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Objectives The objective is to determine the optimal minimum lymph node examination number for right colon cancer (RCC) patients. Methods We comprehensively analysed the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database data from 2004 to 2016 to determine the 13-year trend in the number of lymph nodes examined among 108,703 left colon cancer and 165,937 RCC patients. 133,137 RCC patients eligible for inclusion were used to determine the optimal minimum for lymph node examination. We used restricted cubic splines to analyse the dose-response relationship between the number of lymph nodes examined and prognosis. X-tiles and decision trees were used to determine the optimal cutoff for the number of lymph nodes based on the survival outcomes of patients with RCC. The Kaplan–Meier method and COX model were used to estimate the overall survival and independent prognostic factors, and a prediction model was constructed. The C-index, calibration curve, net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement were used to determine the predictive performance of the model, and decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the benefits. Results Lymph node examinations were common among colon cancer patients over the 13-year study period. It is generally agreed that at least 12 lymph nodes must be examined to ensure proper dissection and accurate staging of RCC; however, the optimal number of lymph nodes to be examined is controversial. The dose-response relationship indicated that 12 was not the optimal minimum number of lymph nodes for RCC patients. X-tile and survival decision-tree analysis indicated that 20 nodes was the optimal number. Survival analysis indicated that

Objective: To compare the effects of 2 techniques of semi-hepatic alternating radiotherapy on diffuse hepatic metastasis in patients with breast cancer. Methodology: A total of 68 breast cancer patients with diffuse liver metastasis were randomly divided into Group A (semi-hepatic alternating radiotherapy) and Group B (semi-hepatic sequential radiotherapy). In Group A (semi-hepatic sequential radiotherapy), the liver was divided into the first semi-liver and second semi-liver and alternatively treated with semi-hepatic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The interval between the 2 instances of semi-hepatic radiotherapy was 6 h. The average radiotherapy dose to the semi-livers was both 2 Gy/fraction, once a day, 5 times per week, with a total dose of 30 Gy for 15 days. The total radiation therapy time in Group A was 15 days in Group B (semi-hepatic sequential radiotherapy), the livers were divided into the first semi-liver and second semi-liver and treated with semi-hepatic sequential IMRT, The first semi-liver was first treated in the initial stage of radiation therapy, the average radiotherapy dose to the semi-liver was 2 Gy/fraction, once a day, 5 times per week, with a total dose of 30 Gy for 15 days. The second semi-liver was treated next in the second stage of radiation therapy, the average radiotherapy dose to the semi-liver was 2 Gy/fraction, once a day, 5 times per week, with a total dose of 30 Gy for 15 days. The total radiation therapy time in group B was 30 days. Results: The objective response rate (complete response + partial response) of Group A and Group B were 50.0% and 48.5%, respectively ( p = .903). The median survival time after metastasis (median survival of recurrence) of Group A and Group B was 16.7 months and 16.2 months, respectively ( p = .411). The cumulative survival rates of 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years of Group A and Group B were 90.6% (29 of 32) and 84.8% (28 of 33) ( p = .478), 65.6% (21 of 32) and 60.6% (20 of 33) ( p = .675), 31.2% (10 of 32) and 27.3% (9 of 33) ( p = .725), and 15.6% (5 of 32) and 0 (0 of 33) ( p = .018), respectively. The differences between the 2 groups showed no statistical significance in terms of cumulative survival rates in 1 year, 2 years, however, the 3-year survival rate was significantly different. The main toxic reactions were digestive tract reactions, abnormal liver functions, and myelosuppression. The incidence of I to II degree gastrointestinal reactions was 78.13% (25 of 32) in Group A and 72.73% (24 of 33) in Group B ( p = .614). The incidence of I to II abnormal liver function was 53.13% (17 of 32) in Group A and 48.48% (16 of 33) in Group B ( p = .708). The differences between the 2 groups showed no statistical significance. The incidence of I to II myelosuppression was 59.38% (19 of 32) in Group A and 51.52% (17 of 33) in Group B ( p = .524), respectively. The differences between the 2 groups showed no statistical significance in terms of adverse effects. Conclusion: Semi-hepatic alternating IMRT was an effective palliative treatment for diffuse liver metastasis in patients with breast cancer. Semi-hepatic alternating radiotherapy showed a trend of prolonged survival time when compared with semi-hepatic sequential radiotherapy. Compared with the former, the latter showed a trend of lower incidences of side effects without any statistical differences. Moreover, the side effects from the 2 radiotherapy techniques can be controlled through appropriate management, which is worthy of further exploration and applications.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is still the most serious manifestation of coronary artery disease. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) is the best predictor of blood pressure in AMI. Thus, its influence on AMI is necessary to be explored.Methods: A total of 4,277 patients with AMI were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care database. Chi-square test or Student's t-test was used to judge differences between groups, and Cox regression was used to identify factors that affect AMI prognosis. SBP was classified as low (140 mmHg), and a non-linear test was performed. Meaningful variables were incorporated into models for sensitivity analysis. Patient age was classified as low and high for subgroup analysis, and the cutoff value of the trajectory was identified. P < 0.05 indicates statistical significance.Results: The effect of SBP on the prognosis of patients with AMI is non-linear. The risks in models 1–3 with low SBP are 6.717, 4.910, and 3.080 times those of the models with normal SBP, respectively. The risks in models 1–3 with high SBP are 1.483, 1.637, and 2.937 times those of the models with normal SBP, respectively. The cutoff point (95% confidence interval) of the trajectory is 114.489 mmHg (111.275–117.702 mmHg, all P < 0.001).Conclusions: SBP has a non-linear effect on AMI prognosis. Low and high SBP show risks, and the risk of low SBP is obviously greater than that of high SBP.

Background: Osteochondroma (OC) is one of the most common benign tumors of the long bones, but it rarely occurs in the maxillofacial skeleton. However, mandibular condylar OC often leads to severe facial deformity in affected patients, including facial asymmetry, deviation of the chin, and malocclusion. This study aimed to explore the clinical application of individualized 3D-printed templates to accurately and effectively treat condylar OC. Methods: A total of 8 patients with mandibular condylar OC were treated from July 2015 to August 2021. The enrolled patients (5 women and 3 men) had a median age of 27 years (range: 21–32 years). All patients exhibited symptoms of facial asymmetry and occlusal disorders preoperatively. The digital software used to virtually design the process consisted of three-dimensional reconstruction, 3D-cephalometry analysis, virtual surgery, individualized templates, and postoperative facial soft-tissue prediction. A set of 3D-printed templates (DOS and DOT) were used in all cases to stabilize the occlusion and guide the osteotomy. Then, pre- and post-operative complications, mouth opening, clinical signs, and the accuracy of the CT imaging analysis were all evaluated. All the measurement data were presented as means ± SD; Bonferroni and Tamhane T2 multiple comparison tests were used to examine the differences between the groups. Results: All patients healed uneventfully. None of the patients exhibited facial nerve injury at follow-up. In comparing the condylar segments with T0p and T1, the average deviation of the condylar segments was 0.5796 mm, indicating that the post-operative reconstructed condyles showed a high degree of similarity to the reconstruction results of the virtual surgical plan. Conclusions: Individualized 3D-printed templates simplified surgical procedures and improved surgical accuracy, proving to be an effective method for the treatment of patients with slight asymmetric deformities secondary to condylar OC.

