Search

The hybrids (BY) derived from blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala, BSB, ♀) and Bleeker's yellow tai (Xenocypris davidi Bleeker, YT, ♂) have a fast growth rate and body thickness. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth advantage of BY are still unclear. MSTN, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, is a negative regulator of muscle growth and development. MYOD, a member of the myogenic regulatory factor family (MRFs), is a positive regulator of muscle growth and development. MSTN and MYOD interact to co-regulate muscle growth and development. In this study, we cloned the full-length cDNAs of mstn and myod in BY, analyzed differential expression of the two genes in muscle of BY and its parents, and observed the localization of the two genes during embryonic development of BY. Multiple sequence alignment of amino acids and phylogenetic analysis showed that mstn and myod were highly conserved in BY, BSB, YT, and other carp family fishes. Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that mstn and myod were primarily expressed in muscle of BY, and there were significant differences in the expression of the two genes in the red and white muscles of BY, BSB, and YT at different age. The results of in situ hybridization of embryos showed an overlap in the temporal and spatial expression of mstn and myod in BY embryo development, suggesting that the two genes might interact to co-regulate embryo growth and development. This study provides a theoretical basis for further research on the mechanisms of mstn and myod in muscle growth of hybrid fishes.

As a transmission medium and heating energy, microwave is widely favored due to its high efficiency, strong selectivity, and easy control. Here, the effects of different heating methods (conventional thermal induction (CI) and microwave induction (MI)) on the polymerization rate of polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) were investigated. Compared with CI, MI significantly boosted the polymerization rate (by approximately 51 times) and markedly decreased the activation energy (Ea), from 46.83 kJ mol−1 to 35.07 kJ mol−1. The polar of the monomers and initiators in the PCE synthesis contributes to varying permittivities and loss factors under the microwave field, which are influenced by their concentration and reaction temperature. The insights gained from the microwave thermal effects and the micro-kinetics of the PCE polymerization system are able to propose theoretical underpinnings for the industrial-scale application of microwave induction polymerization, potentially steering the synthesis of polymer materials towards a more efficient and cleaner process.

Abstract Objective The study aimed to analyze the relationship between expression levels of chemerin, oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP‐9) and pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP‐A) in ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) patients and the relationship between the mentioned indicators and the degree of neurological impairment. Methods From January 2020 to February 2021, a total of 328 cases of ICVD patients were admitted to our hospital, and 240 cases of healthy people (control group) were prospectively recruited into this study. The 328 patients were divided into 2 ischemic subtypes, with 233 cases as acute cerebral infarction (ACI) and 95 cases as transient ischemic attack (TIA). Laboratory tests were compared among the groups. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between chemerin, ox‐LDL, MMP‐9, PAPP‐A levels and neurological deficit. Unconditional logisitic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for neurological deficits. Results The high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), chemerin, ox‐LDL, MMP‐9, and PPAP‐A levels in the ACI group were significantly higher than those in the TIA group and control group (p < 0.05, respectively), while the levels of the mentioned indicators in the TIA group were significantly higher than those in control group (p < 0.05, respectively). The levels of the given indicators decreased successively in the severe, moderate, and mild neurological deficits population and control group, with statistical difference. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that chemerin, ox‐LDL, MMP‐9, and PPAP‐A levels were positively correlated with the degree of neurological deficit in ICVD patients. Unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that chemerin, ox‐LDL, MMP‐9, and PPAP‐A were the independent risk factors for neurological deficit in patients with ICVD. Conclusion LDL‐C, FPG, chemerin, ox‐LDL, MMP‐9, and PPAP‐A were highly expressed in ACI and neurological deficit patients. Chemerin, ox‐LDL, MMP‐9, and PPAP‐A may be the independent risk factors for neurological deficit in patients with ICVD.

Abstract Background In 2013, Jinan KingMed Diagnostics (JKD) first established a systematic cervical cytology training and quality control (QC) program in Shandong Province, China. We compared the efficacy of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) detection, cytology, and their combination in routine clinical practice after the implementation of the training and QC program to identify the optimal first-line screening method in this region. Methods The data of patients histologically diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1, CIN2/3, and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) between January 2014 and December 2017 were retrieved from the JKD database. Cytology and/or HR-HPV testing results within 3 months preceding the CIN1 diagnoses and 6 months preceding the CIN2/3 and ICC diagnoses were analyzed. Results Prior screening data were available for 1829 CIN1 patients, 2309 CIN2/3 patients, and 680 ICC patients. Cytology alone and HR-HPV testing alone had similar rates of positive results for CIN2/3 (97.2% [854/879] vs. 95.4% [864/906], P = 0.105) and ICC detection (89.1% [205/230] vs. 92.7% [204/220], P = 0.185). Compared with either method alone, co-testing slightly increased the screening sensitivity for CIN2/3 (99.8% [523/524], all P

Keratin is a plentiful and renewable fibrous protein resource found in nature, but a great deal of keratin-containing waste causes environmental problems, especially wool waste, which accounts for the majority. A green and efficient extraction method of keratin based on microwave induction method was studied. Compared with traditional thermal induction, the extraction time was shortened by half, and the dissolution rate of the wool was improved. The effects of the above two methods on the size, structure, crystallinity, and thermal stability of wool keratin were studied by a series of analysis methods [e.g., attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and so on]. The results showed that under microwave irradiation, the disulfide bonds were destroyed greatly, and the secondary structure changed significantly, which was beneficial to obtain wool keratin with low crystallinity and small particle size.

