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Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) composed of unit cells with tunable reflection coefficients, amplitude, phase, and frequency has received great interest from wireless communication communities. In this paper, a non-stationary three-dimensional (3-D) wideband IRS-assisted channel model, including spatial and temporal non-stationarity, is proposed for high altitude platform (HAP) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. The proposed channel model considers the propagation environment around the receiver (Rx) and that around both the IRS and Rx, which are modeled using multiple 3-D cylinders and confocal elliptic-cylinders, respectively. In the proposed model, the optimal reflection phases of the IRS reflection units are proposed, and the number and the size of the IRS reflection units are also considered, which are used to investigate received signal strength, multipath fading effect, and spatial non-stationarity of IRS-aided communication systems. The numerical results show that the IRS reflection units can improve the received signal strength by adjusting the reflection phases and multipath fading effect can be effectively reduced by increasing the number and the size of IRS reflection units. Also, it is found that the spatial correlation significantly decreases with the increase of the number and size of the IRS reflection units, and the proposed IRS-aided channel model presents spatial non-stationarity. These observations can provide guidelines and references for systems design and performance analysis of IRS-aided HAP-MIMO communication systems.

Examining the dynamics of technological progress in determining energy intensity not only helps in assessing the relative strength of contributing factors, but also beneficial in designing effective energy policies. The effect of technology on energy intensity was widely discussed, as a whole, without narrowing down to the energy field and considering the technological absorption capacity as well as the heterogeneity. In view of the importance of sustainability in Guangdong province to the Greater Bay Area, this study focused on energy-specific technological progress and investigated the effect of energy-specific technology on energy intensity using a panel dataset covering cities in Guangdong Province for 2005–2017. The empirical evidence shows that energy-specific technology is beneficial in reducing the energy intensity. However, the energy intensity reduction effect is primarily from energy-saving technology rather than the alternative energy technology. From the sources of energy technology, enterprises, rather than from higher education institutions and independent research institutions, are more effective in cutting the energy intensity. In addition, utility-type energy-specific technology shows a stronger reduction effect on energy intensity compared to creation-type. Finally, the study concludes that technological absorption capacity is an important determinant for the effectiveness of energy-specific technology in reducing energy intensity.

Background Identifying sepsis patients with risk of in-hospital death early can improve the prognosis of patients. This study aimed to develop a model to predict in-hospital death of sepsis patients based on the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-Ⅲ (MIMIC-Ⅲ) database, and use clinical data to externally validate the model. Methods A total of 1,839 sepsis patients were used for model development, and 125 clinical cases were used for external validation. The discriminatory ability of the model was determined by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The AUC of the random forest model and logistic regression model was 0.754 (95%CI, 0.732-0.776) and 0.703 (95%CI, 0.680-0.727), respectively, and the random forest model had higher AUC (Z = 3.070, P = .002). External validation showed that the AUC of the random forest model was 0.539 (95%CI, 0.440-0.628). Further validation was carried out according to gender and SOFA score. The AUC of the model in males and females was 0.648 and 0.412, respectively. In addition, the AUC of the model in the population with SOFA scores of 3-8, 9-12, and 13-15 were 0.705, 0.495, and 0.769, respectively. Conclusions The random forest model had a better predictive ability and a good applicability to external populations with SOFA score of 13-15.

Wireless charging is one of the most important issues in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which aims to cope with the energy limitation problem of the sensors. Many of the existing researches applied the mobile charger to recharge the sensors for maintaining the perpetual lifetime of sensor networks. However, when choosing sensors to be recharged, the coverage contribution of sensors was ignored. This paper proposes a recharging scheme, called CAERM, which considers the coverage contribution of each requested sensor and constructs the recharging path to maximize the coverage of the whole networks. Two algorithms, including Simple Recharging Coverage Benefit (S-RCB) and Chain-Effect Recharging Coverage Benefit (CE-RCB) algorithms, are proposed to evaluate the coverage contribution of the requested sensors effectively. Through extensive simulations, experimental study shows that the proposed algorithm improves the recharging efficiency, while maximizing the coverage contribution and monitoring quality of the given sensor networks.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The aim was to determine the transitional patterns in the clinical characteristics, treatments and comorbidities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients over the past 14 years using data from a large clinical cohort in mainland China. METHODS Sporadic ALS patients who visited the Peking University Third Hospital from January 2005 to December 2018 were included in this study. The 14 years were divided into three periods, and changes in the baseline characteristics of the participants were analyzed at 5-year intervals. RESULTS In total, 3410 patients with sporadic ALS were recruited: 2181 were men and 1229 were women. The proportion of patients with bulbar-onset ALS increased from 13.0% in 2005-2009 to 19.5% in 2015-2018 (p

Background The intestine is the well-acknowledged important organ where the nutritional molecules are absorbed. Meanwhile, intestinal ailments, including intestinal mucosal atrophy, barrier dysfunction (leaky gut), inflammation bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), dysbacteriosis, and cancers (sporadic and colitis-associated intestinal cancers), have always been the top-ranking diseases that we are confronting. However, although there are several reports on the intestinal modulatory effects for the food macromolecular components (polysaccharides and prebiotics), the effects of low-molecular-weight phytochemicals from foods, especially those from functional foods, on intestinal ailments have not been methodically understood. Scope and approach Various functional foods and their low-molecular-weight phytochemicals that help protect intestinal homeostasis have been demonstrated. The preliminary in vitro results are not included due to the uncertainty of their in vivo efficacy. This review compiles only in vivo bioactive reports and findings with solid pieces of evidence (both human and animal-based ones) to demonstrate the practical use of the food and its low-molecular-weight phytochemicals as complementary therapies or dietary supplements for intestinal health and their underlying mechanism of action. Key findings and conclusions Functional foods (both the whole food and extracts) and their low-molecular-weight phytochemicals can benefit intestinal health of both small and large intestines at different stages of intestinal ailments through promoting intestinal epithelial renewal and barrier function, restoring intestinal flora, inhibiting intestinal inflammation and tumor growth, and exerting intestinal-cancer preventive effects. Therefore, depending on the circumstances of the intestinal ailment, intake of certain functional foods or their low-molecular-weight phytochemicals can relieve the symptom of intestinal ailments and contribute to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis at different levels.

