Search

Abstract Background Several surgical options for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) are available, but current guidelines do not recommend which one should be prioritized. Although previous network meta-analyses (NMAs) have been performed on this topic, they have major methodological problems and could not provide the convincing evidence and clinical practical information required. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing at least two surgical interventions were included by searching AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE (inception to August 2023). A frequentist random-effects NMA was performed for physical function and adverse events due to any reason. For physical function, three follow-up time points were included: short-term (

Abstract Atmospheric rivers (ARs) reaching high-latitudes in summer contribute to the majority of climatological poleward water vapor transport into the Arctic. This transport has exhibited long term changes over the past decades, which cannot be entirely explained by anthropogenic forcing according to ensemble model responses. Here, through observational analyses and model experiments in which winds are adjusted to match observations, we demonstrate that low-frequency, large-scale circulation changes in the Arctic play a decisive role in regulating AR activity and thus inducing the recent upsurge of this activity in the region. It is estimated that the trend in summertime AR activity may contribute to 36% of the increasing trend of atmospheric summer moisture over the entire Arctic since 1979 and account for over half of the humidity trends in certain areas experiencing significant recent warming, such as western Greenland, northern Europe, and eastern Siberia. This indicates that AR activity, mostly driven by strong synoptic weather systems often regarded as stochastic, may serve as a vital mechanism in regulating long term moisture variability in the Arctic.

Abstract Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are narrow, elongated, synoptic jets of water vapor that play important roles in the global water cycle. The continually developing Tracking Atmospheric Rivers Globally as Elongated Targets (tARget) algorithm identifies AR objects at individual time steps based on thresholding integrated water vapor transport (IVT) and other requirements, and tracks each AR object in time and space. Building on previous versions of tARget, this paper discusses further refinements to the algorithm to better handle ARs in tropical and polar areas, as well as “zonal” ARs which the previous versions of the algorithm were not designed to capture. This further regionally refined algorithm is applied to the ERA5 reanalysis over 1940–2023 at 6 h intervals and a 0.25° × 0.25° horizontal resolution. The AR detection results are evaluated in terms of key AR characteristics. We anticipate this regionally refined global AR database will aid further understanding of ARs such as AR process studies, evaluation of AR simulations and predictions, and assessment of climate change impacts on ARs.

Abstract The mesoscale dynamics of a record‐breaking Atmospheric River (AR) that impacted the Middle East in mid‐April 2023 and caused property damage and loss of life are investigated using model, reanalysis and observational data. The high‐resolution (2.5 km) simulations revealed the presence of AR rapids, narrow and long convective structures embedded within the AR that generated heavy precipitation (>4 mm hr−1) as they moved at high speeds (>30 m s−1) from northeastern Africa into western Iran. Gravity waves triggered by the complex terrain in Saudi Arabia further intensified their effects. Given the rising frequency of ARs in this region, AR rapids may be even more impactful in a warming climate, and need to be accounted for in reanalysis and numerical models.

Comparative nutritional analysis of Porphyra yezoensis strains “Jianghai No. 1” and “Sutong No.1” revealed significant differences in crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, crude ash, and total sugar. Both strains contained 16 amino acids, with alanine as the highest and histidine the lowest content. Methionine was determined to be the first limiting amino acid for both strains in both amino acid score and chemical score assessment. They also featured 24 fatty acids, differing notably in four saturated fatty acids and five unsaturated fatty acids. All 12 mineral elements were present, notably differing in sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, and zinc. The “Jianghai No. 1” strain stands out with its nutrient-rich profile, featuring high protein content, low fat, and abundant minerals, which could potentially command higher market prices and generate greater economic benefits due to its superior nutritional, and set a strong foundation for its future large-scale promotion and cultivation.

Natural bioactive compounds and plant constituents are considered to have a positive anti-inflammatory effect. This study aimed to establish a screening technique for anti-inflammatory function in foods based on label-free Raman imaging. A visible anti-inflammatory analysis method based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) was established with an LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell model. Dynamic changes in proteins and lipids were determined at laser pump light wavelengths of 2956 cm−1 and 2856 cm−1, respectively. The method was applied to a plant-based formula (JC) with anti-inflammatory activity. Q-TOF-MS and HPLC analyses revealed the main active constituents of JC as quercetin, kaempferol, l-glutamine, and sodium copper chlorophyllin. In in vitro and in vivo verification experiments, JC showed significant anti-inflammatory activity by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. In conclusion, this study successfully established a label-free and visible method for screening anti-inflammatory constituents in plant-based food products, which will facilitate the evaluation of functional foods.

Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic event with devastating physical, social and occupational consequences for patients and their families. The number of patients with acute SCI in China continues to grow rapidly, but there have been no large prospective cohort studies of patients with acute SCI. This proposed study aims to establish a multicentre, extensive sample cohort of clinical data and biological samples of patients in China, which would aid the systematisation and standardisation of clinical research and treatment of acute SCI, thus reducing the heavy burden of acute SCI on patients and society.Methods and analysis The Chinese Real-World Evidence for Acute Spinal Cord Injury (ChiRES) study is an observational, multicentre cohort study of patients with acute SCI admitted to the Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and other participating centres with prospective collection of their clinical data and biological samples. We aim to recruit 2097 patients in this study. Demographics, disease history, emergency intervention information, motor and sensory examinations, surgical information, medication information and rehabilitation evaluation will be recorded. This will facilitate the development of a prediction model for complications and prognosis of patients with acute SCI and an evaluation of the current management of acute SCI. Among these variables, detailed information on surgical treatment will also be used to assess procedures for acute SCI treatment. Outcome measurements, including the International Standard for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury examinations, the occurrence of complications and death, will be performed repeatedly during follow-up. We will analyse imaging data and blood samples to develop SCI imaging markers and biomarkers.Ethics and dissemination This study protocol has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and all other participating centres. The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of Babao dan (BBD), a traditional Chinese medicine, on gastric cancer (GC) progression in vivo. Materials and Methods: A subcutaneous xenograft mouse model of GC was established using MGC80-3 cells. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP: 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate -biotin nick-end labeling method was adopted to detect cell apoptosis in vivo. The expression levels of proteins associated with proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis were measured by immunohistochemical staining or western blotting (WB). The activation and protein levels of p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p-p38, p-extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2, p-nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and p-STAT3 were examined by Bio-plex and WB. Results: BBD significantly inhibited tumor growth in GC mouse models with no adverse effect on body weight or organ function. It was also found that BBD significantly suppressed the proliferation of GC tumor cells, induced the apoptosis of tumor cells, and inhibited angiogenesis through inactivating with mitogen-activated protein kinase, NF-κB, and STAT3 pathways. Conclusions: BBD exerts suppressive effects on GC tumor growth by regulating multiple pathways in vivo, which may provide a novel treatment option for GC therapy.

In this paper, we prove a prime number theorem in short intervals for the Rankin-Selberg $ L $-function $ L(s, \phi\times\phi) $, where $ \phi $ is a fixed dihedral Maass newform. As an application, we give a lower bound for the proportion of primes in a short interval at which the Hecke eigenvalues of the dihedral form are greater than a given constant.

The corrosion rates of CT80 grade coiled tubing steel (CT80) and 2205 duplex stainless steel (2205DSS), as well as other attachments, were determined using the weight loss method in a high-temperature and high-pressure autoclave to simulate operational corrosion conditions. The rates were compared with the predicted rates based on BP (backpropagation) neural network optimized by genetic algorithm, in response to the severe corrosion issue encountered during coiled tubing operations in high CO2 gas fields in Sichuan, China. In the gas phase, the results revealed that with the increase of the temperature and the CO2 partial pressure in the high CO2 gas field, the corrosion rate of CT80 gradually increases, while the rate of 2205DSS remains relatively stable and lower than that of CT80. In the liquid phase, the corrosion rate of CT80 exhibits an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease with increasing temperature and partial pressure, while the 2205DSS corrosion rate remains slightly low and fairly stable. Furthermore, the XRD results of the corrosion product in the liquid phase revealed a higher corrosion rate on CT80 due to its loose and porous film structure, with FeCO3 and Fe2O3 being the main corrosion products. In contrast, 2205DSS exhibited only slight corrosion, characterized by a denser corrosion product film primarily composed of Cr2O3. The average error between the measured values and model calculated values is ∼15%, indicating that 2205DSS exhibited better wear resistance, making it suitable for application in the high CO2 gas field.

Objective Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common gynecologic malignancies worldwide. Although rapid improvements have been made regarding its prevention and treatment, little is known about disease pathogenesis and the clinical relevance of reliable biomarkers. The present study evaluated the expression of cystatin B (CSTB) as a potential biomarker of CC. Methods Tissue microarray analysis and immunohistochemical staining were performed to detect CSTB expression, while CSTB mRNA and protein expression levels of freshly isolated CC tissue were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot, respectively. Bioinformatics were used to analyze the CSTB co-expression network and functional enrichments. Results We observed high CSTB mRNA and protein expression levels in CC tissues, which was confirmed by tissue microarray in a comparison with paired adjacent non-cancerous cervical tissue samples. CSTB gene enrichments and associations with co-expressed genes were also observed. Further analysis showed that elevated CSTB expression was associated with pathological progress in CC. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that CSTB has the potential to be used as a tissue biomarker with clinical value in patients with CC, which may aid the development of intervention strategies.

Abstract The prediction of production capacity in tight gas wells is greatly influenced by the characteristics of gas–water two-phase flow and the fracture network permeability parameters. However, traditional analytical models simplify the nonlinear problems of two-phase flow equations to a large extent, resulting in significant errors in dynamic analysis results. To address this issue, this study considers the characteristics of gas–water two-phase flow in the reservoir and fracture network, utilizes a trilinear flow model to characterize the effects of hydraulic fracturing, and takes into account the stress sensitivity of the reservoir and fractures. A predictive model for gas–water two-phase production in tight fractured horizontal wells is established. By combining the mass balance equation with the Newton–Raphson iteration method, the nonlinear parameters of the flow model are updated step by step using the average reservoir pressure. The accuracy of the model is validated through comparisons with results from commercial numerical simulation software and field case applications. The research results demonstrate that the established semi-analytical solution method efficiently handles the nonlinear two-phase flow problems, allowing for the rapid and accurate prediction of production capacity in tight gas wells. Water production significantly affects gas well productivity, and appropriate fracture network parameters are crucial for improving gas well productivity. The findings of this work could provide more clear understanding of the gas production performance from the fractured tight-gas horizontal well.

