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An improved artificial bee colony algorithm is proposed in this paper to improve the problems of strong exploration ability, weak exploitation ability and being easy to fall into local optimum of the basic artificial bee colony algorithm. The quality of the initial solution is improved by adopting the principle of equally spaced random distribution in the initialization phase. In the stage of employed bee and onlooker bee, it introduces the two-way search strategy and the adaptive decision factor γ, which also changes the search step length at the same time to balance algorithm exploration and exploitation capabilities by replacing the original search strategy. fifteen benchmark test functions were used to verify the optimal search ability of the improved artificial bee colony algorithm, and the improved algorithm was successfully applied to the finite element model modification. The results show that the improved algorithm can effectively improve and balance the exploitation and exploration ability of the algorithm, and show excellent global search ability. At the same time, the improved algorithm has higher correction efficiency and better applicability and practicability in the finite element model modification.

The take-all disease of wheat is one of the most serious diseases in the field of food security in the world. There is no effective biological pesticide to prevent the take-all disease of wheat. 2-Hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ) was reported to possess a better inhibitory effect on the take-all disease of wheat than phenazine-1-carboxylic acid, which was registered as "Shenqinmycin" in China in 2011. The aim of this study was to construct a 2-OH-PHZ high-producing strain by strain screening, genome sequencing, genetic engineering, and fermentation optimization. First, the metabolites of the previously screened new phenazine-producing Pseudomonas sp. strain were identified, and the taxonomic status of the new Pseudomonas sp. strain was confirmed through 16S rRNA and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Then, the new Pseudomonas sp. strain was named Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca LX24, which is a new subspecies of P. chlororaphis that can synthesize 2-OH-PHZ. Next, the draft genome of strain LX24 was determined, and clusters of orthologous group (COG) analysis, KEGG analysis, and gene ontology (GO) analysis of strain LX24 were performed. Furthermore, the production of 2-OH-PHZ increased to 351.7 from 158.6 mg/L by deletion of the phenazine synthesis negative regulatory genes rpeA and rsmE in strain LX24. Finally, the 2-OH-PHZ production of strain LX24 reached 677.1 mg/L after fermentation optimization, which is the highest production through microbial fermentation reported to date. This work provides a reference for the efficient production of other pesticides and antibiotics.

Maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes in the offspring, but limited studies focused on the impacts of gaseous air pollution on newborn congenital hypothyroidism (CH). Therefore, a national data-based analysis was conducted to explore the association between maternal exposure to gaseous air pollution and the incidence of CH in China. Annual average exposure levels of SO2, NO2, CO, and O3 from January 1, 2014, to December 30, 2014, were acquired from the Chinese Air Quality Online Monitoring and Analysis Platform. The annual incidence of newborn CH from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015, was collected from the Chinese Maternal and Child Health Surveillance Network. Temperature and toxic metal in wastewater in 2014 were also collected as covariates. Maternal exposure to O3 and NO2 in 1 μg/m3 level increment was positively associated with newborn CH, with an OR of 1.055 (95% CI 1.011, 1.102) and 1.097 (95% CI 1.019, 1.182) after adjusting for covariates completely. Compared with the lowest level of O3, maternal exposure to the 4th quartile of O3 was positively associated with newborn CH (OR 1.393, 95% CI 1.081, 1.794) after adjusting for covariates completely. And the 3rd and 4th quartiles of NO2 were associated positively with CH (OR 1.576, 95% CI 1.025, 2.424, and OR 1.553, 95% CI 0.999, 2.414, respectively) compared with the lowest level of NO2. By fitting the ROC curve, 93.688 μg/m3 in O3 might be used as cutoff to predict the incidence of newborn CH in China.

Conventional assays for identifying polymorphism of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene (rs671) are based on electrophoresis, fluorescence-labeled probes or sequencing, which are laborious and expensive. Herein, we proposed a visualized detection of ALDH2 genotype by PCR-based serial invasive reaction coupled with gold nanoparticle probe (GNP) assembling, in which target DNAs were firstly amplified by PCR, and then the alleles on the amplicons were identified by serial invasive reaction, and finally the genotyping results could be read out with naked eyes by observing the color changes caused by GNP assembling. If the allele-specific invasive probe matched the target sequence, the hairpin probe could be cleaved into two parts by Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1). As a result, the GNPs could not be aggregated by the hairpin probe, keeping the solution red. Otherwise, the intact hairpin probe caused the aggregation of GNPs, leading to the color change from red to purple or clear. Therefore, the genotyping result could be read out with naked eyes by observing the color changes of the reaction. As low as 80 pg of genomic DNA could be accurately genotyped, and the genotyping results of 207 clinical samples were consistent with that of pyrosequencing, indicating that the proposed method has great potential in genotyping of personalized medicine-related single nucleotide polymorphism.