Studying the CO2-assimilation potential under the effect of glucose addition is of great significance to completely comprehend the dynamic carbon cycle in wetland ecosystems. Rhizospheric sediments (RS) and bulk sediments (BS) were selected, with the addition of glucose (G) or not, and two experimental pots (RSG and BSG) and two control pots (RS and BS) were formed. Then, within 45 h of glucose addition, the sediments were sampled at intervals of 4 h for dynamic monitoring. The bacterial communities encoded by CO2-assimilating function genes (cbbL) and the corresponding activities of key enzyme (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase, RubisCO), and the light fraction (LF) and heavy fraction (HF) of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) of the samples were determined. The results demonstrated that the dynamic processes of glucose deposition and degradation occurred in sediments from RSG and BSG, with the greatest depositions of 2.35 and 2.48 mg·g−1 in the 4th and 12th hour, respectively. The contents of LFOC, LFON, HFOC, and HFON decreased by 171.70%, 125.45%, 8.40%, and 68.17% in the RSG pot, and decreased by 221.55%, 102.61%, 0.07%, and 74.74% in the BSG pot, respectively, which suggested the dominant activities of C and N mineralization. The FT-MIR of LF showed different changes of typical chemical bonds between RSG and BSG during the process, which further indicated irregular and inconsistent mineralization activities. The RubisCO activities in the rhizospheric sediments (52.14 nmol (g·min)−1 on average) were substantially greater than in the bulk sediments, which indicated the high potential of carbon assimilation in rhizospheric sediments. Moreover, it showed a lower trend in BSG, BS, and RS, but an increasing trend in RSG after the glucose addition, albeit the effects were recovered in the 45th hour. The cbbL-containing bacteria were more abundant in the rhizospheric sediments than in the bulk sediments, and this effect was higher than that of the glucose addition. Proteobacteria were the dominating phylum with mean values of 93.49%, and Burkholderiales was found to be the dominant order (37.74% on average). Moreover, the changes in bacterial composition between the rhizospheric sediments and bulk sediments were more pronounced than they were during the process. Therefore, the effects of glucose degradation on RubisCO activity and cbbL-containing bacteria were transient, but the effects on organic matter fractions were straightforward, which probably further change the bacterial abundance and composition.

Abiotic stress disturbs plant cellular redox homeostasis, inhibiting seed germination and plant growth. This is a crucial limitation to crop yield. Glutathione reductase (GR) is an important component of the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle which is involved in multiple plant metabolic processes. In the present study, GRs in A. sativa (AsGRs) were selected to explore their molecular characterization, phylogenetic relationship, and RNA expression changes during seed imbibition under abiotic stress. Seven AsGR genes were identified and mapped on six chromosomes of A, C, and D subgenomes. Phylogenetic analysis and subcellular localization of AsGR proteins divided them into two sub-families, AsGR1 and AsGR2, which were predicted to be mainly located in cytoplasm, mitochondrion, and chloroplast. Cis-elements relevant to stress and hormone responses are distributed in promoter regions of AsGRs. Tissue-specific expression profiling showed that AsGR1 genes were highly expressed in roots, leaves, and seeds, while AsGR2 genes were highly expressed in leaves and seeds. Both AsGR1 and AsGR2 genes showed a decreasing-increasing expression trend during seed germination under non-stress conditions. In addition, their responses to drought, salt, cold, copper, H2O2, and ageing treatments were quite different during seed imbibition. Among the seven AsGR genes, AsGR1-A, AsGR1-C, AsGR2-A, and AsGR2-D responded more significantly, especially under drought, ageing, and H2O2 stress. This study has laid the ground for the functional characterization of GR and the improvement of oat stress tolerance and seed vigor.

Grape volatile compounds directly determine the aroma quality of wines. Although the aroma profile of grapes evolved greatly at different maturity stages, there were less considerations for aroma status when determining grape harvest time. In the present study, several maturation indicators, namely, sugars/acids ratio, free volatile compounds, bound volatile compounds and IBMP (3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine) content were monitored in four red wine grape varieties (Vitis vinifera L. cv Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischet, Cabernet Franc and Merlot) near harvest time (42 days) in Ningxia, China. The results showed that the highest sugars/acids ratio was reached on day 21 and day 28 for Merlot and the other three varieties, respectively. For both free and bound volatile compounds, the content of carbonyl compounds decreased continuously in the process of ripening. The contents of free alcohols, esters and terpenes increased in the ripening stage and decreased in the stage of over-ripening. The accumulation of favorable bound aroma compounds peaked at day 35. The content of IBMP presenting a green smell in all four varieties descended continuously and kept steady from day 28. Therefore, the present findings revealed that the best aroma maturity time of four studied grape varieties was later than the sugars/acids ratio in Ningxia region. Aroma maturity should be taken into account during harvest time determination.

Malolactic fermentation (MLF) converts malic acid into lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). MLF may affect potential wine quality impact as global warming intensifies, and the alcohol in the wine increases, which threatens MLF. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is considered a new generation of MLF starter because of the ability of high ethanol tolerance and good enological characteristics. In this research, 132 LAB strains were isolated from the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia, China. Twenty-one higher ethanol tolerance isolates were obtained by 15% (v/v) ethanol preliminary screening. They were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing and differentiated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Stress factors include ethanol, pH, and SO2, and the combination of stresses was used to screen stress-tolerance strains. β-D-glucosidase activity, MLF performance, and biogenic amine content were tested to evaluate the enological characteristics. GC-MS detected the volatile components of the wine after MLF. The results showed that twenty strains were identified as L. plantarum, and one strain was Lentilactobacillus hilgardii. Especially, the strains of A7, A18, A23, A50, and B28 showed strong resistance to high ethanol, low pH, and high SO2. A7, A50, and B28 showed better β-D-glucosidase activity and thus were inoculated into cabernet sauvignon wines whose ethanol content was 14.75% (v/v) to proceed MLF. A7 finished MLF in 36 d, while the control strains Oenococcus oeni 31-DH and L. plantarum BV-S2 finished MLF in 24 d and 28 d, respectively. Nevertheless, A50 and B28 did not finish MLF in 36 d. The data showed that A7 brought a more volatile aroma than control. Notably, the esters and terpenes in the wine increased. These results demonstrated the potential applicability of L. plantarum A7 as a new MLF starter culture, especially for high-ethanol wines.

Dinotefuran (DNT) is a neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in pest control. Identification of structurally related impurities is indispensable during material purification and pesticide registration and certified reference material development, and therefore needs to be carefully characterized. In this study, a combined strategy with liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry and SIRIUS has been developed to elucidate impurities from DNT material. MS and MS/MS spectra were used to score the impurity candidates by isotope score and fragment tree in the computer assisted tool, SIRIUS. DNT, the main component, worked as an anchor for formula identification and impurity structure elucidation. With this strategy, two by-product impurities and one stereoisomer were identified. Their fragmentation pathways were concluded, and the mechanism for impurity formation was also proposed. This result showed a successful application for combined human intelligence and machine learning, in the identification of pesticide impurities.

