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Objective To compare the functional and alignment outcomes of intramedullary nail fixation using suprapatellar and infrapatellar approaches in treating distal tibial fractures. Methods In this retrospective study, 132 patients with distal tibial fractures (87 men, 45 women) ranging in age from 20 to 66 years were treated with intramedullary nails using the suprapatellar (69 patients) or infrapatellar (63 patients) approach. The radiographic alignment outcomes and ankle function were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine which variety influenced ankle functional scores and whether the suprapatellar approach intervention demonstrated a protective effect. Results The mean follow‐up time was 14.22 ± 2.31 months. The mean sagittal section angle of the fracture in the suprapatellar and infrapatellar approach groups was 3.20° ± 1.20° and 5.31° ± 1.23°, respectively (P

Blue light with a wavelength of 400–470 nm is the composition of the visible light. However, in recent years, blue light contributed the most significance to light pollution due to the artificial light at night. Previously, we have demonstrated that the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, an important pest in citrus production, has significant positive phototaxis with a light-emitting diode light of 400 nm. In this study, ACP with positive phototactic behavior to 400 nm light (PH) and non-phototactic behavior to 400 nm light (NP) were collected, individually. Transcriptome dynamics of head tissues of PH and NP groups were captured by using RNA-sequencing technology, respectively. Forty-three to 46 million clean reads with high-quality values were obtained, and 1773 differential expressed genes (DEGs) were detected. Compared with the NP group, there were 841 up-regulated DEGs and 932 down-regulated DEGs in the PH group. Eight pathways were significantly enriched in the PH group in the KEGG database, while 43 up-regulated pathways and 25 down-regulated pathways were significantly enriched in the PH group in the GO database. The DGE approach was reliable validated by real time quantitative PCR. Results indicated that the blue light acted as an abiotic stress causing physiological and biochemical responses such as oxidative stress, protein denaturation, inflammation and tumor development in ACPs. Additionally, the light was absorbed by photoreceptors of ACPs, and converted into electrical signal to regulate neuromodulation. This study provides basic information for understanding the molecular mechanisms of ACP in response to blue light and provides a reference for further studies to elucidate phototactic behavior.

Cinnamic acid (AC) and cinnamic aldehyde (AL) are two chemicals enriched in cinnamon and have been previously proved to improve glucolipid metabolism, thus ameliorating metabolic disorders. In this study, we employed transcriptomes and proteomes on AC and AL treated db/db mice in order to explore the underlying mechanisms for their effects. Db/db mice were divided into three groups: the control group, AC group and AL group. Gender- and age-matched wt/wt mice were used as a normal group. After 4 weeks of treatments, mice were sacrificed, and liver tissues were used for further analyses. Functional enrichment of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. DEPs were further verified by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). The results suggested that AC and AL share similar mechanisms, and they may improve glucolipid metabolism by improving mitochondrial functions, decreasing serotonin contents and upregulating autophagy mediated lipid clearance. This study provides an insight into the molecular mechanisms of AC and AL on hepatic transcriptomes and proteomes in disrupted metabolic situations and lays a foundation for future experiments.

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new respiratory and systemic disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between cytokine profiles and lung injury in COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods This retrospective study was conducted in COVID-19 patients. Demographic characteristics, symptoms, signs, underlying diseases, and laboratory data were collected. The patients were divided into COVID-19 with pneumonia and without pneumonia. CT severity score and PaO2/FiO2 ratio were used to assess lung injury. Results 106 patients with 12 COVID-19 without pneumonia and 94 COVID-19 with pneumonia were included. Compared with COVID-19 without pneumonia, COVID-19 with pneumonia had significantly higher serum interleukin (IL)-2R, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Correlation analysis showed that CT severity score and PaO2/FiO2 were significantly correlated with age, presence of any coexisting disorder, lymphocyte count, procalcitonin, IL-2R, and IL-6. In multivariate analysis, log IL6 was the only independent explanatory variables for CT severity score (β = 0.397, p

