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In order to reduce the harm caused by high intake of saturated fat on human health. This study aimed to investigate the effect of high interphase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized by soybean protein isolated and soybean oil, and tea polyphenols were used as functional ingredients to evaluate two different HIPEs as pork back fat (PBF) replacers in the meatballs. Six different formulations were prepared by the replacement of PBF with water, HIPEs and HIPEs loaded with tea polyphenols. Physical, chemical and sensory indexes of meatballs were assessed. Compared with the control group, there were significant differences in all indexes expect pH (P

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is an analytical method that combines electrochemistry and photochemistry. It has attracted a lot of attention from researchers in the field of food analysis due to its advantages of high controllability, high sensitivity and fast response time. ECL is the sensitive detection of target substances by varying the concentration of luminophores or co-reactants, resulting in changes in their signal intensity. Firstly, the classical ECL detection system and the novel luminophore and co-reactor based detection system are summarized in this paper. It also focuses on recent advances in metal nanoclusters and quantum dots as novel luminophores, and illustrates the structure and detection principle of their ECL sensors with examples. Secondly, the research progress of ECL sensors in the food analysis field. Finally, the future development trend of ECL sensor technology is predicted. It provides a reference for the detection of nutrients and contaminants in food, and also encourages further research into this technology to support the future development of food testing.

Abstract Background Continuous cropping challenges constrain the development of agriculture. Three main obstacles limit continuous cropping: autotoxicity of plant allelochemicals, deterioration of physicochemical characteristics of soil, and microflora imbalance. Plant-derived phenolic acids can cause autotoxicity, which is considered the main factor mediating continuous cropping obstacles. Reducing the phenolic acids in continuous cropping soils can decrease the autotoxicity of phenolic acids and ameliorate continuous cropping obstacles. Therefore, it is important to study the microbial resources that degrade allelochemical phenolic acids. Thus, the bacterial strain V4 that can degrade phenolic acids was isolated, identified, and genomically analyzed. Results Strain V4 isolated from strawberry soil using vanillic acid-mineral agar was identified as a Gram-negative short rod bacterium. Subsequent 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis revealed that V4 clustered with members of the genus Sphingobium. The most closely related species were Sphingobium lactosutens DS20T (99% similarity) and Sphingobium abikonense NBRC 16140T (97.5% similarity). V4 also shared > 95% sequence similarity with other members of Sphingobium, so Sphingobium sp. V4 was named accordingly. Biochemical tests revealed that the biochemical characteristics of Sphingobium sp. V4 were similar to its most similar strains except for some properties. Sphingobium sp. V4 effectively degraded vanillic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and syringic acid. V4 grew best at the conditions of 30 °C, pH 6.0–7.0, and 0–0.05% NaCl. 500 mg/L vanillic acid was completely degraded by V4 within 24 h under the optimal conditions. Whole genome analysis showed that Sphingobium sp. V4 contained one chromosome and three plasmids. Two genes involved in vanillic acid degradation were found in the V4 genome: the gene encoding vanillate O-demethylase oxidoreductase VanB on the chromosome and the gene encoding vanillate monooxygenase on a large plasmid. The organization of vanillate catabolic genes differed from the adjacent organization of the genes, encoding vanillate o-demethylase VanA and VanB subunits, in Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. Conclusions The isolated bacterium Sphingobium sp. V4 degraded multiple phenolic acids. Its properties and genome were further analyzed. The study provides support for further investigation and application of this phenolic acid-degrading microorganism to alleviate continuous cropping obstacles in agriculture.

Advances in cell fusion technology have propelled breeding into the realm of somatic hybridization, enabling the transfer of genetic material independent of sexual reproduction. This has facilitated genome recombination both within and between species. Despite its use in plant breeding for over fifty years, somatic hybridization has been limited by cumbersome procedures, such as protoplast isolation, hybridized-cell selection and cultivation, and regeneration, particularly in woody perennial species that are difficult to regenerate. This review summarizes the development of somatic hybridization, explores the challenges and solutions associated with cell fusion technology in woody perennials, and outlines the process of protoplast regeneration. Recent advancements in genome editing and plant cell regeneration present new opportunities for applying somatic hybridization in breeding. We offer a perspective on integrating these emerging technologies to enhance somatic hybridization in woody perennial plants.

It has great significance to maintain the natural state of food and reduce the environmental pollution that use of bio-based packaging materials to research and development food packaging, because it has been unable to meet the demand of consumers for green, environmental protection and high-efficiency, for traditional food packaging. Edible films are attracting great attentions in food packaging due to their safety and zero waste property, among which, the protein often used in the preparation of edible films because of good mechanical properties and nutritional value. Essential oils extracted from aromatic plants, the broad-spectrum antibacterial and antioxidant properties give it great potential in food packaging. Incorporation of essential oils into edible protein-based films can effectively improve their properties, and cover the strong sensory properties of essential oils, meanwhile, the release rate of essential oils is controlled. This review covers the recent developments in protein/essential oils-based composite films, the formation mechanism of protein/essential oils-based composite films is discussed, the two composite methods of single essential oil and complex essential oil with protein-based composite films is introduced. Meanwhile, the application of protein/essential oils-based composite films in food is summarized. This study can provide some reference for the future development of protein/essential oils-based composite films.

