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Abstract This study aimed to investigate the anticancer efficacy and underlying mechanism of novel platinum nanoclusters (Pt NCs) in osteosarcoma cell lines exhibiting distinct P53 expression profiles, namely MG-63 (P53−) and U2-OS (P53+). The findings revealed that Pt NCs exerted an inhibitory effect on proliferation, migration, and colony formation while promoting apoptosis in both MG-63 (P53−) and U2-OS (P53+) cells. The inhibitory effect on the malignant characteristics of MG-63 (P53−) cells was more obvious, indicating that the potential anticancer effect of Pt NCs was not dependent on P53. Animal experiments have substantiated the in vivo anticancer properties of Pt NCs, while also revealing their lower toxicity on cells and tissues. Pt NCs possess the ability to impede cell proliferation by inducing DNA damage and arresting the cell cycle in the G1 phase and possess the ability to promote BAX/Bcl-2/Caspase-3/mitochondrial apoptosis. Pt NCs may promote mitochondrial apoptosis by promoting damaging autophagy, thereby promoting cellular demise. This study has confirmed the P53-independent anticancer impact of Pt NCs on osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. Pt NCs may play a therapeutic role in more sensitive MG-63 (P53−) cells by promoting DNA damage to arrest the cell cycle, stimulating BAX/Bcl-2/Caspase-3/mitochondrial apoptosis, and initiating damaging autophagy.

Abstract Background Presenteeism has become a significant issue related to health. However, the effect of fatigue and organizational identification on the relationship between emotional labor and presenteeism among Chinese nurses remains unclear. This study aims to explore the correlation of Chinese nurses’ emotional labor, fatigue and organizational identification with presenteeism, and to analyze the mediating effect of fatigue and the moderating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between emotional labor and presenteeism. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed from June to October 2022 in Changchun City, Jilin Province, China. In total, 1,630 nurses were asked to complete a range of self-administered questionnaires, including the Emotional Labor Scale, the Fatigue Scale, the Organizational Identification Scale and the Stanford Presenteeism Scale. Besides, the PROCESS macro and multiple linear regression were used for moderated mediation analysis. Results Emotional labor (r = 0.108, P

Repetitive implant-related infections (IRIs) are devastating complications in orthopedic surgery, threatening implant survival and even the life of the host. Biofilms conceal bacterial-associated antigens (BAAs) and result in a ''cold tumor''-like immune silent microenvironment, allowing the persistence of IRIs. To address this challenge, an iron-based covalent organic framed nanoadjuvant doped with curcumin and platinum (CFCP) was designed in the present study to achieve efficient treatment of IRIs by inducing a systemic immune response. Specifically, enhanced sonodynamic therapy (SDT) from CFCP combined with iron ion metabolic interference increased the release of bacterial-associated double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Immunogenic dsDNA promoted dendritic cell (DC) maturation through activation of the stimulator of interferon gene (STING) and amplified the immune stimulation of neutrophils via interferon-β (IFN-β). At the same time, enhanced BAA presentation aroused humoral immunity in B and T cells, creating long-term resistance to repetitive infections. Encouragingly, CFCP served as neoadjuvant immunotherapy for sustained antibacterial protection on implants and was expected to guide clinical IRI treatment and relapse prevention.

In this paper, a class of discrete-time delayed switched neural networks with dynamic event-triggered mechanism (DETM) and constrained bit rate is considered. In order to reduce the transmission frequency and alleviate the unnecessary resource loss between sensor and estimator, a DETM is proposed. The data transmission from sensor to estimator is realized through constrained bit rate channel. Therefore, in order to reflect the bandwidth allocation rules of accessible neurone nodes, a bit rate constraint model is introduced and an encoding-decoding mechanism is developed. This paper is concerned with the strategy of average dwell time (ADT) and linear matrix inequality, then sufficient conditions for the exponential ultimate boundedness of switched neural networks with DETM and constrained bit rate are proposed. Finally, an example is given to prove the effectiveness of the results.

Abstract Background Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most common aggressive bone malignancy tumors in adolescents. With the application of new chemotherapy regimens, finding new and effective anti-OS drugs to coordinate program implementation is urgent for the patients of OS. Oridonin had been proved to mediate anti-tumor effect on OS cells, but its mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Methods The effects of oridonin on the viability, clonal formation and migration of 143B and U2OS cells were detected by CCK-8, colony formation assays and wound-healing test. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis was used to explore the mechanism of oridonin on OS. Western blot (WB), real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the expression levels of apoptosis and ferroptosis-relative proteins and genes. Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit and flow cytometry examination were used to detect the level of apoptosis. Iron assay kit was used to evaluate the relative Fe2+ content. The levels of mitochondrial membrane potential and lipid peroxidation production was determined by mitochondrial membrane potential detection kit and ROS assay kit. Results Oridonin could effectively inhibit the survival, clonal formation and metastasis of OS cells. The KEGG results indicated that oridonin is associated with the malignant phenotypic signaling pathways of proliferation, migration, and drug resistance in OS. Oridonin was capable of inhibiting expressions of BAX, cl-caspase3, SLC7A11, GPX4 and FTH1 proteins and mRNA, while promoting the expressions of Bcl-2 and ACSL4 in 143B and U2OS cells. Additionally, we found that oridonin could promote the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Fe2+ in OS cells, as well as reduce mitochondrial membrane potential, and these effects could be significantly reversed by the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1). Conclusion Oridonin can trigger apoptosis and ferroptosis collaboratively in OS cells, making it a promising and effective agent for OS therapy.

[Abstract]: Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of using a strip-shaped cymba conchae orthosis for the nonsurgical correction of complex auricular deformities. Methods: Clinical data were collected from 2020 to 2021 for 6 patients who underwent correction using a strip-shaped cymba conchae orthosis. The indications, corrective effects, and complications associated with use of the orthosis were analyzed. Results: There were four indications for treatment: cryptotia with helix adhesion; cryptotia with grade I microtia; cryptotia with excessive helix thickness; and auricular deformity beyond the treatment time window (≥6 months). Excellent corrective effects were observed in all 6 patients. Complications occurred in one patient, who recovered after symptomatic treatment. Conclusion: The use of a strip-shaped cymba conchae orthosis alone or combined with a U-shaped helix orthosis presents a feasible approach for correcting complex auricular deformities or deformities beyond the treatment time window in pediatric patients.