Abstract Atmospheric rivers play an integral role in the global water cycle, but predicting their future changes remains uncertain due to inter-model and inter-detection-method differences. Using ultra-high-resolution Community Earth System Model simulations and a novel detection algorithm based on geometric shape extraction, we quantify global changes in atmospheric rivers and the associated precipitation events in response to doubling and quadrupling of atmospheric C O 2 concentrations. We find that, atmospheric rivers are projected to become more frequent and more likely to be associated with extreme precipitation events, increasing their contribution to global mean precipitation. While the water vapor transport within these structures follow Clausius-Clapeyron scaling, the changes in maximum precipitation intensity resemble other saturated atmospheric environments like tropical cyclone cores. The increased amplitude of atmospheric rivers and the associated increase in mean and extreme precipitation have important implications for future water management and adaptation policies.

Abstract The Jiaozhou Bay ecosystem, a crucial marine ecosystem in China, has been plagued by frequent harmful algal blooms as due to deteriorating water quality and eutrophication. This study analyzed the temporal and spatial changes of harmful algal blooms in Jiaozhou Bay from 2000 to 2022 using the Floating Algae Index (FAI) calculated from MODIS (2000–2022) and Sentinel-2 (2015–2022) satellite image datasets. The calculation results of the image datasets were compared. The frequency of planktonic algal outbreaks was low and constant until 2017, but has increased annually since then. Algae blooms are most common in the summer and primarily concentrated along the bay’s coast, middle, and mouth, with obvious seasonal and spatial distribution characteristics. Several factors influencing algal outbreaks were identified, including sea surface temperature, wind speed, air pressure, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus ratios, chemical oxygen demand, and petroleum pollutants. Algal bloom outbreaks in Jiaozhou Bay are expected to remain high in 2023. The findings provide crucial information for water quality management and future algal outbreak prediction and prevention in Jiaozhou Bay.

Immunodeficiency can disrupt normal physiological activity and function. In this study, donkey bone collagen peptide (DP) and its iron chelate (DPI) were evaluated their potential as immunomodulators in cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®, CTX)-induced Balb/c mice. The femoral tissue, lymphocytes, and serum from groups of mice were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell proliferation assays, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Furthermore, a non-targeted metabolomics analysis based on UPLC–MS/MS and a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technology were used to explore the specific metabolic pathways of DPI regulating immunocompromise. The results showed that CTX was able to significantly reduce the proliferative activity of mouse splenic lymphocytes and led to abnormal cytokine expression. After DP and DPI interventions, bone marrow tissue damage was significantly improved. In particular, DPI showed the ability to regulate the levels of immune factors more effectively than Fe2+ and DP. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis in both positive and negative ion modes showed that DPI and DP jointly regulated the levels of 20 plasma differential metabolites, while DPI and Fe2+ jointly regulated 14, and all 3 jointly regulated 10. Fe2+ and DP regulated energy metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism pathways, respectively. In contrast, DPI mainly modulated the purine salvage pathway and the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, which are the key to immune function. Therefore, DPI shows more effective immune regulation than Fe2+ and DP alone, and has good application potential in improving immunosuppression.

Abstract Background To investigate the effect of intraoperative goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) combined with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program on postoperative complications in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary resection. Methods Patients, more than 60 years old, undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary resection for non-small cell lung cancer were randomly divided into GDFT group and restrictive fluid therapy (RFT) group. ERAS program was implemented in all patients. In GDFT group, the intraoperative fluid management was guided by stroke volume variation (SVV), cardiac index (CI), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and maintained the SVV 2.5 L/min/m2, and MAP > 65 mmHg. In RFT group, fluid maintenance with 2 ml/kg/h of balanced crystalloid solution, norepinephrine was used to maintain MAP > 65 mmHg. The incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) and pulmonary and cardiac complications was compared. Results Two-hundred seventy-six patients were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups (138 in each group). Compared to RFT group, the total intraoperative infusion volume, colloids infusion volume, and urine output were more; the dosage of norepinephrine was lower in GDFT group. Although there were no significant differences of postoperative AKI (GDFT vs RFT; 4.3% vs 8%; P = 0.317) and composite postoperative complications (GDFT vs RFT; 66 vs 70) between groups, but the postoperative increase degree of serum creatinine was lower in GDFT group than that in RFT group (GDFT vs RFT; 91.9 ± 25.2 μmol/L vs 97.1 ± 17.6 μmol/L; P = 0.048). Conclusions Under ERAS program, there was no significant difference of AKI incidence between GDFT and RFT in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary resection. But postoperative increase degree of serum creatinine was lower in GDFT group. Trial registration Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04302467 on 26 February 2020.

The calibration of the sea surface height (SSH) measured by satellite altimeters is essential to understand altimeter biases. Many factors affects the construction and maintenance of a permanent calibration site. In order to calibrate Chinese satellite altimetry missions, the feasibility of maintaining a calibration site based on the Qianliyan islet in Yellow Sea of China is taken into account. The related calibration facilities, such as the permanent tide gauge, GNSS reference station and meteorological station, were already operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China. The data could be fully used for satellite altimeter calibration with small fiscal expenditure. In addition, the location and marine environments of Qianliyan were discussed. Finally, we used the Jason-3 mission to check the possibility of calibration works. The result indicates that the brightness temperatures of three channels measured by microwave radiometer (MWR) and the derived wet tropospheric correction varies smoothly, which means the land contamination to MWR could be ignored. The high frequency waveforms at the Qianliyan site present no obvious difference from the normal waveforms received by satellite radar altimeter over the open ocean. In conclusion, the Qianliyan islet will not influence satellite altimetry observation. Following these analyses, a possible layout and mechanism of the Qianliyan calibration site are proposed.