Previous studies have suggested that microRNA-186 (miR-186) can be induced under hypoxic conditions, and is associated with apoptosis. This study was undertaken to explore the exact role of this microRNA (miRNA) in the apoptotic death of neurons during cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury. To model cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injuries, we utilized a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion approach in rats, as well as a model of oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in Neuro2a cells. We found that in both in vitro and in vivo models of cerebral I/R injuries, levels of miR-186 were markedly decreased. When we overexpressed miR-186, this was associated with a reduction in the apoptotic death of neuroblastoma cells in the OGD/R model system, whereas the opposite was true when this miRNA was instead inhibited. We further found miR-186 to directly target hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) by interacting with the 3'-untranslated region of this mRNA. When we knocked down HIF-1α, this partially overcame the apoptotic death of cells in response to OGD/R injury and associated miR-186 downregulation. Our findings indicate that miR-186 is able to reduce ischemic injury to neurons at least in part through downregulating HIF-1α, suggesting that the miR-186/HIF-1α axis is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

In this letter, we investigate covert communication in relay networks with relay selection. We consider the scenario that while forwarding the source’s message, the selected relay opportunistically transmits its own message to the destination covertly. We derive the probability of detection error (PDE) and the average covert rate (ACR) in a closed form, based on which we analyse the effects of system parameters on the performance of the covert communication. Our analysis indicates that applying relay selection causes a decrease in the PDE, however, it can provide an ACR gain when the transmission rate of the source increases.

The calibration of camera systems employing zoom lenses raises several challenges, as changes in lens control settings introduce various imaging conditions, especially different degrees of defocus. This article presents a Fourier-based defocus calibration method to calibrate a camera attached with an electronically focus-tunable lens (ETL). Different from the traditional method which requires changing the scale of the calibration object for sharp images, the proposed method is more concerned with the frequency characteristics of the captured images than the gray distributions. According to the invariance of the fundamental frequencies before and after defocusing the images, coordinates of feature points can be extracted accurately, even in different degrees of defocus. Therefore, one normal size target can also be qualified for zoom system calibration. Then polynomial approximation is used to account for the variation of the intrinsic and distortion parameters across the zoom range. Extensive simulations and experiments were implemented to demonstrate the proposed idea’s robustness against defocus, flexibility, and accuracy.

This article develops a practical framework of Area Angle Monitoring (AAM) to monitor in real time the stress of bulk power transfer across an area of a power transmission system. Area angle is calculated from synchrophasor measurements in real time to provide alert to system operators if the area angle exceeds pre-defined thresholds. This article proposes a general method to identify the warning threshold of area angle and a simplified method to quickly update area angle thresholds under significant topology change. A mitigation strategy to relieve the area stress is also proposed. In order to handle the limited coverage of synchrophasor measurements, this article proposes a method to estimate phase angles for boundary buses without synchrophasor measurements, which extends the application scenario of AAM. AAM is verified for a power transmission area in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council system with both simulated data and synchrophasor measurements recorded from real events. A utility deployment for real-time application of AAM with livestream and recorded synchrophasor data is described.

There is evidence that major depressive disorder (MDD) is related to serum lipid level alterations. However, the neural correlates underlying this association remain poorly understood. Forty-nine patients with MDD and fifty healthy controls (HCs) underwent structural, resting-state functional and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging scans. Voxel-based morphometry, functional connectivity (FC) and tract-based spatial statistics analyses were performed to assess brain structure and function, respectively. Blood samples were collected to measure serum levels of lipid variables including total cholesterol, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to investigate the associations of serum lipid levels with brain imaging measures in MDD patients and HCs, respectively. We found that the serum HDL-C level in MDD patients was lower than that in HCs. The lower serum HDL-C level was associated with lower gray matter volume (GMV) in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), higher within-network FC of the default mode network, and lower micro-structural integrity in multiple white matter regions in MDD patients. Moreover, the within-default mode network FC mediated the relationship between GMV in VMPFC and serum HDL-C level; white matter integrity in genu of corpus callosum mediated the relationship between serum HDL-C level and depressive symptom severity. However, we did not observe any correlations between serum lipids and brain imaging parameters in HCs. These findings help to identify neural correlates underlying the association between depression and serum HDL-C change, which may provide new insight into intervention, treatment and prevention of depression from the perspective of regulating serum lipids.

MicroRNA (miR)-137 is highly expressed in the brain and plays a crucial role in the development and prognosis of glioma. In this review, we aim to summarize the latest findings regarding miR-137 in glioma cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, drug resistance, and cancer treatment. In addition, we focus on the identified miR-137 targets and pathways in the occurrence and development of glioma. Finally, future implications for the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of miR-137 in glioma were discussed., Graphical Abstract, miR-137 is highly expressed in the brain and plays a crucial role in the development and prognosis of glioma. In this review, Ma and colleagues summarize the latest findings regarding miR-137 in glioma cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, drug resistance, and in cancer treatment.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is an economically important pest of cruciferous crops worldwide. This pest is notorious for rapid evolution of the resistance to different classes of insecticides, making it increasingly difficult to control. Genetics‐based control approaches, through manipulation of target genes, have been reported as promising supplements or alternatives to traditional methods of pest management. Here we identified a gene of pigmentation (yellow) in P. xylostella, Pxyellow, which encodes 1674 bp complementary DNA sequence with four exons and three introns. Using the clustered regularly interspersed palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated protein 9 system, we knocked out Pxyellow, targeting two sites in Exon III, to generate 272 chimeric mutants (57% of the CRISPR‐treated individuals) with color‐changed phenotypes of the 1st to 3rd instar larvae, pupae, and adults, indicating that Pxyellow plays an essential role in the body pigmentation of P. xylostella. Fitness analysis revealed no significant difference in the oviposition of adults, the hatchability of eggs, and the weight of pupae between homozygous mutants and wildtypes, suggesting that Pxyellow is not directly involved in regulation of growth, development, or reproduction. This work advances our understanding of the genetic and insect science molecular basis for body pigmentation of P. xylostella, and opens a wide avenue for development of the genetically based pest control techniques using Pxyellow as a screening marker.

