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Background: This study aims to assess the risk of drug-associated glaucoma and track its epidemiological characteristics using real-world data., Methods: Adverse event reports from the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from January 2004 to December 2023 were analysed. Disproportionality analysis and the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network algorithm were used. The study classified drugs associated with glaucoma, assessed risk levels, and compared drug-induced times across different categories., Results: Eight hundred and five drugs were linked to glaucoma in the FAERS database. Disproportionality analysis identified 46 drugs with significant risk, mainly adrenergic medications (clobetasol propionate, fluocinolone acetonide), antihypertensives (hydrochlorothiazide), insulin (insulin human), anticholinergics (umeclidinium, darifenacin), VEGF inhibitors (brolucizumab, faricimab), and psychotropics (topiramate, ziprasidone). The top three high-risk drugs were clobetasol propionate, umeclidinium, and fluocinolone acetonide. The shortest drug-induced times were observed with indacaterol, salmeterol, and umeclidinium. Anticholinergic medications had the shortest drug-induced time among all categories. Females (62.5%) and the elderly (average age 63.5 ± 16.8 years) were predominantly affected. Reports of drug-associated glaucoma increased over the years., Conclusion: Preventing drug-associated glaucoma is more effective than treatment. Identifying the risk and drug-induced times of systemic and ophthalmic drugs can reduce occurrence risk. Clinical practitioners should be vigilant and inform patients of these risks., (© 2024 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.)

Chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid (F-53B), a commonly utilized alternative for perfluorooctane sulfonate, was detected in pregnant women and cord blood recently. However, the lack of detailed toxicokinetic information poses a significant challenge in assessing the human risk assessment for F-53B exposure. Our study aimed to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for pregnant mice, based on toxicokinetic experiments, and extrapolating it to humans. Pregnant mice were administered 80 μg/kg F-53B orally and intravenously on gestational day 13. F-53B concentrations in biological samples were analyzed via ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results showed the highest F-53B accumulation in the brain, followed by the placenta, amniotic fluid, and liver in fetal mice. These toxicokinetic data were applied to F-53B PBPK model development and evaluation, and Monte Carlo simulations were used to characterize the variability and uncertainty in the human population. Most of the predictive values were within a 2-fold range of experimental data (>72%) and had a coefficient of determination (R 2 ) greater than 0.68. The developed mouse model was then extrapolated to the human and evaluated with human biomonitoring data. Our study provides an important step toward improving the understanding of toxicokinetics of F-53B and enhancing the quantitative risk assessments in sensitive populations, particularly in pregnant women and fetuses.

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) can cause brain damage and diseases. Of note, ultrafine particles (UFPs) with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 100 nm are a growing concern. Evidence has suggested toxic effects of PM 2.5 and UFPs on the brain and links to neurological diseases. However, the underlying mechanism has not yet been fully illustrated due to the variety of the study models, different endpoints, etc. The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework is a pathway-based approach that could systematize mechanistic knowledge to assist health risk assessment of pollutants. Here, we constructed AOPs by collecting molecular mechanisms in PM-induced neurotoxicity assessments. We chose particulate matter (PM) as a stressor in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) and identified the critical toxicity pathways based on Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). We found 65 studies investigating the potential mechanisms linking PM 2.5 and UFPs to neurotoxicity, which contained 2, 675 genes in all. IPA analysis showed that neuroinflammation signaling and glucocorticoid receptor signaling were the common toxicity pathways. The upstream regulator analysis (URA) of PM 2.5 and UFPs demonstrated that the neuroinflammation signaling was the most initially triggered upstream event. Therefore, neuroinflammation was recognized as the MIE. Strikingly, there is a clear sequence of activation of downstream signaling pathways with UFPs, but not with PM 2.5 . Moreover, we found that inflammation response and homeostasis imbalance were key cellular events in PM 2.5 and emphasized lipid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment in UFPs. Previous AOPs, which only focused on phenotypic changes in neurotoxicity upon PM exposure, we for the first time propose AOP framework in which PM 2.5 and UFPs may activate pathway cascade reactions, resulting in adverse outcomes associated with neurotoxicity. Our toxicity pathway-based approach not only advances risk assessment for PM-induced neurotoxicity but shines a spotlight on constructing AOP frameworks for new chemicals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the drug risk of drug-related keratitis and track the epidemiological characteristics of drug-related keratitis., Methods: This study analyzed data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database from January 2004 to December 2023. A disproportionality analysis was conducted to assess drug-related keratitis with positive signals, and drugs were classified and assessed with regard to their drug-induced timing and risk of drug-related keratitis., Results: A total of 1606 drugs were reported to pose a risk of drug-related keratitis in the FAERS database, and, after disproportionality analysis and screening, 17 drugs were found to significantly increase the risk of drug-related keratitis. Among them, seven were ophthalmic medications, including dorzolamide (reporting odds ratio [ROR] = 3695.82), travoprost (ROR = 2287.27), and brimonidine (ROR = 2118.52), and 10 were non-ophthalmic medications, including tralokinumab (ROR = 2609.12), trazodone (ROR = 2377.07), and belantamab mafodotin (ROR = 680.28). The top three drugs having the highest risk of drug-related keratitis were dorzolamide (Bayesian confidence propagation neural network [BCPNN] = 11.71), trazodone (BCPNN = 11.11), and tralokinumab (BCPNN = 11.08). The drug-induced times for non-ophthalmic medications were significantly shorter than those for ophthalmic medications (mean days, 141.02 vs. 321.96, respectively; P < 0.001). The incidence of drug-related keratitis reached its peak in 2023., Conclusions: Prevention of drug-related keratitis is more important than treatment. Identifying the specific risks and timing of drug-induced keratitis can support the development of preventive measures., Translational Relevance: Identifying the specific drugs related to medication-related keratitis is of significant importance for drug vigilance in the occurrence of drug-related keratitis.

Background: The early detection of arteriovenous (AV) access dysfunction is crucial for maintaining the patency of vascular access. This study aimed to use deep learning to predict AV access malfunction necessitating further vascular management. Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled prevalent hemodialysis (HD) patients with an AV fistula or AV graft from a single HD center. Their AV access bruit sounds were recorded weekly using an electronic stethoscope from three different sites (arterial needle site, venous needle site, and the midpoint between the arterial and venous needle sites) before HD sessions. The audio signals were converted to Mel spectrograms using Fourier transformation and utilized to develop deep learning models. Three deep learning models, (1) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), (2) Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (CRNN), and (3) Vision Transformers-Gate Recurrent Unit (ViT-GRU), were trained and compared to predict the likelihood of dysfunctional AV access. Results : Total 437 audio recordings were obtained from 84 patients. The CNN model outperformed the other models in the test set, with an F1 score of 0.7037 and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.7112. The Vit-GRU model had high performance in out-of-fold predictions, with an F1 score of 0.7131 and AUROC of 0.7745, but low generalization ability in the test set, with an F1 score of 0.5225 and AUROC of 0.5977. Conclusions: The CNN model based on Mel spectrograms could predict malfunctioning AV access requiring vascular intervention within 10 days. This approach could serve as a useful screening tool for high-risk AV access., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (F-53B), a chromium-fog depressant widely utilized as an alternative to perfluorooctanesulfonate, can transfer from mother to fetus. Recent research has demonstrated that prenatal exposure to F-53B results in synaptic damage in weaning mice. However, the mechanism underpinning F-53B-triggered synaptic damage during fetal development remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of the protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) pathway, a crucial signaling mechanism known as "synaptic switch", in the early neurotoxicity of F-53B exposure both in vivo and in vitro . Here, C57BL/6 fetal mice were subjected to exposure to F-53B (0, 4, and 40 μg/L) from gestation days (GD) 0 to 14 to evaluate nerve injury prior to delivery. HT22 neurons exposed to F-53B (0, 0.016, 0.08, 0.4, 2, and 10 μmol/L) for 24 h were utilized to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Our results demonstrated that F-53B significantly increased the fluorescence intensity of Nestin (a neural stem cell marker) in the fetal brain hippocampus (GD14). Subsequently, we found that F-53B downregulated the expression of synaptic plasticity markers (SYP, GAP43, and BDNF) in the fetal brain and HT22 neurons. Further molecular docking analysis revealed that F-53B fits into the ligand-binding pockets of PKA and CREB1. Results showed that F-53B inhibited the translocation of PKA protein from the cytoplasm to the neuronal nuclei and reduced the levels of PKA, CREB1, p-PKA(α/β/γ)-Thr197, and p-CREB1-S133 in the nucleus. Furthermore, the expression of synaptic plasticity markers altered by F-53B could be reversed by a PKA agonist and was intensified by a PKA antagonist. In summary, our findings suggest that intrauterine exposure to F-53B can weaken the expression of synaptic plasticity markers in the fetal brain, with this neurotoxicity being mediated by the cytoplasmic retention of PKA., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Co-published by Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and American Chemical Society.)

