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BackgroundThis study aimed to analyze the pathological characteristics and predictive factors of prostate biopsy in men with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/ml.Patients and methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 158 patients who underwent prostate biopsy with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/ml. Pathological results were statistically analyzed. The logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictive factors for malignant outcomes. Subgroup analysis was performed on patients who received surgery and the postoperative pathological upgrading was counted.ResultsA total of 143 patients were enrolled. The tumor detection rate was 20.3%. Among these patients, most of them (79.3%) had prostate adenocarcinoma, but rare malignant tumors also accounted for 20.7%. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the only independent predictive factor for a positive prostate biopsy was the PI-RADS score. For prostate adenocarcinoma cases, 95.7% of them were organ localized and 47.8% of cases were clinically significant. Subgroup analysis was performed on 14 patients who received surgical treatment. 28.6% of patients were upgraded to clinically significant prostate cancer, while 64.3% of patients had an upgrade in tumor stage.ConclusionOur study indicated that 20.3% of men with PSA levels between 0 and 4.0 ng/ml were diagnosed with prostate malignancies. Among these patients, most of them (79.3%) were diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma, and several uncommon types of malignancies were also detected in 20.7% of patients. The only risk factor for a positive biopsy in patients with a low PSA concentration was the PI-RADS score. It should be emphasized that the invasiveness of PCa patients diagnosed by biopsy may be underestimated as more than half of patients will upgrade their Gleason score or clinical stages after surgery. Thus, clinicians should pay more attention to patients with PSA levels between 0 and 4.0 ng/ml.

Synaptic dysfunction is a manifestation of several neurobehavioral and neurological disorders. A major therapeutic challenge lies in uncovering the upstream regulatory factors controlling synaptic processes. Plant homeodomain (PHD) finger proteins are epigenetic readers whose dysfunctions are implicated in neurological disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms linking PHD protein deficits to disease remain unclear. Here, we generated a PHD finger protein 21B–depleted (Phf21b-depleted) mutant CRISPR mouse model (hereafter called Phf21bΔ4/Δ4) to examine Phf21b’s roles in the brain. Phf21bΔ4/Δ4 animals exhibited impaired social memory. In addition, reduced expression of synaptic proteins and impaired long-term potentiation were observed in the Phf21bΔ4/Δ4 hippocampi. Transcriptome profiling revealed differential expression of genes involved in synaptic plasticity processes. Furthermore, we characterized a potentially novel interaction of PHF21B with histone H3 trimethylated lysine 36 (H3K36me3), a histone modification associated with transcriptional activation, and the transcriptional factor CREB. These results establish PHF21B as an important upstream regulator of synaptic plasticity–related genes and a candidate therapeutic target for neurobehavioral dysfunction in mice, with potential applications in human neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Objective To establish an inducible CRISPR library screening method for human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to screen the cis-acting elements involed in the maintainance the pluripotency of hESCs. Methods The inducible Cas9 expression elements were inserted into the hESC genome to construct an inducible Cas9 stable expression strain (iCas9-hESC). Analyze the published chromatin interaction information in hESCs to identify the cis-acting elements that may be involved in the regulation of pluripotency genes, then to construct a double gRNA CRISPR knockout library. The CIRSPR library was used to infect iCas9-hESC at low multiplicity of infection followed by induction of Cas9 expression, and gene editing of the cells. Using the expression level of OCT4 as a standard to measure pluripotency, the cells after gene editing were stained with OCT4 and analyzed by flow cytometry to determine whether the knockout of cis-elements would affect the pluripotency of hESCs. Results The iCas9-hESC was successfully constructed, and the cells still maintained a pluripotent state. Construct a CRISPR knockout library of ciselements and successfully infect the target cells. Flow cytometric analysis of the expression level of OCT4 was performed on the cells after the library infection, and it was found that there were indeed some populations with decreased pluripotency in the cells after gene editing. Conclusions A feasible scheme for screening cis-acting elements involved in maintaining pluripotency in hESCs through CRISPR library is established.

Objective To compare the blood loss after procedures of primary unilateral or one‐stage bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) caused by open‐box prosthesis and closed‐box prosthesis. Methods This was a retrospective study. Patients undergoing procedures of primary TKA between January 2017 and July 2020 in our institution were assessed for eligibility for this study. Those who were diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and underwent primary unilateral or one‐stage bilateral TKA by using PFC Sigma PS150 (closed‐box prosthesis) or Vanguard (open‐box prosthesis) knee systems and had complete data of laboratory indexes on postoperative day (POD) 1, POD 3, and POD 5 were the interested population. At last 243 patients were enrolled, among which 88 patients were classified into the unilateral closed‐box group, 66 patients into the unilateral open‐box group, 47 patients into the one‐stage bilateral closed‐box group, and 42 patients into the one‐stage bilateral open‐box group. The perioperative management and operative techniques were almost the same for each patient, except the selection of prosthesis, which was decided according to surgeon's preference. The baseline information, postoperative laboratory indexes tested on POD 1, POD 3, and POD 5 including hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet, thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and international normalized ratio (INR), the primary outcome measurements including the maximum decreased value of hemoglobin and the volume of total blood loss, and the secondary outcome measurements including the transfusion rate and the average transfused red blood cell (RBC) units were well compared between the open‐box group and the closed‐box group. Results The baseline was comparable between groups, except higher preoperative levels of hemoglobin (134.43 g/L vs 126.51 g/L, P = 0.003) and hematocrit (39.92% vs 37.37%, P = 0.000) observed in the one‐stage bilateral open‐box group. The differences of postoperative coagulation function monitored by TT, PT, APTT, and INR were clinically irrelevant between groups. For patients receiving unilateral TKA, significantly higher value of decreased hemoglobin (26.06 g/L vs 21.05 g/L, P = 0.025) and significantly larger amount of total blood loss (920.34 mL vs 723.19 mL, P = 0.013) were observed in the open‐box group. For patients receiving one‐stage bilateral TKA, the open‐box prosthesis was observed to cause more hemoglobin drop (37.81 g/L vs 32.02 g/L, P = 0.071) and total blood loss (1327.26 mL vs 1177.42 mL, P = 0.247) compared to the closed‐box prosthesis, though the differences were not significant. The transfusion rate and the average transfused RBC units were not significantly different between the open‐box group and the closed‐box group no matte whether the patients were from the unilateral TKA group or from one‐stage bilateral TKA group. Conclusion The use of open‐box prosthesis caused more hemoglobin drop and total blood loss than closed‐box prosthesis after primary unilateral or one‐stage bilateral TKA, resulting in comparable transfusion rate and average transfused RBC units between groups.

Abstract Bike‐sharing systems have gained considerable attention with the tide of sharing economy. This paper proposes a dual selection mechanism and a dynamic double‐threshold repositioning policy to reduce problematic stations. The selection mechanism is a preventive self‐balancing measure, which is carried out before problematic stations appear. To prove the effectiveness of this selection mechanism, a system of differential equations is set up, the steady‐state probabilities of the bike‐sharing system are computed, and numerical experiments to verify the applicability and computability of the computational method are provided. The method providd in this study contributes to improving the efficiency of the bike‐sharing by self‐balancing measure.