This is an essay in the field of metallurgical engineering. Comprehensive utilization of sulfur separation tailings from a coal measure high sulfur rare metal complex ore in Chongqing area was studied, which provided a feasible basis for the recovery of valuable elements such as aluminum, silicon, rare earth and niobium. The experimental results show that the optimum leaching conditions are as follows: sulfuric acid concentration 70%, leaching time 3 h, leaching liquid to solid ratio 3, leaching temperature ≥135 ℃. Under these conditions, the Al2O3 leaching rate can reach 87.25%. Acid leaching solution can be used to prepare aluminum sulfate as a water treatment agent. SiO2 can be obtained from acid leaching residue after enrichment of valuable elements such as silicon, rare earth and niobium by NaOH leaching. The content of more than 85 g/L alkali leaching solution, used for the preparation of sodium silicate products; After enrichment of rare earth and niobium elements, the content of TREO and Nb in alkali leaching residue is 1820 g/t and 274 g/t, which can be used as raw materials for the recovery of rare earth and niobium elements.

This is an essay in the field of metallurgical engineering. With the sharp increase in battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in 2020, research on lithium extraction technology from clay-type lithium ore has become a topic of great interest in the industry. This article takes clay type lithium resources as the research object, outlines the distribution of clay type lithium resources, summarizes the main lithium extraction processes related to clay type lithium mines in China in recent years, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of different methods. Given the composition of the leachate from clay-type lithium ore, it is emphasized that the comprehensive utilization of valuable components such as aluminum in the leachate and more research on the utilization of leaching residue are important for the development and utilization of clay-type lithium ore. This article looks ahead to potential leaching and lithium extraction methods for clay-type lithium ore and methods for removing impurities and enriching lithium in leachate, with the aim of contributing to the development of more economically reasonable utilization processes for clay-type lithium ore.

This is an essay in the field of metallurgical engineering. Content of alumina in pyrite tailings in the southwest China is higher than 46%, and the alumina is of high recycling value. However, SiO2 with high content and stable crystal structure exists in aluminosilicate minerals in tailings, resulting in a low aluminosilicate ratio of Al2O3/SiO2 (A/S) of tailings, which is only 1.72. To realize the separation of aluminum and silicon, and obtain aluminum concentrate for recycling of the tailings, the SiO2 with stable structure is transformed into amorphous SiO2 by activated roasting. And then the calcine is leached twice with NaOH solution for desilicating to obtain the aluminum concentrate. The results show that under the optimum conditions of roasting time of 35 min, roasting temperature of 1140 ℃, the concentration of NaOH 140 g/L in primary alkaline leaching, leaching temperature of 110 ℃, leaching time of 30 min, the ratio of liquid to solid 16, the aluminum-silicon ratio (A/S) increases to 4.11. Under the optimum conditions of NaOH concentration 140 g/L in secondary alkaline leaching, leaching temperature 105 ℃, leaching time 30 min, and leaching liquid to solid ratio 10, the aluminum-silicon ratio (A/S) of 5.11 is obtained, which lays a good foundation for comprehensive utilization of the tailings.

ABSTRACTAlthough previous studies have reported the dysregulation of respiratory tract microbiota in infectious diseases, insufficient data exist regarding respiratory microbiota imbalances in the lower respiratory tracts (LRTs) of children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Here, we analysed the microbial community using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Finally, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from 158 children with MPP and 29 with bacterial or viral pneumonia (control group) were collected. The diversity of the microbial community was significantly different between the two groups. A significantly increased abundance of Tenericutes and Mycoplasma was detected in the MPP group, exceeding 67% and 65% of the total bacterial population, respectively. Using Mycoplasma abundance as the diagnostic method, the sensitivity and specificity of the model was 97.5% and 96.6%, respectively. Compared to the mild MPP group, lower alpha diversity and significantly increased Mycoplasma abundance were found in the severe MPP group (P

1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) is a rate-limiting enzyme in terpene synthesis that can affect the accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants. In this study, three DXS gene family members were identified in the tomato genome-wide database. Using bioinformatics methods, we analyzed the gene structure, evolutionary affinities, and cis-acting elements of the SlDXS gene family members. Promoters of SlDXS genes contain plant hormone-responsive elements such as the CGTCA-motif, TGACG-motif, ABRE, TCA-element, TGA-element, ERE, CAT-box, and AACA-motif, which suggested that the SlDXS gene family may play an important role in hormone response. The RT-qPCR analysis showed that the tomato DXS2 gene was able to respond upon exposure to methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The construction of a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector for the SlDXS gene showed that the SlDXS2 gene was also able to respond to MeJA in silenced plants, but the induction level was lower relative to that of wild-type plants. The SlDXS1 gene is associated with the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments. This study provides a reference for the further elucidation of the DXS gene’s biological function in the terpenoid synthesis pathway in tomatoes.