Biodiversity losses along with the exponential growth of global human population and human-provoked over-exploitation of natural resources. Genetic factors played an important role in the conservation of endangered species. Conservation genetics is a cross-field disciplinary of genetics and conservation biology. The course of conservation genetics is not available in colleges and universities, and the course of genetics does not directly reflect the content of biological conservation. We have taught genetics with integrative thoughts of conservation biology. In the form of case studies, we have integrated recent advances of research and technology in the relevant fields into the genetics classroom. As a result, we improved the undergraduates' motivation and interest in active learning, provoked the mutual promotion of "basic knowledge of genetics, awareness of ecological protection, and cultivate interdisciplinary thinking", and set up the groundwork for cultivating interdisciplinary talents who not only master solid basic knowledge, but also have the concept of ecological civilization.

This study aims to further elucidate the efficacy targets of celastrol(CEL) intervention in central inflammation in mice with obesity-depression comorbiditiy, based on the differential mRNA expression in the amygdala(AMY) and dorsal raphe nucleus(DRN) after CEL intervention. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal diet group(Chow), a obesity-depression comorbidity(COM) group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose CEL groups(CEL-L, CEL-M, CEL-H, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mg·kg~(-1)). The Chow group received a normal diet, while the COM group and CEL-L, CEL-M, CEL-H groups received a high-fat diet combined with chronic stress from wet bedding. After 10 weeks of feeding, the mice were orally administered CEL for three weeks. Subsequently, the AMY and DRN of mice in the Chow, COM, and CEL-H groups were subjected to transcriptome analysis, and the intersection of target differentially expressed genes in both nuclei was visualized using a Venn diagram. The intersected genes were then imported into STRING for protein-protein interaction(PPI) analysis, and Gene Ontology(GO) analysis was performed using DAVID to identify the core targets regulated by CEL in the AMY and DRN. Independent samples were subjected to quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR) to validate the intersection genes. The results revealed that the common genes regulated by CEL in the AMY and DRN included chemokine family genes Ccl2, Ccl5, Ccl7, Cxcl10, Cxcr6, and Hsp70 family genes Hspa1a, Hspa1b, as well as Myd88, Il2ra, Irf7, Slc17a8, Drd2, Parp9, and Nampt. GO analysis showed that the top 5 nodes Ccl2, Cxcl10, Myd88, Ccl5, and Irf7 were all involved in immune-inflammation regulation(P&lt;0.01). The qPCR results from independent samples showed that in the AMY, compared with the results in the Chow group, chemokine family genes, Hsp70, Myd88, Il2ra, Irf7, Slc17a8, Parp9, and Nampt were significantly up-regulated in the COM group, with Drd2 showing a decreasing trend; these pathological changes were significantly improved in the CEL-H group compared to the COM group. In the DRN, compared with the results in the Chow group, chemokine family genes, Hsp70, Myd88, Il2ra, Irf7, Parp9, and Nampt were significantly down-regulated, while Slc17a8 was significantly up-regulated in the COM group; compared with those in the COM group, Cxcr6, Irf7, and Drd2 were significantly up-regulated, while Slc17a8 was significantly down-regulated in the CEL-H group. In both the AMY and DRN, the expression of Irf7 by CEL showed both inhibition and activation in a dose-dependent manner(R~2 were 0.709 8 and 0.917 2, respectively). These findings suggest that CEL can effectively improve neuroinflammation by regulating bidirectional expression of the same target proteins, thereby intervening in the immune activation of the AMY and immune suppression of the DRN in COM mice.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor, and liver metastasis is one of the main recurrence and metastasis modes that seriously affect patients' survival rate and quality of life. Indicators such as albumin bilirubin (ALBI) score, liver function index, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) have shown some potential in the prediction of liver metastasis but have not been fully explored., Aim: To evaluate its predictive value for liver metastasis of CRC by conducting the combined analysis of ALBI, liver function index, and CEA, and to provide a more accurate liver metastasis risk assessment tool for clinical treatment guidance., Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with CRC who received surgical treatment in our hospital from January 2018 to July 2023 and were followed up for 24 months. According to the follow-up results, the enrolled patients were divided into a liver metastasis group and a nonliver metastasis group and randomly divided into a modeling group and a verification group at a ratio of 2:1. The risk factors for liver metastasis in patients with CRC were analyzed, a prediction model was constructed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression, internal validation was performed by the bootstrap method, the reliability of the prediction model was evaluated by subject-work characteristic curves, calibration curves, and clinical decision curves, and a column graph was drawn to show the prediction results., Results: Of 130 patients were enrolled in the modeling group and 65 patients were enrolled in the verification group out of the 195 patients with CRC who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Through LASSO regression variable screening and logistic regression analysis. The ALBI score, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and CEA were found to be independent predictors of liver metastases in CRC patients [odds ratio (OR) = 8.062, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.545-25.540], (OR = 1.037, 95%CI: 1.004-1.071) and (OR = 1.025, 95%CI: 1.008-1.043). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the combined prediction of CRLM in the modeling group was 0.921, with a sensitivity of 78.0% and a specificity of 95.0%. The H-index was 0.921, and the H-L fit curve had χ 2 = 0.851, a P value of 0.654, and a slope of the calibration curve approaching 1. This indicates that the model is extremely accurate, and the clinical decision curve demonstrates that it can be applied effectively in the real world. We conducted internal verification of one thousand resamplings of the modeling group data using the bootstrap method. The AUC was 0.913, while the accuracy was 0.869 and the kappa consistency was 0.709. The combination prediction of liver metastasis in patients with CRC in the verification group had an AUC of 0.918, sensitivity of 85.0%, specificity of 95.6%, C-index of 0.918, and an H-L fitting curve with χ 2 = 0.586, P = 0.746., Conclusion: The ALBI score, ALT level, and CEA level have a certain value in predicting liver metastasis in patients with CRC. These three criteria exhibit a high level of efficacy in forecasting liver metastases in patients diagnosed with CRC. The risk prediction model developed in this work shows great potential for practical application., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of silicosis complicated with cavity-pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: The clinical data of 63 patients with silicosis complicated with cavity-pulmonary tuberculosis (group A) and silicosis patients (group B) admitted to Yantaishan Hospital from July 2018 to July 2022 were collected and analyzed. Results: Patients in group A were all male, and the common symptoms were cough, expectoration, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and hemoptysis. CT cavity lesions involving the lung, often occurs in the lung after the tip section, after the back section and basal segment, thick-walled cavity, may be accompanied by satellite lesions, endobronchial spread focal, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, etc. 1225 cases of group B patients haemoptysis of 59 patients, cavity in 3 patients, haemoptysis and/or cavity rate was lower than that in group A, the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.05) . In group A, CT reexamination 6-24 months after anti-tuberculosis treatment showed that 52 cases (82.5%) had cavity reduction/healing, 8 cases (12.7%) had recurrence, and 3 cases (4.8%) had damaged lung (2 died) . Conclusion: Silicosis patients with hemoptysis and/or CT in cavity should be more vigilant about combined tuberculosis, anti-tuberculosis treatment and/or dynamic CT follow-up helps laboratory diagnosis negative patients.