Abstract Background B lymphocyte activating factor (BAFF) is a growth factor regulating B lymphocytes survival and maturation. Serum BAFF levels were elevated in patients affected with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), including Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). The aim of this study is to explore the association of expression levels of BAFF and its receptors with AITD. Methods Fifty-two GD patients, 39 Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) patients and 23 healthy controls (HC) were recruited in this study. Serum BAFF levels were measured by ELISA. Expression of BAFF receptors, including BAFF receptor 3 (BR3) and transmembrane activator and calcium-modulating and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI), on B lymphocytes were analyzed by flowcytometry. Effects of steroids on serum BAFF levels and expression of BR3 and TACI were also observed in 10 patients with Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) receiving steroids therapy. Results Serum BAFF levels were significantly elevated from 0.93 ± 0.24 ng/ml in HC to 1.18 ± 0.33 ng/ml in GD (P = 0.0027) and 1.02 ± 0.24 ng/ml in HT (P = 0.0331). BR3 expression on peripheral B lymphocytes were elevated in GD (mean MFI: 4.52 ± 2.06 in GD vs. 3.00 ± 0.87 in HC, P = 0.0015), while TACI expression on peripheral B lymphocytes were decreased in GD without significance (mean MFI: 7.96 ± 4.06 in GD vs. 9.10 ± 3.37 in HC, P = 0.1285). Expression of BR3 and TACI was not changed significantly in HT patients. Steroids significantly suppressed serum BAFF concentrations (from 1.18 ± 0.27 ng/ml to 0.97 ± 0.10 ng/ml, P = 0.0364) and BR3 expression in GO patients (mean MFI from 6.26 ± 4.91 to 4.05 ± 1.58, P = 0.0083). Conclusions Altered expression of BAFF and its receptor may mediate the autoimmunity in GD. Restoring the normal expression profile of receptors for BAFF could be a new strategy to treat GD.

Abstract A–π–D–π–A type conjugated small molecules play an indispensable role in organic photovoltaics. Understanding the relationship between the molecular structure and performance is a fundamental question for the further rational design of high-performance organic materials. To red-shift the absorption spectrum of benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) based A–π–D–π–A type compounds, an electron-donating 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) moiety was introduced into the π-conjugation bridge unit. Two new compounds with EDOT next to the central BDT core (COOP-2HT-EDOT-BDT) or next to the terminal electron acceptor unit (COOP-EDOT-2HT-BDT) were synthesized and characterized. The compound COOP-2HT-EDOT-BDT showed higher molar extinction coefficient (εabs max = 1.06 × 105 L mol−1 cm−1), lower optical band gap (E g = 1.56 eV) and high HOMO energy level (E HOMO = −5.08 eV) than COOP-EDOT-2HT-BDT (εabs max = 0.96 × 105 L mol−1 cm−1, E g = 1.71 eV, E HOMO = −5.26 eV), which is attributed to the intensive interaction between the EDOT unit and the HOMO orbital, as confirmed by the theoretical calculation results. However, the higher power conversion efficiency of 3.58% was achieved for the COOP-EDOT-2HT-BDT:PC61BM-based solar cells, demonstrating that the electron-donating EDOT unit adjacent to the electron-withdrawing end-capped group (COOP) is a better way to achieve high-performance photovoltaic materials.

Abstract Background Cement mantle penetration and the cement–bone interface strength were critical to a successful primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It remained unclear whether decreased blood and fat in the cancellous bone achieved with the use of a tourniquet increases tibial cement mantle penetration in different zones on AP and lateral view in TKA according to criteria defined by the Knee Society Scoring System (KSS). The purpose of this study was to determine whether tourniquet use influences tibial cement mantle penetration in different zones on AP and lateral view in TKA according to KSS. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis to identify studies involving the impact of tourniquet use and no tourniquet use on tibial bone cement penetration in primary TKA in electronic databases, including Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Cochrane Library, Highwire, CBM, VIP, Wanfang database, up to January 2021. Finally, we identified 1231 patients (1231 knees) assessed in twelve studies. Results Tourniquet use increases the cumulative cement mantle penetration (P < 0.00001), mean cement mantle penetration (P = 0.004), and cement mantle in zone 3(P < 0.0001) on AP view. However, there were no significant differences in cement mantle in zone 1(P = 0.5), zone 2(P =0 .54), zone 4(P = 0.07) on AP view, and zone 1(P = 0.32), zone 2(P = 0.38) on lateral view between two groups. There were also no significant differences in length of surgery(P = 0.7), change in hemoglobin(P = 0.4), transfusion rates(P = 0.47), and complications such as muscular calf vein thrombosis(P = 0.21), superficial infection (P = 0.72), and deep vein thrombosis (P = 0.66) between two groups. Conclusion The application of a tourniquet increases the thickness of the tibial bone cement penetration—the increase in the thickness of bone cement penetration mainly located in zone 3 on the anteroposterior (AP) view.

Schisandra chinensis polysaccharide (SCP) is an experimental therapeutic for the treatment of intestinal injury. Selenium nanoparticle modification can improve the bioactivity of polysaccharides. In this study, SCP was firstly extracted and purified by a DEAE-52 column, then SCP-Selenium nanoparticles (SCP-Se NPs) were prepared, and the procedure was optimized. Thereafter, the obtained SCP-Se NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The influence of different storage environments on the stability of colloidal SCP-Se NPs was also investigated. Finally, the therapeutic effects of SCP-Se NPs on LPS-induced intestinal inflammatory injuries in mice were evaluated. Results showed that the optimized SCP-Se NPs were amorphous, uniform, spherical particles with a diameter of 121 nm, and the colloidal solution was stable at 4 °C for at least 14 d. Moreover, SCP-Se NPs could more effectively alleviate LPS-induced diarrhea, intestinal tissue injury, and tight junction destruction and decrease the elevated expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 compared with SCP. These results demonstrate that SCP-Se NPs may alleviate LPS-induced enteritis through their anti-inflammatory effects, indicating that SCP-Se NPs can serve as a good candidate for preventing and treating enteritis in the livestock and poultry industry.