Abstract Background High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing is more sensitive than cytology for the detection of cervical cancer and its precursors. However, limited and inconsistent data are available about the efficacy of the combination of these two methods for screening cervical adenocarcinoma. This multicenter retrospective study investigated the screening results of a cohort of Chinese patients who were subsequently diagnosed with invasive cervical adenocarcinoma, with the goal of identifying the optimal cervical adenocarcinoma screening method. Methods We retrospectively retrieved and analyzed the data from patients with histologically confirmed primary invasive cervical adenocarcinoma from eight local pathology laboratories operated by KingMed Diagnostics, the largest independent operator of pathology laboratories in China, over a 2-year period. Only patients who underwent cytology and/or HR-HPV testing within 6 months before the adenocarcinoma diagnosis were included. HR-HPV DNA was detected using one of two HPV test kits: the Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) assay (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) and an HPV genotyping panel (Yaneng Bio, Shenzhen, China). Results Of the 311 patients, 136 underwent cytology alone, 106 underwent HR-HPV testing alone, and 69 underwent cytology and HR-HPV co-testing. The sensitivities of cytology alone (64.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 55.9–72.0) and HR-HPV testing alone (66.0, 95% CI: 57.0–75.1) were similar (P = 0.738). The sensitivity of cytology and HR-HPV co-testing (87.0, 95% CI: 79.0–94.9) was significantly higher than that of either cytology (P = 0.001) or HR-HPV testing alone (P = 0.002). Conclusions Both cytology alone and HR-HPV testing alone showed poor screening efficiency, whereas the combination of the two clearly increased the efficiency of primary cervical adenocarcinoma screening. Thus, cytology and HR-HPV co-testing might be the most efficient cervical adenocarcinoma screening method.

BackgroundData regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and genotype distribution are limited in Shandong Province, China. Therefore, we investigated the recent HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among females in Shandong and aimed to provide comprehensive data to guide HPV-based cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination for this population of Chinese women.MethodsHPV testing results of 94,489 females were retrospectively reviewed and extracted from the database of Jinan KingMed Diagnostics, the largest independent pathology laboratory in Shandong Province, China. HPV was detected by a HPV genotyping panel from January 2011 to June 2017. The overall prevalence, age-specific prevalence, and genotype distribution were analyzed.ResultsA total of 26,839 cases (28.4%) were HPV-positive, with 4.3% positive for low- or undetermined-risk HPV (lr-/urHPV)-only, 18.1% positive for high-risk HPV (hrHPV)-only, and 6.1% positive for mixed lr-/urHPV and hrHPV infections. Single HPV infections accounted for 62.8%, while the rest were multiple HPV infections of two or more genotypes. HPV16 (5.8%), HPV52 (5.1%), HPV58 (3.5%), HPV51 (2.6%), and HPV56 (2.3%) were the five most common hrHPV genotypes; while HPV81 (2.8%), HPV53 (2.8%), and HPV6 (2.3%) were the three most common lr-/urHPV genotypes. HPV18 (1.7%) was only the ninth most common hrHPV genotype. HPV16 but not HPV52 was more common in single infections than in multiple infections. The distribution of both mixed lr-/urHPV and hrHPV as well as overall HPV infections demonstrated a bimodal pattern across age groups, of which the first peak appeared in the younger group and the second peak was found in older women. A similar age-specific distribution was observed in multiple infections of three or more subtypes as well. Moreover, the proportion of mixed lr-/urHPV and hrHPV infection significantly increased, while those of lr-/urHPV-only and hrHPV-only infections declined as the number of co-infections increased during the study period.ConclusionThis large daily clinical practice report shows that HPV prevalence and genotype distribution are different in this population, who had limited cervical cancer screening service, compared to those in developed countries. Therefore, different strategies should be developed for HPV-based cervical cancer screening and vaccine-based HPV prevention in Shandong Province.

Rechargeable magnesium (Mg)-based energy storage has attracted extensive attention in electrochemical storage systems with high theoretical energy densities. The Mg metal is earth-abundant and dendrite-free for the anode. However, there is a strong Coulombic interaction between Mg2+ and host materials that often inhibits solid-state diffusion, resulting in a large polarization and poor electrochemical performances. Herein, we develop a Mg–Li hybrid battery using a Mg-metal anode, an FeSe2 powder with uniform size and a morphology utilizing a simple solution-phase method as the counter electrode and all-phenyl-complex/tetrahydrofuran (APC)-LiCl dual-ion electrolyte. In the Li+-containing electrolyte, at a current density of 15 mA g−1, the Mg–Li hybrid battery (MLIB) delivered a satisfying initial discharge capacity of 525 mAh g−1. Moreover, the capacity was absent in the FeSe2|APC|Mg cell. The working mechanism proposed is the “Li+-only intercalation” at the FeSe2 and the “Mg2+ dissolved or deposited” at the Mg foil in the FeSe2|Mg2+/Li+|Mg cell. Furthermore, ex situ XRD was used to investigate the structural evolution in different charging and discharging states.