Herbivorous insects have evolved metabolic strategies to survive the challenges posed by plant secondary metabolites (SMs). This study reports an exploration of SMs present in pears, which serve as a defense against invasive Cydia pomonella and native Grapholita molesta and their counter-defense response. The feeding preferences of fruit borers are influenced by the softening of two pear varieties as they ripen. The content of SMs, such as quercetin and rutin, increases due to feeding by fruit borers. Notably, quercetin levels only increase after C. pomonella feeding. The consumption of SMs affects the growth of fruit borer population differently, potentially due to the activation of P450 genes by SMs. These two fruit borers are equipped with specific P450 enzymes that specialize in metabolizing quercetin and rutin, enabling them to adapt to these SMs in their host fruits. These findings provide valuable insights into the coevolution of plants and herbivorous insects., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

The advantageous characteristics of invasive pests, particularly their ability to reproduce and adapt to the environment, have been observed. However, it remains unclear what specific inherent superiority enables fruit pests to successfully invade and dominate in interactions with other species. In this study, we report that Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus), a notorious invasive pest of pome fruits and walnuts globally, employs unique reproductive strategies in response to quercetin, a plant compound in host fruits. By monitoring adult dynamics and fruit infestation rates, we observed a competitive relationship between C. pomonella and the native species Grapholita molesta (Busck). C. pomonella was able to occupy vacant niches to ensure its population growth. We also found that quercetin had different effects on the reproductive capacity and population growth of C. pomonella and G. molesta. While quercetin stimulated the fecundity and population growth of G. molesta, it inhibited C. pomonella. However, C. pomonella was able to rapidly increase its population after exposure to quercetin by adopting an 'accelerated burst' of oviposition strategy, with each individual making a greater reproductive contribution compared to the control. We further demonstrated that the effect of quercetin on oviposition is regulated by the juvenile hormone (JH) signaling pathway in C. pomonella, allowing it to prioritize survival. The enhanced reproductive fitness of G. molesta in response to quercetin is attributed to the regulation of JH titers and key genes such as Met and Kr-h1, which in turn up-regulate reproduction-related genes Vg and VgR. In contrast, C. pomonella is inhibited. These findings shed light on the mechanisms interspecific competition and help to improve our understanding of the global spread of C. pomonella, which can be attributed to its inherent superiority in terms of reproductive strategy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To conduct a statistical analysis on the condition of patients with pneumoconiosis complicated with chronic pulmonary heart disease based on the Tei index, and to establish a relevant prediction model. Methods: In March 2022, a retrospective analysis of 226 patients diagnosed with pneumoconiosis in the Department of Occupational Disease of Yantai Yantaishan Hospital from January 2016 to January 2022 was conducted. The patients with pneumoconiosis complicated by pulmonary heart disease were included in the pulmonary heart disease group and others were included in the non-pulmonary heart disease group. logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the relevant factors and establish a risk prediction model. Hosmer-Lemeshow test was applied to determine the goodness of fit of the model, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the predictive effect of the model. Results: Among the 226 patients with pneumoconiosis, 58 patients had chronic pulmonary heart disease, accounting for 25.7% of the surveyed population. The logistic analysis showed that the course of disease, pneumoconiosis stage and Tei index were influencing factors of pneumoconiosis complicated with pulmonary heart disease ( P <0.05). A risk prediction model for pneumoconiosis patients complicated with pulmonary heart disease was developed: Z =6.253 X (1)+1.265 X (2)+1.423 X (3)+9.264, in which X (1) was the stage of pneumoconiosis, X (2) was the course of disease, and X (3) was the Tei index. Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to evaluate the goodness of fit of the risk prediction model for pneumoconiosis patients complicated with pulmonary heart disease, the results indicated that the prediction model was in good agreement with the actual situation (χ(2)=11.59, P =0.254). The diagnostic ability of the model was evaluated by the ROC curve, and the results showed that its AUC was 0.897, the sensitivity was 0.947, and the specificity was 0.784. Conclusion: The course of disease, pneumoconiosis stage and Tei index are the influencing factors of pneumoconiosis complicated with pulmonary heart disease. The model constructed based on these factors has a good prediction effect, which can provide a basis for the early detection and intervention of pneumoconiosis complicated with pulmonary heart disease.

β -Ga 2 O 3 nanostructures are attractive wide-band-gap semiconductor materials as they exhibit promising photoelectric properties and potential applications. Despite the extensive efforts on β -Ga 2 O 3 nanowires, investigations into β -Ga 2 O 3 nanotubes are rare since the tubular structures are hard to synthesize. In this paper, we report a facile method for fabricating β -Ga 2 O 3 nanotubes using pre-synthesized GaSb nanowires as sacrificial templates. Through a two-step heating-treatment strategy, the GaSb nanowires are partially oxidized to form β -Ga 2 O 3 shells, and then, the residual inner parts are removed subsequently in vacuum conditions, yielding delicate hollow β -Ga 2 O 3 nanotubes. The length, diameter, and thickness of the nanotubes can be customized by using different GaSb nanowires and heating parameters. In situ transmission electron microscopic heating experiments are performed to reveal the transformation dynamics of the β -Ga 2 O 3 nanotubes, while the Kirkendall effect and the sublimation process are found to be critical. Moreover, photoelectric tests are carried out on the obtained β -Ga 2 O 3 nanotubes. A photoresponsivity of ~25.9 A/W and a detectivity of ~5.6 × 10 11 Jones have been achieved with a single- β -Ga 2 O 3 -nanotube device under an excitation wavelength of 254 nm.

Background: For cases of middle and low biliary obstruction with left and right hepatic duct dilatation, the type of approach and whether different approaches affect the difficulty of puncture operation and intraoperative and postoperative complications have not been discussed in detail., Aim: To compare the efficacy of different percutaneous transhepatic biliary stent placements and catheter drainage in treating middle and low biliary obstruction., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical records of 424 patients with middle and low biliary obstruction who underwent percutaneous liver puncture biliary stent placement and catheter drainage at the Department of Interventional Radiology, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital between March 2016 and March 2022. Based on the puncture path, patients were categorized into two groups: Subxiphoid left hepatic lobe approach group (Group A, 224 cases) and right intercostal, right hepatic lobe approach group (Group B, 200 cases). Liver function improvement, postoperative biliary bleeding incidence, postoperative pain duration, and abdominal effusion leakage around the drainage tube were compared between the two groups at 3 d and 1 wk after the surgery. Patient survival time was recorded during follow-up., Results: All 424 surgeries were successful without adverse events. Group A comprised 224 cases, and Group B had 200 cases. There was no statistically significant difference in basic data between Group A and Group B ( P > 0.05). No significant difference in postoperative biliary bleeding incidence was observed between the groups ( P > 0.05). The decreased rates for total bilirubin (Group A: 69.23 ± 4.50, Group B: 63.79 ± 5.65), direct bilirubin (Group A: 79.30 ± 11.19, Group B: 63.62 ± 5.64), and alkaline phosphatase (Group A: 60.51 ± 12.23, Group B: 42.68 ± 23.56) in the 1 st wk after surgery were significantly faster in Group A than in Group B. The decreased rate of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was also significantly faster in Group A at both 3 d (Group A: 40.56 ± 10.32, Group B: 32.22 ± 5.12) and 1 wk (Group A: 73.19 ± 7.05, Group B: 58.81 ± 18.98) after surgery ( P < 0.05). Group A experienced significantly less peritoneal effusion leakage around the drainage tube than Group B ( P < 0.05). The patient survival rate was higher in Group A compared to Group B ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: In treating jaundice patients with middle and low biliary obstruction, a percutaneous left liver puncture demonstrated better clinical efficacy than a percutaneous right liver puncture., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The author(s) declare having no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Both tuina therapy and yijinjing exercise were beneficial to patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain, but the evidence for this combination is limited., Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of tuina therapy combined with yijinjing exercise compared with tuina therapy alone for patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain., Design, Setting, and Participants: A 12-week, open-label, analyst-blinded randomized clinical trial (8-week intervention plus 4-week observational follow-up) was conducted from September 7, 2020, to October 25, 2021. A total of 102 participants with nonspecific chronic neck pain were recruited, and data were analyzed from December 10, 2021, to March 26, 2022., Interventions: Participants in the tuina group or tuina combined with yijinjing group received 3 sessions of tuina therapy per week for 8 weeks, for a total of 24 sessions. Participants in the tuina combined with yijinjing group practiced yijinjing 3 times a week for 8 weeks, including an instructor-guided exercise at the hospital and 2 self-practice exercises at home., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was change in visual analog scale (VAS) score from baseline to week 8. Secondary outcomes included Neck Disability Index scores, Self-rating Anxiety Scale scores, tissue hardness, and active range of motion., Results: This randomized clinical trial recruited 102 patients (mean [SD] age, 36.5 [4.9] years; 69 [67.6%] female) who were randomized to 2 groups. All 102 patients (100%) completed all the outcome measurements. The mean difference in VAS scores from baseline at week 8 for the tuina combined with yijinjing group was -5.4 (95% CI, -5.8 to -5.1). At week 8, the difference in VAS score was -1.2 (95% CI, -1.6 to -0.8; P < .001) between the tuina group and the tuina combined with yijinjing group. The effectiveness of tuina combined with yijinjing in treating nonspecific chronic neck pain remained at the 12-week follow-up., Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, for patients with nonspecific chronic neck pain, tuina combined with yijinjing was more effective than tuina therapy alone in terms of pain, functional recovery, and anxiety at week 8, and effectiveness remained at week 12. A combination of tuina and yijinjing should be considered in the management of nonspecific chronic neck pain., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2000036805.