An improved genetic algorithm is proposed to optimize the deep neural network algorithm for visual style conversion in visual media. It consists of two parts: optimizing the deep neural network algorithm design and designing a video style conversion model. The genetic algorithm selection strategy is enhanced to optimize the neural network structure. A non-recursive neural network is used to handle temporal inconsistency in a single frame. Experimental results on the Heart dataset show that the accuracy of the optimized deep neural network algorithm is 0.8913, outperforming other algorithms like the generative adversarial dual neural network (0.8696), ant colony optimization (0.8651), active network (0.8536), genetic algorithm (0.8566), and particle swarm algorithm (0.8558). Moreover, the optimized algorithm achieves high temporal stability and running speed in single and multi-style conversion networks. In conclusion, the proposed strategy using improved genetic algorithms to optimize deep neural network algorithms for visual style conversion offers effective solutions with high application value in terms of accuracy, temporal stability, and running speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A data center network is an important infrastructure in various applications of modern information technologies. Data centers store files with useful information, but the lifetime of these data centers is limited. Once a data center suffers from natural disasters and man-made damages, all the information stored in the files will be lost. Therefore, replicating important files in other data centers is necessary to increase the lifetime of these files in a data center network. In this study, we develop a more general framework for Markov processes in data center networks, that can provide an analysis of file replication processes. A file replication strategy duplicates each important file in at most $d-1$ other data centers such that these files can remain in a data center network under a given data security level in the long term. In this regard, we achieve a sufficient stable condition of data center networks by using a matrix-geometric solution. Then, we provide an expression for the stationary average number of normally operating data center networks. We also develop a computational technique for file lifetime via phase type distribution and the $RG$ -factorizations. Lastly, we hope that the methodology and results presented in this study are applicable to research on file lifetime and data security for more general data center networks with a replication mechanism.

Objectives: Furin has been associated with hypertension through unclear underlying mechanisms. FURIN promoter methylation may participate in the underlying mechanisms, but no evidence supports this possibility. Here, we performed a prospective analysis to study the association between FURIN promoter methylation and incident hypertension. Methods: DNA methylation levels in the FURIN promoter were quantified by target bisulfite sequencing using peripheral blood from 1043 participants in the Gusu cohort (mean age: 50 years, 30% men) who were free of hypertension at baseline. After an average of 4 years of follow-up, 149 (14.3%) participants developed hypertension. Multiple testing was controlled for by measuring the false-discovery rate. Results: Of the eight CpG loci assayed, DNA methylation levels at Chr15: 91416118 were significantly associated with incident hypertension after adjusting for covariates and multiple testing (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17–1.64, q = 0.001). The weighted truncated-product method, which combines single CpG associations, revealed that DNA methylation at multiple CpG sites was jointly associated with incident hypertension (P < 0.001). Using the average methylation level of all CpG sites as a surrogate for FURIN promoter methylation revealed a similar association (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.08–1.72, P = 0.009). Almost all CpG methylations negatively correlated with serum furin levels, which mediated approximately 29.44% of the association between FURIN promoter methylation and incident hypertension. Conclusions: These results suggest that FURIN promoter hypermethylation is associated with an increased risk for hypertension in Chinese adults, partially through suppressing furin expression or excretion.

To solve some problems of high spatial resolution remote sensing images caused by land coverage, building coverage and shading of trees, such as difficult road extraction and low precision, a road extraction method based on multi-task key point constraints is put forward in this article based on Linknet. At the preprocessing stage, an auxiliary constraint task is designed to solve the connectivity problem caused by shading during road extraction from remote sensing images. At the encoding & decoding stage, first, a position attention (PA) mechanism module and channel attention (CA) mechanism module are applied to realize the effective fusion of semantic information in the context during road extraction. Second, a multi-branch cascade dilated spatial pyramid (CDSP) is established with dilated convolution, by which the problem of loss of partial information during information extraction from remote sensing road image is solved and the detection accuracy is further improved. The method put forward in this article is verified through the experiment with public datasets and private datasets, revealing that the proposed method provides better performance than several state of the art techniques in terms of detection accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score.

BackgroundRare studies investigated the associations between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption with depressive and social anxiety symptoms among children and adolescents, particularly in different stratification of body composition, which was our purpose.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of children and adolescents aged 7–17 years was conducted in Beijing, China, in 2020, with an average age of 12.07 (SD: 3.09) years. Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) questionnaires and social anxiety scale for children (SASC) were completed in the baseline questionnaires. SSB consumption and body composition were assessed using child-reported questionnaires and a GE Healthcare Lunar iDXA dual-energy X-ray bone densitometer. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the associations between SSB consumption with depressive and social anxiety symptoms. Confounders were evaluated by child-reported and parental questionnaires, including age, sex, parental educational attainment, maternal smoking status, single-child status, BMI, incomes, fruit consumption, physical activity, screen time, and the frequency of fried food consumption. Stratified analyses were performed to explore whether the associations were influenced by body composition.ResultsA total of 1,311 children and adolescents, including 658 boys and 653 girls, were included in the final analysis. There were 13.96 and 29.75% of the study population with depressive and social anxiety symptoms, respectively. Overall, about 63.77% of the children and adolescents consumed SSB, and the average SSB intake was 0.35 servings per day. In the fully adjusted model, compared to participants who did not consume SSB each day, SSB consumption of ≥1 servings/day was positively associated with depressive symptoms [odds ratio (OR) = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.30–4.01] and social anxiety (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.69–1.77), though the latter did not reach statistical significance. When individuals had higher body fat or lower fat-free mass (FFM) or muscle, the ORs of depressive symptoms were more evident among children and adolescents who drank SSB for ≥1 servings/day (P < 0.05).ConclusionHigher consumption of SSB could be associated with increased OR of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. The association remained robust, especially in groups with higher body fat or lower fat-free mass or muscle.

Abstract. Rationale:. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion, an important oncogenic mutation, occurs in 3% to 7% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases, and EML4 is the most common partner gene. With the widespread application of next-generation sequencing (NGS), more gene breakpoint fusions have been discovered and functional fusion transcripts can provide targeted clinical benefits. Patient concerns and diagnosis:. A 40-year-old woman was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma with brain metastases. A novel CLHC1/RNT4 intergenic region, ALK (Exon20-29) (abundance 39.97%), was identified using lung puncture tissue by NGS analysis (Simceredx), and results of immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed ALK fusion. Interventions and outcomes:. The patient was administered oral crizotinib (250 mg bid) combined with endostar (30 mg d1-7) for 12 cycles from June 18, 2020. The patient's condition was controlled, and the curative effect was evaluated as stable disease (SD). Unfortunately, brain magnetic resonance images showed multiple nodules in the left cerebellar hemisphere, and chest computed tomography showed no significant changes in the progression of the disease. Subsequently, alectinib (600 mg bid) was administered on April 1, 2021. Brain lesions were significantly reduced and partial remission (PR) was achieved. No significant changes were observed in the lung lesions. Lessons:. ALK fusion is a risk factor for brain metastasis (BM) in patients with advanced non-small NSCLC patients. In our case, a novel CLHC1/RNT4 intergenic region, ALK fusion, was identified for the first time in a lung adenocarcinoma patient with BM, who benefited from crizotinib and endostar sequential alectinib. Our case highlights the advantages of NGS for fusion detection and provides promising treatment options for NSCLC patients with BM harboring ALK fusions.