Abstract The senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) is a generic term for the secretion of cytokines, such as pro-inflammatory factors and proteases. It is a crucial feature of senescent cells. SASP factors induce tissue remodeling and immune cell recruitment. Previous studies have focused on the beneficial role of SASP during embryonic development, wound healing, tissue healing in general, immunoregulation properties, and cancer. However, some recent studies have identified several negative effects of SASP on fracture healing. Senolytics is a drug that selectively eliminates senescent cells. Senolytics can inhibit the function of senescent cells and SASP, which has been found to have positive effects on a variety of aging-related diseases. At the same time, recent data suggest that removing senescent cells may promote fracture healing. Here, we reviewed the latest research progress about SASP and illustrated the inflammatory response and the influence of SASP on fracture healing. This review aims to understand the role of SASP in fracture healing, aiming to provide an important clinical prevention and treatment strategy for fracture. Clinical trials of some senolytics agents are underway and are expected to clarify the effectiveness of their targeted therapy in the clinic in the future. Meanwhile, the adverse effects of this treatment method still need further study.

Abstract An unprecedented Et2Zn‐mediated gem‐dicarboxylation of C─C/C─H single bond of cyclopropanols with CO2 is disclosed, which provides a straightforward and efficient methodology for the synthesis of a variety of structurally diverse and useful malonic acids in moderate to excellent yields. The protocol features mild reaction conditions, excellent functional group compatibility, broad substrate scope, and facile derivatization of the products. DFT calculations confirm that the transition‐metal‐free transformation proceeds through a novel ring‐opening/α‐functionalization/ring‐closing/ring‐opening/β‐functionalization (ROFCOF) process, and 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec‐7‐ene (DBU) plays dual important roles in the transformation.

【Objective】It is complex, time-consuming and laborious for conventional chemical detection method to detect the content of total nitrogen, potassium, total sugars, reducing sugars, total alkali, chlorine and magnesium in wrapper tobacco, while near-infrared spectroscopy technology is simple to operate and rapid to detect. The aims is to establish a near infrared spectroscopy detection model to achieve rapid quantitative analysis of the content of the seven chemical components in wrapper tobacco.【Method】Taking Yunnan cigar wrapper tobacco as the material, conventional chemical method was used to detect the content of seven chemical components in wrapper tobacco, and then near infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze the content of seven chemical components and their spectruml data of wrapper tobacco by using near infrared spectroscopy combined with partial least squares method, and the model with the optimal predictive performance was determined by comparing the root mean square error and correlation coefficient of the model.【Result】The optimal prediction results of the seven chemical components were established by the preprocessing methods of original spectrum, first derivative, first derivative, original spectrum, original spectrum, first derivative + median filtering and first derivative + median filtering, and the optimal principal component numbers were 20, 7, 4, 24, 21, 9 and 7, respectively; The training set correlation coefficients (r) of the seven models were 0.9441, 0.8589, 0.7664, 0.9511, 0.9547, 0.9031 and 0.8620, respectively. The root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) were 0.1288, 0.2846, 0.0280, 0.0096, 0.1894, 0.2965 and 0.0795; The correlation coefficients (r) of the validation set were 0.8958, 0.7675, 0.7181, 0.7928, 0.7282, 0.8062 and 0.7980, and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) were 0.1789, 0.3011, 0.0324, 0.0193, 0.3855, 0.3990 and 0.0999. Moreover, the models were externally verified, and the results indicated that the average RSD of the predicted values and chemical values of the seven chemical components were less than 32%.【Conclusion】It was feasible to use near infrared spectroscopy to rapidly and quantitatively analyze the contents of seven chemical components in wrapper tobacco. The models had good prediction effect on the contents of seven chemical components, and could provide a reference for the rapidly and quantitatively analysis of seven chemical components in wrapper tobacco.

The worldwide elderly population is on the rise, and aging is a major osteoporosis risk factor. Senescent cells accumulation can have a detrimental effect the body as we age. The senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), an essential cellular senescence hallmark, is an important mechanism connecting cellular senescence to osteoporosis. This review describes in detail the characteristics of SASPs and their regulatory agencies, and shed fresh light on how SASPs from different senescent cells contribute to osteoporosis development. Furthermore, we summarized various innovative therapy techniques that target SASPs to lower the burden of osteoporosis in the elderly and discussed the potential challenges of SASPs-based therapy for osteoporosis as a new clinical trial.

Abstract Background Although elevated homocysteine levels have been shown to affect penile erection, the relationship between homocysteine and erection at the tip or base of the penis has not been extensively studied. Results We found that homocysteine levels were negatively correlated with the average event rigidity of the base (r = -0.2225, p = 0.0142). Homocysteine levels were also negatively correlated with the average maximum rigidity of the base (r = -0.2164, p = 0.0171). In particular, homocysteine levels were negatively correlated with ∆ Tumescence of the tip (r = -0.1866, p = 0.0404). Similarly, homocysteine was negatively correlated with ∆ Tumescence of the base (r = -0.2257, p = 0.0128). Conclusion Our data showed that homocysteine inhibits penile erection. At the same time, homocysteine levels were negatively correlated with the parameters of the AVSS-RigiScan test.

Large-scale open-pit mining in mining areas will cause serious damage to the ecological environment. Building a “green mine” is an essential part of implementing sustainable development. In order to explore the changing characteristics of the environmental quality of the open-pit mining area and provide a scientific basis for improving the ecological environment of the mining area. Taking Sijiying open-pit mining area as the research area, based on four Landsat images from 2000 to 2022, the four index components of greenness, humidity, dryness and heat were integrated, and an improved remote sensing ecological index CRSEI was constructed by principal component analysis to dynamically evaluate and monitor the ecological environment quality of the mining area. The results show that the average correlation between CRSEI and the index components is higher than the average correlation between the components, indicating that it has a favorable expression effect on the ecological quality of the mining area. The ecological environmental quality of the study area experienced a shift to the poor grade, and the poor ecological quality area was mainly distributed in industrial and mining land and construction land, with the mean CRSEI of 0.668, 0.474, 0.460 and 0.494, respectively. The results of dynamic monitoring showed that the proportion of ecological improvement area (41.43 %) was greater than that of ecological deterioration area (33.29 %) in the study area in the past 22 years, and additional restoration efforts should be made to achieve sustainable development of the ecological environment.