This work proposed an exact analytical solution for the bending behavior of composite I-beam with corrugated steel web (CSW), considering the anisotropy of CSW, the bending contribution of CSW, the transverse shear deformation and the interface slip. In the analytical model, the CSW is equivalent to anisotropic flat web. The mechanical property of each part is described based on the two-dimensional orthotropic elasticity theory, and the stresses and displacements of the composite I-beam are rearranged into an eigenvalue equation. The analytical solution is efficiently determined by using the propagator matrix method. The comparison analysis indicates the present solution is more accurate than the isotropic solution and the solution based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. In the end, case studies of geometric parameters in CSW and interfacial shear stiffness on the bending behavior of the composite I-beam is investigated.

Objectives To evaluate the most up-to-date burden of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) and analyse their leading causes in different countries/territories.Design An analysis of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data.Setting The epidemiological data were gathered from GBD Results Tool (1 January, 1990─31 December 2019) covering 21 GBD regions and 204 countries/ territories.Participants Patients with TBI/SCI.Main outcomes and measures Absolute numbers and age-standardised rates/estimates of incidence, prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of TBI/SCI by location in 2019, with their percentage changes from 1990 to 2019. The leading causes (eg, falls) of TBI/SCI in 204 countries/territories.Results Globally, in 2019, TBI had 27.16 million new cases, 48.99 million prevalent cases and 7.08 million YLDs. SCI had 0.91 million new cases, 20.64 million prevalent cases and 6.20 million YLDs. Global age-standardised incidence rates of TBI decreased significantly by −5.5% (95% uncertainty interval −8.9% to −3.0%) from 1990 to 2019, whereas SCI had no significant change (−6.1% (−17.3% to 1.5%)). Regionally, in 2019, Eastern Europe and High-income North America had the highest burden of TBI and SCI, respectively. Nationally, in 2019, Slovenia and Afghanistan had the highest age-standardised incidence rates of TBI and SCI, respectively. For TBI, falls were the leading cause in 74% (150/204) of countries/territories, followed by pedestrian road injuries (14%, 29/204), motor vehicle road injuries (5%, 11/204), and conflict and terrorism (2%, 4/204). For SCI, falls were the leading cause in 97% (198/204) of countries/territories, followed by conflict and terrorism (3%, 6/204).Conclusions Global age-standardised incidence rates of TBI have decreased significantly since 1990, whereas SCI had no significant change. The leading causes of TBI/SCI globally were falls, but variations did exist between countries/territories. Policy-makers should continue to prioritise interventions to reduce falls, but priorities may vary between countries/territories.

The in vivo pathogenesis of the blinding retinal degeneration choroideremia is visualized, which reveals enlarged and area-disrupted retinal pigment epithelial cells, providing evidence for polymegathism in choroideremia.

Abstract This study provides evidence for the multiscale nature of atmospheric rivers (ARs) by differentiating them based on high‐ (HF) and low‐frequency (LF) moisture transports. The HF‐dominant ARs exhibit migratory behavior as they are typically accompanied by extratropical cyclones. Their spatial distribution is seasonally synchronized with midlatitude storm activity. On the other hand, the LF‐dominant ARs stay in place as they are associated with quasi‐stationary circulation. They prevail in the subtropical monsoon regions in the summer hemisphere. The ARs are often jointly affected by HF and LF processes. Such intermediate ARs are frequently observed along the poleward boundary of subtropical highs. The latter two AR types are locally more persistent than the HF‐dominant ARs, implying the importance of LF dynamics in long‐lasting AR impacts. We suggest that multiscale analysis of ARs will offer valuable insights into their diversity and hydrological impacts.

In this study, an analytical approach is introduced for predicting the bending behavior of a timber–concrete composite (TCC) beam subjected to a mechanical load and a non-uniform temperature field, in which the orthotropy of timber as well as interfacial slip are taken into consideration. The analytical model addresses the non-uniform temperature field using Fourier series expansion based on the heat transport theory. The stresses and displacements of the TCC beam under the thermo-mechanical condition are governed by the thermo-elasticity theory, and the corresponding solution is derived analytically by solving a group of non-homogeneous partial differential equations. The proposed solution is in good agreement with the finite element solution and exhibits higher accuracy compared to the Euler–Bernoulli beam solution that relies on the assumption of transverse shear deformation and isotropy. An extensive investigation is carried out to analyze how the bending behavior of TCC beams is influenced by variations in interfacial shear stiffness and temperature field.

Abstract Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow synoptic scale weather features important for Earth’s hydrological cycle typically transporting water vapor poleward, delivering precipitation important for local climates. Understanding ARs in a warming climate is problematic because the AR response to climate change is tied to how the feature is defined. The Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) provides insights into this problem by comparing 16 atmospheric river detection tools (ARDTs) to a common data set consisting of high resolution climate change simulations from a global atmospheric general circulation model. ARDTs mostly show increases in frequency and intensity, but the scale of the response is largely dependent on algorithmic criteria. Across ARDTs, bulk characteristics suggest intensity and spatial footprint are inversely correlated, and most focus regions experience increases in precipitation volume coming from extreme ARs. The spread of the AR precipitation response under climate change is large and dependent on ARDT selection.