Purpose The MRI features of Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered and glioma in the midline without H3 K27-altered were compared and analyzed, and the changes in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the two groups were quantitatively analyzed. Methods The MRI images of 35 patients with Diffuse midline gliomas, H3 K27-altered and gliomas in the midline without H3 K27-altered were analyzed retrospectively. The location, edge, signal, peritumoral edema and enhancement characteristics of the lesions were observed, and the changes in ADC values were analyzed. Results In the H3 K27-altered group, 85.7% (12/14) of the tumors were located in the thalamus and brainstem compared with 28.6% (6/21) in the no H3 K27-altered group. In the H3 K27-altered group, for tumors only located in the midline area, only 14.3% (1/7) had irregular shapes and unclear boundaries, while for tumors also invaded the extramidline tissues 85.7% (6/7) had irregular shapes and unclear boundaries.The"basilar artery wrapped sign” was found in 6 patients with tumors located in the pons in the H3 K27-altered group, but none in the no H3 K27-altered group had this sign. In the H3 K27-altered group, only 14.3% (1/7) of the tumors confined to the midline area had small cystic degeneration and necrosis, while for tumors also invaded the extramidline tissues, 100% (7/7) of the tumors had cystic degeneration and necrosis, and the cystic degeneration and necrosis only located in the extramidline region of the tumor in 6 cases.A total of 78.6% (11/14) of tumors in the H3 K27-altered group showed mild to moderate enhancement, while 47.6% (10/21) of tumors in the no H3 K27-altered group showed mild to moderate enhancement. The average peritumoral edema index was 1.13 in the H3 K27-altered group and 1.75 in the no H3 K27-altered group. The average ADC value of tumor in the H3 K27-altered group was 7.83 × 10− 4 mm2/s, and the ratio to normal brain tissue was 0.844, while the values in the no H3 K27-altered group were 13.5 × 10− 4 mm2/s and 1.75, respectively. Conclusion Compared with gliomas in the midline without H3 K27-altered, The MRI findings and ADC value of Diffuse midline gliomas, H3K27-altered have some characteristics, which can help improve the diagnosis and differential diagnosis.

Significance A gene regulatory system is an important tool for the engineering of biosynthetic pathways of organisms. Here, we report the development of an inducible-ON/OFF regulatory system using a malO operator as a key element. We identified and modulated sequence, position, numbers, and spacing distance of malO operators, generating a series of activating or repressive promoters with tunable strength. The stringency and robustness are both guaranteed in this system, a maximal induction factor of 790-fold was achieved, and nine proteins from different organisms were expressed with high yields. This system can be utilized as a gene switch, promoter enhancer, or metabolic valve in synthetic biology applications. This operator-based engineering strategy can be employed for developing similar regulatory systems in different microorganisms.

Objective This study investigated the advantages of robot-assisted McKeown esophagectomy (RAME) for extensive superior mediastinal lymph node dissection (LND) versus video-assisted McKeown esophagectomy (VAME). Methods The cases of 184 consecutive esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients who underwent minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (109 with RAME, 75 with VAME) performed by a single surgical group between June 2017 and December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Results Overall, 59.8% (110/181) patients (70 treated with RAME, 40 treated with VAME; 64.2% vs. 53.3%, respectively, p = 0.139) underwent complete LND around the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) by pathological assessment. Cumulative sum plots showed increased numbers of LND around the left RLN (3.6 ± 2.0 vs. 5.4 ± 2.7, p = 0.008) and a decreased incidence of recurrent nerve injury (27.9% vs. 7.4%, p = 0.037) after RAME learning curve. Despite similar overall LND results (30.6 ± 10.2 vs. 28.1 ± 10.2, p > 0.05), RAME yielded more LND (5.4 ± 2.7 vs. 4.4 ± 2.2, p = 0.016) and a greater proportion of lymph node metastases (37.0% vs. 7.5%) around the left RLN but induced a lower proportion of recurrent nerve injuries (7.4% vs. 22.5%, p = 0.178) compared with VAME. Further analysis revealed that the complete LND around the left RLN was associated with recurrent nerve injury in the RAME (20.0% vs. 5.1%, p = 0.035) and VAME (22.5% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.041) groups but did not affect other clinical outcomes including surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative intensive care unit stay, hospital stay, and other complications. Conclusions For patients with ESCC, RAME has great advantages in LND around the left RLN and recurrent nerve protection after learning curve of robotic esophagectomy.

In this research, a novel coordination polymer (CP) based on Zn(II) ions as nodes [Zn2(1,4-NDC)2(py)2(H2O)] (1, py = pyridine and 1,4-NDCH2 = 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid) has been produced under hydrothermal reaction condition and then structurally characterized. Furthermore, Zn-complex reveals high sensitivity (with the detection limit of 1.97 × 10−6 M) and fast test time for the Al3+ in the water phase through the fluorescence enhancement method which is rare example in the reported Al3+ detection sensors. The compound was designed for hypotension treatment after anesthesia. First of all, the hypotension animal model was constructed; then, the compound’s protective was evaluated. The real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed, and the α receptor expression on the vascular endothelial cells was determined. In addition to this, the western blot was also conducted for the α receptor expression assessment.

Cervical anastomotic leakages may manifest either cervically or intrathoracically. We retrospectively investigated the management strategies and clinical outcomes of patients who developed anastomotic leakages after McKeown esophagectomy and the spectrum of its clinical manifestations.Patients with esophageal cancer who underwent McKeown esophagectomy with cervical anastomosis (n = 749) between January 2015 and December 2018 were included.Cervical anastomosis leakage was diagnosed in 53/749 (7.3%) patients. The leakage was primarily limited to cervical region in 16 (30.2%) patients, whereas intrathoracic spread was present in 37 (69.8%) patients. Intrathoracic manifestations were more commonly accompanied by fever (75.7% vs. 18.8%, P 0.001) and leukocytosis than cervical manifestations (81.1% vs. 25.0%, P 0.001). Compared to patients with cervical manifestations, those with intrathoracic manifestations had a longer duration of hospital stay (median; 58 vs. 40 days, P = 0.006) and higher incidence of tracheal fistula (21.6% vs. 0%, P = 0.045). Drainage through the neck wound was effective in all patients with cervical manifestations. Patients with intrathoracic manifestations who had transnasal inner drain or mediastinal drain placed intraoperatively achieved satisfactory drainage (27/37, 73.0%). Subsequent healing of anastomotic leaks was observed in 50 (94.3%) patients. There was no mortality associated with complications related to anastomotic leakage.Intrathoracic manifestations of cervical anastomotic leakage are common in patients after McKeown esophagectomy. However, they are diagnosed later and are associated with more severe clinical consequences than cervical manifestations. Thus, a high index of suspicion and an early intervention policy for such anastomotic leaks should be adopted and strengthened to decrease the incidence of adverse clinical outcomes.

