertension, P< 0.01; for heart rate, P< 0.05), which was considered as a high-risk group. The occurrence of intraoperative hypertension could be completely prevented by using phentolamine prior to treatment.Conclusion: Hypertension occurs frequently during hepatic and pancreatic IRE because of the damage of adrenal gland. The safe distance of ablation probe for the adrenal gland was 2 cm. For high-risk patients, early drug prevention works well. Keywords: irreversible electroporation, abdominal tumor, procedural hypertension, adrenal gland, catecholamine, risky distance

The purpose of this study was to select and propose an applicable method for extracting lead from sphalerite concentrate direct leaching residue. A large number of experiments were conducted to extract lead from sphalerite concentrate direct leaching residue by hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride solution as leachates. The main optimum parameters were determined, such as a liquid-solid ratio of 17.5-1, a reaction temperature of 85°C, an initial hydrochloric acid concentration of 1.3 mol/L, an initial sodium chloride concentration of 300 g/L, and a reaction time of 60 min. Ninety-five percent of the zinc, 96.0% of the iron, and 93.7% of the lead were extracted into leachate at the optimum conditions. The lead in the leachate was in the form of [PbCl4]2-. After the leachate was purified to remove impurities, it was converted into lead oxalate by sodium oxalate as a precipitant. Finally, lead oxalate was decomposed to obtain lead oxide powders via a high-temperature calcination process.

Jing Qu,1 Weiwei Wang,1 Yanfei Feng,1 Longxing Niu,1 Mingzhong Li,1 Jicheng Yang,2 Yufeng Xie3 1National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People′s Republic of China; 2Cell and Molecular Biology Institute, College of Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People′s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, People′s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Mingzhong LiNational Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, No. 199 Ren’ai Road, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-512-6706-1150Fax +86-512-6724-6786Email mzli@suda.edu.cnYufeng XieDepartment of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No.188 Shizi Road, Suzhou 215006, People′s Republic of ChinaTel +86-512-6778-0645Email sdxyf@163.comIntroduction: Cancer gene therapy requires both effective tumor suppressor genes and safe vectors that express target genes efficiently. Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4) inhibits tumor growth via multiple pathways. Interleukin-24 (IL-24) also has tumor-suppressive activity against a broad spectrum of human cancers. Adenovirus (Ad) vectors exhibit high infection efficiency, but potential toxicity related to high doses of adenovirus has led to careful reconsideration of their use in human clinical trials. Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin (ASF) is a cytocompatible and biodegradable natural polymer, and it possesses Arg–Gly–Asp sequences exhibiting a high binding affinity and selectivity for αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrin receptors, which are overexpressed in tumor vessels and most tumor cells.Methods: In this study, an Arg-Gly-Asp peptide-modified Ad vector coexpressing ING4 and IL-24 was constructed by homologous recombination of the dual gene coexpression transfer plasmid and RGD-modified pAdEasy-1 adenoviral backbone plasmid. The cationic ASF (CASF) was prepared by modifying ASF with low-molecular-weight PEI. The negatively charged Ad vector was modified with CASF to form a CASF/Ad complex.Results: Human hepatoma carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells and normal hepatic L-02 cells were infected with the CASF/Ad complex, which showed significantly higher infection efficiency than the naked Ad. The CASF/Ad complex could effectively mediate the expression of the target gene ING4 in SMMC-7721 cells and the secretion of the target gene IL-24 from SMMC-7721 cells, thus inducing apoptosis of hepatoma carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells. The viability of SMMC-7721 and L-02 cells infected with the CASF/Ad complex was further assessed, and it was found that the growth of SMMC-7721 cells was significantly inhibited but that the growth and proliferation of L-02 cells were not affected.Conclusion: The CASF/Ad complex constructed in this study, showing improved infection efficiency and enhanced suppressive effects on human hepatoma carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells, has the potential to reduce the dose of adenovirus and still maintain high infection efficiency and tumor inhibition.Keywords: silk fibroin, adenovirus, cationic modification, hepatoma carcinoma

