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Besides many impacts, climate change and the rise of harsh weather have a huge hit that jeopardizes agricultural sectors. Natural catastrophes, including flooding and wildfires, are the sources of significant declines in crop production. National governments make an essential commitment, and foreign institutions work together to mitigate disasters' resilience vulnerability. These hazards have pushed catastrophe management to the forefront and made it an expanding scholarly area of study. The remarkable growth of information technology has motivated the scientific group to integrate this technology into emergency management. In this article, agricultural disaster risk management (ADRM) is offered to decide the status quo of the research on agriculture disaster management and the significance of big data. This article's primary objective is to provide technical metric analysis to analyze the body of research carried out in the past decade on different forms of disasters and the use of significant volumes. For the data assessment, the annual growth of publication outcomes, the corresponding categories of topics, and the productivity study specifications was determined. The flux of raw and analytical data from comprehensive data is so established that another effect is heavily affected in the final performance of forecasting. The assessment of ADRM proposed would have been based on data provided by the Department of Indian Meteorology, and improvement is illustrated in incorporating the mechanism proposed in flood prediction long before the occurrence of floods.

Introduction: Classic hemodialysis schedules present inadequate middle-molecular-weight toxin clearance due to limitations of membrane-based separation processes. Accumulation of uremic retention solutes may result in specific symptoms (e.g., pruritus) and may affect clinical outcome and patient’s quality of life. Hemoperfusion (HP) is a blood purification modality based on adsorption that can overcome such limitations, and thus, it may be interesting to test the efficacy of at least one session per week of HP combined with hemodialysis. This is a randomized, open-label trial, controlled, multicenter clinical study to investigate the effect of long-term HP combined with hemodialysis on middle-molecular-weight toxins and uremic pruritus in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Methods: 438 MHD patients from 37 HD centers in China with end-stage kidney disease (63.9% males, mean age 51 years) suffering from chronic intractable pruritus were enrolled in the study. Eligible patients were randomized into four groups: low-flux hemodialysis (LFHD), high-flux hemodialysis (HFHD), HP + LFHD, and HP + HFHD at a 1:1:1:1 ratio. Beta-2 microglobulin (β2M) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured at baseline, 3–6, and 12 months. At the same time points, the pruritus score was evaluated. The primary outcome was the reduction of β2M and PTH, while the secondary outcome was the reduction of the pruritus score. Results: In the two groups HP + LFHD and HP + HFHD, there was a significant decrease of β2M and PTH levels after 12 months compared to the control groups. No significant differences were noted between HP + LFHD and HP + HFHD. Pruritus score reduction was 63% in the HP + LFHD group and 51% in the HP + HFHD group, respectively. Conclusion: The long-term HP + HD can reduce β2M and PTH levels and improve pruritus in MHD patients independently on the use of high- or low-flux dialyzers, showing that the results are linked to the effect of adsorption.

Adsorption mechanism of composite powder.

Kidney international 103(2), 391-402 (2022). doi:10.1016/j.kint.2022.09.017, Published by Elsevier, New York, NY

Summary Observational studies on dietary or circulating magnesium and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) stage 1–4 have reported no-to-modest inverse associations. 24 h Urinary magnesium concentration (24 h UMg), an indicator of intestinal magnesium absorption, may provide better insight into the connection of CKD progression. We examined 3179 participants aged 18–74 years with CKD stage 1–4 in the Chinese Cohort Study of Chronic Kidney Disease (C-STRIDE) study, a prospective population-based cohort study. Data were analysed using Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients for all comparisons. We also performed a time-to-event analysis of the data using the Kaplan–Meier survival model, Cox proportional hazard model and competing risk Fine and Gray subdistribution hazard model. During a median follow-up of 4.19 years (interquartile range, 3.43–5.09 years), when modelling end-stage renal disease (ESRD), CVD and death, 24 h UMg was associated with risk of CVD (HR, 1.612 (95% CI, 1.056–2.460)), while no significant association with ESRD and death endpoints could be detected. 24 h UMg risk variants display a modest association with CVD in CKD stage 1–4 patients. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03041987. Registered January 1, 2012. (retrospectively registered) ( https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03041987?term=Chinese+Cohort+Study+of+Chronic+Kidney+Disease+%28C-STRIDE%29&rank=1 ).