Background: Although there have been several risk factors reported for implant failure (IF), little consensus exists. Potential applicable measures to protect patients from IF are relatively few. This study aimed to discover new risk factors for IF and explore potential protective measures from IF after total spondylectomy for spinal tumors. Methods: A total of 145 patients undergoing total spondylectomy for thoracic and lumbar spinal tumors between 2010 and 2021 were included from three tertiary university hospitals. Patient demographic and surgical characteristics and follow-up outcomes were collected. Results: During a mean follow-up of 53.77 months (range, 12 to 149 months), 22 of 145 patients (15.17%) developed IF. Patients undergoing thoracolumbar junctional region (T12/L1) resection were more likely to develop IF compared to those undergoing surgery at other vertebral levels (HR = 21.622, 95% CI = 3.567–131.084, P = 0.001). Patients undergoing titanium mesh cage reconstruction were more likely to develop IF compared to patients undergoing expandable titanium cage reconstruction (HR = 8.315, 95% CI = 1.482–46.645, P = 0.016). Patients with bone cement augmentation around the cage were less likely to develop IF compared to those not receiving bone cement augmentation (HR = 0.015, 95% CI = 0.002–0.107, P

Background Since few studies have incorporated factors like stressors, coping styles, and academic burnout into the same model to analyze their impacts on depressive symptoms, this research attempts to establish an optimal structural model to explore the direct and indirect effects of these factors on depressive symptoms. Methods A total of 266 postgraduates completed questionnaires regarding coping styles, academic burnout, stressors, and depressive symptoms. The path analysis was applied for investigating the roles of coping styles and academic burnout in mediating the relationship between stressors and depressive symptoms. Results The total and direct effects of stressors on depressive symptoms were 0.53 and 0.31, respectively. The proportion of the direct effect of stressors on depressive symptoms to its total effect amounted to 58.50%. The indirect effects of academic burnout, positive coping style, and negative coping style on the association between stressors and depressive symptoms were 0.11, 0.04, and 0.03, taking up 20.75%, 7.55%, and 5.66% of the total effect, respectively. The serial indirect effect of positive coping style and academic burnout was 0.02, accounting for 3.77% of the total effect, while that of negative coping style and academic burnout was 0.02, taking up 3.77% of the total effect. Conclusions Coping styles and academic burnout chain jointly mediate the relationship between stressors and depressive symptoms among postgraduates. Thus, encouraging postgraduates to tackle stress positively may reduce the likelihood of the development of academic burnout and further reduce depressive symptoms.

Abstract Sphaeropteris lepifera is a tree fern in the Cyatheaceae, a family that has played an important role in the evolution of plant systems. This study aimed to analyze the complete chloroplast genome of S. lepifera and compared it with previously published chloroplast genomes Cyatheaceae family. The chloroplast genome of S. lepifera comprised 162,114 bp, consisting of a large single copy (LSC) region of 86,327 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 27,731 bp and a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb) of 24,028 bp each. The chloroplast genome encoded 129 genes, comprising 32 transfer RNAs, 8 ribosomal RNAs, and 89 protein-coding genes. Comparison of the genomes of 7 Cyatheaceae plants showed that the chloroplast genome of S. lepifera was missing the gene trnV-UAC. Expansion of the SSC region led to the difference in the chloroplast genome size of S. lepifera. Eight genes, atpI, ccsA, petA, psaB, rpl16, rpoA, rpoC1, and ycf2 have high nucleic acid diversity and can be regarded as potential molecular markers. The genes trnG-trnR and atpB were suitable for DNA barcodes between different communities of S. lepifera. The S. lepifera groups in Zhejiang Province probably diffused from Pingtan and Ningde, Fujian. The results will provide a basis for species identification, biological studies, and endangerment mechanism of S. lepifera.

This study deals with the problem of the [Formula: see text] state estimation for discrete-time memristive neural networks with time-varying delays, where the output is subject to randomly occurring denial-of-service attacks. The average dwell time is used to describe the attack rules, which makes the randomly occurring denial-of-service attack more universal. The main purpose of the addressed issue is to contribute with a state estimation method, so that the dynamics of the error system is exponentially mean-square stable and satisfies a prescribed [Formula: see text] disturbance attenuation level. Sufficient conditions for the solvability of such a problem are established by employing the Lyapunov function and stochastic analysis techniques. Estimator gain is described explicitly in terms of certain linear matrix inequalities. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed state estimation scheme is proved by a numerical example.

The clinical manifestations of bone metastases are diversified while many sites remain asymptomatic at early stage. As the early diagnosis method is not perfect and the early symptoms of tumor bone metastasis are not typical, bone metastasis is not easy to be detected. Therefore, the search for bone metastasis-related markers is effective for timely detection of tumor bone metastases and the development of drugs to inhibit bone metastases. As a result, bone metastases can only be diagnosed when symptoms are found, increasing the risk of developing skeletal-related event (SREs), which significantly impairs the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, the early diagnosis of bone metastases is of great importance for the treatment and prognosis of cancer patients. Changes of bone metabolism indexes appear earlier in bone metastases, but the traditional biochemical indexes of bone metabolism lack of specificity and could be interfered by many factors, which limits their application in the study of bone metastases. Some new biomarkers of bone metastases have good diagnostic value, such as proteins, ncRNAs, circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Therefore, this study mainly reviewed the initial diagnostic biomarkers of bone metastases which were expected to provide references for the early detection of bone metastases.

Abstract Background Clematis species are attractive ornamental plants with a variety of flower colors and patterns. Heat stress is one of the main factors restricting the growth, development, and ornamental value of Clematis. Clematis lanuginosa and Clematis crassifolia are large-flowered and evergreen Clematis species, respectively, that show different tolerance to heat stress. We compared and analyzed the transcriptome of C. lanuginose and C. crassifolia under heat stress to determine the regulatory mechanism(s) of resistance. Results A total of 1720 and 6178 differentially expressed genes were identified from C. lanuginose and C. crassifolia, respectively. The photosynthesis and oxidation–reduction processes of C. crassifolia were more sensitive than C. lanuginose under heat stress. Glycine/serine/threonine metabolism, glyoxylic metabolism, and thiamine metabolism were important pathways in response to heat stress in C. lanuginose, and flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, and arginine/proline metabolism were the key pathways in C. crassifolia. Six sHSPs (c176964_g1, c200771_g1, c204924_g1, c199407_g2, c201522_g2, c192936_g1), POD1 (c200317_g1), POD3 (c210145_g2), DREB2 (c182557_g1), and HSFA2 (c206233_g2) may be key genes in the response to heat stress in C. lanuginose and C. crassifolia. Conclusions We compared important metabolic pathways and differentially expressed genes in response to heat stress between C. lanuginose and C. crassifolia. The results increase our understanding of the response mechanism and candidate genes of Clematis under heat stress. These data may contribute to the development of new Clematis varieties with greater heat tolerance.