Abstract Despite the tremendous efforts in developing non‐fullerene acceptor (NFA) for polymer solar cells (PSCs), only few researches are done on studying the NFA molecular structure dependent stability of PSCs, and long‐term stable PSCs are only reported for the cells with low efficiency. Herein, the authors compare the stability of inverted PM6:NFA solar cells using ITIC, IT‐4F, Y6, and N3 as the NFA, and a decay rate order of IT‐4F > Y6 ≈ N3 > ITIC is measured. Quantum chemical calculations reveal that fluorine substitution weakens the C═C bond and enhances the interaction between NFA and ZnO, whereas the β‐alkyl chains on the thiophene unit next to the C═C linker blocks the attacking of hydroxyl radicals onto the C═C bonds. Knowing this, the authors choose a bulky alkyl side chain containing molecule (named L8‐BO) as the acceptor, which shows slower photo bleaching and performance decay rates. A combination of ZnO surface passivation with phenylethanethiol (PET) yields a high efficiency of 17% and an estimated long T80 and Ts80 of 5140 and 6170 h, respectively. The results indicate functionalization of the β‐position of the thiophene unit is an effective way to improve device stability of the NFA.

Abstract Background During the posterior approach, it has been shown that a significant reduction in dislocation rate can be achieved with the repair of the posterior soft tissue. However, no consensus exists about the best way to perform this repair. This review aimed to compare the transosseous with transmuscular repair of the posterior soft tissue in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods We conducted a meta-analysis to identify studies involving transosseous versus transmuscular repair of the posterior soft tissue in THA in electronic databases, including Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Cochrane Library, Highwire, CBM, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang database, up to July 2020. Finally, we identified 1417 patients (1481 hips) assessed in seven studies. Results Compared with transmuscular repair, transosseous repair resulted in less incidence of dislocation (P = 0.003), less blood loss during operation (P < 0.00001) and lower VAS score within 3 months (P = 0.02). There were no significant differences in terms of trochanteric fracture rate (P = 0.56), Harris hip score at 3 months (P = 0.35) and 6 months (P = 0.89), VAS score within 6 months (P = 0.53), and operation time (P = 0.70) between two groups. Conclusion The lower dislocation rate, less blood loss, and lower VAS scores after operation supported transosseous repair's superiority to transmuscular repair. Besides, no additional medical cost and operating time were associated with transosseous repair compared with transmuscular repair. Hence, we recommend that transosseous repair be chosen first by orthopedists when performing reconstruction of the posterior soft tissue in THA via a posterolateral approach. Given the relevant possible biases in our meta-analysis, we required more adequately powered and better-designed RCT studies with long-term follow-up to reach a firmer conclusion.

Abstract Background Cotton (Gossypium spp.) fiber yield is one of the key target traits, and improved fiber yield has always been thought of as an important objective in the breeding programs and production. Although some studies had been reported for the understanding of genetic bases for cotton yield-related traits, the detected quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the traits is still very limited. To uncover the whole-genome QTL controlling three yield-related traits in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), phenotypic traits were investigated under four planting environments and 9244 single-nucleotide polymorphism linkage disequilibrium block (SNPLDB) markers were developed in an association panel consisting of 315 accessions. Results A total of 53, 70 and 68 significant SNPLDB loci associated with boll number (BN), boll weight (BW) and lint percentage (LP), were respectively detected through a restricted two-stage multi-locus multi-allele genome-wide association study (RTM-GWAS) procedure in multiple environments. The haplotype/allele effects of the significant SNPLDB loci were estimated and the QTL-allele matrices were organized for offering the abbreviated genetic composition of the population. Among the significant SNPLDB loci, six of them were simultaneously identified in two or more single planting environments and were thought of as the stable SNPLDB loci. Additionally, a total of 115 genes were annotated in the nearby regions of the six stable SNPLDB loci, and 16 common potential candidate genes controlling target traits of them were predicted by two RNA-seq data. One of 16 genes (GH_D06G2161) was mainly expressed in the early ovule-development stages, and the stable SNPLDB locus (LDB_19_62926589) was mapped in its promoter region. Conclusion This study identified the QTL alleles and candidate genes that could provide important insights into the genetic basis of yield-related traits in upland cotton and might facilitate breeding cotton varieties with high yield.

Abstract. Background. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is considered a key pathophysiologic process for the development of acute lung injury. In this study, we aimed at investigating the effects of unfractionated heparin (UFH) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced changes of vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin) and the potential underlying mechanisms. Methods. Male C57BL/6 J mice were randomized into three groups: vehicle, LPS, and LPS + UFH groups. Intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg LPS was used to induce sepsis. Mice in the LPS + UFH group received subcutaneous injection of 8 U UFH 0.5 h before LPS injection. The lung tissue of the mice was collected for assessing lung injury by measuring the lung wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio and observing histological changes. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) were cultured and used to analyze the effects of UFH on LPS- or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-induced vascular hyperpermeability, membrane expression of VE-cadherin, p120-catenin, and phosphorylated myosin light chain (p-MLC), and F-actin remodeling, and on the LPS-induced activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/serine/threonine kinase (Akt)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Results. In vivo, UFH pretreatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced pulmonary histopathological changes (neutrophil infiltration and erythrocyte effusion, alveolus pulmonis collapse, and thicker septum), decreased the lung W/D, and increased protein concentration (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.57 ± 0.04 vs. 0.32 ± 0.04 mg/mL, P = 0.0092), total cell count (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 9.57 ± 1.23 vs. 3.65 ± 0.78 × 105/mL, P = 0.0155), polymorphonuclear neutrophil percentage (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 88.05% ± 2.88% vs. 22.20% ± 3.92%, P = 0.0002), and TNF-α (460.33 ± 23.48 vs. 189.33 ± 14.19 pg/mL, P = 0.0006) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In vitro, UFH pre-treatment prevented the LPS-induced decrease in the membrane expression of VE-cadherin (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.368 ± 0.044 vs. 0.716 ± 0.064, P = 0.0114) and p120-catenin (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.208 ± 0.018 vs. 0.924 ± 0.092, P = 0.0016), and the LPS-induced increase in the expression of p-MLC (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.972 ± 0.092 vs. 0.293 ± 0.025, P = 0.0021). Furthermore, UFH attenuated LPS- and TNF-α-induced hyperpermeability of HPMECs (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 8.90 ± 0.66 vs. 15.84 ± 1.09 Ω·cm2, P = 0.0056; TNF-α vs. TNF-α + UFH: 11.28 ± 0.64 vs. 18.15 ± 0.98 Ω·cm2, P = 0.0042) and F-actin remodeling (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 56.25 ± 1.51 vs. 39.70 ± 1.98, P = 0.0027; TNF-α vs. TNF-α + UFH: 55.42 ± 1.42 vs. 36.51 ± 1.20, P = 0.0005) in vitro. Additionally, UFH decreased the phosphorylation of Akt (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 0.977 ± 0.081 vs. 0.466 ± 0.035, P = 0.0045) and I kappa B Kinase (IKK) (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 1.023 ± 0.070 vs. 0.578 ± 0.044, P = 0.0060), and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB (LPS vs. LPS + UFH: 1.003 ± 0.077 vs. 0.503 ± 0.065, P = 0.0078) in HPMECs, which was similar to the effect of the PI3K inhibitor, wortmannin. Conclusions. The protective effect of UFH against LPS-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier dysfunction involves VE-cadherin stabilization and PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling.