Qian Liu,1 Wei Zhou,1,2 Lu Niu,3 Yu Yu,4 Lizhang Chen,1,2 Bihua Luo,5 Shuiyuan Xiao1,2 1Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2Hospital Administration Institute, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Social Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 4Division of Prevention and Community Research and the Consultation Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; 5Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wei Zhou; Shuiyuan XiaoXiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, No. 87 Xiangya Street, Changsha, Hunan 410087, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/fax +86 731 8480 5459Email weizhou86@163.com; xiaosy@csu.edu.cnBackground: Patient expectations for health services refer to the anticipation or the belief about what should be encountered in the healthcare system. Understanding patient expectations can improve patient satisfaction and healthcare compliance. It is particularly important for patients with mental disorders, as greater healthcare compliance is required for them due to the chronic and relapsing nature of their diseases. However, little is known about expectations among Chinese patients with mental disorders.Objective: To examine expectations for healthcare among patients with mental disorders and to compare them with those of patients with chronic physical diseases.Patients and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among two inpatient groups, consecutively recruited from the Mental Health Department (MHD) and Endocrinology Department (ED) in one tertiary general hospital in Changsha, China. Patient expectations were measured by eight translated and modified vignettes of health system responsiveness. Group differences were compared using Chi-square tests for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and Z-test for expectation rating. Logistic regression was performed to test whether group differences of expectations remained statistically significant after controlling for socio-demographic and clinical variables.Results: Most patients from MHD rated scenarios in vignettes on communication, choice of provider, autonomy, and social support as “meeting expectations”, and rated scenarios in vignettes on prompt attention, dignity, confidentiality, and quality of basic amenities as “below expectations”. In comparison, patients from MHD had similar expectations with their counterparts from ED, for prompt attention, dignity, confidentiality, communication, choice of provider, and social support; however, patients from MHD had significantly lower expectations in quality of basic amenities and higher expectations in autonomy, after adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical factors.Conclusion: Like their counterparts with physical diseases, patients with mental disorders also expect prompt attention, dignity, confidentiality, communication, choice of provider, and social support in their interaction with the healthcare system. Moreover, extra attention to autonomy is needed for patients with mental disorders to meet their expectations and improve patient satisfaction.Keywords: patient expectations, responsiveness, mental health, China

Yinian Zhang,1,2,* Hua-Teng Dong,3,* Lei Duan,1,2 Liang Niu,1,2 Guo-Qiang Yuan,1,2 Jun-Qiang Dai,1,2 Bo-Ru Hou,1,2 Ya-Wen Pan1,2 1Department of Neurosurgery and Laboratory of Neurosurgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou 730030, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Neurology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pediatric Neurology, Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child-Care Hospital, Lanzhou 730050, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objectives: Despite the availability of effective antiepileptic drugs, epileptic patients still suffer from intractable seizures and adverse events. Better control of both seizures and fewer side effects is needed in order to enhance the patient’s quality of life. We performed the present study with an attempt to explore the effect that HDAC4 gene silencing would have on epilepsy simulated by model rats. Furthermore, the study made additional analysis on the relativity of the HDAC4 gene in regard to its relationship with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling pathway. Materials and methods: Tremor rats were prepared in order to establish the epilepsy model. The rats would go on to be treated with si-HDAC4 in order to identify roles of the HDAC4 in levels of GABAARα1, GABAARα4, GAD65, GAT-1, and GAT-3. Finally, both electroencephalogram behavior and cognitive function of the rats following the treatment of si-HDAC4 were observed. Results: Levels of the GABAARα1 and GABAARα4 showed an evident increase, while GAD65, GAT-1, and GAT-3 displayed a decline in the epilepsy rats treated with the aforementioned si-HDAC4 when compared with the epilepsy rats. After injection of si-HDAC4, the epilepsy rats presented with a reduction in seizure degree, latency and duration of seizure, amount of scattered epileptic waves, and occurrence of epilepsy, with an improvement in their cognitive function. Conclusion: The study highlighted the role that HDAC4 gene silencing played in easing the cases of epilepsy found in the model rats. This was shown to have occurred through the upregulation of both GABAARα1 and GABAARα4 levels, as well as in the downregulation of GAD65, GAT-1, and GAT-3 levels. The evidence provided shows that the HDAC4 gene is likely to present as a new objective in further experimentation in the treatment of epilepsy. Keywords: epilepsy, HDAC4, gene silencing, GABA receptor, GABA transporter, seizures

The desulfurization process of lead and zinc slag is an important smelting process to obtain lead and zinc. The aim of this paper is to study the desulfurization process of high lead and zinc sulfide containing slag with oxygen blowing. The predominance area diagrams of the Pb-Zn-Fe-S-O system (Pb/(Fe+Pb+Zn)=0.176, Zn/(Fe+Pb+Zn)=0.56) at various temperature were thermodynamically constructed. The physical properties, the chemical composition and the phase transformation of the desulfurization slag were investigated. The thermodynamic results indicated that lead, zinc, and iron can be oxidized to form high lead and zinc slag. The experimental results illustrated that the sulfur content in the oxidation slag can be reduced to less than 1% as temperature increased up to 1573 K. The XRD analysis of as-quenched slag shows the PbS and ZnS phase decreased, while zincite and spinel phase (ZnxFe3-xO4+y) emerged and increased as the reaction time increased. The desulfurization process of molten slag were considered to be the first-order reaction and the apparent activation energy was estimated to be 44.46 kJ/mol. Under the experimental conditions, the mass transfer in the gas and liquid phase was likely to be the restrictive step.