Objective: To investigate the impact of recombinant human interferon α1b (rhIFNα1b) treatment in infants hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infections on subsequent wheezing. Methods: The clinical data of infants (n = 540) with viral pneumonia, wheezy bronchitis, or bronchiolitis hospitalized in 19 Chinese hospitals from June 2009 to June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The parameters relevant to wheezing episodes within the last year were collected by telephone and questionnaires. The rhIFNα1b treatment group (n = 253) and control group (n = 287) were compared in terms of wheezing episodes within the last year. Moreover, the wheezing group (95 cases) and non-wheezing group (445 cases) were compared. Results: Out of 540 cases, 95 (17.6%) experienced wheezing episodes, 13.8% (35/253) cases treated with rhIFNα1b, and 20.9% (60/287) cases without rhIFNα1b experienced wheezing episodes within the last year. The rhIFNα1b treatment significantly improved wheezing episodes within the last year, compared with the control peers (p = 0.031). Single-factor regression showed statistically significant differences between the wheezing and non-wheezing groups in terms of age, rhIFNα1b use, childhood and family history of allergy, housing situation, and feeding history (p < 0.05). Binary logistic regression showed a childhood history of allergy (OR = 2.14, p = 0.004), no rhIFNα1b use (OR = 1.70, p = 0.028), and living in a crowded house (OR = 1.92, p = 0.012) might be risk factors of subsequent wheezing. Accordingly, breastfeeding (OR = 0.44, p = 0.008) and hospitalization age of 1-year-old (OR = 0.58, p = 0.024) were protective factors. Conclusions: Early use of rhIFNα1b in infants hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infections and breastfeeding could prevent subsequent wheezing. Living in a crowded house could promote subsequent wheezing.

Most scenes in practical applications are dynamic scenes containing moving objects, so accurately segmenting moving objects is crucial for many computer vision applications. In order to efficiently segment all the moving objects in the scene, regardless of whether the object has a predefined semantic label, we propose a two-level nested octave U-structure network with a multi-scale attention mechanism, called U2-ONet. U2-ONet takes two RGB frames, the optical flow between these frames, and the instance segmentation of the frames as inputs. Each stage of U2-ONet is filled with the newly designed octave residual U-block (ORSU block) to enhance the ability to obtain more contextual information at different scales while reducing the spatial redundancy of the feature maps. In order to efficiently train the multi-scale deep network, we introduce a hierarchical training supervision strategy that calculates the loss at each level while adding knowledge-matching loss to keep the optimization consistent. The experimental results show that the proposed U2-ONet method can achieve a state-of-the-art performance in several general moving object segmentation datasets.

Research on underground coal mines has primarily focused on the stability of roadways. Mining activities lead to significant damage to the surrounding rocks and also degrade the support to the roadways. Considering the 21309 roadway of the Huojitu coal mine as a case study, this work comprehensively analyzed the characteristics of the surrounding rock using three methods: theoretical calculations, FLAC3D numerical modeling, and field observations. The results indicate that, under the influence of secondary mining, the failure range and stress concentration degree of the surrounding rock are considerably higher than those under the influence of primary mining. In this case, the maximum damage range in the surrounding rock can reach 1.8 m, the maximum principal stress can reach 19.82 MPa, and the ratio of the maximum principal stress to the minimum principal stress can reach 1.95. According to the results, the previous support design for roadways was optimized and applied in the field. Field monitoring revealed that the roadway deformation was effectively controlled, and the optimized support design was safe and reliable. This study is expected to serve as a reference for support designs or optimization under similar geological conditions.

Phase-shifting profilometry has been widely used in high-accuracy three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement. However, for dynamic scenarios, the object motion will lead to extra phase shift and then motion-induced error. Convenient and efficient motion-induced error compensation is still challenging. Therefore, we proposed a real-time motion-induced error compensation method for 4-step phase-shifting profilometry. The four phase-shifting images are divided into two groups to calculate two corresponding wrapped phases, one from the first three fringes and the other from the last three fringes. As the motion-induced error doubles the frequency of the projected fringes, the average phase can effectively compensate the motion-induced error because there is a π/2 phase shift between the adjacent frames. Furthermore, we designed a time sequence by recycling the projection fringes in a proper order, and the efficiency of 3D reconstruction could be effectively improved. This method performs pixel-wise error compensation, based on which we realized 50 fps real-time 3D measurement by GPU acceleration. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively reduce the motion-induced error.

Background Azithromycin is a second-generation macrolide antibiotic which can be used in the treatment of diseases caused by sensitive bacterial infections. This article aimed to investigate the safety of azithromycin in the treatment of infectious diseases in children by meta-analysis. Methods PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were selected as the search database platforms. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published after 2010 were searched using the following keywords: "azithromycin", "children", "adverse event", "intravenous event", and "oral". Included studies were all clinical trials of azithromycin in the treatment of pediatric diseases. After inclusion/exclusion criteria screening and bias risk assessment, data were extracted from the included studies. RevMan 5.3.5 software was used for statistical analysis to obtain both forest and funnel plots. Results A total of nine articles involving 3,597 pediatric patients were included in this study. The results of meta-analysis showed that the nine articles exhibited statistical heterogeneity (I2=70%; P=0.001), and thus, a random-effects model was used. The obtained statistic was [odds ratio (OR) =0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI): (0.43, 0.97)], the statistical effect value was Z=2.10, P=0.04, and the difference was statistically significant. After excluding one article, the remaining eight articles showed homogeneity (I2=12%; P=0.34). So, using fixed-effects model analysis, the statistic was [OR =0.79; 95% CI: (0.67, 0.94)], and the effect size value was Z=2.73, P=0.006. Discussion Compared with other antibiotics, the clinical safety of azithromycin is relatively good, but care should be taken when the dosage is high in treating some disease.

This paper is aimed to use a quantitative and visual method to evaluate the history, current and future of publications regarding fake news and rumors on social media. VOSviewer was used to identify and summarize the publications from Scopus and WoS from 2010 to 2020. Publication source, publication organization, authors, country, citation of articles, citation of country and organization were recorded and analyzed. Bibliometric maps of authorship, citation, co-citation and network of co-occurrence of keywords were drawn. 6354 articles and 33503 cited references were analyzed. The United States dominates the publications (1615, 25.4%) and citations (5867). University of Chinese Academic of Sciences (85) is the most productive organization. Loftus (26) is the most productive author. Memory & Cognition published the most papers about fake news and rumors. The latest keyword “machine learning” appeared in 2018 in 182 papers. Other relatively new keywords include “deep learning” “natural language processing” “social media platform” “fake news detection” “rumors detection” which appeared in 2018 in 98, 66, 63, 58, and 52 papers respectively. As for researchers and practitioners, this paper suggests an analysis of integrated visualization in terms of knowledge and innovation based on the area of fake news and rumors.