Aim: Unfavourable communication increases missed nursing care. Oncology wards have more communication complexity than general wards; therefore, creating a positive communication environment is important for ensuring quality care. This study aimed to understand the relationship between organizational communication satisfaction and missed nursing care in Taiwan., Design: This cross-sectional study was performed to measure organizational communication satisfaction and missed nursing care in six oncology wards at a stand-alone cancer centre hospital in Taipei, Taiwan in December, 2018., Methods: The study collected data using the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire and the MISSCARE survey. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t test, analysis of variance and Pearson product-moment correlation analysis in December 16, 2018., Results: A total of 111 questionnaires were collected, and the response rate was 92.5%. The study showed that nurses tended to miss nursing care when they were dissatisfied with the unit's manpower status organizational communication environment, horizontal and diagonal communication and informal communication., (© 2021 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of traditional Chinese manual therapy (TCMT) in alleviating pain and dysfunction in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH)., Methods: Sixty-six patients with LDH were recruited as the study cohort and randomly assigned to an observation group and a control group. The patients in the observation group underwent TCMT, whereas those in the control group underwent conventional lumbar traction (LT). The observed indexes comprised primary index, which referred to clinical efficacy, and secondary indexes, which include Simplified McGill Pain Questionnaire, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), range of motion (ROM) of the lumbar spine, difference in muscle tone (MT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) of the bilateral erector spinae, and serum inflammatory factor levels., Results: The total effective rate was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (96.67% vs. 66.67%, P < 0.001). Compared with the control group after treatment, patients in the observation group had significantly lower ODI, pain rating index, visual analog scale and present pain intensity scores (all P < 0.05), and had significantly smaller differences in MT and PPT of the bilateral erector spinae (both P < 0.001), but had remarkably greater ROM of the lumbar spine ( P < 0.001). In addition, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and interferon-γ concentrations in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group after treatment (all P < 0.05)., Conclusion: TCMT has positive effects on alleviating pain and improving dysfunction of patients with LDH and helps in reducing serum inflammatory factor levels., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2022.)

Aim: We aim to develop a signature that could accurately predict prognosis and evaluate the response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA)., Methods: Based on comprehensive analysis of public database, we identified prognosis-related hub genes and investigated their predictive values for the ICB response in BLCA., Results: Among 69 common DEGs, three genes (AURKA, BIRC5, and CKS1B) were associated with poor prognosis, and which were related to histological subtypes, TP53 mutation status, and the C2 (IFN-gamma dominant) subtype. Three genes and their related risk model can effectively predict the response of immunotherapy. Their related drugs were identified through analysis of drug bank database., Conclusions: Three genes could predict prognosis and evaluate the response to ICB in BLCA., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no competing interests associated with this manuscript., (Copyright © 2022 Ya Guo et al.)

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism can negatively affect the cardiovascular system and increase the risk of mortality, especially for individuals with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels above 10 mU/L. We investigated the relationship between high-TSH subclinical hypothyroidism and postoperative mortality in acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) patients., Method: We enrolled 146 patients with ATAAD who underwent aortic surgery in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from July 2016 to November 2018. Thyroid hormone levels were obtained before surgery, and participants were divided into a ≥10mU/L TSH level group and a <10mU/L level group. Cox proportional hazard regression and subgroup analysis were conducted to examine the association of preoperative high-TSH subclinical hypothyroidism with postoperative mortality., Result: Participants with preoperative high-TSH (≥10mU/L) subclinical hypothyroidism tended to have longer hospitalization stays after surgery [16.0 (IQR 11.0-21.0) days vs 12.5 (IQR 8.0-16.0) days, P=0.001]. During the first 30 days after operation, 15 of 146 patients died (10.3%); during a median of 3.16 (IQR 1.76-4.56) years of follow-up, 24 patients died (16.4%). Cox proportional hazard regression showed that preoperative high-TSH subclinical hypothyroidism was independently associated with 30-day mortality (HR=6.2, 95% CI, 1.7-22.0, P=0.005) and postoperative mortality after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, hypertension, ejection fraction, diabetes and history of PCI (HR=3.4, 95% CI, 1.4-8.0, P=0.005)., Conclusion: This study showed that preoperative high-TSH subclinical hypothyroidism was an independent predictor of postoperative mortality in ATAAD patients who underwent aortic surgery., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Xue, Li, Jiang and Zhang.)