We present a method of performing high-speed rotational anisotropy nonlinear optical harmonic generation experiments at rotational frequencies of several hertz by projecting the harmonic light reflected at different angles from a sample onto a stationary position-sensitive detector. The high rotational speed of the technique, 10(3) to 10(4) times larger than existing methods, permits precise measurements of the crystallographic and electronic symmetries of samples by averaging over low frequency laser-power, beam-pointing, and pulse-width fluctuations. We demonstrate the sensitivity of our technique by resolving the bulk fourfold rotational symmetry of GaAs about its [001] axis using second-harmonic generation.

Under the acidic conditions (pH 4.0), the addition of wheat oligopeptides (WOPs) (25~100 g/L) decreased the thermal stability of purple sweet potato anthocyanins (PSPAs), but enhanced its antioxidant capacity, which increased with the rise of the additive amount. When the addition was 100 g/L, the DPPH, ABTS free radical scavenging capacity and FRAP total antioxidant capacity of PSPAs solution after in vitro simulated digestion were increased by 1.5 times, 34 times and 34%, respectively. After storage at 37 ℃ and 45 ℃ for 7 d, the antioxidant capacity did not change significantly, and it had stronger biological activity and higher stability than those of PSPAs. UV and fluorescence spectra showed that PSPAs can affected the redshift of absorption peak and fluorescence quenching at specific wavelength of WOPs at experimental concentration, which proved the interaction between WOPs and PSPAs. It can be seen from the above that WOPs have the potential to be applied in the development of acidic PSPAs beverages.

Abstract Background TBX6, a member of the T-box gene family, encodes the transcription factor box 6 that is critical for somite segmentation in vertebrates. It is known that the compound heterozygosity of disruptive variants in trans with a common hypomorphic risk haplotype (T-C-A) in the TBX6 gene contribute to 10% of congenital scoliosis (CS) cases. The deletion of chromosome 17q12 is a rare cytogenetic abnormality, which often leads to renal cysts and diabetes mellitus. However, the affected individuals often exhibit clinical heterogeneity and incomplete penetrance. Methods We here present a Chinese fetus who was shown to have CS by ultrasound examination at 17 weeks of gestation. Trio whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed to investigate the underlying genetic defects of the fetus. In vitro functional experiments, including western-blotting and luciferase transactivation assay, were performed to determine the pathogenicity of the novel variant of TBX6. Results WES revealed the fetus harbored a compound heterozygous variant of c.338_340del (p.Ile113del) and the common hypomorphic risk haplotype of the TBX6 gene. In vitro functional study showed the p.Ile113del variant had no impact on TBX6 expression, but almost led to complete loss of its transcriptional activity. In addition, we identified a 1.85 Mb deletion on 17q12 region in the fetus and the mother. Though there is currently no clinical phenotype associated with this copy number variation in the fetus, it can explain multiple renal cysts in the pregnant woman. Conclusions This study is the first to report a Chinese fetus with a single amino acid deletion variant and a T-C-A haplotype of TBX6. The clinical heterogeneity of 17q12 microdeletion poses significant challenges for prenatal genetic counseling. Our results once again suggest the complexity of prenatal genetic diagnosis.

The compound rotor system of a mechanically rectified permanent magnet generator is the key structure to realize the rectification function. The dynamics of the compound rotor system under bidirectional input conditions are studied to analyze the vibration deformation degree of each component of the rotor system and to ensure the uniform distribution of the shunt load of each planetary gear. In this paper, based on the theory of concentrated mass parameters, a dynamic model of the compound rotor system under the condition of bidirectional input is established. The model is solved with the Runge-Kutta numerical integration method. The dynamics of each component under the condition of bidirectional input are obtained. The results show that the oscillations of torsional displacement of each component of the compound rotor system are all about 25 μm, and the standard deviations of the meshing forces of each planetary shunt are all about 200 N during the two-way input, indicating that the vibration degree of the compound rotor system is similar; The load sharing coefficient of meshing forces decreases obviously with the increase of input torque and tends to be gentle when the torque reaches 500 N·m. Therefore, increasing the input torque can improve the dynamic meshing force and load sharing performance, so that the compound rotor system can obtain better dynamic performance under the bidirectional input condition. The research results are of great significance for the vibration and noise reduction and reliable operation of the permanent magnet generator.