Presbycusis (PC) is characterized by preferential hearing loss at high frequencies and difficulty in speech recognition in noisy environments. Previous studies have linked PC to cognitive impairment, accelerated cognitive decline and incident Alzheimer’s disease. However, the neural mechanisms of cognitive impairment in patients with PC remain unclear. Although resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies have explored low-frequency oscillation (LFO) connectivity or amplitude of PC-related neural activity, it remains unclear whether the abnormalities occur within all frequency bands or within specific frequency bands. Fifty-one PC patients and fifty-one well-matched normal hearing controls participated in this study. The LFO amplitudes were investigated using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) at different frequency bands (slow-4 and slow-5). PC patients showed abnormal LFO amplitudes in the Heschl’s gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), frontal eye field and key nodes of the speech network exclusively in slow-4, which suggested that abnormal spontaneous neural activity in PC was frequency dependent. Our findings also revealed that stronger functional connectivity between the dlPFC and the posterodorsal stream of auditory processing, as well as lower functional coupling between the PCC and key nodes of the DMN, which were associated with cognitive impairments in PC patients. Our study might underlie the cross-modal plasticity and higher-order cognitive participation of the auditory cortex after partial hearing deprivation. Our findings indicate that frequency-specific analysis of ALFF could provide valuable insights into functional alterations in the auditory cortex and non-auditory regions involved in cognitive impairment associated with PC.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a plethora of psychological problems worldwide since its onset in December 2019. In the upheaval period, compared with medical college students, nonmedical students' psychological state deserves additional concern due to their lack of medical knowledge. Although the epidemic in China has been largely controlled for several months, the mental health problems resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic persist to this day. In this study, we assessed the mental health problems and associated risk factors experienced by nonmedical vs. medical college students in universities of Shandong Province during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period.Methods: An online survey was conducted over the period from 17 to 19 December 2020. A total of 954 Chinese college students (486 nonmedical and 468 medical students) from three universities of Shandong Province participated in the survey. Mental health variables were assessed with use of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).Results: Compared with medical students, nonmedical college students had higher prevalence rates of depression (53.9 vs. 46.4%; p = 0.020) and insomnia (28.0 vs. 22.4%, p = 0.049), as well as higher total scores on the PHQ-9 (p = 0.03) and ISI (p < 0.01). Among nonmedical college students, being female and native of non-Shandong were risk factors for anxiety and depression (p < 0.01), while only native of non-Shandong for insomnia (p < 0.01). Among medical students, age (p < 0.01) and living in rural areas (p = 0.04) were risk factors for depression, while only age (p < 0.05) was a risk factor for anxiety and insomnia.Conclusion: Nonmedical college students in the universities of Shandong Province had more mental health problems and more risk factors for developing them during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period than medical students. These nonmedical students require additional attention and recovery programs to alleviate the increased incidence of psychological problems related to COVID-19.

Introduction: Migraine is a recurrent neurological disorder, the symptoms of which can be significantly relieved by acupuncture. However, the central mechanism via which acupuncture exerts its therapeutic effect in migraine is unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the differences in regional homogeneity (ReHo) between patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) and healthy controls (HCs) and to explore the immediate and cumulative therapeutic effect of acupuncture in patients with MwoA using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Methods: The study subjects were 40 patients with MwoA and 16 matched HCs. The patients with MwoA received acupuncture on 2 days per week for 6 weeks for a total of 12 sessions followed by 24 weeks of follow-up. The primary clinical efficacy outcomes were the number of days with migraine and the average severity of headache. Secondary outcomes were the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Self-Rating Depression Scale scores. In the migraine group, resting-state blood-oxygen-level-dependent fMRI scans were obtained at baseline and after the first and 12th acupuncture sessions to measure the ReHo value. In the HCs, only a baseline resting-state blood-oxygen-level-dependent fMRI scan was obtained.Results: Compared with the control group, the migraine group had a significantly lower ReHo value in the cerebellum, which increased after the first acupuncture session. Long-term acupuncture significantly improved migraine symptoms and mood with a therapeutic effect that lasted for at least 6 months. After 12 acupuncture sessions, there were significant increase of cerebellum and angular gyrus in the migraine group.Conclusion: These findings suggest that migraine is related to cerebellar dysfunction. Acupuncture can relieve the symptoms of migraine, improve dysfunction of cerebellum, and activate brain regions involved in modulation of pain and emotion The cumulative therapeutic effect of acupuncture is more extensive and significant than its immediate effect.

Abstract Background Acute meningitis and encephalitis syndromes (AMES) is a severe neurological infection which causes high case fatality and severe sequelae in children. To determine the etiology of childhood AMES in Shenzhen, a hospital-based study was undertaken. Methods A total of 240 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 171 children meeting the case definition were included and screened for 12 common causative organisms. The clinical data and conventional testing results were collected and analyzed. Whole genome sequencing was performed on a Neisseria meningitidis isolate. Results A pathogen was found in 85 (49.7%) cases; Group B Streptococcus (GBS) was detected in 17 cases, Escherichia coli in 15, Streptococcus pneumoniae in 14, enterovirus (EV) in 13, herpes simplex virus (HSV) in 3, N. meningitidis in 1, Haemophilus influenzae in 1, and others in 23. Notably, HSV was found after 43 days of treatment. Twelve GBS and 6 E. coli meningitis were found in neonates aged less than 1 month; 13 pneumococcal meningitis in children aged > 3 months; and 12 EV infections in children aged > 1 year old. The multilocus sequence typing of serogroup B N. meningitidis isolate was ST-3200/CC4821. High resistance rate to tetracycline (75%), penicillin (75%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (75%) was found in 4 of S. pneumoniae isolates; clindamycin (100%) and tetracycline (100%) in 9 of GBS; and ampicillin (75%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (67%) in 12 of E. coli. Conclusions The prevalence of N. meningitidis and JEV was very low and the cases of childhood AMES were mainly caused by other pathogens. GBS and E. coli were the main causative organisms in neonates, while S. pneumoniae and EV were mainly found in older children. HSV could be persistently found in the CSF samples despite of the treatment. A better prevention strategy for GBS, the introduction of pneumococcal vaccine, and incorporation of PCR methods were recommended.

Understanding the spatial variation law of soil respiration (Rs) and its influencing factors is very important when simulating and predicting the terrestrial carbon cycle process. However, there are still limitations in understanding how different sampling scales affect the spatial heterogeneity of Rs and whether the spatial scale effect will change with habitat types. Our objectives were to explore the effects of different sampling scales on the spatial variability of Rs and the relative importance of soil abiotic characteristics and plant traits in influencing the spatial variability of Rs. The Rs, soil properties, and plant traits were measured through field investigation and indoor analysis in the Tugai forest desert plant community in the Ebinur Lake Basin in northwest China. The Rs showed significant water gradient changes, with a coefficient of variation of 35.4%–58%. Plot types had significant effects on Rs, while the change of sampling scale did not lead to significant differences in Rs. At the plot scale, Rs spatial variation at the 5 m × 5 m sampling scale mainly depended on plant traits (leaf length, leaf thickness, leaf dry matter content, and leaf phosphorus content, p < 0.05), while Rs spatial variation at the 10 m × 10 m scale mainly depended on soil properties (soil total phosphorus, ammonium nitrogen, soil water content, and pH, p < 0.05). At the local scale, soil nutrients (soil available phosphorus and ammonium nitrogen) and plant traits (maximum plant height, leaf length, and phosphorus content) at the 5 m × 5 m scale jointly explained 49% of the spatial change of Rs. In contrast, soil microclimate (soil water content), soil nutrients (soil pH, available phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen), and plant traits (leaf thickness) jointly explained 51% of the spatial variation of Rs at the 10 m × 10 m scale. These results demonstrate the potential to predict the spatial variability of Rs based on the combination of easily measured aboveground functional traits and soil properties, which provides new ideas and perspectives for further understanding the mechanism of Rs change in Tugai forests.