AIM: To analyze the clinical efficacy of the partial rectus muscle transportation (PRT) procedure for paralytic strabismus due to single rectus muscle palsy. METHODS: In total, 28 patients (31 eyes) who underwent the PRT procedure for paralytic strabismus due to single rectus muscle palsy were retrospectively examined. The following data were collected pre- and postoperatively: angle of deviation in the primary position, presence of diplopia in the primary position, presence of compensatory head posture, and motility of the affected eye. The follow-up period was 6mo. RESULTS: Based on the preoperative and intraoperative findings, different operations were performed: 2 eyes were treated with PRT, 26 eyes were treated with PRT combined with the recession of the antagonist muscle (Am) of the paralytic rectus muscle, and 3 eyes were treated with PRT along with the recession of the Am and the yoke muscle (Ym). On the first day after the operation, 24 patients were found to be orthophoric in the primary position, without diplopia or abnormal head posture. Moreover, 2 patients with monocular lateral rectus muscle palsy had mild overcorrection to 5 prism diopters (PD) and 8 PD, respectively, whereas 2 patients with binocular lateral rectus muscle palsy had mild undercorrection to 8 PD and 10 PD, respectively. During the 6-month follow-up period, the mean deviation was rectified from 96.79±41.21 PD to 0.64±2.38 PD (t=12.48, P

Lessons Learned Patient compliance with the oral dosage treatment was good, with no need for hospitalization. Patients with tracheal and esophageal fistulas can take crushed apatinib by nutrient tube, with the same bioavailability and efficacy. Apatinib may be an effective and safe second- or further-line treatment for advanced esophageal cancer. Background Apatinib is an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2), which is thought to play a role in esophageal cancer progression. Our goal was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib in patients with unresectable esophageal cancer and to examine whether VEGFR2 expression influenced the clinical response. Methods This single-arm, open-label, investigator-initiated phase II study enrolled patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or esophagogastric junction who were admitted to Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital between August 2017 and January 2019. Apatinib monotherapy (500 mg/day) was given orally or via an enteral tube until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, withdrawal, or death. Patients were followed until treatment was discontinued or death. The main endpoints were tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs). Results Among 32 patients screened for inclusion, 30 were included in the safety and survival analyses (i.e., received apatinib), and 26 were included in the efficacy analysis (at least one imaging follow-up). Median follow-up time and exposure to apatinib were 5.34 months and 72 days, respectively. Among 26 patients included in the efficacy analysis, 2 had a partial response (PR; 7.7%) and 14 had stable disease (SD; 53.8%). The overall response rate (ORR) was 7.7%, and the disease control rate (DCR) was 61.5%. Median PFS and OS were 4.63 months (95% confidence interval, 2.11–7.16 months) and 6.57 months (4.90 months to not estimable), respectively. Fifteen patients (50.0%) experienced treatment-related AEs, most commonly hypertension (26.7%), diarrhea (20.0%), and hand-foot-skin reaction (10.0%). No patients had grade ≥4 treatment-related AEs. Conclusion Apatinib was effective as second- or further-line treatment for advanced esophageal cancer.

Most cancers are caused by somatic mutations. Some common mutations in the same cancer type can form a "signature" to specifically predict the prognosis or to distinguish it from other cancers. In this study, 710 somatic cell mutations were identified in 142 cases, including digestive, lung and urogenital cancers, and the digestive cancers were further divided into liver, stomach, intestinal, esophageal and cardia cancer. The above mutations were located in 166 genes. In addition, a group of high-frequency mutation genes with specific characteristics were screened to form predictive signatures for each cancer. Verification using TCGA suggested that the signatures could predict the stages, progression-free survival, and overall survival of digestive, intestinal, and liver cancers (P 0.05). The validation cases further confirmed the predictive role of digestive and liver cancers signatures in diagnosis and prognosis. Overall, this study established predictive signatures for different cancer systems and their subtypes. These findings enable a better understanding in cancer genome, and contribute to the personalized diagnosis and treatment.

A robust and convergent synthetic approach for the rapid assembly of common bridged tricyclic BCD-ring systems of norditerpenoid alkaloids as well as racemulosine has been developed. The synthesis features an efficient Au(I)-catalyzed [2 + 2] enyne cycloaddition and an exquisite pinacol rearrangement in a highly exclusive manner to generate the unique bicyclo[3.2.1]octane moiety of the CD-ring on the seven-membered B-ring.

Background: The present study was to investigate the influence of induction therapy on robot-assisted McKeown esophagectomy (RAME) with radical superior mediastinal lymph node dissection for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a high-volume cancer center. Methods: A consecutive patient cohort who underwent RAME from January 2017 to May 2019 were reviewed. The perioperative outcomes of patients with induction therapy were compared with those who had surgery alone. Results: In total, 118 patients underwent RAME during the study period. The average age was 59.1 ± 7.5 years, including 100 male and 18 female patients. Thirty patients (25.4%) had induction therapy, and 88 patients did not receive induction therapy. The average age of the patients treated with induction therapy was younger than those received surgery alone (56.8 ± 6.1 vs. 59.5 ± 7.6 years, p = 0.039). There were no statistically significant differences in the mean operative time and estimated blood loss between both groups. Complications occurred in 46 (39.0%) patients. There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of any complications between both groups (p = 0.951). There were no deaths in either group. The hospital stay was prolonged in patients with induction therapy than those in the surgery-alone group (20.8 ± 8.9 vs. 16.8 ± 6.0, p = 0.048). There was no statistically significant difference in the average number of dissected lymph nodes in total and both recurrent laryngeal nerve stations between both groups. Conclusion: For patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, induction therapy has no influence on RAME with radical superior mediastinal lymph node dissection.

