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Background: Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a rare, life-threatening autoimmune bullous disease. Among the ≈500 reported cases of PNP, only 1 case has been associated with tonsillar cancer, specifically, human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive squamous carcinoma. However, the occurrence of PNP in non-HPV-related tonsillar cancer is exceptionally rare and has not been reported to date., Methods: We present a 58-year-old male with a history of smoking, who experienced recurrent oral ulcers, right neck swelling, and hoarseness for 5 months. Diagnosis of right tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (cT1N3bM0) was confirmed through computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging and pathology, not associated with HPV. Histological and immunohistochemical findings indicated PNP., Results: The patient underwent primary tumor resection and ipsilateral neck dissection. Topical steroids and antifungal agents were administered to manage oral lesions and prevent secondary infections. Adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin proceeded smoothly. Postconcurrent chemoradiotherapy follow-up at 3, 6, and 9 months, utilizing computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging and nasopharyngoscopy, revealed no signs of recurrent cancer or PNP., Conclusion: Early indicators, such as oral mucosal ulcers and skin blisters, prompt consideration of underlying oral cancer in PNP. Comprehensive examination is crucial for diagnosing PNP and identifying concurrent internal neoplasms. Effective management includes occult malignancy treatment, postoperative steroid therapy, and infection prevention., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

The number of mixed methods systematic reviews (MMSRs) published internationally is increasing day by day, thanks to the continuous development and improvement of MMSRs methodological guidelines and reporting specification, which effectively promote the depth and breadth of evidence synthesis and integration results. However, the application of this method has yet to be popularized in China. With the continuous development of mixed methods research and evidence-based medicine in our country, the number of MMSRs will gradually increase. This paper aims to analyze the reporting specifications for MMSRs with cases to improve the quality of evidence integration and reporting standardization of domestic relevant researchers in MMSRs.

Objective: To conduct a nationwide physician survey to better understand clinicians' disease awareness, treatment patterns, and experience of Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) in China. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2022 to July 2022 by recruiting clinicians with WM treatment experience from hematology, hematology-oncology, and oncology departments throughout China. Quantitative surveys were designed based on the qualitative interviews. Results: The study included 415 clinicians from 219 hospitals spread across thirty-three cities and twenty-two provinces. As for diagnosis, the laboratory tests prescribed by physicians for suspected WM patients were relatively consistent (92% -99% recommendation for laboratory, 79% -95% recommendation for pathology, 96% recommendation for gene testing, and 63% -83% recommendation for imaging examination). However, from a physician's perspective, there was 22% misdiagnosis occurred in clinical practice. The rate of misdiagnosis was higher in lower-level hospitals than in tertiary grade A hospitals (29% vs 21%, P <0.001). The main reasons for misdiagnosis were that WM was easily confused with other diseases, and physicians lacked the necessary knowledge to make an accurate diagnosis. In terms of gene testing in clinical practice, 96% of participating physicians believed that WM patients would require gene testing for MYD88 and CXCR4 mutations because the results of gene testing would aid in confirming diagnosis and treatment options. In terms of treatment, 55% of physicians thought that the most important goal was to achieve remission, while 54% and 51% of physicians wanted to improve laboratory and/or examination results and extend overall survival time, respectively. Among patients with treatment indications, physicians estimated that approximately 21% of them refused to receive treatment, mainly owing to a lack of affordable care and disease awareness. When selecting the most appropriate treatment regimens, physicians would consider patient affordability (63% ), comorbidity (61% ), and risk level (54% ). Regimens containing Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) were most widely recommended for both treatment-naïve and relapsed/refractory patients (94% for all patients, 95% for treatment-naïve patients, and 75% for relapsed/refractory patients), and most physicians recommended Ibrutinib (84% ). For those patients who received treatment, physicians reported that approximately 23% of patients did not comply with the treatment regimen due to a lack of affordability and disease awareness. Furthermore, 66% of physicians believe that in the future, increasing disease awareness and improving diagnosis rates is critical. Conclusions: This study is the first national physician survey of WM conducted in China. It systematically describes the issues that exist in WM diagnosis and treatment in China, such as a high rate of misdiagnosis, limited access to gene testing and new drugs, and poor patient adherence to treatment. Chinese doctors believe that improving doctors' and patients' understanding of WM is one of the most urgent issues that must be addressed right now.