Cannibalism, an act of killing and consuming conspecific individuals, is a common behavior among various insect taxa. This study investigated the effects of food limitation and larval health status on cannibalistic behavior in the South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a devastating insect pest on solanaceous crops. In "no-choice" trials, where either a healthy versus weak conspecific larva was provided, T. absoluta larvae exhibited a significantly higher cannibalism rate toward weak conspecific individuals compared with healthy ones. This pattern was further confirmed in "choice" trials where T. absoluta larvae significantly preferred to consume weak larvae to healthy ones when both targets were supplied. When plant food was supplied as an alternative to a healthy or a weak conspecific larva, cannibalism was observed only when weak conspecific individuals were available, despite a significant preference for tomato leaflets. Therefore, cannibalism in T. absoluta is largely opportunistic and is significantly influenced by plant food limitation and larval health status. These findings enhance our understanding of conspecific interactions in herbivorous insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), has invaded most Afro-Eurasian countries. Since its first detection in China in late 2017, this pest has been now present in nearly 20 provinces/prefectures in China and is threating tomato and other Solanaceous crops such as potato, eggplant, and tobacco. Here, we provide a timely review on the current distribution, damage, management, and research in China. A standard survey form was designed and 30 answered surveys from 25 provinces have been received. The data showed that the damage has been witnessed in most of the regions despite that the severities vary among the regions. The management is chemicalcontrol biased, and more efforts are needed to increase the adoption of non-chemical alternatives in the Integrated Pest Management packages. An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) package called "CAMEFA" was developed and demonstrated in Yunnan and Xinjiang, the two earliest regions for the invasion. Yet, the adoption by local growers is still limited. Besides T. absoluta, we suggest a multi-pest approach by combining IPM tactics coping with other major insect pests sharing the crop. Lastly, international projects are deemed to serve as key lever for promoting IPM of T. absoluta and other invasive insect pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitellogenin (Vg) is a glycolipid complex protein produced by the fat body of female insects. It plays vital roles in oocyte development and helps regulate reproductive development. In this study, we determined the grading criteria for ovarian development and identified a Vg gene (designated TaVg) from the devastating invasive pest, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick). TaVg contains a 5208 bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 1735 amino acids that includes conserved domain structures of insect Vg. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that TaVg was clustered into a clade with the Vg of other Lepidoptera species, suggesting this gene has been conserved during evolution. Spatiotemporal expression analyses showed that TaVg was highly expressed in the female pupae and adults. There was increased expression during sexual maturation, and the high expression level was found in the ovary and fat body. RNAi-mediated silencing of TaVg resulted in significant downregulation of vitellogenin contents and severely affected ovarian development. Females injected with dsTaVg had shorter ovarian tubes and fewer oocytes compared with the untreated individuals. The number of oocytes and the amount of yolk deposition in the egg chambers also reduced. Depletion of TaVg significantly reduced the number of eggs laid and the hatching rate. Co-silencing of TaVg and TaVgR had a more significant effect on inhibiting the ovarian development and reducing female fecundity of T. absoluta, showing that the two genes play important role in regulating the reproduction. Our results provide potential targets for developing RNAi-based pest management tractic on T. absoluta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is an important public health problem nowadays. Long-term obesity can trigger a series of chronic diseases and impair the learning and memory function of the brain. Current studies show that scientific exercise can effectively improve learning and memory capacity, which also can provide benefits for obese people. However, the underlying mechanisms for the improvement of cognitive capacity under the status of obesity still need to be further explored. In the present study, the obesity-induced cognition-declined model was established using 4-week-old mice continuously fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks, and then the model mice were subjected to an 8-week swimming intervention and corresponding evaluation of relevant indicators, including cognitive capacity, inflammation, insulin signal pathway, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF), and apoptosis, for exploring potential regulatory mechanisms. Compared with the mice fed with regular diets, the obese mice revealed the impairment of cognitive capacity; in contrast, swimming intervention ameliorated the decline in cognitive capacity of obese mice by reducing inflammatory factors, inhibiting the JNK/IRS-1/PI3K/Akt signal pathway, and activating the PGC-1α/BDNF signal pathway, thereby suppressing the apoptosis of neurons. Therefore, swimming may be an important interventional strategy to compensate for obesity-induced cognitive impairment.