Abstract Background Turner syndrome (TS) is characterized as the complete or partial absence of one X chromosome and is an extremely rare disease affecting approximately 1:2500 live female births. Though the prevalence of osteoporosis among women with TS is estimated to be around 55–64% and they suffer more frequently from fractures than normal, few reports concerning TS patients with osteoporosis are able to be seen due to tiny number of patients. Case presentation Here, we report a rare case of TS with osteoporosis, who has undergone percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) seven times because of several vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). G-banded karyotype analysis was performed and the result was 45,X[43]/47,XXX[17], indicating that the patient was a mosaicism of TS karyotype and Trisomy X syndrome karyotype. TS is the underlying cause of low level of estrogen for this patient. The interaction of aging, estrogen deficiency and intestinal dysbacteriosis leads to her severe osteoporosis and multi-segmental VCFs. The aim of this report is to provide recommendations regarding the management of TS patients with osteoporosis by reviewing the clinical presentation of TS, the influence of estrogen deficiency in osteoporosis, etc. Conclusions Early diagnosis and hormone replacement treatment are essential for TS patients to prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk of fractures. This is a rare case report describing TS patient with severe osteoporosis and VCFs.

Urethral Hemangioma is a rare disease in urology. In one male patient with post-ejaculatory hematuria, a series of ancillary tests performed before surgery did not reveal the cause of the hematuria. It was found to be posterior urethral cavernous hemangiomas on intraoperative microscopy and was operated on endoscopically to relieve symptoms. Therefore, Hematuria after ejaculation may be a posterior urethral cavernous hemangioma bleeding and requires the attention of a urologist.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the associations of personality traits and extra-family social relationship with depressive symptoms among Chinese adults.Methods: A nationally representative sample of 29,810 adults aged 16 and above were selected from 2018 CFPS. Personality and depressive symptoms were measured using CBF-PI-15 and the CES-D8 scale. Extra-family social relationship was assessed through the self-rated evaluation. The multiple regression analysis and the PROCESS macro were used for the mediation analysis.Results: Extraversion (OR = 0.807, 95% CI = 0.773, 0.842), agreeableness (OR = 0.795, 95% CI = 0.756, 0.835) and extra-family social relationship (OR = 0.927, 95% CI = 0.913, 0.941) had negative associations with depressive symptoms. Extra-family social relationship could mediate between extraversion and depressive symptoms (Indirect effect = −0.049,95% CI = −0.060, −0.039) as well as agreeableness (Indirect effect = −0.056, 95% CI = −0.068, −0.046) and depressive symptoms. Comparing to females, the indirect effect accounts for a higher proportion of total effect in males.Conclusion: Extra-family social relationship might mediate the association between extraversion and depressive symptoms as well as agreeableness and depressive symptoms.

Abstract Background Most Chinese migrants have been faced with obstacles to getting access to local public health services. Young migrants among internal migrants make a major contribution to the economy. However, the establishment of their health records has been ignored. This research was aimed at exploring the status and associated factors of the establishment of health records among young Chinese migrants. Methods Data were obtained from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were performed to investigate the associated factors of the establishment of health records among young Chinese migrants. Results Approximately 30.2% of young migrants had their health records established in inflow communities. Urban residence, medical insurance (insured), and lower average monthly household income were attributed to the establishment of more health records. Young migrants who were in northeast China and across provinces and immigrated for working or engaging in trade were less likely to have health records established. Young migrants who participated in social activities and public affairs activities and took type of people in touch as natives in the inflow area showed a higher possibility of establishing health records. Meanwhile, receiving health education and hearing about national basic public health services (BPHSs) were beneficial for establishing the health records of more young migrants. Conclusion This study showed that the health records of young migrants had a relatively low establishment rate. Sociodemographic and migration characteristics, health status, public health services, and social integration factors were all related to the health record establishment of young Chinese migrants.

In this paper, the outlier-resistant $ l_2 $ - $ l_\infty $ state estimation issue is investigated for a class of discrete-time memristive neural networks (DMNNs) with time-delays. Measurement outputs could occur unpredictable abnormal data due possibly to outliers from abnormal interferences, cyber-attacks as well as vibration of equipment. Obviously, the estimation performance could be degraded if these abnormal measurements were directly taken into the innovation to drive the estimation dynamics. As such, a novel outlier-resistant estimator for DMNNs with time-delays is developed to diminish the adverse effects from predictable abnormal data. By resorting to the robust analysis theory and the Lyapunov stability theory, some sufficient conditions are established to ensure a prescribed $ l_2 $ - $ l_\infty $ performance index while achieving the stochastic stability of the estimation error dynamics. Furthermore, the desired estimator gains are derived by solving a convex optimization problem. Finally, a simulation example is provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed design algorithm of outlier-resistant state estimators.

Low back pain (LBP) is quite common in clinical practice, which can lead to long-term bed rest or even disability. It is a worldwide health problem remains to be solved. LBP can be induced or exacerbated by abnormal structure and function of spinal tissue such as intervertebral disc (IVD), dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and muscle; IVD degeneration (IVDD) is considered as the most important among all the pathogenic factors. Inflammation, immune response, mechanical load, and hypoxia etc., can induce LBP by affecting the spinal tissue, among which inflammation and immune response are the key link. Inflammation and immune response play a double-edged sword role in LBP. As the main phagocytic cells in the body, macrophages are closely related to body homeostasis and various diseases. Recent studies have shown that macrophages are the only inflammatory cells that can penetrate the closed nucleus pulposus, expressed in various structures of the IVD, and the number is positively correlated with the degree of IVDD. Moreover, macrophages play a phagocytosis role or regulate the metabolism of DRG and muscle tissues through neuro-immune mechanism, while the imbalance of macrophages polarization will lead to more inflammatory factors to chemotaxis and aggregation, forming an “inflammatory waterfall” effect similar to “positive feedback,” which greatly aggravates LBP. Regulation of macrophages migration and polarization, inhibition of inflammation and continuous activation of immune response by molecular biological technology can markedly improve the inflammatory microenvironment, and thus effectively prevent and treat LBP. Studies on macrophages and LBP were mainly focused in the last 3–5 years, attracting more and more scholars’ attention. This paper summarizes the new research progress of macrophages in the pathogenesis and treatment of LBP, aiming to provide an important clinical prevention and treatment strategy for LBP.