Utilizing corifollitropin alfa in GnRH antagonist (GnRHant) protocol in conjunction with GnRH agonist trigger/freeze-all strategy (corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant protocol) was reported to have satisfactory outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Although lessening in gonadotropin injections, GnRHant were still needed. In addition to using corifollitropin alfa, GnRHant was replaced with an oral progestin as in progestin primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) to further reduce the injection burden in this study. We try to investigate whether this regimen (corifollitropin alfa/PPOS protocol) could effectively reduce GnRHant injections and prevent premature LH surge in PCOS patients undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles. This is a retrospective cohort study recruiting 333 women with PCOS, with body weight between 50 and 70 kg, undergoing first IVF/ICSI cycle between August 2015 and July 2018. We used corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant protocol prior to Jan 2017 (n = 160), then changed to corifollitropin alfa/PPOS protocol (n = 173). All patients received corifollitropin alfa 100 μg on menstruation day 2/3 (S1). Additional rFSH was administered daily from S8. In corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant group, cetrorelix 0.25 mg/day was administered from S5 till the trigger day. In corifollitropin alfa/PPOS group, dydrogesterone 20 mg/day was given from S1 till the trigger day. GnRH agonist was used to trigger maturation of oocyte. All good quality day 5/6 embryos were frozen, and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) was performed on subsequent cycle. A comparison of clinical outcomes was made between the two protocols. The primary endpoint was the incidence of premature LH surge and none of the patients occurred. Dydrogesterone successfully replace GnRHant to block LH surge while an average of 6.8 days of GnRHant injections were needed in the corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant group. No patients suffered from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The other clinical outcomes including additional duration/dose of daily gonadotropin administration, number of oocytes retrieved, and fertilization rate were similar between the two groups. The implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate in the first FET cycle were also similar between the two groups. In women with PCOS undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment, corifollitropin alfa/PPOS protocol could minimize the injections burden with comparable outcomes to corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant protocol., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate the changes of right ventricular function in patients with pneumoconiosis in different stages using three-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging (3D-STI) . Methods: In June 2020, 114 pneumoconiosis patients were selected as subjects, including 45 patients in stage Ⅰ pneumoconiosis group, 36 patients in stage Ⅱ pneumoconiosis group and 33 patients in stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group. Fifty healthy subjects were enrolled and served as control group. The longitudinal strain (LS) , radial strain (RS) and circumferential strain (CS) of free wall middle and basal segment of right ventricular were collected and compared. The right ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) , right ventricular global circumferential strain (GCS) , right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) , right ventricular global radial strain (GRS) , the rate of fractional area change (FAC) , the tricuspid valve systolic peak velocity (TVSPV) and the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) of each subject in the groups were collected and compared by 3D-STI. Results: The LS and RS of the right ventricular basal segment of patients in stage Ⅱ pneumoconiosis group were significantly lower than those of control group ( P <0.0125) . The LS, CS, RS of the right ventricular basal segment and RS of right ventricular middle segment of patients in stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group were significantly lower than those of control group ( P <0.0125) . The LS, CS and RS of the right ventricular basal segment of patients in stage Ⅰ pneumoconiosis group were significantly higher than those of stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group ( P <0.0125) , and the RS of the right ventricular basal segment of patients in stage Ⅱ pneumoconiosis group was significantly higher than that of stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group ( P <0.0125) . The levels of RVEF and GLS of patients in stage Ⅱ and stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group were significantly lower than those of control group ( P <0.0125) , while the levels of PASP were significantly higher than that of control group ( P <0.0125) . The levels of FAC and TVSPV of patients in stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group were significantly lower than those of control group ( P <0.0125) . The levels of RVEF, GLS and FAC of patients in stage Ⅰ pneumoconiosis group were significantly higher those that of stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group ( P <0.0125) , and the PASP level was significantly lower than that of stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group ( P <0.0125) . The FAC level of patients in stage Ⅱ pneumoconiosis group was significantly higher than that of stage Ⅲ pneumoconiosis group ( P <0.0125) . Conclusion: Patients with pneumoconiosis could experience a decline in right ventricular function at an early stage. The 3D-STI can accurately detect the GLS, GRS, GCS and hemodynamic changes of the right ventricular and evaluate the right ventricular function comprehensively and objectively. 3D-STI is of great significance for the early detection of right ventricular dysfunction in patients with pneumoconiosis.

An ultra-low power ECG processor ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) with R-wave detection and data compression is presented, which is designed for the long-term implantable cardiac monitoring (ICM) device for arrhythmia diagnosis. An adaptive derivative-based detection algorithm with low computation overhead for potential arrhythmia recording is proposed to detect arrhythmia with the occasional abnormal heart beats. In order to save as much as possible cardiac information with the limited memory size available in the ICM device, a hierarchical data buffer structure is proposed which saves 3 types of data, including the raw ECG data segments of 2 seconds, compressed ECG data segments of 45 seconds, and R-peak values and interval lengths of >2000 beat cycles. A modified swinging-door-trending (SDT) method is proposed for the ECG data compression. The ASIC has been implemented based on fully-customized near-threshold standard cells using the thick-gate transistors in 65-nm CMOS technology for low dynamic power consumption and leakage. The ASIC core occupies a die area of 1.77 mm 2 . The measured total power is 2.63 μW, which is among the ECG processors with the lowest core power consumption. It exhibits a relatively high positive precision rate (P + ) of 99.3% with a sensitivity of 98.2%, in contrast to the similar designs in literature with the same core power consumption level. Also, an ECG data compression ratio (CR) of up to 17.0 has been achieved, with a good trade-off between the compression efficiency and loss.

Objective: Epilepsy is a common complication in glioma patients after undergoing brain tumor surgery combined with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Whether antiepileptic drug prophylaxis could be used in these patients remains an open question. The purpose of this study was to produce a model for predicting the risk of epilepsy occurrence in such patients., Methods: The clinicopathologic data of glioma patients after tumor treatment were reviewed in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to analyze the correlation between the clinicopathologic data and the risk of epilepsy occurrence. A nomogram was built according to the multivariate logistic regression model results., Results: A total of 219 patients with gliomas were reviewed. Univariate analyses revealed that age, WHO glioma classification, CD34, EGFR, Ki67, MGMT, P53 and VIM were significantly associated with the risk of epilepsy occurrence. Multivariate analyses revealed that age, WHO glioma classification, CD34, EGFR, MGMT, and VIM were predictors of risk of epilepsy occurrence. A nomogram of the risk of epilepsy occurrence was built based on statistically significant variables from the multivariate logistic regression analysis. The c-index of the nomogram was 0.755 (95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.742-0.769)., Significance: This nomogram model provides reliable information about the risk of epilepsy occurrence for oncologists and neurological physicians., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: One of features of Visual preference in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is that they tend to social stimuli to nonsocial stimuli. Though it has been studied widely, until now the results are still not consistent. One of the most important reasons may be that the stimuli of the past visual preference paradigm have different movement patterns. Therefore, the present study aimed to improve the visual preference paradigm to reduce the bias caused by different movement of stimuli and explore the features of visual preference of ASD further., Methods: Two hundred and seven children who met DSM-5 criteria for ASD and 125 typically developmental (TD) children were enrolled. They were matched in age and gender. Visual preference was measured by eye tracking technology. The subjects presented simultaneously with dynamic object images (DOI) and dynamic social images (DSI) with the same type and same speed of repetitive movement. Social interaction deficits of ASD were assessed by parents with Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC)., Results: Compared with TD children, the following findings were noted: (I) children with ASD paid less attention to social stimuli and more attention to nonsocial stimuli (t=6.417, P<0.001). (II) Increased preference to DSI was positively correlated with age (R=0.23, P=0.001). (III) No association was noted between visual preference and IQ in children with ASD (R=0.081, P=0.435). (IV) Reduced preference to DSI was negatively correlated with the severity of social interaction impairment rated by parents with ABC in children with ASD (R=0.237, P=0.010)., Conclusions: Children with ASD exhibited abnormal visual preference for social and nonsocial stimuli., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/tp-21-294). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Translational Pediatrics. All rights reserved.)

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit abnormal visual attention, such as diminished attention to eyes and enhanced attention to high-autism-interest objects. We tested whether high-autism-interest objects would modulate the attention to eyes in boys with ASD and typically developing (TD) boys. Twenty-two ASD and 22 TD children were presented simultaneously with human eyes and high/low-autism-interest objects (HAI/LAI) while their eye movements were recorded. We found that visual preference for eyes was influenced by competing objects in children with and without ASD. Specifically, both children with and without ASD showed reduced overall and first looking preference when eyes were paired with HAI objects relative to LAI objects. Children with ASD also showed reduced sustained viewing preference to the eyes after first looking at the eyes and late looking preference to the eyes after first looking at the objects in the HAI condition than the LAI condition, but these effects were absent in the TD group. Our study not only helps us understand some factors that impact attention to eyes, but also has implications for interventions aiming at improving eye contact in children with ASD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wang, Hoi, Song, Li, Lam, Wang and Yi.)