The relationships between environmental factors and fish density are closely related, and species distribution models (SDMs) have been widely used in exploring these relationships and predicting the spatial distribution of fishery resources. When exploring the prediction of the spatial distribution of species in different seasons, the method of choosing the appropriate approach to the season will help to improve the predictive performance of the model. Based on data collected from 2015 to 2020 during a survey off southern Zhejiang, the Tweedie-GAM was used to establish the relationship between the density of Decapterus maruadsi and environmental factors at different modeling approaches. The results showed that water temperature, salinity and depth were the main factors influencing D. maruadsi, and they operated through different mechanisms and even resulted in opposite trends of density in different seasons. Spatially, the two modeling approaches also differed in predicting the spatial distribution of D. maruadsi, with the seasonal model showing a higher density trend in inshore waters than in offshore waters in spring but showing the opposite trend in summer and autumn, which was more consistent with the actual spatial distribution of the resource. By analyzing the effects of two different approaches on the prediction of fishery resources, this study aims to provide research ideas and references for improving the predictive performance of SDMs.

In order to accurately explore the relationship between the density of Engraulis japonicus and environmental factors, five types of models, including Tweedie-Generalized Additive Model (GAM), two-stage GAM, Ad hoc-GAM, and Generalized Additive Mixing Model (GAMM), were compared based on the survey data in offshore waters of southern Zhejiang, China from 2015 to 2021 in this study. The results showed the best goodness of fit for two-stage GAM when processing the data of E. japonicus resource density. The deviance explained of GAM1 and GAM2 were 19.9 and 53.8%, respectively. According to this study, water temperature and salinity are important environmental factors affecting the distribution of E. japonicus, which are also closely related to latitude. In general, the resource density of E. japonicus decreases gradually with the increase in water temperature. When the salinity was between 26 ppt and 34 ppt, the resource density was higher. Also, there were some differences in the spatial distribution of E. japonicus in different seasons. The relationship between the resource density of E. japonicus and environmental factors was analyzed through various models to provide a scientific basis for the conservation management of E. japonicus in offshore waters of southern Zhejiang, China.

Abstract Nuclei and mitochondria are the only cellular organelles containing genes, which are specific targets for efficient cancer therapy. So far, several photosensitizers have been reported for mitochondria targeting, and another few have been reported for nuclei targeting. However, none have been reported for photosensitization in both mitochondria and nucleus, especially in cascade mode, which can significantly reduce the photosensitizers needed for maximal treatment effect. Herein, a light‐driven, mitochondria‐to‐nucleus cascade dual organelle cancer cell ablation strategy is reported. A functionalized iridium complex, named BT‐Ir, is designed as a photosensitizer, which targets mitochondria first for photosensitization and subsequently is translocated to a cell nucleus for continuous photodynamic cancer cell ablation. This strategy opens new opportunities for efficient photodynamic therapy.

Objective To explore the relationship between immune scores and prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and construct a corresponding clinical prediction model. Methods The present research was a retrospective cohort study. We obtained the clinical information and immune scores of 137 patients with ESCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and a Cox proportional risk model was used to construct the clinical prediction model. The concordance index, receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were used to evaluate model performance and prediction accuracy. Results Patients with a high immune score (> −121.4) showed a worse prognosis than those with a low immune score (< −645.8; hazard ratio=3.743, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.385–10.115, P=0.009). The concordance index of the predictive model was 0.733 (95% CI=0.655–0.812). The calibration curve showed that the 3- and 5-year overall survival rates predicted by the model were highly consistent with the observed values. The NRI and IDI for the 3-year overall survival indicated that the model with the immune scores was superior for classifying the risk probability and distinguishing cases. Conclusion Immune scores may be an independent predictor of prognosis in patients with ESCC.

Background: Type Ⅲ and Ⅳ portal vein tumor thrombi (PVTT) cannot be removed through surgery, and no effective therapeutic procedure is available. Type Ⅲ/Ⅳ PVTT can be downstage to type I/II PVTT by using Radiotherapy, and can further be can be removed surgically. Thus, radiotherapy may be an effective treatment for type Ⅲ/Ⅳ PVTT. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of radiotherapy for type III-IV PVTT. Methods: This prospective study was conducted from August 1, 2017, to September 30, 2019, for patients with type Ⅲ and Ⅳ PVTT. Patients received radiotherapy with a target dose of 50Gy/25f or 59.5Gy/17 f. Advanced radiological technique such as image fusion technique for CT image and MRI image were utilized to produce more precise lesion localization, and limit the dose to organs at risk in order to get a better downstage rate and less adverse complications. Results: Nine (9) patients with type Ⅲ PVTT and 5 patients with type Ⅳ PVTT were included in this study. 12 patients received a radiotherapy dose of 50Gy/25f, 2 patients received 59.50Gy/17 f. After radiotherapy, 92.9% of patients with PVTT were successfully downstage to type II/I. In patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, 8 patients (accounting 88.9%) achieved down-stage. 5 patients with other types of tumors achieved downstage which accounts 100%. In addition, none of the 14 patients observed radiation hepatitis and radiation liver failure. And none of the patients developed gastrointestinal ulcers and thrombocytopenia. Conclusion: Radiotherapy is a suitable treatment measure for type Ⅲ and Ⅳ PVTT to get downstage and make the opportunity for surgery. Image fusion technology for precise lesion location such as CT-MRI image fusion, and strict dose limitation of organ at risk, contributed to the improvement of radiotherapy efficiency and the significant decrease in adverse complications.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, contains numerous bioactive components with broad range of pharmacological properties. By increasing the levels of endogenous jasmonate (JA) in plants or treating them with methyl jasmonate (MeJA), the level of tanshinones and salvianolic acids can be greatly enhanced. The jasmonate ZIM (JAZ) proteins belong to the TIFY family, and act as repressors, releasing targeted transcriptional factors in the JA signaling pathway. Herein, we identified and characterized 15 TIFY proteins present in S. miltiorrhiza. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis indicated that the JAZ genes were all constitutively expressed in different tissues and were induced by MeJA treatments. SmJAZ3, which negatively regulates the tanshinones biosynthesis pathway in S. miltiorrhiza and the detailed molecular mechanism is poorly understood. SmJAZ3 acts as a bait protein to capture and identify a WD-repeat containing the protein SmWD40-170. Further molecular and genetic analysis revealed that SmWD40-170 is a positive regulator, promoting the accumulation of secondary metabolites in S. miltiorrhiza. Our study systematically analyzed the TIFY family and speculated a module of the JAZ-WD40 complex provides new insights into the mechanisms regulating the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in S. miltiorrhiza.