The N00 mining method, as a novel coal mining technology, differs greatly in both the mining process and key technologies from traditional coal mining methods. To maintain entry stability under such new mining conditions, the stress and deformation process of the rocks surrounding the entry were analyzed based on the Mohr–Coulomb theory in this paper. The following results are concluded: the surrounding rocks of the entry formed with the N00 mining method usually experience eight different stress states. Consequently, the entry deformation also goes through eight development stages. In these eight stages, under the primary stress state (stage I), the entry deformation is negligible. After coal seam excavation is started (stage II), the surrounding rocks of the entry will immediately show a trend of large deformation. Next, after roof support (stage III) and roof cutting (stage IV) are implemented, the entry deformation velocity will decline obviously. However, the entry will continue to deform for a long time when the roof rock stratum at the back of the working face begins to move (stage V). The entry deformation tends to be stable until the roof stratum stops moving (stage VI). When the adjacent working face is mined (stage VII), the entry at a certain distance in front of the working face will once again demonstrate prominent deformation. After the adjacent working face is extracted, the entry will be in the goaf (stage VIII) and become damaged. Furthermore, numerical modeling and engineering measurements are adopted to analyze the deformation and stress evolution process of the surrounding rock. The same results as provided by the theoretical analysis are obtained. The above research results show that there are three potential critical stages for the entry formed by the N00 mining method. To ensure entry stability, the clarification of these three critical stages, timely support and roof cutting are vital measures that can be taken. At the same time, roof temporary support and advance support are essential in the process of roof movement and during the mining of the adjacent working faces.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entangled states can significantly enhance the secret key rate and secure distance of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD). In practical imperfections always exist in the preparation of two-mode squeezing (entangled states), which present an asymmetrical variance for the two quadratures. The imperfections induced by the bias effect of the entangled states are commonly treated as part of the untrusted channel to decrease the performance of the system. Here, we theoretically quantify the influence of bias effect on the secret key rate and secure distance, and propose a solution of generating unbiased entangled states protocol. The results demonstrated that the unbiased entangled states protocol guarantees the longest secure distance and highest key rate compared to that of coherent and biased entangled states.

Highlights • Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL) involving different primary extranodal sites have distinct clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. • Patients with extranodal DLBCL have an increased risk of SMN than the US general population(SIR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11–1.26). • The risk of SMN significantly differs according to the location of DLBCL, age, sex and latency. • Different anatomical sites tend to develop different types of second tumors. • The strategies for cancer surveillance after extranodal DLBCL diagnosis may need to be individualized according to the subsite of extranodal DLBCL., Background Recent studies have reported that diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) involving different primary extranodal sites have distinct clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. However, the risk of secondary malignant neoplasms (SMNs) in DLBCL survivors with different primary extranodal sites are unknown. Methods A total of 40,714 patients diagnosed with stage I/II DLBCL were included from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1983 to 2015.The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and absolute excess risk (AER) were used to assess the risk of SMNs. Results The results show that the risk of SMN was significantly higher in extranodal DLBCL than in the US general population (SIR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11–1.26), and the risk of developing SMN remains significantly elevated with increased latency. Moreover, there were multiple site-specific risk patterns. There was a 22%, 44%, 66%, 123% and 151% increased risk of SMN 10 years after primary gastrointestinal tract, head/neck, skeletal, lung and liver/pancreas DLBCL diagnosis, respectively. There was a significant decrease risk of SMN with increasing age at diagnosis for primary gastrointestinal tract and skeletal DLBCL. In addition, DLBCL patients with primary sites in the gastrointestinal tract, thyroid and liver/pancreas had the highest incidences of secondary stomach cancer, second thyroid cancer, and second hepatobiliary cancer, respectively, which indicated that the initial site of DLBCL may predict the type of SMN. Conclusions The strategies for cancer surveillance after extranodal DLBCL diagnosis may need to be individualized according to the subsite of extranodal DLBCL.

Functional and structural disturbances in the orbitofrontal–striatal–thalamic circuitry are thought to be associated with mental symptoms and neurocognitive impairments in schizophrenia. This study tested whether synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97), a reasonable candidate gene for schizophrenia, is related to orbitofrontal–striatal–thalamic connection changes in first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and the clinical performance of schizophrenic patients by affecting this integrity. Fifty-two FES patients and 52 matched healthy controls were recruited. All subjects underwent genotyping via the improved multiplex ligation detection reaction technique and scanning with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide orbitofrontal–striatal–thalamic functional and structural imaging data. A two-way analysis of covariance model was employed to examine abnormal brain connectivities, and Spearman correlations were applied to estimate the relationships between brain connectivity and clinical manifestations. In the FES group, those with the SAP97 rs3915512 TT genotype showed lower structural and functional connectivity than A allele carriers between the orbitofrontal gyrus and striatum/thalamus. In the FES group, negative correlations were found between resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the orbitofrontal gyrus and thalamus, and positive symptoms between structural connections in the orbitofrontal gyrus and striatum and cognitive functions, and positive correlations were suggested between RSFC in the orbitofrontal gyrus and thalamus and negative symptoms. Our findings suggested that the SAP97 rs3915512 polymorphism may be involved in mental symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in FES patients by influencing structural and functional connectivity of the orbitofrontal–striatal and orbitofrontal–thalamic regions.

Nuclear casein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate 1 (nucks1) are considered a potential susceptibility gene for certain neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). In our study, we genotyped three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs4951261, rs823114 and rs951366) of the nucks1 gene in 774 schizophrenic patients and 819 healthy controls using the improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (imLDR) technique. Furthermore, we also studied the relationship between the above SNPs and the clinical psychiatric symptoms and neurocognitive function of the patients. Genotype distributions and allele frequencies of these SNPs showed no significant differences and were found between patients and healthy controls. However, in an analysis of the positive symptom score of rs823114 among male patients, we found that the score of the A/A genotype was lower than that of the G/A+G/G genotypes (P = 0.001, P(corr) = 0.003]. Additionally, we also found that among the female patients, G allele carriers with rs823114 had lower semantic fluency scores than subjects with the A/A genotype (P = 0.010, P(corr) = 0.030]. Our data show for the first time that rs823114 polymorphism of nucks1 may affect positive symptoms and neurocognitive function in patients with schizophrenia in parts of southern China.