Long-term exposure to particulate air pollutants can lead to an increase in mortality of hemodialysis patients, but evidence of mortality risk with short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter is lacking. This study aimed to estimate the association of short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter across a wide range of concentrations with hemodialysis patients mortality.We performed a time-stratified case-crossover study to estimate the association between short-term exposures to PMDuring the study period, there were 18,114 case days and 61,726 control days. Of all case and control days, average PMThis study confirms that short-term exposure to particulate matter leads to increased mortality in hemodialysis patients. Policy makers and public health practices have a clear and urgent opportunity to pass air quality control policies that care for hemodialysis populations and incorporate air quality into the daily medical management of hemodialysis patients.

Telemedicine (TM) has shown to provide potential benefits on clinical outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease but limited evidences published in the peritoneal dialysis (PD) population. This study aimed to explore the long-term effects of TM on the mortality and technique failure.The Peritoneal Dialysis Telemedicine-assisted Platform Cohort Study (PDTAP Study) was conducted prospectively in 27 hospitals in China since 2016. Patient and practice data were collected through the doctor-end of the TM app (Manburs) for all participants. TM including self-monitoring records, on-line education materials, and real-time physician-patient contact was only performed for the patient-end users of the Manburs. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were cause-specific mortality and all-cause and cause-specific permanent transfer to hemodialysis.A total of 7,539 PD patients were enrolled between June 2016 and April 2019, with follow-up till December 2020. Patients were divided into two cohorts: TM group (39.1%) and non-TM group (60.9%). A propensity score was used to create 2,160 matched pairs in which the baseline covariates were well-balanced. There were significantly lower risks of all-cause mortality (HR 0.59 [0.51, 0.67], p0.001), CVD mortality (HR 0.59 [0.49, 0.70], p0.001), all-cause transfer to hemodialysis (0.57 [0.48, 0.67], p0.001), transfer to hemodialysis from PD-related infection (0.67 [0.51, 0.88], p = 0.003), severe fluid overload (0.40 [0.30, 0.55], p0.001), inadequate solute clearance (0.49 [0.26, 0.92], p = 0.026), and catheter-related noninfectious complications (0.41 [0.17, 0.97], p = 0.041) in the TM group compared with the non-TM group.This study indicated real-world associations between TM usage and reduction in patient survival and technique survival through a multicenter prospective cohort.

Objectives: The primary objective of the Peritoneal Dialysis Telemedicine-assisted Platform Cohort (PDTAP) Study is to explore potential predictors and their effects on patient survival, technique survival, and the occurrence of infectious and noninfectious complications. Design: The PDTAP study is a national-level cohort study in China. A newly developed PD telemedicine application provided a unique and convenient way to collect multicenter, structured data across units. Setting: The PDTAP study was underway in 27 hospitals from 14 provinces located at 7 geographical regions (northwest, northeast, north, central, southwest, southeast, and south) in China. Participants: Our study aims to enroll at least 7000 adult patients with end-stage renal disease receiving PD. Methods: Approval has been obtained through the ethics committees of all hospitals. All participants signed the informed consent form after the center had received ethics board approval in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Main outcome measures: Patient survival, technique survival, hospitalization, and the occurrence of infectious and noninfectious complications. Conclusions: The PDTAP study aims to explore potential predictors and their effects on patient survival, technique survival, and infectious and noninfectious complications using a newly developed PD telemedicine system to collect multicenter, structured data in real-world practice. Substantial and transformable findings in relation to PD practices were expected. This study also developed a national-level infrastructure for further collaboration and ancillary investigation.

