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In this study, Sm was adopted in order to completely replace the expensive Pr/Nd elements in the A2B7 type alloy. The results indicate that Sm is a favourable element for forming Ce2Ni7 type and Ce5Co19 type phases. With the increasing amount of Sm, the discharge capacity of the alloy retains a value of 283·3 mAh g-1 at the current density of 1200 mA g-1. The maximum discharge capacity of the alloys increases with the increasing Sm content when Mg content is relatively low. By optimising the composition and processing technology, the cycle life the alloy enhances from 74 cycles to more than 540 cycles, and the maximum discharge capacity also increases from 300 to 355 mAh g-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the high-rate discharge properties of La11.3Mg6.0Sm7.4Ni61.0Co7.2Al7.1(AB3.0) alloy electrodes, the effects of plasma milling (PM) and graphene addition on their electrochemical properties and kinetics have been investigated. It was found that the discharge capacity of AB3.0 at a high discharge current density was significantly improved after the addition of graphene followed by PM for only 10 min. Moreover, the high-rate dischargeability (HRD) and the exchange current density I0 of the alloy electrodes were also increased. The PM technique exhibits obvious advantages for improving the high-rate discharge properties of hydrogen-storage alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the epidemic characteristics and trends of newly reported HIV-infected people among Chinese and Burmese in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture (Dehong Prefecture) of Yunnan Province, China, from 2000 to 2023, and provide evidence for formµlating AIDS prevention and control measures for the Burmese living in Dehong. Methods: The data were obtained from the Chinese Disease Control and Prevention Information System. The distribution of HIV-infected people with different population characteristics was analyzed, and the Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the temporal trend of crude detection rate in different genders, ethnicities, and ages. Results: From 2000 to 2023, 24 989 newly HIV infections were reported in Dehong Prefecture, of which 14 594 (58.4%) were Chinese and 10 395 (41.6%) were Burmese. Compared with Chinese, Burmese women (32.9%, 3 416/10 395), those aged 20-29 (40.9%, 4 248/10 395), and Jingpo people (26.7%, 2 773/10 395) accounted for a higher proportion. The new diagnosis rate of Chinese nationals increased from 1.0/10 000 in 2000 to 15.4/10 000 in 2004, and then showed a downward trend, falling to 1.2/10 000 in 2023. Among them, compared with other age groups, Dai and other ethnic groups and women, the new diagnosis rate among 20-49 age group, Jingpo and men were relatively higher, at 1.7/10 000, 2.3/10 000 and 1.3/10 000 respectively. Regarding the method of detection, the Chinese HIV-infected people were mainly detected by key population testing (35.7%), while the Burmese HIV-infected people by key population testing (28.9%) and physical examination for entry-exit personnel (25.3%). The transmission routes of both nationalities were mainly heterosexual transmission, but compared with Chinese HIV-infected persons, the proportion of Burmese infected persons through non-marital non-commercial transmission was relatively higher (66.4% vs . 60.6%). The proportion of Chinese nationals with a first CD4 + T lymphocyte (CD4) counts of <200 cells/µl (28.9%) was higher than that of Burmese nationals (19.8%). Conclusions: The rising trend of HIV infection among Chinese and Burmese people in Dehong Prefecture from 2000 to 2023 slowed down. The new diagnosis rate was higher in the 20-49 age group, Jingpo and men. Compared with Burmese HIV-infected people, the proportion of Chinese HIV-infected people with first CD4 counts <200 cells/µl was relatively higher. Comprehensive interventions should be further carried out for Myanmar nationals, and efforts should be made to expand testing for Chinese nationals.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of flexible ureteral lithotripsy (FURL) for treating upper urinary tract calculi in patients ≥80 years. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 297 elderly patients who underwent FURL for unilateral upper urinary tract calculi at Beijing Hospital from January 2019 to September 2023. Patients were divided into elderly group (≥80 years) and low-middle aged group (≥60-<80 years). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match preoperative clinical data of patients. After PSM, the basic, perioperative and postoperative data of the two groups were compared. Results: After PSM, 116 patients were enrolled, including 58 patients in each group. The age [ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 )] of elderly group was 83.0 (81.0, 86.0) years, which included 29 males. The age of low-middle aged group was 69.5 (64.8, 74.0) years, which included 33 males. The duration of postoperative hospitalization [ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 )] in elderly group was longer than that in low-middle aged group [2 (1, 3) d vs 1 (1, 2) d, P =0.002]. Serious postoperative complications occurred in 3 cases in the elderly group and 1 case in the low-middle aged group, respectively, without surgical intervention. There was no significant statistical difference in stone-free rate (SFR) [79.3% (46/58) vs 84.5% (49/58)], operation time [ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 ), 70.0 (48.3, 100.0) vs 65.0 (46.5, 101.2) min] and postoperative complication rate [25.9% (15/58) vs 22.4% (13/58)] between two groups (all P >0.05). Conclusions: In the treatment of upper urinary tract calculi in patients ≥80 years, the SFR, operation time and postoperative complication rate of FURL are comparable to those in low-middle aged elderly patients. FURL has good safety and effectiveness in the treatment of upper urinary tract calculi in patients ≥80 years.