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), an extremely rare pathogen causing cervicofacial infections, may result in permanent hearing impairment or intracranial complications. Due to the lack of specific manifestations during the initial onset of NTM otomastoiditis, physicians may misdiagnose it as cholesteatoma or other common bacterial infections., Patient Concerns: A 44-year-old male who complained of left-sided aural fullness, otalgia, and dizziness for 2 months., Diagnosis: The initial diagnosis was hypothesized to be cholesteatoma based on a whitish mass with mucoid discharge filling the entire outer ear canal on otoscopy and left-sided mixed hearing loss. However, NTM was identified by microbial culture at the 2-month follow-up after surgery., Interventions: The patient underwent a left-sided exploratory tympanotomy. Because NTM otomastoiditis was diagnosed, 3 weeks of starting therapies were administered with azithromycin (500 mg/day, oral administration), cefoxitin (3 g/day, intravenous drip), and amikacin (750 mg/day, intravenous drip). The maintenance therapies were azithromycin (500 mg/day, oral administration) and doxycycline (200 mg/day, oral administration) for 7 months., Outcomes: The patient's clinical condition improved initially after surgery, but the otomastoiditis gradually worsened, combined with subtle meningitis, 2 months after surgery. The external auditory canal became swollen and obstructed, making it difficult to monitor the treatment efficacy through otoscopy. Thus, we used regular vestibular function tests, including static posturography, cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, and video Head Impulse Test, to assess recovery outcomes. After antibiotic treatment, the infectious symptoms subsided significantly, and there was no evidence of infection recurrence 7 months after treatment. Improvements in static posturography and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were compatible with the clinical manifestations, but video Head Impulse Test showed an unremarkable correlation., Lessons: The clinical condition of NTM otomastoiditis may be evaluated using vestibular tests if patients have symptoms of dizziness., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is typically associated with a prothrombotic state of the blood, with its causative factors varying widely. Prior research has not reported the simultaneous occurrence of CVST and dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) as potentially resulting from genetic mutations. In this case report, we introduce a unique occurrence wherein a patient with a heterozygous mutation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene presented with CVST in conjunction with DAVFs., Case: Presentation: A male patient, aged 51, sought treatment at our facility due to a consistent decline in cognitive functions accompanied by recurrent headaches. Comprehensive evaluations were administered, including neurological examinations, laboratory tests, magnetic resonance imaging, digital subtraction angiography, and whole exome sequencing. Digital subtraction angiography identified DAVFs in the patient's right sigmoid sinus and an occlusion within the left transverse sinus. The whole exome sequencing of blood samples pinpointed a heterozygous mutation in the LDLR gene (NM&#95;000527:exon12:c.C1747T:p.H583Y). Following the confirmed diagnosis of CVST and DAVFs, the patient underwent anticoagulant therapy combined with endovascular procedures - these comprised embolization of the arteriovenous fistula in the right sigmoid sinus and balloon dilation with stent implantation in the left transverse sinus. A six-month follow-up indicated a significant abatement in the patient's symptoms., Conclusions: This report marks the first documented case of an LDLR gene mutation that could be associated with the onset of CVST and DAVFs. The mutation in the LDLR gene might foster a prothrombotic environment, facilitating the gradual emergence of CVST and the subsequent genesis of DAVFs., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: Constructing a predictive model for urinary incontinence after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) based on prostatic gland related MRI parameters., Methods: In this study, 202 cases were included. All the patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer by prostate biopsy and underwent LRP surgery in Peking University Third Hospital. The preoperative MRI examination of all the patients was completed within 1 week before the prostate biopsy. Prostatic gland related parameters included prostate length, width, height, prostatic volume, intravesical prostatic protrusion length (IPPL), prostate apex shape, etc . From the first month after the operation, the recovery of urinary continence was followed up every month, and the recovery of urinary continence was based on the need not to use the urine pad all day long. Logistic multivariate regression analysis was used to analyze the influence of early postoperative recovery of urinary continence. Risk factors were used to draw the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves of each model to predict the recovery of postoperative urinary continence, and the difference of the area under the curve (AUC) was compared by DeLong test, and the clinical net benefit of the model was evaluated by decision curve analysis (DCA)., Results: The average age of 202 patients was 69.0 (64.0, 75.5) years, the average prostate specific antigen (PSA) before puncture was 12.12 (7.36, 20.06) μg/L, and the Gleason score < 7 points and ≥ 7 points were 73 cases (36.2%) and 129 cases (63.9%) respectively, with 100 cases (49.5%) at T1/T2 clinical stage, and 102 cases (50.5%) at T3 stage. The prostatic volume measured by preoperative MRI was 35.4 (26.2, 51.1) mL, the ratio of the height to the width was 0.91 (0.77, 1.07), the membranous urethral length (MUL) was 15 (11, 16) mm, and the IPPL was 2 (0, 6) mm. The prostatic apex A-D subtypes were 67 cases (33.2%), 80 cases (39.6%), 24 cases (11.9%) and 31 cases (15.3%), respectively. The training set and validation set were 141 cases and 61 cases, respectively. The operations of all the patients were successfully completed, and the urinary continence rate was 59.4% (120/202) in the 3 months follow-up. The results of multivariate analysis of the training set showed that the MUL ( P < 0.001), IPPL ( P =0.017) and clinical stage ( P =0.022) were independent risk factors for urinary incontinence in the early postoperative period (3 months). The nomogram and clinical decision curve were made according to the results of multivariate analysis. The AUC value of the training set was 0.885 (0.826, 0.944), and the AUC value of the validation set was 0.854 (0.757, 0.950). In the verification set, the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was performed on the model, and the Chi-square value was 5.426 ( P =0.711)., Conclusion: Preoperative MUL, IPPL, and clinical stage are indepen-dent risk factors for incontinence after LRP. The nomogram developed based on the relevant parameters of MRI glands can effectively predict the recovery of early urinary continence after LRP. The results of this study require further large-scale clinical research to confirm.

Background: Aedes albopictus is an indigenous primary vector of dengue and Zika viruses in China. Wolbachia is a gram-negative and common intracellular bacteria, which is maternally inherited endosymbionts and could expand their propagation in host populations by means of various manipulations. Compared with research on the dispersion of Ae. albopictus at the macrospatial level (mainly at the country or continent level), little is known about its variation and Wolbachia infection at the microspatial level, which is essential for its management. Meanwhile, no local cases of dengue fever have been recorded in the history of Nanjing, which implies that few adulticides have been applied in the city. Thus, the present study examines how the Ae. albopictus population varies and the Wolbachia infection status of each population among microspatial regions of Nanjing City. Methods: The genetic structure of 17 Aedes albopictus populations collected from urban, urban fringe, and rural regions of Nanjing City was investigated based on 9 microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial coxI gene. The Wolbachia infection status of each population was also assessed with Wolbachia A- and Wolbachia B-specific primers. Results: Nine out of 58 tested pairs of microsatellite markers were highly polymorphic, with a mean PIC value of 0.560, and these markers were therefore chosen for microsatellite genotyping analysis. The Na value of each Ae. albopictus population was very high, and the urban area populations (7.353 ± 4.975) showed a lower mean value than the urban fringe region populations (7.866 ± 5.010). A total of 19 coxI haplotypes were observed among 329 Ae. albopictus individuals via haplotype genotyping, with the highest diversity observed among the urban fringe Ae. albopictus populations (Hd = 0.456) and the lowest among the urban populations (Hd = 0.277). Each Ae. albopictus population showed significant departure from HWE, and significant population expansion was observed in only three populations from the urban (ZSL), urban fringe (HAJY), and rural areas (HSZY) ( p < 0.05). Combined with DAPC analysis, all the Ae. albopictus populations were adequately allocated to two clades with significant genetic differences according to population structure analysis, and the best K value was equal to two. AMOVA results showed that most (96.18%) of the genetic variation detected in Ae. albopictus occurred within individuals (F IT = 0.22238, p < 0.0001), while no significant positive correlation was observed via isolation by distance (IBD) analysis ( R 2 = 0.03262, p = 0.584). The TCS network of all haplotypes showed that haplotype 1 (H1) and haplotype 4 (H4) were the most frequent haplotypes among all populations, and the haplotype frequency significantly increased from urban regions (36.84%) to rural regions (68.42%). Frequent migration was observed among Ae. albopictus populations from rural to urban regions via the urban fringe region, with four direct migration routes between rural and urban regions. Furthermore, Wolbachia genotyping results showed that most of the individuals of each population were coinfected with Wolbachia A and Wolbachia B. The independent infection rate of Wolbachia A was slightly higher than that of Wolbachia B, and no significant differences were observed among different regions. Conclusion: In the microspatial environment of Nanjing City, the urban fringe region is an important region for the dispersion of Ae. albopictus populations between rural and urban areas, and Wolbachia A and Wolbachia B coinfection is the most common Wolbachia infection status in all Ae. albopictus populations among different regions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Gao, Xing, Guo, Li, Dong, Zheng, Ma, Wu, Zhu, Zhao, Liu, Yan, Chu and Zhao.)

The protective effects of water extracts of djulis ( Chenopodium formosanum ) (WECF) and their bioactive compounds on particulate matter (PM)-induced oxidative injury in A549 cells via the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling were investigated. WECF at 50-300 µg/mL protected A549 cells from PM-induced cytotoxicity. The cytoprotection of WECF was associated with decreases in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation, and increases in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) contents. WECF increased Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression in A549 cells exposed to PM. SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) and U0126 (an ERK inhibitor) attenuated the WECF-induced Nrf2 and HO-1 expression. According to the HPLC-MS/MS analysis, rutin (2219.7 µg/g) and quercetin derivatives (2648.2 µg/g) were the most abundant bioactive compounds present in WECF. Rutin and quercetin ameliorated PM-induced oxidative stress in the cells. Collectively, the bioactive compounds present in WECF can protect A549 cells from PM-induced oxidative injury by upregulating Nrf2 and HO-1 via activation of the ERK and JUN signaling pathways.