PurposeSince the outbreak in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. We analyzed and compared the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics between survivors and non-survivors and identify risk factors for mortality.MethodsClinical and laboratory variables, radiological features, treatment approach, and complications were retrospectively collected in two centers of Hubei province, China. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for mortality.ResultsA total of 432 patients were enrolled, and the median patient age was 54 years. The overall mortality rate was 5.09% (22/432). As compared with the survivor group (n = 410), those in the non-survivor group (n = 22) were older, and they had a higher frequency of comorbidities and were more prone to suffer from dyspnea. Several abnormal laboratory variables indicated that acute cardiac injury, hepatic damage, and acute renal insufficiency were detected in the non-survivor group. Non-surviving patients also had a high computed tomography (CT) score and higher rate of consolidation. The most common complication causing death was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (18/22, 81.8%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that hemoglobin (Hb) 8 U/L (9.155; 2.424-34.584; p = 0.001), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) >245 U/L (5.963; 2.029-17.529; p = 0.001), procalcitonin (PCT) >0.5 ng/ml (7.080; 1.671-29.992; p = 0.008), and CT score >10 (39.503; 12.430-125.539; pConclusionsLow Hb, high LDH, PCT, and CT score on admission were the predictors for mortality and could assist clinicians in early identification of poor prognosis among COVID-19 patients.

BackgroundAnxiety is burdensome and common in youth. Sedentary behaviour has been identified as potentially modifiable dangerous factors for many diseases. Nevertheless, little is known about the relationship between sedentary behaviour and the risk of anxiety symptoms in youth. Therefore, we aimed to examine the association among youth in 24 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsData from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) were analyzed in 59587 youth aged 12-15 years. Most of the country-wide data were nationally representative. Anxiety symptoms were self-reported. Multivariable logistic regression and meta-analyses of country-wise estimates were conducted.ResultsThe prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 10.3%. Countrywide meta-analysis demonstrated that sedentary behaviour of >2 h/day (vs.≤2 h/day) was associated with an increased risk of anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.10-1.37).ConclusionsThis study provides multi-national evidence of the dangerous effect of sedentary behaviour against anxiety symptoms among youth in LMICs. Decreasing the level of sedentary behaviour during adolescence could be an important target for reducing the prevalence of anxiety.

Abstract A nitridation treatment technology with a urea/ammonia complex nitrogen source improved resistive switching property in HfO2-based resistive random access memory (RRAM). The nitridation treatment produced a high performance and reliable device which results in superior endurance (more than 109 cycles) and a self-compliance effect. Thus, the current conduction mechanism changed due to defect passivation by nitrogen atoms in the HfO2 thin film. At a high resistance state (HRS), it transferred to Schottky emission from Poole-Frenkel in HfO2-based RRAM. At low resistance state (LRS), the current conduction mechanism was space charge limited current (SCLC) after the nitridation treatment, which suggests that the nitrogen atoms form Hf–N–Ox vacancy clusters (Vo +) which limit electron movement through the switching layer.

In this paper, the effects of size, morphology and distribution of eutectic silicon on the thermal conductivity of Al-8Si alloy modified by Sr (0.04, 0.08, 0.12 wt.%) and Sb (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 wt.%) elements with T6 heat treatment were investigated. The results show that the modified fibrous eutectic silicon has a significant capability of improvement of thermal conductivity, while the amount of the modifier has a relatively weak effect on thermal conductivity. After T6 treatment, the fracture or spheroidization of the flake eutectic silicon and the disappearance of clustering phenomenon could raise thermal conductivity, but the coarsening of fibrous eutectic silicon is inconducive to thermal conductivity. Finally, the effect of eutectic silicon on electron transport is analyzed in detail, which could provide a reference for enhancing the thermal (or electrical) conductivity of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy through effective microstructure control.