Miyagishima et al. investigate the pathological mechanisms underlying mutant CTRP5 function in late-onset retinal degeneration (L-ORD). With human iPSC-derived RPE cells, they demonstrate that in L-ORD iRPE, constitutive activation of AMPK disrupts cellular metabolism/energy homoeostasis, changes apical/basal VEGF secretion, and Metformin treatment corrects these associated phenotypes.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies in the world. Growing evidence emphasizes the critical role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in GC tumorigenesis. The aim of the research was to elucidate the effect and mechanism of Babao Dan (BBD) on lymphangiogenesis of GC in vitro and in vivo via lncRNA-ANRIL/VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling axis. The present study investigated BBD significantly decreased the expression of lncRNA-ANRIL and VEGF-C in GC cells (AGS, BGC823, and MGC80–3) by using real-time quantitative polymerasechain reaction (RT-qPCR) and the secretion and expression of VEGF-C by (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) ELISA and western blot (WB). BBD significantly inhibited the tumor xenograft of GC growth and the expression of lncRNA-ANRIL, VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and LYVE-1 in vivo. BBD reduced serum VEGF-C level. In vitro, BBD inhibited the tube formation and decreased the cell viability, proliferation and migration of HLECs by using tube formation, MTT, Hoechst and Transwell assays. In addition, WB assay found that BBD decreased the expression levels of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP-2) and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9), and RT-qPCR assay found that the mRNA expression levels of lncRNA-ANRIL, VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, MMP-2, MMP-9, CDK4, Cyclin D1, and Bcl-2 were down-regulated, and the expression of p21 and Bax were increased. Taken together, these results demonstrated that BBD inhibited lymphangiogenesis of GC in vitro and in vivo via the lncRNA-ANRIL/VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling axis.

Abstract Variability in atmospheric river (AR) frequency can drive hydrometeorological extremes with broad societal impacts. Mitigating the impacts of increased or decreased AR frequency requires forewarning weeks to months ahead. A key driver of Northern Hemisphere wintertime mid‐latitude subseasonal‐to‐seasonal climate variability is the stratospheric polar vortex. Here, we quantify AR frequency, landfall, genesis, and termination depending on the strength of the lower stratospheric polar vortex. We find large differences between weak and strong vortex states consistent with a latitudinal shift of the eddy‐driven jet, with the greatest differences over the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Iberia. Significant differences are also found for the Pacific Northwest of North America. Most of the seasonal‐scale stratospheric modulation of precipitation over Europe is explained by modulation of ARs. Our results provide potentially useful statistics for extended‐range prediction, and highlight the importance of ARs in bringing about the precipitation response to anomalous vortex states.

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) is an aquatic toxin, which could lead to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered important regulatory elements in the occurrence and development of cancer. However, the roles and mechanisms of lncRNAs during the process of HCC, induced by MCLR, remain elusive. Here, we identified a novel lncRNA, namely lnc-GCLC-1 (lncGCLC), which is in close proximity to the chromosome location of glutamate–cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC). We then investigated the role of lncGCLC in MCLR-induced malignant transformation of WRL68, a human hepatic cell line. During MCLR-induced cell transformation, the expression of lncGCLC and GCLC decreased continuously, accompanied with a consistently high expression of miR-122-5p. Knockdown of lncGCLC promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but reduced cell apoptosis. A xenograft nude mouse model demonstrated that knockdown of lncGCLC promoted tumor growth. Furthermore, knockdown of lncGCLC significantly upregulated miR-122-5p expression, suppressed GCLC expression and GSH levels, and enhanced oxidative DNA damages. More importantly, the expression of lncGCLC in human HCC tissues was significantly downregulated in the high-microcystin exposure group, and positively associated with GCLC level in HCC tissues. Together, these findings suggest that lncGCLC plays an anti-oncogenic role in MCLR-induced malignant transformation by regulating GCLC expression.

Molten salt (MS) derived MXenes have been reported with outstanding pseudocapacitive Li+ storage performance due to the unique chlorides and -O surface groups. In this work, we investigate the influence of Li+ storage properties of Ti3C2Clx MXene treated with different aqueous solutions (including H2O, 0.5 M H2SO4, 0.5 M NaOH, and 0.5 M ammonium persulfate (APS)) washing. Maximum specific capacities of Ti3C2Clx-H2O, Ti3C2Clx-H2SO4, Ti3C2Clx-NaOH, and Ti3C2Clx-APS are 137, 140, 103, and 204 mAh g−1, respectively. It is concluded that the APS treatment will increase the -O termination content, leading to enhanced lithium-ion storage capacity. Differently, NaOH treatment results in the partial conversion of Ti3C2Clx into TiO2, thus deteriorating the lithium-ion storage capacity. This work highlights the significant effect of aqueous solution washing on the Li+ storage properties of Ti3C2Clx MXene.

