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Hanji Huang,1,2,* Manli Tan,1,* Li Zheng,1,3 Guohua Yan,1,2,4 Kanglu Li,1,2,4 Dejie Lu,1,2,4 Xiaofei Cui,1,2,4 Si He,1,2 Danqing Lei,5,6 Bo Zhu,1 Jinmin Zhao1– 4,7 1Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 2Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedicine, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 3International Joint Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Regeneration of Bone and Soft Tissues, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Orthopaedics Trauma and Hand Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 5Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 6The Medical and Scientific Research Center, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 7Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Danqing LeiThe Medical and Scientific Research Center, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-07715358549Email ldq0422@126.comBo ZhuGuangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-07715540515Email gxzyxyzhubo@163.comBackground: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most widespread bone tumour among childhood cancers, and distant metastasis is the dominant factor in poor prognosis for patients with OS. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new prognostic biomarkers for identifying patients with aggressive disease.Methods: Two OS datasets (GSE21257 and GSE33383) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and subsequently subjected to weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differential gene expression analysis (DGE) to screen candidate genes. A prognostic model was constructed using OS data derived from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) program to further screen key genes and perform gene ontology (GO) analysis. The prognostic values of key genes were assessed using the Kaplan–Meier (KM) plotter. The GEO dataset was used for immune infiltration analysis and association analysis of key genes. In addition, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to validate the expression levels of potentially crucial genes in OS cell lines.Results: In the present study, we found 114 genes with a highly significant correlation in the module and 44 downregulated genes; 25 candidate genes overlapped in the two parts of the genes. Among these, three key genes, C1QA, C1QB, and C1QC, were the most significant hub genes, which had the highest node degrees, were clustered into one group, and implicated in most significant biological processes (regulation of immune effector process). Moreover, these three key genes were negatively associated with the prognosis of OS and positively associated with three immune cells (follicular helper T cells, memory B cells, and CD8 T cells). Additionally, compared to non-metastatic OS cell lines, the expression of three key genes was significantly downregulated in metastatic OS cell lines.Conclusion: Our results revealed that three key genes (C1QA, C1QB, and C1QC) were implicated in tumour immune infiltration and may be promising biomarkers for predicting metastasis and prognosis of patients with OS.Keywords: osteosarcoma, immune infiltrates, complement protein, C1Q, metastasis

Imaging through scattering media is a fascinating subject in the computational imaging domain. The methods based on speckle correlation imaging have found tremendous versatility. However, a darkroom condition without any stray light is required because the speckle contrast is easily disturbed by ambient light, which can lead to the reduction in object reconstruction quality. Here, we report a plug-and-play (PnP) algorithm to restore the object through scattering media under the non-darkroom environment. Specifically, the PnPGAP-FPR method is established via the generalized alternating projection (GAP) optimization framework, Fienup phase retrieval (FPR) method, and FFDNeT. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated experimentally and shows significant effectiveness and flexible scalability, which describe the potential for its practical applications.

(1) Background: As a enrichment plant, ramie can be used for the phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soil. However, it is worth exploring the role of plant growth regulators and foliar fertilizers in the process of plant growth and development and Cd adsorption. (2) Methods: By measuring the agronomic traits, Cd content of aboveground and underground ramie, calculating the Cd transfer coefficient (TF) and Cd bioconcentration factors (BCF), and the correlation between various indicators. This study examined the effects of plant growth regulators and foliar fertilizers on ramie’s capacity for Cd accumulation and transportation, (3) Results: Plant growth regulators and foliar fertilizers increased the Cd content of the aboveground ramie, reduced the Cd content of the underground ramie, and increased the TF. Among them, GA-1 increased the Cd content of the aboveground ramie to 3 times more than that of the control and reduced the Cd content of the underground ramie by 54.76%. Salicylic acid (SA) increased the Cd content of the aboveground ramie to 3 times more than that of the control. The combination of GA and foliar fertilizer reduced the Cd content of the aboveground and underground ramie and the TF and BCF of the underground ramie. After the hormones were sprayed, the TF of ramie had a significant positive correlation with the Cd content of the aboveground ramie; the BCF of the aboveground ramie had a significant positive correlation with the Cd content and TF of the aboveground ramie. (4) Conclusions: The results indicate that Brassinolide (BR), gibberellin (GA), ethephon (ETH), polyamines (PAs), and salicylic acid (SA) have different effects on the enrichment and transport of Cd in ramie. This study provided an effective method to improve the capacity for ramie to adsorb heavy metals during cultivation.