Anthocyanins are extracted from grape skins during maceration and are responsible for the red colour of wine. Their contribution to in-mouth sensations is mainly related to their interactions with condensed tannins, which are largely responsible for wine astringency and mouthfeel-related features. Recently, the influence of several groups of polyphenols, together with other relevant non-phenolic wine constituents,was investigated in terms of their ability to modify the sensory perception of condensed tannins. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of three acylation groups of anthocyanins (glucoside, acetylglucoside, and p-coumaroylglucoside) extracted from grape skins on in-mouth related features. An extract of total anthocyanins and their individual fractions were tasted using different sensory approaches (triangle test, check-all-that apply and descriptive analysis) and compared to polyphenols extracted from grape skins and seeds. The investigated sensations were overall astringency and astringency sub-qualities, which were divided into two groups: sensation during tasting (in-mouth, particulates) and sensation after expectoration (surface smoothness). Bitterness was also studied. Anthocyanin fractions were added to skin and seed extracts and tasted as mixtures to find out if anthocyanins modify in-mouth perception. Although the anthocyanin fractions showed a low sensory impact, total anthocyanins and the glucoside fraction were perceived at the concentration ranges found in wines (400 mg/L), and they were found to influence astringency intensity and soft astringency sub-qualities, such as “velvety” and “chalky”. The addition of glucoside anthocyanin (400 mg/L) to skin and seed extract (1000 mg/L) modified in-mouth perception; in particular, seed extract was perceived as being more astringent and was characterised by harsher astringency sub-qualities (surface smoothness and particulates). In contrast, the addition of glucoside anthocyanin to the skin extract led to lower surface smoothness, although the intensity of overall astringency was unchanged. These results confirm that the presence of anthocyanins can modify the perception of in-mouth sensations and interact to different extents with other polyphenols, thus leading to the modification of the intensity of astringency and its sub-qualities.

Triploid rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) raised increasing concern on the commercial farming due to its prominent advantages, such as improved growth performance and efficiency of feed utilization. It typically shows impaired ovary development and is relatively sterile. Spindlin-1 (Spin-1) plays vital roles in hormone regulation, gametogenesis, and oocyte meiotic resumption in almost all vertebrates. miRNAs, small non-coding RNAs, have emerged as major regulators of gene expression in vertebrates by modulating target genes. In the present study, eight adult females of diploid and triploid rainbow trout maintained in the same conditions were included. miR-1388-5p was predicted to target the annotated 3′-UTR of Spin-1 specifically by online miRNA target prediction database: “MicroTrout”. Spin-1 mRNA was downregulated, and in contrast, miR-1388-5p was significantly elevated in the ovary of triploid rainbow trout by quantitative PCR (P

Urea transporter (UT) inhibitors are a class of promising novel diuretics that do not cause the imbalance of Na+, K+, Cl−, and other electrolytes. In our previous studies, 25a, a promising diuretic candidate inhibiting UT, was discovered and showed potent diuretic activities in rodents. Here, a sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the quantitation of 25a in rat plasma, urine, feces, bile, and tissue homogenates was developed and validated to support the preclinical pharmacokinetic studies. The tissue distribution, excretion, and plasma protein binding were investigated in rats. After a single oral dose of 25a at 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, the drug exposure increased linearly with the dose. The drug accumulation was observed after multiple oral doses compared to a single dose. In the distribution study, 25a exhibited a wide distribution to tissues with high blood perfusion, such as kidney, heart, lung, and spleen, and the lowest distribution in the brain and testis. The accumulative excretion rate of 25a was 0.14%, 3.16%, and 0.018% in urine, feces, and bile, respectively. The plasma protein binding of 25a was approximately 60% in rats and 40% in humans. This is the first study on the preclinical pharmacokinetic profiles of 25a.

A simple, fast and reliable analytical method was developed for 20 free amino acids (FAAs) determination in honey samples through a dilute-and-shoot strategy and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Compared with previous reports, direct dilution by water has significantly reduced the matrix effect and facilitated full extraction of FAAs. Further, a 5 min determination method was established with an acetonitrile–water mobile phase system with 0.1% formic acid addition. The established method was validated and demonstrated several advantages including short detection time, wide linear range over 3–4 orders of magnitude, high sensitivity down to 0.1 ng/mL and negligible matrix effect. Twenty FAAs were determined in 10 honey samples from different botanical origins by this method, and 19 FAAs were found. This general applicable method was also promising for fast determination of FAAs in other practical samples.

Seed aging is a major challenge for food security, agronomic production, and germplasm conservation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and methylglyoxal (MG) are highly involved in the aging process. However, the regulatory mechanisms controlling the abundance of ROS and MG are not well characterized. To characterize dynamic response of antioxidant and glyoxalase systems during seed aging, oat (Avena sativa L.) aged seeds with a range of germination percentages were used to explore physiological parameters, biochemical parameters and relevant gene expression. A reference transcriptome based on PacBio sequencing generated 67,184 non-redundant full-length transcripts, with 59,050 annotated. Subsequently, eleven seed samples were used to investigate the dynamic response of respiration, ROS and MG accumulation, antioxidant enzymes and glyoxalase activity, and associated genes expression. The 48 indicators with high correlation coefficients were divided into six major response patterns, and were used for placing eleven seed samples into four groups, i.e., non-aged (Group N), higher vigor (Group H), medium vigor (Group M), and lower vigor (Group L). Finally, we proposed a putative model for aging response and self-detoxification mechanisms based on the four groups representing different aging levels. In addition, the outcomes of the study suggested the dysfunction of antioxidant and glyoxalase system, and the accumulation of ROS and MG definitely contribute to oat seed aging.

A new species of Lysimachia (Primulaceae), Lysimachia tianmaensis K. Liu, S.B. Zhou & Ying Wang sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Jinzhai County, Anhui, China. It is endemic to Dabieshan Mountain, China. The new species has yellow flowers and belongs to the subgenus Lysimachia section Nummularia series Grammicae. It is very easily distinguishable from other related species by having alternate leaves with brown patches beneath and an auriculated leaf base.

Abstract Background Poststroke depression is closely related to increased mortality in stroke patients. Compared with antidepressants, electroacupuncture (EA) treatment for poststroke depression (PSD) has relatively more stable effectiveness and can reduce side effects. This trial is designed to provide solid evidence for the efficacy and safety of EA treatment for patients with PSD. Methods/design This ongoing study is a single-blind, single-center, parallel group, randomized controlled trial. Sixty-two participants will be recruited from Shanghai Shuguang Hospital and randomized into either the EA group or the sham EA group. Baihui, Sishencong, Ganshu, Sanyinjiao, and Taichong are selected as the treatment acupoints in both groups. The EA group will receive the traditional EA treatment with de-qi sensation, and the sham EA group will receive sham EA treatment without needle penetration and electrostimulation. Participants will receive treatment 3 times per week for a total of 12 sessions over 4 weeks. The primary outcome is Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score, and the secondary outcomes are scores on the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living, and Depression Scale of traditional Chinese medicine. All of the outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, 2 weeks after EA treatment onset, 4 weeks after treatment onset, and at 8-week follow-up. Safety assessments will be done at each visit. Discussion The results of this trial will demonstrate the efficacy and safety of EA treatment for PSD with credible and important clinical evidence, thus supporting EA treatment as an ideal choice for PSD treatment. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IOR-17012610. Registered on 7 September 2017. http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=21494&htm=4

The eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia region (Ningxia), is a Chinese wine-producing region, where Cabernet Sauvignon is the main grape cultivar; however, little compositional or flavor information has been reported on Ningxia wines. Oenological parameters, volatile profiles, and phenolic profiles were determined for 98 Ningxia Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the 2013–2018 vintages, as well as 16 from Bordeaux and California, for comparison. Ningxia wines were characterized by high ethanol, low acidity, and high anthocyanin contents. Multivariate analysis revealed that citronellol and 12 characteristic phenolic compounds distinguish Ningxia wines from Bordeaux and California wines. The concentrations of most phenolic compounds were highest in the 2018 Ningxia vintage and decreased with the age of the vintage. To our knowledge, this is the first extensive regionality study on red wines from the Ningxia region.