Objective: To observe the analgesic effect of manipulation loading on chronic low back pain (CLBP) model rats and the expression of inflammatory factors in psoas major muscle tissue, and to explore the improvement of manipulation on local inflammatory microenvironment., Methods: Thirty two SPF male SD rats weighing 340-360g were randomly divided into blank group, sham operation group, chronic low back pain model group and treatment group, with 8 rats in each group. In the model group, L 4 -L 6 lumbar vertebrae were implanted with external link fixation system (ELFS). After implantation of ELFS, the treatment group received manualintervention with 5N force and 2Hz frequency on both sides of the spine, 15 min / time, once a day, for 14 consecutive days. Paw with drawl threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawl latency (PWL) was measured before modeling and on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 10th and 14th day after intervention. At the end of the treatment cycle, the concentrations of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in psoas muscle were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)., Results: There was no significant difference in PWT and PWL between the blank group and the sham operation group after modeling ( P >0.05);after modeling, PWT and PWL in the CLBP model group and the treatment group were significantly decreased( P <0.01);PWT in the treatment group was not significantly improved than that in the CLBP model group on the 1st and 3rd day after manual loading( P >0.05);on the 7th day after manual loading, the pain threshold value in the treatment group was higher than that in the CLBP model group, but there was no significant difference There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P =0.056>0.05). On the 10th and 14th day of treatment, the mechanical pain threshold of the treatment group began to rise, and it was statistically significant compared with CLBP model rats ( P <0.05, P < 0.01);on the 1st and 3rd day after manual treatment, the PWL of the treatment group was not significantly improved compared with CLBP model group ( P >0.05);on the 7th day, the PWL of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of CLBP model group, there was statistical significance ( P =0.016<0.05). Manual loading improved thermal hyperalgesia in CLBP rats until the end of the experiment. The contents of CGRP and NGF in psoas major muscle of CLBP model group were higher than those of blank group and sham operation group ( P <0.01). After treatment, the contents of CGRP and NGF decreased significantly( P <0.01)., Conclusion: Local massage loading has analgesic effect on CLBP rats, at the same time, it can inhibit the content of CGRP and NGF in psoas muscle tissue of CLBP rats, and improve the local inflammatory microenvironment.

Background: Large cohort studies provide conflicting evidence regarding the prognostic value of early repolarization pattern (ERP) in the general population, complicated by the complex or heterogeneous definitions of ERP applied in different studies., Hypothesis: We hypothesized that ERP was associated with increased cardiovascular risk with the definition of ERP recommended by the expert consensus statements., Methods: A total of 13673 middle-aged subjects from the prospective, population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study were included in this analysis. Cox models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for possible confounding factors. ERP was defined as ST-segment elevation ≥0.1mV at the end of the QRS or J wave on the QRS downstroke in two or more contiguous leads., Results: Compared with those without ERP, subjects with ERP had a significantly increased risk of developing sudden cardiac death (SCD) (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.08-2.04) and death from coronary heart disease (CHD) (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.10-1.92) after a median follow-up of 20.1 years. ERP was significantly predictive of SCD in females, whites, younger people, and subjects with relatively low cardiovascular risk. ERP with ST-segment elevation appeared to indicate poor cardiovascular outcomes. ERP was associated with an absolute risk increase of 93.3 additional SCDs per 100 000 person-years., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ERP was an independent predictor of SCD and CHD death in the middle-aged biracial population., (© 2020 The Authors. Clinical Cardiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background/purpose: To investigate whether switching GnRH antagonist (GnRHant) to medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) sequentially in the middle of controlled ovarian stimulation could effectively prevent premature LH surge in a GnRHant protocol in patients turn out to be at a high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) during ovarian stimulation., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study., Results: Premature LH surge did not occur in both groups of patients. The switch protocol group had a significantly fewer days of GnRHant treatment (3.1 ± 1.0 vs. 6.5 ± 1.2) compared with GnRHant protocol group. The mean duration of MPA treatment was 3.6 ± 1.1 days. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of live birth, implantation, and clinical pregnancy rates., Conclusion: This study showed that MPA could sequentially replace GnRHant and effectively prevent premature LH surge after several days of GnRHant administration in patients being at high risk of OHSS during controlled ovarian stimulation. Switch protocol could individualize freeze-all policy and reduce the injection burden of GnRHant., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Joint attention (JA) is an important developmental precursor to overall social and cognitive abilities. Most previous studies on JA have focused on participants' passive responses to others' gaze directions. Using a computer-based gaze-contingent eye-tracking task, we explored time-course differences in the reciprocity of social gaze patterns in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in typically developing (TD) children. Specifically, we explored ASD and TD children's gaze responses to others' gaze following. In a trial, children first looked at one of two objects, and then a virtual face followed the children's gaze toward the object that children looked at (congruent condition), looked toward another object instead (incongruent condition), or closed its eyes (closed-eye gaze condition). Eye movements were recorded during the experiment. We found that (a) TD children, but not children with ASD, showed different object-looking times across conditions, suggesting their sensitivity to virtual faces' following their gaze; (b) children with ASD looked at eyes less than TD children; and (c) eye-looking time improved subsequent object-looking time in TD children, whereas it interfered with object-looking time in children with ASD. This study contributes to an understanding of the process of a more complex and reciprocal JA in TD children and the impairments of JA in children with ASD. Furthermore, it provides data relevant to understanding how JA may influence information processing and which aspects of JA are problematic for children with ASD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play essential roles in ischemic stroke-induced brain injury. Previous studies have reported that Ezetimibe (Eze) exerts antioxidative stress and anti-inflammatory properties in hepatocytes. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Eze on oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. One hundred and ninety-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Animals assigned to MCAO were given either Eze or its control. To explore the downstream signaling of Eze, the following interventions were given: AMPK inhibitor dorsomorphin and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) siRNA. Intranasal administration of Eze, 1 h post-MCAO, further increased the endogenous p-AMPK expression, reducing brain infarction, neurologic deficits, neutrophil infiltration, microglia/macrophage activation, number of dihydroethidium- (DHE-) positive cells, and malonaldehyde (MDA) levels. Specifically, treatment with Eze increased the expression of p-AMPK, Nrf2, and HO-1; Romo-1, thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), Cleaved Caspase-1, and IL-1 β were reduced. Dorsomorphin and Nrf2 siRNA reversed the protective effects of Eze. In summary, Eze decreases oxidative stress and subsequent neuroinflammation via activation of the AMPK/Nrf2/TXNIP pathway after MCAO in rats. Therefore, Eze may be a potential therapeutic approach for ischemic stroke patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Jing Yu et al.)

Diminished social motivation is hypothesized to explain abnormal face scanning pattern in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially reduced eye-looking time in ASDs than typically developing (TD) people. Here, we tested an alternative explanation that children with ASD may use a compensatory strategy to avoid direct eye contact by processing the eyes through peripheral vision. We compared the face scanning patterns of children with and without ASD in two conditions: in the clear condition, the face was completely visible; in the blur condition, by using the gaze-contingent paradigm, the whole face was blurred except for a small region being fixated at, thus children could not rely on the peripheral information to process the eyes. We found that children with ASD fixated less on the eyes than TD children in both conditions. Temporal-course analyses further revealed the possible motivation-based guidance of attention to process the eyes in the TD group but not in the ASD group. Additionally, we found that children with ASD scanned faces more randomly and less strategically than TD children. These results have ruled out the alternative hypothesis that the abnormal face scanning pattern in ASDs was due to their compensatory strategy to process eyes through peripheral vision, furthering our understanding of the mechanisms underlying their abnormal face scanning., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In order to identify active constituents and to gain some information regarding their mode of action, extracts from leaves of Epipremnum pinnatum were tested for their ability to inhibit inflammatory gene expression in endothelial- and monocyte-like cells (HUVECtert and THP-1, respectively). Bioactivity-guided fractionation using expression of PTGS2 (COX-2) mRNA as a readout resulted in the isolation of two C13 megastigmane glycosides, gusanlungionoside C ( 1 ) and citroside A ( 3 ), and the phenylalcohol glycoside phenylmethyl-2- O -(6- O -rhamnosyl)-ß-D-galactopyranoside ( 2 ). Further analysis identified six additional megastigmane glycosides and the aglycones β-damascenone ( 10 ), megastigmatrienone ( 11 ), 3-hydroxy-β-damascenone ( 12 ), and 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionol ( 13 ). Pharmacological analysis demonstrated that 10 inhibits LPS-stimulated induction of mRNAs encoding for proinflammatory cytokines and leukocyte adhesion molecules, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, COX-2, E-selectin, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 in HUVECtert and THP-1 cells. 10 inhibited induction of inflammatory genes in HUVECtert and THP-1 cells treated with different agonists, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and LPS. In addition to mRNA, also the upregulation of inflammatory proteins was inhibited by 10 as demonstrated by immune assays for cell surface E-selectin and secreted TNF-α. Finally, using a luciferase reporter construct, it was shown, that 10 inhibits NF-κB-dependent transcription. Therefore, we hypothesize that inhibition of NF-κB by β-damascenone ( 10 ) may represent one of the mechanisms underlying the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Epipremnum pinnatum extracts., (Copyright © 2019 Pan, Pirker, Kunert, Kretschmer, Hummelbrunner, Latkolik, Rappai, Dirsch, Bochkov and Bauer.)