Objective To explore the predictive values of procalcitonin (PCT) and lactate combined with acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in patients with septic shock. Methods The clinical data of 164 patients with septic shock admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Shenzhen Second People's Hospital from January 1, 2015 to December 30, 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. According to International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) scoring criteria, the patients were divided into DIC group (n=58, 35.4%) and non-DIC group (n=106, 64.6%). Comparing the differences in clinical data of patients, we can establish a ROC curve to determine the sensitivity and specificity of DIC patients with septic shock for PCT, lactate and APACHE Ⅱ score, and calculate the best cut-off point. Results The AUC of PCT in predicting septic shock with DIC was 0.701(95% CI 0.619-0.784, P

Orthomnion elimbatum (Mniaceae) is herein reported new to China and Vietnam, representing the first record of the species northwards outside the Malesian and Australian regions. The species differs from the closely related species O. dilatatum by having undulate leaf margin, almost isodiametric laminal cells, and unbordered apical leaf margins. Confirmation of the species identity is validated by a molecular analysis based on rps4 and trnL-F sequences.

Entosthodon elimbatus W.Z. Ma, Shevock & S. He, a new species from a sub-alpine area in Yunnan, China, is described here based on morphological and molecular data. Morphologically, the new species resembles the widespread species E. buseanus, but differs most notably in having significantly shortened setae, smaller capsules and nearly unbordered laminae. Images from the scanning electron microscope also show compound-papillose ornamentation over the spore surface, which is characteristic of this new species. The generic validation of the new species in Entosthodon is supported by a phylogenetic analysis based on the plastid rps4 sequence. Entosthodon physcomitrioides, characterized by its well-developed apophysis and peristome, is confirmed as a new record for mainland China. Detailed descriptions and illustrations for both species are provided.

As documented, the expression, biological roles, and prognostic significance of FKBP10 in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) have not been investigated till now. This drives us to detect the biological roles and clinical significance of FKBP10 in STAD. The expression level of FKBP10 was measured based on the data obtained from the TCGA, ONCOMINE, and GEPIA databases, and STAD cell lines. Through in vitro experiments, cell behaviors were investigated to evaluate the effects of FKBP10 on STAD. Moreover, the PI3K‐AKT signaling pathway was measured. Relying on the data of TCGA, ONCOMINE, and GEPIA databases, and cancer cell lines, FKBP10 was up‐regulated in STAD when compared with normals. The patients with low expression of FKBP10 had higher survival rate than those with high FKBP10 expression. After knockdown of FKBP10 in AGS cells, cell vitality, colony formation ability, and the migratory and invasive potential were inhibited. Western blotting analysis exhibited that knockdown of FKBP10 significantly reduced the expression level of p‐AKT, and p‐PI3K, but it did not influence the total expression level of AKT, and PI3K. FKBP10 might serve as a crucial player in gastric cancer, and targeting FKBP10 might provide clinical utility in gastric cancer in future.

A molecular study of a rare moss, Tayloria rudolphiana has revealed a first new occurrence of this species in Central China after its first collecting more than 100 years ago from southwestern Yunnan Province. The phylogenetic analyses based on rps4 and trnL-F sequences along with its morphological features affirm the taxonomic identity of this new population, representing the latest evidence of European-Asiatic connections of this species. Photographic images detailing key morphological characters and a full description of the species are provided. The taxonomic problems of this species within China are discussed.

At present, natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) has attracted more and more attention worldwide, because of its great advantages including minimal cutaneous trauma and post-operative pain, fast post-operative recovery, short hospital stay, and positive psychological impact. However, NOSES for the treatment of gastric cancer (GC) is still in its infancy, and there is great potential to improve its theoretical system and clinical practice. Especially, several key points including oncological outcomes, bacteriological concerns, indication selection, and standardized surgical procedures are raised with this innovative technique. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve an international consensus to regulate the implementation of GC-NOSES, which is of great significance for healthy and orderly development of NOSES worldwide.

Imaging dynamic strongly scattering scenes remains a significant challenge because it is typically believed that moving objects and dynamic media provide huge barriers. Instead, we use the dynamics of objects and media and put forward a recursion-driven bispectral imaging (ReDBI) framework here for the reconstruction of a stationary or moving object hidden behind the dynamic media. ReDBI avoids the errors introduced by speckle modulation and phase-retrieval algorithms in the existing studies. We also quantitatively assess the reconstruction difficulty of character and shape objects with the benchmark of the minimum number of speckle images (MNSI) required to achieve a high-quality reconstruction, which can help to comprehend the media’s transfer properties.