Composite antistatic powders of wollastonite coated with antimony-doped tin oxide nanoparticles (Sb-SnO2/wollastonite, SSW) were prepared by heterogeneous nucleation method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). Effects of pH value, hydrolysis temperature, coating amount, SbCl3 to SnCl4·5H2O molar ratio, calcination temperature and time on the resistivity of SSW powders were studied. It was shown that after coated with Sb-SnO2 particles, the whiteness of wollastonite has been decreased from 91.7 to 90.5, the specific surface area has been increased from 1.41 to 3.65m2/g, the volume resistivity has been reduced from 3.36 × 1010 Ω·cm to 0.85 × 105 Ω·cm. The fibriform wollastonite particles were coated with a layer of 30-50 nm thickness of well crystallized and uniform antimony-doped tin oxide (Sb-SnO2). A possible mechanism for coating of Sb-SnO2 nanoparticles on the surface of wollastonite fiber was proposed.

This study investigated the influence of sarcoplasmic proteins (SPs) treated by the oxidation system (0.1 mmol/L FeCl3 , 0.1 mmol/L ascorbic acid, and 0, 1, 5, 10 mmol/L H2 O2 ) on the properties of pork myofibrillar proteins (MPs) gel. After oxidation treatment, the SPs showed an increased in carbonyl content and a decreased in total sulfhydryl content, coupled with the cross-linking of protein components by disulfide bonds and covalent bonds. The MPs gel with SPs oxidized at 1 mmol/L H2 O2 exhibited the maximal strength while the minimal water holding capacity (WHC). The WHC of MPs gel was significantly decreased with increasing SPs oxidation, leading to the increase of free water and the decrease of immobilized water in the gel system. The microstructures of MPs gels with moderately (1 mmol/L H2 O2 ) oxidized SPs showed a more compact and smaller pore gel network than MPs alone, suggesting adding oxidized SPs can expel water trapped in the gel. Furthermore, the environmental polarity of aliphatic C-H groups increased with SPs oxidation.

Background For most women who have had a previous cesarean section, vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) is a reasonable and safe choice, but which will increase the risk of adverse outcomes such as uterine rupture. In order to reduce the risk, we evaluated the factors that may affect VBAC and and established a model for predicting the success rate of trial of the labor after cesarean section (TOLAC). Methods All patients who gave birth at Northwest Women’s and Children’s Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018, had a history of cesarean section and voluntarily chose the TOLAC were recruited. Among them, 80% of the population was randomly assigned to the training set, while the remaining 20% were assigned to the external validation set. In the training set, univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify indicators related to successful TOLAC. A nomogram was constructed based on the results of multiple logistic regression analysis, and the selected variables included in the nomogram were used to predict the probability of successfully obtaining TOLAC. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to judge the predictive ability of the model. Results A total of 778 pregnant women were included in this study. Among them, 595 (76.48%) successfully underwent TOLAC, whereas 183 (23.52%) failed and switched to cesarean section. In multi-factor logistic regression, parity = 1, pre-pregnancy BMI 2, cervical score ≥ 5, a history of previous vaginal delivery and neonatal birthweight Conclusion The TOLAC was useful to reducing the cesarean section rate. Being primiparous, not overweight or obese, having a cervical score ≥ 5, a history of previous vaginal delivery or neonatal birthweight

