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ObjectiveTo investigate the menstrual conditions of women infected with COVID-19 in Shanghai and analyze the influencing factors.MethodsFrom December 2022 to March 2023， menstrual data from 281 women infected with COVID-19 in Shanghai were collected with a questionnaire survey， including usual menstrual characteristics， the most recent menstrual period post-infection， symptoms of infection， and medication usage. According to the crossover period between the menstrual period and the infection period of the respondents， the samples were divided into two groups for comparative analysis： those whose menstrual and infection periods overlapped （positive group） and those whose menstruation started after conversion to virus-negative （negative conversion group）.ResultsAmong the 281 respondents， 196 （65.8%） experienced menstrual changes. Among them， 145 （51.6%） had changes in menstrual volume， color and texture， and 109 （38.8%） had changes in menstrual duration or cycle. Decreased menstrual volume （22.1%）， darker color （23.49%）， thicker texture （21.0%）， increased blood clots （16.7%）， and prolonged duration （21.8%） were observed in both groups. The rate of changes in menstrual volume， color， and texture was higher in the positive group （56.8%， 69/110） than that in negative group （37.3%， 76/171） （P

In the environment of Big Data, database and big data technology are widely used, which provides intellectual impetus and technical support for the innovation of ideological and political work and student work in colleges and universities. In order to innovate the ideological and political system of colleges and universities and optimize the working mode of students, it is necessary to take the advantage of the application of database and big data technology as the basis, and to innovate and reconstruct the ideological and political system of colleges and universities and the working mode of students, we will comprehensively improve the quality of education for our people. Based on the advantages of the application of database and big data technology in ideological and political work and student work in colleges and universities, this paper puts forward some concrete application strategies.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. With the continuous development of neuromodulation technology, Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a potential non-invasive treatment for ADHD. However, there is a lack of research on the mechanism of rTMS for ADHD. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an optical imaging technique that reflects the brain function by measuring changes in blood oxygen concentration in brain tissue. Consequently, this research utilized fNIRS to examine the impact of rTMS on the core symptoms and prefrontal cortex activation in children with ADHD, which provides a reference for the clinical application of rTMS in the treatment of ADHD. Methods: Forty children with ADHD were chosen as research subjects and randomly assigned to two groups: a treatment group (20 subjects) and a control group (20 subjects). The control group received non-pharmacological interventions, whereas the treatment group was administered rTMS in conjunction with non-pharmacological interventions. Clinical symptom improvement was evaluated using SNAP-IV scale scores both before and after treatment. Additionally, fNIRS was utilized to monitor alterations in the relative concentrations of oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) in the prefrontal cortex during resting state and during the Go/no-go task state, both pre- and post-treatment. Results: In conclusion, the study comprised 17 participants in the treatment group and 18 in the control group. Initially, the SNAP-scale scores were comparable between the groups, with no significant differences observed (p > 0.05). Post-treatment, a notable reduction in SNAP-scale scores was evident (p < 0.05), with the treatment group exhibiting a more pronounced decrease (p < 0.05). Following the intervention, both groups demonstrated enhanced Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the prefrontal cortex, as indicated by a significant increase compared to pre-treatment levels (p < 0.05). Specifically, the treatment group showed superior RSFC in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left medial prefrontal cortex, and right medial prefrontal cortex compared to the control group (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were noted in RSFC of the left and right temporal lobes between the two groups (p > 0.05). In the Go/no-go task, the treatment group recorded higher mean HbO2 concentrations in the aforementioned prefrontal cortical regions compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conversely, no statistically significant disparities were observed in the left and right temporal lobes of both groups. Conclusion: rTMS shows promise as a treatment for ADHD by modulating prefrontal cortical activation. fNIRS provides a valuable method for assessing these effects, offering insights into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying rTMS therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface initiated rolling contact fatigue (RCF) of gears and rolling bearings can lead to premature failure in mechanical transmission systems. The orientation of surface crack initiation closely depends on surface tractive force, while the mechanism leading to this dependence is still obscure. In this work, a numerical model is proposed to investigate the effect of friction on surface crack initiation in RCF. An inhomogeneous contact solver based on semi‐analytical method (SAM) is developed by combining the damaged‐coupled constitutive relation and the Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method. The damage accumulation and concurrent degradation of material properties are modeled with continuum damage mechanics (CDM). The effect of surface tractive force on the orientation of surface crack initiation is simulated and analyzed. Results indicate that the progressive evolution of damage under the cyclic loading is accompanied by the stress variation around the damaged area. The damaged area increases, and the crack initiation life decreases with an increasing coefficient of friction. Highlights: A new damage evolution model incorporating an inhomogeneous contact solver is developed.The possible causes of the orientation of surface crack affected by friction traction are analyzed.The simulated results of damage evolution and stress variation agree well with open literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gray blight, caused by Pestalotiopsis-like species, is one of the most serious diseases in tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] production. In this study, eight Pestalotiopsis isolates obtained from diseased tea leaves collected in Chongqing, China were identified as P. chamaeropis Maharachch, K.D. Hyde & Crous. Pestalotiopsis chamaeropis as a causal agent of tea gray blight disease was clearly distinguished from other species in the genus Pestalotiopsis by morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis based on a combination of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), beta-tubulin (β-tubulin), and partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) genes. Pathogenicity was confirmed by inoculation of a conidial suspension of P. chamaeropis on wounded tea leaves. Difenoconazole, a highly active and low toxicity fungicide, demonstrated significant antifungal effect towards P. chamaeropis, with an EC50 of 0.470 µg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make full use of exposure energy, one feasible way is to modify the luminance of crystal by rare earth doping technique. KZnF3:Er3+ and KZnF3:Er3+/Yb3+ nanocrystals