2-Hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ) is an effective biocontrol antibiotic secreted by Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72AN and is transformed from phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA). PCA is the main component of the recently registered biopesticide "Shenqinmycin". Previous research showed that 2-OH-PHZ was better in controlling wheat take-all disease than PCA; however, 2-OH-PHZ production was low under natural conditions. Herein, we confirmed that PCA induced reactive oxygen species in its host P. chlororaphis GP72AN and that the addition of DTT improved PCA production by 1.8-fold, whereas the supplementation of K3[Fe(CN)6] and H2O2 increased the conversion rate of PCA to 2-OH-PHZ. Finally, a two-stage fermentation strategy combining the addition of DTT at 12 h and H2O2 at 24 h enhanced 2-OH-PHZ production. Taken together, the two-stage fermentation strategy was designed to enhance 2-OH-PHZ production for the first time, and it provided a valuable reference for the fermentation of other antibiotics.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a leading cause of vascular diseases that severely threats the human health due to the lack of efficient therapeutic methods. During the development and progress of AS, macrophages play critical roles, which are polarized into pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to excrete abundant cytokines and overproduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and take up excess amount of lipid to form foam cells. In this work, we developed a MnO

Anemia has been a public health issue evoking global concern, and the low hemoglobin (Hb) concentration links to adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the associations of PM

Mupirocin, a polyketide antibiotic produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens, is used as a topical antimicrobial treatment to cure various skin infections. Quorum sensing system plays an important role in regulation of mupirocin biosynthesis in P. fluorescens NCIMB 10586. In Pseudomonas, the RpeA/RpeB two-component signal transduction (TCST) system regulates quorum sensing system. However, the influences of the RpeA/RpeB TCST system on mupirocin production or other cell activities have not been studied. In this work, the homologous genes of rpeA and rpeB in P. fluorescens NCIMB 10586 were identified and inactivated in the chromosome, respectively. The deletion of rpeA reduced the mupirocin production from 160 in the wild-type to 21.3 mg/L along with slightly decreased cell growth, while no significant effected on mupirocin production in the rpeB mutant. Next, it was found that the RpeA/RpeB TCST system regulated the biosynthesis of mupirocin by modulating the quorum sensing system. Furthermore, untargeted metabolomics analysis was employed to detect the influences of RpeA on other cell activities modulated by quorum sensing system. Combined with quantitative real-time PCR, the results demonstrated that RpeA also regulated other cell activities including central carbon, amino acids, fatty acids, and purine metabolism. Overall, this study expands the current understanding of the RpeA/RpeB TCST system and provides several targets for increasing yields of mupirocin. KEY POINTS: • In P. fluorescens, the RpeA/RpeB TCST system regulates the biosynthesis of mupirocin. • RpeA modulates the cell activities through effecting the central carbon metabolism.

Carbonate electrolytes are commonly used in commercial non-aqueous Li-ion batteries. However, the high affinity between the solvents and the ions and high flammability of the carbonate electrolytes limits the battery operation temperature window to −20 to + 50 °C and the voltage window to 0.0 to 4.3 V. Here, we tame the affinity between solvents and Li ions by dissolving fluorinated electrolytes into highly fluorinated non-polar solvents. In addition to their non-flammable characteristic, our electrolytes enable high electrochemical stability in a wide voltage window of 0.0 to 5.6 V, and high ionic conductivities in a wide temperature range from −125 to + 70 °C. We show that between −95 and + 70 °C, the electrolytes enable LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 cathodes to achieve high Coulombic efficiencies of >99.9%, and the aggressive Li anodes and the high-voltage (5.4 V) LiCoMnO4 to achieve Coulombic efficiencies of >99.4% and 99%, respectively. Even at −85 °C, the LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 || Li battery can still deliver ~50% of its room-temperature capacity. Batteries generally do not perform well at extreme temperatures, and electrolytes are mainly to blame. Here, the authors dissolve fluorinated electrolytes in highly fluorinated non-polar solvents, enabling batteries that can operate at a wide temperature range (−125 to +70 °C).

In this study, reaction of 2-(5-(pyridin-3-yl)-4-(pyridin-4-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)pyridine (L) with Ni(NO3)2·6H2O or CuBr2 leads to the formation of two discrete coordination complexes [Ni(L)2(H2O)2](NO3)2 (1) and [Cu(L)Br2](H2O)(DMF)2 (2) with different metal cluster composing. Various structural characterization methods such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis (EA), powder as well as single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements were used to study the compositions along with the atom arrangement of the two as-prepared coordination complexes. Furthermore, the grinding method was used to downsize the crystal size of the complexes 1 and 2 into nano region to make them useable. In connection to these, the anticancer activities of the as-prepared two complexes have been studied via access the cell validity and the IC50 values of three human osteogenic sarcoma cells (MG-63, U2SO and Saos-2).