Movement slowness, linked to dysfunctional basal ganglia and cerebellum, is prevalent but lacks effective therapy in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. This study was to examine immediate effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on upper-limb movement speed in patients. Thirty patients and 30 psychiatrically healthy people executed the right-hand task and the both-hand task of the Purdue Pegboard Test when listening to RAS with two tempi: normal (equal to the fastest movement tempo for each participant without RAS) and fast (120% of the normal tempo). The testing order of the RAS tempi for each participant was randomized. Patients had lower scores of right-hand and both-hand tasks than did psychiatrically healthy people. Scores of right-hand and both-hand tasks were higher in the fast-RAS condition than the normal-RAS condition in participants. This is the first study to explore the possibility of applying RAS to movement therapy for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The results demonstrated that faster RAS was effective in inducing faster upper-limb movements in patients and psychiatrically healthy people, suggesting that manipulating RAS may be a feasible therapeutic strategy utilized to regulate movement speed. The RAS may involve alternative neural pathways to modulate movement speed and thus to compensate for impaired function of basal ganglia and cerebellum in patients., (© 2020. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A clinical research paper which could be published should be based on a qualified clinical research, which includes a reasonable topic from clinical settings, concentrating resources to answer a question, having new findings and drawing concrete conclusions. The author should prepare a scientific story, which originates from clinical scenarios, with working hypothesis and research design, standardized organization and implementation, reasonable analysis and evaluation. The conclusion should be based on the research results, and go back to the problems and needs to form a closed loop. The key point of writing a clinical research paper is to provide complete information and show a complete research process according to the writing format and specification of the paper. Finally, the key points of the current paper help avoid detours and improve the probability of paper publication.

Introduction: The full-endoscopic spinal surgery (FESS) procedure is widely accepted and welcomed in China. With the continuous development of minimally invasive surgery, the further expansion of indications and the greater diversity of techniques, spinal endoscopic surgery currently accounts for more than 10% of spinal surgery in China, ranking among the top in the world. However, the admission system and standardised training system for spinal endoscopic surgery are not perfect, which presents a challenge and disadvantage for novices., Methods and Analysis: Exploratory mixed methods are applied for designing this study. First, we will collect questions from novices by allowing them to openly list their concerns to those who have completed FESS. These qualitative questions will be categorised using NVivo software. To produce the qualitative results, a questionnaire for the sequential two-round Delphi approach will be developed to identify the 20 most important questions from novices. This study is planned to be started at April 2021, and completed at March 2022., Ethics and Dissemination: The Research Ethics Committee of Peking University Third Hospital provided a waiver for this Delphi protocol. We expect that the findings will be published in a clinical journal and presented at conferences. Furthermore, we hope that the results can contribute to answering the questions raised by novices of spinal endoscopy in the form of books and to improving the training system for spinal endoscopy surgery., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

In terrestrial ecosystems, mycorrhizal roots play a key role in the cycling of soil carbon (C) and other nutrients. The impact of environmental factors on the mycorrhizal fungal community has been well studied; however, the seasonal variations in the root-associated fungal microbiota affected by environmental changes are less clear. To improve the understanding of how environmental factors shape the fungal microbiota in mycorrhizal roots, seasonal changes in Pinus tabuliformis root-associated fungi were investigated. In the present study, the seasonal dynamics of edaphic properties, soil enzymatic activities, root fungal colonization rates, and root-associated fungal microbiota in P. tabuliformis forests were studied across four seasons during a whole year to reveal their correlations with environmental changes. The results indicate that the soil functions, such as the enzymatic activities related to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) degradation, were varied with the seasonal changes in microclimate factors, resulting in a significant fluctuation of edaphic properties. In addition, the ectomycorrhizal fungal colonization rate in the host pine tree roots increased during warm seasons (summer and autumn), while the fungal colonization rate of dark septate endophyte was declined. Moreover, the present study indicates that the fungal biomass increased in both the pine roots and rhizospheric soils during warm seasons, while the fungal species richness and diversity decreased. While the Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were the two dominant phyla in both root and soil fungal communities, the higher relative abundance of Basidiomycota taxa presented in warm seasons. In addition, the fungal microbial network complexity declined under the higher temperature and humidity conditions. The present study illustrates that the varieties in connectivity between the microbial networks and in functional taxa of root-associated fungal microbiota significantly influence the soil ecosystem functions, especially the N and P cycling., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wang, Chu, Dou, Feng, Tang, Zhang and Wang.)

Few-shot learning (FSL) refers to the learning task that generalizes from base to novel concepts with only few examples observed during training. One intuitive FSL approach is to hallucinate additional training samples for novel categories. While this is typically done by learning from a disjoint set of base categories with sufficient amount of training data, most existing works did not fully exploit the intra-class information from base categories, and thus there is no guarantee that the hallucinated data would represent the class of interest accordingly. In this paper, we propose Feature Disentanglement and Hallucination Network (FDH-Net), which jointly performs feature disentanglement and hallucination for FSL purposes. More specifically, our FDH-Net is able to disentangle input visual data into class-specific and appearance-specific features. With both data recovery and classification constraints, hallucination of image features for novel categories using appearance information extracted from base categories can be achieved. We perform extensive experiments on two fine-grained datasets (CUB and FLO) and two coarse-grained ones (mini-ImageNet and CIFAR-100). The results confirm that our framework performs favorably against state-of-the-art metric-learning and hallucination-based FSL models.

Objective: To investigate the early clinical effects of home-based mobile health intervention on knee joint function after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods: This was a prospective randomized controlled trial. Patients undergoing arthroscopic ACL reconstruction alone at the Institute of Sports Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital from April 2019 to December 2019 were elected in the trial. Patients were divided into the intervention group and the control group according to random number method. The control group only received the guidance of the traditional paper rehabilitation schedule, while the intervention group also received personalized guidance of electronic rehabilitation prescription and follow-up notice delivered by a WeChat Mini Program Rehabilitation Cloud Platform in addition to the traditional guidance. Joint range of motion (ROM), visual analogue scale (VAS) and thigh circumference difference were assessed before and after the operation. Independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of data between groups, and chi-square test was used for comparison of enumeration data. Results: One hundred and twenty five patients were enrolled in the trial, including 99 males and 26 females, with an average age of 29.0 years (range:18 to 45 years) and an average body mass index of 24.8 kg/m(2) (range:15.8 to 36.6 kg/m(2)). At 6 weeks, follow-up was available in 106 cases the target-reach rate of ROM in control group was 42.6%(23/54), which was 67.3%(35/52) in the intervention group, the difference was statistically significant (χ(2)=6.53, P= 0.01); VAS of the intervention group was 2.5(2.0), lower than that of the control group 3.0(2.0)( M ( Q(R) )), the difference was statistically significant ( Z= -2.06, P= 0.04); And the thigh circumference difference of the intervention group was 2.0(2.0)cm lower than that of the control group 3.0(1.8)cm, the difference was statistically significant ( Z=- 3.00, P< 0.01). Conclusion: Mobile health intervention can improve the early postoperative rehabilitation effect after ACL construction and the ROM of the knee joint, and reduce the bent-knee pain along with the thigh circumference difference.