The online social media ecosystem is becoming more and more confused because of more and more fake information and the social media of malicious users’ fake content; at the same time, unspeakable pain has been brought to mankind. Social robot detection uses supervised classification based on artificial feature extraction. However, user privacy is also involved in using these methods, and the hidden feature information is also ignored, such as semi-supervised algorithms with low utilization rates and graph features. In this work, we symmetrically combine BERT and GCN (Graph Convolutional Network, GCN) and propose a novel model that combines large scale pretraining and transductive learning for social robot detection, BGSRD. BGSRD constructs a heterogeneous graph over the dataset and represents Twitter as nodes using BERT representations. Corpus learning via text graph convolution network is a single text graph, which is mainly built for corpus-based on word co-occurrence and document word relationship. BERT and GCN modules can be jointly trained in BGSRD to achieve the best of merit, training data and unlabeled test data can spread label influence through graph convolution and can be carried out in the large-scale pre-training of massive raw data and the transduction learning of joint learning representation. The experiment shows that a better performance can also be achieved by BGSRD on a wide range of social robot detection datasets.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a highly toxic mycotoxin and poses great threat to human health. Due to its serious toxicity and widespread contamination, great efforts have been made to evaluate its human exposure. This review focuses on the OTA occurrence and contamination level in nine plant and animal derived food commodities: cereal, wine, coffee, beer, cocoa, dried fruit, spice, meat, and milk. The occurrence and contamination level varied greatly in food commodities and were affected by many factors, including spices, geography, climate, and storage conditions. Therefore, risk monitoring must be routinely implemented to ensure minimal OTA intake and food safety.

Reservoir computing facilitates the projection of temporal input signals onto a high-dimensional feature space via a dynamic system, known as the reservoir. Du et al. realise this concept using metal-oxide-based memristors with short-term memory to perform digit recognition tasks and solve non-linear problems.

To address the problems of mismatch, poor flexibility and low accuracy of ordinary manipulators in the complex special deflagration work process, this paper proposes a new five-degree-of-freedom (5-DOF) folding deflagration manipulator. Firstly, the overall structure of the explosion-expulsion manipulator is introduced. The redundant degrees of freedom are formed by the parallel joint axes of the shoulder joint, elbow joint and wrist pitching joint, which increase the flexibility of the mechanism. Aiming at a complex system with multiple degrees of freedom and strong coupling of the manipulator, the virtual joint is introduced, the corresponding forward kinematics model is established by D–H method, and the inverse kinematics solution of the manipulator is derived by analytical method. In the MATLAB platform, the workspace of the manipulator is analyzed by Monte Carlo pseudo-random number method. The quintic polynomial interpolation method is used to simulate the deflagration task in joint space. Finally, the actual prototype experiment is carried out using the data obtained by simulation. The trajectory planning using the quintic polynomial interpolation method can ensure the smooth movement of the manipulator and high accuracy of operation. Furthermore, the trajectory is basically consistent with the simulation trajectory, which can realize the work requirements of putting the object into the explosion-proof tank. The new 5-DOF folding deflagration manipulator designed in this paper has stable motion and strong robustness, which can be used for deflagration during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Purpose: This study builds upon an established effective training method to investigate the advantages of high variability phonetic identification training for enhancing lexical tone perception and production in Mandarin-speaking pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients, who typically face ongoing challenges in these areas. Method: Thirty-two Mandarin-speaking children with CIs were quasirandomly assigned into the training group (TG) and the control group (CG). The 16 TG participants received five sessions of high variability phonetic training (HVPT) within a period of 3 weeks. The CG participants did not receive the training. Perception and production of Mandarin tones were administered before (pretest) and immediately after (posttest) the completion of HVPT via lexical tone recognition task and picture naming task. Both groups participated in the identical pretest and posttest with the same time frame between the two test sessions. Results: TG showed significant improvement from pretest to posttest in identifying Mandarin tones for both trained and untrained speech stimuli. Moreover, perceptual learning of HVPT significantly facilitated trainees' production of T1 and T2 as rated by a cohort of 10 Mandarin-speaking adults with normal hearing, which was corroborated by acoustic analyses revealing improved fundamental frequency (F0) median for T1 and T2 production and enlarged F0 movement for T2 production. In contrast, TG children's production of T3 and T4 showed nonsignificant changes across two test sessions. Meanwhile, CG did not exhibit significant changes in either perception or production. Conclusions: The results suggest a limited and inconsistent transfer of perceptual learning to lexical tone production in children with CIs, which challenges the notion of a robust transfer and highlights the complexity of the interaction between perceptual training and production outcomes. Further research on individual differences with a longitudinal design is needed to optimize the training protocol or tailor interventions to better meet the diverse needs of learners.

The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled “Antibacterial mechanism of daptomycin antibiotic against Staphylococcus aureus based on a quantitative bacterial proteome analysis” (Ma et al., 2016) [1]. Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK) and 5′-nucleotidase (NT5) are two proteins related to bacterial growth. Here, a bioinformatics analysis was presented to explore NDK and NT5-invovled in the interacting protein network and purine metabolism.

In the title compound, C34H35NO4, the dihedral angle between the pyridine ring and attached benzene ring is 79.17 (8)°. The methoxyethoxy–ethoxy side chain is disordered over two orientations in a 0.732 (7):0.268 (7) ratio. In the crystal, very weak C—H...N and C—H...O interactions link the molecules.

Procyanidins, a subclass of flavonoids found in commonly consumed foods, possess potential anti-inflammatory activity. Manipulation of M1/M2 macrophage homeostasis is an effective strategy for the treatment of metabolic inflammatory diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of procyanidins on macrophage polarization. Procyanidin B2 (PCB2), the most widely distributed natural procyanidins, enhanced the expressions of M2 macrophage markers (Arg1, Ym1, and Fizz1). PCB2 activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) activity and increased the expressions of PPARγ target genes (CD36 and ABCG1) in macrophages. Inhibition of PPARγ using siRNA or antagonist GW9662 attenuated the PCB2-induced expressions of M2 macrophage markers. In addition, we identified cognate PPAR-responsive elements (PPREs) within the 5'-flanking regions of the mouse Arg1, Ym1, and Fizz1 genes. Furthermore, macrophages isolated from db/db diabetic mice showed lower expressions of M2 markers. PCB2 effectively restored the Arg1, Ym1, and Fizz1 expressions in a PPARγ-dependent manner. These findings support the notion that PCB2 regulated macrophage M2 polarization via the activation of PPARγ. Our results provide a new mechanism by which procyanidins exert their beneficial anti-inflammatory effects.