Background In recent years, diagnosis of early squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus has been increasingly emphasized. The application of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has enabled safe resection of esophageal lesions. Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is also safe and feasible for early stages of the cancer. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of early esophageal carcinoma treatment, and find the best predictive factor for the selection of treatment for T1a patients. Methods We performed a retrospective study of early‐stage patients admitted to Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital between January 2015 and December 2018. A total of 128 patients underwent MIE, while 78 patients underwent ESD. The depth of the tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and complications were compared between the two groups. Results In the ESD group, 76.92% of the patients were stage T1a, while 34.38% in the MIE group were stage T1a. The lymph node metastasis rate was 16.41% in the MIE group (6.98% in T1a stage), which related to tumor differentiation, tumor length (≥37.5 mm), depth of invasion, and angiolymphatic invasion. However, the R0 resection rate was only 73.08% in the ESD group. Comprehensive analysis of all T1 patients in the two groups revealed that the positive margin was related to tumor differentiation, tumor width (≥13.5 mm), and depth of invasion (≥3.25 mm). Conclusion For early‐stage cases, lymph node metastasis and positive margins are risk factors affecting long‐term survival. Efficient predictive factors mentioned in our study would provide a proper indication for treatment strategy selection.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of a novel tumor marker index (TMI) based on preoperative serum levels of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) for patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS A total of 315 ESCC patients who had underwent curative surgery between 2008 and 2012 were retrospectively included in this study. The TMI was defined as the geometric mean of normalized SCC and CYFRA21-1 levels. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to confirm the clinical and prognostic significance of preoperative SCC and CYFRA 21-1 levels and TMI. RESULTS Elevated preoperative SCC was associated with histological grade, pT status, lymph node status and TNM stage. Elevated preoperative CYFRA 21-1 was correlated with tumor size, lymph node status and TNM stage. The overall survival of patients with elevated SCC and CYFRA 21-1 levels was significantly poorer than that of patients with normal levels. Multivariate survival analysis identified that preoperative SCC (P= 0.353) and CYFRA 21-1 (P= 0.139) were not independent prognostic factors. The cut-off value of TMI based on SCC and CYFRA 21-1 was 0.531, and the patients were subdivided into high and low TMI groups. The 5-year survival rate of patients with high TMI was 30.9%, which was significantly lower than that of patients with low TMI (50.4%, P< 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified the TMI (HR 1.371; 95% CI 1.024-1.836; P= 0.034) as an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS Elevated preoperative SCC and CYFRA 21-1 levels were associated with aggressive cancer behavior in ESCC. The TMI based on preoperative SCC and CYFRA 21-1 might serve as a novel marker that can be used to predict the prognosis of ESCC patients.

Highway toll station workers exposed to vehicle emissions during their working time, could induce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and lead to significant health effects. This study conducted a comprehensive exposure investigation of environmental pollutants and oxidative stress levels for highway toll station workers during March–May 2014 in Tianjin, China. PM2.5 exposure samples were collected by personal monitors during worker’ day-shift working time (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.), and particulate heavy metals were analyzed by ICP-MS. Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were analyzed in pre- and post-work urine samples from selected subjects to reflect their oxidative stress (OS) level variation. Results showed that PM2.5 average exposure concentration was 230.73 ± 142.99 μg m−3. Pb, Zn and Cr were the most abundant elements of metals, accounting for over 70% of total particulate heavy metals. Values based on geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF) analysis indicated that heavy metals including Pb, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn were mainly derived from anthropogenic sources, presenting heavily pollution levels. Health assessment was conducted using integrated toxicity values and Monte Carlo simulation, and results indicated that exposure to PM2.5-bound heavy metals can trigger significant adverse non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk. Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations of participants elevated over 2 times after their day-shift working exposure, indicating that pollutants from vehicle emission could cause DNA damage for highway toll station workers. However, we did not find significant association between fine particle-bound heavy metals and urinary 8-OHdG levels. Much work should be conducted in the future study focusing on confounding factors.

Bulk-type all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) are being considered as a promising technology to improve the safety and energy density of today’s batteries. However, current bulk-type ASSLBs suffer from low cell-level energy density due to the challenges in reducing the electrolyte thickness. In this work, we report cathode-supported ASSLBs with a thin solid electrolyte layer. Starting from a stainless steel mesh-supported Li2S cathode, we are able to build an ASSLB with a ∼100 μm thick Li3PS4 electrolyte reinforced by a Kevlar nonwoven scaffold and with Li metal as the anode. The ASSLB delivers a high capacity with high rate and cycling performances at room temperature. Moreover, the unique cell design also enabled utilization of a thick cathode with a Li2S loading of 7.64 mg cm–2, providing a high cell-level energy density (excluding the current collectors) of 370.6 Wh kg–1 for the first cycle.

Eleven major phthalic acid esters (PAEs) congeners were analyzed for PM2.5 samples collected at Mount Tai, a high elevation mountain site in northern China from June to August 2015. The results showed that the average concentration of PAEs in PM2.5 was 19.48ngm-3, and bis(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) were the predominant species in particle-phase, whereas diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP) were the prevailing PAEs in gas-phase. PAE concentrations decreased at the beginning of cloud/fog events, while they increased after the cloud/fog events since the liquid-phase PAEs could be absorbed by solid-phase PAEs. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the highest PSCF value of air masses were mainly sourced from southwest of Mount Tai and multiple sources contributed to PAEs. A Monte Carlo simulation was applied to estimate the incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR) from inhalation exposure on the basis of DEHP concentrations. The estimated values of ILCR for the general population were lower than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threshold, which is 10-6. However, since the local population was exposed to various local emission sources, the actual health risk is undervalued.