Investigations into the bryophyte flora of Madagascar as part of the MadBryo project, show that five moss genera (Actinodontium Schwagr., Aulacopilum Wilson, Forsstroemia Lindb., Haplohymenium Dozy & Molk., and Herzogiella Broth.) are new for the island. For three additional taxa we clarify the correct name to use for Malagasy specimens. Ectropothecium perrieri Ther. is placed in synonymy with Herzogiella cylindricarpa (Cardot) Z.Iwats. and Lepidopilum diversifolium Renauld & Cardot is reduced to a synonym of Thamniopsis utacamundiana (Mont.) W.R.Buck. These particular cases highlight the hidden diversity lurking within underutilized natural history collections. They should also serve as a reminder that older collections need to be critically reexamined as our taxonomic concepts evolve.

Purpose To summarize the evolution of Ilizarov technology in China, highlight important milestones, introduce the atmosphere of the era concerning the first uses and development of this technology, and share Chinese modification and experience in this field. Method A thorough interview with senior ASAMI members of China and literature search and physical books in libraries was undertaken to summarize the history of Ilizarov technology in China. Results The formal development of Ilizarov technology began when professor Ilizarov himself came to Beijing (1991) and gave a speech. In the following 31 years, his technology was rapidly developed through China, with many symposiums held and associations established including ASAMI China (2003) and ILLRS China (2015). Today, Ilizarov technology has become the main treatment of complex fractures, defects, nonunion, infections, deformities, and chronic ischemic ulcers of the limbs. In those years, Chinese scholars also developed some special treatment methods and made many modifications to Ilizarov external fixators. Conclusion Ilizarov technology has developed in China for 31 years. It revolutionized the treatment of complex limb traumas, deformities, and diseases. In the treatment of millions of patients, Chinese scholars had many unique experiences and made modifications to this technology which is worthy to share with the world.

IntroductionImmune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is a major breakthrough in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. However, valid predictive biomarkers are lacking. Blood cell count test (BCT) provides a direct quantification of various types of immune cells (ICs) to reveal the immune landscape to predict ICI treatment.MethodsThis study analyzed four international, multi-center clinical trials (OAK, BIRCH, POPLAR and FIR trials) to conduct post-hoc analyses of NSCLC patients undergoing atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) single-agent treatment (n = 1,479) or docetaxel single-agent treatment (n = 707). BCT was conducted at three timepoints: pre-treatment (T1), the first day of treatment cycle 3 (T2), and first day of treatment cycle 5 (T3). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify early BCT biomarkers to predict atezolizumab treatment outcomes in NSCLC patients.ResultsThe BCT biomarkers of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at timepoint T3 and neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR) at timepoint T2 were identified as strong predictive biomarkers for atezolizumab (Ate)-treated NSCLC patients in comparison to docetaxel (Dtx)-treated patients regarding overall survival (OS) (BCTscore low-risk: HR Ate vs Dtx = 1.54 (95% CI: 1.04-2.27), P = 0.036; high-risk: HR Ate vs Dtx = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.62-1.12), P = 0.236). This identified BCTscore model showed better OS AUC in the OAK (AUC12month=0.696), BIRCH (AUC12month=0.672) and POPLAR+FIR studies (AUC12month=0.727) than that of each of the three single BCT biomarkers.ConclusionThe BCTscore model is a valid predictive and prognostic biomarker for atezolizumab-treated NSCLC patients.

BACKGROUND Currently, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the first-line treatment for ulcers resulting from endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Vonoprazan is a new oral potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy, safety, and tolerance of vonoprazan with PPIs in the treatment of peptic ulcers resulting from ESD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Published results of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing vonoprazan with PPIs in the treatment of ulcers resulting from ESD were identified up to March 2018. The main clinical endpoints evaluated were healing rate and adverse events. The meta-analysis included quality assessment of the studies, statistical analysis of endpoints, and sensitivity analysis using Revman version 5.3 meta-analysis software. RESULTS Systematic literature review identified seven published studies that included 548 patients. Five studies were published as full-text manuscripts, and two studies were published as abstracts. Meta-analysis of the vonoprazan treatment, compared with PPI treatment, for ESD showed that the pooled relative risk (RR) of healing rate was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.33-1.22) for the 4-week study group and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.84-1.15) for the 8-week study group. The RR for adverse events was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.31-1.38) (P>0.05). No statistical evidence of publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the efficacy of vonoprazan was comparable with PPIs for the treatment of peptic ulcers following ESD. Further studies are required to support the safety and efficacy of vonoprazan compared with different types of PPIs.