This study aims to probe how children with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD) attribute false belief to a social robot and predict its action accordingly. Twenty 5- to 7-year-old children with ASD and 20 age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children participated in two false belief tasks adapted for robot settings (change-of-location task and the unexpected-contents task). The results showed that most TD children are capable of attributing false belief to the social robot, that is, they could infer higher level mental states in robots, which extends our understanding in TD children's perception and cognition on social robots. Conversely, children with ASD still show difficulty in interpreting robots' mental states compared to their TD peers, which would greatly interfere with their interactions and communications with social robots and might impact on efficiency of robot-based intervention and education approaches. This group difference in attributing false belief to social robots could not be explained by the different perception and categorization of the robot. Our study implies that although children with ASD appear to be highly attracted by social robots, they still have difficulty in understanding mental states when socially interacting with robots, which should be taken into consideration when designing the robot-based intervention approach targeting to improve social behaviors of ASD.

Background and Objectives: Laparoscopic hysterectomy for a large barrel-shaped uterus is difficult. We assessed the feasibility of single-port laparoscopic hysterectomy in a large barrel-shaped uterus after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa)., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 39 patients with a large barrel-shaped uterus who were treated with GnRHa (leuprolide acetate) before single-port laparoscopic hysterectomy. During the same period, 134 patients without GnRHa pretreatment were included as control subjects., Results: Patients with GnRHa treatment had an average increase in hemoglobin of 3.0 mg/dL and a decrease in uterine weight of 330.9 g (40.1%). Ancillary ports were required in 2 patients in the treatment group and none in the control group. There were no differences in uterine weights, operative time, and estimated blood loss in the 2 groups of patients. The estimated average operative time was shortened by 34 min after GnRHa treatment. However, bladder and ureter injuries were marginally higher (10.3% versus 2.2%) and days of hospital stay (3.7 versus 3.1) were significantly longer in the treatment group compared with controls. Complication rates were correlated with previous operative history, pelvic adhesion, and larger uterine weight but not with GnRHa treatment and operative sequence., Conclusions: GnRHa pretreatment in patients with a large barrel-shaped uterus during SPH is feasible with shortened operative time. However, the higher complication rates in these patients suggest that a weight-reduced barrel-shaped uterus that is achieved with GnRHa treatment could still be difficult and should be handled in cautious., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this article.

Objective: To study the impact of stimulation duration on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) - embryo transfer (ET) outcome in poor and normal responders during controlled ovarian stimulation using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol., Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. There were 1481 women undergoing ICSI-ET cycles. Women with ovum pick-up number ≤3 were defined as poor responders (n = 235), and those with a number ≥4 were normal responders (n = 1246)., Results: The mean stimulation duration was shorter in poor responders with pregnancy group as compared with normal responders with pregnancy group (7.8 ± 2.2 vs. 9.2 ± 1.6 days, p < 0.01). Poor responders with a shortest stimulation duration (≤6 days) appeared a higher live birth rate (≤6 days: 33.3%, 7-8 days: 20.0%, 9-10 days: 15.9%, and ≥11 days: 11.1%, p = 0.18). Normal responders with a shortest stimulation duration (≤6 days) appeared a lowest live birth rate (≤6 days: 28.6%, 7-8 days: 35.8%, 9-10 days: 33.6%, and ≥11 days: 29.3%, p = 0.61). Oocyte maturation rate was significantly lower at stimulation durations ≤6 days group (≤6 days: 67%, 7-8 days: 80%, 9-10 days: 85%, and ≥11 days: 87%, p = 0.02) in normal responders., Conclusion: In ICSI-ET cycles, stimulation duration appears to have different impact on oocyte maturation, clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates in both poor and normal responders., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background & Aims: Preterm infants have lower levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). Supplementing very premature infants with intravenous lipid emulsions that fish oil, which is rich in n-3 LC-PUFAs, may decrease bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) by modulating inflammation and neonatal immune function., Methods: Sixty very low birth weight (VLBW) premature infants requiring ventilator support were randomized in a double-blind manner to 2 groups and received total parenteral nutrition with fish oil containing LE (intervention group, n = 30) or soybean oil containing LE (control group, n = 30) for 7 days. Blood samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were obtained for assay on day 1 and 7 days after LE. The primary outcome was to compare the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in serum and BALF. Secondary outcomes were to compare mortality and co-morbidities., Results: The levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in serum and BALF were significantly lower in the intervention group at day 8 (p < 0.05). The incidence of BPD in the intervention group compared to the control group was 13.3% versus 36.7% (p = 0.04; odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.21-0.86). The duration of ventilator support and oxygen use was significantly less in the intervention group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The level of alanine aminotransferase was significantly lower in the intervention group on day 8 (p = 0.031)., Conclusions: In very premature infants, early administration of fish oil containing LE significantly decreased IL-1β and IL-6 levels in serum and BALF and was associated with shorter duration of ventilator support and less bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)., Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN 11427103., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.)