Solid electrolytes (SEs) are widely considered as an ‘enabler’ of lithium anodes for high-energy batteries. However, recent reports demonstrate that the Li dendrite formation in Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) and Li2S–P2S5 is actually much easier than that in liquid electrolytes of lithium batteries, by mechanisms that remain elusive. Here we illustrate the origin of the dendrite formation by monitoring the dynamic evolution of Li concentration profiles in three popular but representative SEs (LiPON, LLZO and amorphous Li3PS4) during lithium plating using time-resolved operando neutron depth profiling. Although no apparent changes in the lithium concentration in LiPON can be observed, we visualize the direct deposition of Li inside the bulk LLZO and Li3PS4. Our findings suggest the high electronic conductivity of LLZO and Li3PS4 is mostly responsible for dendrite formation in these SEs. Lowering the electronic conductivity, rather than further increasing the ionic conductivity of SEs, is therefore critical for the success of all-solid-state Li batteries. Despite its importance in lithium batteries, the mechanism of Li dendrite growth is not well understood. Here the authors study three representative solid electrolytes with neutron depth profiling and identify high electronic conductivity as the root cause for the dendrite issue.

A balanced microstrip quad-band bandpass filter (BPF) employing balanced microstrip/slotline (MS) transition structures and two pairs of folded asymmetric short stub-loaded resonators (ASSLRs) is presented in this paper. The center frequencies of the four differential-mode (DM) passbands can be controlled by changing the electrical length ratio of each ASSLR. Meanwhile, the fractional bandwidths (FBWs) can be adjusted by controlling the coupling gaps between the resonators and interdigital coupled line. High selectivity of the four DM passbands is achieved by introducing eight transmission zeros (TZs). Moreover, the DM passbands are independent from the common-mode (CM) responses, which significantly simplifies the design procedure. In order to validate the design strategies, a balanced quad-band BPF centered at 2.54/ 3.46/ 4.5/ 5.2 GHz was fabricated and a good agreement between the simulated and measured results is observed.

A balanced microstrip quad-band bandpass filter (BPF) with independently controllable frequencies, controllable fractional bandwidths (FBWs) and high selectivity is designed in this paper. The proposed BPF is achieved by employing two pairs of folded asymmetric stub-loaded resonators (FASLRs) and balanced microstrip/slotline transition structures (MSTSs). The center frequencies of the four differential-mode (DM) passbands can be controlled independently by changing the electrical lengths of each FASLR. A novel interdigital coupled line is firstly proposed to enhance source-load coupling further, which contributes to a higher selectivity. Meanwhile, the DM passbands are independent of the CM responses, which significantly simplifies the design procedure. In addition, eight transmission zeros (TZs) are generated to improve the selectivity of the four passbands obviously. The measured results of the fabricated balanced BPF centered at 2.48/3.45/5.17/5.78 GHz agree well with the simulated ones, which validates the proposed design method well.

An efficient synthetic approach for the spiro-linked [7-5-6-5] all-carbon tetracyclic core derivatives of logeracemin A, a unique dimeric calyciphylline A-type alkaloid, from the known methyl cyclohept-1-ene carboxylate was described. The synthesis features a bioinspired successive Michael/double aldol/dehydration reaction sequence, which might indicate the possibility of a more efficient alternative biosynthetic pathway of logeracemin A.

Separation-induced shock reflections in straight ducts are generally considered asymmetric for Mach numbers beyond 2.2, but our experiment shows that this is not always the case. A symmetric shock pattern, a proven outcome of following the free-interaction theory (FIT), is observed to appear in an oscillatory duct flow at a Mach number of 2.47. Interestingly, its existence is restricted to the period when the shocks move forward. Once a full retreat starts, it changes suddenly into an utterly asymmetric style that conforms to the past observation. This behavior indicates that the FIT fundamentally plays a limited role in supersonic duct flows.

Shock-train transitions in simplified curved isolators are carefully studied by simulation. The results show the shock-train behavior is subject to the complex pressure field created by the duct deflection, eventually presenting five modes during a backpressure-varying process. Of them, the most special one is the abrupt shock-train leap. It appears as the leading shocks interact with an adverse pressure gradient and follows a different path after a reversal of the direction the backpressure takes, which causes a shock-train hysteresis. If the curvature increases, the leap phenomenon, together with the related hysteresis, grows in number and intensity. Analysis indicates the background pressure gradients stem from the inherent left-running expansion waves and right-running compression waves. They control alternately the near-wall flow state, provoking the cyclic changes in the pressure gradient sign. Unlike the former, the latter can enhance separation through a positive feedback mechanism, rendering the shock train highly sensitive to backpressure. This is why the leap occurs. Comparing with the previously reported shock-induced leap indicates that there is a marked similarity in their behaviors, suggesting the irrelevance of the occurrence of a leap to the category of incident waves. Nevertheless, a delay in the onset usually follows a compression-wave-typed leap, which reflects that there is a triggering threshold for an incident wave. Given the fact that no local separation is provoked by the compression waves, it is speculated that the threshold should lie below the criterion for causing a separation, as opposed to the impression from the previous research.

The take-all disease of wheat is one of the most serious diseases in the field of food security in the world. There is no effective biological pesticide to prevent the take-all disease of wheat. 2-Hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ) was reported to possess a better inhibitory effect on the take-all disease of wheat than phenazine-1-carboxylic acid, which was registered as "Shenqinmycin" in China in 2011. The aim of this study was to construct a 2-OH-PHZ high-producing strain by strain screening, genome sequencing, genetic engineering, and fermentation optimization. First, the metabolites of the previously screened new phenazine-producing

As a low-budget, facile-availability and eco-friendly substrate material, cotton fabric after hydrophobic modification has been applied to sewage purification. While, a single superhydrophobic function is unable to decompose toxic water-soluble organic dye. In this paper, pathways are propounded for the simultaneous achievement of the removal of insoluble spilling oil and organic dye contaminants. Particularly, the hydrophobic ZnSnO3 after stearic acid modification and Bi2MoO6 catalysts are introduced into the cotton fabric substrate through solution dip-coating. The durability of the prepared fabric suffers from the acid-base corrosion, thermal treatment and mechanical wear, meanwhile, it still exhibits remarkable water repellent (WCA > 150°) property. Furthermore, the remarkable photocatalytic activity makes it possible for reusable degradation and the primary active species, namely the holes, to be verified by the radicals-capturing experiment.