AIM: To evaluate the role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG15 and its potential pathways in uveal melanoma (UM). METHODS: The SNHG15 mRNA expression level and corresponding clinicopathological characteristics of 80 patients with UM were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and further analyzed. The SPSS 24.0 statistical software package was used for statistical analyses. To investigate the potential function of SNHG15 in UM, we conducted in-depth research on Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). RESULTS: The univariate analysis revealed that the age, tumor diameter, pathological type, extrascleral extension, cancer status, and high expression of SNHG15 were statistical risk factors for death from all causes. The multivariate analysis suggested that the mRNA expression level of SNHG15 was an independent risk factor for death from all causes, as was age and pathological type. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis confirmed that UM patients with high SNHG15 expression might have a poor prognosis. In addition, SNHG15 was significantly differentially expressed in the different groups of tumor pathologic stage, metastasis and living status. Besides, the logistic regression analysis indicated that high SNHG15 expression group in UM was significantly associated with cancer status, pathologic stage, metastasis, and living status. Moreover, the GSEA indicated the potential pathways regulated by SNHG15 in UM. CONCLUSION: Our research suggests that SNHG15 may play a vital role as a potential marker in UM that predicts poor prognosis. Besides, GSEA indicates the underlying signaling pathways enriched differentially in SNHG15 high expression phenotype.

Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is a notorious destructive pest that mainly feeds on the leaves of potato and several other solanaceous plants. CPB is widely recognized for its adaptation to a remarkable variety of host plants and diverse climates, and its high resistance to insecticides and Bacillus thuringiensis toxins. RNA interference (RNAi) is a sequence-specific, endogenous gene silencing mechanism evoked by small RNA molecules that is used as a robust tool for virus and pest control. RNAi has been extensively tested for CPB management by employing various target genes and delivery methods. This article reviews the screening of RNAi target genes, efficient RNAi delivery systems, and factors affecting RNAi efficiency in CPB, which may help understand the mechanisms of RNAi and its application in CPB control strategy.

Abstract Background The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the safety and efficacy of en bloc transurethral resection of bladder tumor (EBRT) versus conventional transurethral resection of bladder tumor (CTURBT). Methods We performed a meta-analysis of relevant articles through November 2019 using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register to compare the safety and efficacy of EBRT versus CTURBT. The main endpoint included the operation time (OT), hospitalization time (HT), catheterization time (AT), perioperative period complications, bladder detrusor muscle found in the specimen, the residual tumor on the base, the ratio of the same site recurrence, and 12/24/36-month recurrence rate. Cochrane Collaboration’s Revman software, version 5.3, was used for statistical analysis. Results A total of 19 studies with 2651 patients were included, 1369 underwent EBRT and 1282 underwent CTURBT. Patients treated with EBRT had a significantly lower AT, HT, obturator nerve reflex, bladder perforation, bladder irritation, postoperative complications, and 24-month recurrence rate than those who underwent CTURBT. While no significant difference was found in terms of OT, the ratio of bladder detrusor muscle found in the specimen, the residual tumor on the base, 12-month recurrence rate, 36-month recurrence rate, and the ratio of the same site recurrence. In mitomycin subgroup, EBRT was superior to CTURBT in terms of 12/24-month recurrence rate. Similarly, in the prospective subgroup and retrospective subgroup, EBRT had a lower 24-month recurrence rate than CTURBT. However, no significant difference was found in the low, intermediate, and high-risk group in the light of 12–36-month recurrence rate. Conclusions Based on the included 19 articles, EBRT had a significantly lower AT, HT, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and 24-month recurrence rate than those treated with CTURBT. Well-designed randomized controlled trials were needed to reevaluate these outcomes. Trial registration This meta-analysis was reported in agreement with the PRISMA statement and was registered on PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019121673.

Many dynamic disasters such as coal wall caving and roof falling have happened during longwall face crossing fault. Combined with the coal seam geological conditions in the 1302 longwall face AB coal mine, the paper comprehensively studies the overlying strata movement and the stress evolution laws of stope during superhigh-water material (SHWM) backfilling longwall face across fault by UDEC numerical simulation, theoretical analysis and on-site measurement. The results show that the stress during stable state is affected by the fault will increases abnormally. While the longwall face pass through the fault, the stress will abated and the vertical displacement of the overlying strata of two sides of the fault is significantly different. The fault significant blocks the propagation of stress and development of plastic zone. The superhigh-water material filling mining management roof has good protection effect on the roof when the longwall face encounters fault, which can effectively weaken the blocks effect of fault on stress propagation and plastic zone development. The numerical simulation results are consistent with the field experiments, and the research result provides theoretical basis and technical guidance for safe and efficient production during superhigh-water material backfilling longwall face through the fault.

With the introduction of deep learning technology into the field of visual tracking, the accuracy and robustness of visual tracking have greatly improved. Recently, trackers based on Siamese region proposal networks have attracted a great deal of attention because of their favorable performance, especially when faced with challenges of heavy target deformation and out-of-plane rotation. However, strategies of local-area search and using a fixed template degrade the performance of such networks in the long-term tracking. In this paper, we focus on a wide-area search tracking approach with adaptive template updating for a Siamese region proposal network. By embedding a correlation filter module into the Siamese region proposal networks, a structure of moving anchors distribution is designed to make the anchor regression centered around the target. Through adaptive reliability evaluation and online template update, the discriminative performance of the model improves greatly. Furthermore, in order to address the problem of being misled by false positives, a multi-trajectory tracking mechanism is joined to consistently boost the classification ability. Experiments on OTB100 and VOT short-term benchmarks and UAV123 long-term benchmark show that our tracker significantly outperforms the original algorithm and achieves comparable performance compared with other state-of-the-art trackers.

Airworthiness regulation documents are critical, which contain massive safe constraints for system design and airworthiness certification. The textual information of airworthiness regulations is organized and stored in a hierarchical and scattered form due to the unique provision structure. The linguistic form of legal provision brings the problems of incompleteness semantic information and syntactic structure to each legal clause, which limits the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology in the field of airworthiness safety. In this article, a novel theory of semantic cohesion is proposed for Chinese airworthiness regulations, in which four critical elements are contained, including definition, model, theorem and rules. The definition of attributive directed graph model is proposed to achieve the graphical representation of airworthiness regulation texts. Moreover, the graphical issue of regulation texts is proved in accordance with the characteristic of hierarchical provision structure based on graph theory, and the rules of edge structure construction are provided. Based on the theory, a new node content link algorithm is proposed to achieve the tasks of semantic cohesion and structure conversion for Chinese airworthiness regulation texts. According to the hierarchical structure characteristic of regulation texts, the algorithm can convert the provision structure to the general narrative linguistic form by constructing edges with semantic cohesion relation. As a result, provision sentences with complete semantic information and syntactic structure can be generated. The algorithm has been deployed on the current 119 airworthiness regulation texts to verify the validity and feasibility. The experimental results show that the algorithm achieves efficient performance in the tasks of structure conversion and semantic cohesion, and the algorithm performs reliably with an accuracy rate of 100%. The problem of application limitation for NLP technology to Chinese airworthiness regulation texts has been resolved, which promotes the intelligent and automatic development of airworthiness safety.

