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Alzheimer's disease is associated both with imbalances in Al 3+ production and changes in viscosity in cells. Their simultaneous measurement could therefore provide valuable insights into Alzheimer's disease pathology. Their simultaneous measurement would therefore be of great value in investigating the pathological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease. We designed a fluorescent probe YM2T with AIE effect that is capable of selectively responding to Al 3+ by fluorescence colormetrics and to viscosity by fluorescence "turn on" modes. Additionally, Al 3+ and viscosity were simultaneously detected in PC12 cells using the low cytotoxic probe YM2T via blue and green fluorescence channels. More importantly, the YM2T probe was used to image mice with AD. Hence, the YM2T probe shows potential as a useful molecular instrument for studying the pathological impact of Al 3+ and viscosity., 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 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Non‑SMC condensin I complex subunit D2 ( NCAPD2 ) is a newly identified oncogene; however, the specific biological function and molecular mechanism of NCAPD2 in liver cancer progression remain unknown. In the present study, the aberrant expression of NCAPD2 in liver cancer was investigated using public tumor databases, including TNMplot, The Cancer Genome Atlas and the International Cancer Genome Consortium based on bioinformatics analyses, and it was validated using a clinical cohort. It was revealed that NCAPD2 was significantly upregulated in liver cancer tissues compared with in control liver tissues, and NCAPD2 served as an independent prognostic factor and predicted poor prognosis in liver cancer. In addition, the expression of NCAPD2 was positively correlated with the percentage of Ki67 + cells. Finally, single‑cell sequencing data, gene‑set enrichment analyses and in vitro investigations, including cell proliferation assay, Transwell assay, wound healing assay, cell cycle experiments, cell apoptosis assay and western blotting, were carried out in human liver cancer cell lines to assess the biological mechanisms of NCAPD2 in patients with liver cancer. The results revealed that the upregulation of NCAPD2 enhanced tumor cell proliferation, invasion and cell cycle progression at the G 2 /M‑phase transition, and inhibited apoptosis in liver cancer cells. Furthermore, NCAPD2 overexpression was closely associated with the phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase (PI3K)‑Akt‑mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/c‑Myc signaling pathway and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression in HepG2 and Huh7 cells. In addition, upregulated NCAPD2 was shown to have adverse effects on overall survival and disease‑specific survival in liver cancer. In conclusion, the overexpression of NCAPD2 was shown to lead to cell cycle progression at the G 2 /M‑phase transition, activation of the PI3K‑Akt‑mTOR/c‑Myc signaling pathway and EMT progression in human liver cancer cells.

Background: High circulatory lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] concentration promotes atherosclerosis; however, its efficacy in predicting the extent of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease (CHD) with coronary artery obstruction and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in diabetic patients remains questionable. This study aimed to examine whether elevated circulating Lp(a) levels exacerbate CHD and to assess their utility in predicting MACEs in individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)., Methods: In total, 4332 patients diagnosed with T2DM who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) were included and categorized into two groups (CHD and non-CHD) based on the CAG results. We used a correlation analysis to explore the potential links between the levels of circulating Lp(a) and CHD severity. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate MACEs., Results: The concentrations of circulating Lp(a) were markedly elevated in the CHD group and positively correlated with disease severity. Our results indicate that elevated circulating Lp(a) is a crucial risk factor that significantly contributes to both the progression and severity of CHD. The differences between the two groups are evident in the risk of CHD occurrence [odds ratio (OR) = 1.597, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.354-1.893, p  < 0.001], the different levels of vessel involvement (OR = 1.908 for triple-vessel vs . single-vessel disease, 95 % CI: 1.401-2.711, p  < 0.001), and their relation to the Gensini Score (OR = 2.002 for high vs . low GS, 95 % CI: 1.514-2.881, p  < 0.001). Over the course of the 7-year follow-up period, the multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that increased levels Lp(a) levels are independently associated with the occurrence of MACEs [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.915, 95 % CI: 1.571-2.493, p  < 0.001]., Conclusion: We confirmed a positive correlation among circulating Lp(a) levels, CHD lesions count, and Gensini scores. Moreover, Lp(a) levels have predictive significance for the occurrence of MACEs in T2DM patients., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Purpose: Current research suggests that oxidative stress may decrease bone mineral density (BMD) by disrupting bone metabolism balance. However, no study investigated the relationship between systemic oxidative stress status and adult BMD. This study aims to investigate whether oxidative balance score (OBS) is associated with BMD in adults under 40., Methods: 3963 participants were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2018. OBS is scored based on 20 dietary and lifestyle factors. Weighted multiple logistic regression and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the correlation between OBS and osteopenia., Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, the weighted logistic regression results showed that compared with the first tertile of OBS, the highest tertile had a 38% (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.47-0.82) lower risk of osteopenia. The restrictive cubic spline curve indicates a significant nonlinear correlation between OBS and the risk of osteopenia., Conclusion: The research findings emphasize the relationship between OBS and the risk of osteopenia in young adults. Adopting an antioxidant diet and lifestyle may help young adults to maintain bone mass., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: There is controversy regarding sex differences in short-term mortality in acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD)., Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of sex differences on 30-day operative mortality after ATAAD surgery and to determine if other covariates modify the association., Methods: Consecutive patients (N = 5670) with surgically repaired ATAAD were identified from the multicenter China 5A study. The primary outcome was operative mortality. The age dependency was modeled using a cubic spline curve., Results: There were 1,503 females (26.5%) and 4,167 males (73.5%). Females were older and had a lower percentage of comorbidities compared with males. Females had higher mortality compared to males (10.2% vs 8.2%, P  = 0.019); however, there was no difference after propensity analyses (adjusted OR: 1.334 [95% CI: 0.918-1.938]). There was an interaction with sex and age ( P interaction  = 0.035): older age was associated with higher odds of operative mortality among females (OR: 1.045 [95% CI: 1.029-1.061]) compared with males (OR: 1.025 [95% CI: 1.016-1.035]). The risk of mortality for males and females appears to diverge at 55 years of age ( P interaction  = 0.019): females under 55 years of age had similar odds to males (OR: 0.852 [95% CI: 0.603-1.205]) but higher odds when over 55 years (OR: 1.420 [95% CI: 1.096-1.839]) compared to males., Conclusions: Under the age of 55 years, females have similar odds of operative mortality compared with males; however, over the age of 55 years females have higher odds than males. Understanding differences in risk allows for individualized treatment strategies. (Additive Anti-inflammatory Action for Aortopathy & Arteriopathy; NCT04398992)., Competing Interests: This work was supported in part by the Scientific Research Common Program of 10.13039/501100002888Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (KM202110025014), 10.13039/501100009592Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (Z211100002921010), and Jiangsu Province Capability Improvement Project through Science, Technology, and Education (ZDXK202230). The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Chronic pain often develops severe mood changes such as depression. However, how chronic pain leads to depression remains elusive and the mechanisms determining individuals' responses to depression are largely unexplored. Here we found that depression-like behaviors could only be observed in 67.9% of mice with chronic neuropathic pain, leaving 32.1% of mice with depression resilience. We determined that the spike discharges of the ventral tegmental area (VTA)-projecting lateral habenula (LHb) glutamatergic (Glu) neurons were sequentially increased in sham, resilient and susceptible mice, which consequently inhibited VTA dopaminergic (DA) neurons through a LHb Glu -VTA GABA -VTA DA circuit. Furthermore, the LHb Glu -VTA DA excitatory inputs were dampened via GABA B receptors in a pre-synaptic manner. Regulation of LHb-VTA pathway largely affected the development of depressive symptoms caused by chronic pain. Our study thus identifies a pivotal role of the LHb-VTA pathway in coupling chronic pain with depression and highlights the activity-dependent contribution of LHb Glu -to-VTA DA inhibition in depressive behavioral regulation., (© 2023. Science China Press.)