In order to clarify the pollution levels of heavy metals in the drinking water sources of the Lijiang River Basin, surface water samples were collected from 62 sites throughout the Lijiang River during May 2019. Heavy metals, including As, Cd, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Hg, Co, and Sb, in the water samples were analysed. Health risk assessments associated with these nine heavy metals were conducted using the health risk assessment model from the US EPA. The results indicated that the order of the average concentrations of heavy metals in the water samples were MnZnAsCrCuSbCoCdHg. No heavy metals exceeded the limit values of the drinking water health standards in China (GB 5749-2006), and the concentrations were lower than the limitations of Grade Ⅰ level in the environmental quality standards for surface water (GB 3838-2002). According to the spatial distribution, the high contents areas of As, Cr, Zn, and Sb were predominantly distributed downstream of the Lijiang River, while the high contents areas of Cd, Cu, Hg, Co, and Mn were mostly distributed in the upper reaches. Multivariate analysis indicated that Cd, Mn, Cu, and Co were primarily from agricultural production; Cr, Zn, and Sb were mainly from tourism transportation; As was predominantly from the weathering of rock parent material and soil erosion; Hg was mainly from the improper disposal of domestic garbage and atmospheric deposition. The results of the health risk assessment indicated that children were more susceptible to the threat of heavy metal pollution than adults, and the average annual risk of carcinogenic heavy metals to human health through drinking water ingestion were higher than those of non-carcinogenic metals. The maximum personal average annual health risk of Cr was higher than the maximum allowance levels recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (5×10

Split-type steel box girders are widely used in long-span bridges because of their good wind-resistance performance. In the design stage, a simple finite element model is usually established based on the beam element for wind-resistance design. However, since the irregular cross-beams and diaphragms in the split steel box girder cannot be virtually established, the stiffness of the girder will be underestimated. To improve the accuracy in simulating stiffness of the split-type triple-box steel box girder (STSBG) with the beam element model (BEM), a correction is made to the initial beam element model (IBEM) based on the result of a more refined finite element model. ANSYS is adopted to make a refined model (RM) of a bridge with STSBG as its girder and to calculate its aerostatic responses and dynamic characteristics in 3 typical construction states and 1 finished state. With the reference value, an objective function of the overall residual sum of squares is constructed for the torsion angle of the girder and the frequency of the bridge. Then, the beam element is used for conventional modelling of the bridge, and artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is adopted for the optimization and correction of structure parameters of the BEM of the girder. Finally, static and dynamic characteristics of the IBEM and the corrected beam element model (CBEM) are compared with values of the corresponding RM to evaluate the validity of the correction of the model. The results show that the aerostatic responses and dynamic characteristics of the CBEM are close to calculated values of the RM. In more detail, the relative error between the torsion angle of the girder in the middle span of the BEM and the corresponding reference value in the finished state is decreased from +61.71% to +4.94%, and the relative error of torsional fundamental frequency is decreased from −17.43% to +3.66%. According to the calculated value of the RM, ABC algorithm would satisfactorily improve the accuracy in simulating torsional stiffness of the STSBG with the IBEM. This research is expected to provide reference for beam element modelling, which is conducive to accurately simulating torsional stiffness of the STSBG.

Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) has been shown to be correlated with increased risk of renal dysfunction. While almost all articles focus on the side effect of HES on glomerular filtration function, it is barely known to us about the effect of HES on renal water reabsorption. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of HES on renal water reabsorption in patients with cardiac shock. In a retrospective cohort-study, 162 patients admitted to the department of cardiology and diagnosed as cardiac shock were randomized into four groups, depending on different treatments of NaCl (NaCl group), HES (HES group), HES and dopamine (HES + DOP group), HES and norepinephrine (HES + NE group). Data collected included age, sex, blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular ejection fraction, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urine specific gravity, urine volume, oxygen saturation serum, drug dosage, and so on. Indices related to renal function were recorded before and after the anti-shock treatments. The comparison was performed among four groups at day 0 or at day 3, and indices of the same group were compared between day 0 and day 3. We found that HES and norepinephrine reduced the urine specific gravity in HES group (day 0 vs day 3, 1.019± 0.006 vs 1.012 ± 0.005, p < 0.001) and in HES + NE group (day 0 vs day 3, 1.019 ± 0.006 vs 1.011 ± 0.004, p < 0.001). Dopamine increased the urine volume of HES-treated patients at day 3 (p < 0.001), and in the meantime dopamine preserved urine specific gravity during anti-shock treatment at day 3 (p = 0.13). In conclusion, hydroxyethyl starch caused injured function of renal water reabsorption, and dopamine protected renal water reabsorption in HES-treated patients via increased renal blood.