Naturally deposited clays are often unsaturated and overconsolidated. Within the frameworks of the Barcelona Basic model (BBM) for normally consolidated unsaturated clays and the unified hardening (UH) model for overconsolidated saturated clays, a three-dimensional constitutive model for overconsolidated unsaturated clays is proposed in this paper. This model can be reduced to the original UH model for overconsolidated saturated clays when suction becomes zero and the BBM when the overconsolidated behaviour disappears. Compared with existing constitutive models for unsaturated clays, the influence of a high overconsolidation ratio (OCR) on wetting deformation can be adequately described. Also, many other characteristics of overconsolidated unsaturated clays can be modelled, including strain-hardening, softening, shear dilatancy, and stress path-dependence behaviour. Compared with the BBM, the proposed model requires no additional material parameter. The validity of the UH model for overconsolidated unsaturated clays has been confirmed by data from two groups of wetting tests performed by the authors and previous triaxial tests in the literature. Key words: clays, constitutive relations, deformation, suction, wetting. Les argiles naturellement deposees sont souvent non-saturees et surconsolidees. Dans cet article, on propose un modele constitutif en trois dimensions pour des argiles non-saturees et surconsolidees, en demeurant dans le cadre du modele de Base de Barcelone (MBB) pour les argiles non-saturees normalement consolidees et du modele de durcissement unifie (DU) pour les argiles saturees surconsolidees. Ce modele peut etre reduit au modele original DU pour les argiles saturees surconsolidees lorsque la succion devient zero, et au MBB lorsque le comportement surconsolide disparait. Comparativement aux modeles constitutifs existants pour des argiles non-saturees, l'influence d'un indice de surconsolidation eleve sur la deformation en mouillage peut etre decrite adequatement. De plus, plusieurs autres caracteristiques des argiles non-saturees surconsolidees peuvent etre modelisees, incluant l'ecrouissage, l'adoucissement, la dilatance en cisaillement, et le comportement dependant du cheminement des contraintes. Contrairement au MBB, le modele propose ne necessite pas de parametre additionnel du materiau. La validite du modele DU pour des argiles non-saturees surconsolidees a ete confirmee par des donnees provenant de deux groupes d'essais de mouillage realises par les auteurs et d'essais triaxiaux precedents tires de la literature. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: argiles, relations constitutives, deformation, succion, mouillage., Introduction The phenomenon of partial saturation exists widely in naturally deposited clays. To study the mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils, many laboratory tests have been carried out over the past [...]

[Objective] The Yangtze River is an important ecological security barrier in China. Analyzing the spatial-temporal changes of ecosystem services and the driving force of land use change in the Yangtze River Basin is conducive to the coordinated development of ecology and economy in the region. [Methods] Based on remote sensing data from 2000 to 2020, the RUSLE model and the InVEST model were used to calculate the amount of soil retention, water yield, and carbon sequestration in the Yangtze River Basin. The Sen trend method and hotspot analysis method were used to analyze changes in ecosystem services. Partial correlation analysis was used to analyze the tradeoff-synergy relationships between services, and the reasons for change in ecosystem services were analyzed from the perspective of land use change. [Results] (1) From 2000 to 2020, the trends of change of average annual soil retention, water yield, and carbon sequestration in the basin were about 1.75 t/(hm2·a), -1.33×103 m3/(km2·a), and 1.62 gC/(m2·a). Except for water yield, which showed a decreasing trend in some areas, other services showed an increasing trend in most areas. The overall area of ecosystem services hotspots was expanded, especially those dominated by carbon sequestration and water yield services. (2) Soil retention and water yield were mainly in an insignificant tradeoff relationship, soil retention and carbon sequestration were mainly in a significant synergistic relationship, and carbon sequestration and water yield were mainly in an insignificant synergistic relationship. (3) The conversion from cropland to forestland had a greater impact on soil conservation services, the conversion from cropland to grassland had a greater impact on carbon sequestration services, and the conversion from grassland to cropland had a greater impact on water yield services. (4) Soil retention, water yield, and carbon sequestration services tended to be synergistic when cropland was converted to forest and grass areas, and tended to be tradeoff when the forest and grass areas were turned to cropland. [Conclusion] The ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Basin have improved in general. The increase in forest and grass area in land use change had a positive effect on the improvement of ecosystem services and the coordinated development between services. The game between land development and ecological protection has led to dynamic changes in ecosystem services. Considering the importance of regional economic development, it is necessary to balance development and protection, and achieve green and sustainable development.