The antiproliferative effect and mediation of apoptosis in human hepatoma HepG2 cells induced by djulis husk and its bioactive compounds was investigated. The ethanolic extracts of djulis husk (EEDH) at 50, 250, and 500 µg/mL induced remarkable cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells. By flow cytometry analysis, EEDH slowed down the cell cycle at the Sub-G0 phase after 24 h of incubation. Moreover, all EEDH treatment induced an apoptotic response in HepG2 cells. EEDH-induced apoptosis was associated with the attenuation of mitochondrial transmembrane potentials (ΔΨ m ), an increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, activation of caspase-3, and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) cleavage, as well as an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. According to the HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS/MS analysis, quercetin and kaempferol derivatives and another sixteen compounds were present in EEDH. Quercetin and kaempferol at 25-150 μM showed antiproliferative action and induced apoptosis on HepG2 cells, which may in part account for the anticancer activity of EEDH. Overall, EEDH may be a potent chemopreventive agent due to apoptosis in HepG2 cells.

This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of semi-quantitative parameters of thallium-201 myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for coronary artery disease (CAD). From January to December 2017, patients were enrolled who had undergone Tl-201 MPI and received cardiac catheterization for coronary artery disease within three months of MPI. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to determine the optimal cutoff values of semi-quantitative parameters. A comparison of the sensitivity and specificity of these parameters based on different subgroupings was further performed. A total of 130 patients were enrolled for further analysis. Among the collected parameters, the stress total perfusion deficit (sTPD) had the highest value of the area under curve (0.813) under the optimal cutoff value of 3.5%, with a sensitivity and specificity of 73.5% and 74.5%, respectively ( p = 0.0000), for the diagnosis of CAD. With further subgrouping analysis based on history of diabetes or dyslipidemia, the sensitivity and specificity showed similar results. Based on the currently collected data and image acquisition conditions, the sTPD parameter has a clinical role for the diagnosis of CAD with a cutoff value of 3.5%.

Designing a facile and rapid detection method for haptoglobin (Hp) phenotypes in human blood plasma is urgently needed to meet clinic requirements in hemolysis theranostics. In this work, a novel approach to qualitatively analyze Hp phenotypes was developed using a fluorescent probe of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs). Hemoglobin-conjugated (Hb)-AuNCs were successfully synthesized with blue-green fluorescence and high biocompatibility via one-pot synthesis. The fluorescence of Hb-AuNCs comes from the ligand-metal charge transfer between surface ligands of Hb and the gold cores with high oxidation states. The biocompatibility assays including cell viability and fluorescence imaging, demonstrated high biocompatibility of Hb-AuNCs. For the qualitative analysis, three Hp phenotypes in plasma, Hp 1-1, Hp 2-1, and Hp 2-2, were successfully discriminated according to changes in the fluorescence intensity and peak position of the maximum intensity of Hb-AuNCs. Our work provides a practical method with facile and rapid properties for the qualitative analysis of three Hp phenotypes in human blood plasma.

A strategy was described to design antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with enhanced salt resistance and antiendotoxin activities by linking two helical AMPs with the Ala-Gly-Pro (AGP) hinge. Among the designed peptides, KR12AGPWR6 demonstrated the best antimicrobial activities even in high salt conditions (NaCl ~300 mM) and possessed the strongest antiendotoxin activities. These activities may be related to hydrophobicity, membrane-permeability, and α-helical content of the peptide. Amino acids of the C-terminal helices were found to affect the peptide-induced permeabilization of LUVs, the α-helicity of the designed peptides under various LUVs, and the LPS aggregation and size alternation. A possible model was proposed to explain the mechanism of LPS neutralization by the designed peptides. These findings could provide a new approach for designing AMPs with enhanced salt resistance and antiendotoxin activities for potential therapeutic applications.

P-selectin overexpressed on activated endothelial cells and platelets is a new target for treatment of cancers and cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and thrombosis. In this study, depolymerized low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF 8775 ) and a thermolysin-hydrolyzed protamine peptide (TPP 1880 ) were prepared. TPP 1880 and LMWF 8775 were able to form self-assembled complex nanoparticles (CNPs). The formation of TPP 1880 /LMWF 8775 CNPs was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra, circular dichroism spectra and isothermal titration calorimetry. The CNPs selectively targeted PMA-stimulated, inflamed endothelial cells (HUVECs) with high expression of P-selectin. Gd-DTPA MRI contrast agent was successfully loaded in the CNPs with better T 1 relaxivity and selectively accumulated in the activated HUVECs with increased MRI intensity and reduced cytotoxicity as compared to free Gd-DTPA. Our results suggest that the TPP 1880 /LMWF 8775 CNPs may have potential in future for early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and cancers in which the endothelium is inflamed or activated., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Human epididymis secretory protein 4 (HE4) is a new ovarian cancer biomarker. The factors influencing HE4 levels are not clear, and the reference data in China are limited. Here, we aim to evaluate the effects of menopause and age on HE4 levels and to provide a possible reference value for HE4 in healthy Chinese people., Methods: A total of 2493 healthy females aged 40 years or older were recruited from March 2013 to March 2017 with the cooperation of four medical institutions across Beijing, China. The serum levels of HE4 and cancer antigen 125 (CA125) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test of variance and a stratified analysis were used to analyze the relationships among age, menopausal status, and levels of HE4 or CA125. Confidence intervals (5%-95%) were determined for reference ranges in different populations., Results: There was a statistically significant difference in median HE4 levels between the post-menopausal (n = 2168) and pre-menopausal groups (n = 325) (36.46 vs. 24.04 pmol/L, Z = -14.41, P < 0.001). HE4 increased significantly with age in the post-menopausal groups (H = 408.18, P < 0.001) but not in the pre-menopausal subjects (Z = -0.43, P = 0.67). The upper 95th percentile of HE4 levels were 44.63 pmol/L for pre-menopausal women, 78.17 pmol/L for post-menopausal women, and 73.3 pmol/L for all women. In the post-menopausal population, the HE4 reference ranges were 13.15 to 47.31, 14.31 to 58.04, 17.06 to 73.51, 24.50 to 115.25, and 35.71 to 212.37 pmol/L for different age groups from forty divided by decade. The CA125 level was affected mainly by menopausal status and not age., Conclusions: Menopausal status and age were both important factors influencing the level of HE4, and age affected HE4 levels mainly in post-menopausal women. The HE4 level was higher in the post-menopausal population than in the pre-menopausal population and increased with age.