More and more studies began to explore the hazardous health effects of PMIn this meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases for related articles written in English and published before October 18, 2020. Study selection was conducted according to the predetermined criteria and data attraction was done with predesigned form. A new instrument was applied to conduct the risk of bias assessment. And random-effect models were used to pool the estimates.A total of 3655 records were identified from the databases, but only 7 studies were ultimately included in this study. Positive association was found between the maternal exposure to PMMaternal exposure to PM

Micro-plastics (MPs) pollution has been a hotspot in soil environment. To explore the correlation of the vegetation cover and the distribution of MPs in Yellow River Delta wetland, the characters of MPs in the soil sampled at 16 sites where reed (

Ferroptosis is a newly discovered non-apoptotic form of regulated cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. The present studies have shown that many metabolic processes and homeostasis are affected by ferroptosis. It is related to many lung diseases, including acute lung injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis, etc. Currently, the research on ferroptosis is still in its infancy. Previous studies have confirmed that ferroptosis is regulated by a variety of genes, and the mechanism is complex, mainly involving iron homeostasis and lipid peroxidation metabolism. This review summarizes some regulation networks of metabolic processes associated with ferroptosis and discusses the roles of ferroptosis in the pathophysiological progression of many lung diseases. We expected to provide new ideas and references for the treatment of these diseases.

Neonatal chylothorax is a common cause of neonatal congenital pleural effusion and is often caused by the accumulation of chylous fluid in the thoracic cavity due to the rupture of the thoracic duct and its branched lymphatic vessels for a variety of reasons. Neonatal chylothorax caused by malignant tumors is extremely rare, and this is the first case of neonatal mediastinal neuroblastoma with chylothorax in China. The boy was found to have pleural effusion in the left thoracic cavity in the uterus, and experienced apnea at birth, as well as dyspnea and cyanosis as the main manifestations after birth. He was diagnosed with left chylothorax based on conventional biochemical analysis of pleural effusion. After the treatment including persistent chest drainage and symptomatic and supportive treatment, the drainage of the left thoracic cavity reached a volume of 90-180 mL per day. Neonatal refractory chylothorax was considered. Chest radiograph on day 13 after birth showed lesions in the upper left lung field, and contrast-enhanced plain CT scan of the chest suggested the possibility of posterior mediastinal neuroblastoma. The autopsy confirmed giant posterior mediastinal neuroblastoma (poorly differentiated), which involved the C(7)-T(6) spinal canal and the nearby erector spinae, with a small amount of tumor tissue in the liver and both adrenal glands. Mediastinal tumor is considered the underlying cause of chylothorax in this case.

All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) hold great promise for safe and high-energy-density energy storage. However, developing high-performance sulfur cathodes has been proven difficult due to low electronic and ionic conductivities and large volume change of sulfur during charge and discharge. Here, we reported an approach to synthesize sulfur cathodes with a mixed electronic and ionic conductivity by infiltrating a solution consisting of Li3PS4 (LPS) solid electrolyte and S active material into a mesoporous carbon (CMK-3). This approach leads to a uniform dispersion of amorphous Li3PS7 (L3PS) catholyte in an electronically conductive carbon matrix, enabling high and balanced electronic/ionic conductivities in the cathode composite. The inherent porous structure of CMK-3 also helps to accommodate the strain/stress generated during the expansion and shrinkage of the active material. In sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries with Li metal as the anode, this cathode composite delivered a high capacity of 1025 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles at 60 °C at 1/8C. This work highlights the important role of high and balanced electronic and ionic conductivities in developing high-performance sulfur cathodes for ASSLSBs.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of domestic and imported caffeine citrate in the treatment of apnea in preterm infants. METHODS: A total of 98 preterm infants with a gestational age of 28- < 34 weeks between April 2018 and December 2019 were enrolled. They were randomly administered with domestic (n=48) or imported caffeine citrate (n=50) within 6 hours after birth. The therapeutic effects, complications, adverse effects and clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the incidence of apnea within 7 days after birth, daily frequency of apnea, the time of apnea disappearance, the failure rate of intubation-surfactant-extubation strategy, the time of non-invasive assisted ventilation, the duration of oxygen therapy, the duration of caffeine citrate therapy, the length of hospital stay, blood gas analysis results, liver and kidney function testing results between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of complications and the mortality rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy and safety of domestic caffeine citrate in the treatment of apnea are similar to those of imported caffeine citrate in preterm infants.

Enhancers are cis-regulatory DNA elements that positively regulate the transcription of target genes in a tissue-specific manner, and dysregulation of target genes could lead to various diseases, such as cancer. Recent studies have shown that enhancers can regulate microRNAs (miRNAs) and participate in their biological synthesis. However, the network of enhancer-regulated miRNAs across multiple cancers is still unclear. Here, a total of 2,418 proximal enhancer–miRNA interactions and 1,280 distal enhancer–miRNA interactions were identified through the integration of genomic distance, co-expression, and 3D genome data in 31 cancers. The results showed that both proximal and distal interactions exhibited a significant cancer type-specific feature trend at the tissue level rather than at the single-cell level, and there was a noteworthy positive correlation between the expression of the miRNA and the number of enhancers regulating the same miRNA in most cancers. Furthermore, we found that there was a high correlation between the formation of enhancer–miRNA pairs and the expression of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) whether in distal or proximal regulation. The characteristics analysis showed that miRes (enhancers that regulated miRNAs) and non-miRes presented significant differences in sequence conservation, guanine–cytosine (GC) content, and histone modification signatures. Notably, GC content, H3K4me1, and H3K36me3 were present differently between distal and proximal regulation, suggesting that they might participate in chromosome looping of enhancer–miRNA interactions. Finally, we introduced a case study, enhancer: chr1:1186391–1186507 ∼ miR-200a was highly relevant to the survival of thyroid cancer patients and a cis-eQTL SNP on the enhancer affected the expression of the TNFRSF18 gene as a tumor suppressor.