of uniform cuboid perovskite type morphology, with average diameter of 130 nm, has been synthesized by hydrothermal method. When Yb3+ ions were codoped with Er3+, absorption peak at 970 nm has been heightened and widened, and the photon absorption cross section increased. The common xenon lamp exposure cannot initiate obvious nonlinear phenomenon of the doped Er3+ and Yb3+, and exposing at 245 nm only excites the fluorescence around 395 nm. Contrarily, under high power IR exposure at 980 nm, obvious upconversion photoluminescence (PL) has been observed due to the two-photon process. The PL mechanism of the doped Er3+ ion in KZnF3:Er3+/Yb3+ nanocrystals is confirmed. Furthermore, Yb3+ codoped as sensitizer has modified the PL intensity of Er3+ from green light range to red range, and the primary channel is changed from 4S3/2(Er3+) → 4I15/2(Er3+) of only Er3+ doped KZnF3 nanocrystal to 4F9/2(Er3+) → 4I15/2(Er3+) of Er3+/Yb3+ codoped sample. With exposure energy increasing, such primary transition channel after two-photon excitation is unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease, mainly characterized by synovitis and with symmetrical joint involvement. LCAP therapy for RA patients has been shown to be safe and efficacious in some developed countries for over a decade.Objective: The study intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of leukocytopheresis (LCAP) for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to study the influence of treatment on the levels of various serum cytokines.Design: The study was a nonblinded, nonrandomized, controlled trial.Setting: The study took place in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at Beijing Hospital at the National Center of Gerontology in Beijing, China.Participants: Participants were 51 patients with RA at the hospital with a 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) exceeding the 3.20 needed to fulfill the classification criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).Intervention: Participants were divided into 2 groups. One group (intervention group) received LCAP therapy (n = 20), while the control group (n = 31) received disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Patients receiving the LCAP therapy were treated using a Cellsorba column every 5 days for a total of 5 treatments.Outcome Measures: Clinical assessment of participants' symptoms included: (1) a tender-joint count, (2) a swollen-joint count, (3) erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR), (4) C-reactive protein levels (CRP), (5) a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, (6) the DAS28 C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) scores, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI). The study also evaluated participants' scores for the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Core Data Set. Serum collected before and after therapy from both groups was analyzed for the levels of bradykinin, serotonin, heat shock protein 70, human CXC-chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16), prostaglandin E2, and macrophage inflammation protein 1α.Results: At week 4 for participants receiving the LCAP therapy, ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 were observed in 55%, 30%, and 20% of patients, respectively, compared to 19.4%, 3.2%, and 0% for patients in the control group (P < .05). Also, at week 24 of LCAP therapy, ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 were observed in 70%, 50%, and 30% of patients, respectively, which was significantly higher than the 25.8%, 12.9%, and 3.2% of patients in the control group (P < .05). The serum levels of CXCL16 and serotonin were significantly reduced in the LCAP group compared with control group.Conclusions: This study indicated that LCAP therapy can significantly decrease RA disease activity and is a safe and effective alternative therapy. LCAP therapy significantly reduced serum CXCL16 and serotonin levels, offering a putative mechanism by which it improves the articular symptoms of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The classification criteria of osteoarthritis (OA) is lack of the support of relevant research evidence and there is no standardized protocol for detailed steps of the development or clinical verification of classification criteria has yet been established. This study aims to describe the development process of the Categorization of Osteoarthritis CHecklist (COACH), which is designed to choose the precise treatment option for patients with OA., Methods: A multidisciplinary panel was established to gather opinions. We conducted questionnaire survey and literature review to generate and COACH Panel members were invited to review the drafted classification criteria and optimize classification criteria. The final list of items was discussed and reached the agreement by the core group of the panel., Results: Thirty-six experts participated in COACH Panel including rheumatologist (80.6%; 29/36), orthopedist (13.9%; 5/36), methodologist (2.8%; 1/36) and rehabilitation physician (2.8%; 1/36) for classification factors generating and optimizing. The main body of the final classification criteria consists of six types of OA pathogenesis, eight types of medical findings (which can be grouped into two categories), and six types of the location. The final criteria include load-based type, structure-based type, inflammation-based type, metabolic-based type, systemic factor based type and mixed type., Conclusions: COACH can better help clinicians quickly classify OA patients and help to choose the best treatment option from the aspects of types, findings and locations. What's more, the classification criteria are also helpful to promote the basic medical research and targeted prevention of OA., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-20-4673). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2020 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a multitarget method involving plasmapheresis therapy combined with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitor and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on disease activity parameters in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: Sixty-five patients with active RA were divided into two groups according to the treatment administered: the plasmapheresis combination therapy group (Plasmapheresis combination group; 38 cases), in which patients received plasmapheresis therapy along with a TNF-α inhibitor (recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-Fc; rhTNFR:Fc; Etanercept biosimilars) and DMARDs, and a TNF-α inhibitor therapy group (biological agent group; 27 cases), in which patients received a TNF-α inhibitor and DMARDs. Clinical parameters were measured before and at 4 and 24 weeks after treatment., Results: ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 responses at week 4 were achieved in 84.2%, 78.9%, and 60.5% of the patients in the plasmapheresis combination group, respectively, and 74.1%, 55.6%, and 29.6% of the patients in the biological agent group, respectively. The ACR50 and ACR70 response rates were superior in the former than the latter group (p < 0.05). Similar patterns of statistical significance were observed for ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 responses at week 24 after the treatment. ACR50 responses were achieved in 84.2% patients and ACR70 responses were achieved in 76.3% patients in the plasmapheresis combination group, and these proportions were better than those in the biological agent group (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The multitarget method combining plasmapheresis, TNF-α inhibitor, and DMARDs for RA therapy was superior to the combination of TNF-α inhibitor for reducing disease activity parameters in patients with active RA.