Independent of traditional approach of satellite altimeter calibration, the feasibility of altimeter validation using tide gauge located on solitary island at open sea (TGSI) and deep-ocean bottom pressure recorder (DBPR) separately is initially studied. Bias of Jason-3 sea surface height (SSH) and relative SSH bias (Δbias) between Jason-2 and Jason-3 is calculated using the data of tide gauge on Harvest oil platform, tide gauge No. 1890000 and DBPR No. 21419. The standard deviations of calculated SSH bias sequence are 3.98cm, 2.87cm and 8.61cm respectively, and Δbias (Jason-3—Jason-2) is -3.62±2.17cm, -2.58±1.97cm and -2.60±1.30cm respectively. Comparing to the results reported by international calibration sites, the results show that Jason-3 SSH is 3.0cm lower than that of Jason-2, the selected DBPR is appropriate to the calculation of relative SSH bias between Jason-2 and Jason-3, but it is not suitable for calibration or validation of single satellite, TGSI is appropriate to both.

Xiaoheiyao, the rhizomes of Inula nervosa Wall., is a culinary spice known to contain some electrophilic Nrf2 activators that could potentially intervene in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, the electrophilic components from Xiaoheiyao were annotated by comprehensive cheminformatics analyses on UHPLC-MS/MS data after being knocked out with glutathione (GSH)-immobilized magnetic microspheres. Their intervention effects against hepatic steatosis were investigated in free fatty acid (FFA)-treated HepG2 cells. The electrophilic components in Xiaoheiyao were found to be the major bioactive components preventing hepatic steatosis in FFA-treated HepG2 cells. In particular, 10-isobutyryloxy-8,9-epoxythymol isobutyrate (XHY-1) improved hepatic lipid metabolism disorder, Krebs cycle activity, oxidative phosphorylation, and the cellular and mitochondrial redox status. Moreover, XHY-1 activates the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway through the up-regulation of Nrf2 expression and promotion of Nrf2 nuclear translocation. Molecular docking further showed that XHY-1 could conjugate with Cys151 in the BTB domain of Keap1 through the epoxy group. In conclusion, the electrophilic components of Xiaoheiyao, especially XHY-1, attenuated hepatic steatosis in FFA-treated HepG2 cells through activation of the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway.

Redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) was introduced to China many years ago. In recent years, a breeding boom for C. quadricarinatus has been set off in China due to a breakthrough in key technology of seedling breeding. The size and growth rate of C. quadricarinatus vary greatly between female and male individuals, usually the size and growth rate of male individuals are bigger than that of female individuals. There is usually a certain linkage relationship between the sex traits of crustaceans and their own nutrition. In order to explore the linkage relationship between the sex traits of C. quadricarinatus and its nutritional components, this study measured and analyzed the muscle nutritional components of female and male individuals. The results showed that the meat yield rate of male individuals was significantly higher than that of females (p < 0.05), and the crude fat content was significantly lower than that for females (p < 0.05). The ratios of essential amino acids to total amino acids for females and males were 39.61% and 38.49%, respectively. The ratios of essential amino acids to non-essential amino acids were 79.69% and 75.66%, respectively, which far exceed FAO/WHO standards and both belong to high-quality protein. The total amount of flavor amino acids of male individuals was significantly higher than that of female individuals (p < 0.05). The total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and the polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid of males are both significantly higher than that of females (p < 0.05). Studies have shown that there are certain differences in nutrition between male and female individuals. Compared with female individuals, the meat yield rate, crude protein content, and edible value of the muscles of male individuals is higher.

Summary: Current conventional detection of SARS-CoV-2 involves collection of a patient’s sample with a nasopharyngeal swab, storage of the swab during transport in a viral transport medium, extraction of RNA, and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). We developed a simplified preparation method using a chelating resin, Chelex, which obviates RNA extraction during viral testing. Direct detection RT-qPCR and digital droplet PCR were compared to the current conventional method with RNA extraction for simulated samples and patient specimens. The heat treatment in the presence of Chelex markedly improved detection sensitivity as compared to heat alone, and lack of RNA extraction shortens the overall diagnostic workflow. Furthermore, the initial sample heating step inactivates SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, thus improving workflow safety. This fast RNA preparation and detection method is versatile for a variety of samples, safe for testing personnel, and suitable for standard clinical collection and testing on high-throughput platforms.

Inoculation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves with wheat powdery mildew fungus (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) induces the cell death in adventitious roots. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in respond to biotic stress in plants. To study the involvement of ROS and the degree of cell death in the wheat roots following inoculation, ROS levels and microstructure of root cells were analyzed in two wheat cultivars that are susceptible (Huamai 8) and resistant (Shenmai 8) to powdery mildew fungus. At 18 d after powdery mildew fungus inoculation, only Huamai 8 displayed the leaf lesions, while root cell death occurred in both varieties. Huamai 8 had a high level of ROS accumulation, which is associated with increased root cell degradation, while in Shenmai 8, there was little ROS accumulation correlating with slight root cell degradation. The molecular study about the expression levels of ROS scavenging genes (MnSOD and CAT) in wheat roots showed that these genes expression decreased after the leaves of wheat was inoculated. The difference between Huamai 8 and Shenmai 8 on subcellular localization of H2O2 and O2– was corresponded with the different down-regulation of the genes encoding for superoxide dismutase and catalase in two wheat cultivars. These results suggested that ROS were involved in the process by which powdery mildew fungus induced cell death in wheat roots.