The 110 mining method, an emerging and innovative nonpillar longwall mining method, can dramatically increase coal recovery rates and reduce entry accidents. One of the core techniques of this method is roof splitting, the operation that is directly related to the stability of the retained entry. In this work, a directional roof split blasting (DRSB) technique was introduced, and the effects of DRSB on the stability of the entry surroundings were comprehensively studied at the meso- and macrolevels. First, a micromechanical damage model considering the heterogeneity of the roof rock was developed using the finite element method (FEM), and the blasting-induced damage evolution in the roof rock was numerically explored using the FEM model. Subsequently, the macroeffects of DRSB were studied using the finite difference method (FDM). A meticulously validated FDM numerical model incorporating a double-yield model for the gob materials and calibrated parameters was developed to investigate the effects of roof splitting on the stabilities of the entry surroundings. The numerical simulation results were finally verified using on-site monitoring data. These results indicate that the DRSB technique could effectively control crack propagation in the roof rock and protect the entry roof from being fragmented or damaged. Macroscopic analysis revealed that applications of DRSB affected the stress distributions and failure states of the entry surroundings. As the roof splitting effects were enhanced, more vertical stresses were transferred to the gob area, causing the stress concentrations in the entry surroundings to be mitigated. Consequently, the deformations in the entry surroundings were reduced, and the stability of the retained entry was improved. The proposed models and obtained results potentially produce reasonable values for the applications of pillarless mining in similar projects.

Gob-side entry retaining is an environmentally friendly nonpillar mining technology with high efficiency and safety. With the continuous exploration of the gob-side entry retained by filling (GERF) with roadside supports, the GERF has enabled nonpillar mining. However, dense roadside supports or filled artificial pillars become subject to the pressure of roof pressure instead of coal pillars, which causes problems. Recently, an original innovative gob-side entry retaining technology by roof cutting and pressure relief (RCPR) was developed and extensively implemented in China’s coal production. The gob-side entry formed by different retaining methods has exhibited some differences in the strata behaviors and the results of retained roadways. Via industrial case and numerical simulation, this study explored the influence of entry retaining methods on the results of the entry retained. The results indicate that the total deformation of the surrounding rock of the GERF is larger and more severe; the convergence between the roof and floor and the entry sides displacement is 885 mm and 216 mm, respectively; the hydraulic support pressure near the retained entry is larger; and the peak value is 38.7 MPa. The deformation of the surrounding rock by RCPR is relatively small; the convergence between the roof and the floor and the entry sides displacement is 351 mm and 166 mm, respectively; the hydraulic support pressure near the retained entry is weakened to a certain extent; the peak value is 32.2 MPa; and the peak pressure is reduced by 16.8% compared with the GERF. A numerical simulation analysis reveals the following findings: RCPR changes the surrounding rock structure of a gob-side entry, optimizes the surrounding rock stress environment, and belongs to active pressure-relief entry retaining; the GERF does not adjust the surrounding rock structure of a gob-side entry and belongs to passive pressure-resistance entry retaining; and the surrounding rock of a gob-side entry is significantly affected by pressure. These two methods of gob-side entry retaining have different effects on the surrounding rock of the entry retained. This study can contribute to an exploration of the strata behaviors and the results of a retained roadway by the GERF or RCPR method.

This paper proposes a machine learning approach for placing control actuators to enhance dynamic performance in power systems with high penetration of renewable energy. The method transforms the placement problem into a classification problem by studying the relationship between system topological, physical and operational features, and dynamic performance related labels. The proposed framework includes four stages: power system setup; dataset creation; feature extraction and analytical model generation, and creating guidelines for system planners. Test results in the IEEE 39-bus system and the IEEE 118-bus system determine the most significant features including inertia, topological, and impedance distributions. This paper also contributes to providing general criteria and guidance for system planners to place the control resources for improving oscillation damping, voltage, and transient stability issues.

Background: Previous studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding corticospinal tract (CST) changes in alcohol dependence. Here, we aimed to clarify this issue by examining the micro-structural integrity differences of distinct CST segments between alcohol-dependent patients and healthy controls. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging was performed in a total of 39 male individuals, including 19 alcohol-dependent patients and 20 age-matched healthy controls. CST was reconstructed using tractography and was divided into inferior and superior segments at the level of the lateral sulcus. Multiple diffusion measures of each segment were compared between two groups. Results: For the bilateral whole CSTs, no diffusion measures showed significant between-group differences. However, compared to healthy controls, alcohol-dependent patients exhibited decreased FA and increased RD in the left-superior segment, increased FA and decreased RD/MD in the left-inferior segment, increased AD/MD in the right-superior segment, decreased RD/MD in the right-inferior segment. Conclusions: These findings suggest that CST impairments may vary with the fibre arrangement patterns of its segments in alcohol dependence. Keypoints We reconstructed the CST using tractography based on DTI data and divided the CST into different segments in order to explore more detailed micro-structural integrity changes in alcoholisms. Alcohol-dependent patients showed decreased RD and MD for the bilateral inferior segments of the CSTs. The left-superior segment exhibited decreased FA and increased RD while the right one exhibited increased AD and MD. These findings suggest that CST impairments may vary with the fiber arrangement patterns of its segments in alcohol dependence. In future work, more elaborate segmentation schemes and lager samples should be used to test the reproducibility of our findings.

The defects on a ground steel ball surface are very tiny and almost invisible; the existence of the defects will extremely influence the working stability of bearing system. To detect the surface quality on a steel ball effectively, dual wavelength coaxial optical fiber sensor technology is applied in this paper, and the defects are quantified as the characteristic parameters of displacement and roughness. The Matlab software was used to simulate the light intensity modulation characteristic ratio curve of displacement and roughness detection, the initial installation interval was determined as 0.8 mm between steel ball and the fiber sensor, and the wavelengths of light source were 1310 nm and 1550 nm. Experimental results showed that the coaxial optical fiber was suitable to detect the displacement, and dual wavelength to detect the roughness. The maximum errors of sensor displacement and roughness calibration experiment were 1.67% and 2.32% respectively in the measurement of steel ball with diameter 7.938 mm. The difference between the output curves was used to identify the defective balls from the good ones, which verifies the feasibility of the methods to detect the steel ball surface defects.

Squeezed state light is a fundamental resource for many quantum optics experiments. Important applications like quantum-enhanced magnetometer and quantum key distribution, require the squeezing level as high as possible. In balanced homodyne detection, the detector output is directly proportional to the noise of the squeezed beam. The detected quadrature is dependent on the relative phase between the squeezed beam and local oscillator. Here, we present a balanced homodyne detector (BHD) with independent phase control and noise detection branches. The independence between the phase control and noise detection branches is experimentally verified, the two branches are independently optimized according to the practical requirements. With the BHD, a bright squeezed light at 1550 nm with quantum noise reduction of 10.3 dB is directly detected. After stabilizing the relative phase between the squeezed states and local oscillator by the phase locking branch of the BHD, the fluctuation of the noise suppression is ±0.2 dB by 1-h testing time.