Background It is unclear whether short‐term blood pressure variability is associated with renal outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease. Methods and Results This study analyzed data from participants in the C‐ STRIDE (Chinese Cohort Study of Chronic Kidney Disease) who had chronic kidney disease stages 1 to 4. Short‐term blood pressure variability was measured by calculating the weighted SD (w‐ SD ) of systolic blood pressure ( SBP ). Renal outcomes were defined as dialysis initiation and/or transplantation. Risk factors associated with w‐ SD of SBP were evaluated by linear regression. Associations of short‐term SBP variability with renal outcomes were evaluated by Cox regression. In total, 1421 patients with chronic kidney disease were included in this study (mean age, 49.4±13.6 years; 56.2% men; estimated glomerular filtration rate, 50.5±29.3 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ; proteinuria, 0.9 [0.3–2.0] g/d). Mean w‐ SD of SBP was 12.6±4.4 mm Hg. w‐ SD of SBP was independently associated with older age, 24‐hour SBP , blood pressure circadian pattern, and angiotensin II receptor blocker treatment. During a median follow‐up of 4.9 years, 237 patients developed renal outcomes (37.01 per 1000 patient‐years). The incidence rate increased across the quartiles of w‐ SD (log‐rank P =0.005). w‐ SD of SBP was associated with an increased risk of renal outcomes, both as a continuous variable (hazard ratio [HR], 1.47; 95% CI, 1.09–1.99) and as a categorical variable (quartile 4 versus quartile 1: HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.08–2.36), independent of 24‐hour SBP , daytime SBP , and nighttime SBP . Conclusions Short‐term SBP was independently associated with the risk of dialysis initiation and/or transplantation in patients with chronic kidney disease .

Background and Aims Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) mediates the kidney podocyte dysfunction and leads to chronic renal diseases worldwide. Current treatment options are limited, owing to the poor understanding of the metabolic pathologic variations and regeneration of FSGS. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) offer the better insights to prevent renal injury and could promote the recovery of renal structure and function through complex mechanisms. Due to the safe, feasible, and therapeutic features, we first designed to investigate the role of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) on FSGS mice and explored the potential serum metabolomic variations. Method Nephropathy was induced by adriamycin (ADR) in male Balb/C mice to study FSGS via intravenous administration. 2*106 HUMSCs are provided to treat FSGS model for 3 times. Renal function was measured by urine protein, serum urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) in the study. Serum metabolic profiles from three groups of Balb/C mice were analysed using ultra- performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometer and a novel mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) data collection technique. Results The concentrations of SCr and BUN were apparently decreased after HUMSCs injection for three times compared with the FSGS model and body weight from HUMSCs group was improved significantly. A total of 532 differential metabolites were identified between FSGS group and the normal control group. Bile acid dysregulation and valine/leucine/ isoleucine metabolism pathway, especially, N-acetylvaline and L-valine, were positively associated to ADR-induced FSGS. A panel of identified specific metabolites (pyrrole-2- carboxylic acid, urocanic acid and 6-hydroxynicotinic acid) as well as valine/leucine/isoleucine metabolism pathway rather than bile acid metabolism were related to the renal repair after HUMSCs treatment. Conclusion The administration of HUMSCs in FSGS induced ADR provides the promising protection owing to the improvement of metabolomics. Figure 2. The distribution of DiR-HUMSCs in vivo. Figure 3. Kidney pathology using periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Masson staining. Figure 4. Metabolome profiling analysis and Venn diagram for comparisons of numbers from each group. Figure 5. Metabolic pathway analysis results from FSGS + Saline and FSGS + HUMSCs groups. Figure S1. The quality control (QC) of serum metabolomics was designed and performed as follows. Figure S2. Metabolic pathway analysis results from FSGS + Saline and Normal + Saline groups. Figure S3. Metabolic pathway analysis results from FSGS + HUMSCs and Normal + Saline groups.

Supplementary_Table_1 for The Peritoneal Dialysis Telemedicine-assisted Platform Cohort (PDTAP) Study: Design and methods by Tiantian Ma, Zhikai Yang, Shaomei Li, Huaying Pei, Jinghong Zhao, Yi Li, Zibo Xiong, Yumei Liao, Zhanzheng Zhao, Jing Xiao, Ying Li, Qiongzhen Lin, Zhaoxia Zheng, Liping Duan, Gang Fu, Shanshan Guo, Wenbo Hu, Yulin Li, Fuyun Sun, Nan Zhao, Qin Wang, Tianrong Ji, Beiru Zhang, Rui Yu, Li Hao, Guiling Liu, Li Zuo, Huiping Zhao, Caili Wang, Lirong Deng, Hongyu Chen, Li Li, Yulan Shen, Yong Zhang, Lihua Wang, Yan Yan, Zhigang Ma, Yingping Li, Xianchao Zhang, Xuejian Wang, Yirong Liu, Xinying Gao, Zhonggao Xu, Li Zhang, Shutong Du, Cui Zhao, Xiaoli Chen, Hongyi Li, Yingli Yue, Shanshan Chen, Yingchun Ma, Yuanyuan Wei, Jingwei Zhou, Jie Lv, Yingdong Zheng, Sainan Zhu, Minghui Zhao and Jie Dong in Peritoneal Dialysis International