Leucettamine B is a natural product found in marine sponge Leucetta microraphis. Several of analogs of its family, such as aplysinopsine and clathridine, are medicinally active molecules which have applications in many pharmaceuticals and healthcare products; however, thus far, leucettamine B has not been studied. In this report, we describe the synthesis of a new class of analogs of leucettamine B obtained by Knoevenagel condensation using a microwave reactor. The 25 newly synthesized compounds were tested against MDA-MB-468, SW480, and Mahlavu cell lines for anticancer activity. Among them, the carborane-based compound (Z)-5-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethylene)-3-(1-closo-carboranyl)-2-thioxo -thiazolidin-4-one (49) and (Z)-5-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethylene)-3-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)ethyl)-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one (31) derivatives were found to have the most potential for use against tumor cells. The carborane derivative 49 had the lowest IC 50 value against the SW480 cell line (4.7 μM) and the Mahlavu (6.6 μM) cell line. Furthermore, compound 31 also had a low IC 50 value against SW480 (7.5 μM). Our research shows that leucettamine B analogs might have potential for use in cancer chemotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Surgical correction of the distal radius fracture malunion is challenging because of the 3-dimensional deformity. We propose a method by using the Kapandji intrafocal pinning in corrective osteotomy for treatment of the distal radius fracture malunion to facilitate the alignment correction while using the bone graft to restore the radial length. The surgery was started with the osteotomy from a volar approach, and the osteotomy gap was expanded gradually. Then, allobone grafting was performed to maintain the corrected radial length. We used the Kapandji intrafocal pinning dorsally to provide dorsal supporting force and radially to correct the radial inclination. Finally, a volar plate was used to buttress and push the distal fragment to fit as to regain the correct volar tilt. We enrolled 10 patients of distal radius fracture malunion with a mean age of 59.3 years. All patients had bone healing within 3 months after surgery. The mean lengthened distance was 5 mm. The radial inclination and volar tilt could be corrected with improved functional results.

Thirteen new species are formally described: Cortinarius brunneocarpus from Pakistan, C. lilacinoarmillatus from India, Curvularia khuzestanica on Atriplex lentiformis from Iran, Gloeocantharellus neoechinosporus from China, Laboulbenia bernaliana on species of Apenes , Apristus , and Philophuga (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from Nicaragua and Panama, L. oioveliicola on Oiovelia machadoi (Hemiptera, Veliidae) from Brazil, L. termiticola on Macrotermes subhyalinus (Blattodea, Termitidae) from the DR Congo, Pluteus cutefractus from Slovenia, Rhizoglomus variabile from Peru, Russula phloginea from China, Stagonosporopsis flacciduvarum on Vitis vinifera from Italy, Strobilomyces huangshanensis from China , Uromyces klotzschianus on Rumex dentatus subsp. klotzschianus from Pakistan. The following new records are reported: Alternaria calendulae on Calendula officinalis from India; A. tenuissima on apple and quince fruits from Iran; Candelariella oleaginescens from Turkey; Didymella americana and D. calidophila on Vitis vinifera from Italy; Lasiodiplodia theobromae causing tip blight of Dianella tasmanica ' variegata ' from India; Marasmiellus subpruinosus from Madeira, Portugal, new for Macaronesia and Africa; Mycena albidolilacea , M. tenuispinosa , and M. xantholeuca from Russia; Neonectria neomacrospora on Madhuca longifolia from India; Nothophoma quercina on Vitis vinifera from Italy; Plagiosphaera immersa on Urtica dioica from Austria; Rinodina sicula from Turkey; Sphaerosporium lignatile from Wisconsin, USA; and Verrucaria murina from Turkey. Multi-locus analysis of ITS, LSU, rpb1 , tef1 sequences revealed that P. immersa , commonly classified within Gnomoniaceae (Diaporthales) or as Sordariomycetes incertae sedis , belongs to Magnaporthaceae (Magnaporthales). Analysis of a six-locus Ascomycota-wide dataset including SSU and LSU sequences of S. lignatile revealed that this species, currently in Ascomycota incertae sedis , belongs to Pyronemataceae (Pezizomycetes, Pezizales).

Shiraiaceae is an important family in Pleosporales (Dothideomycetes), which includes medical fungi and plant pathogens. Two hypocrellin-producing taxa, Shiraia bambusicola and a novel genus Rubroshiraia gen. nov. , typified by Rubroshiraia bambusae are treated in this article. Maximum likelihood analysis, generated via RAxML (GTR+G model), using a combined SSU, LSU, TEF1 and RPB2 sequence dataset, shows that Rubroshiraia is close to Shiraia and belongs to the family Shiraiaceae. Descriptions, illustrations and a taxonomic key are provided for the genera in Shiraiaceae. Rubroshiraia morphologically differs from Shiraia in having small and dark ascostromata and filiform ascospores. Production of the ascostromatal metabolites, hypocrellin A and B, were examined by HPLC and spectrophotometer. The content of hypocrellin A and B of specimen HKAS 102255 ( R. bambusae ) is twice that produced by HKAS 102253 ( S. bambusicola ). To clarify the relationship between R. bambusae and Hypocrella bambusae , type material of the latter was examined and provided the illustration.

Please be advised that since publication of the original article [1] the authors have flagged that they omitted to provide the up-to-date version of Fig. 1 and, as such, the wrong version of Fig. 1 is present in the article.

Background: Anopheles sinensis is one of the major malaria vectors in China and other southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand. Vector control is considered to be the critical measure for malaria control, while the increasing prevalence of insecticide resistance caused by long-term use of insecticides, especially pyrethroids, is threatening the successful control of An. sinensis. In order to understand the underlying resistance mechanisms involved and molecular basis, the principal malaria vector, An. sinensis from Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, Southeast China, was investigated., Methods: The adult Anopheles mosquitoes were sampled from multiple sites across Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, and sufficient mosquitoes collected from eleven sites for insecticide susceptibility bioassays. The DIIS4-DIIS6 region of the para-type sodium channel gene was amplified and sequenced, then multiple PCR and Taqman assays were used to assess the frequencies of kdr mutations at the target gene., Results: In the present study, most of the adult An. sinensis populations were pyrethroids resistant, which indicated the presence of kdr resistance mutations in the para-type sodium channel gene. Sequence analyses demonstrated the kdr mutation existed at codon 1014 in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. In adult An. sinensis, three mutant types (TTT L1014F, TTC L1014F, and TGT L1014C) of kdr alleles were detected, while no wild type (TTG L1014) was observed. The TTC L1014F mutation was first reported in Anhui province., Conclusions: The highly polymorphic kdr alleles were observed in all the adult An. sinensis populations, which suggested that in-depth studies are required for carrying on insecticide resistance monitoring and specific resistance mechanisms studying into establish effective long-term malaria vector control program in eastern China.

The temporal distribution patterns of bacterial communities, as an important group in mountain soil, are affected by various environmental factors. To improve knowledge regarding the successional seasonal dynamics of the mountain soil bacterial communities, the rhizospheric soil of a 30-year-old natural secondary Pinus tabulaeformis forest, located in the high-altitude (1900 m a.s.l.) of the temperate Qinling Mountains, was sampled and studied during four different seasons. The bacterial community composition and structure in the rhizospheric soil were studied using an Illumina MiSeq Sequencing platform. Furthermore, the edaphic properties and soil enzymatic activities (urease, phosphatase, and catalase) were measured in order to identify the main impact factors on the soil bacterial community. According to the results, all of the edaphic properties and soil enzymatic activities were significantly affected by the seasonal changes, except for the C/N ratio. Although the biomasses of soil bacterial communities increased during the summer and autumn (warm seasons), their Shannon diversity and Pielou's evenness were decreased. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Bacteroidetes were the predominant bacterial groups in all of the soil samples, and the genera of Ktedonobacter , Sphingobium as well as an unclassified member of the Ktedonobacteria were the keystone taxa. The composition and structure of soil bacterial communities were strongly impacted by the edaphic properties, especially the temperature, moisture, ammoniacal nitrogen, available phosphorus and total phosphorus which were the crucial factors to drive the temporal distribution of the soil bacterial community and diversity. In conclusion, the soil temperature, moisture and the nutrients N and P were the crucial edaphic factors for shaping the rhizospheric soil bacterial communities as season and climate change in a P . tabulaeformis forest of Qinling Mountains.