Large tumor suppressor 2 (LATS2), an important mediator of the cell apoptotic response pathway, has been linked to the progression of several cancers. Here, we described the molecular feature of LATS2 as a novel antitumor factor in liver cancer cells in vitro. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of LATS2 and its downstream factors. ELISA, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the alterations of mitochondrial function in response to LATS2 overexpression. Adenovirus-loaded LATS2 and siRNA against DRP1 were transfected into liver cancer cells to overexpress LATS2 and knockdown DRP1 expression, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrated that overexpression of LATS2 was closely associated with more liver cancer cell death. Mechanistically, LATS2 overexpression increased the expression of DRP1, and DRP1 elevated mitochondrial division, an effect that was accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction, including mitochondrial membrane potential reduction, mitochondrial respiratory complex downregulation, mitochondrial cyt-c release into the nucleus and mitochondrial oxidative injury. Moreover, LATS2 overexpression also initiated mitochondrial apoptosis, and this process was highly dependent on DRP1-related mitochondrial division. Molecular investigations demonstrated that LATS2 modulated DRP1 expression via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway pregented LATS2-mediated DRP1 upregulation, ultimately sustaining mitochondrial function and cell viability in the presence of LATS2 overexpression. Altogether, the above data identify LATS2-Wnt/β-catenin/DRP1/mitochondrial division as a novel anticancer signaling pathway promoting cancer cell death, which might be an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Presbycusis (PC) is associated with cognitive decline and incident dementia. Speech reception thresholds (SRT) are used to assess speech detection, which points toward a central component of PC. However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous study has reported the relationship between SRT and cognitive function in older adults in a Han Chinese cohort. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the association of hearing loss, indexed using pure tone average (PTA) and SRT, with cognitive function in a Han Chinese cohort using a standardized neurocognitive battery. Subjects (aged ≥60 years) with no history of psychiatric or neurological diseases were recruited. All subjects underwent a battery of neuropsychological and auditory tests. According to the PTA of the better ear, the subjects were further divided into PC and normal PTA (NP) groups. Regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between cognitive function and hearing loss in the PC and NP groups and all subjects when controlling for age, sex, education level, diabetes, smoking, and hypertension. Cognitive function was significantly associated with PTA and SRT in all subjects. In all subjects, the correlations between non-verbal cognitive scores and SRT were stronger than those between non-verbal cognitive scores and PTA, whereas the correlations between verbal cognitive scores and PTA were stronger than those between verbal cognitive scores and SRT. Moreover, the correlations between PTA or SRT and cognitive function in the PC group were in principle stronger than those in the NP group. Our findings indicate that cognitive function is significantly associated with PTA and SRT in older adults in a Han Chinese cohort. Therefore, SRT could be an important auditory test for exploring cognitive decline in PC and could complement PTA.

In this study, we aimed to explore the expression profiles of some known functional lncRNAs in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAD) and to screening the potential prognostic makers, using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). Results showed that DLEU2 is a high potential OS related marker among 73 functional lncRNAs. DLEU2 and its intronic miR-15a and miR-16-1 expression were significantly upregulated in EAD compared with adjacent normal tissues. However, miR-15a and miR-16-1 expression were only weakly correlated with DLEU2 expression. Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed that DLEU2 expression, but not miR-15a or miR-16-1 expression is an independent prognostic marker in terms of OS (HR:1.688, 95%CI: 1.085–2.627, p = 0.020) in EAD patients. The exon 9 of DLEU2 is very strongly co-expressed with DLEU2 (Pearson’s r = 0.96) and showed better predictive value than total DLEU2 expression in predicting the OS of EAD patients. Multivariate analysis confirmed its independent prognostic value (HR:1.970, 95%CI: 1.266–3.067, p = 0.003), after adjustment of histologic grade, pathological stages and the presence of residual tumor. By checking the methylation status of DLEU2 gene, we excluded the possibility of the influence of two CpG sites near the DLEU2 exon 9 locus on its expression. In addition, although copy number alterations (CNAs) were observed DLEU2 gene, heterozygous loss (-1), low-level copy gain (+1) and high-level amplification (+2) had no significant association with DLEU2 transcription. Based on these findings, we infer that DLEU2 exon 9 expression might serve as a valuable biomarker of unfavorable OS in EAD patients.

An organic triazine charring agent hybrid with zinc oxide (OTCA@ZnO) was prepared and well characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The flame retardancy and thermal behaviour of intumescent flame retardant ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) composites combining OTCA@ZnO and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) were investigated using limited oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 vertical burning, cone calorimetry and TGA. The structure and morphology of chars were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR, laser Raman spectroscopy analysis (LRS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results revealed that OTCA@ZnO exhibited excellent thermal stability and dispersity after hybridization. The flame retardancy and smoke suppression properties of EVA were significantly improved by introducing APP/OTCA@ZnO. TGA results indicated that APP/OTCA@ZnO presented an excellent synergistic effect and promoted the char formation of EVA composites. Residue analysis results showed more char with high quality connected by richer P–O–C, P–N and P–O–Si structures was formed in APP/OTCA@ZnO system than APP/HOTCA/ZnO system, which consequently suppressed more efficiently the combustion and smoke production due to the in situ catalytic carbonization effect of hybrid.

Centrosome-associated protein E (CENPE) is a plus end-directed kinetochore motor protein, which plays a critical role in mitosis. In this in silico study, using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas-Esophageal Carcinoma (TCGA-ESCA), we analyzed the expression profile of CENPE mRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma (EA), its independent prognostic value and the potential mechanisms of its dysregulation in EA. Results showed that both ESCC and EA tissues had significantly elevated CENPE expression compared with their respective adjacent normal tissues. However, Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that high CENPE was associated with unfavorable OS in EA. Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed that CENPE expression was an independent indicator of unfavorable OS in EA patients, as a continuous variable (HR: 1.861, 95%CI: 1.235-2.806, p = 0.003) or as categorical variables (HR: 2.550, 95%CI: 1.294-5.025, p = 0.007). However, CENPE expression had no prognostic value in ESCC. Compared with the methylation status in normal samples, 3 CpG sites were hypomethylated (cg27388036, cg27443373, and cg24651824) in EA, among which two sites (cg27443373 and cg24651824) showed moderately negative correlation with CENPE expression. In addition, we also found that although heterozygous loss (-1) was frequent in EA (50/88, 56.8%), it was not necessarily associated with decreased CENPE expression compared with the copy neutral (0) cases. The methylation of the -1 group was significantly lower than that of the +1/0 group (p = 0.04). Based on these findings, we infer that CENPE upregulation in EA might serve as a valuable indicator of unfavorable OS. The methylation status of cg27443373 and cg24651824 might play a critical role in modulating CENPE expression.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the quality of day care education. I provide an overview and synthesis of issues concerning child studies. In response to this review, Fröbel’s educational philosophy pertaining to play and the character of the child addresses some of the central themes raised in the general discussion. My comments focus on the issues regarding the aim (the character of a divine child), curriculum (play that cultivates attention and will-power), and instructional methods (developing good habits) of day care education. I argue that child studies research calls for a culture that children should live in a realm of both heart and mind.