This study investigated the effect of carvacrol stress on the physiological characteristics and transcriptome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a common spoilage yeast in fruit and vegetable products. The results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of carvacrol on S. cerevisiae was 160 mg/mL. With the increase in temperature (20–40 ℃), the inhibitory effect of carvacrol (160 mg/mL) on yeast growth gradually increased. Environmental pH (3–4.5) had no significant impact on the inhibitory effect of carvacrol. However, the addition of fructose (20–80 g/L) significantly reduced the antifungal activity. Carvacrol treatment damaged the structure of the cell envelope of S. cerevisiae, increased the plasma membrane permeability and caused plasma membrane depolarization, resulting in leakage of intracellular substances, a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, an imbalance in intracellular Ca2＋ homeostasis, and a decrease in intracellular ATP content. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that carvacrol stress inhibited the biosynthesis of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, ATP synthase and mitochondrial ribosome (MR) proteins, which could block electron transport along the respiratory chain and interfere with life activities related to MR.

[Objective] This paper seeks to address shortcomings in the conventional structural design of welding torch nozzles, such as prolonged development cycles, high costs, and uncertainty regarding the efficacy of shielding gas fow field protection. [Methods] The fuid dynamics computational software Fluent was utilized for numerical simulations, concentrating on critical parameters like shielding gas fow rates, welding torch nozzle structures, and nozzle-to-bevel spacings. The simulation results were subsequently verified and analyzed through gas dyeing experiments and practical welding operations. [Results] In the gas metal arc welding(GMAW) process context involving narrowgap bevels, a shielding gas fow rate of 20 L/min yielded effective protection to pipes. The conical nozzle and the fat conical nozzle presented ideal results in which the fat conical nozzle structure helped the shielding gas fow field obtain minimal conicity and straighter fow, fostering stable welding conditions by efficiently resisting crosswind disturbances at lower fow rates. Ensuring a nozzle-to-bevel spacing of less than 15 mm produced a shielding gas fow field with enhanced protection. The subsequent gas dyeing experiment and welding operations mirrored the simulation results on the fow field and welding performance of the conical nozzle and fat conical nozzle, affirming the feasibility of simulation methods for optimizing shielding gas fow fields. [Conclusion] The study findings showcase the effectiveness of fuid dynamic computation simulation technology in optimizing the structural design of welding torch nozzles and accelerating the development cycles, significantly improving the utilization efficiency of shielding gas in the GMAW welding process with narrow-gap bevels, and enhancing the stability of welding quality.By emphasizing the important role of simulation in welding process improvement, this paper offers new insights and technical references for the structural design of welding torch nozzles and the regulation of shielding gas fow fields.

IntroductionNitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) enrichment due to anthropogenic activities can significantly affect soil N transformations in forest ecosystems. However, the effects of N and P additions on nitrification and denitrification processes in Metasequoia glyptostroboides plantations, and economically important forest type in China, remain poorly understood.MethodsThis study investigated the responses of soil nitrification and denitrification rates, as well as the abundances of nitrifiers and denitrifiers, to different levels of N and P additions in a 6-year nutrient addition experiment in a M. glyptostroboides plantation.ResultsStepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify the main predictors of nitrification and denitrification rates. The results showed that moderate N addition (N2 treatment, 2.4 mol·m-2) stimulated nitrification rates and abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), while excessive N and P additions inhibited denitrification rates and reduced the abundance of nirS-type denitrifiers. AOB abundance was the main predictor of nitrification rates under N additions, whereas microbial biomass carbon and nirS gene abundance were the key factors controlling denitrification rates. Under P additions, tree growth parameters (diameter at breast height and crown base height) and AOB abundance were the primary predictors of nitrification and denitrification rates.DiscussionOur study reveals complex interactions among nutrient inputs, plant growth, soil properties, and microbial communities in regulating soil N transformations in plantation forests. This study also offers valuable insights for formulating effective nutrient management strategies to enhance the growth and health of M. glyptostroboides plantations under scenarios of increasing elevated nutrient deposition.