Introduction. Heterophyllium albicans Ther., H. henryi Tixier, H. micro-alare (Broth. & Paris) Broth. and H. tonkinense (Broth. & Paris) Broth. were all either poorly known species or known only from the type collections since their inception.Methods. Examination of the type material confirmed that the alar cell structure in these species do not conform to the generic concept of Heterophyllium (Schimp.) Kindb. The study also revealed some new features previously unreported in these species, i.e., the filamentous pseudoparaphyllia, one of the characteristic features of the genus Isopterygium Mitt.Key Results & Conclusions. Three new combinations, Isopterygium albicans (Ther.) Y.Jia & S.He, I. micro-alare (Broth. & Paris) Y.Jia & S.He, and I. tonkinense (Broth. & Paris) Y.Jia & S.He are proposed. Heterophyllium henryi Tixier is treated as a new synonym of Brotherella henonii (Duby) M.Fleisch.

e21113 Background: Numerous studies suggested that pre-treatment C-reactive protein (CRP) is a survival predictive biomarker for cancer patients treated with anti-PD-(L)1 blockade. However, the application of longitudinal CRP levels as dynamic biomarker for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with anti-PD-(L)1 remains unexplored. Methods: This study analyzed four international, multi-center clinical trials (OAK, BIRCH, POPLAR and FIR trials) to conduct post-hoc analyses of NSCLC patients undergoing atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) single-agent treatment. CRP test was performed ≤ 96 hours before Day 1 of each cycle. 1438 patients with more than 2 times CRP results (a total of 11,253 records) in all 3 collection timepoints. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). First, multivariate survival analysis was conducted to include clinical factors such as gender, ECOG-PS, race and metastases as contributing risk factors. Then, multivariate joint modelling of longitudinal and time-to-event data was used to establish the relationship between longitudinal CRP and OS in the OAK study, whereas external validation was performed by time-dependent AUC analysis on the BIRCH, POPLAR and FIR studies. Results: Log-transformed longitudinal CRP levels (log(CRP)) in combination with clinical factors in absence of PD-L1 expression emerged as independent predictors of worse OS in the OAK study (HR of jointed model = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.84-2.35, p < 0.001) with a high accuracy (AUC = 0.74) for predicting OS. The predictive value of longitudinal CRP was validated in the external validation cohorts with good performance in OS (BIRCH: HR = 2.77 (95% CI: 2.31-3.44), AUC = 0.76; POPLAR: HR = 1.95 (95% CI: 1.50-2.64), AUC = 0.76; and FIR: HR = 1.83 (95% CI: 1.46 -2.39), AUC = 0.72). Conclusions: The Bayesian multivariate joint model demonstrated that longitudinal CRP is a strong survival dynamic predictor for atezolizumab-treated NSCLC patients.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a subclass of noncoding RNAs that play a critical role in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic organisms. Recent studies have revealed the critical role of circRNAs in cancer progression. Yet, little is not well understood of hsa-circ-0064636 in osteosarcoma (OS).Methods: The differential expression of hsa-circ-0064636 in OS cell lines was verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs were screened in OS mRNA and miRNA expression datasets. miRNAs that interacted with hsa-circ-0064636 were predicted by RNAhybrid, TargetScan and miRanda. and were further detected using RNAhybrid, TargetScan and miRanda. miRWalk, miRMap, and miRNAMap were used to perform target gene prediction on the intersected miRNAs to construct a circ-miRNA-mRNA interactor network. The target genes were then subjected to survival analysis using PROGgeneV2, which resulted in a circ-miRNA-mRNA interaction subnetwork with prognostic impact.Results: The qRT-PCR experiments successfully verified that hsa-circ-0064636 was significantly overexpressed in the OS cell line. Hsa-mir-326(miR-326) and hsa-mir-503-5p(miR-503-5p) are target miRNAs of hsa-circ-0064636 in the target genes obtained from the miR-326 and miR-503-5p screens. UBE4A and VDAC1 had a significant effect on prognosis. UBE4A is a target gene for miR-326, while VDAC1 is a target gene for miR-503-5p .Conclusion: hsa-circ-0064636 may be involved in OS development through acting as a sponge to inhibit miR-326 and miR-503-5p , thus regulating the expression of VDAC1 and UBE4A.