With the proposal and development of intelligent tourism destination, the problem of tourism route planning has become a hot topic in tourism research. This study proposes an intelligent tourism route planning model based on efficiency improvement for Guangxi tourism route planning. In order to improve the efficiency of the model, this paper combines ant colony algorithm with genetic algorithm and introduces smoothing factor and guiding factor, and obtains genetic algorithm (genetic algorithm-path smoothing ant colony optimization) with changing probability. Experimental results show that the convergence speed of the algorithm is fast, and it can converge in 78 iterations, and the operation efficiency is higher. The result error of the proposed algorithm is 1.39, which is smaller than that of other comparative algorithms. In the actual application effect evaluation, the average satisfaction of the planned route of the intelligent tourism route planning model based on efficiency improvement is 15.38, which is higher than that of the traditional genetic algorithm and simulated annealing algorithm. It shows that the model can not only efficiently plan the best travel route, but also comprehensively consider the whole trip of tourists, so that tourists can have a better travel experience. The research provides an intelligent route planning method that is more efficient and more in line with tourists' needs for tourism development.

Abstract Background Central nervous system candidiasis due to Candida albicans (CNSC) in children is easily misdiagnosed and is associated with poor outcomes and a high mortality rate. There is no big data research or systematic review of CNSC. Methods Patients diagnosed as CNSC with positive culture results of Candida albicans in Beijing Children’s Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2010 to March 2019 were included. Patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy or transplantation, or with malignant tumours were excluded. We analysed the clinical characteristics, follow-up results, drug susceptibility tests and whole-exome sequencing (WES) results. Results Thirty-three definitive patients were enrolled, including 22 males and 11 females. Twenty-five patients suffered from CNSC when they were less than 1 year old, and a total of 29 patients had high-risk factors. The main clinical manifestations were fever, convulsions, and positive neurological signs. Twenty-two patients had CNS infections alone, and 11 patients had CNS infections combined with invasive infections involving multiple sites. Twenty-seven cases had a positive CSF and/or blood culture at our hospital. All strains were susceptible to fluconazole, and 2 strains had intermediate susceptibility to voriconazole. As for amphotericin B, all the strains were wild type (WT). WES of 16 patients revealed 2 cases with CARD9 mutations, who suffered from recurrent onychomycosis or thrush before. Conclusion CNSC mostly existed in children younger than 1 year old, who all had underlying risk factors. CNSC patients with onset at an older age or with recurrent superficial fungal infections might have primary immunodeficiency.

Non-heading Chinese cabbage (cabbage) is an essential green leafy vegetable, and bolting and flowering are necessary for reproduction. However, further research is needed to study the effect of photoperiod on the bolting and flowering of cabbage, particularly on the development of the stem. In this study, we performed phenotypic analysis and measured endogenous gibberellin levels in the cabbage. We carried out these experiments under four different photoperiodic treatments, 12 h (light)/12 h (dark), 14 h (light)/10 h (dark), 16 h (light)/8 h (dark), and 18 h (light)/6 h (dark). The results showed that the time of bolting and flowering gradually decreased with increasing light duration. The development of stems was optimal under the 16 h (light)/8 h (dark) photoperiod treatment, and the same result was obtained via cytological observation. In addition, the changes in the endogenous gibberellin3 (GA3) content under different photoperiodic treatments were consistent with the development of stems and peaked at 16 h (light)/8 h (dark). At the same time, qRT-PCR analysis showed that the relative expression of the key gibberellin synthase genes, BcGA3ox2 and BcGA20ox2, exhibited upregulation. When treated with exogenous GA3 and its synthesis inhibitor, paclobutrazol (PAC), exogenous gibberellins significantly promoted bolting; conversely, gibberellin inhibitors suppressed the bolting, flowering, and stem elongation of cabbage. Therefore, the photoperiod may regulate cabbage bolting by regulating endogenous GA3.

Chia seed has been applied in foods and medical field for a long history. As a by-product of chia seed, chia gum has unique physical and chemical properties and diverse structural conformations. As an emerging resource in food industry applications, chia gum can also be used in technological applications such as improving the nutritional value of products, adjusting the viscosity, stability and texture of the food system. This paper reviews the extraction and drying methods, main nutritional value and functional properties of chia gum and its application in meat products, baking products, dairy products, food preservation and packaging. The future research direction and application prospect of chia gum are discussed in order to provide ideas and objectives for the food industry to seek new green modifiers.

An electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity for the detection of sodium nitrite was constructed based on the peroxidase-like activity of Au magnetic nanocomposites (Au@Fe3O4). The Au@Fe3O4 composite nanoparticles were green-synthesized via the reduction of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from waste chestnut skins combined with the sonochemical method. The nanoparticles have both the recoverability of Fe3O4 and the advantage of being able to amplify electrical signals. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of green reduction and sonochemical synthesis provides a functional approach for the preparation of Au@Fe3O4 with significant peroxidase-like activities. The physicochemical properties were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The electrochemical properties of sodium nitrite were determined with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (i-t). The results revealed that Au@Fe3O4 acted as a peroxidase mimic to decompose hydrogen peroxide to produce free radicals, while ·OH was the primary free radical that promoted the oxidation of sodium nitrite. With the optimal detection system, the constructed electrochemical sensor had a high sensitivity for sodium nitrite detection. In addition, the current response had a good linear relationship with the sodium nitrite concentration in the range of 0.01–100 mmol/L. The regression equation of the working curve was y = 1.0752x + 4.4728 (R2 = 0.9949), and the LOD was 0.867 μmol/L (S/N = 3). Meanwhile, the constructed detection system was outstanding in terms of recovery and anti-interference and had a good detection stability of more than 96.59%. The sensor has been successfully applied to a variety of real samples. In view of this, the proposed novel electrochemical analysis method has great prospects for application in the fields of food quality and environmental testing.

Abstract Background The effect of Glucocorticoids (GCs) on the treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been controversial. There is no information on whether specific subtypes of GBS respond differently to GCs. In this setting, we aimed to discuss whether GCs treating yield different effects in the distinct subtypes (acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, AIDP; acute motor axonal neuropathy, AMAN). And further, we analyzed the impact of different doses on the outcome. Methods Medical records of 448 patients with a diagnosis of classic GBS admitted to 31 tertiary hospitals, located in 14 provinces of Southern China, from 1 January 2013 to 30 September 2016, were retrospectively collected. And 251 patients treated with GCs alone (AIDP=189, AMAN=62) were reviewed and analyzed. Results After GCs treatment, the Hughes score of AIDP patients was significantly lower than that of AMAN patients at discharge (P=0.005) and 3 months after onset (P

BackgroundMelanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family, is selectively activated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). variants in MC2R are associated with family glucocorticoid deficiency 1 (FGD1).Case presentationWe first reported a Chinese family with two affected siblings with a homozygotic variant of c.712C>T/p.H238Y in MC2R, presenting with skin hyperpigmentation, hyperbilirubinemia, and tall stature. These individuals showed novel clinical features, including congenital heart defects, not been found in other FGD1 patients.ConclusionsWe reported a Chinese family with affected siblings having a homozygotic variant of c.712C>T/p.H238Y in MC2R.Our report may expand the genetic and clinical spectrum of FGD1.

Abstract Background To investigate whether hypocalcemia influenced total blood loss and transfusion rate in elderly patients with hip fracture. Methods From our hip fracture database, patients were consecutively included between January 2014 and December 2020. Serum calcium level was corrected for albumin concentration, and hypocalcaemia was defined as corrected calcium

Abstract Background The global status of the COVID-19 pandemic is not optimistic. This is a particularly vulnerable time for patients with pre-existing headache disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on headache patients in China. Methods A survey was conducted through an online survey platform on June 6, 2020. Demographic characteristics, the PHQ-9, the ISI, a COVID-19 questionnaire and a headache profile survey were included in the online questionnaire. Results Eventually, a total of 15,000 participants from China completed the online questionnaire. Among them, 2806 participants had pre-existing headache disorders. Our analysis showed reductions in the duration of headaches (3.414 ± 6.859 vs 4.033 ± 7.325 h, P

Control of quantum emitters is needed in order to enable many applications. Here, the authors demonstrate enhancement and dynamical control of the Purcell emission from erbium ions doped in a nanoparticle within a fiber-based microcavity.