Chemotherapy represents an important treatment option for colorectal cancer (CRC), but only half of the patients benefit from these regimens. We explored the potential predicting value and mechanism of PIK3CA mutation in CRC chemotherapy. CRC specimens from 440 patients were retrospectively collected and examined with a fluorescence PCR-based method. The correlation of first-line chemotherapy response and PIK3CA mutation was evaluated according to follow-up and medical records. The underlying mechanism of PIK3CA mutation in chemotherapy resistance was assessed with CRC tumors and primary cells. The mutation frequency of the PIK3CA gene in CRC patients was 9.55%, which was correlated with late TNM staging and lower histological grade. The CRC patients with PIK3A mutation showed worse response to first-line chemotherapy than those without PIK3CA mutation. PIK3A mutation tumor cells showed poor sensitivity to first-line chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo. PIK3CA mutation induced PI3K/Akt signaling activation to increase LGR5 + CRC stem cells survival and proliferation, from which lead to chemotherapy resistance. Furthermore, PIK3CA mutation /LGR5 + expression was an independent detrimental factor for CRC patients. Our findings indicated that PIK3CA mutation induced PI3K/Akt activation contributed to CRC stem cells survival and proliferation, from which cells further resistance to chemotherapy. PIK3CA mutation /LGR5 + expression was a potential biomarker for monitoring chemotherapy resistance in CRC.

The glucose metabolism rate in cancer cells is a crucial piece of information for the cancer aggressiveness. A feasible method to monitor processes of oncogenic mutations has been demonstrated in this work. The fluorescent gold nanoclusters conjugated with glucose (glucose-AuNCs) were successfully synthesized as a cancer-targeting probe for glucose transporters (Gluts) overexpressed by U-87 MG cancer cells, which can be observed under confocal microscopy. The structural and optical characterizations of fluorescent glucose-AuNCs were confirmed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The MTT assay exhibited the high biocompatibility of water-soluble glucose-AuNCs for further biomedical applications. The glucose metabolic cleavage of glucose-AuNCs by glycolytic enzymes from U-87 MG cancer cell was measured by fluorescence change of glucose-AuNCs. The fluorescence change based on the integrated area under fluorescence spectra ( A t ) of glucose-AuNCs was plotted as a function of different reaction time ( t) with glycolytic enzymes. The fitted curve of A t versus t showed the first-order kinetics to explain the mechanism of glucose metabolic cleavage rate of glucose-AuNCs by glycolytic enzymes. The rate constant k could be utilized to determine the glucose metabolism rate of glucose-AuNCs for the quantitative analysis of cancer aggressiveness. Our work provides a practical application of target-specific glucose-AuNCs as a fluorescence probe to analyze the glucose metabolism in Gluts overexpressed cancer cells.

Study Objective: The effect of out-of-hospital intubation in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains controversial. The Taipei City paramedics are the earliest authorized to perform out-of-hospital intubation among Asian areas. This study evaluates the association between successful intubation and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival in Taipei., Methods: We analyzed 6 years of Utstein-based registry data from nontrauma adult patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who underwent out-of-hospital airway management including intubation, laryngeal mask airway, or bag-valve-mask ventilation. The primary analysis was intubation success on patient outcomes. The primary outcome was survival to discharge and the secondary outcomes included sustained return of spontaneous circulation and favorable neurologic survival. Sensitivity analysis was performed with intubation attempts rather than intubation success. Subgroup analysis of advanced life support-serviced districts was also performed., Results: A total of 10,853 cases from 2008 to 2013 were analyzed. Among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients receiving airway management, successful intubation, laryngeal mask airway, and bag-valve-mask ventilation was reported in 1,541, 3,099, and 6,213 cases, respectively. Compared with bag-valve-mask device use, successful out-of-hospital intubation was associated with improved chances of sustained return of spontaneous circulation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.66 to 2.19), survival to discharge (aOR 1.98; 95% CI 1.57 to 2.49), and favorable neurologic outcome (aOR 1.44; 95% CI 1.03 to 2.03). The results were comparable in sensitivity and subgroup analyses., Conclusion: In nontrauma adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Taipei, successful out-of-hospital intubation was associated with improved odds of sustained return of spontaneous circulation, survival to discharge, and favorable neurologic outcome., (Copyright © 2017 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a newly identified emerging infectious disease, which is caused by a novel bunyavirus (termed SFTSV) in Asia. Although mosquitoes have not been identified as the primary vectors, as revealed by epidemiological surveys, their role in transmitting this SFTSV as a suspicious vector has not been validated., Findings: In this study, we conducted experimental infections of mosquitoes with SFTSV to examine the role of mosquitoes in the transmission of the virus. We did not detect viral replication in Culex pipiens pallens, Aedes aegyptis and Anopheles sinensis as revealed by qRT-PCR assay. In addition, we failed to isolate SFTSV from the Vero cells cultured with suspensions of SFTSV-infected mosquitoes., Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrate little possibility that mosquitoes act as vectors for the emerging pathogen SFTSV.

The anti-inflammatory and vasodilating effects of three selected dietary organic sulfur compounds (OSC), including diallyl disulfide (DADS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), and propyl disulfide (PDS), from Allium species were investigated. In the anti-inflammatory activity assay, the three OSC demonstrated significant inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in activated RAW 264.7 cells was inhibited by the three OSC, indicating that the three OSC prevented the LPS-induced inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 cells. For the vasodilative assay, the three OSC were ineffective in producing NO in SVEC4-10 cells, but they did enhance prostacyclin (PGI₂) production. The expression of COX-2 in SVEC4-10 cells was activated by DADS and DMDS. Pretreatment of SVEC4-10 cells with the three OSC decreased ROS generation in H₂O₂-induced SVEC4-10 cells. In addition, the three OSC significantly inhibited angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE). The up-regulation of PGI₂ production and COX-2 expression by DADS and DMDS and the reduction of ROS generation by DADS, DMDS, and PDS in SVEC4-10 cells contributed to the vasodilative effect of the three OSC. Collectively, these findings suggest that DADS, DMDS, and PDS are potential anti-inflammatory and vasodilative mediators.

Objective: To investigate the mental health status in migrant workers in a labor-intensive enterprise and related influencing factors. Methods: Typical sampling was used to perform an investigation in 910 migrant workers in a large foreign-funded labor-intensive enterprise in Shenzhen, China. All the respondents gave informed consent and completed the questionnaire independently and anonymously. The self-reported mental health status was evaluated using the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and General Health Questionnaire. Results: Of all the migrant workers in this enterprise, 7.2% had a positive self-reported anxiety symptom, 25.4% had a moderate or severe self-reported depression symptom, and 76.4% had a poor self-reported general health status. Age had significant influence on the self-reported depression symptom (χ 2 =21.968, P <0.05) ; age did not have significant influence on the self-reported anxiety and general health status (χ 2 =6.616、12.498, both P >0.05) . The knowledge of occupational hazards had significant influence on mental health status (χ 2 Depression =47.289, χ 2 General health =21.087, both P <0.05) . The feeling of work had significant influence on self-reported depression and general health status (χ 2 Depression =52.406, χ 2 General health =17.327, both P <0.05) . Attention to self mental health had significant influence on self-reported depression (χ 2 =17.714, P <0.05) , and whether the person wanted to learn the knowledge of mental health had significant influence on self-reported anxiety (χ 2 = 6.145, P <0.05) . Conclusion: The self-reported mental health status in migrant workers is poor and is associated with age, worry about exposure to occupational hazard factors, emphasis on mental health knowledge, and a focus on personal mental health. Therefore, targeted occupational health education and occupational mental health education should be strengthened.

Widespread resistance of insect pests to insecticides has been widely reported in China and there is consequently an urgent need to adjust pest management strategies appropriately. This requires detailed information on the extent and causes of resistance. The aim of the present study was to investigate levels of resistance to 5 insecticides among 12 strains of Culex tritaeniorhynchus, a major vector of Japanese encephalitis in China. Resistance to deltamethrin, beta-cypermethrin, permethrin, dichlorvos, and propoxur were measured using larval bioassays. The allelic frequency of knockdown resistance (kdr) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) mutations were determined in all strains. Larval bioassay results indicated that the field strains collected from different sites were resistant to deltamethrin, beta-cypermethrin, permethrin, dichlorvos, and propoxur, with resistance ratio values ranging from 1.70- to 71.98-fold, 7.83- to 43.07-fold, 3.54- to 40.03-fold, 291.85- to 530.89-fold, and 51.32- to 108.83-fold, respectively. A polymerase chain reaction amplification of specific alleles method for individual was developed to detect genotypes of the AChE gene mutation F455W in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus. The frequency of the AChE gene mutation F455W was 100.00% in all strains, making this mutation of no value as a marker of resistance to organophosphorous and carbamate pesticides in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus in China. The kdr allele was present in all strains at frequencies of 10.00-29.55%. Regression analysis indicated a significant correlation between kdr allele frequencies and levels of resistance to deltamethrin, beta-cypermethrin, and permethrin. These results highlight the need to monitor and map insecticide resistance in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and to adjust pesticide use to minimize the development of resistance in these mosquitoes.

Upper eyelid movement depends on the antagonistic actions of orbicularis oculi muscle and levator aponeurosis. Blepharoptosis is an abnormal drooping of upper eyelid margin with the eye in primary position of gaze. Transconjunctival incisions for upper eyelid ptosis correction have been a well-developed technique. Conventional prognosis however depends on clinical observations and lacks of quantitatively analysis for the eyelid muscle controlling. This study examines the possibility of using the assessments of temporal correlation in surface electromyography (SEMG) as a quantitative description for the change of muscle controlling after operation. Eyelid SEMG was measured from patients with blepharoptosis preoperatively and postoperatively, as well as, for comparative study, from young and aged normal subjects. The data were analyzed using the detrended fluctuation analysis method. The results show that the temporal correlation of the SEMG signals can be characterized by two indices associated with the correlation properties in short and long time scales demarcated at 3ms, corresponding to the time scale of neural response. Aging causes degradation of the correlation properties at both time scales, and patient group likely possess more serious correlation degradation in long-time regime which was improved moderately by the ptosis corrections. We propose that the temporal correlation in SEMG signals may be regarded as an indicator for evaluating the performance of eyelid muscle controlling in postoperative recovery., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aedes albopictus is the primary vector of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever in China. Although there are previous studies on the application of adulticides to control this species, the application methods have either been back-pack or vehicle-mounted systems. However, many sites are too large to be effectively treated with back-pack sprayers, and the lack of roads restricts the use of vehicle-mounted sprayers. This paper provides the first study of using unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct cold mist sprays on Ae. albopictus habitats. A spray containing 4% permethrin and 1% tetramethylfluthrin was applied at an effective application rate of 9.0 mg/m(2). This method reduced Ae. albopictus populations by more than 90%. The results indicate this novel spray system is a powerful method to achieve a rapid decline of mosquito population in Ae. albopictus habitats in China.

Release of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (endotoxin) from bacteria into the bloodstream may cause serious unwanted stimulation of the host immune system. Some but not all antimicrobial peptides can neutralize LPS-stimulated proinflammatory responses. Salt resistance and serum stability of short antimicrobial peptides can be boosted by adding β-naphthylalanine to their termini. Herein, significant antiendotoxin effects were observed in vitro and in vivo with the β-naphthylalanine end-tagged variants of the short antimicrobial peptides S1 and KWWK., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

We present a case with swelling of the lower extremities, shortness of breath, and hyponatremia. (99m)Tc-labeled red blood cells subcutaneous radionuclide venography was performed to rule out deep vein thrombosis. Disturbed iliac venous flow and a photopenic lesion were noted in the lower abdomen on the planar imaging. SPECT/CT imaging revealed a hypodense lesion in the lower abdomen. Distended urinary bladder and retention were impressed. After approximately 4000 mL of urine was drained, symptoms were dramatically relieved, and improvement of hyponatremia was also observed.

We describe a strategy to boost anticancer activity and reduce normal cell toxicity of short antimicrobial peptides by adding positive charge amino acids and non-nature bulky amino acid β-naphthylalanine residues to their termini. Among the designed peptides, K4R2-Nal2-S1 displayed better salt resistance and less toxicity to hRBCs and human fibroblast than Nal2-S1 and K6-Nal2-S1. Fluorescence microscopic studies indicated that the FITC-labeled K4R2-Nal2-S1 preferentially binds cancer cells and causes apoptotic cell death. Moreover, a significant inhibition in human lung tumor growth was observed in the xenograft mice treated with K4R2-Nal2-S1. Our strategy provides new opportunities in the development of highly effective and selective antimicrobial and anticancer peptide-based therapeutics.

An efficient method for modifying the surface of detonation nanodiamonds (5 and 100 nm) with thiol groups (-SH) by using an organic chemistry strategy is presented herein. Thiolated nanodiamonds were characterized by spectroscopic techniques, and the atomic percentage of sulfur was analyzed by elemental analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The conjugation between thiolated nanodiamonds and gold nanoparticles was elucidated by transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis spectrometry. Moreover, the material did not show significant cytotoxicity to the human lung carcinoma cell line and may prospectively be applied in bioconjugated technology. The new method that we elucidated may significantly improve the approach to surface modification of detonation nanodiamonds and build up a new platform for the application of nanodiamonds.

It is highly desirable to develop a therapeutic, observable nanoparticle complex for specific targeting in cancer therapy. Growth hormone (GH) and its antagonists have been explored as cancer cell-targeting molecules for both imaging and therapeutic applications. In this study, a low toxicity, biocompatible, therapeutic, and observable GH-nanoparticle complex for specifically targeting growth hormone receptor (GHR) in cancer cells was synthesized by conjugating GH with green fluorescence protein and carboxylated nanodiamond. Moreover, we have shown that this complex can be triggered by laser irradiation to create a "nanoblast" and induce cell death in the A549 non-small-cell lung cancer cell line via the apoptotic pathway. This laser-mediated, cancer-targeting platform can be widely used in cancer therapy., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

DNA is a nanowire in nature which chelates Ni ions and forms a conducting chain in its base-pairs (Ni-DNA). Each Ni ion in Ni-DNA exhibits low (Ni(2+)) or high (Ni(3+)) oxidation state and can be switched sequentially by applying bias voltage with different polarities and writing times. The ratio of low and high oxidation states of Ni ions in Ni-DNA represents a programmable multistate memory system with an added capacitive component, in which multistate information can be written, read, and erased. This study also indicates that the biomolecule-based self-organized nanostructure can be used as a template for nanodevice fabrication.

The protective effect of water extracts of white tea (WEWT) on oxidative stress in vitro is investigated. WEWT, like water extracts of green tea (WEGT) and water extracts of Pu-erh tea (WEPT), demonstrates a marked inhibition of the oxidation of liposome, albumin and LDLmodel systems. WEWT protects against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity, in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of ROS generation and MDA formation by WEWT in H2O2-induced Clone 9 cells parallels the effects on cell viability. Moreover, GSH and antioxidant enzymes may play an important role in the protective effect that is associated with H2O2-induced oxidative stress. The HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS/MS analysis, shows that sixteen bioactive compounds are present in WEWT, which may partially account for its protective effect against oxidative insult. These results suggest that the mechanism of the protective actions of WEWT is related to its antioxidant potential and the maintenance of the normal redox status of the cell., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The efficacies of many antimicrobial peptides are greatly reduced in the presence of high salt concentrations therefore limiting their development as pharmaceutical compounds. PEM-2-W5K/A9W, a short Trp-rich antimicrobial peptide developed based on the structural studies of PEM-2, has been shown to be highly active against various bacterial strains with less hemolytic activity. Here, correlations between membrane immersion depth, orientation, and salt-resistance of PEM-2 and PEM-2-W5K/A9W have been investigated via solution structure and paramagnetic resonance enhancement studies. The antimicrobial activities of PEM-2-W5K/A9W and PEM-2 against various bacterial and fungal strains including multidrug-resistant and clinical isolates under high salt conditions were tested. The activities of the salt-sensitive peptide PEM-2 were reduced and diminished at high salt concentrations, whereas the activities of PEM-2-W5K/A9W were less affected. The results indicated that the strong salt-resistance of PEM-2-W5K/A9W may arise from the peptide positioning itself deeply into microbial cell membranes and thus able to disrupt the membranes more efficiently., (© 2013.)

To develop a drug delivery system (DDS), it is critical to address challenging tasks such as the delivery of hydrophobic and amphiphilic compounds, cell uptake, and the metabolic fate of the drug delivery carrier. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been acknowledged as the human serum transporter of natively abundant lipoparticles such as cholesterol, triacylglycerides, and lipids. Apolipoprotein B (apo B) is the only protein contained in LDL, and possesses a binding moiety for the LDL receptor that can be internalized and degraded naturally by the cell. Therefore, synthetic/reconstituting apoB lipoparticle (rABL) could be an excellent delivery carrier for hydrophobic or amphiphilic materials. Here, we synthesized rABL in vitro, using full-length apoB through a five-step solvent exchange method, and addressed its potential as a DDS. Our rABL exhibited good biocompatibility when evaluated with cytotoxicity and cell metabolic response assays, and was stable during storage in phosphate-buffered saline at 4 °C for several months. Furthermore, hydrophobic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONPs) and the anticancer drug M4N (tetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid), used as an imaging enhancer and lipophilic drug model, respectively, were incorporated into the rABL, leading to the formation of SPIONPs- and M4N- containing rABL (SPIO@rABL and M4N@rABL, respectively). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that rABL has a similar composition to that of LDL, and successfully incorporated SPIONPs or M4N. SPIO@rABL presented significant hepatic contrast enhancement in T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in BALB/c mice, suggesting its potential application as a medical imaging contrast agent. M4N@rABL could reduce the viability of the cancer cell line A549. Interestingly, we developed solution-phase high-resolution transmission electron microscopy to observe both LDL and SPIO@rABL in the liquid state. In summary, our LDL-based DDS, rABL, has significant potential as a novel DDS for hydrophobic and amphiphilic materials, with good cell internalization properties and metabolicity.

The efficacies of many antimicrobial peptides are greatly reduced under high salt concentrations, therefore limiting their use as pharmaceutical agents. Here, we describe a strategy to boost salt resistance and serum stability of short antimicrobial peptides by adding the nonnatural bulky amino acid β-naphthylalanine to their termini. The activities of the short salt-sensitive tryptophan-rich peptide S1 were diminished at high salt concentrations, whereas the activities of its β-naphthylalanine end-tagged variants were less affected.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection is an emerging infectious disease causing neurological complications and/or death within two to three days after the development of fever and rash. A low viral titre in clinical specimens makes the detection of EV71 difficult. Conventional approaches for detecting EV71 are time consuming, poorly sensitive, or complicated, and cannot be used effectively for clinical diagnosis. Furthermore, EV71 and Coxsackie virus A16 (CA16) may cross react in conventional assays. Therefore, a rapid, highly sensitive, specific, and user-friendly test is needed. We developed an EV71-specific nanogold-modified working electrode for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the detection of EV71. Our results show that EV71 can be distinguished from CA16, Herpes simplex virus, and lysozyme, with the modified nanogold electrode being able to detect EV71 in concentrations as low as 1 copy number/50 μl reaction volume, and the duration between sample preparation and detection being 11 min. This detection platform may have the potential for use in point-of-care diagnostics.

Aim: To explore the inhibitory effect of sulfated polysaccharide from Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) pollen (SPPM60) on G2/M phase of human liver cancer HepG2 cells and its mechanism., Methods: The proliferation rate of HepG2 cells was evaluated by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay. The cycles of HepG2 cells were measured by flow cytometry when 200μg/ml concentration of SPPM60 was adopted, the expression of the genes related to cell cycle was detected by real-time PCR., Results: SPPM60 inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells and the inhibition rate was elevated with increase of SPPM60 concentration. After treatment with 200μg/ml of SPPM60, the percentage of S phase cells was decreased, but that of G2/M phase was significantly increased (72h vs control: 32.96±0.33% vs 18.59±0.04%, 3.44±0.05% vs 18.30±0.08%, P<0.01). The results of real-time PCR showed that SPPM60 could down-regulate the mRNA levels of CDK1 and CyclinB (P<0.01), and up-regulate the expression of p53 and p21 (P<0.05)., Conclusion: SPPM60 causes arrest of HepG2 cells at G2/M phase, and the mechanism is related to the down-regulation of CDK1 and CyclinB and up-regulation of p53 and p21 expression., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)