Carbonaceous material (CM) is common in meta-sediments and is generally interpreted to be intimately associated with gold mineralization. For the Bumo deposit in Hainan Province, South China, CM is mainly hosted by greenschist facies—to amphibolite-facies metamophic rocks of the Paleo—to the Mesoproterozoic Baoban Group, and by auriferous veins which could be used as an important gold prospecting indicator. However, the genesis of CM and its relationship with gold mineralization are still unclear. From the field work and thin section observations two types of CM occur, i.e., layered and veinlet. The layered CM occurred in CM-bearing black shales, up to meters thick, and prevails in the deposit. More importantly, Au-bearing sulfides are commonly distributed along the boundary between the quartz veins and layered CM. In contrast, the veinlet CM, co-precipitated with native gold and sulfides, has the thickness of micro- to centi-meters, and these thin veins occur in quartz veins and hydrothermally altered rocks. In addition, layered CM has a stringy shape and laminate structure, while veinlet CM occurs as isometric particles based on the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. The Raman carbonaceous material geothermometer indicates that layered CM with a high maturity is formed at elevated temperatures of 400–550 °C, consistent with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. In contrast, veinlet CM with a low maturity is formed at 200–350 °C and generally consistent with gold mineralization. In addition, layered CM has δ13C values ranging from −30 to −20%, demonstrating a biogenic origin. Consequently, it is interpreted that layered CM is formed by a pre-ore metamorphic event during Caledonian, and its reducing nature promotes gold precipitation via destabilization of aqueous Au complexes or facilitating sulfidation. Veinlet CM is of hydrothermal origin, and its precipitation modified the chemical conditions of ore fluids, leading to the destabilization of Au complexes, which therefore are favorable for mineralization.

The influence of Alternanthera philoxeroide (alligator weed) invasion on wetland organic matter (OM) accumulation and bacterial changes is rarely studied, but is possibly an important step for revealing the invasion mechanism. Thus, the distribution characteristics of light fraction organic carbon and nitrogen (LFOC and LFON), and heavy fractions organic carbon and nitrogen (HFOC and HFON) were analyzed. Sampling was done on two sediment depths (0–15 cm and 15–25 cm) of invaded and normal habitats of two natural wetlands and two constructed wetlands, and bacterial taxa and composition in surface sediments were also analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. In the surface sediments, the LFOC and LFON contents were significantly higher in the constructed wetlands (0.791 and 0.043 g·kg−1) than in the natural wetlands (0.500 and 0.022 g·kg−1), and the contents of the C and N fractions were also prominently higher in the invaded areas than in normal wetland habitats. The OM storage was relatively stable. Proteobacteria (55.94%), Bacteroidetes (5.74%), Acidobacteria (6.66%), and Chloroflexi (4.67%) were the dominant bacterial phyla in the wetlands. The abundance of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes were significantly higher in the invaded areas than in the normal habitats. The relative high abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE) index in the constructed wetlands and invaded areas suggested the corresponding high bacterial diversity. The significant and positive relationship between Acidobacteria and organic nitrogen concentrations suggested their potential and positive interrelationships. This study demonstrated that the alligator weed invasion could significantly change the compositions of sediment organic matterand bacteria, thus further changing the nutrition cycle and wetland microhabitat.

Presbycusis (PC) is characterized by bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at high frequencies and speech-perception difficulties in noisy environments and has a strikingly detrimental impact on cognitive function. As the neural consequences of PC may involve the whole brain, we hypothesized that patients with PC would show structural alterations not only in the auditory cortex but also in the cortexes involved in cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to use surface-based morphometry (SBM) analysis to elucidate whole-brain structural differences between patients with PC and age-matched normal hearing controls. Three-dimensional T1-weighted MR images of 26 patients with mild PC and 26 age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) were acquired. All participants underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests. Our results revealed gray matter atrophy in several auditory cortical areas, nodes of the default mode network (DMN), including the bilateral precuneus and inferior parietal lobule, the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and the right insula of patients with PC compared to that in the HCs. Our findings also revealed that hearing loss was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the right primary auditory cortex of patients with PC. Moreover, structural alterations in the nodes of the DMN were associated with cognitive impairments in PC patients. Additionally, this study provides evidence that a thicker right insula is associated with better speech perception in patients with PC. Based on these findings, we argue that the onset of PC seems to trigger its own cascade of conditions, including a need for increased cognitive resources during speech comprehension, which might lead to auditory and cognition-related cortical reorganization.

Single image super-resolution (SISR) has been widely studied in recent years as a crucial technique for remote sensing applications. In this paper, a dense residual generative adversarial network (DRGAN)-based SISR method is proposed to promote the resolution of remote sensing images. Different from previous super-resolution (SR) approaches based on generative adversarial networks (GANs), the novelty of our method mainly lies in the following factors. First, we made a breakthrough in terms of network architecture to improve performance. We designed a dense residual network as the generative network in GAN, which can make full use of the hierarchical features from low-resolution (LR) images. We also introduced a contiguous memory mechanism into the network to take advantage of the dense residual block. Second, we modified the loss function and altered the model of the discriminative network according to the Wasserstein GAN with a gradient penalty (WGAN-GP) for stable training. Extensive experiments were performed using the NWPU-RESISC45 dataset, and the results demonstrated that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of both objective evaluation and subjective perspective.

Helicases play key roles in genome maintenance, yet it remains elusive how these enzymes change conformations and how transitions between different conformational states regulate nucleic acid reshaping. Here, we developed a computational technique combining structural bioinformatics approaches and atomic-level free-energy simulations to characterize how the Escherichia coli DNA repair enzyme UvrD changes its conformation at the fork junction to switch its function from unwinding to rezipping DNA. The lowest free-energy path shows that UvrD opens the interface between two domains, allowing the bound ssDNA to escape. The simulation results predict a key metastable 'tilted' state during ssDNA strand switching. By simulating FRET distributions with fluorophores attached to UvrD, we show that the new state is supported quantitatively by single-molecule measurements. The present study deciphers key elements for the 'hyper-helicase' behavior of a mutant and provides an effective framework to characterize directly structure-function relationships in molecular machines.

We here report on a comparative study of the microstructure and magnetic properties of as-cast and SPCJA-ed Co-based wires for potential sensor applications. Experimental results indicate that both as-cast and SPCJA-ed wires exhibit typical amorphous feature. There also exists the enhanced local ordering degree of atomic arrangement and obvious transformation (maximum magnetic permeability and minimum saturation magnetization) of magnetic properties after SPCJA treatment, resulting from variation of magnetic moment exchange coupling and magnetic anisotropy by coactions of high-density pulsed magnetic field energy and thermal activation energy. Moreover, SPCJA treatment can drastically improve the GMI property of melt-extracted wires. GMI ratio [ΔZ/Z0]max of 166.07% and field response sensitivity ξmax of 413.76%/Oe by more than 2.25 times and 1.73 times of as-cast wire at 5MHz. Therefore, the SPCJA-ed wire exhibits the improved GMI and magnetic properties at 5MHz~10MHz in contrast to AC annealed wire, which is more suitable for GMI sensor applications working at low-applied-frequency and relatively low-working-magnetic field.