Filipendula vulgaris Moench (dropwort) is used in traditional medicine for relieving various inflammation-related diseases. In the present study, the phytochemical profile of F. vulgaris aerial part (FVA) and root (FVR) methanolic extracts was evaluated by LC-DAD-HRMS analysis. Furthermore, their in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects, as well as their potential cytotoxicity, were assessed. Results showed that the extracts mainly contain phenolics like flavonoids, hydrolyzable tannins, procyanidins, and phenolic acid derivatives, including gaultherin. No in vitro cytotoxicity was found at the highest concentration (50 μg/mL). FVA extract (50 μg/mL) significantly inhibited cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX-1 and COX-2) activities in vitro (>50% inhibition), and FVR extract considerably inhibited COX-2 activity (52.5 ± 2.7%) without affecting COX-2 gene expression in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells. The extracts demonstrated prominent in vivo anti-inflammatory potential upon oral administration in rats. Especially FVA extract at 100 and 200 mg/kg significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced edema formation. From these results, it can be concluded that F. vulgaris extracts possess interesting anti-inflammatory properties., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Previous studies indicated that progesterone can be withdrawn at the time of the first positive β-hCG test without compromising the clinical pregnancy outcome in normal ovarian responder. However, the effect of early stop of progesterone supplementation for patients with poor ovarian response (POR) has not been investigated. This study retrospectively collected data from patients with POR in 156 IVF/ICSI fresh embryo transfer (ET) cycles in single tertiary center from January 2010 to June 2016. All the patients met ESHRE consensus, the Bologna criteria, of POR and had hCG injection for luteal phase support (LPS) on day 2, 5 and 8 after ovum pick-up. The pregnant patients were divided into two groups: early stop group represented those who stopped LPS from day of positive pregnancy test; control group represented those who kept progesterone supplementation till gestational age of 9 weeks. There were no significant differences in age, BMI, parity, hormone data, number of follicles>10(mm), endometrial thickness and number of embryos transferred between the two groups. After adjustment for possible confounders with multivariate logistic regression analysis, the clinical pregnancy rates (55.0% vs. 57.1%, P = 0.35), ongoing pregnancy rates (47.0% vs. 46.4%, P = 0.66), miscarriage rates (34.0% vs. 26.7%, P = 0.66) and live-birth rates (44.0% vs. 46.4%, P = 0.41) were not statistically different between early stop group and the control group. Our study indicates that early stop of progesterone supplementation on the day of positive pregnancy test for patients of POR using hCG as LPS in fresh ET cycles does not affect pregnancy outcome., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background/purpose: The freeze-all strategy in high responders is considered to be a safe and effective strategy for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment; however, the cumulative pregnancy outcomes have not been established., Methods: A retrospective, single-center cohort study was conducted and 1311 high-responder patients (>20 oocytes retrieved and/or a serum estradiol level > 3000 pg/ml on the triggering day) were recruited from 2006 to 2015. The study group (n = 351) underwent the freeze-all strategy with subsequent thawed embryo transfer (ET), and the control group (n = 960) received fresh-cycle ET and subsequent thawed ET if needed. A case-control matching analysis was performed to match the two groups for the number of retrieved oocytes. The primary outcomes were the ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR) of the first ET cycle and the cumulative OPR., Results: After matching, there was a significantly higher OPR in the first ET cycle (49.5% vs. 32.2%, p < 0.0001; n = 301 in each group) and the cumulative OPR (69.4% vs. 55.1%, p < 0.0001) in the study group, with significantly fewer total transferred embryos and cycles. The advantages of the freeze-all strategy for the OPR in the first ET cycle (OR: 1.97, p < 0.0001) and the cumulative OPR (OR: 1.49, p = 0.032) remained statistically significant after adjusting for other possible confounding factors in multivariate logistic regression analysis., Conclusion: For high responders, the freeze-all strategy with thawed ET achieved a significantly higher OPR in the first ET cycle and a higher cumulative OPR than the fresh ET strategy., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To evaluate the concurrent interaction of laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgery in the initial learning period of endometrial cancer staging., Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed for the first 44 consecutive patients with endometrial cancer underwent laparoscopic (LSS) or robotic-assisted staging surgery (RSS) from February 2012 to October 2015 by a single surgeon in a tertiary care referral hospital. Demographics, diagnosis, perioperative variables, and complications were recorded. Quality of surgery was determined by the number of lymph nodes dissected and learning curve was estimated by operative time with respect to chronologic order of operation., Results: Twenty-four patients received LSS and 20 patients received RSS. RSS required longer operative time, but obtained more total number of lymph nodes compared with LSS (286.9 vs. 201.9 min (p < 0.001); 26.2 vs. 20.7 (p < 0.05), respectively. There were no difference in blood loss, number of para-aortic nodes removed, complications and hospital stay between the two types of surgery. An additive model based on tumor grade, body mass index, estimated blood loss and chronological order of operation was constructed to fit operative time of these two types of surgery. Proficiency of achievement was not observed for LSS and was 6 for RSS., Conclusions: Operative time was longer but Lymph node dissection was easier in RSS. Learning curve for LSS to maintain similar surgical quality as RSS was not observed. The concurrent use of robotic platform in the initial practice of minimally invasive staging surgery could optimize surgical technique for LSS., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Currently, reasonable disposal of municipal sewage sludge is one of the important issues in the field of resources and environmental science. Sludge is rich in large amounts of organic matter and available nutrients, promoting soil fertility, soil physical structure and biological properties. However, sludge contains a variety of heavy metals, organic contaminants and other hazardous substance, especially heavy metals, which are the bottlenecks of agricultural application of sludge. To improve the sewage sludge utilization efficiency and decrease the effect on soil, this essay made a summary on domestic and foreign studies on plant-soil interaction ecosystem with sewage sludge to provide a theoretical basis and scientific guidance for advancing sewage sludge utilization efficiency.

The breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relation (SER) in three model metallic liquids is investigated via molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that the breakdown of SER is closely correlated with the clustering behavior of well-packed atoms. When the SER breaks down, many cluster properties have almost the same value in these metallic liquids. At the breakdown temperature of SER, the temperature dependence of the number of clusters begins to deviate from a linear increase and the average number of well-packed atoms in the clusters reaches about 2, which indicates an increase in structure heterogeneity. Moreover, the size of the largest cluster shows a direct correlation with the SER. Therefore, our study provides a possible structural origin for the breakdown of SER in metallic liquids.

Background and Aims: The patterns of evolutionary assembly in the Sino-Japanese floristic region (SJFR) remain largely unknown due to a lack of integrative multidimensional studies throughout the region. To address this issue, we elucidated the evolutionary history of Cardiocrinum (Liliaceae), a genus containing four taxa distributed across the SJFR., Methods: Fifty-four populations were sampled throughout the geographical range of Cardiocrinum to assess genetic structure, analyse phylogenetic relationships and reconstruct ancestral area based on six chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments and three low copy nuclear genes (LCNG). Ecological niche modelling was used to examine the potential range shifts of Cardiocrinum in response to climatic change., Key Results: The molecular data showed high genetic similarity in the cpDNA (98·37 %) and LCNG (94·53 %) sequences. The biogeographical analyses revealed that the ancestor of Cardiocrinum diversified during the late Miocene (approx. 7·32 Mya) in Central China. The ancestor of the C. giganteum lineage dispersed westward to the Himalayas and south-west China with the split between C. giganteum and C. giganteum var. yunnanense occurring around 4·11 Mya consistent with the period of orogeny of the Hengduan Mountains. Some populations of the C. cathayanum lineage dispersed eastward to south Japan via the land bridge approx. 4·97 Mya, providing opportunities for allopatric speciation of C. cordatum The predicted suitable habitats of Cardiocrinum have become smaller and more fragmented since the Last Glacial Maximum., Conclusions: Our study provides evidence of a biogeographical pattern of dispersal from Central China to the Himalayas in the west and Japan in the east for genera distributed across the SJFR, and highlights that the orogeny of the Hengduan Mountains and fluctuations of the sea level of the East China Sea played important roles in promoting species divergence., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim, Rosaceae) has been traditionally used in most European countries for the treatment of inflammatory diseases due to its antipyretic, analgesic, astringent, and anti-rheumatic properties. However, there is little scientific evidence on F. ulmaria anti-inflammatory effects regarding its impact on cyclooxygenases enzymatic activity and in vivo assessment of anti-inflammatory potential. This study aims to reveal the anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extracts from the aerial parts (FUA) and roots (FUR) of F. ulmaria, both in in vitro and in vivo conditions., Materials and Methods: The characteristic phenolic compounds in F. ulmaria extracts were monitored via high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of F. ulmaria extracts was evaluated using cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme assays, and an assay for determining COX-2 gene expression. The in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of F. ulmaria extracts was determined in two doses (100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) with hot plate test and carrageenan-induced paw edema test in rats. Inflammation was also evaluated by histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis., Results: FUA extract showed the presence of rutoside, spiraeoside, and isoquercitrin. Both F. ulmaria extracts at a concentration of 50μg/mL were able to inhibit COX-1 and -2 enzyme activities, whereby FUA extract (62.84% and 46.43% inhibition, respectively) was double as effective as the root extract (32.11% and 20.20%, respectively). Extracts hardly inhibited the level of COX-2 gene expression in THP-1 cells at a concentration of 25μg/mL (10.19% inhibition by FUA and 8.54% by FUR). In the hot plate test, both extracts in two doses (100 and 200mg/kg b.w.), exhibited an increase in latency time when compared with the control group (p<0.05). In the carrageenan-induced acute inflammation test, FUA at doses of 100 and 200mg/kg b.w., and FUR at 200mg/kg, were able to significantly reduce the mean maximal swelling of rat paw until 6h of treatment. Indomethacin, FUA, and FUR extracts significantly decreased inflammation score and this effect was more pronounced after 24h, compared to the control group (p<0.05)., Conclusions: The observed results of in vitro and, for the first time, in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of meadowsweet extracts, provide support of the traditional use of this plant in the treatment of different inflammatory conditions. Further investigation of the anti-inflammatory compounds could reveal the mechanism of anti-inflammatory action of these extracts., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)