Abstract Background Accumulating evidence suggest that compromised CYP2D6 enzyme activity caused by gene mutation could contribute to primaquine failure for the radical cure of vivax malaria. The current study aims to preliminarily reveal the association between the recurrence of vivax malaria in Yunnan Province and CYP2D6 gene mutation by analysing polymorphisms in the entire coding region of human CYP2D6 gene. Methods Blood samples were collected from patients with vivax malaria, who received "chloroquine and 8-day course of primaquine therapy" in Yunnan Province. The suspected relapsed cases were determined by epidemiological approaches and gene sequence alignment. PCR was conducted to amplify the CYP2D6 gene in the human genome, and the amplified products were then sequenced to compare with the non-mutation “reference” sequence, so as to ensure correct sequencing results and to determine 9 exon regions. Subsequently, the DNA sequences of 9 exons were spliced into the coding DNA sequence (CDS), which, by default, is known as maternal CDS. The paternal CDS was obtained by adjusting the bases according to the sequencing peaks. The mutation loci, haplotypes (star alleles), genotypes and odds ratios (OR) of all the CDSs were analysed. Results Of the119 maternal CDS chains in total with 1491 bp in length, 12 mutation sites in the 238 maternal and paternal CDS chains were detected. The c.408G > C mutation was most frequently detected in both suspected relapsed group (SR) and non-relapsed group (NR), reaching 85.2% (75/88) and 76.0% (114/150), respectively. The c.886C > T mutation was most closely related to the recurrence of vivax malaria (OR = 2.167, 95% CI 1.104–4.252, P T and CYP2D6*2 allele, which correspond to impaired PQ metabolizer phenotype, are most closely related to the relapse of vivax malaria. In addition, the genotype *4/*4 with null CYP2D6 enzyme function was only detected in the SR group. These results reveal the risk of defected CYP2D6 enzyme activity that diminishes the therapeutic effect of primaquine on vivax malaria.

Abstract Background Surgery is a potential trigger of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a disorder which leads to an autoimmune-mediated attack of peripheral nerves. The present study was designed to explore clinical features of post-surgical GBS compared with those of general GBS in order to provide better clinical advice to patients undergoing surgery. Methods The medical records of GBS patients who were seen at 31 tertiary hospitals in southern China between January 1, 2013 and September 30, 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Post-surgical GBS was defined as symptoms of GBS within 6 weeks after surgery. Clinical features of post-surgical GBS are described and are compared with general GBS. Results Among the 1001 GBS patient cases examined in this study, 45 (4.5%) patient cases exhibited symptoms of GBS within 6 weeks of undergoing surgery. Within this group, 36 (80.0%) patients developed initial symptoms of limb weakness. The average interval between surgery and symptom onset was 13.31 days. The most common type of surgery which triggered GBS was orthopedic surgery, followed by neurological surgery. Compared to general GBS, post-surgical GBS was characterized by a higher proportion of severe patients (Hughes functional grading scale (HFGS) score ≥ 3) upon admission and at nadir, higher HFGS scores at discharge, and longer hospital stays. Post-surgical GBS patients also had a significantly higher frequency of the acute motor axonal neuropathy subtype (37.9 vs. 14.2, respectively; P = 0.001). Conclusion Surgery is probably a potential trigger factor for GBS, especially orthopedic surgery. Infections secondary to surgery may play a role. The possibility of preceding (post-operative) infections was not excluded in this study. Clinical presentation of post-surgical GBS is characterized by a more severe course and poorer prognosis, and should be closely monitored. Trial registration chicTR-RRc-17,014,152 .

BackgroundThe growing number of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and postoperative outcomes receive increasing attention from doctors and patients. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of comorbidities on postoperative function, pain, complications, readmission rate, and mortality.MethodsWe included consecutive patients who underwent primary unilateral THA between 2017 and 2019. The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and the WOMAC and SF-36 (physical function, body pain) scales were assessed preoperatively and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. The complications, 30-day readmission, and mortality rates assessed the impact of comorbidities and their changes over time on the WOMAC and SF-36 scores during follow-up. We used mixed model linear regression to examine the association of worsening comorbidity post-THA with change in WOMAC and SF-36 scores in the subsequent follow-up periods, controlling for age, length of follow-up, and repeated observations.ResultsThis study included 468 patients, divided into four groups based on comorbidity burden (CCI-0, 1, 2, and ≥3). The physiological function recovery and pain scores in the CCI ≥ 3 group were inferior to the other groups and took longer than the other groups (6 vs. 3 months) to reach their best level. The four groups preoperative waiting times were 2.41 ± 0.74, 2.97 ± 0.65, 3.80 ± 0.53, and 5.01 ± 0.71 days, respectively. The complications, 30-day readmission, and 1-year mortality rates for the overall and the CCI ≥ 3 group were 1.92% and 4.69%, 0.85% and 2.01%, and 0.43% and 1.34%, respectively, with no mortality in the other groups.ConclusionPatients with higher CCI were more susceptible to physical function and pain outcome deterioration, experienced longer waiting time before surgery, took longer to recover, and had higher rates of complications, 30-day readmission, and mortality after THA. Older age in the group led to a greater impact.

Minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2) is a member of the minichromosomal maintenance family of proteins that mainly regulates DNA replication and the cell cycle and is involved in regulating cancer cell proliferation in various cancers. Previous studies have reported that MCM2 plays a pivotal role in cell proliferation and cancer development. However, few articles have systematically reported the pathogenic roles of MCM2 across cancers. Therefore, the present pan-cancer study was conducted. Various computational tools were used to investigate the MCM2 expression level, genetic mutation rate, and regulating mechanism, immune infiltration, tumor diagnosis and prognosis, therapeutic response and drug sensitivity of various cancers. The expression and function of MCM2 were examined by Western blotting and CCK-8 assays. MCM2 was significantly upregulated in almost all cancers and cancer subtypes in The Cancer Genome Atlas and was closely associated with tumor mutation burden, tumor stage, and immune therapy response. Upregulation of MCM2 expression may be correlated with a high level of alterations rate. MCM2 expression was associated with the infiltration of various immune cells and molecules and markedly associated with a poor prognosis. Western blotting and CCK-8 assays revealed that MCM2 expression was significantly upregulated in melanoma cell lines. Our results also suggested that MCM2 promotes cell proliferation in vitro by activating cell proliferation pathways such as the Akt signaling pathways. This study explored the oncogenic role of MCM2 across cancers, provided data on the underlying mechanisms of these cancers for further research and demonstrated that MCM2 may be a promising target for cancer immunotherapy.

Osteoporosis is characterized by systemic microarchitecture impairment and bone loss, which ultimately lead to fragility fractures. This disease is most common in older people, especially in postmenopausal women. Cancellous bone is affected by osteoporosis earlier than cortical bone, and DNA methylation microarray analysis of the hip cancellous bone of patients with osteoarthritis revealed differential methylation. In view of the important role of cancellous bone in bone development, we examined genome‐wide DNA methylation profiles in the cancellous bone from patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis versus healthy postmenopausal women using Illumina 850K methylation microarray analysis. Under a threshold of P 0.2, a total of 17 and 34 key differentially methylated genes were further identified at the promoter region and cytosine‐ phosphate‐ guanine (CpG) islands (such as PRKCZ, GNA11 and COL4A1), respectively. PLEKHA2, PLEKHB1, PNPLA7, SCD, MGST3 and TSNAX were the most common differentially methylated genes at both the promoter region and CpG islands. Five important signaling pathways, including the calcium signaling pathway, the cyclic guanosine phospho‐protein kinase G (cGMP‐PKG) signaling pathway, endocytosis, the Rap1 signaling pathway and the AMPK signaling pathway were identified. Our study may be suitable as a basis for exploring the mechanisms underlying osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and a leading cause of disability. This study attempted to investigate the key mRNAs and miRNAs related to OA. Patients and methods From April 17th, 2018 to May 17th, 2018, five patients with OA and three normal controls were enrolled in this present study. To identify the differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) and miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) between patients with OA and normal controls, RNA-sequencing was performed. Then, DEmiRNA-target DEmRNAs analysis and functional annotation of DEmiRNA-target DEmRNAs were performed. To validate the RNA-sequencing results, quantitative real time-PCR (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis were performed as well. Results A total of 1068 DEmRNAs, 21 DEmiRNAs and 395 DEmiRNA-DEmRNA pairs were identified in synovial tissues of patients with OA. The functional annotation of DEmiRNA-target DEmRNAs revealed that Pathways in cancer and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were significantly enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. QRT-PCR and western blot results revealed that except for TLR7, the expression level of the others was consistent with the RNA-sequencing results, generally. Conclusion The findings of this present study may provide new clues for the roles of DEmRNAs and DEmiRNAs in the pathogenesis of OA.

BackgroundThe epidemiological features of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) were different in different areas; a comparison of the disease was needed to identify the variation and prognosis. We compare the epidemiological features of GBS in different areas in China.MethodA total of 1,191 patients were included. Information was collected in patients diagnosed with GBS and its variants in middle and south China, and then retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into four different regions: East China (n = 441), Center China (n = 566), South China (n = 77), and Southwest China (n = 107). These subregions are mainly divided by climate and geographical location. These data were compared with data from a study in East China (Shandong, n = 150) and Northeast China (Changchun, n = 750).ResultsPatients from the south and southwest China were younger than other regions (P = 0.000). A summer peak and an autumn peak were found in northern China, but more patients in winter and spring days in other areas (P = 0.000). Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was the preceding event of GBS patients in all regions but rarer in central China (P = 0.001). The proportion of axonal subtype was higher in central and southwest China than in other regions (P = 0.001). Patients in southwest China were more served at nadir and have the longest hospital stay (P = 0.003 and P = 0.000).ConclusionThe difference between seasonal variation and preceding events was found in different regions in China; clinical features differ among regions in China.