Objective: To understand the incidence of diabetes and influencing factors, the trend of FPG change and risk for mortality in HIV-infected individuals after antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture (Dehong). Methods: The HIV/AIDS treatment database was collected from China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in HIV-infected individuals with access to ART in Dehong during 2004-2020.The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the incidence density of diabetes, the influencing factors and risk for mortality in HIV-infected individuals with access to ART, mixed linear effects model was used to analyze the trend of FPG change and predict FPG in those with different glucose metabolic status at baseline survey. Statistical analysis was performed using software SAS 9.4. Results: A total of 8 763 HIV-infected individuals were included, in whom 8 432 (96.2%) had no diabetes, 331 had diabetes. The incidence density of diabetes was 2.31/1 000 person years. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that 30- 59 years old, BMI ≥24.0 kg/m 2 , Efavirenz (EFV) based initial treatment regimen and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) at baseline survey were significantly and positively associated with incidence of diabetes. Mixed effect model revealed that FPG was positively correlated with the duration of ART, age and baseline FPG. Suffering from diabetes was a risk factor for mortality in HIV-infected individuals both at baseline survey and during follow-up. Conclusions: The risk for diabetes increased in HIV-infected individuals who were 30-59 years old, baseline BMI ≥24.0 kg/m 2 , received EFV based initial treatment, and IFG in HIV-infected individuals after antiretroviral therapy in Dehong, 2004-2020. It is important to pay close attention to their blood glucose, and patients with high blood glucose should receive treatment as early as possible.

Objective: To investigate the genetic and genomic profiling of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) and factors affecting its survival rate. Methods: Clinical characteristics, cytogenetics, molecular biology results and survival status of children with 27 JMML cases admitted to the Hematology Department of Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics from December 2012 to December 2021 were analyzed retrospectively, and the outcomes of the children were followed up. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Univariate analysis was used for analyzing factors affecting the overall survival (OS) rates of patients who received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Log-Rank test was used for comparison of survival curves. Results: Among 27 JMML cases, there were 11 males and 16 females. The age of disease onset was 28 (11,52) months. There are 20 cases of normal karyotype, 4 cases of monosomy 7, 1 case of trisomy 8,1 case of 11q23 rearrangement and 1 case of complex karyotype. A total of 39 somatic mutations were detected.Those involved in RAS signal pathway were the highest (64%(25/39)), among which PTPN11 mutation was the most frequent (44% (11/25)). A total of 17 cases (63%) received HSCT, 8 cases (30%) did not receive HSCT, and 2 cases (7%) lost follow-up. For children receiving transplantation, the follow-up time after transplantation was 47 (11,57) months. The 1-year OS rate of high-risk transplantation group (17 cases) and high-risk non transplantation group (6 cases) was (88±8)% and (50±20)% respectively, with a statistically significant difference (χ 2 =5.01, P =0.025). The 5-year OS rate of the high-risk transplantation group was (75±11)%. The survival time of those who relapsed or progressed to acute myeloid leukemia after transplantation was significantly shorter than that of those who did not relapse (χ 2 =6.80, P =0.009). The OS rate of patients with or without PTPN11 mutation was (81±12) % and (67±19)% respectively (χ 2 =0.85, P =0.356). Conclusions: The main pathogenesis involved in JMML is gene mutation related to RAS signaling pathway, and the most common driver gene of mutation is PTPN11. Allogeneic HSCT can significantly improve the survival rate of high-risk JMML patients. The recurrence or progression after transplantation was related to poor prognosis.