Background and Aims: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is considered a new biomarker for atherosclerosis, but its ability to predict cardiovascular outcomes has been controversial. This study aimed to address the lack of data on PCSK9, coronary heart disease (CHD) severity, and major cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)., Methods: A total of 2984 T2DM patients underwent selective coronary angiography, and their serum PCSK9 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Correlation and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between PCSK9 expression and CHD severity. This study used Cox regression analysis to assess the association between circulating PCSK9 levels and the risk of MACEs., Results: Circulating PCSK9 levels were significantly higher in the CHD group than in the non-CHD group [554.62 (265.11) ng/mL vs. 496.86 (129.05) ng/mL, p < 0.001]. Circulating PCSK9 levels positively correlated with CHD severity (diseased vessels: r = 0.35, p < 0.001; Gensini score: r = 0.46, p < 0.001). Elevated PCSK9 levels are an independent risk factor for CHD risk and severity (CHD group vs. non-CHD group: OR = 2.829, 95% CI: 1.771-4.520, p < 0.001; three vessel disease group vs. one vessel disease group: OR = 4.800, 95% CI: 2.387-9.652, p < 0.001; high GS group vs. low GS group: OR = 5.534, 95% CI: 2.733-11.208, p < 0.001). Through a six-year follow-up and multivariate Cox regression analysis, elevated circulating PCSK9 levels were found to be independently associated with MACEs in all participants (HR: 3.416, 5% CI: 2.485-4.697, p < 0.001; adjusted HR: 2.780, 95% CI: 1.930-4.004, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Serum PCSK9 levels were positively correlated with multi-vessel CHD and Gensini score. Elevated circulating PCSK9 levels are an independent risk factor for CHD and increased incidence of MACEs in T2DM., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Inflammatory pain is a commonly observed clinical symptom in a range of acute and chronic diseases. However, the mechanism of inflammatory pain is far from clear yet. Rab11a, a small molecule guanosine triphosphate enzyme, is reported to regulate orofacial inflammatory pain in our previous works. However, the mechanism of Rab11a's involvement in the regulation of inflammatory pain remains obscure. Here, we aim to elucidate the potential mechanisms through which Rab11a contributes to the development of inflammatory pain in the spinal level. It's shown that neurons, rather than glial cells, were the primary cell type expressing Rab11a in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH). After intra-plantar injection of CFA, both the number of Fos/Rab11a-immunopositive neurons and the expression of Rab11a were increased. Administration of Rab11a-shRNA into the SDH resulted in significantly analgesic effect in mice with CFA injection. Application of Rab11a-shRNA also reduced the NMDA receptor-mediated excitatory post-synaptic current (EPSC) and the spike number of neurons in lamina II of the SDH in mice with CFA injection, without affecting the presynaptic glutamate release and the postsynaptic AMPA receptor-mediated EPSC. Our results thus suggest that the enhanced expression of neuronal Rab11a may be important for the process of inflammatory pain in mice with CFA injection, which is likely mediated by Rab11a's potentiation of the competence of post-synaptic NMDAR and spiking of SDH neurons., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: At present, the colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor of the colon and rectum that is often found at the junction of the two, and it will invade many visceral organs and organizations, causing very serious damage to the body of the patient. Patrinia villosa Juss. (P.V), is a well-known traditional chinese medicine (TCM), and is recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica as a necessary article for the treatment of intestinal carbuncle. It has been incorporated into traditional cancer treatment prescriptions in modern medicine. While the mechanism of action of P.V in the treatment of CRC remains unclear., Aim of the Study: To investigate P.V in treating CRC and clarify the underlying mechanism., Materials and Methods: This study was based on Azoxymethane (AOM) combined with the Dextran Sulfate Sodium Salt (DSS)-induced CRC mouse model to clarify the pharmacological effects of P.V. The mechanism of action was found by metabolites and metabolomics. The rationality of metabolomics results was verified through the clinical target database of network pharmacology, and find the upstream and downstream target information of relevant action pathways. Apart from that, the targets of associated pathways were confirmed, and the mechanism of action was made clear, using quantitative PCR (q-PCR) and Western blot., Results: The number and the diameter of tumors were decreased when mice were treated with P.V. P.V group section results showed newly generated cells which improved the degree of colon cell injury. Pathological indicators presented a trend of recovery to normal cells. Compared to the model group, P.V groups had significantly lower levels of the CRC biomarkers CEA, CA19-9, and CA72-4. Through the evaluation of metabolites and metabolomics, it was found that a total of 50 endogenous metabolites had significant changes. Most of these are modulated and recovered after P.V treatment. It alters glycerol phospholipid metabolites, which are closely related to PI3K target, suggesting that P.V can treat CRC though the PI3K target and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. q-PCR and Western blot results also verified that the expression of VEGF, PI3K, Akt, P38, JNK, ERK1/2, TP53, IL-6, TNF-α and Caspase-3 were significantly decreased, whereas that of Caspase-9 was increased after treatment., Conclusion: P.V is dependent on PI3K target and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway for CRC treatment., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Although the Tibetan medicine Triphala (THL) is widely used in many countries, insufficient progress has been made in quality control., Objectives: The present study aimed to propose a methodology for quality control of THL based on HPLC fingerprinting combined with an orthogonal array design., Methods: Seven identified peaks were used as indicators to examine the effects of temperature, extraction time, and solid-liquid ratio on the dissolution of active ingredients in THL. Fingerprint analysis was performed on 20 batches of THL from four geographical areas (China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam). For further chemometric assessment, analysis techniques including similarity analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to classify the 20 batches of samples., Results: Fingerprints were established and 19 common peaks were identified. The similarity of 20 batches of THL was more than 0.9 and the batches were divided into two clusters. Four differential components of THL were identified based on OPLS-DA, including chebulinic acid, chebulagic acid, and corilagin. The optimal extraction conditions were an extraction time of 30 min, a temperature of 90°C, and a solid-liquid ratio of 30 mL/g., Conclusion: HPLC fingerprinting combined with an orthogonal array design could be used for comprehensive evaluation and quality assessment of THL, providing a theoretical basis for further development and utilization of THL., (© 2023 The Authors. Phytochemical Analysis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a unique type of electromagnetic radiation, may induce diverse neuropsychiatric disorders, such as irritability, hyperkinesis, retardation of learning and memory. However, the underlying mechanism of EMP exposure on neuronal injury has not been elucidated. Here, we aimed to delineate the regulatory expression networks based on high-throughput sequencing data to explore the possible molecular mechanisms related to EMP-induced delirium-like neuropsychiatric disorder in rats. It's shown that EMP exposure induced anxiety, cognitive decline and short-term memory impairment. The expression profiles of the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs, along with their biological function and regulatory network, were explored in rats after EMP exposure. We identified 41 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) and 266 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) between EMP and sham groups. Sixty-one co-expression relationships between 18 DELs and 56 DEMs were mostly associated with synapse- and metabolic-related pathways. We predicted 51 DEL-miRNA pairs and 290 miRNA-mRNA pairs using the miRanda database to constructed a DEL-miRNA-DEM network. LncRNA AABR07042999.1 and mRNA Tph2, Slc6a4, Dbh and Th were upregulated, and the contents of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine were increased in both PFC and HIP after EMP exposure. The current study provided a better understanding of the ceRNA network, which might reveal the pathological mechanism and provide more treatment options for the EMP-induced neurobehavioral disorder., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Agroecosystems are a significant source of nitric oxide (NO), a potent atmospheric pollutant. It has been well documented that the NO emissions from upland cropping systems and their emission factors are large relative to those from paddy fields. However, a clear understanding of their uncertainty and regulating factors is still lacking. To date, various field experiments have been conducted to investigate NO emissions and mitigation, providing an opportunity for a Meta-analysis. The aims of this study were to 1 investigate the uncertainty and regulating factors of NO emissions and emission factors from maize-winter wheat rotations, non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations, vegetable fields, tea plantations, and fruit orchards across China by extracting data from peer-reviewed publications, and 2 quantify the mitigation potential of management practices, such as reducing nitrogen fertilizer input, organic substitution with chemical fertilizers, and application of enhanced-efficiency nitrogen fertilizers or biochar by performing a pairwise Meta-analysis. A total of 49 references (published from 2006 to 2021) were collected. The results showed that annual NO emissions from the maize-winter wheat rotations, tea plantations, and fruit orchards averaged 1.44, 7.45, and 0.92 kg·hm -2 , respectively, with significant differences among the three cropping systems ( P <0.05). The seasonal NO emissions from the non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations and vegetable fields within a single growth period averaged 2.13 kg·hm -2 and 2.09 kg·hm -2 , respectively. The NO emissions positively related to nitrogen inputs in the maize-winter wheat rotations, non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations, and tea plantations ( P <0.01) but not in the vegetable fields and fruit orchards. The emission factors averaged 0.31%, 0.71%, 0.96%, 1.74%, and 0.13% in the maize-winter wheat rotations, non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations, vegetable fields, tea plantations, and fruit orchards, respectively, with significant differences among the cropping systems ( P <0.01), except between the maize-winter wheat rotations and non-waterlogging period in rice-winter wheat rotations or vegetable fields ( P >0.05). Considering the substantial differences in emission factors among the cropping systems, a specific emission factor for each system should be applied when estimating an agricultural NO budget at a regional or national scale. Reducing nitrogen input only mitigated NO emissions (by 36%) at a reducing nitrogen ratio above 25% but did not impact emission factors. An optimal reducing nitrogen ratio has to be further evaluated without crop productivity penalties. Organic substitution in soils with organic carbon content<15 g·kg -1 or pH<7 and application of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers in the maize-winter wheat rotation simultaneously mitigated NO emissions (by -46%- -38%) and emission factors (by -62%- -45%). By contrast, biochar amendment had no significant effects on either NO emissions or emission factors. These findings highlight a possibility of choosing an effective NO mitigation strategy under specific field conditions.