This study aimed to explore the association between mean platelet volume (MPV) and preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in older patients with hip fracture. A total of 352 consecutive older patients with hip fracture were included from January 2014 to December 2020. MPV values were measured on admission, and color Doppler ultrasonography was performed for DVT screening before the planned surgery. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to establish the optimal cut-off value for the prediction of DVT. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to examine the association between factors and DVT. The overall prevalence of preoperative DVT was 15.1%, and patients with DVT had a lower value of MPV than non-DVT patients (11.6 ± 1.2 fL vs 12.3 ± 1.4 fL, P

Abstract Background Failed diagnoses of some falciparum malaria cases by RDTs are constantly reported in recent years. Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (pfhpr2) gene deficiency has been found to be the major reason of RDTs failure in many countries. This article analysed the deletion of pfhpr2 gene of falciparum malaria cases isolated in Yunnan Province, China. Methods Blood samples from falciparum malaria cases diagnosed in Yunnan Province were collected. Plasmodium genomic DNA was extracted and the pfhrp2 gene exon2 region was amplified via nested PCR. The haplotype of the DNA sequence, the nucleic acid diversity index (PI) and expected heterozygosity (He) were analyzed. Count PfHRP2 amino acid peptide sequence repeat and its times, and predict the properties of PfHRP2 peptide chain reaction to RDTs testing. Results A total of 306 blood samples were collected, 84.9% (259/306) from which pfhrp2 PCR amplification products (gene exon2) were obtained, while the remaining 47 samples were false amplification. The length of the 250 DNA sequences ranged from 345 - 927 bp, with 151 haplotypes, with PI and He values of 0.169 and 0.983, respectively. The length of the PfHRP2 peptide chain translated from 250 DNA sequences ranged from 115 to 309 aa. All peptide chains had more than an amino acid codon deletion. All 250 PfHRP2 strands ended with a type 12 amino acid repeat, 98.0% (245/250) started with a type 1 repetition and 2.0% (5/250) with a type 2 repetition. The detection rate for type 2 duplicates was 100% (250/250). Prediction of RDT sensitivity of PfHRP2 peptide chains based on type 2 and type 7 repeats showed that 9.60% (24/250), 50.0% (125/250), 13.20% (33/250) and 27.20.5% (68/250) of the 250 peptide chains were very sensitive, sensitive, borderline and non-sensitive, respectively. Conclusion The diversified polymorphism of the pfhrp2 gene deletion from different infection sources in the Yunnan province are extremely complex. The cause of the failure of pfhrp2 exon2 amplification is still to be investigated. The results of this study appeal to Yunnan Province for a timely evaluation of the effectiveness and applicability of RDTs in the diagnosis of malaria.

A mangrove is a unique ecosystem with abundant resources, in which fungi are an indispensable microbial part. Numerous mangrove fungi-derived secondary metabolites are considerable sources of novel bioactive substances, such as polyketides, terpenoids, alkaloids, peptides, etc., which arouse people’s interest in the search for potential natural anti-tumor drugs. This review includes a total of 44 research publications that described 110 secondary metabolites that were all shown to be anti-tumor from 39 mangrove fungal strains belonging to 18 genera that were acquired from the South China Sea between 2016 and 2022. To identify more potential medications for clinical tumor therapy, their sources, unique structures, and cytotoxicity qualities were compiled. This review could serve as a crucial resource for the research status of mangrove fungal-derived natural products deserving of further development.

To improve the moisture absorption and air permeability of polyamide (PA) fibers, the modified fibers with porous structure were fabricated by melt spinning using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the pore-forming agent due to its high solubility in water. The effects of pores caused by different PEG contents on the structure and properties of modified fibers were analyzed by electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and water contact angle. These results indicate that the porosity of modified fibers increases with PEG content increasing. Moreover, the formation of pores obviously affects the crystal forms of modified fibers. The alpha crystal gradually decreases and the gamma crystal increases with the porosity increasing. Furthermore, with respect to the modified fibers obtained from 47.33% PEG content, its water absorption increases from 3.78% of pure PA to 19.76% and its contact angle decreases from 116° to 85°. In addition, due to the interaction of hydrogen bond occurring between PA and PEG during the spinning process, the elongation at break, rupture work, and initial modulus of modified fibers were improved when the porosity was not more than 4.23%.

Abstract Background Accumulating evidence has pointed that T helper 17 cells and their cytokines are pathogenic in Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS). However, little is known concerning the IL‐17 expression change trend during the whole course of disease, and whether drugs specially targeting Th17 cells or their cytokines have potential effects on experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) is uncertain. Methods We explored the IL‐17 and receptor‐related orphan receptor‐gamma‐t (RORγt) expression change trends in EAN rats to identify the stage of effect of Th17 pathway in EAN, and further, we investigated the effect of RORγt inhibitors by assessing clinical score, histological staining, and IL‐17 and RORγt expression change trends in serum and tissues. Results The expression level of IL‐17 and RORγt in serum and tissues increased with the progression of the disease in the EAN group and decreased after the disease reaching its peak. RORγt‐IN‐1 treatment strikingly reduced the neurological deficits by ameliorating inflammatory cell infiltration, deceased the serum IL‐17 and RORγt levels, and further downregulated the expression of IL‐17 and RORγt mRNA in spleen, lymphnodes, and sciatic nerve. Conclusions Th17 cells and their cytokines are closely associated with the onset of GBS and the novel RORγt inhibitors may be prospective strategies in treating GBS.