Objective: To obtain HIV incidence among injection drug users (IDU) and female sex workers (FSW) in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province during 2009-2017. Methods: We recruited drug users and female sex workers from all sentinel surveillance sites across Dehong Prefecture during 2009-2017. A total of 10 480 IDU and 18 126 FSW in Dehong Prefecture were recruited by fingerprint technique. Data about drug uses, commercial sexual behavior, sociodemographic characteristics was collected by structured questionnaire. HIV-positive patients who were long-term infected or with CD4(+) T cell count was ≤200 were not included for further HIV incidence testing. Also, those who self-identified as on antiretroviral treatment (ART) or AIDS cases were also excluded. A total of 841 and 157 plasma specimens from IDU and FSW that met the inclusion criterion were finally included, respectively. Limiting antigen avidity enzyme immunoassay(LAg-Avidity EIA) were performed to calculate the HIV incidence among these two sub-populations. Results: A total of 3 444 IDU were HIV-positive, among which 884 (25.7%) were Burmese with age of (30.4±7.7), and 2 560 were Chinese with age of (36.6±7.3). Among 228 HIV-positive FSW, 109 (47.8%) were Burmese with age of (27.1±6.3), 119 (52.5%) were Chinese with age of (29.9±11.1). For IDU, the estimated HIV incidence among Burmese in 2009-2010, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2015-2017 was 4.20% (95 %CI : -0.55%-8.95%), 7.75% (95 %CI : 2.95%-12.55%), 11.79% (95 %CI : 5.38%-18.20%), 10.30% (95 %CI : 5.67%-14.94%), respectively, while Chinese were 3.11% (95 %CI : 1.59%-4.64%), 0.03% (95 %CI : -0.03%-0.08%), 1.55% (95 %CI : 0.54%-2.57%), 0.58% (95 %CI : -0.06%-1.04%), respectively. In 2009-2011, 2012-2014, 2015-2017, estimated HIV incidence among Burmese FSW was 0.22% (95 %CI : -0.21%-0.64%), 1.24%(95 %CI : 0.15%-2.32%), 0.55%(95 %CI : 0.01%-1.08%). Whereas, estimated HIV incidence among Chinese FSW was 0.62% (95 %CI : 0.25%-0.98%), 0.11% (95 %CI : -0.04%-0.26%), 0.22% (95 %CI : 0-0.44%). Conclusion: HIV incidences among Chinese IDU and FSW are on the downward trend, while Burmese IDU and FSW seem to be gaining momentum.

Objective: To understand the current status of receiving no methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and influencing factors in HIV infected injecting drug users (IDUs) in Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefectures, Yunnan province. Methods: Data of survival of IDUs with AIDS in Dehong were collected from " Chinese National Comprehensive HIV/AIDS and Care Information System" in December, 2014. Results: There were 987 IDUs who should receive MMT, the majority of them were males (94.6%, 934/987), aged 35-44 years (53.0%, 523/987) and farmers (77.2%, 762/987). Among the 987 IDUs, 60.2% (592/987) received no MMT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being female ( OR =2.66, 95 %CI : 1.21-5.87), in Jingpo ethnic group ( OR =3.05, 95 % CI : 1.97-4.71) were the major risk factors for receiving no MMT; not being farmers ( OR =0.46, 95 %CI : 0.31-0.70), in Dai ethnic group ( OR =0.53, 95 %CI : 0.36-0.79), diagnosed HIV infection history ≥10 years ( OR =0.60, 95 %CI : 0.45-0.81) were the major protective factors for receiving no MMT. The reasons for receiving no MMT included long distance journey (289 , 48.8%), fear of exposure (124, 20.9%), poor daily medication compliance (59, 10.0%), fear of side effects (47, 7.9%), others (73, 12.3%). Conclusions: The proportion of receiving no MMT in IDUs with AIDS in Dehong was high. Being female and farmer, in Jingpo ethnic group, low educational level, short diagnosed HIV infection history were influencing factors for receiving no MMT. The effective intervention measures should be taken to further improve MMT coverage according to the different characteristics of the patients.