Background The timing of when to initiate dialysis for progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients has not been well established. There has been a strong trend for early dialysis initiation for these patients over the past decades. However, the perceived survival advantage of early dialysis has been questioned by a series of recent observational studies. The only randomized controlled trial (RCT) research on this issue found the all-cause mortality, comorbidities, and quality of life showed no difference between early and late dialysis starters. To better understand optimal timing for dialysis initiation, our research will evaluate the efficacy and safety of deferred dialysis initiation in a large Chinese population. Methods The trial adopts a multicenter, cluster randomized, single-blind (outcomes assessor), and endpoint-driven design. Eligible participants are 18–80 years old, in stable CKD stages 4–5 (eGFR > 7 ml/min /1.73 m2), and with good heart function (NYHA grade I or II). Participants will be randomized into a routine or deferred dialysis group. The reference eGFR at initiating dialysis for asymptomatic patients is 7 ml/min /1.73 m2 (routine dialysis group) and 5 ml/min/1.73 m2 or less (deferred dialysis group) in each group. The primary endpoint will be the difference of all-cause mortality and acute nonfatal cerebro-cardiovascular events between the two groups. The secondary outcomes include hospitalization rate and other safety indices. The primary and secondary outcomes will be analyzed by appropriate statistical methods. Discussion This study protocol represents a large, cluster randomized study evaluating deferred and routine dialysis intervention for an advanced CKD population. The reference eGFR to initiate dialysis for both treatment groups is targeted at less than 7 ml/min/1.73m2. With this design, we aim to eliminate lead-time and survivor bias and avoid selection bias and confounding factors. We acknowledge that the study has limitations. Even so, given the low-targeted eGFR values of both arms, this study still has potential economic, health, and scientific implications. This research is unique in that such a low targeted eGFR value has never been studied in a clinical trial. Trial registration The trial has been approved by ClinicalTrials.gov (Trial registration ID NCT02423655). The date of registration was April 22, 2015.

Small, secreted signaling peptides that are perceived by receptor-like kinases (RLKs) constitute an important regulatory mechanism in plant organ formation and stem cell maintenance. However, functional redundancy at the level of both ligand and receptor families often makes it difficult to clearly discern the role of individual members by a genetic approach. Here, we show that driven by a constitutive CaMV 35S promoter, a truncated BAM protein (BAMΔ) that lacks either the signal peptide (SP) or the cytoplasmic kinase (Ki) domain could cause defective shoot apical meristem (SAM) maintenance, which phenotypically resembled the triple bam mutant. Such a dominant-negative effect could also be achieved when the same transgene was driven by the native AtBAM1 promoter, but not by the CLV1 promoter. When introduced into a clv1-4 background, BAMΔ proteins abolished the typical clv phenotype by suppressing the transcriptional level of clv1-4. In addition to a clear reduction in root length and a decreased number of meristematic cells, the 35S:BAMΔ transgenic seedlings exhibited considerable resistance to CLE40p- but not to CLV3p-mediated root growth inhibition, implying that BAMs play key roles in the regulation of proximal meristem activity in root through CLE40 peptide. Findings present here not only provide evidence that truncated BAM proteins are strongly dominant negative in regulating apical meristem development but also propose that expression of a truncated version of plant LRR receptor kinase could potentially be used as a powerful tool to reveal its in vivo function in signal transduction.