The rapid development of optofluidic technologies in recent years has seen the need for sensing platforms with ease-of-use, simple sample manipulation, and high performance and sensitivity. Herein, an integrated optofluidic sensor consisting of a pillar array-based open microfluidic chip and caged dye-doped whispering gallery mode microspheres is demonstrated and shown to have potential for simple real-time monitoring of liquids. The open microfluidic chip allows for the wicking of a thin film of liquid across an open surface with subsequent evaporation-driven flow enabling continuous passive flow for sampling. The active dye-doped whispering gallery mode microspheres placed between pillars, avoid the use of cumbersome fibre tapers to couple light to the resonators as is required for passive microspheres. The performance of this integrated sensor is demonstrated using glucose solutions (0.05–0.3 g/mL) and the sensor response is shown to be dynamic and reversible. The sensor achieves a refractive index sensitivity of ~40 nm/RIU, with Q-factors of ~5 × 103 indicating a detection limit of ~3 × 10−3 RIU (~20 mg/mL glucose). Further enhancement of the detection limit is expected by increasing the microsphere Q-factor using high-index materials for the resonators, or alternatively, inducing lasing. The integrated sensors are expected to have significant potential for a host of downstream applications, particularly relating to point-of-care diagnostics.

The existing studies of the corrosion of reinforced concrete have mainly focused on the interface area and chemical ion erosion, ignoring the specific service environment of the reinforced concrete. In this study, the effect of freeze-thaw damage was investigated via corrosion experiments under different freeze-thaw cycle conditions. Steel reinforcement corrosion mass, ultimate pull-out force, corrosion rate, and bond slippage were chosen as characteristic parameters in the experiments, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was used to explain the mechanism of action of freeze-thaw damage on corrosion. The results showed that, under identical corrosion conditions, the mass of steel reinforcement corrosion and corrosion rate increased by 39.6% and 39.7% when comparing 200 freeze-thaw cycles to 0 cycles, respectively. The ultimate pull-out force and bond slippage after 200 freeze-thaw cycles decreased by 73% and 31%, respectively, compared with 0 freeze-thaw cycles. In addition, SEM analysis indicated that microstructure damage caused by freeze-thaw cycles accelerated the corrosion reaction and decreased cementitious properties, leading to decreasing ultimate pull-out force and bond slippage. The effect of freeze-thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion on the macro mechanical properties of concrete is not a simple superposition.

Background: We attempt to identify specific differentially methylated and expressed genes in people with longevity family history, it will contribute to discover significant features about human longevity. Methods: A prevalence study was conducted during October 2017 to January 2019 in Bama County of Guangxi, China and individuals were recruited and grouped into longevity family (n=60) and non-longevity family (n=60) to identify differentially methylated genes (DMGs). The expression profile dataset GSE16717 was downloaded from the GEO database in which individuals were divided into 3 groups, namely longevity (n=50), longevity offspring (n=50) and control (n=50) for identifying differentially expressed genes (DEGs). It was considered significantly different when P or adjusted P£0.05. Results: In total, 117 longevity-related hypermethylated genes enriched in interleukin secretion/production regulation, chemokine signaling pathway and natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Another 296 significant key longevity-related DEGs primarily involved in protein binding, nucleus, cytoplasm, T cell receptor signaling pathway and Metabolic pathway, H19 and PFKFB4 were found to be both methylated and downregulated in people with longevity family history. Conclusion: Human longevity-specific genes involve in many immunity regulations and cellular immunity pathways, H19 and PFKFB4 show hypermethylated and suppressed status in people with longevity family history and might serve as longevity candidate genes.

Objective To investigate the anti-metastatic effects of Babao Dan (BBD) on gastric cancer (GC) cells (AGS and MGC80-3) and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms by which it inhibits epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods AGS and MGC80-3 cells were treated with BBD. In addition, cells were treated with the EMT inducer transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Cell viability was determined using the MTT assay, and the live cell ratio was calculated via cell counting. Cell invasion and migration were evaluated using the Transwell assay. Western blotting was performed to measure the protein expression of EMT biomarkers and related genes. Results BBD inhibited the viability, migration, and invasion of AGS and MGC80-3 cells, but it did not reduce the live cell ratio. Furthermore, BBD inhibited the expression of N-cadherin, vimentin, zinc finger E-box binding homeobox (ZEB)1, ZEB2, Twist1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, MMP9, TGF-β1, and p-Smad2/3, whereas E-cadherin expression was increased in AGS and MGC80-3 cells to different degrees. Using a GC cell model of EMT induced by TGF-β1, we proved that BBD inhibited p-Smad2/3 and N-cadherin expression, cell migration, and cell invasion. Conclusion BBD suppressed cell migration and invasion by inhibiting TGF-β–induced EMT and inactivating TGF-β/Smad signaling in GC cells.

Increasing severity of extreme heat is a hallmark of climate change. Its impacts depend on temperature but also on moisture and solar radiation, each with distinct spatial patterns and vertical profiles. Here, we consider these variables’ combined effect on extreme heat stress, as measured by the environmental stress index, using a suite of high-resolution climate simulations for historical (1980–2005) and future (2074–2099, Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5)) periods. We find that observed extreme heat stress drops off nearly linearly with elevation above a coastal zone, at a rate that is larger in more humid regions. Future projections indicate dramatic relative increases whereby the historical top 1% summer heat stress value may occur on about 25%–50% of future summer days under the RCP8.5 scenario. Heat stress increases tend to be larger at higher latitudes and in areas of greater temperature increase, although in the southern and eastern US moisture increases are nearly as important. Imprinted on top of this dominant pattern we find secondary effects of smaller heat stress increases near ocean coastlines, notably along the Pacific coast, and larger increases in mountains, notably the Sierra Nevada and southern Appalachians. This differential warming is attributable to the greater warming of land relative to ocean, and to larger temperature increases at higher elevations outweighing larger water-vapor increases at lower elevations. All together, our results aid in furthering knowledge about drivers and characteristics that shape future extreme heat stress at scales difficult to capture in global assessments.