Abstract Background The prognosis of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) is poor. Understanding the postoperative recurrence pattern of AEG is helpful to verify the effectiveness of treatment and optimize subsequent treatment, so as to improve prognosis. Methods This single-center retrospective study included patients with stage III AEG who underwent surgical treatment between January 2009 and December 2016. According to the different postoperative treatment arm, patients were divided into surgery and surgery plus chemotherapy groups. Recurrence-free survival was used as the outcome to compare the recurrence site and pattern between the groups. Results In total, were 306 patients enrolled, 123 in the surgery group and 183 in the surgery plus chemotherapy group. During follow-up (median 17.1 months) of 24 months after surgery, 62.0% of patients had tumor recurrence. The overall recurrence rates in the surgery and surgery plus chemotherapy groups were 86.9% and 77.0%, respectively. The recurrence patterns of both groups were mainly distant metastasis. Postoperative chemotherapy reduced the incidence of hematogenous dissemination from 51.2 to 42.0%. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the pN stage increased the risk of recurrence, while surgery plus chemotherapy reduced the risk. Conclusions Patients with AEG have a risk of hematogenous dissemination after surgery. Postoperative treatment arm and pN stage were independent risk factors in patients with AEG. Surgery plus chemotherapy can improve recurrence-free survival and reduce distant metastasis, but they do not have a beneficial role in controlling local recurrence.

Machine translation is widely used in people’s daily lives and production, occupying an important position. In order to improve the accuracy of the literary intelligent translation, research on literary intelligent translation is based on the improved optimization model. Based on semantic features, the semantic ontology optimization model including an encoder and a decoder is created by machine translation. In order to improve the accuracy of the intelligent translation literature of the semantic ontology optimization model, the conversion layer, including the forward neural network layer, residual connection layer, and normalization layer, is added between the encoder and decoder of the semantic ontology optimization model. An improved optimization model is established, and syntax conversion is realized by using the conversion layer, which completes the intelligent translation of literature. It is found that the BLEU value of using this method to translate literary sentences can reach 17.23 when the number of training steps is set as 8000, and the training time is low. The translation result has a low correlation misalignment rate, which can meet the user’s literary translation needs.

Objective: Osteosarcoma is the most common malignancy in the skeletal system; studies showed an important role of miRNAs in tumorigenesis, indicating miRNAs as possible therapeutic molecules. This study found abnormal hsa-miR-557 expression levels in osteosarcoma and tried to explore the potential function and the mechanism.Methods: Differential expression genes of osteosarcoma were analyzed using GSE28423 from the GEO database. Survival analysis of miRNAs was conducted with data obtained from the TARGET-OS database. STRING and miRDIP were used to predict target genes of hsa-miR-557; KRAS was then verified using dual-luciferase reporter assay. Expression of genes was detected by qPCR, and levels of proteins were detected by Western blot. The proliferation ability of cells was detected by CCK-8 and cell cycle analysis. Tumor formation assay in nude mice was used to detect the influence of osteosarcoma by hsa-miR-557 in vivo.Results: Analysis from the GEO and TARGET databases found 12 miRNAs that are significantly related to the osteosarcoma prognosis, 7 downregulated (hsa-miR-140-3p, hsa-miR-564, hsa-miR-765, hsa-miR-1224-5p, hsa-miR-95, hsa-miR-940, and hsa-miR-557) and 5 upregulated (hsa-miR-362-3p, hsa-miR-149, hsa-miR-96, hsa-miR-744, and hsa-miR-769-5p). CCK-8 analysis and cell cycle analysis found that hsa-miR-557 could significantly inhibit the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells. The tumor formation assay in nude mice showed that tumor sizes and weights were inhibited by hsa-miR-557 transfection. Further studies also proved that hsa-miR-557 could target the 3′UTR of KRAS and modulate phosphorylation of downstream proteins.Conclusion: This study showed that hsa-miR-557 could inhibit osteosarcoma growth both in vivo and in vitro, by modulating KRAS expression.

Background The impact of perceived life stress on subjective well-being has been well-established; while few studies have explored the mediating and moderating mechanisms of the association between perceived life stress and subjective well-being among perimenopausal women. This study is aimed at exploring the mediating effect of depressive symptoms and the role of interests/hobbies as a moderator in the association between perceived life stress and subjective well-being among perimenopausal women. Methods The participants were 1,104 perimenopausal women at the age of 40 to 60, who were asked to complete a paper-based questionnaire. A single item was used to measure self-perceived life stress and interests/hobbies. The Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Subjective Well-being Scale for Chinese Citizens (SWBS-CC) were applied to assess both depressive symptoms and subjective well-being. Multiple linear regression analysis and the PROCESS macro were adopted to analyse not only the mediating effect of depressive symptoms but also the moderating role of interests/hobbies. Results Perceived life stress was negatively associated with subjective well-being (B = − 1.424, β = − 0.101, P

When suffering from osteoarthritis (OA), articular cartilage homeostasis is out of balance and the living quality declines. The treatment of knee OA has always been an unsolved problem in the world. At present, symptomatic treatment is mainly adopted for OA. Drug therapy is mainly used to relieve pain symptoms, but often accompanied with adverse reactions; surgical treatment involves the problem of poor integration between the repaired or transplanted tissues and the natural cartilage, leading to the failure of repair. Biotherapy which aims to promote cartilage in situ regeneration and to restore endochondral homeostasis is expected to be an effective method for the prevention and treatment of OA. Disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) are intended for targeted treatment of OA. The DMOADs prevent excessive destruction of articular cartilage through anti-catabolism and stimulate tissue regeneration via excitoanabolic effects. Sprifermin (recombinant human FGF18, rhFGF18) is an effective DMOAD, which can not only promote the proliferation of articular chondrocyte and the synthesis of extracellular matrix, increase the thickness of cartilage in a dose-dependent manner, but also inhibit the activity of proteolytic enzymes and remarkedly slow down the degeneration of cartilage. This paper reviews the unique advantages of Sprifermin in repairing cartilage injury and improving cartilage homeostasis, aiming to provide an important strategy for the effective prevention and treatment of cartilage injury-related diseases.