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of Hepatitis B virus x (HBx) in the growth and secretion of human placental trophoblasts. Firstly, placenta tissues were collected from pregnant HBV carriers with various viral loads. The results of immunohistochemical technique showed that the HBx protein and pEGFR protein levels were both markedly increased with the viral load elevation. Then, a placental trophoblast cell strain (JEG-3-HBx), which stably expressed HBx mRNA and protein, was established with the pcDNA-HBx transfection followed by the G418 selection. The JEG-3-HBx strain displayed distinct activation of the EGFR/AKT pathway, a lower level of cell apoptosis, and higher secretion levels of placental hormones, including human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), progesterone, estrogen and β-endorphin. Subsequently, HBx siRNA was used to silence the HBx gene in the JEG-3-HBx strain. Our data showed that the HBx siRNA transfection markedly suppressed the activation of the EGFR/AKT pathway, promoted cell apoptosis, and reduced the secretion of the placental hormones. Finally, EGF was applied to simulate the JEG-3-HBx strain with or without the HBx siRNA transfection. EGF treatment counteracted the reduction of cell apoptosis and the suppression of hormone secretion caused by HBx siRNA in the cell strain. In conclusion, the pEGFR protein was robustly upregulated in HBx-infected human placenta tissues and trophoblast cells. HBx reduces cell apoptosis and promotes the secretion of placental hormones in human placental trophoblast cells via activation of the EGFR/Akt pathway.

Plants need copper for normal growth and development; however, excess Cu interfere numerous biological functions in plants. To investigate the complex network controlling Cu sensitivity and adaptability, a wide range of Cu concentrations were tested for their differential impacts on primary root length of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Three CuSO 4 concentrations (5, 20 and 60 μm) were further analyzed in parallel due to their highly distinguishable impacts on multiple morphogenetic characteristics of Arabidopsis roots. Excessive (Cu60) but not moderate amount of Cu (Cu5 and Cu20) reduced the meristem size by affecting meristematic cell division potential and stem cell niche activity. As revealed by the DR5:GUS marker line, the Cu-triggered root phenotype was correlated well with the change in the levels of endogenous auxin in Arabidopsis . The role of auxin homeostasis in regulating the differential Cu responses was verified by exogenous NAA application and in Arabidopsis mutants defective in auxin production, signaling sensitivity or transport. This study also presents evidences for the involvement of an auxin/cytokinin crosstalk in regulating auxin biosynthesis upon Cu treatment and demonstrated that the decreased level of auxin is achieved by the repressed expression of TAA1 and YUCCA family members in the indole-3-pyruvic acid pathway.

In this study, fly ash (FA) coated with ZIF-8 (ZIF-8/FA) nanocomposite was first synthesized by taking 2-methylimidazole and zinc nitrate hexahydrate as reactants and then used as an adsorbent for adsorption of copper, zinc, and nickel ions from aqueous solution. The characteristic of FA and ZIF-8/FA samples were analyzed based on the data from scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, grain size analyzer and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The results showed that ZIF-8 deposited on the FA evenly. The average crystallite size of ZIF-8 on the surface of FA is 15.85 nm. The specific surface area of FA was increased from 1.8 to 249.5 m2/g. The adsorption efficiency of the ZIF-8/FA nanocomposite for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution was optimized in terms of different parameters such as pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. It was shown that the saturated adsorption amounts of the obtained composite for adsorption of Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ni2+ are 335, 197, and 93 mg·g−1. ZIF-8/FA had better stability and more mesoporous volume than that of ZIF-8 and exhibited higher rate for adsorption of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution than FA and ZIF-8, suggesting an adsorption synergy between ZIF-8 and FA. The adsorption mechanism of heavy metal ions by ZIF-8/FA includes surface adsorption, pore adsorption, and ion exchange. The obtained ZIF-8/FA nanocomposite can solve the encountered problems of FA for low adsorption and the difficult recycling of ZIF-8 for their small size, high cost, and poor stability.