Abstract The multistep redox reactions of lithium–sulfur batteries involve undesirably complex transformation between sulfur and Li2S, and it is tough to spontaneously fragmentate polysulfides into shorter chains Li2S originating from the sluggish redox kinetics of soluble polysulfide intermediates, causing serious polarization and consumption of sulfur. In this work, 3,4,9,10‐perylenetetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI)/G is employed as sulfur host to accelerate the conversion process between polysulfides and sulfur, which could facilitate the process of both charging and discharging. Moreover, PTCDI has strong adsorption capacity with polysulfides to restrain shuttle effect, resulting in promotional kinetics and cycle stability. A high initial capacity of 1496 mAh g−1 at 0.05 C and slight capacity decay of 0.009% per cycle at 5 C over 1500 cycles can be achieved. Moreover, the cathode could also achieve a high energy efficiency over 85% at 0.5 C. This research extends the knowledge into an original domain for designing high‐performance host materials.

In South China Sea (112°E–119°E, 12°N–20°N), 81159 ship soundings published by NGDC (National Geophysics Data Center) and the altimetry gravity anomalies published by SIO (Scripps Institute of Oceanography) were used to predict bathymetry by GGM (gravity-geologic method) and SAS (Smith and Sandwell) method respectively. The residual 40576 ship soundings were used to estimate precisions of the predicted bathymetry models. Results showed that: the standard deviation of difference between the GGM model and ship soundings was 59.75 m and the relative accuracy was 1.86%. The SAS model is 60.07 m and 1.87%. The power spectral densities of the ETOPO1, SIO, GGM and SAS models were also compared and analyzed. At last, we presented an integrated bathymetry model by weighted averaging method, the weighted factors were determined by precisions of the ETOPO1, SIO, GGM, and SAS model respectively. Keywords: Gravity-geologic method, Smith and Sandwell method, Bathymetry, Gravity anomaly, Power spectral density analysis

Molecular monolayer doping has been used as an enabling method for the fabrication of shallow junctions in CMOS devices. Here, Gao et al. show that an undesirable reduced ionization rate during this process can be induced by carbon defects, which electronically deactivate phosphorus dopants in silicon.

We perform a model-observation comparison and report on the state-of-the-art cloud liquid water content (CLWC) and path (CLWP) outputs from the present-day global climate models (GCMs) simulations in CMIP3/CMIP5, two other GCMs (UCLA and GEOS5) and two reanalyses (ECMWF Interim and MERRA) in comparison with two satellites observational datasets (CloudSat and MODIS). We use two different liquid water observation products from CloudSat and MODIS, for CLWP and their combined product for LWC with a method to remove the contribution from precipitating and convective core hydrometeors so that more meaningful model-observation comparisons can be made. Considering the CloudSat’s limitations of CLWC retrievals due to contamination from the precipitation and from radar clutter near the surface, an estimate CLWC is synergistically constructed using MODIS CLWP and CloudSat CLWC. The model-observation comparison shows that most of the CMIP3/CMIP5 annual mean CLWP values are overestimated by factors of 2 - 10 compared to observations globally. There are a number of CMIP5 models, including CSIRO, MPI, and the UCLA GCM that perform well compared to the other models. For the vertical structure of CLWC, significant systematic biases are found with many models biased significantly high above the mid-troposphere. In the tropics, systematic high biases occur at all levels above 700 hPa. Based on the Taylor diagram, the ensemble performance of CMIP5 CLWP simulation shows little or no improvement relative to CMIP3.

Abstract Background Transcriptome and proteome analyses on fruit pulp from the blood orange ‘Zaohong’ and the navel orange ‘twenty-first century’ were performed to study Citrus sinensis quality-related molecular changes during consecutive developmental periods, including young fruit, fruit-coloring onset and fruit delayed-harvest for two months, during which fruit remained on the trees. Results The time-course analysis for the fruit developmental periods indicated a complex, dynamic gene expression pattern, with the numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two cultivars being 119, 426 and 904 at the three continuous stages tested during fruit development and ripening. The continuous increase in total soluble solids over the course of fruit development was correlated with up-regulated sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) transcription levels in both cultivars. Eleven differentially expressed genes between the two cultivars involved in the flavonoid pathway were significantly enriched at the onset of the fruit-coloring stage when anthocyanins were detected in blood orange alone. Among 5185 proteins, 65 up-regulated and 29 down-regulated proteins were co-expressed with their cognate mRNAs with significant transcription and protein expression levels when the fruits from the two cultivars were compared at the fruit delayed-harvest stage. Additionally, important genes participating in the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt were activated in blood orange at two significant expression levels in the fruit delayed-harvest stage. Thus, organic acids in fruit continuously decreased during this stage. Conclusions This research was the first to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the differentially expressed genes involved in anthocyanin, sucrose and citrate metabolism at the transcriptome and proteome levels in C. sinensis, especially during the fruit delayed-harvest stage.