Atherosclerosis is a complex metabolic disease characterized by the dysfunction of lipid metabolism and chronic inflammation in the intimal space of the vessel. As the most abundant innate immune cells, monocyte-derived macrophages play a pivotal role in the inflammatory response, cholesterol metabolism, and foam cell formation. In recent decades, it has been demonstrated that monocytes and macrophages can establish innate immune memory (also termed trained immunity) via endogenous and exogenous atherogenic stimuli and exhibit a long-lasting proinflammatory phenotype. The important cellular metabolism processes, including glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, fatty acid synthesis, and cholesterol synthesis, are reprogrammed. Trained monocytes/macrophages with innate immune memory can be persistently hyperactivated and can undergo extensive epigenetic rewiring, which contributes to the pathophysiological development of atherosclerosis via increased proinflammatory cytokine production and lipid accumulation. Here, we provide an overview of the regulation of cellular metabolic processes and epigenetic modifications of innate immune memory in monocytes/macrophages as well as the potential endogenous and exogenous stimulations involved in the progression of atherosclerosis that have been reported recently. These elucidations might be beneficial for further understanding innate immune memory and the development of therapeutic strategies for inflammatory diseases and atherosclerosis.

With the rapid development of intelligent systems, the application of genetic algorithms to quickly and accurately determine the location of hazardous gas leaks is of great practical significance. To further improve the convergence efficiency and stability of the inverse calculation, a new improved genetic algorithm (NMGA) is designed on the basis of the improved genetic algorithm (MGA). The adaptive crossover rate and mutation rate change with the evolution algebra to guide the development trend of good gene genetics and change the genetic crossover ratio of parents and children in the culler’s gene pool to avoid damaging the good group genes by introducing bad genes. This study modified the adaptive crossover rate and mutation rate that change with the evolutionary generations to guide the development of good gene inheritance. Meanwhile, this study changed the genetic crossover ratio of parent and offspring in the elimination gene pool to avoid the introduction of unfavorable genes and the destruction of excellent group genes. Through the calculation simulation of the new improved genetic algorithm (NMGA) in Matlab and the quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis with the MGA statistical results, it is shown that NMGA can improve the slow convergence speed of MGA by reducing the number of iterations on the premise of ensuring the stability of MGA and the accuracy of the inverse calculation. The results indicated that the convergence rate and stability of NMGA greatly improved its convergence efficiency, inverse calculation accuracy, and stability, thereby providing powerful decision-making data for rapid emergency rescue work for sudden light gas leakage accidents.

Abstract Accumulating evidences highlight the critical roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a variety of cancers. LncRNA PXN‐AS1‐L was previously shown to exert oncogenic roles in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the expression, role, and molecular mechanism of PXN‐AS1‐L in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) malignancy remain unknown. Here, we determined that PXN‐AS1‐L is upregulated in NPC tissues and cell lines. Increased expression of PXN‐AS1‐L predicts worse prognosis of NPC patients. PXN‐AS1‐L overexpression promotes NPC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and NPC tumor growth in vivo. PXN‐AS1‐L silencing suppresses NPC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Mechanistically, PXN‐AS1‐L directly interacts with SAPCD2 mRNA 3′‐untranslated region, prevents the binding of microRNAs‐AGO silencing complex to SAPCD2 mRNA, and upregulates the mRNA and protein level of SAPCD2. SAPCD2 is also increased in NPC tissues. The expression of SAPCD2 is significantly positively associated with that of PXN‐AS1‐L in NPC tissues. Gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function experiments demonstrated that SAPCD2 also promotes NPC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, depletion of SAPCD2 significantly reverses the roles of PXN‐AS1‐L in promoting NPC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and NPC tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, lncRNA PXN‐AS1‐L is upregulated in NPC and promoted NPC malignancy by upregulating SAPCD2 via direct RNA‐RNA interaction.

OBJECTIVE: The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) KCNQ1 overlapping transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1) exerts vital regulatory functions in diverse tumors. However, the biological function of KCNQ1OT1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. METHODS: KCNQ1OT1 expression was detected in ESCC tissues using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were detected by the CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, flow cytometry analysis, and Transwell experiments, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter experiments, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to predict and validate the regulatory relationships between KCNQ1OT1, microRNA-133b (miR-133b) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). RESULTS: KCNQ1OT1 expression was remarkably upregulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of KCNQ1OT1 markedly promoted ESCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and enhanced the expression of N-cadherin, MMP-2, and MMP-9, but inhibited apoptosis and E-cadherin expression in ESCC cell lines; KCNQ1OT1 knockdown exerted the opposite effects. KCNQ1OT1 could directly bind to miR-133b and suppress its expression, and miR-133b reversed the effects of KCNQ1OT1 overexpression in ESCC cells. MiR-133b reduced the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR); further, KCNQ1OT1 activated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway by repressing miR-133b repression and indirectly upregulating EGFR. KCNQ1OT1 expression was positively correlated with EGFR mRNA expression and negatively correlated with miR-133b expression. CONCLUSION: KCNQ1OT1 facilitates ESCC progression by sponging miR-133b and activating the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway.

Bone healing is thought to be influenced by the cross-talk between bone forming and immune cells. In particular, macrophages play a crucial role in the regulation of osteogenesis. Curcumin, the major bioactive polyphenolic ingredient of turmeric, has been shown to regulate inflammatory response and osteogenic activities. However, whether curcumin could regulate macrophage polarization and subsequently influence osteogenesis remain to be elucidated. In this study, the potential immunomodulatory capability of curcumin on inflammatory response and phenotype switch of macrophages and the subsequent impact on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs are investigated. We demonstrated that curcumin exhibited significant anti-inflammatory effect by polarizing the macrophages toward anti-inflammatory phenotype, with increased expression of IL-4, IL-10, and CD206, and decreased expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, CCR7, and iNOS. In addition, curcumin could improve the osteo-immune microenvironment via promoting osteogenesis-related regenerative cytokine BMP-2 and TGF-β production. Moreover, the co-cultured test of macrophages and BMSCs showed that curcumin-modulated macrophages conditioned medium could promote osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs with increased gene (ALP, Runx-2, OCN, and OPN) and protein (Runx-2 and OCN) expression levels, enhanced ALP activity, and obvious formation of mineralized nodules. Taken together, with the interaction between curcumin-conditioned macrophage and curcumin-stimulated BMSCs, curcumin could remarkably enhance the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in LPS-activated inflammatory macrophage-BMSCs coculture system.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary malignant bone sarcoma in human worldwide. It has been shown that the level of microRNA-154-5p (miR-154-5p) was downregulated in human OS tissues. However, the mechanisms by which miR-154-5p regulates the proliferation, apoptosis and invasion in OS remain unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the role of miR-154-5p during the tumorigenesis of OS. Methods: The level of miR-154-5p in human OS tissues was detected by RT-qPCR. In addition, the effects of miR-154-5p on apoptosis and invasion of OS cells were assessed by flow cytometry and transwell assays, respectively. Meanwhile, the dual luciferase reporter system assay was performed to explore the interaction of miR-154-5p and E2F5. Results: The level of miR-154-5p was downregulated in OS tissues. Overexpression of miR-154-5p significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of MG63 cells. In addition, upregulation of miR-154-5p obviously induced apoptosis in MG63 cells via upregulation of Bax and cleaved caspase 3, and downregulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, luciferase reporter assay identified that E2F5 was the binding target of miR-154-5p. Meanwhile, overexpression of miR-154-5p induced cell cycle arrest in MG63 cells via inhibiting the expressions of E2F5, Cyclin E1 and CDK2. Furthermore, in vivo assays indicated that overexpression of miR-154-5p notably inhibited the tumor growth in an OS xenograft model. Conclusion: These results indicated that miR-154-5p may function as a potential tumor suppressor in OS. Therefore, miR-154-5p might be a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of OS.

Objectives The study aimed to explore the association of coping styles and social support with psychological distress among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as well as gender differences in these associations. Methods A cross-sectional study of 769 ESRD patients was conducted at 25 hospitals in Qiqihar City, China. All information was collected using structured questionnaires that were self-administered by the patients. Patients’ psychological health status, coping styles and perceived social support were measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Student’s t test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and binary logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results A total of 72.3% of participants reported psychological distress, and the prevalence of distress was higher in females (77.0%) than in males (68.8%). The usage of the acceptance-resignation coping style was positively related to psychological distress (B = 0.459, P

This paper addresses the synchronization issue for the drive-response fractional-order memristor‐based neural networks (FOMNNs) via state feedback control. To achieve the synchronization for considered drive-response FOMNNs, two feedback controllers are introduced. Then, by adopting nonsmooth analysis, fractional Lyapunov’s direct method, Young inequality, and fractional-order differential inclusions, several algebraic sufficient criteria are obtained for guaranteeing the synchronization of the drive-response FOMNNs. Lastly, for illustrating the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results, an example is given.

Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) and smoking have been reported to be associated with the duration and severity of common cold symptoms. However, few studies have addressed the associations between the frequency of leisure-time exercise, cigarette smoking status and the frequency of the common cold in a cold area. This study was designed to investigate these issues in northeastern China. Methods This cross-sectional study included individuals who participated in a regular health examination conducted in Jilin Province, China. Information on episodes of the common cold, the frequency of leisure-time exercise and cigarette smoking status in the past year were collected by self-administered health questionnaires. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to analyse the associations between the frequency of leisure-time exercise, cigarette smoking status and the retrospective frequency of common cold. Results A total of 1413 employees participated in the study, with an average age of 38.92 ± 9.04 years and 44.4% of them were male. Of all participants, 80.8% reported having experienced the common cold in the past year. After adjustment, the risk of suffering from the common cold more than once (odds ratios (ORs), 1.59; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.27–1.99) in passive smokers was 1.59 times as high as that in non-smokers. Nevertheless, the results of the adjusted analysis showed no statistically significant relation between current smoking and the frequency of the common cold. A high frequency of leisure-time exercise (≥3 days/week) was associated with a 26% reduced risk of having at least one episode of the common cold (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55–0.98) compared with a low frequency group (

Visual object tracking is a challenging task when the object appearance changes caused by the scale variation and the occlusion. In this paper, an object tracking algorithm is proposed which is capable of dealing with the case that the scale variation and the occlusion occur simultaneously. A kernelized correlation filter (KCF) is first learned to obtain the correlation response, whose maximum value denotes the optimal object location. In order to represent the sample better, the convolutional features are extracted from a pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Then, the strategy of scale adaption is used to estimate the object scale during the tracking process. Subsequently, a novel re-detection model is proposed by using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to re-find the object when the occlusion occurs. The comparison experiments are implemented on the object tracking benchmark (OTB) and the results demonstrate that the proposed tracking algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art ones in terms of precision and success rate.

Image matching usually plays a critical role for visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM). However, the resultant mismatches and low calculation efficiency of current matching algorithms reduces the performance of VSLAM. In order to overcome above two drawbacks, an improved GMS-PROSAC algorithm for image mismatch elimination is developed in this paper by introducing a new epipolar geometric constraint (EGC) model with a projection error function. This improved algorithm, named as GMS-EGCPROSAC, is made up of the traditional GMS algorithm and the improved PROSAC algorithm. First, the GMS algorithm is employed to obtain a rough matching set and then all matching pairs in this set are sorted according to their similarity degree. By selecting some smatching pairs with the highest similarity degree, the parameter of the EGC model is obtained. By resort to the calculated parameter, the improved PROSAC algorithm can be carried out to eliminate false matches. Finally, the real-time and the effectiveness are adequately verified by executing some contrast experiments. Our approach can not only quickly eliminate mismatches but also get more high-quality matching pairs.

To examine the efficacy and safety of anticoagulants after knee arthroscopy (KA), PubMed, EMBASE, databases of Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched up to August 2019 for randomized controlled trials (RCT). Seven RCTs including 4097 patients were demonstrated eligible according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The efficacy and safety of thromboprophylaxis were assessed and expressed using relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The analysis of pooled data showed that anticoagulants group exhibited significant lower overall incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE; RR = 0.35, 95% CIs: 0.22-0.55, P < .00001), significant higher incidence of all bleeding events (RR = 1.42, 95% CIs: 1.08-1.86, P = .01) compared to control group. However, no significant difference was found in terms of incidence of symptomatic VTE (RR = 0.43, 95% CIs: 0.15-1.21, P = .11) and incidence of major bleeding events (RR = 1.87, 95% CIs: 0.40-8.67, P = .42). The pooled number needed to treat to prevent one symptomatic or asymptomatic VTE was 26, while the pooled number needed to harm to cause one major bleeding event was 869. These results show that anticoagulants can effectively reduce the overall risk of VTE after KA; however, the increased risk of bleeding should be fully considered. Further studies are required to address the risk–benefit calculus and cost-effectiveness of anticoagulants after KA.

ObjectivesThe main objective of this study was to explore the associations of family relationships and negative life events with depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 3081 middle school students was conducted in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China. Students were asked to complete questionnaires regarding family relationships, negative life events, and depressive symptoms. A mediation analysis was carried out using a multiple regression analysis and the PROCESS macro method.ResultsOf all participants, 19.9% reported experiencing depressive symptoms. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 13.0% and 29.2% in participants with good and poor parental relationships, and the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 11.4% and 30.9% in participants with closed and alienated parental-child relationships, respectively. Parental relationships, parental-child relationships, and negative life events were positively correlated with depressive symptoms. The effect of parental relationships on depressive symptoms was fully mediated by negative life events (Effect = 0.052, 95% CI = [0.023, 0.082]), while the effect of parent-child relationships on adolescent depressive symptoms was partially mediated by negative life events (Effect = 0.075, 95% CI = [0.048, 0.104]).ConclusionsOur results showed a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. Poor family relationships may have the potential to increase the risk of depressive symptoms, and they could affect depressive symptoms through negative life events.

Adventitious root (AR) formation was enhanced following the treatment of sugarcane microshoots with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) combined, suggesting that auxin is a positive regulator of sugarcane microshoot AR formation. The transcriptome profile identified 1737 and 1268 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the basal tissues (5 mm) of sugarcane microshoots treated with IBA+NAA compared to nontreated control on the 3rd and 7th days post-auxin or water treatment (days post-treatment—dpt), respectively. To understand the molecular changes, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed. This analysis showed that DEGs associated with the pathways were associated with plant hormone signaling, flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosyntheses, cell cycle, and cell wall modification, and transcription factors could be involved in sugarcane microshoot AR formation. Furthermore, qRT–PCR analysis was used to validate the expression patterns of nine genes associated with root formation and growth, and the results were consistent with the RNA-seq results. Finally, a hypothetical hormonal regulatory working model of sugarcane microshoot AR formation is proposed. Our results provide valuable insights into the molecular processes associated with auxin-induced AR formation in sugarcane.

We evaluated the association between BMI and body weight perception in a sample of children and adolescents.A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted among 7-18 year-olds (N = 9727) from 4 districts in Jilin City, China. We calculated BMI from measured weight and height and assessed body weight perception using a single questionnaire item. We analyzed these data using SPSS version 20.0.Approximately 19.8% of these youth perceived themselves as underweight, 57.8% as normal weight, and 22.4% as overweight. In reality, 4.9% were underweight, 64.3% were normal weight, and 30.8% were overweight. Furthermore, approximately 66.4% of these Chinese youth correctly perceived their body image, 28.2% underestimated their true body image, and 5.4% overestimated their weight status. Girls were more likely than boys to overestimate their weight (χ2 = 135.4, p < 0.05). Adolescents 13-18 years old were more likely than children 7-12 years old to overestimate their weight (χ2 = 248.4, p < 0.05). Senior high school students were the most likely to overestimate their weight (χ2 = 297.6, p < 0.05). Kappa tests revealed significant differences in consistency analysis of BMI and body weight perception (Kappa = 0.352, p < 0.05). Kappa < 0.4, the consistency of BMI and body weight perception was poor.A mismatch existed between BMI and body weight perception among these children and adolescents. Thus, schools and parents should take steps to help them improve weight management and overall health awareness.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is considered to be a cluster of interrelated risk factors for metabolism, which may increase arterial stiffness and cardiovascular morbidity. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a reliable indicator of arterial stiffness and early arteriosclerosis. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the gender-specific relationship between MS and CAVI in the general Chinese population.A total of 1,301 subjects aged 20 to 60 years participated in this study. CAVI was measured noninvasively using a Vasera VS-1000 device. Blood samples and waist circumference were examined to identify metabolic syndrome according to the criteria set forth in the 2009 Joint Scientific Statement.The prevalence of MS in the study subjects was 17.4% (30.7% in males and 7.0% in females, P < 0.001). CAVI values were significantly higher in MS subjects than in non-MS subjects and increased linearly as the number of MS components increased in females, but not in males. Using multiple regression analysis, we found that BMI was correlated with CAVI in the overall population and in both genders, and that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was associated with CAVI in males, while the number of MS components was related to CAVI in females. CAVI values increased linearly with age in both genders (P-trend < 0.001 for both), and this correlation was stronger in males than in females.There are gender-specific differences in the association of MS and CAVI. First, the effects of the number of MS components on CAVI are stronger in females than in males. Second, the effect of each MS component on arterial stiffness may differ in relation to gender. In addition, aging affects arterial stiffness more severely in males, and the increase in arterial stiffness tends to occur at a younger age in males than in females. Larger samples and longitudinal studies are needed to further confirm our results in the future.

Objective. Discuss the changes and roles of PAF in the reproductive tract infection by observing the expression of platelet activating factor (PAF) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in seminal plasma of patients with leukocytospermia. Methods. The seminal plasma was obtained from 22 cases of leukocytospermia and 15 cases of normal males; the peroxidase dyeing method was adopted for seminal plasma white blood count; the ELISA was adopted to test PAF and TNF-α concentration in seminal plasma. Result. PAF concentration ( ng/mL) of leukocytospermia group was significantly lower than the normal group ( ng/mL, ) while TNF-α ( ng/mL) was significantly higher than that of normal group ( ng/mL). There was negative correlation between PAF and TNF-α , (, ); the same situation existed in PAF and WBC (, ); but TNF-α was positively correlated to WBC (, ). Conclusion. (1) Low expression of PAF and high expression of TNF-α in leukocytospermia affect the sperm motility, which is one of the reasons that leads to infertility. (2) Lower expression of PAF has its particularity during the reproductive tract infection.