Objective: To study the prevalence and correlates of unprotected sexual intercourse within HIV serodiscordant couples in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, in 2014. Methods: This study was based on the follow-up investigation of "the AIDS cohort of seronegative spouses of HIV-infected individuals in Dehong prefecture" in 2014. The 1 520 participants were HIV seronegative spouses from all five counties/cities of Dehong prefecture who voluntarily participated in the cohort. Inclusion criteria included: having a HIV-positive spouse; ≥16 years of age; having had sexual intercourse with spouse in the past year; and being a resident of Dehong prefecture. Information on HIV-positive spouses were also collected through the local AIDS epidemic database. Chi square analysis was performed to compare differences in the rates of unprotected sexual intercourse between participants with different characteristics and lifestyle choices. Multivariable logistic regression model analysis was performed to determine correlates with unprotected sexual intercourse. Results: The 1 520 participants had a mean age of 38.7±9.4, compared with 39.7±8.9 for their HIV-positive spouses. Among the HIV-positive spouses, 77.8% (1 183/1 520) had been infected for more than 3 years, and 87.6% (1 332/1 520) had received antiretroviral therapy. The prevalence of unprotected sexual intercourse within serodiscordant couples over the past 12 months was 16.1% (244/1 520). The prevalence of unprotected sexual intercourse correlated with the level of education of HIV-negative spouses (illiterate vs . middle school and above, OR= 1.58, P= 0.044), the number of years since diagnosis of HIV-positive spouses (short vs . long, OR= 1.6, P= 0.006), antiretroviral therapy of HIV-positive spouses (no vs . yes, OR= 2.78, P <0.001), the frequency of sexual intercourse per month (high vs . low, OR= 1.66, P= 0.019), and whether the couple had children (no vs . yes, OR= 1.72, P= 0.007). Conclusion: The prevalence of unprotected sexual intercourse within serodiscordant couples in Dehong prefecture was relatively high in 2014. Factors found to correlate with the occurrence of unprotected sexual intercourse within these couples included illiteracy of HIV-negative spouses, short time since diagnosis of HIV-positive spouses and lack of antiretroviral therapy, high frequency of sexual intercourse and no children.

Objective: To study the AIDS-related socio-demographic characteristics and high risk behaviors of Burmese HIV-infected individuals, in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province. Methods: A cross-sectional study with questionnaire interview, was conducted. Results: Features of the 489 HIV-infected individuals appearfed as: 367(75.1%) males, 407(83.2%) illiterate or with primary education, 371(75.9%) from Kachin State or Shan State, 306(62.6%) visited Dehong twice or more per year, 238(48.7%) entered Dehong illegally, 339(69.3%) came to the city looking for jobs or working on cargo transportation, 309(63.2%) of them living in working place/rented house/own house, and 313(64.0%) with the length of stay shorter than six months. Only 36(7.4%) of the interviewees were aware of their HIV sero-positive status, with 23.3% of them (113/485) reported having had unprotected sex experiences in Dehong. Results from the multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that HIV-infected individuals with the following characteristics: having spouses/regular sexual partners ( OR =12.98, 95 %CI : 6.53-25.83, P <0.001), living in working place ( OR =2.88, 95 % CI : 1.09-7.61, P =0.033), living in rented houses ( OR =5.36, 95 % CI : 1.94-14.84, P =0.001). Those living in their own houses ( OR =5.14, 95 % CI : 1.36-19.35, P =0.016) were more likely to engage in unprotected sex. 32.0% (156/487) of the interviewees clained that they ever used drugs in Dehong, with 9.7% (47/487) of them sharing syringe. Data also showed that HIV-infected individuals who had the following feartures as: being male ( OR =15.61, 95 % CI : 6.47-37.69, P <0.001), illiterate ( OR =2.89, 95 % CI : 1.44-5.84, P =0.003), coming from Kachin State ( OR =3.01, 95 % CI : 1.50-6.04, P =0.002) or Shan State ( OR =5.30, 95 % CI : 2.66-10.58, P <0.001), illegal visiters ( OR =1.93, 95 % CI : 1.18-3.14, P =0.009), living with friends/relatives ( OR =5.78, 95 % CI : 2.01-16.61, P =0.001), living in working place ( OR =6.67, 95 % CI : 3.06-14.53, P <0.001), or in rented houses ( OR =11.84, 95 % CI : 4.76-29.47, P <0.001). The ones who were living in their own houses ( OR =6.77, 95 %CI : 1.84-24.85, P =0.004) were more likely to engage in drug use in Dehong. Conclusion: Results from our study showed that the Burmese HIV-infected citizens in Dehong prefecture had the following characteristics: high mobility, low awareness of HIV positive status and high prevalence of AIDS-related risky behaviors. These findings called for greater efforts on HIV/AIDS prevention and management in Dehong city.

Objective: To investigate the incidence rates of HIV among injection drug users (IDU) in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Methods: We recruited 1 413 HIV-negative IDU attending drug rehabilitation centers and identified a further 1 830 potential participants from a historical database from 2004-2009 using the same criteria. Fingerprint recognition technology was used to confirm the identity of all participants. A total of 3 243 HIV-negative IDU were recruited by the end of 2015, of which 2 546 (78.5%) had been followed up at least once since the initial data collection and 697 (21.5%) were lost to follow-up. Epidemiological data were collected through structured face-to-face interviews which included items on knowledge of AIDS, drug use, sexual activity and history of HIV testing. We collected 3-5 ml of venous blood from each subject for HIV testing. The Chi-squared test was used to compare the characteristics of those IDUs successfully followed up and those lost to follow-up. Results: We identified 226 new HIV cases among the 2 546 respondents-representing 13 907.1 person-years of follow-up and implying an average HIV incidence rate of 1.6 per 100 person-years over the entire study period (95 %CI: 1.4-1.9). The incidence rate (per 100 person-years) was 2.6 (95 %CI : 2.2-3.1) for the period 2004-2009 and 1.6 (95 %CI : 1.0-2.3), 1.7 (95 %CI : 1.1-2.4), 1.2 (95 %CI : 0.8-1.9), 0.6 (95 %CI : 0.3-1.1), 0.2 (95 %CI :0.0-0.7), 0.5 (95 %CI : 0.1-1.4) for each year from 2010 to 2015 respectively. Conclusion: Although the incidence rate of HIV remains high among IDUs in Dehong, there was a declining trend over the period studied.

Objective: To analyze the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes among Chinese and Burmese drug users in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Methods: Plasma specimens and relevant epidemiological data were collected from 7 545 drug users attending rehabilitation centers and methadone clinics in Dehong Prefecture from January to September in 2015, of which 752 were positive for HCV antibodies. HCV RNA was then extracted from 139 random specimens (64 Burmese and 75 Chinese) and the CE1 and NS5B regions were amplified by nested PCR. The sequences of these HCV genes were aligned, a phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA 6.0.6 and the average genetic discrete rate of each subtype group was calculated. We used Fisher's exact test to compare distribution of HCV subtypes from different people, using analysis of variance to compare the discrete rates of different CE1 and NS5B subtypes. Results: While we successfully amplified RNA from 43 specimens provided by Burmese patients (67%), including 31 with CE1 region and 38 with NS5B region, 52 from Chinese patients (69%) were successfully amplified including 43 with CE1 region and 45 with NS5B region. We found that 3b and 6n were the predominant subtypes and were found in 27% ( n =14) and 37% ( n =19) of Chinese and 28% ( n =12) and 33%( n =14) of Burmese specimens. Subtypes 6u, 3a, 1a and 1b were present in 14%( n =7), 19%( n =10), 2% ( n =1) and 2%( n =1) of Chinese specimens and 16%( n =7), 5%( n =2), 16%( n =7) and 2%( n =1) of Burmese specimens respectively. While the prevalence of subtype 1a was higher among samples from Burmese patients than Chinese patients ( P= 0.015), the presence of subtype 3a was higher among the latter ( P= 0.031). The discrete rates of CE1 region subtypes 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 6n and 6u were 0.048±0.007, 0.091±0.013, 0.074± 0.008, 0.061 ± 0.006, 0.136 ± 0.009 and 0.031 ± 0.005 ( F= 516.26, P< 0.001). The discrete rates for NS5B region subtypes 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 6n and 6u, meanwhile, were 0.032±0.006, 0.065±0.012, 0.058±0.008, 0.041± 0.005, 0.059 ± 0.008, 0.045 ± 0.006 ( F= 45.11, P< 0.001). Conclusion: Six HCV subtypes were identified among drug users in Dehong Prefecture, of which 6n and 3b were predominant. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of subtypes 1a and 3b, which have been circulating for a long time in this population, between samples from Chinese and Burmese participants.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of HIV infection and its risk factors among Chinese and Burmese drug users living in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Methods: We obtained plasma specimens and gathered demographic data from 7 867 drug users with Chinese or Burmese nationality attending rehabilitation clinics in Dehong Prefecture from October 2014 to September 2015. Of these, 7 756 individuals who gave valid questionnaire responses, including 5 389 Chinese and 2 367 Burmese, were enrolled in the study after giving informed consent. We used the Chi-squared test to compare the demographic characteristics and HIV prevalence between the Chinese and Burmese drug users. Logistic regression was then used to identify risk factors for HIV infection. Results: The HIV infection rate of 7 756 subjects (aged (35.45 ± 10.91) years old) was 7.18%, in which Burmese with higher HIV infection rate (9.38%, 222/2 367) than Chinese (6.22%, 335/5 389) (χ 2 =24.21, P <0.001). In chinese drug users, OR (95% CI ) of HIV infection of those aged 25-34 years old, 35-44 years old and ≥45 years old were 2.88 (1.46-5.69), 5.72 (2.87-11.40) and 3.48 (1.66-7.27),compared with those aged below 25 years;Compared with married participants, OR (95% CI ) of those unmarried and divorced were 1.44 (1.08-1.93) and 1.56 (1.09-2.24); Jingpo drug users were 1.47 (1.07-2.04) times to get HIV infection,compared with Han ethnicity; OR (95% CI ) of HIV infection for IDUs was 11.48 (9.73-16.01) compared with NIDUs.In Burmese drug users, OR (95% CI ) of HIV infection for females was 0.50 (0.26-0.93) compared with men;Compared with those aged below 25 years,those aged 25-34,35-44 and ≥45 years had OR (95% CI ) of 1.82 (1.18-2.77), 2.90 (1.82-4.62) and 2.31 (1.24-4.30), respectively; OR (95% CI ) of Jingpo participants was 2.22 (1.44-3.41) compared with Han nationality; OR (95% CI ) of HIV infection for IDUs was 10.61 (7.68-14.64) compared with NIDUs. Conclusion: The HIV infection rate of Burmese drug users was higher than that of Chinese drug users. Measures of HIV prevention and control should be mainly allocated in those 25 years above, non-married, Jingpo ethnicity and IDU in Chinese drug users, while in Burmese drug users,those females, 25 years above, Jingpo ethnicity and IDU should be higlighted in HIV prevention and control.

Objective: An approach for analysis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) quasispecies using Hiseq high-throughput sequencing (hereinafter referred to as Hiseq sequencing) technique was developed and then applied to investigate a possible case of HCV needle sharing transmission., Methods: One case of HCV antibody seroconversion (P1) was found in a methadone clinic on January 15, 2015. Four HCV antibody positive injecting drug users (IDUs), P2 to P5, suspected to be involved in needle sharing transmission with P1 during the period (after March 24, 2014) that P1 may be infected with HCV were investigated, and another 28 HCV antibody positive IDUs were selected as controls (C1 to C28). These controls came from the same methadone clinic or lived in the same town with P1. The RNAs were extracted from the plasma specimens and then reverse-transcribed into cDNA. After HCV subtyping, Hiseq sequencing was performed to detect and sequence the HCV quasispecies (263 bp) in the specimens with the same subtype as P1. The frequency of quasispecies was counted and ranked. Intrapersonal and interpersonal genetic distance and phylogenetic tree were calculated., Results: The HCV subtype of specimen P1 was 3b. All the other specimens with the same subtype were P2, C7, C12, C14, C15, C16, C19, C20 and C28. Hiseq sequencing was successfully performed in 9 out of these 10 specimens, and 249 753 to 1 086 333 (average 869 608) cleaned sequences representing 3 to 172 (average 48) unique HCV quasispecies were obtained. The medians (P50) of intrapersonal genetic diversities from the 9 specimens were 0.4% to 12.3%. The P50 (P25, P75) of genetic diversities between P1 and the other 8 specimens were 19.0% (18.4%, 19.8%), 10.4% (2.8%, 18.3%), 19.6% (17.8%, 21.4%),24.9% (23.8%, 26.1%), 19.8% (18.7%, 20.7%), 20.1% (18.9%, 21.2%), 20.6% (20.0%, 21.1%), 23.6% (22.4%, 24.8%). There were no significant difference between the genetic diversities of P1 and P2 and those of P1 and other 7 specimens (H=9.40, P=0.100). The genetic diversities between few HCV quasispecies from P1 and few ones from C7 were 0. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that there was no HCV transmission relationship between P1 and P2, but there was HCV transmission relationship between P1 and C7., Conclusion: With the feature of high-throughput, easier operation and lower cost, Hiseq sequencing technique has high practical value in tracing HCV transmission at the quasispecies level.

Objective: To screen the nutritional risk in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), to explore the prevalence and characteristics of nutritional risk in CD patients, and to identify the possible risk factors., Method: A cross-sectional study was performed in 712 patients who was diagnosed as CD in the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease of First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2003 and January 2014. Montreal classification was used to classify CD, Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) was used to evaluate disease activity, and Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002) was used to assess the nutritional risk in each patient. Reappraisal with NRS 2002 was conducted in patients followed up for 1 year to identify the possible effect of treatment on nutritional risk of the CD patients., Results: The prevalence of nutritional risk was 65.2% (464/712) in the enrolled CD patients. The prevalence of nutritional risk was significantly different among patients with different disease activity (χ(2)=117.169, P<0.001), also significantly different among patients of different age at diagnosis (χ(2)=11.256, P=0.004), with different lesion location (χ(2)=18.841, P=0.001) and different disease behavior (χ(2)=15.793, P<0.001), but not significantly different in patients of different sex (χ(2)=0.601, P=0.245). Multivariate Logistic regression showed that the independent predictive risk factors for nutritional risk included abdominal tenderness (OR=1.895, 95%CI: 1.080-3.324); mild (OR=1.846, 95%CI: 1.179-2.890), moderate (OR=4.410, 95%CI: 2.701-7.200) and severe (OR=14.069, 95%CI: 1.718-115.192) disease activity; B2 (stricturing) (OR=1.620, 95%CI: 1.034-2.538) and B3 (penetrating) (OR=1.920, 95%CI: 1.025-3.596) types of disease behavior; and high level with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (OR=1.024, 95%CI: 1.015-1.034). On the other hand, >40 years at diagnosis (A3 type) (OR=0.332, 95%CI: 0.135-0.814) and high albumin level (OR=0.962, 95%CI: 0.934-0.990) were independent protective factors for nutritional risk. After 1-year follow-up, nutritional risk was eliminated in 32.0%(111/347)of the patients, and the rate was higher in patients received surgery than in those treated with medicine alone (42.9%(54/126)vs 25.8%(57/221), χ(2)=10.742, P=0.001)., Conclusions: Two thirds of CD patients may have nutritional risk at diagnosis, which may differ with disease activity and Montreal classification. Abdominal tenderness, disease activity, B2 and B3 types of disease behavior, and high ESR may be independent risk factors for nutritional risk, whereas A3 type of age at diagnosis and high albumin level may be independent protective factors.

Dark-grown transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings expressing the C-terminal domains (CCT) of the cryptochrome (CRY) blue light photoreceptors exhibit features that are normally associated only with light-grown seedlings, indicating that the signaling mechanism of Arabidopsis CRY is mediated through CCT. The phenotypic properties mediated by CCT are remarkably similar to those of the constitutive photomorphogenic1 (cop1) mutants. Here we show that Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) and its C-terminal domain (CCT1) interacted strongly with the COP1 protein. Coimmunoprecipitation studies showed that CRY1 was bound to COP1 in extracts from both dark- and light-grown Arabidopsis. An interaction also was observed between the C-terminal domain of Arabidopsis phytochrome B and COP1, suggesting that phytochrome signaling also proceeds, at least in part, through direct interaction with COP1. These findings give new insight into the initial step in light signaling in Arabidopsis, providing a molecular link between the blue light receptor, CRY1, and COP1, a negative regulator of photomorphogenesis.

Most organisms, from cyanobacteria to mammals, use circadian clocks to coordinate their activities with the natural 24-h light/dark cycle. The clock proteins of Drosophila and mammals exhibit striking homology but do not show similarity with clock proteins found so far from either cyanobacteria or Neurospora. