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Context: Continuing advances in genotyping technologies and the inclusion of DNA collection in observational studies have resulted in an increasing number of genetic association studies.Objective: To evaluate the overall progress and contribution of candidate gene association studies to current understanding of the genetic susceptibility to cancer.Data Sources: We systematically examined the results of meta-analyses and pooled analyses for genetic polymorphisms and cancer risk published through March 2008.Study Selection: We identified 161 meta-analyses and pooled analyses, encompassing 18 cancer sites and 99 genes. Analyses had to meet the following criteria: include at least 500 cases, have cancer risk as outcome, not be focused on HLA antigen genetic markers, and be published in English.Data Extraction: Information on cancer site, gene name, variant, point estimate and 95% confidence interval (CI), allelic frequency, number of studies and cases, tests of study heterogeneity, and publication bias were extracted by 1 investigator and reviewed by other investigators.Results: These 161 analyses evaluated 344 gene-variant cancer associations and included on average 7.3 studies and 3551 cases (range, 508-19 729 cases) per investigated association. The summary odds ratio (OR) for 98 (28%) statistically significant associations (P value <.05) were further evaluated by estimating the false-positive report probability (FPRP) at a given prior probability and statistical power. At a prior probability level of 0.001 and statistical power to detect an OR of 1.5, 13 gene-variant cancer associations remained noteworthy (FPRP <0.2). Assuming a very low prior probability of 0.000001, similar to a probability assumed for a randomly selected single-nucleotide polymorphism in a genome-wide association study, and statistical power to detect an OR of 1.5, 4 associations were considered noteworthy as denoted by an FPRP value <0.2: GSTM1 null and bladder cancer (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.3-1.6; P = 1.9 x 10(-14)), NAT2 slow acetylator and bladder cancer (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.26-1.68; P = 2.5 x 10(-7)), MTHFR C677T and gastric cancer (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.31-1.77; P = 4.9 x 10(-8)), and GSTM1 null and acute leukemia (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.14-1.25; P = 8.6 x 10(-15)). When the OR used to determine statistical power was lowered to 1.2, 2 of the 4 noteworthy associations remained so: GSTM1 null with bladder cancer and acute leukemia.Conclusion: In this review of candidate gene association studies, nearly one-third of gene-variant cancer associations were statistically significant, with variants in genes encoding for metabolizing enzymes among the most consistent and highly significant associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) and its precursor condition, Barrett's esophagus, has risen rapidly in the United States for reasons that are not fully understood. Therefore, we evaluated the association between use of supplemental vitamins and minerals and risk of neoplastic progression of Barrett's esophagus and EA. The Seattle Barrett's Esophagus Program is a prospective study based on 339 men and women with histologically confirmed Barrett's esophagus. Participants underwent baseline and periodic follow-up exams, which included endoscopy and self-administered questionnaires on diet, supplement use, and lifestyle characteristics. Use of multivitamins and 4 individual supplements was calculated using time-weighted averages of reported use over the observational period. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) for each endpoint: EA, tetraploidy, and aneuploidy. During a mean follow-up of 5 yr, there were 37 cases of EA, 42 cases of tetraploidy, and 34 cases of aneuploidy. After controlling for multiple covariates including diet, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, obesity, and smoking, participants who took 1 or more multivitamin pills/day had a significantly decreased risk of tetraploidy [HR = 0.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.08-0.47) and EA (HR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.15-0.99] compared to those not taking multivitamins. Significant inverse associations were also observed between risk of EA and supplemental vitamin C (> or = 250 mg vs. none: HR = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.11-0.58) and vitamin E (> or = 180 mg vs. none: HR = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.10-0.60). In this cohort study, use of multivitamins and single antioxidant supplements was associated with a significantly reduced risk of EA and markers of neoplastic progression among individuals with Barrett's esophagus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) probably decrease the risk of colorectal neoplasia; however their effect on development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma is less clear. We aimed to assess the role of NSAID in the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma and precursor lesions in people with Barrett's oesophagus--a metaplastic disorder that confers a high risk of oesophageal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We did a prospective study of the relation between duration, frequency, and recency of NSAID use and the risk of oesophageal adenocarcinoma, aneuploidy, and tetraploidy in a cohort of 350 people with Barrett's oesophagus followed for 20,770 person-months. We used proportional-hazards regression to calculate hazard ratios (HR) adjusted for age, sex, cigarette use, and anthropometric measurements. FINDINGS: Median follow-up was 65.5 months (range 3.1-106.9). Compared with never users, HR for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (n=37 cases) in current NSAID users was 0.32 (95% CI 0.14-0.76), and in former users was 0.70 (0.31-1.58). 5-year cumulative incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma was 14.3% (95% CI 9.3-21.6) for never users, 9.7% (4.5-20.5) for former users, and 6.6% (3.1-13.6) for current NSAID users. When changes in NSAID use during follow up were taken into account, the associations were strengthened: HR for oesophageal adenocarcinoma for current users at baseline or afterwards was 0.20 (95% CI 0.10-0.41) compared with never users. Compared with never users, current NSAID users (at baseline and follow-up) had less aneuploidy (n=35 cases; 0.25 [0.12-0.54]) and tetraploidy (n=45 cases; 0.44 [0.22-0.87]). INTERPRETATION: NSAID use might be an effective chemopreventive strategy, reducing the risk of neoplastic progression in Barrett's oesophagus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymphocyte decline, particularly the depletion of NK cells, is a prominent feature of immunosuppression following severe tissue injury, heightening the susceptibility of severe trauma patients to life-threatening infections. Previous research indicates that the reduction in the number of NK cells is closely associated with the process of cell death. Nonetheless, the precise mechanism of NK cell death remains unknown. Here, we discovered that following severe traumatic injury, NK cells undergo several cell death pathways, dominated by apoptosis and pyroptosis with coexistence of necrotic cell death, immunogenic cell death, ferroptosis, and autophagy. These NK cells with different paradigms of death have diverse cytokine expression profiles and diverse interactions with other immune cells. Further exploration revealed that hypoxia was strongly associated with this diverse paradigm of NK cell death. Detailed investigation of paradigms of cell death may help to enhance comprehension of lymphopenia post-severe trauma, to develop new strategy in preventing immunosuppression, and then to improve outcome for severe trauma population., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

It is a challenging task to design a piezoelectric photocatalyst with excellent performance under mechanical agitation instead of ultrasonic irradiation. Integrating vacancy defects into a heterojunction seems to be an effective strategy for synergistically increasing its piezo-photocatalytic performance. For this goal, a two-step hydrothermal method was adopted to architect a type-I oxygen-vacancy-rich BaTiO 3 /BiOBr heterojunction to surge the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under the combined action of simulated sunlight irradiation and mechanical agitation. Various instrumental techniques demonstrated the formation of a BaTiO 3 /BiOBr heterojunction with high crystallinity. The existence of surface oxygen vacancies was confirmed by XPS and EPR tests. PFM results manifested that this heterojunction had excellent piezoelectric properties, with a piezoelectric response value of 30.31 pm V -1 . Comparative experiments indicated that RhB degradation efficiency under piezo-photocatalysis over this heterojunction largely exceeded the total sum of those under piezocatalysis and photocatalysis. h + , ·O 2 - , and 1 O 2 were the dominant reactive species for RhB degradation. The improved separation efficiency of photogenerated charges was verified by electrochemical measurements. DFT calculations indicated that the polarization of BaTiO 3 could affect the electronic band structure of BiOBr. This work will provide comprehensive insights into piezo-photocatalytic mechanism at a microcosmic level and help to develop new-styled piezoelectric photocatalysts.

A Gram-stain-negative, motile (by single polar flagellum) and rod-shaped bacterium, designated W1-6 T , was isolated from a sediment of drainage ditch in winery in Guiyang, south-western China. Strain W1-6 T showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with the type strain of Acidovorax wautersii (98.1%) and Simplicispira lacusdiani (97.9%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain W1-6 T was placed adjacent to the members of the genus Simplicispira and formed a separat subclade. Cells showed oxidase and catalase negative reactions. The only respiratory quinone detected was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). Summed feature 3 (C 16:1 ω7c and/or C 16:1 ω6c), C 16:0 and summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7c and/or C 18:1 ω6c) were predominant cellular fatty acids (> 10%) of strain W1-6 T . Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and five unidentified phospholipids were found in the polar lipid extraction. The genomic DNA G + C content was 65.6%. Strain W1-6 T shared the highest digital DNA-DNA hybridization [dDDH, (27.6%)] and average nucleotide identity [ANI (84.3%)] values with the type strain of S. lacusdiani. The dDDH and ANI values were below the cutoff level (dDDH 70%; ANI 95-96%) for species delineation. The polyphasic characteristics indicated that the strain W1-6 T represents a novel species of the genus Simplicispira, for which the name Simplicispira sedimenti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is W1-6 T (= CGMCC 1.16274 T  = NBRC 115624 T )., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: At present, the optimal treatment for posterior cruciate ligament tibial avulsion fracture (PCLTAF) combined with concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures remains unclear. The present study aimed to assess the preliminary outcomes of treatment for PCLTAF with concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures by open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF)., Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients who sustained PCLTAF with concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures between March 2015 and February 2019 and underwent treatment at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Imaging examinations performed at the time of injury were applied to identify concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures. We used 1:2 matching between patients with PCLTAF combined with concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures (combined group; n = 11) and those with isolated PCLTAF (isolated group; n = 22). Outcome data were collected, including the range of motion (ROM) and visual analogue scale (VAS), Tegner, Lysholm, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores. At the final follow-up, the clinical outcomes were compared between the combined and isolated groups and between patients who underwent early-stage surgery and those who underwent delayed treatment for PCLTAF., Results: Thirty-three patients (26 males, 7 females) were included in this study, with eleven patients having PCLTAF and concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures and a follow-up of 3.1 to 7.4 years (average, 4.8 years). Compared to patients in the isolated group, patients in the combined group demonstrated significantly worse Lysholm scores (85.7 ± 5.8 vs. 91.5 ± 3.9, p = 0.040), Tegner scores (4.4 ± 0.9 vs. 5.4 ± 0.8, p = 0.006), and IKDC scores (83.6 ± 9.3 vs. 90.5 ± 3.0, p = 0.008). Inferior outcomes were found in patients with delayed treatment., Conclusions: Inferior results were found in patients with concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures, while better outcomes were obtained in patients with PCLTAF through early-stage ORIF using the posteromedial approach. The present findings may help determine the prognoses of patients with PCLTAF combined with concomitant ipsilateral lower limb fractures treated through early-stage ORIF., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this short note, we express our viewpoint regarding declaring study success based on Bayesian predictive probability of study success., (© 2023. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Four new germacrane sesquiterpene dilactones, 2 β -hydroxyl-11 β ,13-dihydrodeoxymikanolide ( 1 ), 3 β -hydroxyl-11 β ,13-dihydrodeoxymikanolide ( 2 ), 1 α ,3 β -dihydroxy-4,9-germacradiene-12,8:15,6-diolide ( 3 ), and (11 β ,13-dihydrodeoxymikanolide-13-yl)-adenine ( 4 ), together with five known ones ( 5 - 9 ) were isolated from the aerial parts of Mikania micrantha . Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. Compound 4 is featured with an adenine moiety in the molecule, which is the first nitrogen-containing sesquiterpenoid so far isolated from this plant species. These compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against four Gram-(+) bacteria of Staphyloccocus aureus ( SA ), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA ), Bacillus cereus ( BC ) and Curtobacterium. flaccumfaciens ( CF ), and three Gram-(-) bacteria of Escherichia coli ( EC ), Salmonella. typhimurium ( SA ), and Pseudomonas Solanacearum ( PS ). Compounds 4 and 7 - 9 were found to show strong in vitro antibacterial activity toward all the tested bacteria with the MIC values ranging from 1.56 to 12.5 µg/mL. Notably, compounds 4 and 9 showed significant antibacterial activity against the drug-resistant bacterium of MRSA with MIC value 6.25 µg/mL, which was close to reference compound vancomycin (MIC 3.125 µg/mL). Compounds 4 and 7 - 9 were further revealed to show in vitro cytotoxic activity toward human tumor A549, HepG2, MCF-7, and HeLa cell lines, with IC 50 values ranging from 8.97 to 27.39 μM. No antibacterial and cytotoxic activity were displayed for the other compounds. The present research provided new data to support that M. micrantha is rich in structurally diverse bioactive compounds worthy of further development for pharmaceutical applications and for crop protection in agricultural fields.

Inspired by information processing and logic operations of life, many artificial biochemical systems have been designed for applications in molecular information processing. However, encoding the binary synergism between matter, energy, and information in a superwetting system remains challenging. Herein, a superwetting paradigm was proposed for multifunctional applications including molecular visual sensing and data security on a superhydrophobic surface. A Triton X-100-encapsulated gelatin (TeG) hydrogel was prepared and selectively decomposed by trypsin, releasing the surfactant to decrease the surface tension of a droplet. Integrating the droplet with the superhydrophobic surface, the superwetting behavior was utilized for visual detection and information encoding. Interestingly, the proposed TeG hydrogel can function as an artificial gelneuron for molecular-level logic computing, where the combination of matters (superhydrophobic surface, trypsin, and leupeptin) acts as inputs to interact with energy (liquid surface tension and solid surface energy) and information (binary character), resulting in superwettability transitions (droplet surface tension, contact angle, rolling angle, and bounce) as outputs. Impressively, the TeG gelneuron can be further developed as molecular-level double cryptographic steganography to encode, encrypt, and hide specific information (including the maze escape route and content of the classical literature) due to its programmability, stimuli responsive ability, and droplet concealment. This study will encourage the development of advanced molecular paradigms and their applications, such as superwetting visual sensing, molecular computing, interaction, and data security.

Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus remains high in China, and more cardiovascular and cerebrovascular adverse events due to diabetes mellitus are likely to occur in the future., Objective: To analyze the gap between the current pharmacotherapy management and the guidelines for inpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus from the perspective of pharmacists so as to provide a reference for optimal pharmacotherapy management methods and models for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus., Methods: The study was a cross-sectional observational study. The study was conducted by investigating and analyzing the use of glucose-lowering drugs, adjustment of blood pressure management strategy, lipid management, weight management, and application of antiplatelet drugs in type 2 diabetes inpatients., Results: A total of 1086 patients with type 2 diabetes were included. Metformin, glycosidase inhibitors, and basal insulin were the most used among type 2 diabetes inpatients. The use of SGLT-2, GLP-1 RAs, DPP-4, and metformin all showed significant increase. SGLT-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) showed the fastest increase from 2020 to 2021 (14.5% vs. 39.6%); However, the application rate of SGLT-2i was low among patients with combined ASCVD, renal insufficiency, and diabetic nephropathy (46.4%, 40.9%, and 45.8% respectively). For patients with substandard blood pressure at admission, the average rate of intervention by endocrinologists for adjusting the antihypertensive regimen during hospitalization was 55.6%, and the application rate of ACEI/ARB drugs reached 64.4%. The application rate of statins among patients with type 2 diabetes was still relatively high, at 78.8%. However, the overall intervention rate for patients with suboptimal LDL-c was only 24.1%. The application rate of antiplatelet agents for patients with ASCVD was 77.6%, which was higher than that for patients without ASCVD., Conclusion: There is still a gap between the practice of medication treatment management of Chinese inpatients with type 2 diabetes and the guidelines, especially in the application of GLP-1RAs and SGLT-2i in patients with concomitant ASCVD, diabetic nephropathy, and renal insufficiency. Meanwhile, physicians and pharmacists should pay more attention on achieving blood pressure and LDL-c standards in type 2 diabetic patients and provide timely interventions., 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 Song, Wang, Wang, Liu, Luo, Xu, Cheng, Bai, Dong, Zhang and Zhou.)

Although the CRISPR/Cas system has pioneered a new generation of analytical techniques, there remain many challenges in developing a label-free, accurate, and reliable CRISPR/Cas-based assay for reporting the levels of low abundance biomolecules in complex biological samples. Here, we reported a novel CRISPR-derived resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) amplification strategy and logical circuit based on a guanine nanowire (G-wire) assisted non-cross-linking hybridization chain reaction (GWancHCR) for label-free detection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the presence of a target, the protospacer-adjacent motif-inserted aptamer is rationally designed to specifically combine with LPS rather than Cas12a, suppressing the trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR/Cas12a and retaining the reporter probes to trigger non-cross-linking aggregation. Owing to the automatic hybridization chain reaction (HCR), in the presence of Mg 2+ , the released G-quadruplex sequence aggregated to assemble the G-wire superstructure through non-cross-linking. As a result, a dramatically amplified RRS intensity is observed, allowing for reporting LPS levels in a low detection limit of 0.17 pg/mL and a wide linear range among 1.0-100.0 ng/mL. Moreover, this reaction event is capable of programming to perform classical Boolean logic tree analysis, including basic logic computing and complex integrated logic circuits. This study comprehensively analyzed with respect to information flow, matter (molecular events), and energy (RRS), revealing the potential promise in designing of molecular-level "Internet of Things", intelligent computing, and sensing systems.

Strain W712 T was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Nicotiana tabacum L. collected from Kunming, south-west China. Cells were Gram-staining negative, aerobic, motile and rod shaped. The isolate grew at 20-45 °C (optimum 30 °C), pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and in the presence of up to 3.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1%, w/v). Ubiquinone-10 was the only respiratory quinone type. Polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmehtylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and an unidentified aminolipid. The major fatty acids were detected as summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7c or C 18:1 ω6c), summed feature 3 (C 16:1 ω7c or C 16:1 ω6c) and C 18:1 2OH. The genomic DNA G + C content was 68.7%. The ANI values were 94.3%, 93.3% and 93.6% between Azospirillum baldaniorum Sp245 T , Azospirillum brasilense ATCC 49958 T , Azospirillum formosense CC-Nfb-7 T and strain W712 T , respectively, which were lower than the prokaryotic species delineation threshold of 95.0-96.0%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between A. baldaniorum Sp245 T , A. brasilense ATCC 49958 T , A. formosense CC-Nfb-7 T and strain W712 T indicated that the candidate represents a novel genomic species. According to the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, we propose that strain W712 T warrants the assignment to a novel species, for which the name Azospirillum tabaci sp. nov. (type strain W712 T  = CGMCC 1.18567 T  = KCTC 82186 T ) is proposed., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Fog collection plays an important role in alleviating the global water shortage. Despite great progress in creating bionic surfaces to collect fog, water droplets still could adhere to the microscale hydrophilic region and reach the thermodynamic stable state before falling, which delays the transport of water and hinders the continuous fog collection. Inspired by lotus leaves and cactuses, we designed a Janus membrane that functions to both collect fog from the air and transport it to a certain region. The Janus membrane with opposite wettability contains conical microcolumns with a wettability gradient and hydrophilic copper mesh surface. The apexes of conical microcolumns are superhydrophobic and the rest are hydrophobic. The fog droplets were deposited, coalesced, and directionally transported to the bottom of the conical microcolumns. Then, the droplets unidirectionally passed through the membrane and flowed into the water film on the surface of the copper mesh. The asymmetric structural and wettability merits endow the Janus membrane with an improved fog collection of ∼7.05 g/cm 2 /h. The study is valuable for designing and developing fluid control equipment in fog collection, liquid manipulation, and microfluidics.

Background: The coexistence of thoracic fractures and blunt aortic injury (BAI) is potentially catastrophic and easy to be missed in acute trauma settings. Data regarding patients with thoracic fractures complicated with BAI are limited., Methods: The authors conducted a prospective, observational, single-center study including patients with thoracic burst fractures. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to determine the risk factors of aortic injury., Results: In total, 124 patients with burst fractures of the thoracic spine were included. The incidence of BAI was 11.3% (14/124) in patients with thoracic burst fractures. Among these patients, 11 patients with BAI were missed diagnoses. The main risk factors of BAI were as follows: Injury severity score (OR 1.184; 95% CI, 1.072-1.308; p = 0.001), mechanism of injury, such as crush (OR 10.474; 95% CI, 1.905-57.579; p = 0.007), flail chest (OR = 4.917; 95% CI, 1.122-21.545; p = 0.035), and neurological deficit (OR = 8.299; 95% CI, 0.999-68.933; p = 0.05)., Conclusions: BAI (incidence 11.3%) is common in patients with burst fractures of the thoracic spine and is an easily missed diagnosis. We must maintain a high suspicion of injury for BAI when patients with thoracic burst fractures present with these high-risk factors.

Biomaterial-associated infections caused by pathogenic bacteria have important implications on human health. This study presents the design and preparation of a smart surface with pH-responsive wettability. The smart surface exhibited synergistic antibacterial function, with high liquid repellency against bacterial adhesion and highly effective bactericidal activity. The wettability of the surface can switch reversibly between superhydrophobicity and hydrophobicity in response to pH; this controls bacterial adhesion and release. Besides, the deposited silver nanoparticles of the surface were also responsible for bacterial inhibition. Benefiting from the excellent liquid repellency, the surface could highly resist bacterial adhesion after immersing in a bacterial suspension for 10 s (85%) and 1 h (71%). Adhered bacteria can be easily eliminated using deposited silver nanoparticles during the subsequent treatment of alkaline bacterial suspension, and the ratio of deactivated bacteria was above 75%. After the pH returned to neutral, the deactivated bacteria can be easily released from the surface. This antibacterial surface showed an improved bacterial removal efficiency of about 99%. The results shed light on future antibacterial applications of the smart surface combining both bactericidal and adhesion-resistant functionalities.

A Gram-staining negative, facultative anaerobic, motile and short rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain yh7-1 T , was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Citrus sinenesis collected from the garden of Citrus sinenesis in Ailao Mountain, south-west China. Cells grew at 15-45 °C, pH 5.0-9.0 and were able to tolerate up to 1% (w/v) NaCl on R2A medium. The respiratory lipoquinone was Q-10 and the major cellular fatty acids contained summed feature 8 (C 18:1 ω7c or C 18:1 ω6c) and C 18:0 . Polar lipids in the cellular membrane were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids and one unidentified aminophospholipid. The genomic DNA G+C content was 69.9 mol%. On basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain yh7-1 T showed the highest similarities with Chthonobacter albigriseus KCTC 42450 T (97.6%), Mongoliimonas terrestris KCTC 42635 T (97.0%) and lower than 97.0% to other species. Phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain yh7-1 T clustered with C. albigriseus KCTC 42450 T . The ANI values ranged between 78.1 and 82.7% for C. albigriseus KCTC 42450 T , M. terrestris KCTC 42635 T and strain yh7-1 T , which were lower than the prokaryotic species delineation threshold of 95.0-96.0%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between C. albigriseus KCTC 42450 T , M. terrestris KCTC 42635 T and strain yh7-1 T indicated that the new isolate represents a novel genomic species. According to the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain yh7-1 T should belong to the genus Chthonobacter, for which the name Chthonobacter rhizosphaerae sp. nov. (type strain yh7-1 T  = CGMCC 1.17236 T  = CCTCC AB 2019258 T  = KCTC 82185 T ) is proposed.

Bladder cancer has easy recurrence characteristics, but its occurrence and development mechanism are still unclear. Non-coding RNA is a kind of RNA that exists widely and cannot be translated into proteins, which has played a key role in the regulation of biological functions of tumor cells. However, the regulation mechanism of non-coding RNA on bladder tumors is not fully understood. By microarray analysis and database analysis, we found that LINC00511 was significantly highly expressed in bladder cancer. The expressions of LINC00511, miR-143-3p, and PCMT in bladder cancer tissues and cells were detected by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The relationship between the expressions of miR-143-3p and PCMT1 and the clinicopathological parameters of the tumor was analyzed. The proliferation and invasion of bladder cancer cells were detected by MTT assay and Transwell assay. The expression levels of E-cadherin and vimentin in bladder cancer cells were detected by Western blot. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. In vivo , TCCSUP or SW780 cells were inoculated into BALB/c nude mice to detect tumor volume and weight. Bioinformatics and dual luciferase reporter gene were used to analyze the relationship between LINC00511 and miR-143-3p and its downstream target gene PCMT1. The results showed that LINC00511 could target miR-143-3p/PCMT1 to regulate the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of bladder cancer TCCSUP or SW780 cells and promote the occurrence and development of bladder cancer., 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 Dong, Zhang, Mao, Li, Zhang, Xue and Liu.)

Three new thymol derivatives, 7-formyl-9-isobutyryloxy-8-hydroxythymol (1), 7,9-di-isobutyryloxy-8,10-dehydrothymol (2) and 2α-methoxyl-3β-methyl-6-methylol-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (3), along with five known ones (4-8), were isolated from the aerial parts of the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora . Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and they were all isolated from the aerial part of A. adenophora for the first time. These compounds, except 8, selectively showed in vitro antimicrobial activity against three Gram-(+) and two Gram-(-) bacterial strains. In particular, compounds 1 and 5 showed notable in vitro antimicrobial activity against all five bacterial strains with IC 50 values ranging from 3.9 to 15.6 μg mL -1 , as compared to reference compound kanamycin sulfate with a MIC value 1.9-3.9 μg mL -1 . Compounds 1 and 5 were further revealed to show in vitro cytotoxic activity against three tested human tumor (MCF-7, NCI-H460 and HeLa) cell lines, with IC 50 values ranging from 7.45 to 28.63 μM. Compounds 7 and 8 selectively showed slight but detectable in vitro cytotoxicity toward MCF-7 and NCI-H460 cell lines, with IC 50 values 44.65-83.19 μM. No cytotoxic effects were detected in the bioassay of the other four thymol derivatives. The present results provide new data to support that the aerial parts of A. adenophora are a rich source of bioactive chemicals valuable in medicinal applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Soft actuators with the integration of facile preparation, rapid actuation rate, sophisticated motions, and precise control over deformation for application in complex devices are still highly desirable. Inspired by the aligned structures of moisture responsive pineal scales, an oil-triggered Janus actuator composed of a smooth hydrophobic surface and a superhydrophobic surface with aligned microchannels by simple laser etching was fabricated successfully, which can deform into various desirable shapes and recover to the original shape when triggered by oil and ethanol molecules. The aligned microchannel design causes different oil spread distances in the longitudinal and transverse directions, resulting in orientation-controlled bending and twisting with large-scale displacement. By changing the orientations of the patterned microchannels, one-dimensional folding deformation, twisting, rolling curling and object-inspired architectures can be facilely programmed. The reversible oil-triggered actuator will inspire more attractive applications such as in vivo surgery, biomimetic devices, energy harvesting systems and soft robotics.

The migration sources and pathways of Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) in topologically complex regions like Yunnan, China, and adjacent montane areas have long been a challenging task and a bottleneck in effective pest forecast and control. The present research reinvestigated this issue using a combination of mtDNA and long-term historical wind field data in an attempt to provide new insights. Genetic analyses showed that the 60 populations of S. furcufera collected across Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan lack genetic structure and geographic isolation, while spatial analysis of haplotype and diversity indices discovered geographic relevance between populations. Migration rate analysis combined with high-resolution 10-year wind field analysis detected the following migration sources, pathways, and impacted areas which could explain the outbreak pattern in Yunnan. (a) Dominating stepwise northward migrations originated from northern Indochina, southern Yunnan, and central-eastern Yunnan, impacting their northern areas. (b) Concurring summer-autumn southward (return) migration originated from nearly all latitude belts of Sichuan and Yunnan mainly impacting central and southern Yunnan. (c) Regular eastward and summer-autumn westward migrations across Yunnan. The northward migration reflects the temporal rhythm of gradual outbreaks from the south to the north in a year, while the return migration may explain the repeated or very severe outbreaks in the impacted areas. To form a better pest forecast and control network, attention must also be paid to the northern part of Yunnan to suppress the impact of return migration in summers and autumns., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile and straight rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain C1-9 T , was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze collected from a tea garden in Huize, south-western PR China. Cells were oxidase-positive and catalase-negative. Growth occurred at 20-40 °C and pH 6.0-10.0, with an optimal growth at 30 °C and pH 7.0. The respiratory quinone was detected as ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). The major fatty acids were identified as summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1 ω7 c and/or C 16 : 1 ω6 c ), C 16 : 0 and summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1 ω7 c or C 18 : 1 ω6 c ). The cellular polar lipids contained phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified lipids, one unidentified aminophospholipid and one unidentified aminolipid. The polyamine types were detected as 1,8-diaminooctane and 2-hydroxyputrescine. The genomic DNA G+C content was 68.6 mol%. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain C1-9 T (MF687442) showed highest sequence similarity to Rivibacter subsaxonicus DSM 19570 T (97.1 %). The phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain C1-9 T clustered close to R. subsaxonicus DSM 19570 T , Methylibium petroleiphilum CCTCC AB 2014193 T and species belonging to the genera Rhizobacter and Piscinibacter . The phylogenomic tree indicated that strain C1-9 T formed a clade with R. subsaxonicus . The average nucleotide identity value was 76.0 % between strain C1-9 T and R. subsaxonicus DSM 19570 T , which is lower than the prokaryotic species delineation threshold of 95.0-96.0 %. The polyphasic taxonomic characteristics indicated that strain C1-9 T represents a novel species of a new genus within the order Burkholderiales , for which the name Pseudorivibacter rhizosphaerae gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain C1-9 T = KCTC 62325 T =CGMCC 1.13864 T ) is proposed.

This study aimed to explore the effect of cell division cycle protein 42 (CDC42) on inflammatory response and immune response in mice bearing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid was injected into the colon of mice to establish IBD model. The mice were divided into four groups (n = 4): control, model, Ad5, and Ad5-CDC42. After establishing IBD model, mice which were treated with AD5 empty vector and AD5-CDC42 expression vector served as the Ad5 group and Ad5-CDC42 group, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-4, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the colon tissues were evaluated by RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Their levels in the serum and colon tissues were examined by ELISA assay and immunohistochemical analysis, respectively. Their changes in the mRNA and protein levels were consistent and similar changes in the colon tissues and the serum were found among various groups. The levels of IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-4, and TNF-α were lowest in the control group. Their levels in the model group and the Ad5 group were similar (p > .05) and significantly higher than those in the control group (p < .05). In comparison with the model group and the Ad5 group, their levels were significantly reduced in the Ad5-CDC42 group (p < .05). In conclusion, the levels of inflammatory cytokines were elevated in the colon tissues and serum of IBD mice, which could be reduced by the CDC42 treatment. CDC42 regulated the inflammatory response and the innate immune response in IBD mice.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain L4-6 T , was isolated from an arable soil sample of tobacco in Huize, south-western China and subjected to polyphasic taxonomic characterization. The cells showed oxidase-positive and catalase-positive reactions. Growth occurred at 20-35 °C, at pH 5.0-8.0 and with 0-2 % (w/v) NaCl, optimally at 30 °C, pH 6.0-7.0 and 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl. The major respiratory lipoquinone was ubiquinone-8. The predominant cellular fatty acids (>10.0 %) were identified as summed feature 9 (iso-C 17 : 1 ω9 c or C 16 : 0 10-methyl), iso-C 15 : 0 and iso-C 17 : 0 . The polar lipid profile contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified aminophospholipids and five unidentified aminolipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 60.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain L4-6 T should be affiliated to the genus Dyella and formed a clade with the most closely related organism Dyella soli JS12-10 T . 16S rRNA gene sequences similarity analysis showed that strain L4-6 T was mostly closely related to D. soli JS12-10 T (98.73 %) and Dyella lipolytica DHOB07 T (98.02 %). DNA-DNA hybridization data indicated that strain L4-6 T represented a novel genomic species belonging to the genus Dyella . The polyphasic taxonomic characteristics indicated that the strain L4-6 T represents a novel species of the genus Dyella , for which the name Dyellatabacisoli sp. nov. (type strain L4-6 T =CGMCC 1.16273 T =KCTC 62035 T ) is proposed.

Abstract: Age estimation is of great significance in the fields of criminal investigation and forensic identification. It can provide the age information of individuals to judicial departments to facilitate the development of judicial work. In recent years, age estimation methods expanded from the morphological level to the molecular biology level. With the rapid development of epigenetics represented by DNA methylation, and the advancement of DNA methylation detection technology together with the detection platform, many age estimation methods based on DNA methylation biomarkers, or using several biological fluids, such as blood, blood stains, saliva, semen stains, etc. are developed. Currently, researches related to age estimation based on DNA methylation are relatively widely carried out. This paper summarizes the researches on age estimation based on DNA methylation, in order to provide references for related studies and forensic applications., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine.)

BACKGROUND Degenerative spinal disorders have adverse impacts on patients' quality of life. Because the main objectives of any surgical intervention are to improve health-related quality of life and to reduce disability, instruments capable of measuring patient-oriented outcomes are now increasingly used. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF36) for assessing patient-oriented outcomes of degenerative cervical myelopathy surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS A literature search was conducted in electronic databases (Google Scholar, Ovid SP, PubMed, Science Direct, and Springer). Studies were included if they reported SF36 scores by following patients for at least 12 months. Random effects meta-analyses were performed to estimate changes in SF36 physical/mental component summary (SF36-PCS/MCS), SF36 dimensional, Japanese Orthopedics Association (JOA)/modified JOA (mJOA), and Neck Disability Index (NDI) scores by latest follow-up. RESULTS Fourteen studies (1966 patients; age 58.2 years [95% confidence interval (CI), 56.6 to 59.9]; 60% males [95% CI, 55 to 64]; follow-up 24.8 months [95% CI, 20.9 to 28.7]) were included in meta-analysis. SF36-PCS (6.60 [95% CI, 4.91 to 8.28]; p<0.00001), SF36-MCS (6.33 [95% CI, 4.31 to 8.35]; p<0.00001) and SF36 dimensional (p<0.05) scores improved significantly at latest follow-up. Surgery significantly improved JOA/mJOA (3.43 [95% CI, 2.80 to 4.06]; p<0.00001) and NDI (-13.70 [95% CI, -17.35 to -10.06]; p<0.00001) scores also. Change in SF36-PCS score were correlated (r=-0.554) with change in NDI score, whereas change in SF36-MCS score was correlated with change in JOA score (r=0.550). CONCLUSIONS Surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy is associated with significantly improved SF36-measured patient-oriented outcomes.

Bacteria in corals have been studied in detail in the past decades. However, the biodiversity and bioactivity of fungi in corals are still poorly understood. This study investigated the biodiversity and antifouling activity of fungi in soft corals Cladiella krempfi and Sarcophyton tortuosum from the South China Sea. A high diverse and abundant fungal community was found in the two soft corals. Furthermore, five isolates shared 83-95% similarity with their closest relatives, indicating that they might be novel species in genera Phaeoshaeria and Mucor. In addition, approximately 50% of the representative isolates exhibited distinct antifouling activity. In particular, isolates Fungal sp. SCAU132 and Fungal sp. SCAU133 displayed very strong antifouling activity against Bugula neritina, suggesting they can provide a potential resource for further investigation on isolation of novel antifouling metabolites. To our knowledge, this study is the first report to investigate the biodiversity and antifouling activity of fungi in C. krempfi and S. tortuosum.

A question that routinely arises in medical device clinical studies is the homogeneity across demographic subgroups, geographical regions, or investigational sites of the enrolled patients in terms of treatment effects or outcome variables. The main objective of this paper is to discuss statistical concepts and methods for the assessment of such homogeneity and to provide the practitioner a statistical framework and points to consider in conducting homogeneity assessment. Demographic subgroups, geographical regions, and investigational sites are discussed separately as each has its unique issues. Specific considerations are also given to randomized controlled trials, non-randomized comparative studies, and single-arm studies. We point out that judicious use of statistical methods, in conjunction with sound clinical judgment, is essential in handling the issue of homogeneity of treatment effect in medical device clinical studies.

The white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Horváth), is a devastating migratory rice pest in South China; lack of effective methods to identify immigrating populations is the main cause of difficulties in outbreak forecasting, active prevention, and control. The current study set up field cages (2 × 2 × 3 m each, US-80 standard nylon mesh) in both early- and mid-season paddies in Yuanjiang (Red River) Valley in Yunnan, China, in 2012 and 2014. The immigrating population was successfully separated from the local population of S. furcifera and identified using statistical comparisons. The findings showed that densities of macropterous adults outside the cages were all significantly higher than those inside the cages on both early- and mid-season rice in both years, whereas the densities of young nymphs and old nymphs showed no significant differences. This indicated that immigrations were occurring, the earliest of which occurred on early-season rice in early May and reached its peak in mid-late May before a rapid collapse in both years. In contrast, the immigration on mid-season rice showed a continuous decline or fluctuation throughout the entire period. Analyses demonstrated that the migration process of S. furcifera in the Yuanjiang Valley features continuous immigration from the adjacent southern parts of Yunnan, which may represent most migration events in Yunnan during the outbreak period of a year. The findings of this case study could benefit our understanding of planthopper migration and outbreaks in other parts of China, especially where the outbreak pattern is very different from Yunnan.

Ten pentacyclic triterpenoids including a new multiflorane triterpene acid, 2α,3β,23-trihydroxymultiflor-7-en-28-oic acid (1), and a new lupane triterpene monoglucoside named akebiaoside C (2), were obtained from the leaves of Akebia trifoliata . Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis, and they were all isolated from the leaves of A. trifoliata for the first time. These compounds, except 4 and 5, showed in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity much stronger than acarbose. Especially, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 10 displayed in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC 50 values from 0.004 to 0.081 mM, which were close or even more potent than corosolic acid (IC 50 0.06 mM). Triterpenoids 1, 8 and 10 were further revealed to show moderate in vitro cytotoxic activity against human tumor A549, HeLa and HepG2 cell lines, with IC 50 values ranging from 26.5 to 51.9 μM. Compound 9 selectively showed in vitro cytotoxicity toward HeLa and HepG2 cell lines, with IC 50 values of 81.49 and 73.47 μM, respectively. These findings provided new data to support that the leaves of A. trifoliata are a rich source in bioactive triterpenoids highly valuable to be developed for medicinal usage., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The striking rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections has become a serious threat to public health worldwide. In an effort to search for new anti-MRSA agents from natural products, a bioassay-guided phytochemical study was conducted on the semi-mangrove plant Myoporum bontioides A. Gray, which led to the isolation of two new sesquiterpene alkaloids ( 1 and 2 ) and six known furanosesquiterpenes ( 3 ⁻ 8 ). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive analysis of their 1D, 2D NMR and mass spectroscopic data. These two new alkaloids ( 1 and 2 ) displayed potent anti-MRSA activity with MIC value of 6.25 μg/mL. This is the first report of sesquiterpene alkaloids from the plants of Myoporum genus and their anti-MRSA activity.

The detection rate of gastric polyps (GPs) is low, improving the detection rate would be good. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of sedated gastroscopy in GP detection. The data of patients who underwent gastroscopic examination from January 2014 to December 2016 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, China) were retrospectively reviewed. Endoscopic records of 6,195 patients diagnosed with GPs were analyzed. The GP detection rate was 3.12 and 5.11% in the unsedated and sedated gastroscopy group, respectively (P<0.05). Also after stratification by sex, the GP detection rate was significantly higher in the sedated gastroscopy group (P<0.05). In addition, patients aged ≥20 years in the sedated gastroscopy group had a higher GP detection rate than those in the unsedated gastroscopy group (P<0.05). The incidence of cardiac, gastric fundus, gastric body and multiple-site GPs was significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). GPs ≤0.5 and >0.5 cm were more common in the sedated gastroscopy group than in the unsedated gastroscopy group (P<0.05). The common pathologic types of GPs were gastric fundus gland (52.27%) and hyperplastic polyps (34.74%). In conclusion, the GP detection rate may be improved by inhibition of gastric muscle cramping with sedation.

Artemisinin (Qinghaosu) and its semi-synthetic derivatives have been demonstrated to alleviate neuroinflammatory response in the central nerve system (CNS). In this review, we summarized that artemisinins are capable to treat neuroinflammtion-related CNS diseases in both direct (via regulating inflammatory process in the CNS, exerting anti-oxidative stress and neuroprotective effect, and preventing Aβ accumulation) and indirect (via maintaining BBB integrity, suppressing systemic inflammation and alleviating intestinal inflammtion) manner. However, the precise mechanism of their anti-neuroinflammatory effects and potential neurotoxicity, which hindered further progress in these aspects, remains unclear. We suggest that further understanding of the PK/PD properties and structure-action relationship of atemisinin and its derivatives will facilitate the development of new therapeutics with better curative effects and safety., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb-761) has been in use to treat variety of ailments including memory loss and emotional disorders usually experienced after ischemic stroke. However, data regarding its protective role in stroke associated motor dysfunction is scarce., Purpose: The present work was designed to investigate the long-term effects of EGb-761 on the motor dysfunctions associated with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) in rats., Study Design/methods: Focal ischemic stroke was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by pMCAO. These rats were orally administered with EGb-761 (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) and positive control butylphthalide (50 mg/kg) for up to 28 consecutive days. The motor function was evaluated by assessing neurological scores, rotarod performance and gait analysis after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. After 28 days, the histological examination of in frontal cortex and hippocampus was also carried out., Results: EGb-761 treatment significantly improved motor function with better outcome in coordination and gait impairment rats. EGb-761 (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) treatment for 28 days significantly decreased the neurological scores. After 28 days of treatment EGb-761 (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly increased the latency in rotarod test, walk speed, and the body rotation, whereas, decreased the stride time and the left posterior swing length in gait were observed. EGb-761 (50, 100 mg/kg). EGb-761 (50, 100 mg/kg) significantly improved the pathological changes related to pMCAO., Conclusions: EGb 761 could improve motor function especially gait impairments among pMCAO rat model related to the decreased neuronal damage. Therefore, it might be the potential to be explored further as an effective therapeutic drug to treat post stroke motor dysfunctions., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

A water-soluble polysaccharide, named KMCP, was isolated and purified from edible plant Ixeris polycephala by using DEAE-52 cellulose chromatography. Its structure was determined by chemical analysis, methylation analysis, and NMR analysis, coupled with characterization by scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM). The resulting data indicated that KMCP was an arabinogalactan, with an average molecular weight of 1.95×10 6 Da, which was mainly composed of arabinose and galactose in a relative molar ratio of 28.1% and 70.3%, respectively. The structure of KMPC was characterized as 72.5% of (1→4)-β-Galp residues interspersed with 27.5% of (1→4,6)-β-Galp residues in the main chain, and the branches were composed of (1→5)-α-Araf moieties or α-Araf (1→5) α-Araf (1→disaccharide moieties attached at O-6 of the (1→4,6)-β-Galp residues. KMCP was revealed to be capable of exhibiting macrophage-mediated innate immune responses via enhancing phagocytosis of macrophages and increasing production of NO, activating NF-κB signaling pathway and promoting the mice spleen cells proliferation in a dose-dependent manner within the test concentrations (10.0-200.0μg/mL). These results suggested that KMCP could potentially be an effective and safe immunomodulator valuable to be utilized in pharmacological fields or in the development of functional foods., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study assessed the potential of porous zirconia ceramic as an alternative to dentin via an in vitro dentin barrier cytotoxicity test., Methods: The permeability of dentin and porous zirconia ceramic was measured using a hydraulic-conductance system, and their permeability was divided into two groups: high and low. Using an in vitro dentin barrier test, the cytotoxicity of dental materials by dentin and porous zirconia ceramic was compared within the same permeability group. The L-929 cell viability was assessed by MTT assay., Results: The mean (SD) permeability of the high and low group for dentin was 0.334 (0.0873) and 0.147 (0.0377) μl min -1  cm -2  cm H 2 O -1 and for zirconia porous ceramic was 0.336 (0.0609) and 0.146 (0.0340) μl min -1  cm -2  cm H 2 O -1 . The cell viability of experimental groups which are the low permeability group was higher than that of the high permeability group for both dentin and porous zirconia ceramic as a barrier except for Maxcem Elite ™ by porous zirconia ceramic. There was no significant difference between dentin and porous zirconia ceramic in cell viability, within either the high or low permeability group for all materials. The SD for cell viability of the porous zirconia ceramic was less than that of the dentin, across all materials within each permeability group, except for Maxcem Elite ™ in the high permeability group., Conclusions: Porous zirconia ceramic, having similar permeability to dentin at the same thickness, can be used as an alternative to dentin for in vitro dentin barrier cytotoxicity tests., Clinical Relevance: In vitro dentin barrier cytotoxicity tests when a standardized porous zirconia ceramic was used as a barrier could be useful for assessing the potential toxicity of new dental materials applied to dentin before applying in clinical and may resolve the issue of procuring human teeth when testing proceeds.

Depression is a common, dysthymic, and psychiatric disorder, resulting in enormous social and economic burden. Dammarane sapogenins (DS), an active fraction from oriental ginseng, has shown antidepressant-like effects in chronic restraint rats and sleep interruption-induced mice, and the present study aimed to further confirm the antidepressant effects of DS in a model of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and to explore the underlying mechanism. Oral administration of DS (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) markedly improved depressant-like behaviors, increasing the sucrose intake in the sucrose preference test and reducing the latency in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, and decreasing the immobility time in both the tail suspension and forced swimming tests, compared with the CUMS mice. Biochemical analysis of brain tissue and serum showed that DS treatment restored the decreased hippocampal neurotransmitter concentrations of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and gamma-aminobutyric acid, and decreased the elevated of serum hormone levels (corticotrophin releasing factor, adrenocorticotrophic hormone, and corticosterone) induced by CUMS. Our findings confirm that DS exerts an antidepressant-like effect in the CUMS model of depression in mice, and suggest it may be mediated by regulation of neurotransmitters and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis., (Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a less invasive alternative approach to surgery. Individual randomized clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of TAVR were mostly underpowered for conducting separate analyses for women and men. We pooled data from premarket TAVR clinical trials comparing short (30 days)- and long-term (∼2 years) outcomes by sex., Methods: Patient-level data from the TAVR arms of six clinical trials were pooled (2515 patients). Random-effects models for time-to-event outcomes (odds ratios [ORs] for 30-day outcomes and hazard ratios [HRs] for complete follow-up for mortality, ischemic stroke, kidney injury, major bleeding, myocardial infarction, and device migration) and dichotomous outcomes (ORs for reintervention, rehospitalization, and pacemaker implantation) were then fit to directly compare outcomes between women and men., Results: Overall, the pattern of individual comorbidities was more severe in men. There was no difference in mortality risk at 30 days (female-to-male OR = 1.00 [0.69-1.46]); however, at follow-up completion (∼2 years post-TAVR), women had a 24% lower mortality risk than men (HR = 0.76 [95% CI: 0.65-0.89]). Women also had a 30% lower risk of kidney injury at 30 days (OR = 0.70 [0.49-0.98]), which increased to 33% over the complete follow-up period (HR = 0.67 [0.51-0.87]). Major bleeding was more common in women compared to men at both 30 days (OR = 1.44 [1.19-1.76]) and long-term follow-up (HR = 1.22 [1.04-1.43]). For dichotomous outcomes, women had a 68% lower risk for reinterventions (OR = 0.32 [0.18-0.58]). We did not observe any difference in the risk of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, device migration, rehospitalizations, or pacemaker implantations between sexes., Conclusions: This patient-level data meta-analysis of six premarket clinical trials found that women who received TAVR had fewer comorbidities at baseline. Acute outcomes (30 day) with respect to mortality were similar. Women were observed to have a lower risk of kidney injury, but higher risk of major bleeding compared to men receiving TAVR at 30 days. At complete follow-up, statistically significant advantages for women emerged in improved survival and lower reintervention risk. No differences in ischemic stroke, pacemaker implantation, or rehospitalization were observed. That women are healthier at baseline and develop fewer postprocedural complications than men may explain their higher survival.

A Gram-staining-negative, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain h337 T , was isolated from an arable soil sample of a tobacco field in Kunming, south-west China. The cells showed oxidase-positive and catalase-positive reactions. Growth was observed at 10-35 °C, at pH 6.0-9.0 and in the presence of up to 3 % (w/v) NaCl, with optimal growth at 30 °C, pH 7.0 and with 1-2 % (w/v) NaCl. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The major fatty acids were identified as iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and summed feature 4 (iso-C17 : 1 I and/or anteiso-C17 : 1 B). The cellular polar lipids contained phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingophospholipid, four unidentified phospholipids, five unidentified lipids and three unidentified aminophospholipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 41.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain h337 T should be assigned to the genus Sphingobacterium. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis showed that strain h337 T was most closely related to 'Sphingobacteriumyamdrokense' 3-0-1 (98.8 %) and Sphingobacteriumyanglingense CCNWSP36-1 T (98.5 %) and shared less than 97 % similarity with other species of the genus Sphingobacterium. DNA-DNA hybridization data indicated that the isolate represented a novel genomic species belonging to the genus Sphingobacterium. The characteristics determined in this polyphasic taxonomic study indicated that strain h337 T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacterium tabacisoli sp. nov. (type strain h337 T =KCTC 52298 T =CCTCC AB 2017155 T ) is proposed.

The quasi-static and ratcheting properties of trabecular bone were investigated by experiments and theoretical predictions. The creep tests with different stress levels were completed and it is found that both the creep strain and creep compliance increase rapidly at first and then increase slowly as the creep time goes by. With increase of compressive stress the creep strain increases and the creep compliance decreases. The uniaxial compressive tests show that the applied stress rate makes remarkable influence on the compressive behaviors of trabecular bone. The Young's modulus of trabecular bone increases with increase of stress rate. The stress-strain hysteresis loops of trabecular bone under cyclic load change from sparse to dense with increase of number of cycles, which agrees with the change trend of ratcheting strain. The ratcheting strain rate rapidly decreases at first, and then exhibits a relatively stable and small value after 50cycles. Both the ratcheting strain and ratcheting strain rate increase with increase of stress amplitude or with decrease of stress rate. The creep model and the nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model of trabecular bone were proposed and used to predict its creep property and rate-dependent compressive property. The results show that there are good agreements between the experimental data and predictions., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A phytochemical study on the aerial parts of Mikania micrantha led to the isolation of two new phenolic compounds, benzyl 5- O -β-d-glucopyranosyl-2,5-dihydroxybenzoate ( 1 ) and (7 S ,8 R )- threo -dihydroxydehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 9-acetate ( 2 ), together with twelve known compounds, benzyl 2- O -β-d-glucopyranosyl-2,6-dihydroxybenzoate ( 3 ), 4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol glucoside ( 4 ), (+)-isolariciresinol ( 5 ), icariol A₂ ( 6 ), 9,10-dihydroxythymol ( 7 ), 8,9,10-trihydroxythymol ( 8 ), caffeic acid ( 9 ), p -coumaric acid ( 10 ), ethyl protocatechuate ( 11 ), procatechuic aldehyde ( 12 ), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid ( 13 ), and hydroquinone ( 14 ). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. Except 8 and 9 , all the other compounds were isolated from this plant species for the first time. The antioxidant activity of those isolated compounds were evaluated using three different assays. Compounds 1 , 2 , 3 , 9 , 10 , 13 , and 14 demonstrated significant 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) free radical cation scavenging activity ranging from SC 50 0.31 to 4.86 µM, which were more potent than l-ascorbic acid (SC 50 = 10.48 µM). Compounds 5 , 9 , 11 , and 12 exhibited more potent 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (SC 50 = 16.24-21.67 µM) than l-ascorbic acid (39.48 µM). Moreover, the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of compounds 2 , 5 , 9 , and 11 were discovered to be also comparable to or even more potent than l-ascorbic acid., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Two new thymol derivatives, 7,9-diisobutyryloxy-8-ethoxythymol ( 1 ) and 7-acetoxy-8-methoxy-9-isobutyryloxythymol ( 2 ), were isolated from fresh roots of Ageratina adenophora , together with four known compounds, 7,9-di-isobutyryloxy-8-methoxythymol ( 3 ), 9-oxoageraphorone ( 4 ), (-)-isochaminic acid ( 5 ) and (1α,6α)-10-hydroxycar-3-ene-2-one ( 6 ). Their structures were established on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis, and they were all isolated from the roots of A. adenophora for the first time. All the compounds were tested for their in vitro antibacterial activity toward three Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacterial strains. Thymol derivatives 1 - 3 only selectively showed slight in vitro bacteriostatic activity toward three Gram-positive bacteria. The two known carene-type monoterpenes 5 and 6 were found to show moderate in vitro antibacterial activity against all five tested bacterial strains, with MIC values from 15.6 to 62.5 μg/mL. In addition, compounds 5 and 6 were further revealed to show in vitro cytotoxicity against human tumor A549, HeLa and HepG2 cell lines, with IC 50 values ranging from 18.36 to 41.87 μM. However, their cytotoxic activities were inferior to those of reference compound adriamycin.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Depression induce distressed emotional state and cognitive deficits simultaneously, which both should be improved in the treatment. Hemerocallis citrina Baroni (HC) is a traditional herbal medicine in Eastern-Asia areas and the total phenols extract of HC (HCPE) contains the main active ingredients. It has been reported that HC has the emotional improvement effect. But the cognitive effect of HC was seldom researched., Aim of the Study: We designed to evaluate the antidepressant and cognitive improvement effect of HCPE using a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model, and the potential mechanisms were explored by investigating the corticosterone (CORT), monoamine neurotansmitters, brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and oxidative stress., Materials and Methods: The depression rats were induced by CUMS procedures and treated with HCPE (10, 20, 40mg/kg/day, by gastric gavage). The antidepressant effect was evaluated by sucrose preference test, open field test and body weight, while the cognitive improvement was investigated using morris water maze test. Besides, the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in the hippocampus and frontal cortex were measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The serum CORT and BDNF in hippocampus were test using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The oxidative stress indicators in frontal cortex were also analyzed., Results: HCPE (40mg/kg) improved the emotion and cognition related behaviors in depression effectively. Moreover, HCPE increased the neurotransmitters concentration (5-HT, DA and NE) in the hippocampus and frontal cortex compared with CUMS rats. Meanwhile, the CUMS induced changes of serum corticosterone level and the hippocampus BDNF level were reversed. Besides, HCPE reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) in the frontal cortex of model rats., Conclusion: It suggested that HCPE could improve the depression-like emotional status and associated cognitive deficits in CUMS rats, which might be mediated by regulation of neurotransmitters and BDNF levels in brain, alleviation of corticosterone level as well as the alleviation of oxidative stress., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

In the present study, we investigated the effects of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4 on serum pro-inflammatory variables, immunologic variables, fluid balance (FB)-negative(-) rate and renal function in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients. From October, 2007 to November, 2008, a total of 120 SAP patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Fifty-nine patients in the HES group received 6% HES 130/0.4 combined with crystalloid solution for fluid resuscitation (HES group). In the control group, 61 patients received only crystalloid solution after admission. Interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels in serum were measured on days 1, 2, 4 and 8. The peripheral blood CD4 + CD8 + T lymphocyte rates, serum BUN and Cr values were also measured on days 1, 4 and 8. Patients with FB(-) rates were recorded from day 1 to 8. Interaction term analysis (hospital stay and fluid resuscitation methods) based on mixed-effects regression model revealed significantly lower levels of IL-1 and TNF-α in the HES group compared with the control group. The difference in curve's risk ratio was not significant for IL-6, CD4 + CD8 + T lymphocyte rate, BUN and Cr values (P>0.05). In the HES group, we detected a significantly higher rate of patients with FB(-) from day 4 to 8 (P<0.05). Thus, HES 130/0.4 resuscitation could decrease the IL-1 and IL-8 levels, shorten the duration of positive FB, and preserve the patient's immune status as well as renal function during the early phase of SAP.

Two new pentacyclic triterpene saponins, named akebiaoside K (1) and akebiaoside N (2), were isolated from the leaves of Akebia trifoliata, together with five known triterpenoids 3-7. They were all isolated from the leaves of A. trifoliata for the first time. Their structures were established by spectral and chemical means. Triterpenes 5 and 7 were found to show moderate in vitro cytotoxicity against human tumor A549, HeLa and HepG2 cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 0.023 to 0.038 mM. Triterpenes 5-7 were further revealed to show significant in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 values from 0.040 to 0.220 mM, making them more potent than the reference compound acarbose (IC50 0.409 mM). Meanwhile, no obvious inhibitory effects were observed for the isolated triterpene saponins 1-4 in both bioactivity assays.

Locally advanced pancreatic cancer is associated with a very poor prognosis. This study was performed to evaluate whether patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer benefit from (125)I seed implantation. This retrospective study included 224 patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, with 137 patients (61.2%) in the implantation (IP) group and 87 (38.9%) in the non-implantation (NIP) group. The survival status, complications and objective curative effects were compared between the groups. The average operative time in the IP group was significantly longer than that in the NIP group (243±51 vs. 214±77 min). The tumor response rates were 9.5% and 0 at the 2nd month after surgery in the IP and NIP groups, respectively (P<0.05). The IP group exhibited a trend toward pain relief at the 6th month after surgery. The global health status scores of the IP group were higher than those of the NIP group at the 3rd and 6th month after surgery. The median survival time in the IP group was significantly longer than that in the NIP group. In conclusion, patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer can benefit from (125)I seed implantation in terms of local tumor control, survival time, pain relief and quality of life.

This study aimed to examine the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) versus open laparotomy with temporary closure in the treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in patients with early-stage severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Clinical data of 212 patients who underwent PCD and 61 patients who were given open laparotomy with temporary closure in our hospital over the last 10-year period were retrospectively analyzed, and outcomes were compared, including total and post-decompression intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays, physiological data, organ dysfunction, complications, and mortality. The results showed that the organ dysfunction scores were similar between the PCD and open laparotomy groups 72 h after decompression. In the PCD group, 134 of 212 (63.2%) patients required postoperative ICU support versus 60 of 61 (98.4%) in the open laparotomy group (P<0.001). Additionally, 87 (41.0%) PCD patients experienced complications as compared to 49 of 61 (80.3%) in the open laparotomy group (P<0.001). There were 40 (18.9%) and 32 (52.5%) deaths, respectively, in the PCD and open laparotomy groups (P<0.001). In conclusion, minimally invasive PCD is superior to open laparotomy with temporary closure, with fewer complications and deaths occurring in PCD group.