Background: Birth weight is considered not only to undermine future growth, but also to induce lifelong diseases; the aim of this study is to explore the relationship between birth weight and adult bone mass., Methods: We performed multivariable regression analyses to assess the association of birth weight with bone parameters measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and by quantitative ultrasound (QUS), independently. We also implemented a systemic Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal association between them with both fetal-specific and maternal-specific instrumental variables., Results: In the observational analyses, we found that higher birth weight could increase the adult bone area (lumbar spine, β-coefficient= 0.17, P < 2.00 × 10 -16 ; lateral spine, β-coefficient = 0.02, P = 0.04), decrease bone mineral content-adjusted bone area (BMCadjArea) (lumbar spine, β-coefficient= - 0.01, P = 2.27 × 10 -14 ; lateral spine, β-coefficient = - 0.05, P = 0.001), and decrease adult bone mineral density (BMD) (lumbar spine, β-coefficient = - 0.04, P = 0.007; lateral spine; β-coefficient = - 0.03, P = 0.02; heel, β-coefficient = - 0.06, P < 2.00 × 10 -16 ), and we observed that the effect of birth weight on bone size was larger than that on BMC. In MR analyses, the higher fetal-specific genetically determined birth weight was identified to be associated with higher bone area (lumbar spine; β-coefficient = 0.15, P = 1.26 × 10 -6 , total hip, β-coefficient = 0.15, P = 0.005; intertrochanteric area, β-coefficient = 0.13, P = 0.0009; trochanter area, β-coefficient = 0.11, P = 0.03) but lower BMD (lumbar spine, β-coefficient = - 0.10, P = 0.01; lateral spine, β-coefficient = - 0.12, P = 0.0003, and heel β-coefficient = - 0.11, P = 3.33 × 10 -13 ). In addition, we found that the higher maternal-specific genetically determined offspring birth weight was associated with lower offspring adult heel BMD (β-coefficient = - 0.001, P = 0.04)., Conclusions: The observational analyses suggested that higher birth weight was associated with the increased adult bone area but decreased BMD. By leveraging the genetic instrumental variables with maternal- and fetal-specific effects on birth weight, the observed relationship could be reflected by both the direct fetal and indirect maternal genetic effects., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Direct conversion of diluted CO 2 to value-added chemical stocks and fuels with solar energy is an energy-saving approach to relieve global warming and realize a carbon-neutral cycle. The exploration of catalysts with both efficient CO 2 adsorption and reduction ability is significant to achieving this goal. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging in the field of low-concentration CO 2 reduction due to their highly tunable structure, high porosity, abundant active sites and excellent CO 2 adsorption capacity. This highlight outlines the advantages of MOFs for low-pressure CO 2 adsorption and the strategies to improve the photocatalytic performance of MOF materials at low CO 2 concentrations, including the functionalization of organic ligands, regulation of metal nodes and preparation of MOF composites or derivatives. This paper aims to provide possible avenues for the rational design and development of catalysts with the ability to reduce low-concentration CO 2 efficiently for practical applications.

Objective: To study whether procalcitonin (PCT) is an important indicator of infection with or without agranulocytosis and to reveal whether PCT can distinguish between infected sites and affect prognosis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)., Method: In the present study, 682 patients with HSCT were enrolled, and their clinical characteristics were noted. Their blood culture and inflammatory and biochemical indicators were studied. The patients were divided into respective groups according to the degree of agranulocytosis, type of bacterial infection, infected sites, and prognosis., Results: The PCT, CRP, and D-dimer levels were significantly improved in patients with positive blood culture results compared to the case for those with negative blood culture results. The PCT level was the highest in the gram-negative group. The levels of PCT and D-dimer were significantly elevated in patients with infection and agranulocytosis after HSCT compared to those in the nonagranulocytosis cohort. Interestingly, no significant difference in the PCT level was observed among any of the eight foci. Lower PCT levels were associated with higher survival in patients with infection after HSCT., Conclusion: Among patients that underwent HSCT, PCT levels were significantly elevated in those with infection and agranulocytosis, with the levels being specifically high in the gram-negative group. Moreover, lower PCT levels were associated with higher survival in patients with infection after HSCT., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Shan-Shan Li et al.)

Objective: In order to provide the precise prevention and control strategy of drug resistance TB in Gansu province, we analyzed the status and risk factors of new drug resistance pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Methods: New pulmonary tuberculosis patients were enrolled from 30 tuberculosis-specialized medical institutions (drug resistance monitoring stations) in Gansu province between first September 2014 to 31 th August 2017, and filled in the survey questionnaire. The isolated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains were implemented 10 drugs drug- susceptibility tes, including isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RFP), ethambutol (EMB), streptomycin (Sm), kanamycin (Km), amikacin (Am), ofloxacin (Ofx), capreomycin (Cm), propithio-iso-nicotinamide (Pto).The risk factors were analyzed by logistic regression model. Results: One patient was corresponding one clinical isolates among 1 815 patients. The rate (95% CI ) of total drug-resistance, single drugresistance, multiple drug- resistance, multidrug-resistance and extensively drug-resistant were 25.45% (23.45%-27.46%), 11.40% (9.94%-12.87%),6.23% (5.11%-7.34%), 7.82% (6.59%-9.06%) and 0.28% (0.03%-0.52%) respectively. Among 142 multidrug-resistant TB patients, the farmers, young adults aged 20-59 and low-income group were 90.85%, 62.68% and 31.69%, respectively. The results of univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the male, non-Han, treatment less than 1 month group and treatment less than 1 month and withdrawal less than 2 month group were risk factors of new multidrug-resistant pulmonary TB. Conclusions: Compared with the Chinese national baseline level of TB resistance, the total drug resistance rate of new TB patients in Gansu province was low, but the multidrug-resistance rate was high. The health assistance for rural low-income TB patients was still an important strategy to prevent and control multidrug-resistant in Gansu province. And measures must implement to stop irregular treatment and poor compliance, as the risk factors of multidrug-resistance in new PTB patients.