Abstract Background Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human peripheral blood provides a convenient and low-invasive way to obtain patient-specific iPSCs. The episomal vector is one of the best approaches for reprogramming somatic cells to pluripotent status because of its simplicity and affordability. However, the efficiency of episomal vector reprogramming of adult peripheral blood cells is relatively low compared with cord blood and bone marrow cells. Methods In the present study, integration-free human iPSCs derived from peripheral blood were established via episomal technology. We optimized mononuclear cell isolation and cultivation, episomal vector promoters, and a combination of transcriptional factors to improve reprogramming efficiency. Results Here, we improved the generation efficiency of integration-free iPSCs from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by optimizing the method of isolating mononuclear cells from peripheral blood, by modifying the integration of culture medium, and by adjusting the duration of culture time and the combination of different episomal vectors. Conclusions With this optimized protocol, a valuable asset for banking patient-specific iPSCs has been established.

At present, the aeration-assisted cutting-carrying technology is faced with complexities in the drilling of CBM multi-branch horizontal wells. For example, the aerating pressure is hardly maintained, and the borehole instability may happen. In view of these prominent problems, the technology of double casing tubes & a binary cycle system suitable for CBM multi-branch horizontal wells was developed according to the Venturi principle by means of parasitic tube insufflation which is used for well control simulation system. Then, a multiphase flow finite element model was established for the fluid-cutting particle system in this drilling condition. This technology was tested in field. Double-casing tubes cementing is adopted in this technology and a jet generator is installed at the bottom of the inner casing. In the process of drilling, the drilling fluid injected through double intermediate casing annulus is converted by the jet generator into a high-efficiency steering water jet, which, together with the water jet generated by the bit nozzle, increases the fluid returning rate in the inner annulus space. It is indicated from simulation results that the cutting-carrying effect is the best when the included angle between the nozzle of the jet generator and the vertical direction is 30°. Besides, the influential laws of cutting size, primary cycle volume, accessory cycle volume and drilling velocity on hole cleaning are figured out. It is concluded that this technology increases the flow rate of drilling fluid in annulus space, the returning rate of drilling fluid significantly and the cutting-carrying capacity. It is currently one of the effective hole cleaning technologies for CBM multi-branch horizontal wells where fresh water is taken as the drilling fluid.

The existing fault location methods for all-parallel autotransformer railway systems (AARS) have limitations because they are generally designed for several given feeding conditions. In alternate feeding conditions, the existing fault location methods do not work well and may have large errors. To solve this problem, we have proposed a generalized fault location scheme for AARS in this paper. After analyzing the fault characteristics of AARS, we classified the feeding conditions of the faulted section of AARS into three types and introduced the corresponding fault location methods. In order to identify the faulted section and its feeding condition, we first formed a switch state matrix based on the adjacency matrix and mapped the fault current distribution into a current state matrix, then we unified the two matrices into a fault state matrix to reflect the fault state of the AARS. Finally, a generalized fault location scheme was proposed based on a fault state matrix. The proposed scheme effectively eliminates the negative influence of feeding conditions on the fault location, and it can identify the fault type and locate faults in different feeding conditions. Several simulation cases verified the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Although intracellular beta amyloid (Aβ) accumulation is known as an early upstream event in the degenerative course of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE) myopathy, the process by which Aβdeposits initiate various degradative pathways, and their relationship have not been fully clarified. We studied the possible secondary responses after amyloid beta precursor protein (AβPP) deposition including unfolded protein response (UPR), ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) activation and its correlation with autophagy system. Eight GNE myopathy patients and five individuals with normal muscle morphology were included in this study. We performed immunofluorescence and immunoblotting to investigate the expression of AβPP, phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and endoplasmic reticulum molecular chaperones. Proteasome activities were measured by cleavage of fluorogenic substrates. The expression of proteasome subunits and linkers between proteasomal and autophagy systems were also evaluated by immunoblotting and relative quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Four molecular chaperones, glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94), glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), calreticulin and calnexin and valosin containing protein (VCP) were highly expressed in GNE myopathy. 20S proteasome subunits, three main proteasome proteolytic activities, and the factors linking UPS and autophagy system were also increased. Our study suggests that AβPP deposition results in endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and highly expressed VCP deliver unfolded proteins from endoplasmic reticulum to proteosomal system which is activated in endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) in GNE myopathy. Excessive ubiquitinated unfolded proteins are exported by proteins that connect UPS and autophagy to autophagy system, which is activated as an alternative pathway for degradation.