Industrial polymerization plants experience frequent changes of products, driven by end-use properties to meet various market requirements. Good transition policies are essential to save time and materials. In this study, the gas-phase catalytic polymerization is modeled in a fluidized bed reactor by a single-phase model and dynamic optimization is implemented to determine optimal operating sequences for grade changes. Two optimization formulations, a single-stage and a multi-stage formulation, are introduced and compared. The superiority of the multi-stage formulation is concluded owing to better control at each stage during the transition and a further reduction of off-grade time. Subsequently, an on-line optimal control framework is established by incorporating a shrinking horizon nonlinear model predictive control with an expanding horizon weighted least-squares estimator for process states and unknown parameters. The results of a case study indicate the designed framework is able to overcome certain levels of uncertainty, while reducing the transition time.

Urban green spaces could play a more prominent role than other types of urban open space in providing high quality soundscapes. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationships between people’s visit motivation, along with other social/demographical/behavioral as well as visual landscape factors and soundscape experiences in terms of the perceived occurrences and loudness of individual sounds, the preference for individual sounds, as well as overall soundscape preference in urban green spaces. This was based on a questionnaire survey of 400 users in four urban green spaces in Rostock, Germany. The results showed that street traffic sounds were the least preferred, but in a dominating position either in perceived occurrences or loudness, while bird song and water sound were the most preferred sounds. Among the social/demographical/behavioral factors length of stay was the most associated one with soundscape experiences, especially the perception of street traffic sound and bird song. All the five visit motivations were positively related to overall soundscape preference, with “Enjoy a quiet environment” showing the highest correlation coefficient (0.323). “Enjoy the scenery or atmosphere” showed the most significant relationships with perception of individual sounds, with totally 10 different perception parameters. The perception of street traffic sound, motorcycle noise, bird song and water sounds were more associated with visual landscape preference than other kinds of sound. Besides, overall soundscape preference could be affected by visual landscape preference indirectly through the perceived occurrences and loudness of certain sounds. The results suggested that sound sensibility indicated by perceived occurrences of individual sounds was more associated with the examined factors. These findings could be instructive in the soundscape and landscape planning and designing process of urban green spaces.

Depression and suicidal behaviors are two common psychiatric problems observed among people living with HIV. The situation is worse among HIV-infected inmates. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression and suicidal behaviors among HIV-infected inmates, and to clarify the mechanisms underlying the impact of HIV-related stigma on suicidal behaviors. The data from 402 HIV-infected inmates in Lesotho showed the prevalence of depression and suicidal behaviors was 53.0% and 8.2%. Female and institution maladaptation were risk factors for depression, and the risk factor for suicidal behaviors was non-participation of institution activities. Moreover, HIV-related stigma indirectly increased inmates' suicidal behaviors through elevated depression. Such indirect effect was stronger for inmates with a lower level of meaning in life. These findings indicate more concern should be given to high-risk subgroups, and both depression and meaning in life are intervention targets for suicide prevention among HIV-infected inmates.La depresión y las conductas suicidas son dos problemas psiquiátricos comunes que se observan entre las personas que viven con el VIH. La situación es peor entre los reclusos infectados por el VIH. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la prevalencia y los factores asociados de la depresión y las conductas suicidas entre los reclusos infectados por el VIH, y aclarar los mecanismos subyacentes al impacto del estigma relacionado con el VIH en las conductas suicidas. Los datos de 402 reclusos infectados por el VIH en Lesotho mostraron que la prevalencia de depresión y conductas suicidas fue del 53.0% y el 8.2%. La mala adaptación de la mujer y la institución fueron factores de riesgo de depresión y el factor de riesgo de conductas suicidas fue la no participación en las actividades de la institución. Además, el estigma relacionado con el VIH aumentó indirectamente las conductas suicidas de los reclusos a través de una depresión elevada. Este efecto indirecto fue más fuerte para los reclusos con un nivel más bajo de significado en la vida. Estos hallazgos indican que se debe prestar más atención a los subgrupos de alto riesgo, y tanto la depresión como el significado de la vida son objetivos de intervención para la prevención del suicidio de los reclusos infectados por el VIH.

BACKGROUND: There is still no reasonably accurate method of preoperatively predicting central lymph node metastasis (LNM), and it is essential to develop an effective evaluation model for predicting LNM in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. METHODS: PTC samples were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Candidate genes were identified as continuously upregulated or downregulated genes in the process of N0 to N1a and N1a to N1b. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was used to construct the predictive model for LNM. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to screen the potential factors related to LNM, and a nomogram was established. The risk score of the gene signature model for predicting disease-free survival (DFS) was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: A 14-gene signature was developed by LASSO regression for predicting LNM based on 69 differential expression genes (DEGs) that were continuously upregulated or downregulated in the progress of PTC. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the 14-gene signature predicting LNM, central LNM and lateral LNM were generated. The area under the ROC (AUC) values were 0.806 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7608–0.8815], 0.755 (95% CI: 0.6839–0.8263) and 0.821 (95% CI: 0.7608–0.8815). The nomogram’s C-index value, including the 14-gene signature and other potential risk factors, was 0.786 (95% CI: 0.7296–0.8425), and the calibration exhibited fairly good consistency with the perfect prediction. Based on the 14-gene risk score, high-risk PTC patients had a worse DFS. CONCLUSIONS: A novel 14-gene signature was developed for predicting LNM in PTC patients. The risk score also correlated with DFS in PTC patients.

Due to the frequent occurrence of transient faults on overhead lines, the use of DC reclosing strategy can effectively improve its power supply reliability. However, when the DC grid coincides with a permanent fault, it will cause a secondary impact problem, endangering system operation and equipment safety. A fault location and reclosing scheme of DC distribution network based on parallel module is proposed. The parallel module consists of an energy absorption module and an energy storage module. The energy absorption module cooperates with the hybrid MMC to collect the residual energy of the current-limiting reactor and the line reactance. In addition, the energy storage module will also be connected to the absorption capacitor of the energy absorption module to charge it, so as to prevent the voltage traveling wave amplitude emitted by the absorption capacitor from being too low during the fault reclosing judgment, which will affect the judgment result. At the same time, using the principle of traveling wave ranging, the scheme also has the function of fault location. Finally, the simulation results prove that the method is effective and feasible.