To analyze effect of accordion technique on bone mineralization of extended bone segment in treating tibial bone defect with bone transport.From May 2017 to October 2019, 22 patients with tibial bone defects were treated with Ilizarov bone-transport technique, and divided into two groups after bone-transport was completed, 11 patients in each group. In observation group, there were 9 males and 2 females aged from 20 to 60 years old with an average of (42.6± 13.3) years old;the length of bone defect ranged from 3 to 13 cm with an average of(6.4±2.6) cm;2 patients were suffered from upper tibial bone defects, 3 patients were middle and 6 patients were lower;patients were treated with accordion technique for 35 days. In control group, there were 10 males and 1 female aged from 41 to 60 years old with an average of (51.6±6.4) years old;the length of bone defect ranged from 3 to 10.7 cm with an average of (6.6±2.5) cm;1 patient was suffered from upper tibial bone defects, 3 patients were middle and 7 patients were lower;patients were treated with lock external fixator to waiting bone mineralization. The content of hydroxyapatite (HAP) extended bone segment was measured after bone-transport completed immediately, 35, 65 and 95 days after bone-transport was completed, respectively, then the mineralization time and healing time were compared between two groups, and the therapeutic effect of bone defect was evaluated by using Paley scoring criteria.Twenty-two patients were followed up from 18 to 36 months with an average of (27.0±6.3) months. The wounds on the bone defects healed spontaneously during bone transport, and there were no wound complications such as skin infection or skin necrosis occurred. There were statisticaldifference in the content of HAP of the extended bone segments at 35, 65 and 95 days after bone-transport between two groups (Accordion technique and locking external fixator mineralization in prolonging bone segment healing after bone-transport have the equal clinical effect, while the accordion technique could significantly accelerate the growth rate of HAP and shorten the mineralization time and healing time.

Yi, Y.-J., Xiao, X.-X., Wu, L. & He, S. 2020. Molecular data affirming a new occurrence of Encalypta streptocarpa (Encalyptaceae, Bryophyta) in Central China. – Herzogia 33: 309 –318.Encalypta streptocarpa is herein newly reported from Central China, a rare occurrence of this species in Asia. A morphological study and phylogenetic analyses based on rps4 and trnL-F sequences affirm the taxonomic identity of this new population, which represents additional evidence of a Morocco-European-Asiatic disjunct distribution of the species. Photographic images of several noteworthy morphological characters and a full description of the species based on the Chinese specimen are provided.

Objectives: To investigated the relationships between procalcitonin (PCT) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) during septic shock. Methods: A retrospective study was performed, which included septic shock patients admitted into intensive care unit (ICU) from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018. DIC was defined as international society of thrombosis and homeostasis criteria (ISTH≥5). PCT was based on the first value after admission into ICU and the routine biochemical coagulation data based on the worst value extracted from electronic medical records within 24 hours on admission into ICU.Results: Among 2156 patients screened, 164 patients with septic shock were included in the finally analysis and 35.4% (58/164) of whom developed DIC after admission. PCT level was significantly higher in septic shock patients who developed DIC than those who did not (54.6[13.6-200] vs12.6[2.4-53.3] ng/ml, P Conclusions: Our data suggest that PCT level over 42.1ng/ml on admission is associated with DIC during septic shock, and PCT is a potential predictive factor of DIC induced by septic shock at early stage.

BackgroundTrimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) has been shown to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Our aim is to study the effects of TMAO on type 2 diabetes mellitus-coronary heart disease and to explore its mechanism.MethodsA total of 50 healthy controls , 50 T2DM patients and 50 T2DM combined with CHD patients were enrolled. Serum samples were collected to detect glucose, myocardial enzyme spectrum and TMAO level. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyzed the diversity of intestinal flora. Taking the ZDF rat as the experimental object, the model of T2DM combined with CHD was established in rats. Blood samples were taken to detect glucose, myocardial enzyme spectrum and TMAO level. The inflammatory protein and mRNA expression of TLR4, NLRP3, Caspase-1 and IL-1β were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR. In vitro culture of H9c2(2-1) for experiments. The CCK-8 method was used to detect the survival rate of cells after glucose and TMAO treatment. After the cells were treated with selected glucose and TMAO, the cells were treated with selected glucose, TMAO and BAY11-7082, Western blot detected the presence of pyroptosis and the pathway of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3. RT-qPCR was used to determine the mRNA level of inflammatory factor.DiscussionChanges in the composition of intestinal flora in patients with type 2 diabetes can lead to elevated serum TMAO levels. Animal and cell experiments have confirmed that elevated TMAO level may lead to inflammatory myocardial injury in rats and is related to the mechanism of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3.

Background The global burden of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) attributable to air pollution has increased in recent years, but the association between ALRI and exposure to size-specific particulate matter has not been investigated using different exposure metrics. Methods We obtained ALRI admission from seven cities from 2014 to 2016 in China. Different sized particles were measured using three metrics (a) daily mean, (b) hourly peak, and (c) daily excessive concentration hours (DECH). Generalized additive models were fitted for each of the seven cities, and the city-specific estimates were then pooled using random-effects meta-analysis models. Stratified analyses were conducted to examine the effect modifications of gender, age, and season. We also estimated the disease burden due to particulate matter exposures. Results There were 111,426 ALRI (79,803 pneumonia and 31,622 bronchiolitis) hospital admissions under the age of 15 between 2014 and 2016 in our study. Daily means were associated with the largest ALRI estimates (95% confidence interval [CI]): 2.43% (0.79%, 4.11%) for PM2.5, 2.25% (0.11%, 4.44%) for PMc, and 2.64% (0.73%, 4.58%) for PM10. The magnitude of effect sizes were followed by DECH: 1.94% (0.51%, 3.39%) for PM2.5, 0.88% (−0.14%, 1.92%) for PMc, 1.86% (0.50%, 2.01%) for PM10; and hourly peak: 0.70% (−0.60%, 2.01%) for PM2.5, 1.05% (−0.13%, 2.66%) for PMc, and 1.20% (−0.20%, 2.62%) for PM10 at lag03. We found significantly higher effects in cold seasons than that in warm seasons, while we did not find a significant different between gender and age groups. Conclusions The adverse effects of exposure to particulate matter on ALRI hospitalizations are reconfirmed. DECH was a possible alternative exposure indicator for PM2.5 assessment, which may affect air quality standards in the future.

Endothelial cells injury and pro-inflammation cytokines release are the initial steps of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy)-associated vascular inflammation. Pyroptosis is a newly identified pro-inflammation form of programmed cell death, causing cell lysis and IL-1β release, and characterized by the caspases-induced cleavage of its effector molecule gasdermins (GSDMs). However, the effect of homocysteine (Hcy) on endothelial cells pyroptosis and the underlying mechanisms have not been fully defined. We have previously reported that Hcy induces vascular endothelial inflammation accompanied by the increase of high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) and lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin V in endothelial cells, and other studies have shown that HMGB1 or cathepsins are involved in activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and caspase-1. Here, we investigated the role of HMGB1 and cathepsin V in the process of Hcy-induced pyroptosis. We observed an increase in plasma IL-1β levels in HHcy patients and mice models, cathepsin V inhibitor reduced the plasma IL-1β levels and cleavage of GSDMD full-length into GSDMD N-terminal in the thoracic aorta of hyperhomocysteinemia mice. Using cultured HUVECs, we observed that Hcy promoted GSDMD N-terminal expression, silencing GSDMD or HMGB1 rescued Hcy-induced pyroptosis. HMGB1 also increased GSDMD N-terminal expression, and silencing cathepsin V reversed HMGB1-induced pyroptosis. HMGB1 could increase lysosome permeability, and silencing cathepsin V attenuated HMGB1-induced activation of caspase-1. In conclusion, this study has delineated a novel mechanism that HMGB1 mediated Hcy-induced endothelial cells pyroptosis partly via cathepsin V-dependent pathway.

Background Complication of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a determinant of the prognosis in patients with sepsis shock. Procalcitonin (PCT) has been advocated as a marker of bacterial sepsis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum PCT levels and DIC with sepsis shock Methods A cohort study was designed which included patients that admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018 and the follow-up to discharge. 164 septic shock patients were divided into DIC and non-DIC groups according to international society of thrombosis and homeostasis (ISTH). PCT was measured at the admission to ICU, and all the participants received routine biochemical coagulation test subsequently. Results PCT levels were considerably higher in septic shock patients who developed DIC than those who did not (54.6[13.6–200]vs12.6[2.4–53.3]ng/ml), respectively, P

Background Previous studies have suggested that interleukin (IL)-17A is a key factor that contributes to intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), whereas autophagy has been shown to be a protective mechanism in IDD. However, the relationship between IL-17A and autophagy in IDD remains to be fully elucidated. This study sought to evaluate the association between IL-17 and autophagy and the potential mechanism through which IL-17A affects autophagy in IDD. Methods Intervertebral disc specimens were collected from 10 patients with lumbar disc herniation. Human degenerated nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were cultured in the presence or absence of IL-17A treatment. Western blot and monodansylcadaverine staining were used to measure autophagy levels in human degenerated NP cells. Subsequently, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/Bcl-2 pathway inhibitors were used to reveal the potential mechanism. Results IL-17A treatment inhibited the autophagic activity in human NP cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, monodansylcadaverine staining showed that cells treated with IL-17A had significantly fewer changes in their autophagic vacuoles compared with control-treated cells. After IL-17A treatment, expression levels of PI3K, p-Akt, and Bcl-2 in NP cells were significantly increased. Further assays with PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 inhibitors revealed that IL-17A suppressed autophagy in NP cells by activating the PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 signaling pathway. Conclusions These data suggest that IL-17A promotes IDD by inhibiting autophagy through activation of the PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2 signaling pathway and may offer new insights for targeted therapy of this disease.

Background Fetal cells collected from the amniotic fluid of two pregnant women indicated sex chromosome abnormalities. Therefore, we performed G-banded chromosome karyotype analysis, single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP array), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and sequence-tagged sites (STS) analysis of the Y chromosome to determine the rare molecular genetics of the two fetuses. Case presentation The karyotypes of the fetuses from patients 1 and 2 were mos 45,X[92]/46,X,+idic(Y)(q11.21)[8] and mos 45,X[20]/46,X,+idic(Y)(q11.223)[80], respectively. Fetus 1 had a 7.76 Mb deletion in Yq11.222q11.23 and a 15.68 Mb duplication in Yp11.2q11.21. Fetus 2 had 21 Mb of repetitive segments in Yp11.3q11.223. Azoospermia factor (AZF) detection by STS analysis revealed a missing AZFb+c region in fetus 1 and three functional AZF regions in fetus 2. The isodicentric Y chromosome (idic (Y)) in both fetuses arose de novo. The pregnancy of patient 1 was terminated, whereas the fetus of patient 2 was delivered and is now 10 months old with normal appearance and growth. Conclusion A combination of technologies such as chromosome karyotyping, FISH, SNP arrays, and STS analysis of the Y chromosome is important in prenatal diagnosis to reduce birth defect rates and improve the health of the Chinese population.

Introduction. The current study investigated characteristics of parenting needs and questions of Mainland Chinese parents of young children. Specifically, Web text-mining technology was used to identify themes of parenting needs and questions, and parents' emotional status hidden in their question texts. Method. Total of 921,483 questions that parents posted from the top five parenting Websites in China during a 36-month study period were collected. Results. Daily care is one of the most important topics that concerned parents. Contemporary Mainland Chinese parents tend to raise questions about parental knowledge and skills. Different themes of questions could also be identified from different care-givers and different age groups of young children. Conclusions. From a parenting-oriented perspective, contemporary Chinese parents asked pesonalised questions through the Internet frequently. The considerable needs of grandparenting emerged. Programme designers and social policy makers should empower and support young children's parents with their parental knowledge, skills and emotional competence.

Thysananthus ciliaris (Sande Lac.) Sukkharak, a rare species from Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, was newly discovered in lowland evergreen forest, southern Thailand. A detailed description and illustrations are here provided.

Zhao, D.-P., He, S., Tsegmed, Ts. & Mamtimin, S. 2018. Range extension of Didymodon tibeticus to Mongolia and a new synonym of Didymodon nigrescens. – Herzogia 31: 311–316. Didymodon tibeticus (Pottiaceae) is reported from Mongolia for the first time outside of the type locality. Didymodon rigidulus var. perobtusus is proposed as new synonym of D. nigrescens.

Stereophyllum linisii Enroth & B.C.Tan (Stereophyllaceae), a rheophytic species, is transferred as Pseudoparaphysanthus linisii (Enroth & B.C.Tan) S.He, Sukkharak & Chantanaorr. (Neckeraceae). The ...

Didymodon kunlunensis D.P.Zhao, S.Mamtimin & S.He is described as a new species found in Xinjiang, China. The new species is characterised by a combination of the following characters: ovate leaves...

Phantomia vadimii S. He & W. R. Buck, a new moss genus and species, is described from Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. The new taxon is characterized by its abruptly convolute leaf shoulders; the presence of a median row of stereid cells in the upper lateral costal cross sections; a weakly differentiated marginal border at the leaf base; and the absence of a central strand in the stem. The new genus shares some characteristics with Chorisodontium (Mitt.) Broth. in having a narrow basal costa that flares outward at the midleaf and persistent, inflated alar cells. It also has an anatomical similarity to the leaf costal cross sections (especially the upper leaf costa) of Dicranodontium Bruch & Schimp. The similarities and differences of the new genus in comparison with the genera of Campylopodioideae and Dicranoideae are discussed.

Didymodon fortunatii Cardot & Ther. and Hymenostylium diversirete Broth. ex Hand.-Mazz. were previously known only from type collections and both placed into synonymy with Reimersia inconspicua (Griff.) P.-C.Chen when a new monospecific genus Reimersia P.-C.Chen was established. While the plants markedly resemble each other in general appearance and growth habit, a careful review of cellular architecture across the lamina has now identified several character states that differ significantly between them. The nomenclatural history of Reimersia has basically remained unchanged since its generic establishment in 1940. A new combination as Reimersia diversiretis (Broth. ex Hand.-Mazz.) Shevock, W.Z.Ma, S.He & D.G.Long is proposed and the genus Reimersia now contains two species endemic to Asia.

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is a major breakthrough for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment given its high efficacy and tolerable toxicity. Although pre-treatment PD-L1 expression levels and tumor mutation burden (TMB) may serve as prognostic biomarkers for patient stratification, effective predictive biomarkers are lacking. Blood cell count test (BCT) is a routine, regular blood test conducted before and during treatment to provide a direct overview of the immune landscape based on the counts of various types of immune cells (ICs). For instance, previous studies showed that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) both indicate poor treatment outcomes of ICI therapy of NSCLC patients.MethodsThis study analyzed relevant combinations of IC counts from four international, multi-center clinical trials of OAK, BIRCH, POPLAR and FIR to conduct post-hoc analysis of NSCLC patients undergoing atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) single-agent treatment (n = 1,479), while docetaxel single-agent treatment (n = 707) was used as control. BCT was conducted at three timepoints, T1 to T3, during pre-treatment and on the first day of treatment cycles 3 and 5, which correspond to baseline, 6, and 12 weeks on-treatment, respectively. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify NLR_T3, PLR_T3 and neutrophil-to-monocyte (NMR) at T2 as early BCT biomarkers that may predict ICI efficacy. Next, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were used to identify any effective combination of BCT biomarkers and their absolute cutoff values that may serve as predictive biomarkers to predict atezolizumab treatment outcomes. Lastly, combinations of these BCT biomarkers were tested to optimize BCTscore model for clinical evaluation.ResultsThe final BCT biomarker combination, comprising of the BCT biomarkers of NLR and PLR at 12 weeks on-treatment (T3) and NMR at 6 weeks on-treatment (T2), was identified to be a strong predictive biomarker for atezolizumab (Ate)-treated NSCLC patients in comparison to docetaxel (Dtx)-treated patients regarding overall survival (OS) (BCTscore low-risk: HR Ate vs Dtx = 1.54 (95% CI: 1.04–2.27), P = 0.036; high-risk: HR Ate vs Dtx = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.62–1.12), P = 0.236). Our BCTscore model consistently exhibited better OS AUC in the OAK (AUC12month=0.696), BIRCH (AUC12month=0.672) and POPLAR+FIR studies (AUC12month=0.727) than that of each of the three BCT biomarkers in these three studies.ConclusionsThe BCTscore of NLR at 12 weeks, PLR at 12 weeks and NMR at 6 weeks is a strong efficacy predictive biomarker for atezolizumab-treated NSCLC patients.AcknowledgementsThe authors declare no conflict of interest. This publication is based on research using data from Genentech, Inc. (one of subsidiaries of Roche Group) that has been made available through Vivli, Inc (Data Request ID: 5935; Lead Investigator: Dr. Jian-Guo Zhou). Vivli has not contributed to or approved, and is not in any way responsible for, the contents of this publication.Trial RegistrationDeidentified individual participant data from the single-arm phase II studies of FIR study (NCT01846416; as of Janurary 7, 2015) [Spigel2018] and BIRCH (NCT02031458; as of May 28, 2015) [Peters2017], and the two-arm randomized controlled trials (RCT) of the POPLAR phase II study (NCT01903993; as of May 8, 2015) [Fehrenbacher2016] and the OAK phase III study (NCT02008227; as of July 7, 2016) [Rittmeyer2017] were made available by Genentech Inc. and accessed through the secure Vivli online platform.Ethics ApprovalBoth studies were approved by the respective national ethics committees and institutional review boards and written informed consent was obtained from all patients.