Background: Posterior internal fixation (PIF) is commonly used in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture (TLF), but there is still no standard for the number of fixed segments. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of short segment (SS), intermediate segment (IS) and long segment (LS) in the fixation of TLF., Methods: Two authors independently searched through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science for studies of thoracolumbar fracture treated by posterior internal fixation, which were published until the end of April 2021. The Aggregate Data Drug Information System (ADDIS) software was used for data evaluation according to the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method based on the Bayesian theorem., Results: Nineteen trials evaluating a total of 970 patients were enrolled in these studies, of which 340 in the SS group, 429 in the IS group and 201 in the LS group. For anterior vertebral height ratio (AVHR), IS had the highest AVHR, LS had the second highest AVHR. IS also ranked first in reducing visual analogue scale (VAS), SS ranked second. For sagittal Cobb's angle (SCA), LS had the lowest SCA and IS had the second lowest SCA. In terms of adverse events, IS had the lowest implant failure rate and LS had the second lowest implant failure rate., Conclusions: IS may be the most desirable treatment option for TLF in reducing SCA, implant failure rate, VAS, and improving AVHR. However, more randomized controlled trials are needed to verify these results., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Empathic pain has attracted the interest of a substantial number of researchers studying the social transfer of pain in the sociological, psychological, and neuroscience fields. However, the neural mechanism of empathic pain remains elusive. Here, we establish a long-term observational pain model in mice and find that glutamatergic projection from the insular cortex (IC) to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical for the formation of observational pain. The selective activation or inhibition of the IC-BLA projection pathway strengthens or weakens the intensity of observational pain, respectively. The synaptic molecules are screened, and the upregulated synaptotagmin-2 and RIM3 are identified as key signals in controlling the increased synaptic glutamate transmission from the IC to the BLA. Together, these results reveal the molecular and synaptic mechanisms of a previously unidentified neural pathway that regulates observational pain in mice., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), but there are few studies on the prediction of future cardiovascular events by Lp(a) and its LPA single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The aim of this study was to investigate whether elevated Lp(a) and its SNPs can predict cardiovascular events. We evaluated whether Lp(a) and LPA SNPs rs6415084 and rs12194138 were associated with the incidence rate and severity of CHD. All participants were followed up for 5 years. Elevated Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for the risk and severity of CHD (CHD group vs. control group: OR = 1.793, 95% CI: 1.053-2.882, p = 0.043; multiple-vessel disease group vs. single-vessel disease group: OR = 1.941, 95% CI: 1.113-3.242, p = 0.027; high GS group vs. low GS group: OR = 2.641, 95% CI: 1.102-7.436, p = 0.040). Both LPA SNPs were risk factors for CHD, and were positively associated with the severity of CHD (LPA SNPs rs6415084: CHD group vs. control group: OR = 1.577, 95% CI: 1.105-1.989, p = 0.004; multiple-vessel disease group vs. single-vessel disease group: OR = 1.613, 95% CI: 1.076-2.641, p = 0.030; high GS group vs. low GS group: OR = 1.580, 95% CI: 1.088-2.429, p = 0.024; LPA SNPs rs12194138: CHD group vs. control group: OR = 1.475, 95% CI: 1.040-3.002, p = 0.035; multiple-vessel disease group vs. single-vessel disease group: OR = 2.274, 95% CI: 1.060-5.148, p = 0.038; high GS group vs. low GS group: OR = 2.067, 95% CI: 1.101-4.647, p = 0.021). After 5 years of follow-up, elevated Lp(a) and LPA SNPs rs6415084 and rs12194138 can independently predict cardiovascular events. The increase of serum Lp(a) and LPA SNPs rs6415084 and rs12194138 are associated with increased prevalence and severity of CHD, and can independently predict cardiovascular events., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Cerium (IV)-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly desirable due to their unique potential in fields such as redox catalysis and photocatalysis. However, due to the high reduction potential of Ce IV species in solution, it is still a great challenge to synthesize Ce IV -MOFs with novel structures, which are extremely dominated by the hexanuclear Ce-O cluster inorganic building units (IBUs). Herein, a Ce-O IBU chain containing Ce IV -MOF, CSUST-3 (CSUST: Changsha University of Science and Technology), was successfully prepared using the kinetic stabilization study of UiO-66(Ce)-NDC (H 2 NDC=2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid). Furthermore, owing to the superior redox activity, Lewis acidity and semiconductor-like behavior owing to Ce 4+ , activated CSUST-3 was demonstrated to be an excellent catalyst for CO 2 chemical fixation. One-pot synthesis of styrene carbonate from styrene and CO 2 was achieved under mild conditions (1 atm CO 2 , 80 °C, and solvent free). Moreover, activated CSUST-3 was shown to be a remarkable co-catalyst-free photocatalyst for overall water splitting (OWS), rendering 59 μmol g -1  h -1 of H 2 and 22 μmol g -1  h -1 of O 2 under simulated sunlight irradiation (Na 2 S-Na 2 SO 3 as sacrificial agent)., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The net greenhouse gas emissions from upland soils, as indicated by global warming potential (GWP), mainly depend on the soil carbon sequestration and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. The annual changes in surface (0-20 cm) soil organic carbon (SOC) content from 2010 to 2017 and the N 2 O emissions from 2014 to 2017 were measured within a long-term fertilization experiment. The objective was to quantify the effect of stalk incorporation on the soil carbon sequestration, annual N 2 O emissions, and GWP of a winter wheat-summer maize field in the Guanzhong Plain. The field experiment included three treatments:conventional fertilization (CF), conventional fertilization plus maize stalks (CFS), and an unfertilized control (CK). The CF and CFS treatments received the same amount of urea per year, with nitrogen (N) input at 165 kg·hm -2 and 188 kg·hm -2 in the winter wheat season and summer maize season, respectively. The CF treatment retained the stubbles (about 10 cm above ground) when harvesting the winter wheat and summer maize crops. The CFS treatment retained the same wheat stubbles and all maize stalks (containing approximately 40 kg·hm -2 of N). The CK treatment was unfertilized throughout the year, with the stubble management the same as that in the CF treatment. The results showed that the CK treatment displayed few changes in SOC content and low N 2 O emissions, with GWP varying from 0.04 to 0.11 t·(hm 2 ·a) -1 . The SOC contents in the CF and CFS treatments increased linearly with the fertilization years ( P <0.001), and their SOC sequestration rates were 0.69 t·(hm 2 ·a) -1 and 0.97 t·(hm 2 ·a) -1 , respectively. The N 2 O emissions from the CF and CFS treatments varied from 1.65 to 5.36 kg·(hm 2 ·a) -1 and from 3.08 to 7.73 kg·(hm 2 ·a) -1 , respectively. The annual N 2 O emissions from the CFS treatment were 43%-94% higher than those from the CF treatment, whereas the difference was only significant between 2015 and 2016 ( P <0.05). The GWP of the CF and CFS treatments varied from -1.95 to -0.28 t·(hm 2 ·a) -1 and from -2.59 to -0.35 t·(hm 2 ·a) -1 , respectively. The cumulative GWP of the CFS treatment was 42% lower than that of the CF treatment between 2014 and 2017. In summary, the studied winter wheat-summer maize field acted as a sink of greenhouse gases under the conventional fertilization regime. The stalk incorporation further favored greenhouse gas mitigation despite the trade-offs between SOC sequestration and N 2 O emissions.

Photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction (CO 2 RR) is considered to be a promising sustainable and clean approach to solve environmental issues. Polyoxometalates (POMs), with advantages in fast, reversible, and stepwise multiple-electron transfer without changing their structures, have been promising catalysts in various redox reactions. However, their performance is often restricted by poor thermal or chemical stability. In this work, two transition-metal-modified vanadoborate clusters, [Co(en) 2 ] 6 [V 12 B 18 O 54 (OH) 6 ]·17H 2 O (V 12 B 18 -Co) and [Ni(en) 2 ] 6 [V 12 B 18 O 54 (OH) 6 ]·17H 2 O (V 12 B 18 -Ni), are reported for photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. V 12 B 18 -Co and V 12 B 18 -Ni can preserve their structures to 200 and 250 °C, respectively, and remain stable in polar organic solvents and a wide range of pH solutions. Under visible-light irradiation, CO 2 can be converted into syngas and HCOO - with V 12 B 18 -Co or V 12 B 18 -Ni as catalysts. The total amount of gaseous products and liquid products for V 12 B 18 -Co is up to 9.5 and 0.168 mmol g -1 h -1 . Comparing with V 12 B 18 -Co, the yield of CO for V 12 B 18 -Ni declines by 1.8-fold, while that of HCOO - increases by 35%. The AQY of V 12 B 18 -Co and V 12 B 18 -Ni is 1.1% and 0.93%, respectively. These values are higher than most of the reported POM materials under similar conditions. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations illuminate the active site of CO 2 RR and the reduction mechanism. This work provides new insights into the design of stable, high-performance, and low-cost photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a common and severe complication in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Increased amount of circulatory small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) particles is known to be a sign of dyslipidemia and can result in atherosclerosis. However, the association between serum sdLDL-C levels and CHD in T2DM patients remains unclear., Methods: A total of 3684 T2DM patients who received selective coronary angiography (CAG) were selected. For analyzing the association between sdLDL-C and CHD severity in T2DM, the patients with CHD were further divided into four subgroups according to the quartiles of sdLDL-C. A multivariate logistic regression was used for analyzing the risks and severity of CHD. A total of 3427 patients with continuous stable CHD were recruited and followed up for 5 years., Results: Serum sdLDL-C levels in the CHD group were significantly increased compared with those in the non-CHD group [0.80 (0.49) mmol/L vs. 0.70 (0.30) mmol/L, p < 0.001]. The results from CHD subgroup analysis indicated that the sdLDL-C levels in patients with multiple-vessel disease and high Gensini score (GS) were significantly increased. By adjusting the confounding factors and analyzing with multiple logistic regression, we found that sdLDL-C independently correlated with the presence and severity of CHD (CHD: OR = 2.257; multiple-vessel disease: OR = 3.288; high GS: OR = 2.554). A total of 484 major cardiovascular events (MACEs) were documented. After Kaplan-Meier analysis and chi-squared analysis, the incidence of MACEs in the high sdLDL-C group was higher than that in the low sdLDL-C group (16.04% vs. 12.25%, p = 0.002)., Conclusion: In T2DM patients, elevated serum sdLDL-C may increase the severity of CHD and predict cardiovascular events in the future. Therefore, serum sdLDL-C may be a potential biomarker for the surveillance of CHD in T2DM patients., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Juan Huang et al.)

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this communication.

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared.

A new HPV-16/18 bivalent vaccine expressed by the Escherichia coli has been proven to be efficacious in adult women. A randomized, immunogenicity noninferiority study of this candidate vaccine was conducted in December 2015 in China. Girls aged 9-14 years were randomized to receive 2 doses at months 0 and 6 (n=301) or 3 doses at months 0, 1 and 6 (n=304). Girls aged 15-17 years (n=149) and women aged 18-26 years (n=225) received 3 doses. The objectives included noninferiority analysis of the IgG geometric mean concentration (GMC) ratio (95% CI, lower bound>0.5) to HPV-16 and HPV-18 at month 7 in girls compared with women. In the per-protocol set, the GMC ratio of IgG was noninferior for girls aged 9-17 years receiving 3 doses compared with women (1.76 (95% CI, 1.56, 1.99) for HPV-16 and 1.93 (95% CI, 1.69, 2.21) for HPV-18) and noninferior for girls aged 9-14 years receiving 2 doses compared with women (1.45 (95% CI, 1.25, 1.62) for HPV-16 and 1.17 (95% CI, 1.02, 1.33) for HPV-18). Noninferiority was also demonstrated for neutralizing antibodies. The immunogenicity of the HPV vaccine in girls receiving 3 or 2 doses was noninferior compared with that in young adult women.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive decrease in cognitive abilities, language impairment and irreversible memory loss. Amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau deposits are essential as the major factors involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Unfortunately, anti-Alzheimer's disease agents currently available are not potent enough to reverse the cause of the disease. Interestingly, near infrared fluorescence (NIRF) dyes have been marked as promising tools in analytical researches and are often adopted as molecular probes to monitor and diagnose AD, in vitro or in vivo. Compared with other imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), NIRF dye probes have been applied in AD pre-clinical trials and have gained rapid benefits, in view of their advantages including real time imaging, biocompatibility, high selectivity and sensitivity, high spatiotemporal resolution, and easy data analysis. This work reviews the developmental design of typical NIRF dye probes in monitoring Aβs and tau species in the brain of AD model mice and patients., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Bacteremic infections are the most common complications in patients with leukemia. This study aimed to assess the value of procalctionin levels in the detection of bacterial infections in leukemia patients. Blood samples of in-patients with leukemia were collected. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the correlation between the procalcitionin level on the day of the first positive blood culture and bacteremic infection. Infected patients had significantly higher procalctionin levels than uninfected patients ( p  < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed a high level of accuracy regarding the discrimination of bacterarmic infection (area under the curve, 0.883) and Gram-negative bateremia (area under the curve, 0.779). Procalctionin levels may help in the identification of bacterial infections in leukemia patients. Further multicentre studies are needed to verify our data regarding the use of procalctionin to distinguish between Gram-positive and Gram-negative infections.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by progressive loss of memory and cognitive function, and is associated with the deficiency of synaptic acetylcholine, as well as chronic neuroinflmmation. Tacrine, a potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, was previously a prescribed clinical therapeutic agent for AD, but it was recently withdrawn because it caused widespread hepatotoxicity. Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we synthesized a new compound, a tacrine-H 2 S donor hybrid (THS) by introducing H 2 S-releasing moieties (ACS81) to tacrine. Subsequently, pharmacological and biological evaluations of THS were conducted in the aluminum trichloride (AlCl 3 )-induced AD mice model. We found that THS (15 mmol/kg) improved cognitive and locomotor activity in AD mice in the step-through test and open field test, respectively. THS showed strong AChE inhibitory activity in the serum and hippocampus of AD mice and induced increased hippocampal H 2 S levels. Furthermore, THS reduced mRNA expression of the proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β and increased synapse-associated proteins (synaptophysin and postsynaptic density protein 95) in the hippocampus of AD mice. Importantly, THS, unlike tacrine, did not increase liver transaminases (alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase) or proinflammatory cytokines, indicating THS is much safer than tacrine. Therefore, the multifunctional effects of this new hybrid compound of tacrine and H 2 S indicate it is a promising compound for further research into the treatment of AD.

The composition of glycan in immunoglobulin G (IgG) has shown to affect various diseases and can be regulated by drugs and preventive vaccination. A hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) immune complex (YIC) therapeutic vaccine for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients has undergone clinical trials. To explore for markers of CHB, which could be associated with responsiveness to YIC therapeutic vaccine, serum IgG glycosylation in CHB patients was analyzed.Kinetic changes of serum galactosylated IgG in 53 hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients treated with YIC were monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Whole blood cytokines were assayed by cytokine binding assay kits. All samples were back assayed before treatment, during therapy and follow-up for 6 months from a previous completed clinical trial.During YIC treatment, 26 patients with lower IgG galactosylation level at baseline [galactosylation level (Gal-ratio) = -0.29, 0.18 (mean, SD)] showed sustained increase of serum galactosylated IgG, and responded to YIC treatment by HBeAg seroconversion. While those who did not respond to YIC treatment [Gal-ratio = -0.40, 0.15 (mean, SD)] failed to show similar changes. Furthermore, this kinetic increase of galactosylated IgG correlated with marked up-regulated IL-2 level, confirming that effective cellular immune responses have participated in responsiveness.For HBeAg-positive CHB patients lower serum IgG galactosylation level may serve as an indicator for selecting a suitable subpopulation of candidates for YIC therapeutic vaccination.

As an important machine component, the gearbox is widely used in industry for power transmission. Condition monitoring (CM) of a gearbox is critical to provide timely information for undertaking necessary maintenance actions. Massive research efforts have been made in the last two decades to develop vibration-based techniques. However, vibration-based methods usually include several inherent shortages including contact measurement, localized information, noise contamination, and high computation costs, making it difficult to be a cost-effective CM technique. In this paper, infrared thermal (IRT) images, which can contain information covering a large area and acquired remotely, are based on developing a cost-effective CM method. Moreover, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is employed to automatically process the raw IRT images for attaining more comprehensive feature parameters, which avoids the deficiency of incomplete information caused by various feature-extraction methods in vibration analysis. Thus, an IRT-CNN method is developed to achieve online remote monitoring of a gearbox. The performance evaluation based on a bevel gearbox shows that the proposed method can achieve nearly 100% correctness in identifying several common gear faults such as tooth pitting, cracks, and breakages and their compounds. It is also especially robust to ambient temperature changes. In addition, IRT also significantly outperforms its vibration-based counterparts.

Background: Cellular senescence is a recognized barrier for progression of chronic liver diseases to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression of a cluster of genes is altered in response to environmental factors during senescence. However, it is questionable whether these genes could serve as biomarkers for HCC patients., Aim: To develop a signature of senescence-associated genes (SAGs) that predicts patients' overall survival (OS) to improve prognosis prediction of HCC., Methods: SAGs were identified using two senescent cell models. Univariate COX regression analysis was performed to screen the candidate genes significantly associated with OS of HCC in a discovery cohort (GSE14520) for the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator modelling. Prognostic value of this seven-gene signature was evaluated using two independent cohorts retrieved from the GEO (GSE14520) and the Cancer Genome Atlas datasets, respectively. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to compare the predictive accuracy of the seven-SAG signature and serum α-fetoprotein (AFP)., Results: A total of 42 SAGs were screened and seven of them, including KIF18B , CEP55 , CIT , MCM7 , CDC45 , EZH2 , and MCM5 , were used to construct a prognostic formula. All seven genes were significantly downregulated in senescent cells and upregulated in HCC tissues. Survival analysis indicated that our seven-SAG signature was strongly associated with OS, especially in Asian populations, both in discovery and validation cohorts. Moreover, time-dependent ROC curve analysis suggested the seven-gene signature had a better predictive accuracy than serum AFP in predicting HCC patients' 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS., Conclusion: We developed a seven-SAG signature, which could predict OS of Asian HCC patients. This risk model provides new clinical evidence for the accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment of HCC., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: None.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation and clinical significance of oxidative stress and inflammatory response in vascular vertigo (VV). The subjects were divided into three groups: vascular vertigo (group A), non-vascular vertigo (group B) and controls (group C). The serum levels of IL-6 (interleukins-6), SOD (superoxide dismutase), MDA (malondialdehyde) and TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) and CD62P (also called P-Selectin) activation rates were determined and compared among the three groups. The levels of IL-6, TNF-α, MDA and CD62P in group A were significantly higher than those of group B and group C (P less than 0.05). The SOD level of group A was lower than that of group B and group C (P less than 0.05). There was no significant difference between groups B and C in IL-6, TNF- αMDA, SOD and CD62P (P>0.05). In patients with vascular vertigo, TNF-α levels had a weak linear correlation with those of low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.025, r = 0.312). There was no linear correlation between TNF-α and SOD in patients with VV and non-VV. The occurrence of inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress may cause abnormal lipid metabolism in the body and promote the occurrence of VV, and platelet activation may be involved in its formation.

Annual nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and nitric oxide (NO) emissions were measured within a 27 year fertilization experiment in Guanzhong Plain. Gas samples were collected using static chambers from June 2017 to June 2018. The primary objectives of this study were to quantify the variations in N 2 O and NO emissions and evaluate the effect of manure amendment on gas losses. Three treatments were set up in the field using a completely random block design. The control treatment (CK) remained unfertilized throughout the year. The synthetic fertilizers (NPK) and NPK plus dairy manure (NPKM) treatments received an annual nitrogen (N) input at a rate of 353 kg·hm -2 . In the summer maize season, the NPK and NPKM treatments received urea as a N source at 188 kg·hm -2 . In the winter wheat season, the NPK treatments received urea at 165 kg·hm -2 . The NPKM treatment received the same amount of N as the NPK treatment but with 30% from urea and 70% from dairy manure. The results showed that N 2 O and NO emissions from the CK treatment were consistently low during the experimental period. Large emission peaks were captured in the NPK and NPKM treatments, mostly responding to fertilizer application and irrigation. The largest N 2 O and NO peaks were up to 103.0 g·(hm 2 ·d) -1 and 71.0 g·(hm 2 ·d) -1 , respectively, and both occurred in the NPKM treatment during the summer maize season. The NO/N 2 O ratio was negatively related to soil water-filled pore space ( P <0.01) at soil temperatures above 20℃ for the NPK and NPKM treatments, indicating the regulatory effect of soil temperature and water content on gas fluxes. Annual N 2 O emissions from the CK, NPK, and NPKM treatments were 0.21 kg·hm -2 , 2.32 kg·hm -2 , and 2.15 kg·hm -2 , respectively, with a non-significant difference between the NPK and NPKM treatments ( P =0.74). Annual NO emissions from the CK, NPK, and NPKM treatments were 0.23 kg·hm -2 , 0.80 kg·hm -2 , and 1.46 kg·hm -2 , respectively, with a significant difference between the NPK and NPKM treatments ( P <0.05). We concluded that long-term dairy manure amendment did not influence N 2 O emissions but increased NO emissions.

Background: Recent evidence shows that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely related to hepatogenesis and a few aggressive features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Increasing studies demonstrate that lncRNAs are potential prognostic factors for HCC. Moreover, several studies reported the combination of lncRNAs for predicting the overall survival (OS) of HCC, but the results varied. Thus, more effort including more accurate statistical approaches is needed for exploring the prognostic value of lncRNAs in HCC., Aim: To develop a robust lncRNA signature associated with HCC recurrence to improve prognosis prediction of HCC., Methods: Univariate COX regression analysis was performed to screen the lncRNAs significantly associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) of HCC in GSE76427 for the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) modelling. The established lncRNA signature was validated and developed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) series using Kaplan-Meier curves. The expression values of the identified lncRNAs were compared between the tumor and non-tumor tissues. Pathway enrichment of these lncRNAs was conducted based on the significantly co-expressed genes. A prognostic nomogram combining the lncRNA signature and clinical characteristics was constructed., Results: The lncRNA signature consisted of six lncRNAs: MSC-AS1 , POLR2J4 , EIF3J-AS1 , SERHL , RMST , and PVT1 . This risk model was significantly associated with the RFS of HCC in the TCGA cohort with a hazard ratio (HR) being 1.807 (95%CI [confidence interval]: 1.329-2.457) and log-rank P -value being less than 0.001. The best candidates of the six-lncRNA signature were younger male patients with HBV infection in relatively early tumor-stage and better physical condition but with higher preoperative alpha-fetoprotein. All the lncRNAs were significantly upregulated in tumor samples compared to non-tumor samples ( P < 0.05). The most significantly enriched pathways of the lncRNAs were TGF-β signaling pathway, cellular apoptosis-associated pathways, etc . The nomogram showed great utility of the lncRNA signature in HCC recurrence risk stratification., Conclusion: We have constructed a six-lncRNA signature for prognosis prediction of HCC. This risk model provides new clinical evidence for the accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment of HCC., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: None.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to further clarify the role and underlying mechanism of miR-324-5p in gastric cancer., Methods: The expressions of miR-324-5p and TSPAN8 as determined by qRT-PCR or Western blot were compared between the gastric cancer tissues and normal tissues. Human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 was cultured and transfected with miR-324-5p mimic/inhibitor or pcDNA-TSPAN8. The cell survival was assessed by the cell viability and apoptosis. Luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to explore the interaction between miR-324-5p and TSPAN8 in SGC-7901 cells., Key Findings: MiR-324-5p was decreased in human gastric carcinoma tissues (n = 33), but TSPAN8 protein expression was increased in the gastric carcinoma tissues (n = 33). Moreover, miR-324-5p inhibited the viability and induced the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells in vitro. TSPAN8 is a functional target of miR-324-5p in gastric cancer. MiR-324-5p was further confirmed to reduce gastric cancer cell viability and induce apoptosis via downregulating TSPAN8 in SGC-7901 cells in vitro. Additionally, miR-324-5p overexpression markedly inhibited the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer cells in vivo, as shown by the smaller tumour volume compared with the control., Conclusions: This study suggested a novel, probable mechanism of miR-324-5p in gastric cancer context and revealed that miR-324-5p inhibited gastric cancer cell survival by targeting TSPAN8., (© 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.)

Luteolin, a flavonoid isolated from Cirsium japonicum, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. Our previous studies brought a prospect that luteolin benefited diabetic rats with cognitive impairments. In this study, we examined whether luteolin could suppress the inflammatory cytokines, thus increasing synapse-associated proteins in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rat models. The model rats underwent luteolin treatment for 8 consecutive weeks, followed by assessment of cognitive performances with MWM test. Nissl staining was employed to assess the neuropathological changes in the hippocampus and the effects of luteolin on diabetic rats. With animals sacrificed, expressions of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and synapse-associated proteins including growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) and synaptophysin (SYN) were determined. The results affirmed improvement of behavioral performances in the MWM test, downexpression of glycation end products (AGEs) in the plasma and the receptor for advanced glycation end products in the hippocampus, inhibition of IL-1β and TNF-α in both the hippocampus and plasma in diabetic rats. Furthermore, luteolin treatment upregulated the expressions of GAP-43 and SYN in the hippocampus. Thus, luteolin could ameliorate the cognitive dysfunctions in STZ-induced diabetic rat model.

Agricultural soil is a significant source of nitric oxide (NO). The primary aim of this study was to quantify the effect of long-term organic amendments on NO emissions from the summer maize-winter wheat cropping system in Guanzhong Plain. NO fluxes were regularly measured by the static chamber method for one year (June 2016 to June 2017). Field experiments included four fertilizer treatments that commenced in 1990. The control (CK, 0 kg·hm -2 ) treatment was unfertilized throughout the years. The fertilized treatments were synthetic fertilizer (NPK, 165 kg·hm -2 ), synthetic fertilizer plus maize stalk (NPKS, (165+40) kg·hm -2 ), and synthetic fertilizer plus dairy manure (NPKM, (50+115) kg·hm -2 ) during the winter wheat season. They were fertilized with synthetic fertilizer (188 kg·hm -2 ) during the summer maize season. The results showed small NO emission [<12.2 g·(hm 2 ·d) -1 ] from the CK treatment within the experimental period. Large NO fluxes [up to 112.0 g·(hm 2 ·d) -1 in NPK treatment] were captured following sowing and fertilization during the summer maize season and following fertilization during the winter wheat season for all fertilized treatments. Annual NO emissions and direct emission factors ranged from 0.13 to 0.57 kg·hm -2 and from 0.04% to 0.12%, respectively. Annual NO emissions from the NPKS and NPKM treatments were 17.6% lower and 68.0% ( P <0.05) larger than those from the NPK treatment, respectively. Seasonal NO emissions from the NPKS and NPKM treatments were 41.1%-60.0% ( P <0.05) lower than those from the NPK treatment during the winter wheat season, indicating that organic amendments reduced NO emissions. Seasonal NO emissions from the NPKS and NPKM treatments were 25.2%-292.1% ( P <0.05) larger than that from the NPK treatment during the summer maize season, mostly due to the positive effect of soil organic matter content on NO emissions.

Objective: To investigate the value of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy after extubation in patients with acute respiratory failure., Methods: A single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled pilot trial was conducted between January 2013 and December 2014. Sixty enrolled patients were randomized immediately after extubation into either a high-flow nasal cannula group (n=30) or an air entrainment mask group (n=30) at a fixed inspired oxygen fraction (40%). The success rate of oxygen therapy, respiratory and hemodynamic parameters and subjective discomfort (using a visual analogue scale) were assessed at 24h after extubation., Results: The two groups were comparable at extubation. A total of 46 patients were successfully treated including 27 patients in the high-flow nasal cannula group and 19 patients in the air entrainment mask group. Compared to the air entrainment mask group, the success rate of oxygen therapy and the partial pressure of arterial oxygen were significantly higher and the respiratory rate was lower in the high-flow nasal cannula group. In addition, less discomfort related to interface displacement and airway dryness was observed in the high-flow nasal cannula group than in the air entrainment mask group., Conclusions: At a fixed inspired oxygen fraction, the application of a high-flow nasal cannula after extubation achieves a higher success rate of oxygen therapy and less discomfort at 24h than an air entrainment mask in patients with acute respiratory failure.

For ferroelectric materials, where the polar state breaks the inversion symmetry, second harmonic generation is a useful tool to prove their ferroelectric properties. However, the correlation between the anisotropy patterns and the polarization orientation of the ferroelectric domains has not been clarified yet. In this work, we systematically investigated this correlation in a typical perovskite oxide ferroelectric, Barium Titanate (BaTiO 3 ) crystal, by second harmonic generation and the piezoresponse force microscopy technique. The evolution of polarization-dependent anisotropy patterns proves that there is a linear relationship between the rotation angle of second harmonic generation anisotropy patterns and the polarization angle of BaTiO 3 single crystals. It is a direct evidence illustrating that the polarization of BaTiO 3 crystal can be qualitatively identified in 0°-180° by second harmonic generation technology. This work gives a glance at improving a nonintrusive and convenient method to identify the polarization of perovskite ferroelectric materials.

The primary aim of this study was to quantify the effects of long-term organic amendments on soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. Using static chamber-gas chromatograph technique, we measured N 2 O fluxes from winter wheat-maize rotation system and related environmental factors in the Guanzhong Plain for one year (October 2014 to October 2015). Field experiments were based on the "Chinese National Loess Fertility and Fertilizer Effects Long-term Monitoring Experiment". Four treatments were control (CK, 0 kg·hm -2 ), NPK (NPK, 353 kg·hm -2 ), NPK combined with maize straw[NPKS, (353+40) kg·hm -2 ] and cattle waste[NPKM, (238+115) kg·hm -2 ]. During the experimental period, N 2 O fluxes from CK treatment were small[<2.9 g·(hm 2 ·d) -1 ]; while emissions from fertilized treatments peaked after fertilization[up to 113.4 g·(hm 2 ·d) -1 for NPKS] and irrigation[up to 495.0 g·(hm 2 ·d) -1 for NPKM] during winter wheat and maize seasons, respectively. N 2 O flux was significantly correlated to soil water-filled pore space for all treatments ( r >0.28, P <0.05). Annual N 2 O emissions were (0.1±0.0), (2.6±0.1), (3.4±0.7) and (2.9±0.3) kg·hm -2 for CK, NPK, NPKS and NPKM, respectively. The fertilized treatments released higher N 2 O emissions than CK treatment ( P <0.05), indicating that fertilization stimulated N 2 O emissions. However, the differences in N 2 O emissions were not significant among the fertilized treatments ( P =0.06), suggesting that organic amendments did not increase N 2 O emissions obviously. The direct emission factors were 0.72%, 0.83% and 0.80% for NPK, NPKS and NPKM, respectively, all of which were lower than the IPCC default of 1%. The yield-scaled N 2 O emission for NPKM was the lowest among the fertilized treatments.

We report our clinical experience with 11 cases of heel soft tissue defects treated with a medial plantar artery island pedicle flap. We also evaluated the functional outcomes of reconstruction. We enrolled 11 patients (10 [90.9%] males and 1 [9.1%] female), who received a medial plantar artery island pedicle flap for heel soft tissue defects from August 2010 to July 2014. The cause of the defects included trauma (post-traumatic heel skin necrosis) in 2 (18.2%) patients, infection (calcaneal osteomyelitis with overlying soft tissue infection) in 2 (18.2%) patients, and tumor (stage IA melanoma) in 7 (63.6%) patients. The mean average size of the defect was 3.7 cm × 4.4 cm (range 3.1 cm × 4.0 cm to 4.5  cm × 5.5  cm). The mean follow-up period was 19.6 (range 8 to 35) months, and all flaps survived within that period. The mean static 2-point discrimination was 34.4 (range 29 to 40) mm at the heel and 17.2 mm at the distal sole. The mean visual analog scale score for the aesthetic appearance of the reconstructed heel was 9 (range 8 to 9.5). The average revised Foot Function Index score was 25.8 (range 21 to 37). The medial plantar artery island pedicle flap is a versatile and effective method for reconstructing heel soft tissue defects., (Copyright © 2016 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To investigate the therapeutic effect of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to explore the potential mechanisms involved., Methods: Male mice were randomly divided into the following four groups: control group, in which the mice received equivalent volumes of normal saline (NS) intraperitoneally (ip); dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) group, in which the mice received NS ip (5 mL/kg body weight, twice per day at 8 am and 5 pm) for 7 consecutive days after IBD modeling; DSS + HRW group, in which the mice received HRW (in the same volume as the NS treatment) for 7 consecutive days after IBD modeling; and DSS + HRW + ZnPP group, in which the mice received HRW (in the same volume as the NS treatment) and ZnPP [a heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inhibitor, 25 mg/kg] for 7 consecutive days after IBD modeling. IBD was induced by feeding DSS to the mice, and blood and colon tissues were collected on the 7 th d after IBD modeling to determine clinical symptoms, colonic inflammation and the potential mechanisms involved., Results: The DSS + HRW group exhibited significantly attenuated weight loss and a lower extent of disease activity index compared with the DSS group on the 7 th d ( P < 0.05). HRW exerted protective effects against colon shortening and colonic wall thickening in contrast to the DSS group ( P < 0.05). The histological study demonstrated milder inflammation in the DSS + HRW group, which was similar to normal inflammatory levels, and the macroscopic and microcosmic damage scores were lower in this group than in the DSS group ( P < 0.05). The oxidative stress parameters, including MDA and MPO in the colon, were significantly decreased in the DSS + HRW group compared with the DSS group ( P < 0.05). Simultaneously, the protective indicators, superoxide dismutase and glutathione, were markedly increased with the use of HRW. Inflammatory factors were assessed, and the results showed that the DSS + HRW group exhibited significantly reduced levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β compared with the DSS group ( P < 0.05). In addition, the pivotal proteins involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, including p-eIF2α, ATF4, XBP1s and CHOP, were dramatically reduced after HRW treatment in contrast to the control group ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, HRW treatment markedly up-regulated HO-1 expression, and the use of ZnPP obviously reversed the protective role of HRW. In the DSS + HRW + ZnPP group, colon shortening and colonic wall thickening were significantly aggravated, and the macroscopic damage scores were similar to those of the DSS + HRW group ( P < 0.05). The histological study also showed more serious colonic damage that was similar to the DSS group., Conclusion: HRW has a significant therapeutic potential in IBD by inhibiting inflammatory factors, oxidative stress and ER stress and by up-regulating HO-1 expression., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

The defect chemistry of perovskite oxides involves the cause to most of their abundant functional properties, including interface magnetism, charge transport, ionic exchange, and catalytic activity. The possibility to achieve dynamic control over oxygen anion vacancies offers a unique opportunity for the development of appealing switchable devices, which at present are commonly based on ferroelectric materials. Herein, we report the discovery of a switchable photovoltaic effect, that the sign of the open voltage and the short circuit current can be reversed by inverting the polarity of the applied field, upon electrically tailoring the distribution of oxygen vacancies in perovskite oxide films. This phenomenon is demonstrated in lateral photovoltaic devices based on both ferroelectric BiFeO 3 and paraelectric SrTiO 3 films, under a reversed applied field whose magnitude is much smaller than the coercivity value of BiFeO 3 . The migration of oxygen vacancies was directly observed by employing an advanced annular bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy technique with in situ biasing equipment. We conclude that the band bending induced by the motion of oxygen vacancies is the driving force for the reversible switching between two photovoltaic states. The present work can provide an active path for the design of novel switchable photovoltaic devices with a wide range of transition metal oxides in terms of the ionic degrees of freedom.

BiFeO 3 thin films have drawn much attention due to its potential applications for novel magnetoelectric devices and fundamental physics in magnetoelectric coupling. However, the structural evolution of BiFeO 3 films with thickness remains controversial. Here we use an optical second-harmonic generation technique to explore the phase-related symmetry evolution of BiFeO 3 thin films with the variation of thickness. The crystalline structures for 60 and 180-nm-thick BiFeO 3 thin films were characterized by high-resolution X-ray diffractometry reciprocal space mapping and the local piezoelectric response for 60-nm-thick BiFeO 3 thin films was characterized by piezoresponse force microscopy. The present results show that the symmetry of BiFeO 3 thin films with a thickness below 60 nm belongs to the point group 4 mm. We conclude that the disappearance of fourfold rotational symmetry in SHG s-out pattern implies for the appearance of R-phase. The fact that the thinner the film is, the closer to 1 the tensor element ratio χ 31 /χ 15 tends, indicates an increase of symmetry with the decrease of thickness for BiFeO 3 thin films.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report our experience of fingertip replantation without venous anastomosis using alternate method to counter post-operative venous congestion., Methods: 30 Patients (18 men and 12 women) with 30 fingertip amputations (Tamai zone I) were treated with artery-only anastomosis fingertip replantation between March 2010 and July 2014. Postoperative venous outflow was maintained by allowing bleeding through wound gaps combined with topical (12500 u :250mlNS) and systemic (4000 IU SC once daily) heparin. The outcomes of replantation were evaluated using standard evaluating systems., Results: The average duration of hospital stay was 10 days (range 7-14 days). Twenty-eight (93 %) replanted fingertips survived. Five replanted fingertip experienced postoperative vascular crisis. The estimated post-operative blood loss was about 200-450 ml (mean, 292 ml). Follow-up period ranged from 12 to 24 months (average, 18 months). At final follow-up examinations, the average value of static two point discrimination test was 5.6 mm (range 3-9 mm) and Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test was 3.35 g (range 2.83-4.56 g). The mean range of motion of distal interphalangeal joint was 65.2° (range 0-90°) and all patients returned to their work within 7-18 weeks (average, 11 weeks)., Conclusion: Artery-only fingertip replantation can provide satisfactory cosmetic and functional results. Adequate venous outflow can be obtained by allowing minimal external bleeding through wound gaps combined with topical and systemic heparin.

Background: Fingertip reconstruction using reverse-flow homodigital island flaps has been very popular over the years. However, the outcomes of reconstruction have not been clearly understood. In these circumstances, a systematic review of available literature is warranted., Objective: To assess the outcomes and complications of fingertip reconstruction using reverse-flow homodigital island flaps. To justify the usage of reverse-flow homodigital island flaps for fingertip reconstruction., Search Methods: A PubMed [MEDLINE] electronic database was searched (1985 to 15 April 2015)., Selection/eligibility Criteria: Retrospective case series that met the following criteria were included: (1) Study reported primary data; (2) Study included at least five cases of fingertip defects treated using reverse-flow homodigital island flaps; (3) Study reported outcomes and complications of fingertip reconstruction, either primary or delayed, using reverse-flow homodigital island flaps; (4) The study presented at least one of the following functional outcomes: Static two-point discrimination, return-to-work time, range of motion of distal interphalangeal joints; (5) The study presented at least one complication., Data Collection and Analysis: Two review authors independently assessed search results, and two other review authors analyzed the data and resolved disagreements. The following endpoints were analyzed: survival rate of the flap, sensibility, and functional outcomes and complications., Main Result: Eight studies were included in this review. The included studies were published between 1995 and 2014, and a total of 207 patients with 230 fingertip defects were reported. The overall survival rate of the flap was 98 % (including partial survival). The mean static two-point discrimination (2PD) was 7.2 mm. The average range of motion of the DIP joint was 63°. The average return-to-work time was 7 weeks after injury. On average, 2 % of the patient had complete flap necrosis, 5 % had partial flap necrosis, 4 % developed venous congestion, 4 % developed flexion contracture, and 12 % experienced mild-to-moderate cold intolerance., Authors' Conclusions: Survival of reconstructed fingertips (98 %) is better with reverse-flow homodigital island flaps than fingertip replantation (86 %). The sensibility outcome using sensate flaps (mean s2PD = 7.2 mm) is similar to the sensibility outcome following replantation (mean s2PD = 7 mm). The common complications include cold intolerance, venous congestion, and flexion contracture. Therefore, reverse-flow homodigital island flaps may not be the ideal choice but are a very reliable alternative for fingertip reconstruction., Level of Evidence V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.