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a promising topology in the field of DC distribution system. However, MMCs are vulnerable to the DC-line short-circuit faults. In this paper, an improved half-and-full-bridge MMC (IHF-MMC) topology is proposed. The transferring path of fault current in bridge arm is composed of a thyristor branch and current-transferring branch; on the other hand, the upper arm of phase C adopts unipolar-voltage full-bridge submodules instead of half-bridge submodules to absorb fault energy. After the DC fault occurs, the fault current is transferred to the upper arm of phase C, and then interrupted by the submodules through sequential coordination of two additional branches. The operation principle in different fault stages is analyzed in detail in this paper, and a ± 10kV/2.5MW simulation model is built in MATLAB/Simulink to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology.

Objective To explore the effects of wedelolactone (WEL) on sepsis-induced renal injury in the human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line HK-2. Methods HK-2 cells were stimulated by 1 µg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to trigger renal injury in vitro. HK-2 cells were pretreated with or without WEL (0.1, 1 and 10 µM) before LPS stimulation. Protein and mRNA analyses were performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blot analysis and quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to measure cell viability and the rate of cell apoptosis. Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) knockdown was induced by the transection of HK-2 cells with short hairpin RNA. Results Cell viability was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner by WEL in LPS-induced HK-2 cells. WEL also decreased the levels of four inflammatory cytokines and cell apoptosis in LPS-induced HK-2 cells. The level of PTPN2 was increased after WEL treatment. PTPN2 knockdown partly abolished the inhibitory effects of WEL on cell apoptosis, the levels of inflammatory cytokines and on p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor-kappaB signalling in LPS-induced HK-2 cells. Conclusion WEL improved renal injury by suppressing inflammation and cell apoptosis through upregulating PTPN2 in HK-2 cells. PTPN2 might be used as a potential therapeutic target for LPS-induced sepsis.

Conventional uniaxial techniques generally require shifting objects or projection grating with the assistance of a high-precision mechanical moving component. To overcome this limitation, we propose a novel uniaxial 3-D shape measurement system with auto-synchronous phase-shifting and defocusing by using a tilted and fixed projection grating. The tilted focused image plane (FIP), which is reflected by a mirror at about 90 degrees, could be shifted across the measured surface by slightly rotating the mirror within a small angle range. This procedure will simultaneously introduce the change in defocusing and phase-shifting of the fringe. The modulation curve of each point can be deciphered by Fourier fringe analysis after a sequence of fringe intensities is acquired. Since both the measured object and projection grating are fixed, the proposed method could make the measurement system more compact and flexible. Both computer simulation and experiments are carried out to demonstrate the validity of this proposed system.

Objective This study aimed to identify the risk factors for death in patients with sepsis-related myocardial injury. Methods A retrospective study was conducted in 158 patients with sepsis-related myocardial injury in a mixed medical intensive care unit from January 2009 to March 2020. The patients were divided into those who survived and those who died on the basis of whether they survived after 28 days. Demographic and clinical parameters were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was performed. Results Sixty-nine (43.7%) patients died within 28 days after admission to the intensive care unit. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the oxygenation index (odds ratio [OR]: 0.979, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.970–0.989), acute kidney injury (OR: 4.787, 95% CI: 1.674–13.693), norepinephrine dose (OR: 1.706, 95% CI: 1.375–2.117), and abdominopelvic cavity infection (OR: 0.257, 95% CI: 0.076–0.866) were significantly associated with mortality within 28 days after admission in patients with sepsis-related myocardial injury. Conclusions Patients with sepsis-related myocardial injury have a high mortality rate. A high oxygenation index, occurrence of acute kidney injury, high norepinephrine dose, and occurrence of abdominopelvic cavity infection are independent risk factors for 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis-related myocardial injury.

To scale quantum information processing, quantum state distributors are an indispensable technology in quantum networks. We present a universal scheme of a continuous variable quantum state distributor that performs point-to-multipoint distributions via quantum teleportation with partially disembodied transport. The fidelity of the state at the output nodes can be conveniently manipulated as needed by engineering the correlation noise of the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) beam. For a 1 → 2 distributor, controllable distributions were demonstrated by manipulating the squeezing factor of EPR entanglement. The fidelities of the two receivers gradually changed from (2/3, 2/3) to (0.95, 0.17) corresponding to the transition from symmetric to asymmetric quantum cloning.

The chimera antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a novel and potential targeted therapy and has achieved satisfactory efficacy in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM) in recent years. However, cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and clinical efficacy have become the major obstacles which limit the application of CAR-T in clinics. To explore the potential biomarkers in plasma for evaluating CRS and clinical efficacy, we performed metabolomic and lipidomic profiling of plasma samples from 17 relapsed or refractory MM patients received CAR-T therapy. Our study showed that glycerophosphocholine (GPC), an intermediate of platelet-activating factor (PAF)-like molecule, was significantly decreased when the participants underwent CRS, and the remarkable elevation of lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs), which were catalyzed by lysoPC acyltransferase (LPCAT) was a distinct metabolism signature of relapsed or refractory MM patients with prognostic value post-CAR-T therapy. Both GPC and lysoPC are involved in platelet-activating factor (PAF) remodeling pathway. Besides, these findings were validated by LPCAT1 expression, a key factor in the PAF pathway, associated with poor outcome in three MM GEP datasets of MM. In conclusion, CAR-T therapy alters PAF synthesis in MM patients, and targeting PAF remodeling may be a promising strategy to enhance MM CAR-T therapy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13045-021-01101-6.

Weight loss is common in patients with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and associated with disease progression. Loss of appetite has been shown to be a contributor to weight loss in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the reason of loss of appetite is not clear. The Council on Nutrition appetite questionnaire (CNAQ) and the simplified nutritional appetite questionnaire (SNAQ) are short and simple appetite assessment tools, which were using in ALS patients. In our study, the CNAQ and SNAQ were translated into Chinese, and their reliability and validity were tested. The Chinese version of the CNAQ (CNAQ-C) presented more appropriate reliability and validity than the SNAQ. Among the 94 ALS patients, 50 patients (53.2%) had loss of appetite, and we found that anxiety and/or depression contributed to the loss of appetite in the ALS patients. We reconfirmed that loss of appetite was associated with greater weight loss but not with clinical features of ALS. The loss of appetite caused by emotional problems in ALS patients should be taken seriously, and early intervention should be implemented to reduce weight loss.