Currently, available data regarding previous cervical cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) test results to detect invasive cervical cancer are limited and controversial in China. Therefore, this retrospective study in a population of Chinese women with invasive cervical carcinoma aimed to gain further insight into the roles of cytology and hrHPV testing in cervical cancer screening.A total of 1214 cases with a histological diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer were retrieved from the Pathology Database of Jinan KingMed Diagnostics (JKD) over a 5-year period. Previous cytology and hrHPV test results of 469 patients carried out within the year before cancer diagnosis were documented.A higher percentage of patients who had undergone prior screening had micro-invasive cervical carcinoma than patients who had no prior screening (25.4% vs. 12.1%, P < 0.001). Of the 469 patients with available prior screening results, 170 had cytology alone, 161 had hrHPV testing alone, and 138 had both cytology and hrHPV testing. There was a significantly lower percentage of hrHPV-positive cases with adenocarcinoma than with squamous cell carcinoma (77.8% vs. 96.4%, P = 0.001). The hrHPV test showed a significantly higher sensitivity than cytology alone (94.4% vs. 85.3%, P = 0.006). The overall sensitivity of the combination of cytology and hrHPV testing (98.6%) was much higher than that of cytology alone (P < 0.001) but only marginally higher than that of hrHPV testing alone (P = 0.058).The results revealed that prior cervical screening can detect a significantly larger number of micro-invasive cervical cancers. The hrHPV test can provide a more sensitive and efficient strategy than cytology alone. As the addition of cytology to hrHPV testing can only marginally increase the efficiency of the hrHPV test, hrHPV testing should be used as the primary screening approach, especially in the low-resource settings of China.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a novel nano-carbon material with excellent mechanical properties. It can be used in cement-based materials to induce cement hydration and enhance the strength and the toughness of cement-based material. However, during the practical application, due to high calcium ion concentration and the highly alkaline environment of the cement pore solution, GO has a serious agglomeration problem, which does not improve hydration and cement paste mechanical properties. Therefore, three typical structural models of GO are initially discussed in this article followed by a summary of the primary GO modification methods. Finally, prospects of GO modification strategies, classified based on local structures, are put forward for GO-cement composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Acrylate-containing polycarboxylate superplasticizers were synthesized by copolymerizing acrylic acid, α-methallyl-ω-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) ether, and acrylic esters [hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) or hydroxypropyl acrylate (HPA)]. Their dispersing effects and fluidity-retaining capabilities were evaluated by spread tests of cement pastes. The temperature sensitivity of the performance was especially focused upon. It was found by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and specific anionic charge density measurements that the ester groups in the acrylate-containing copolymers hydrolyze in alkaline conditions, and thus additional RCOO− groups are continuously produced. The gradual production of RCOO− leads to increasing charge density and hence increasing adsorption of the polymer on the cement surface. The hydrolysis of HEA units is slightly faster than of HPA units in the corresponding copolymers. By this mechanism, a post-acting, or delayed, dispersing effect is realized. Such post-acting polymers alone or formulated with normal polycarboxylate superplasticizer can be used achieve a long fluidity retention of fresh concrete, especially under elevated temperatures. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45753. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To perform a systematic review of prospective studies to confirm the role of breastfeeding in motherto-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Data Sources: A database was constructed from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, National Science Digital Library, and China Biological Medicine Database and through contact with experts in this field from January 1, 1990, to August 31, 2010. Study Selection: All studies were peer reviewed and met the preset inclusion standards. Main Exposure: Breastfeeding. Main Outcome Measures: Data regarding HBV intrauterine infection, MTCT, maternal blood and breast milk infectiousness, infant immunoprophylaxis methods and response, and adverse events. The Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effects model was used for all analyses using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Ten qualified studies were included. All were clinical controlled trials, involving 751 infants in the breastfeeding group and 873 infants in the nonbreast-feeding group. As indicated by infant peripheral blood hepatitis B surface antigen or HBV DNA positivity at age 6 to 12 months, the odds ratio of MTCT of HBV in the breastfeeding group compared with that in the nonbreast-feeding group was 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.51-1.45) (from 8 clinical controlled trials, P=.56; I2=0%, P=.99). As indicated by infant peripheral blood hepatitis B surface antibody positivity at age 6 to 12 months, the odds ratio of development of hepatitis B surface antibodies in the breastfeeding group compared with that in the nonbreastfeeding group was 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.69-1.40) (from 8 clinical controlled trials, P=.93; I2=0%, P=.99). No adverse events or complications during breastfeeding were observed. Conclusion: Breastfeeding after proper immunopro-phylaxis did not contribute to MTCT transmission of HBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]