Hypoxic microenvironment commonly occurred in the solid tumors considerably decreases the chemosensitivity of cancer cells. Salidroside (Sal), the main active ingredient of Rhodiola rosea, was shown to be able of regulating the tumor hypoxia micro-environment and enhancing the chemotherapeutic efficacy of drug-resistant cancer. Therefore, in this study, the Sal was co-loaded with Apatinib (Apa) by the PLGA-based nanoparticles (NPs) to improve the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells. Additionally, to improve the drug delivery efficacy, the tumor-homing peptide (iVR1 peptides) was further decorated on the surface of NPs. The tumor targeting ability of the peptides-functionalized nanoparticles (iVR1-NPs-Apa/Sal) was evaluated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. As the obtained results revealed that the iVR1-NPs-Apa/Sal displayed excellent tumor affinity than the unmodified ones (NPs-Apa/Sal), which in turn resulted in more efficient of anti-proliferation of gastric cancer cells and anti-tumor effect in vivo. In addition, compared with the cells or tumor-bearing mice only treaded by monotherapy of Apa, the cells or mice received combinational treatment of Apa and Sal showed obvious lower rate of growth, invasion, and migration or tumor growth and progress. Underlying mechanisms were further investigated and it was revealed that the anti-gastric cancer effect of Apa was signally improved by Sal through down-regulation the proliferation factors and increase the pro-apoptotic genes, as well as reprograming the tumor hypoxia micro-environment. In a word, the study showed that the Sal was able of improving the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer to Apa and the iVR1-NPs-Apa/Sal was capable of realizing highly efficient of tumor-targeting drug delivery.

Background. Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital anomaly involving the myocardial tissue encasement of a segment of the coronary artery. The purpose of the present study was to assess safety and efficacy of two surgical methods used for treating MB patients at our institute. Methods. Off-pump MB unroofing was performed in 45 adult patients between January 2016 and December 2021 by traditional surgical unroofing techniques (conventional group, n = 26) and blunt dissection techniques (blunt dissection group, n = 19). We retrospectively reviewed our patients by examining the baseline clinical characteristics, risk factors, medications, and diagnostic data for coronary artery disease. The Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) was used to assess angina symptoms both preoperatively and 6 months postsurgery. Results. No significant difference in preoperative clinical characteristics was observed between the two groups. The blunt dissection group had shorter unroofed period (14.69 vs. 18.91 mins, P=0.001), less ventilator time (16.26 vs. 24.62 hours, P

Neuromorphic computing systems can perform memory and computing tasks in parallel on artificial synaptic devices through simulating synaptic functions, which is promising for breaking the conventional von Neumann bottlenecks at hardware level. Artificial optoelectronic synapses enable the synergistic coupling between optical and electrical signals in synaptic modulation, which opens up an innovative path for effective neuromorphic systems. With the advantages of high mobility, optical transparency, ultrawideband tunability, and environmental stability, graphene has attracted tremendous interest for electronic and optoelectronic applications. Recent progress highlights the significance of implementing graphene into artificial synaptic devices. Herein, to better understand the potential of graphene-based synaptic devices, the fabrication technologies of graphene are first presented. Then, the roles of graphene in various synaptic devices are demonstrated. Furthermore, their typical optoelectronic applications in neuromorphic systems are reviewed. Finally, outlooks for development of synaptic devices based on graphene are proposed. This review will provide a comprehensive understanding of graphene fabrication technologies and graphene-based synaptic device for optoelectronic applications, also present an outlook for development of graphene-based synaptic device in future neuromorphic systems.

The degree of coordination between ecosystem services and the level of socioeconomic development has essential implications for regional sustainability. The coordinated development of ecology and economy is a major theoretical and practical problem for the Qinba Mountains, which is once one of the 14 contiguous destitute areas in China. Based on the land use and cover change (LUCC) data interpreted by medium-resolution remote sensing images, this study adopted the modified equivalent factor method to calculate ecosystem service value (ESV) and its temporal and spatial variation in the Qinba Mountains. A comprehensive index system was constructed to measure the socioeconomic development level and to reveal the coupling relationship between the ESV and socioeconomic development. The results show that: (1) for 2000–2015, the ESV in these areas was increasing, the proportion of forest ESV was the largest, and it increased significantly. (2) The level of socioeconomic development was constantly improving, and the differences within the region were gradually emerging. (3) Except for the Hantai District, which has been in a highly uncoordinated state, the degree of coordination between ESV and socioeconomic development has improved year by year, and most counties were in a state of medium coordination, or above. The results contribute to a scientific basis for decision making regarding ecological environmental protection and green economic development in the Qinba Mountains, and have positive significance for promoting the construction of ecological civilization and sustainable development in the study area.

Patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa) are often treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). However, more than 30% of such patients have high risk of recurrence. Salvage radiotherapy (SRT), androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and combination of radiotherapy and ADT are the standard care for recurrent PCa. Recently, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has gradually applied in the treatment of recurrent PCa. Here, we proposed a hypothesis that combined HIFU and bicalutamide 150mg as first line salvage therapy to treat patients with local recurrent PCa with visible lesions due to the following advantages: (1) HIFU is effective in reducing local tumor load, and bicalutamide 150mg is a feasible and safety option to combine with HIFU. (2) Compared with radiotherapy, HIFU plus 150mg bicalutamide is minimal invasiveness with fewer adverse effects and better quality of life(QOL); (3) Radiotherapy can be preserved as the second-line salvage method in the cases who are failure to HIFU and 150mg bicalutamide combination. More clinical trials are warranted to confirm this hypothesis in treatment with recurrent PCa.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the value of combining bpMRI and clinical indicators in the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), and developing a prediction model and Nomogram to guide clinical decision-making.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 530 patients who underwent prostate biopsy due to elevated serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and/or suspicious digital rectal examination (DRE). Enrolled patients were randomly assigned to the training group (n = 371, 70%) and validation group (n = 159, 30%). All patients underwent prostate bpMRI examination, and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences were collected before biopsy and were scored, which were respectively named T2WI score and DWI score according to Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADS v.2) scoring protocol, and then PI-RADS scoring was performed. We defined a new bpMRI-based parameter named Total score (Total score = T2WI score + DWI score). PI-RADS score and Total score were separately included in the multivariate analysis of the training group to determine independent predictors for csPCa and establish prediction models. Then, prediction models and clinical indicators were compared by analyzing the area under the curve (AUC) and decision curves. A Nomogram for predicting csPCa was established using data from the training group.ResultsIn the training group, 160 (43.1%) patients had prostate cancer (PCa), including 128 (34.5%) with csPCa. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the PI-RADS score, Total score, f/tPSA, and PSA density (PSAD) were independent predictors of csPCa. The prediction model that was defined by Total score, f/tPSA, and PSAD had the highest discriminatory power of csPCa (AUC = 0.931), and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 85.1% and 87.5%, respectively. Decision curve analysis (DCA) showed that the prediction model achieved an optimal overall net benefit in both the training group and the validation group. In addition, the Nomogram predicted csPCa revealed good estimation when compared with clinical indicators.ConclusionThe prediction model and Nomogram based on bpMRI and clinical indicators exhibit a satisfactory predictive value and improved risk stratification for csPCa, which could be used for clinical biopsy decision-making.

The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a destructive wheat pest worldwide and an important alien species in China. Based on 258 distribution records and nine environmental factors of the Hessian fly, we predicted the potential distribution area in China under three current and future (2050s and 2070s) climate change scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) via the optimized MaxEnt model. Under the current climate conditions, the suitable distribution areas of the Hessian fly in China were 25–48° N, 81–123° E, and the total highly suitable distribution area is approximately 9.63 × 105 km2, accounting for 9.99% of the total national area. The highly suitable areas are mainly located in northern Xinjiang and central and eastern China. With the rising global temperatures, except for the high-suitable areas under the RCP8.5 scenario, most potential geographic distribution areas would expand in the future. The minimum temperature in February (tmin-2), precipitation in March (prec-3), maximum temperature in November (tmax-11), and precipitation seasonality (bio-15) are important factors that affect the potential geographic distribution of the Hessian fly. This study provides an important reference and empirical basis for management of the Hessian fly in the future.

Limited evidence exists on the influence of dietary behaviors on the association of overweight/obesity between parents and offspring. This study aimed to investigate the influence of dietary behaviors on the association of overweight/obesity between two generations, and puts forward strategies for preventing childhood obesity. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey conducted in China; a total of 40,197 parent-offspring pairs were included. Overweight/obesity was defined based on the body mass index and waist circumstance; the association of overweight/obesity between two generations was evaluated by multivariate and binary logistic regression and stratified analyses. Compared with the offspring who were free of parental overweight/obesity, the ORs of offspring with both parental overweight/obesity reached 2.66, 1.72 and 4.04 for general, simple abdominal and compound obesity. The offset effect of dietary behaviors was observed on the association between parental obesity and the offspring’s general or simple abdominal obesity, with non-significant ORs when parents or/and offspring had healthy dietary behaviors. It was difficult for a healthy diet alone to offset the high heritability and intergenerational transmission of childhood obesity caused by parental obesity. Multifaceted improvement of lifestyle behaviors, and a combination of individual and family engagement, could be targeted measures to control childhood obesity.

Steel corrosion is major reason of the deterioration of reinforced concrete structures. Decreasing the transportation of erosion ions in concrete is one of effective methods to protect the steel from corrosion. In the present work, a novel nano-hydrophobic admixture is introduced to improve the ion-diffusion properties and the corrosion resistance of reinforced steel. Compared with unmodified concrete, the nano-hydrophobic admixture effectively decreases the water adsorption, water evaporation, and chloride ions transport in a concrete structure, and then improved the concrete’s durability. The concrete’s water adsorption decreased more than 78%, and the initial corrosion time of reinforced steel is prolonged more than one time by treatment with the nano-hydrophobic admixture. The inhibition penetration of the medium in concrete modified by hydrophobic nanoparticles is the key to provide the protective properties of steel reinforcement from chloride erosion.

Many epidemiological studies have confirmed that ICAM-1 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility of various cancers, but there are relatively few studies on the relationship between ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms and the risk of cervical cancer. Therefore, we aimed to explore the potential role of ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms and the combined effect of SNPs in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer in Han women in northern China. This case–control group includes 488 cases of cervical cancer, 684 cases of cervical precancerous lesions, and 510 healthy females. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with the next-generation sequencing method was used for the determination of gene polymorphisms (rs5498, rs3093030, and rs281432). In our study, we divide cervical cancer into two subgroups: cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) group and cervical adenocarcinoma (CAC) group. We analyzed the alleles and genotypes of all research subjects using multivariate logistic regression analysis combined with 10,000 permutation tests. In addition, we also analyzed the distribution of haplotypes of the three SNPs in cervical cancer and cervical precancerous lesions. We found that the T allele and the dominant model of rs3093030 were associated with the susceptibility of cervical cancer (p = 0.042, p = 0.040, respectively). However, the significance disappeared after the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (p > 0.05). For rs5498, its mutant gene G, the codominant model, and the dominant model could reduce the risk of CAC (p = 0.009, p = 0.028, p = 0.011, respectively). Significant differences remained after Bonferroni correction (p < 0.05, all). In addition, the frequency of haplotype “CTG” was significantly lower in the CAC group than in the controls. In conclusion, the study suggested that ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms may have a potential role in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer in the northern Chinese Han population.

Abstract. Objective:. Premature ejaculation (PE) is regarded as one of the most common male sexual dysfunctions. This review introduced several pharmaceutical and surgical methods for the management of PE. The definition, etiology, behavioral, and psychological therapy of PE were also discussed. Data sources:. “Premature,” “ejaculation,” or “sexual dysfuction” were used as the medical subject headings (MeSH) to obtain relevant articles before June 2019 on Pubmed, Google Scholar and CNKI. Most articles used were written in English and several Chinese articles were also cited. Study selection:. Full-text articles of retrospective/prospective/randomized controlled trials were analyzed. Animal experiments and letters were excluded. Results:. There are four PE sub-types: lifelong PE, acquired PE, natural variable PE, and subjective PE. Behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, medication, topical anesthetics, and surgery are currently used for the treatment of PE. However, all the above treatments have limitations. Therefore, novel ways should be investigated to more efficiently control PE. Conclusions:. The pharmaceutical therapy that is currently being used in clinical practice for the management of PE is still the main choice globally due to its good efficacy. Surgery may be a choice for patients who are resistant to medication. However, it should be performed cautiously.

Abstract: Platelet activation requires fully functional mitochondria, which provide a vital energy source and control the life span of platelets. Previous reports have shown that both general autophagy and selective mitophagy are critical for platelet function. However, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that Nix, a previously characterized mitophagy receptor that plays a role in red blood cell maturation, also mediates mitophagy in platelets. Genetic ablation of Nix impairs mitochondrial quality, platelet activation, and FeCl3-induced carotid arterial thrombosis without affecting the expression of platelet glycoproteins (GPs) such as GPIb, GPVI, and αIIbβ3. Metabolic analysis revealed decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, enhanced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species level, diminished oxygen consumption rate, and compromised adenosine triphosphate production in Nix−/− platelets. Transplantation of wild-type (WT) bone marrow cells or transfusion of WT platelets into Nix-deficient mice rescued defects in platelet function and thrombosis, suggesting a platelet-autonomous role (acting on platelets, but not other cells) of Nix in platelet activation. Interestingly, loss of Nix increases the life span of platelets in vivo, likely through preventing autophagic degradation of the mitochondrial protein Bcl-xL. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel mechanistic link between Nix-mediated mitophagy, platelet life span, and platelet physiopathology. Our work suggests that targeting platelet mitophagy Nix might provide new antithrombotic strategies.

Increasing plant density is an effective and important way to reduce maize yield gaps in Northeast China. However, the fact is that a significant plant density gap exists between optimum plant density and actual plant density in farmers' fields. To quantify the density gap between planned planting density and final harvest plant density (HPD), we studied 60 farmers' fields on three types of soil for three crop seasons from 2015 to 2017 by measuring their plant-plant distance, actual seedlings density (ASD), final HPD and yield. We also explored the potential causes of density loss by digging the places where the seedlings were missing for two consecutive years in 2016–2017. Results show that the three-year average HPD in farmers' fields was 59 699 plants ha−1, which was significantly lower than the planned density, including both the machine setting density (MSD; 67 962 plants ha−1) and theoretical plant density (TPD; 67 467 plants ha−1). No significant difference was found in HPD between years and soil types. However, for MSD and TPD, the average value in 2015 was significantly higher than that in 2016 and 2017. No significant difference between soil types was observed. Furthermore, the results from 2016 till 2017 indicated that a lack of seeds in the soil, a failure to germinate due to low-quality seeds, and a lack of seedlings breaking out of the soil due to environmental problems explained approximately 60.88, 10.33 and 28.80% of density loss, respectively. According to our survey, 63% of farmers did not know their own TPD and HPD, and 54% of farmers did not know the density loss. Therefore, we argue that farmers' limited knowledge of density and density loss is an urgent problem that needs to be solved in maize production. These observations will be useful for determining best management practices for maize production and for providing helpful suggestions for machine improvement.

With an increasing population and changing diet structure, summer maize is increasingly becoming an important energy crop in China. However, traditional farmer practices for maize production are inefficient and unsustainable. To ensure food security and sustainable development of summer maize production in China, an improved, more sustainable farmer management system is needed. Establishing this system requires a comprehensive understanding of the limitations of current farming practice and the ways it could be improved. In our study, 235 plots from three villages in the North China Plain (NCP) were monitored. Maize production on farms was evaluated; our results showed that the maize yield and nitrogen partial factor productivity (PFPN) were variable on smallholder farms at 6.6–13.7 t ha−1 and 15.4–88.7 kg kg−1, respectively. Traditional farming practices also have a large environmental impact (nitrogen surplus: −64.2–323.78 kg ha−1). Key yield components were identified by agronomic diagnosis. Grain yield depend heavily on grain numbers per hectare rather than on the 1000-grain weight. A set of improved management practices (IP) for maize production was designed by employing a boundary line (BL) approach and tested on farms. Results showed that the IP could increase yield by 18.4% and PFPN by 31.1%, compared with traditional farmer practices (FP), and reduce the nitrogen (N) surplus by 57.9 kg ha−1. However, in terms of IP effect, there was a large heterogeneity among different smallholder farmers' fields, meaning that, precise technologies were needed in different sites especially for N fertilizer management. Our results are valuable for policymakers and smallholder farmers for meeting the objectives of green development in agricultural production.

North China Plain (NCP) is the primary winter wheat production region in China, characterized by smallholder farming systems. Whereas the winter wheat average yield of smallholder farmers is currently low, the yield potential and limiting factors driving the current yield gap remain unclear. Therefore, increasing the wheat yield in NCP is essential for the national food security. This study monitored wheat yield, management practices and soil nutrient data in 132 farmers' fields of Xushui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province during 2014–2016. These data were analyzed using variance and path analysis to determine the yield gap and the contribution of yield components (i.e., spikes per hectare, grain number per spike and 1000-grain weight) to wheat yield. Then, the limiting factors of yield components and the optimizing strategies were identified by a boundary line approach. The results showed that the attainable potential yield for winter wheat was 10 514 kg ha−1. The yield gaps varied strongly between three yield groups (i.e., high, middle and low), which were divided by yield level and contained 44 farmers in each group, and amounted to 2493, 1636 and 814 kg ha−1, respectively. For the three yield components, only spikes per hectare was significantly different (P6.598 × 06 ha−1), the seeding rate should range from 210–300 kg ha−1, seeding date should range from 3th to 8th October, and basal N input should range from 90–180 kg ha−1. Compared to these reasonable ranges of management measures, most of the farmers' practices were not suitable, and both lower and higher levels of management existed. It is concluded that the strategies for optimizing yield components could be achieved by improving wheat seeding quality and optimizing farmers' nutrient management practices in the NCP.

Sustainable feeding of the growing population in China without ecological destabilization is a grand challenge. In this populous country where agriculture is dominated by smallholder farming, developing innovative technology and translating scientific knowledge into action for smallholder farmers is a crucial step in addressing this challenge. Here, we present a novel approach for technology innovation and dissemination to achieve sustainable intensification in the fields of smallholder farmers. The Science and Technology Backyard (STB) is a hub in a rural area that links knowledge with practices to promote technology innovation and exchange. In this study, the framework and functions of STB are introduced, and the key implications for sustainable intensification across millions of smallholder farmers are explicitly stated: (i) develop innovative technology based on stated demands of farmers; (ii) disseminate technology by innovative social service models though combined top-down approaches with bottom-up measures to enable smallholders in rural areas. This paper provides a perspective on transformation of small-scale agriculture toward sustainable intensification in China and useful knowledge applicable to other developing countries.

Abstract. Background:. High on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) has been suggested as a risk factor for patients with ischemic vascular disease. We explored a predictive model of platelet reactivity to clopidogrel and the relationship with clinical outcomes. Methods:. A total of 441 patients were included. Platelet reactivity was measured by light transmittance aggregometry after receiving dual antiplatelet therapy. HTPR was defined by the consensus cutoff of maximal platelet aggregation >46% by light transmittance aggregometry. CYP2C19 loss-of-function polymorphisms were identified by DNA microarray analysis. The data were compared by binary logistic regression to find the risk factors. The primary endpoint was major adverse clinical events (MACEs), and patients were followed for a median time of 29 months. Survival curves were constructed with Kaplan-Meier estimates and compared by log-rank tests between the patients with HTPR and non-HTPR. Results:. The rate of HTPR was 17.2%. Logistic regression identified the following predictors of HTPR: age, therapy regimen, body mass index, diabetes history, CYP2C19∗2, or CYP2C19∗3 variant. The area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic for the HTPR predictive model was 0.793 (95% confidence interval: 0.738–0.848). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with HTPR had a higher incidence of MACE than those with non-HTPR (21.1% vs. 9.9%; χ2 = 7.572, P = 0.010). Conclusions:. Our results suggest that advanced age, higher body mass index, treatment with regular dual antiplatelet therapy, diabetes, and CYP2C19∗2 or CYP2C19∗3 carriers are significantly associated with HTPR to clopidogrel. The predictive model of HTPR has useful discrimination and good calibration and may predict long-term MACE.