Allotransplantation has extensively been employed for managing end-stage organ failure and malignant tumors. Acute and chronic post-transplant rejections are major causes of late morbidity and mortality after allotransplantation. However, there are no objective diagnostic criteria and specific therapy for post-transplant rejections. Owing to key advances in high-throughput RNA sequencing techniques, a wealth of studies have disclosed that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression increased or decreased evidently in biopsies, blood, plasma, urine and specific cells of rejecting patients, and the dysregulated lncRNAs affected the cellular functions and differentiation of the immune system. Hence, we present an overview of the functions of lncRNAs expressed in various immune cells related to allotransplant rejection. Moreover, our review explores the regulatory interplay of relevant lncRNAs and recipients with or without allograft rejection after solid organ transplantations or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, then discuss whether these relevant lncRNAs can be molecular biomarkers for diagnosis and new therapeutic targets in the management of post-transplanted patients.

Objective: To investigate the effects of microRNA-137 (MIR137) polymorphisms (rs1198588 and rs2660304) on the risk of schizophrenia in a Han Chinese population.Methods: Schizophrenia was diagnosed according to the DSM-5. Clinical symptoms and cognitive functions were assessed with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), respectively. The polymorphisms were genotyped by improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (iMLDR) technology in 1,116 patients with schizophrenia and 1,039 healthy controls.Results: Significant associations were found between schizophrenia and MIR137 in the distributions of genotypes (p = 0.037 for rs1198588; p = 0.037 for rs2660304, FDR corrected) and alleles (p = 0.043 for rs1198588; p = 0.043 for rs2660304, FDR corrected) of two SNPs. When the population was stratified by sex, we found female-specific associations between MIR137 and schizophrenia in terms of genotype and allele distributions of rs1198588 (χ2 = 4.41, p = 0.036 and χ2 = 4.86, p = 0.029, respectively, FDR corrected) and rs2660304 (χ2 = 4.74, p=0.036 and χ2 = 4.80, p = 0.029, respectively, FDR corrected). Analysis of the MIR137 haplotype rs1198588-rs2660304 showed a significant association with schizophrenia in haplotype T-T [χ2 = 4.60, p = 0.032, OR = 1.32, 95% CI (1.02–1.70)]. Then, significant female-specific associations were found with the haplotypes T-T and G-A [χ2 = 4.92, p = 0.027, OR = 1.62, 95% CI (1.05–2.50); χ2 = 4.42, p = 0.035, OR = 0.62, 95% CI (0.39–0.97), respectively]. When the TT genotype of rs1198588 was compared to the GT+GG genotype, a clinical characteristics analysis also showed a female-specific association in category instances (t = 2.76, p = 0.042, FDR corrected).Conclusion: The polymorphisms within the MIR137 gene are associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia, and a female-specific association of MIR137 with schizophrenia was reported in a Han Chinese population.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common arthritis with a rapidly increasing prevalence. Disease progression is irreversible, and there is no curative therapy available. During OA onset, abnormal mechanical loading leads to excessive osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in subchondral bone, causing a rapid subchondral bone turnover, cyst formation, sclerosis, and finally, articular cartilage degeneration. Moreover, osteoclast-mediated angiogenesis and sensory innervation in subchondral bone result in abnormal vascularization and OA pain. The traditional Chinese medicine Panax notoginseng (PN; Sanqi) has long been used in treatment of bone diseases including osteoporosis, bone fracture, and OA. In this study we established two-dimensional/bone marrow mononuclear cell/cell membrane chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry (2D/BMMC/CMC/TOFMS) technique and discovered that diterbutyl phthalate (DP) was the active constituent in PN inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. Then we explored the therapeutic effect of DP in an OA mouse model with anterior cruciate ligament transaction (ACLT). After ACLT was conducted, the mice received DP (5 mg·kg(–1)·d(–1), ip) for 8 weeks. Whole knee joint tissues of the right limb were harvested at weeks 2, 4, and 8 for analysis. We showed that DP administration impeded overactivated osteoclastogenesis in subchondral bone and ameliorated articular cartilage deterioration. DP administration blunted aberrant H-type vessel formation in subchondral bone marrow and alleviated OA pain assessed in Von Frey test and thermal plantar test. In RANKL-induced RAW264.7 cells in vitro, DP (20 μM) retarded osteoclastogenesis by suppressing osteoclast fusion through inhibition of the ERK/c-fos/NFATc1 pathway. DP treatment also downregulated the expression of dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP) and d2 isoform of the vacuolar (H+) ATPase V0 domain (Atp6v0d2) in the cells. In conclusion, we demonstrate that DP prevents OA progression by inhibiting abnormal osteoclastogenesis and associated angiogenesis and neurogenesis in subchondral bone.

Background: Interleukin-17C (IL-17C), a member of the IL-17 cytokine family, plays a pathogenic role in kidney diseases. Our previous studies have shown that pre-administration of IL-17C neutralizing antibody protected against acute renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) in mice. However, whether post-IR of IL-17C blockade has therapeutic effects on AKI and whether IL-17C is involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN), a major type of chronic kidney disease, remain unknown. Methods: 12-week-old male C57BL/6JGpt mice were treated with IL-17C neutralizing antibody or normal IgG1 control antibody at 3 hours after reperfusion. Renal injury, inflammation and oxidative stress were assessed. Additionally, we examined renal IL-17C expression in patients with DN and db/db mice and evaluated albuminuria, mesangial matrix accumulation and podocyte loss in db/db mice with IL-17C neutralization. To further explore the possible signaling pathway involved in IL-17C regulation, NF-κB and HIF-1α pathways were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Findings: Renal dysfunction, oxidative stress and renal tubular injury were remarkably blunted by post-IR administration of an IL-17C neutralizing antibody in mice with renal IRI. Additionally, we found that renal IL-17C expression was significantly increased in patients with DN and db/db mice while IL-17C blockade significantly attenuated diabetic nephropathy, accompanied with blunted albuminuria, mesangial matrix accumulation and podocyte loss. Moreover, IL-17C neutralization significantly repressed the expression of downstream proinflammatory cytokines, inflammatory cells infiltration and Th17/IL-17A activation both in mice with renal IRI and DN. Mechanistical studies demonstrated that hypoxia and high glucose both resulted in IL-17C upregulation in renal tubular cells through NF-κB pathway other than HIF-1α pathway. Interpretation: IL-17C participates in the pathogenesis of AKI and DN and inhibition of IL-17C shows potential as a therapeutic strategy for AKI and DN. Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81770741, 81700601 and 81870504). Declaration of Interests: The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists. Ethics Approval Statement: Protocols involving the use of human medical information and kidney biopsy samples were approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital. The study was conducted in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, and all subjects signed the informed consent. All animal experiments and procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital.