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Aim of the Study: Cholestasis induces severe liver injury and subsequent liver fibrosis. However, a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between liver fibrosis and cholestasis-induced changes in metabolites in the gut and fibrotic liver tissue and in the gut microbiota is insufficient., Methods: Common bile duct ligation (BDL) was employed to establish a cholestatic liver fibrosis model in mice for 26 days. Fibrotic liver tissue and the gut contents were collected. Untargeted metabolomics was conducted for the determination of metabolites in the gut contents and liver tissues. Metagenomics was adopted to explore the gut microbiota., Results: The metabolites in the gut contents and liver tissues between normal and cholestatic liver fibrosis mice were highly distinct. Beta-alanine metabolism and glutathione metabolism were downregulated in the gut of the BDL group. Galactose metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and ABC transporters were upregulated in the gut and downregulated in the liver of the BDL group. Arginine biosynthesis, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and primary bile acid biosynthesis were downregulated in the gut and upregulated in the liver of the BDL group. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the alpha diversity of the microbiota in the BDL group decreased. The altered structure of the gut microbiota in the BDL group led to the hypofunction of important metabolic pathways (such as folate biosynthesis, histidine metabolism, thiamine metabolism, biotin metabolism, and phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis) and enzymes (such as NADH, DNA helicase, and DNA-directed DNA polymerase). Correlation analyses indicated that certain gut microbes were associated with gut and liver metabolites., Conclusions: Untargeted metabolomics and metagenomics provided comprehensive information on gut and liver metabolism and gut microbiota in mice with cholestatic liver fibrosis. Therefore, significantly altered bacteria and metabolites may help provide some targets against cholestatic liver fibrosis in the future., 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 © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The fermionic Hubbard model (FHM) 1 describes a wide range of physical phenomena resulting from strong electron-electron correlations, including conjectured mechanisms for unconventional superconductivity. Resolving its low-temperature physics is, however, challenging theoretically or numerically. Ultracold fermions in optical lattices 2,3 provide a clean and well-controlled platform offering a path to simulate the FHM. Doping the antiferromagnetic ground state of a FHM simulator at half-filling is expected to yield various exotic phases, including stripe order 4 , pseudogap 5 , and d-wave superfluid 6 , offering valuable insights into high-temperature superconductivity 7-9 . Although the observation of antiferromagnetic correlations over short 10 and extended distances 11 has been obtained, the antiferromagnetic phase has yet to be realized as it requires sufficiently low temperatures in a large and uniform quantum simulator. Here we report the observation of the antiferromagnetic phase transition in a three-dimensional fermionic Hubbard system comprising lithium-6 atoms in a uniform optical lattice with approximately 800,000 sites. When the interaction strength, temperature and doping concentration are finely tuned to approach their respective critical values, a sharp increase in the spin structure factor is observed. These observations can be well described by a power-law divergence, with a critical exponent of 1.396 from the Heisenberg universality class 12 . At half-filling and with optimal interaction strength, the measured spin structure factor reaches 123(8), signifying the establishment of an antiferromagnetic phase. Our results provide opportunities for exploring the low-temperature phase diagram of the FHM., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

We report on the observation of photoassociation resonances in ultracold collisions between ^{23}Na^{40}K molecules and ^{40}K atoms. We perform photoassociation in a long-wavelength optical dipole trap to form deeply bound triatomic molecules in electronically excited states. The atom-molecule Feshbach resonance is used to enhance the free-bound Franck-Condon overlap. The photoassociation into well-defined quantum states of excited triatomic molecules is identified by observing resonantly enhanced loss features. These loss features depend on the polarization of the photoassociation lasers, allowing us to assign rotational quantum numbers. The observation of ultracold atom-molecule photoassociation resonances paves the way toward preparing ground-state triatomic molecules, provides a new high-resolution spectroscopy technique for polyatomic molecules, and is also important to atom-molecule Feshbach resonances.

Elevated blood pressure is highly prevalent among dialysis patients and is associated with high mortality. Irisin is a newly found myokine that has been indicated to be related to blood pressure regulation in animal experiments. Data regarding the effect of serum irisin levels on blood pressure in dialysis patients are limited. To identify the association between serum irisin levels and blood pressure and examine determinant factors of systolic blood pressure in dialysis patients, we recruited 300 dialysis patients at Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University. Serum irisin levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Blood pressure was self-measured on 7 consecutive days by an automated sphygmomanometer. The Pearson correlation test showed that the natural logarithm of irisin was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (r = -0.462, P < 0.001) and pulse pressure (r = -0.487, P < 0.001), but not correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.022, P = 0.709). Multivariate analysis revealed that the natural logarithm of irisin (β = -0.336, P < 0.001), lean tissue mass (β = 0.164, P = 0.005), diabetes mellitus (β = 0.165, P = 0.003) and serum calcium (β = -0.135, P = 0.019) were significant determinant factors for systolic blood pressure. This study is the first to demonstrate that serum irisin levels are significantly negatively associated with blood pressure in dialysis patients. Further studies are needed to provide possible mechanisms. We demonstrated that serum irisin levels were negatively associated with blood pressure in dialysis patients, which may provide a new target for antihypertensive treatment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japanese Society of Hypertension.)

This study aimed to assess the effect of parasternal intercostal block on postoperative wound infection, pain, and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and Wanfang databases were extensively queried using a computer, and randomised controlled studies (RCTs) from the inception of each database to July 2023 were sought using keywords in English and Chinese language. Literature quality was assessed using Cochrane-recommended tools, and the included data were collated and analysed using Stata 17.0 software for meta-analysis. Ultimately, eight RCTs were included. Meta-analysis revealed that utilising parasternal intercostal block during cardiac surgery significantly reduced postoperative wound pain (standardised mean difference [SMD] = -1.01, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: -1.70 to -0.31, p = 0.005) and significantly shortened hospital stay (SMD = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.77 to -0.04, p = 0.029), though it may increase the risk of wound infection (OR = 5.03, 95% CI:0.58-44.02, p = 0.144); however, the difference was not statistically significant. The application of parasternal intercostal block during cardiac surgery can significantly reduce postoperative pain and shorten hospital stay. This approach is worth considering for clinical implementation. Decisions regarding its adoption should be made in conjunction with the relevant clinical indices and surgeon's experience., (© 2023 The Authors. International Wound Journal published by Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: Observational studies suggested that peripheral blood eosinophils were associated with the risk of nasal polyps. However, these studies did not confirm the causality. This study aims to apply Mendelian randomization (MR) method to comprehensively assess the potential causal association between peripheral blood eosinophils and nasal polyps., Methods: Genetic instrumental variables were extracted from the largest available genome-wide association study (GWAS) of European participants, which were used to investigate the relationship between peripheral blood eosinophils and nasal polyps. The inverse variance weighted method, the MR Egger method, and the weighted median method were applied for this analysis. MR-Egger intercept tests, leave-one-out analyses, and funnel plots were performed for the sensitivity analysis., Results: With the inverse variance weighted method, the MR analysis suggested that there was a significant difference between peripheral blood eosinophils and the risk of nasal polyps (ukb-a-97, OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.003-1.005, p < 0.001; ukb-a-541, OR 1.005, 95% CI 1.004-1.006, p < 0.001; ukb-b-7211, OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.003-1.005, p < 0.001; ukb-b-8425, OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.003-1.005, p < 0.001; finn-b-J10&#95;NASALPOLYP, OR 3.089, 95% CI 2.537-3.761, p < 0.001). Consistent results were also proved by using the weighted median method and the MR Egger method., Conclusions: Our findings reveal the causal effect of peripheral blood eosinophils on the increased risk of nasal polyps., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To screen the pivotal genes involved in the occurrence and development of HBV-associated HCC. Additionally, perform validation and biological function analysis to evaluate changes in the expression of pivotal genes and their prognostic value in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: The GSE121248 gene expression profile data of HBV-HCC patients were searched and downloaded from the GEO database. The R language was used to compare the differences in gene expression between hepatocellular carcinoma and paracancerous tissues. KEGG and GO function enrichment analyses were performed on the differential genes. PPI plots and pivotal gene screening were carried out through online tools like STRING and Cytoscape software. 369 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and 160 healthy controls in TCGA and GTEx were used as validation cohorts to verify the expression levels of the pivotal genes. A Kaplan-Meier plot was drawn to evaluate the prognostic value of the pivotal gene. Results: A total of 120 differentially expressed genes were screened, of which 89 were up-regulated and 31 were down-regulated. Differential genes were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathways related to retinol metabolism, cytochrome P450 metabolism, and the p53 signaling pathway. The top 10 differential genes were selected as pivotal genes by the Cytoscape plug-in cytoHubba. There were significant differences in the expression levels of four types of CCNB1, CDK1, RRM2, and TOP2A genes in the validation cohort. All four types of genes were up-regulated. Survival analysis showed that patients with elevated expression levels of four genes had a poorer prognosis, with statistical differences in results. Conclusion: Four types of genes, CCNB1, CDK1, RRM2, and TOP2A, have high expression levels in patients with HBV-HCC and are correlated to shorter survival times, making them a potential target for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

Importance: Liquid biopsy has emerged as a complement to tumor tissue profiling for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The optimal way to integrate liquid biopsy into the diagnostic algorithm for patients with newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC remains unclear., Objective: To evaluate the use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) genotyping before tissue diagnosis among patients with suspected advanced NSCLC and its association with time to treatment., Design, Setting, and Participants: This single-group nonrandomized clinical trial was conducted among 150 patients at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre-University Health Network (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) between July 1, 2021, and November 30, 2022. Patients referred for investigation and diagnosis of lung cancer were eligible if they had radiologic evidence of advanced lung cancer prior to a tissue diagnosis., Interventions: Patients underwent plasma ctDNA testing with a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay before lung cancer diagnosis. Diagnostic biopsy and tissue NGS were performed per standard of care., Main Outcome and Measures: The primary end point was time from referral to treatment initiation among patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC using ctDNA testing before diagnosis (ACCELERATE [Accelerating Lung Cancer Diagnosis Through Liquid Biopsy] cohort). This cohort was compared with a reference cohort using standard tissue genotyping after tissue diagnosis., Results: Of the 150 patients (median age at diagnosis, 68 years [range, 33-91 years]; 80 men [53%]) enrolled, 90 (60%) had advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. The median time to treatment was 39 days (IQR, 27-52 days) for the ACCELERATE cohort vs 62 days (IQR, 44-82 days) for the reference cohort (P < .001). Among the ACCELERATE cohort, the median turnaround time from sample collection to genotyping results was 7 days (IQR, 6-9 days) for plasma and 23 days (IQR, 18-28 days) for tissue NGS (P < .001). Of the 90 patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC, 21 (23%) started targeted therapy before tissue NGS results were available, and 11 (12%) had actionable alterations identified only through plasma testing., Conclusions and Relevance: This nonrandomized clinical trial found that the use of plasma ctDNA genotyping before tissue diagnosis among patients with suspected advanced NSCLC was associated with accelerated time to treatment compared with a reference cohort undergoing standard tissue testing., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04863924.

Background: The characteristics of and relationship between sleep apnoea and hypoventilation in patients with muscular dystrophy (MD) remain to be fully understood., Methods: We analysed 104 in-laboratory sleep studies of 73 patients with MD with five common types (DMD-Duchenne, Becker MD, CMD-congenital, LGMD-limb-girdle and DM-myotonic dystrophy). We used generalised estimating equations to examine differences among these types for outcomes., Results: Patients in all five types had high risk of sleep apnoea with 53 of the 73 patients (73%) meeting the diagnostic criteria in at least one study. Patients with DM had higher risk of sleep apnoea compared with patients with LGMD (OR=5.15, 95% CI 1.47 to 18.0; p=0.003). Forty-three per cent of patients had hypoventilation with observed prevalence higher in CMD (67%), DMD (48%) and DM (44%). Hypoventilation and sleep apnoea were associated in those patients (unadjusted OR=2.75, 95% CI 1.15 to 6.60; p=0.03), but the association weakened after adjustment (OR=2.32, 95% CI 0.92 to 5.81; p=0.08). In-sleep average heart rate was about 10 beats/min higher in patients with CMD and DMD compared with patients with DM (p=0.0006 and p=0.02, respectively, adjusted for multiple testing)., Conclusion: Sleep-disordered breathing is common in patients with MD but each type has its unique features. Hypoventilation was only weakly associated with sleep apnoea; thus, high clinical suspicion is needed for diagnosing hypoventilation. Identifying the window when respiratory muscle weakness begins to cause hypoventilation is important for patients with MD; it enables early intervention with non-invasive ventilation-a therapy that should both lengthen the expected life of these patients and improve its quality.Cite Now., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: Previous trials demonstrated the effectiveness of exercise in improving pain and functional impairment in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, a bibliometric analysis of top-cited papers on exercise treatment for KOA has not yet been conducted. The aim of the present study was to critically analyze the bibliometric characteristics of the most frequently cited articles on exercise treatment for KOA., Materials and Methods: Publications about exercise treatment for KOA from 2000 to 2021 were searched from the Web of Science database. Two authors independently collected 100 top-cited articles, and a consensus was reached to form the final list. The title, journal, author, year of publication, country and institution of origin, total citations, citations in 2021, main topics, research nature, and level of evidence were extracted, and the publication trends in exercise treatment for KOA were evaluated., Results: A total of 1,258 papers were retrieved from the database. According to the final list, clinical research accounted for 81% of the studies, but no statistical difference in the number of citations was found among the four types of articles (p=0.194). Seventy articles had a level of evidence of Ib, and no statistical differences in citations were found per level of evidence (p=0.767). Most of the top-cited articles were published between 2005-2014, and Dr Messier was the prominent writer in this field., Conclusions: This bibliometric study is the first to identify the most cited papers in exercise treatment for KOA research. Traditional Chinese exercise, comorbidity, and exercise adherence may be the next popular research trends that will receive more attention in the future.

Objective: To confirm the improvement of cardiac function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) via Chinese medicine (CM) Qishen Taohong Granule (, QTG)., Methods: This study was a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Seventy-six patients from 27 to 84 years old diagnosed with CHF New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II or III in stage C were enrolled and randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive QTG or trimetazidine (TMZ), in addition to their standard medications for the treatment of CHF. The study period was 4 weeks. The primary outcomes included cardiac function evaluated by NYHA classification and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), as well as QOL evaluated by CHF Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Survival Scale (CHFQLS). The secondary outcomes included 6-min walking test (6MWT), CM syndrome score, symptom and sign scores and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). All indices were measured at baseline and the end of the trial., Results: At the 4-week follow-up period, the effective rate according to NYHA classification in the QTG group was better than that in the TMZ group (74.29% vs. 54.29%, P<0.05). But there was no significant difference in post-treatment level of LVEF between the two groups (P>0.05). The CHFQLS scores improved by 13.82±6.04 vs. 7.49±2.28 in the QTG and TMZ groups, respectively (P<0.05). Subgroup analysis of the CHFQLS results showed that physiological function, role limitation and vitality were significantly higher in the QTG group than in the TMZ group (15.76±7.85 vs. 7.40±3.36, P<0.05; 16.00±8.35 vs. 10.53±4.64, P<0.05; 15.31±8.09 vs. 7.89±4.60, P<0.05). Compared with TMZ group, treatment with QTG also demonstrated superior performance with respect to 6MWT, CM syndrome, shortness of breath, fatigue, gasping, general edema and NT-proBNP level. No significant adverse reactions or adverse cardiac events occurred during treatment in either group., Conclusion: In addition to conventional treatments, the use of QTG as an adjuvant therapy significantly improved cardiac function and QOL in patients with CHF class II or III in stage C. [Registration No. ChiCTR1900022036 (retrospectively registered)]., (© 2020. The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Prostatitis is a common disease in adult males, with characteristics of a poor treatment response and easy recurrence, which seriously affects the patient's quality of life. The prostate is located deep in the pelvic cavity, and thus a traditional infusion or other treatment methods are unable to easily act directly on the prostate, leading to poor therapeutic effects. Therefore, the development of new diagnostic and treatment strategies has become a research hotspot in the field of prostatitis treatment. In recent years, nanomaterials have been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of various infectious diseases. Nanotechnology is a promising tool for 1) the accurate diagnosis of diseases; 2) improving the targeting of drug delivery systems; 3) intelligent, controlled drug release; and 4) multimode collaborative treatment, which is expected to be applied in the diagnosis and treatment of prostatitis. Nanotechnology is attracting attention in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of prostatitis. However, as a new research area, systematic reviews on the application of nanomaterials in the diagnosis and treatment of prostatitis are still lacking. In this mini-review, we will highlight the treatment approaches for and challenges associated with prostatitis and describe the advantages of functional nanoparticles in improving treatment effectiveness and overcoming side effects., 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 Liu, Chen, Ye, He, Dang, Li, Wang, Ren, Fan and Liu.)

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an effective revascularization strategy in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, recent studies had indicated that postPCI patients usually suffer from a low-quality life. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been recommended by numerous guidelines in the clinic for these patients. And Baduanjin exercise can significantly benefit patients with CHD. Regrettably, the effect of Baduanjin exercise on postPCI patients is still not clear. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis protocol is planned to explore the effect of Baduanjin exercise in patients with CHD who have undergone PCI., Methods: PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang Database, SINOMED, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure will be searched for appropriate articles from respective inceptions until December 1th, 2020. Two reviewers will independently conduct article selection, data collection, and risk of bias evaluation. Disagreements will be resolved first by discussion and then by consulting a third author for arbitration. The primary outcome will include left ventricular ejection fraction. And the change in the scores on the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, SF-36 health survey scale, Zung Self-rating Anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale will be used as the secondary outcomes. RevMan 5.3 will be used for meta-analysis., Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis will explore whether Baduanjin exercise is an effective intervention in postPCI patients., Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis will provide convincing evidence of Baduanjin exercise that specifically focuses on CR of Baduanjin exercise on CHD after PCI., Registration Number: INPLASY202130065., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

To explore the ecotoxicity of Cu 2 O nanoparticles (NPs) on plant roots, the effects of Cu 2 O-NPs with different concentrations of 10, 50, 100 and 200 mg·L -1 on the seedling growth, root morphology, and cytogenetic toxicity of wheat 'Zhoumai 18' ( Triticum aestivum Zhoumai 18) were examined in a hydroponic experiment. The results showed that Cu 2 O-NPs inhibited the growth of wheat seedlings. Cu 2 O-NPs reduced root and shoot lengths, fresh weights of shoot and root, root relative activity and ratio of root to shoot of wheat seedlings, but increased primary root number. Furthermore, with the increases of Cu 2 O-NPs concentrations, the root elongation zone shortened and the root became hard and brittle, while the average diameter of roots increased. Under the concentration of 100 mg·L -1 Cu 2 O-NPs, the mitotic index significantly decreased, and vacuolization, plasma membrane detachment, chromosomal abnormality occurred in the root tip cell. In conclusion, Cu 2 O-NPs are genotoxic to wheat seedlings, with consequences on the growth and development of wheat seedlings and root morphology.

Keratins (KRTs), the intermediate filament-forming proteins of epithelial cells, are extensively used as diagnostic biomarkers in cancers and associated with tumorigenesis and metastasis in multiple cancers. However, the diverse expression patterns and prognostic values of KRTs in melanoma have yet to be elucidated. In the current study, we examined the transcriptional and clinical data of KRTs in patients with melanoma from GEO, TCGA, ONCOMINE, GEPIA, cBioPortal, TIMER and TISIDB databases. We found that the mRNA levels of KRT1/2/5/6/8/10/14/15/16/17 were significantly differential expressed between primary melanoma and metastatic melanoma. The expression levels of KRT1/2/5/6/10/14/15/16/17 were correlated with advanced tumor stage. Survival analysis revealed that the high transcription levels of KRT1/5/6/14/15/16/17 were associated with low overall survival in melanoma patients. GSEA analysis indicated that the most involved hallmarks pathways were P53 pathway, KRAS signaling, estrogen response early and estrogen response late. Furthermore, we found some correlations among the expression of KRTs and the infiltration of immune cells. Our study may provide novel insights for the selection of prognostic biomarkers for melanoma.

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tkis) have dramatically improved the survival of patients with ALK -rearranged ( ALK +) non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc). Clinical trial data can generally compare drugs in a pair-wise fashion. Real-world collection of health utility data, symptoms, and toxicities allows for the direct comparison between multiple tki therapies in the population with ALK + nsclc., Methods: In a prospective cohort study, outpatients with ALK + recruited between 2014 and 2018, treated with a variety of tkis, were assessed every 3 months for clinico-demographic, patient-reported symptom and toxicity data and EQ-5D-derived health utility scores (hus)., Results: In 499 longitudinal encounters of 76 patients with ALK + nsclc, each tki had stable longitudinal hus when disease was controlled, even after months to years: the mean overall hus for each tki ranged from 0.805 to 0.858, and longitudinally from 0.774 to 0.912, with higher values associated with second- or third-generation tkis of alectinib, brigatinib, and lorlatinib. Disease progression was associated with a mean hus decrease of 0.065 (95% confidence interval: 0.02 to 0.11). Health utility scores were inversely correlated to multiple symptoms or toxicities: rho values ranged from -0.094 to -0.557. Fewer symptoms and toxicities were associated with the second- and third-generation tkis compared with crizotinib. In multivariable analysis, only stable disease state and baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status were associated with improved hus., Conclusions: There was no significant decrease in hus when patients with ALK + disease were treated longitudinally with each tki, as long as patients were clinically stable. Alectinib, brigatinib, and lorlatinib had the best toxicity profiles and exhibited high mean hus longitudinally in the real-world setting., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES We have read and understood Current Oncology’s policy on disclosing conflicts of interest, and we declare the following interests: GL has received honoraria or research funding from Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda. AGS is a consultant or advisor, has received honoraria, or has participated in clinical trials with AstraZeneca, Amgen, Merck, Pfizer, Bayer, Genentech–Roche, KisoJi Biotechnology, Bristol Myers Squibb, Tesaro, Spectrum, and GlaxoSmithKline. The remaining authors have no conflicts to disclose., (2020 Multimed Inc.)

Interleukin (IL)-11 is a multifunctional cytokine that exerts a series of important immunomodulatory effects and exists in many tissues and cells. A 1106-bp nucleotide sequence representing the complete cDNA of IL-11 was obtained from large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 603 bp encoding for 200 amino acids (aa). The predicted LcIL-11 protein included a 12aa signal peptide and a conserved IL-11 domain. The polypeptide sequence identities between LcIL-11 and its counterparts in mammals and other fish are from 84% to 92% with known fish IL-11a and 22%-27% with fish IL-11b. LcIL-11 mRNA existed in most tissues with the most predominant expression in the gill. After immune challenge, the expression levels of LcIL-11 were induced largely in vivo and in vitro, with the peak-value of 32 times as much as the control in the liver at 24 h after Vibrio parahaemolyticus injection (p < 0.05) and the greatest value of 13.9 times as much as the control in LCK cells at 12 h after poly I:C stimulation (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the overexpression vector pcDNA3.1-LcIL-11 was constructed and transfected to LCK cells. Our results showed that the transcriptional expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and myxovirus resistant protein (Mx) significantly up-regulated in LCK cells after LcIL-11 overexpression (p < 0.05). However, no significant changes of IL-1β, janus kinase (JAK)2 and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)5 was detected. Our finding indicated that LcIL-11 might enhance TNF-α and antiviral protein Mx expression in large yellow croaker., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Natural resistance associated macrophage protein genes (Nramp) is one of the important candidate genes responsible for regulating immune response against pathogen infection. The aim of the present was to quantify expression of Nramp gene in response to pathogen infection. Here, a Nramp was identified and molecularly characterized from Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (PfNramp). The obtained 3134 bp cDNA fragment of PfNramp comprised a 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of 81 bp, a 3'-UTR of 1403 bp and an open reading frame (ORF) of 1650 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 549 amino acids that contained a typical structural features of Nramp domain (Pfam01566). BLAST analysis exhibited that PfNramp shared sequence similarity to other organisms, in particular to Ictalurus furcatus (92%), Danio rerio (82%), and Homo sapiens (77%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PfNramp is close to Teleostei. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that PfNramp was expressed in all examined tissues, with the highest abundance in liver. The mRNA expression of PfNramp was remarkably increased at different time points after lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (poly I:C) challenge. These results suggest that PfNramp is an inducible protein in the innate immune reactions of P. fulvidraco and probably in other fish species., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Plant viral diseases cause tremendous decreases in yield and quality. Natural polycyclic compounds such as those containing carbocycles are often very important lead compounds for drug and pesticide development. Tricyclic spiranoid lactones with 5 A 5 B 6 C -ring fusion topologies possess various bioactivities. In this study, 33 new 5 A 5 B 6 C tricyclic spirolactones were rationally designed, synthesized, characterized and evaluated for antiviral activities., Result: These compounds showed no apparent toxicity against Italian honeybees up to 2.73 µg bee -1 . Spirolactones 14, 16, 19, 23 and 28 at a concentration of 100 µg mL -1 inactivated 90% of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection, making these compounds much more potent than the positive controls. Significantly, compound 19 displayed the best inactivation activity causing inhibition of up to 98%., Conclusion: The results of the bioassays and QSAR studies indicated that the carbon-containing cyclic moiety was the antiviral pharmacophore, and derivative 19, which showed the best inactivation activity, could emerge as a potential antiviral agent against TMV. In vitro capsid protein (CP) assembly and TMV assembly inhibition determinations indicated that these compounds induced crosslinking in the TMV and prevented its uncoating, which was a putative new mode of action for TMV inactivation. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.)

3,4-Dichloroisothiazoles can induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR) to enhance plant resistance against a subsequent pathogen attack, and oxathiapiprolin exhibits excellent anti-fungal activity against oomycetes targeting at the oxysterol-binding protein. To discover novel chemicals with systemic acquired resistance and fungicidal activity, 21 novel isothiazole-thiazole derivatives were designed, synthesized and characterized according to the active compound derivatization method. Compound 6u, with EC 50 values of 0.046 mg L -1 and 0.20 mg L -1 against Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk. et Curt.) Rostov and Phytophthora infestans in vivo , might act at the same target as oxysterol binding protein (PcORP1) of oxathiapiprolin; this result was validated by cross-resistance and molecular docking studies. The expression of the systemic acquired resistance gene pr1 was significantly up-regulated after treating with compound 6u for 24 h (43-fold) and 48 h (122-fold). These results can help the development of isothiazole-thiazole-based novel fungicides., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Ultra-weak bioluminescence (UWL) is a physiological phenomenon widely existing in all the biological activities including human, animals, plants, etc., which reflects the energy metabolism of the organism. Since the last century, ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) has been applied to the study of the essence of meridians and acupoints of traditional Chinese medicine and obtained some results as the higher luminescence characteristics, but many problems remain unsolved due to the limitation of detection technology. In recent years, along with the development of bioluminescence signal acquiring system and imaging system, we are able to further explore the characteristics and biological mechanisms of UWL of acupuncture points and meridians in the human body. We proposed to study changes of ultra-weak luminous intensity of acupuncture points and meridians before and after needling stimulation, and the delayed effect of UPE phenomenon, etc., trying to reveal their regularities and essence. In this paper, the prospect of application of UPE to acupuncture research is also discussed by combining newly acquired results of some biological substances of acupoints in experimental studies.

An efficient, convenient short synthetic procedure for the synthesis of the intricate 5 A 5 B 6 C -ring fusion topologies of tricyclic spiranoid β-hydroxybutyrolactones through lactonization of the key intermediate trans-α-hydroxyindenones with malonates is described. All the compounds synthesized exhibited environmentally benign characteristics, moderate fungicidal, nematocidal, and anti-TMV activities.

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: There are no conflicts of interest for any of the authors. No funding was received for this work.

Aim: To report the clinical results of iontophoresis-assisted epithelium-on corneal crosslinking (I-CXL) using 0.1% riboflavin in distilled water for progressive keratoconus., Methods: In this prospective clinical study, we examined 94 eyes of 75 patients with progressive keratoconus who were treated with I-CXL using 0.1% riboflavin in distilled water. Best correct visual acuity (BCVA), Scheimpflug tomography, corneal topography, anterior segment optical coherence tomography, intraocular pressure, and endothelial cell density were evaluated at baseline and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24mo after I-CXL., Results: After 24mo I-CXL, compared to the level at baseline, BCVA significantly improved 0.14±0.07 ( P =0.010); mean keratometry signifi-cantly decreased 0.72±1.97 ( P =0.021); maximum keratometry significantly reduced 2.30±5.01 ( P =0.014); central keratoconus index significantly reduced 0.04±0.08 ( P =0.007). The demarcation line was visible in 83.1% of eyes at 1mo after treatment, with a depth of 298.95±51.97 µm, and gradually indistinguishable. One eye had repeat treatment. Intraocular pressure and endothelial cell density did not change significantly., Conclusion: I-CXL using 0.1% riboflavin halts keratoconus progression within 24mo, resulting in a significant improvement in visual and topographic parameters. Moreover, the depth of the demarcation line is similar to that previously reported in standard epithelium-off CXL procedures.

As crucial signaling transducer in Toll-like receptor (TLR) and interleukin (IL)-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling pathway, IL-1R-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) mediates downstream signaling cascades and plays important roles in innate and adaptive immune responses. In the present study, an IRAK4 orthologue was characterized from large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), named Lc-IRAK4, with a conservative N-terminal death domain and a C-terminal protein kinase domain. The genome of Lc-IRAK4 is structured into eleven exons and ten introns. Expression analysis indicated that Lc-IRAK4 was widely expressed in tested tissues, with the highest level in liver and weakest in muscle. Additionally, in the spleen, liver tissues and blood, it could be induced by poly I:C and LPS stimulation, but not be induced by Vibrio parahemolyticus infection. Fluorescence microscopy assays revealed that Lc-IRAK4 localized in the cytoplasm in HEK 293T cells. It was also determined that Lc-IRAK4 could interact with MyD88, whereas MyD88-mediated NF-κB activation was significantly impaired when co-transfected the two in HEK 293T cells. These findings collectively indicated that although Lc-IRAK4 was evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates, the exact function especially the signaling transduction mediated by IRAK4 in fish immune response was different from that in mammals, which impaired MyD88-mediated NF-κB activation., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Strobilurin fungicides play a crucial role in protecting plants against different pathogens and securing food supplies. A series of 1,2,3-thiadiazole and thiazole-based strobilurins were rationally designed, synthesized, characterized, and tested against various fungi. Introduction of 1,2,3-thiadiazole greatly improved the fungicidal activity of the target molecules. Compounds 8a, 8c, 8d, and 10i exhibited a relatively broad spectrum of fungicidal activity. Compound 8a showed excellent activities against Gibberella zeae, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Rhizoctonia cerealis with median effective concentrations (EC 50 ) of 2.68, 0.44, and 0.01 μg/mL, respectively; it was much more active than positive controls enestroburin, kresoxim-methyl, and azoxystrobin with EC 50 between 0.06 and 15.12 μg/mL. Comparable or better fungicidal efficacy of compound 8a compared with azoxystrobin and trifloxystrobin against Sphaerotheca fuliginea and Pseudoperonspera cubensis was validated in cucumber fields at the same application dosages. Therefore, compound 8a is a promising fungicidal candidate worthy of further development.

Stated preference method is usually used to evaluate the non-market value of environmental goods which includes contingent valuation method (CVM) and choice experiments (CE). In this paper, stated preference method was adopted to evaluate the non-market value of Sanjiang Plain wetland. A willingness to pay (WTP) evaluation model of stated preference method was constructed based on the random utility theory. The average WTP of CVM and CE was obtained, respectively. The average WTP elicited by CE was 379 yuan per year, and the marginal WTPs of different selection properties including water conservation, wetland area, natural landscape and biodiversity were114.00, 72.55, 59.55 and 37.09 yuan per year, respectively. Meanwhile, the average WTP elicited by CVM was 134 yuan per year. The influence of factors on WTP was analyzed and reasons for protest responses were discussed. Results showed that the respondents' WTP elicited by CE was signi-ficantly higher than that by CVM, and respondents' socio-economic attitudes such as level of education and personal annual income had a significant positive impact on respondents' WTP. There were no significant difference in the reasons of protest responses between CVM and CE. Besides, respondents' multiple attributes and multiple levels analysis could be carried out by CE and the WTP of wetland's selection attributes could be calculated. Therefore, CE had the better ability of revealing respondents' preference information than CVM and its assessment results were more close to the actual value.

Objective To identify the pathogenic variant responsible for restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) in a Chinese family.Methods Next generation sequencing was used for detecting the mutation and Results verified by sequencing. We used restriction enzyme digestion to test the mutation in the family members and 200 unrelated normal subjects without any cardiac inherited diseases when the mutation was identified.Results Five individuals died from cardiac diseases, two of whom suffered from sudden cardiac death. Two individuals have suffered from chronic cardiac disorders. Mutation analysis revealed a novel missense mutation in exon 7 of troponin I type 3 (TNNI3), resulting in substitution of serine (S) with proline (P) at amino acid position 150, which cosegregated with the disease in the family, which is predicted to be probably damaging using PolyPhen-2. The mutation was not detected in the 200 unrelated subjects we tested.Conclusion Using next generation sequencing, which has very recently been shown to be successful in identifying novel causative mutations of rare Mendelian disorders, we found a novel mutation of TNNI3 in a Chinese family with RCM.

Aim: To evaluate the enrichment of riboflavin in the corneal stroma after intracameral injection to research the barrier ability of the corneal endothelium to riboflavin in vivo., Methods: The right eyes of 30 New Zealand white rabbits were divided into three groups. Different concentrations riboflavin-balanced salt solutions (BSS) were injected into the anterior chamber (10 with 0.5%, 10 with 1%, and 10 with 2%). Eight corneal buttons of 8.5 mm in diameter from each group were dissected at 30min after injection and the riboflavin concentrations in the corneal stroma were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after removing the epithelium and endothelium. The other two rabbits in every group were observed for 24h and sacrificed. As a comparison, the riboflavin concentrations from 16 corneal stromal samples were determined using HPLC after instillation of 0.1% riboflavin-BSS solution for 30min on the corneal surface (8 without epithelium and 8 with intact epithelium)., Results: The mean riboflavin concentrations were 11.19, 18.97, 25.08, 20.18, and 1.13 µg/g for 0.5%, 1%, 2%, de-epithelialzed samples, and the transepithelial groups, respectively. The color change of the corneal stroma and the HPLC results showed that enrichment with riboflavin similar to classical de-epithelialized corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) could be achieved by intracameral 1% riboflavin-BSS solution after 30min; the effect appeared to be continuous for at least 30min., Conclusion: Riboflavin can effectively penetrate the corneal stroma through the endothelium after an intracameral injection in vivo, so it could be an enhancing method that could improve the corneal riboflavin concentration in transepithelial CXL.

Fish is highly affected by many environmental stresses such as temperature and invasive infection. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, part of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, is found to act as crucial mediators for cell differentiation, proliferation and cell response to various stresses. In the present study, ERK2 (LcERK2) and ERK5 (LcERK2) were cloned and characterized from large yellow croaker, Larimichthys crocea. The full length cDNA sequence of LcERK2 was of 1910 bp, including an ORF of 1110bp encoding a polypeptide of 369 amino acids. The full length cDNA sequence of LcERK5 was of 3720bp, including an ORF of 3375bp encoding a polypeptide of 1124 amino acids. Multiple alignments showed that both LcERK2 and LcERK5 contained highly conserved TEY motif and S&#95;TKc domain in MAPK family and the unique catalytic and active structures of ERK2 and ERK5. Subcellular localization revealed that both LcERK2 and LcERK5 expressed in the cytoplasm and cell nucleus. The expression of LcERK2 and LcERK5 were detected in most tissues of large yellow croaker, with the most predominant expression of LcERK2 in brain and LcERK5 in gill, and the weakest expression of LcERK2 in liver and LcERK5 in intestine, respectively. The expression levels of LcERK2 and LcERK5 after temperature stress and poly I:C and flagellin challenge were investigated in LCK (L. crocea kidney) cells. After temperature stress, significant down-regulations of LcERK2 transcripts were detected after 10 °C stress (p < 0.05) whereas LcERK2 transcripts increased significantly after 35 °C stress (p < 0.05). However, significant down-regulations of LcERK5 expression were detected at most time points after both cold and heat stress (p < 0.05). However, significant up-regulations of LcERK2 and LcERK5 transcripts were found after immune challenge (p < 0.05). Our results showed that LcERK2 transcripts enhanced after heat stress and both LcERK2 and LcERK5 transcripts could be induced by immune challenge. These findings indicated that LcERK2 might be more important in fish response to high temperature stress and both LcERK2 and LcERK5 might play an important role in fish immune response., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Few large epidemiologic studies have used rigorous case criteria, individual-level exposure measurements, and appropriate control for confounders to examine associations between workplace psychosocial and biomechanical factors and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)., Methods: Pooling data from five independent research studies, we assessed associations between prevalent CTS and personal, work psychosocial, and biomechanical factors while adjusting for confounders using multivariable logistic regression., Results: Prevalent CTS was associated with personal factors of older age, obesity, female sex, medical conditions, previous distal upper extremity disorders, workplace measures of peak forceful hand activity, a composite measure of force and repetition (ACGIH Threshold Limit Value for Hand Activity Level), and hand vibration., Conclusions: In this cross-sectional analysis of production and service workers, CTS prevalence was associated with workplace and biomechanical factors. The findings were similar to those from a prospective analysis of the same cohort with differences that may be due to recall bias and other factors., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: This study assessed the combined utility of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels to predict long-term mortality and cardiovascular outcomes of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Elevated CRP levels and renal dysfunction have both been shown to independently and jointly predict mortality and cardiovascular outcomes after PCI in the short term. However, long-term results in patients with acute STEMI undergoing PCI have not been reported., Methods: A total of 262 patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary PCI were classified at admission into quartiles according to eGFR (<60, 60-70, 70-80 and ≥80 mL·min·1.73 m) and hsCRP (<3 and ≥3 mg/L). Mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were compared among the groups., Results: During a median follow-up of 48.3 months, the composite of all-cause mortality and nonfatal MI (mortality + MI) was significantly higher (35.09%) in the group with the lowest eGFR compared with that of the other 3 eGFR groups (14.29%, 3.77% and 9.43%, respectively, P < 0.0001) and the group with elevated hsCRP (34.29%) versus that with hsCRP <3 mg/L (4.41%, P < 0.0001). A combined analysis showed an exaggerated hazard in patients with the lowest eGFR and highest hsCRP (hazard ratio: 44.658; 95% confidence interval: 5.955-111.890)., Conclusions: Renal dysfunction and elevated hsCRP predict a high long-term incidence of MACE in patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary PCI, with the combination being of prognostic significance for long-term mortality and MI in these patients.

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) plays an important role in innate immune responses. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of the full-length cDNA sequence of toll-like receptor 2 in large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea (LcTLR2). The LcTLR2 cDNA contains a 5'-terminal untranslated region (5'-UTR) of 135 bp, an open reading frame (ORF) of 2478 bp encoding a polypeptide of 825 amino acid residues and a 3'-UTR of 50 bp. Subcellular localization analysis suggested that the LcTLR2-pEGFP was mainly expressed in cytoplasm. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed a broad expression of LcTLR2 in most examined tissues, with the most predominant expression in blood, followed by spleen, and the weakest expression in stomach. The expression levels of LcTLR2 after injection with Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and poly inosinic:cytidylic (polyI:C) were investigated in spleen, head-kidney and liver. Our results showed that LcTLR2 transcripts increased significantly after all the three immune challenges (p < 0.05). However, compared with polyI:C and LPS, higher expression levels of LcTLR2 were induced in all examined tissues after V. parahaemolyticus stimulation. In addition, the expression levels of LcTLR2 after flagellin, polyI:C, peptidoglycan (PGN) and LPS challenge in LCK were investigated, our findings showed that high LcTLR2 transcripts were induced after flagellin and PGN stimulation, suggesting that LcTLR2 might play a vital role in fish defense against bacterial infection. Furthermore, compared with LPS, flagellin and peptidoglycan might play an important role in LcTLR2 induction in large yellow croaker., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of asthma in workers by occupation in Washington State., Methods: Data from the 2006-2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the BRFSS Asthma Call-Back Survey (ACBS) in Washington State (WA) were analyzed. Using state-added and coded Industry and Occupation questions, we calculated prevalence ratios (PRs) for 19 occupational groups., Results: Of the 41,935 respondents who were currently employed during 2006-2009, the prevalence of current asthma was 8.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.8-8.5%] When compared with the reference group of executive, administration and managerial occupations, three occupational groups had significantly (p < 0.05) higher PRs of current asthma: "Teachers, all levels, and Counselors' (PR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1. 6%); 'Administrative Support, including Clerical" (PR 1. 5, 95% CI 1.2-1.9%); and "Other Health Services" (PR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-1.9). Half of the 2511 ACBS respondent workers (55.1%) indicated that they believed exposure at work had caused or worsened their asthma, but only 10.7% had ever spoken with a health care professional about their asthma being work related., Conclusions: Some occupations have a higher prevalence of current asthma than other occupations. The systematic collection of industry and occupation data can help identify worker populations with a high burden of asthma and can be used to target disease prevention efforts as well as to aid clinician recognition and treatment. Workers indicated that work-related asthma exposures are not discussed with their health care provider and this communication gap has implications for asthma management.

Background: The Strain Index (SI) has been developed to evaluate the risk for developing a distal upper extremity disorder. The objective of this study is to determine if the SI predicts incidence cases of work-related lateral, medial, or any epicondylities (LEPI, MEPI, and EPI)., Methods: Six hundred seven workers were followed for up to 3.5 years, 70 developed EPI on the dominant side (44 LEPI, 13 MEPI, and 13 both). Survival analyses were conducted adjusting for demographic, psychosocial, and work organizational factors, with the SI as time-dependent variable., Results: High exposure (SI > 5), older age, and self-perceived poor general health were associated with incidence of LEPI and EPI, but not MEPI. There was a significant relationship between higher scores of SI and LEPI, hazard ratio (HR) 2.00 (95% CI 1.04-3.87) for SI 5.1-12, HR 2.12 (95% CI 1.11-4.05) for SI > 12., Conclusions: The SI can effectively identify jobs with increased risk of developing incidence of LEPI., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Ordered ZnO nanorod array/p-GaN heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been fabricated by introducing graphene as the current spreading layer, which exhibit improved electroluminescence performance by comparison to the LED using a conventional structure (indium-tin-oxide as the current spreading layer). In addition, by adjusting the diameter of ZnO nanorod array in use, the light emission of the ZnO nanorod array/p-GaN heterojunction LEDs was enhanced further. This work has great potential applications in solid-state lighting, high performance optoelectronic devices, and so on., Pacs: 78.60.Fi; 85.60.Jb; 78.67.Lt; 81.10.Dn.

As a photochemical reaction that can stiffen the cornea, corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) is the only promising method of preventing the progress of keratectasia, such as keratoconus and secondary ectasia following refractive surgery. The aim of CXL is to stabilize the underlying condition, with a small chance of visual improvement. Combining CXL with refractive surgery targeting both stabilization and reshaping of the corneal tissue for visual function improvement is a good treatment option. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and unbiased summary of the published research regarding combined CXL and refractive surgery, including measures and results, to help elucidate the future direction of CXL.

Objective: The objective of this prospective study is to investigate the exposure-response relationships between various workplace physical exposures of force, repetition, and their combination assessed at an individual level with lateral epicondylitis (LE)., Background: Workplace upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSDs) are prevalent, disabling, and expensive. LE is one of the major UEMSDs in active workers., Method: We used detailed health history, symptoms, and physical examination for identifying incidence and detailed exposure assessment to capture work tasks of each worker and to measure quantitative mechanical workload. We used counting process style input of proportional hazards regression for modeling cumulative incidence that accounts for changed exposure estimates during the follow-up period when respondents change jobs., Results: The incidence rate of LE on the dominant side was 4.91 per 100 person-years. Adjusted for age and gender, the combined effect of forearm pronation > or = 45 degrees for > or = 40% of time and time spent with forceful exertion, including any power grip (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.35-5.77]), lifting for > or = 3% of time (HR = 2.50, 95% CI = [1.19-5.24]), and duty cycle for forceful exertion for > or = 10% (HR = 2.25, 95% CI = [1.09-4.66]), were significant predictors of dominant side LE, whereas neither the awkward posture nor the forceful exertion alone was significant. Older workers with jobs requiring a high percentage of time working with force in combination with awkward postures of forearm were more likely to predict LE., Conclusion: This study shows the evidence of the etiologic role of strenuous manual tasks in the occurrence of LE.

Introduction: Data that estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for worker obesity by occupation are generally unavailable and could inform the prioritization of workplace wellness programs. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of obesity by occupation, examine the association of occupational physical activity and a range of health behaviors with obesity, and identify occupations in which workers are at high risk of obesity in Washington State., Methods: We conducted descriptive and multivariable analyses among 37,626 employed Washington State respondents using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in odd numbered years, from 2003 through 2009. We estimated prevalence and prevalence ratios (PRs) by occupational groups adjusting for demographics, occupational physical activity level, smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, and leisure-time physical activity (LPTA)., Results: Overall obesity prevalence was 24.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.0-25.1). Workers in protective services were 2.46 (95% CI, 1.72-3.50) times as likely to be obese as workers in health diagnosing occupations. Compared with their counterparts, workers who consumed adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables and had adequate LTPA were significantly less likely to be obese (PR = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86-0.97 and PR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.60-0.67, respectively). Workers with physically demanding occupational physical activity had a lower PR of obesity (PR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78-0.88) than those with nonphysically demanding occupational physical activity., Conclusion: Obesity prevalence and health risk behaviors vary substantially by occupation. Employers, policy makers, and health promotion practitioners can use our results to target and prioritize workplace obesity prevention and health behavior promotion programs.

Purpose: Little is known about the independent effect of workers' residential location and work-commuting on their long-term disability due to work-related injuries. We examined 149,110 incident claims while adjusting for multiple risk factors in a large, population-based sample of Washington State workers' compensation State Fund claims during 2002-2008., Methods: Claimants' residential addresses were geocoded with census tract and aggregated into four category classification of the Rural Urban Commuting Area Codes (RUCAs) which takes into account for tract-level work-commuting. We used logistic regressions to assess the association between RUCAs and whether or not a person was off work for more than 180 days due to injury; Quantile regressions to predict various percentiles of cumulative lost workdays by RUCAs., Results: Compared to those who live in the Urban Core, workers in other areas experienced longer average paid time loss days due to work-related injury. The association between residential location and long-term disability was significant, odds ratio (OR) 1.19 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.11-1.27) for residents of Small Town and Isolated Rural and OR 1.17 (95 % CI 1.12-1.22) for those of Sub Urban, and persisted after controlling for injury nature, socio-demographic, employment-related, and claim administrative characteristics. The impact of residential location and work-commuting elevated as the duration of disability increased., Conclusions: This study shows that residential location and work-commuting has a significant and time-varying impact on duration of work disability. Workers living in Sub Urban and Small Town and Isolated Rural areas represent a particularly vulnerable group with respect to risk of long-term work disability.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of riboflavin-ultraviolet-A (UV-A)-induced corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in the management of progressive keratoconus., Methods: It was a retrospective case series study. Twenty-three eyes of 13 patients with progressive keratoconus were included. Corneal collagen crosslinking was performed under topical anesthesia including corneal de-epithelization (8 mm diameter) and instillation of 0.1% riboflavin (in 20% dextran T500 solution) every 3 minutes for a total of 30 minutes. The irradiation is performed for another 30 min using a solid-state UV-A illuminator at 370 nm and an irradiance of 3 mW/cm(2). Average follow-up was 15.23 ± 3.39 months (range: 12 to 22 months). Visual acuity, corneal topography, in vivo confocal microscopy, and endothelial cell count were evaluated at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up., Results: Mean uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA) and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) increased 0.115 ± 0.158 LogMAR (t = 3.418, P = 0.0026) and 0.114 ± 0.218 LogMAR (t = 2.441, P = 0.0236) 12 months postoperatively respectively. Interim analysis of treated eyes showed a flattening of the steepest simulated keratometry value (K-max) and astigmatism by an average of (1.893 ± 3.713) diopters (D) (t = 2.391, P = 0.0262) and (0.117 ± 1.488) D (t = 0.370, P = 0.715) respectively at 12 months. Central corneal thickness decreased by (27.5 ± 26.8) µm (t = 4.812, P = 0.000) and (1.54 ± 19.4) µm ( t = 0.147, P = 0.885) at one month and 12 months postoperatively respectively.Intraocular pressure, endothelial cell count, lens and fundus didn't change significantly at 12 months follow-up., Conclusions: CXL stabilised and improved the UCVA and BSCVA as well as the maximum k-readings at 1 year postoperatively in our cohort. It seems to be a safe and promising procedure to stop the progression of keratoconus.