Background. The prognostic values of weight loss and body mass index (BMI) in esophageal carcinoma remain controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of weight loss on the survival of patients undergoing radical surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods. The medical records of 189 consecutive patients with nonmetastatic esophageal carcinoma treated in our hospital between January 2012 and December 2013 were reviewed, and 121 patients were included for analysis. Results. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the 3-year overall survival rate was significantly higher in the low pretreatment weight loss (pre-LWL) group than in the high pretreatment weight loss (pre-HWL) group (P

In order to scientifically and reasonably evaluate water use efficiency and benefits in irrigation districts, a variable fuzzy assessment model was established. The model can reasonably determine the relative membership degree and relative membership function of the sample indices in each index's standard interval, and obtain the evaluation level of the sample through the change of model parameters. According to the actual situation of the Beitun Irrigation District, which is located in Fuhai County, in Altay City, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, five indices were selected as evaluation factors, including the canal water utilization coefficient, field water utilization coefficient, crop water productivity, effective irrigation rate in farmland, and water-saving irrigation area ratio. The water use efficiency and benefits in the Beitun Irrigation District in different years were evaluated with the model. The results showed that the comprehensive evaluation indices from 2006 to 2008 were all at the third level (medium efficiency), while the index in 2009 increased slightly, falling between the second level (relatively high efficiency) and third level, indicating an improvement in the water use efficiency and benefits in the Beitun Irrigation District, which in turn showed that the model was reliable and easy to use. This model can be used to assess the water use efficiency and benefits in similar irrigation districts.

In this paper, we consider a dynamic asset pricing model in an approximate fractional economy to address empirical regularities related to both investor protection and past information. Our newly developed model features not only a controlling shareholder who diverts a fraction of the output, but also good (or bad) memory in his budget dynamics which can be well-calibrated by a pathwise way from the historical data. We find that poorer investor protection leads to higher stock holdings of the controlling shareholder, lower gross stock returns, lower interest rates, and lower modified stock volatilities if the ownership concentration is sufficiently high. More importantly, by establishing an approximation scheme for good (bad) memory of investors on the historical market information, we conclude that good (bad) memory would increase (decrease) aforementioned dynamics and reveal that good (bad) memory strengthens (weakens) investor protection for the minority shareholder when the ownership concentration is sufficiently high, while good (bad) memory inversely weakens (strengthens) investor protection for the minority shareholder when the ownership concentration is sufficiently low. Our model's implications are consistent with a number of interesting facts documented in the recent literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-residue method for the determination of 107 pesticide residues in wolfberry has been developed and validated. Similar pretreatment approaches were compared, and the linearity, matrix effect, analysis limits, precision, stability and accuracy were validated, which verifies the satisfactory performance of this new method. The LODs and LOQs were in the range of 0.14−1.91 µg/kg and 0.46−6.37 µg/kg, respectively. The recovery of analytes at three fortification levels (10 µg/kg, 50 µg/kg, 100 µg/kg) ranged from 63.3−123.0%, 72.0−118.6% and 67.0−118.3%, respectively, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 15.0%. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of fifty wolfberry samples collected from supermarkets, pharmacies and farmers’ markets in different cities of Shandong Province. One hundred percent of the samples analyzed included at least one pesticide, and a total of 26 pesticide residues was detected in fifty samples, which mainly were insecticides and bactericide. Several pesticides with higher detection rates were 96% for acetamiprid, 82% for imidacloprid, 54% for thiophanate-methyl, 50% for blasticidin-S, 42% for carbendazim, 42% for tebuconazole and 36% for difenoconazole in wolfberry samples. This study proved the adaptability of the developed method to the detection of multiple pesticide residues in wolfberry and provided basis for the research on the risks to wolfberry health.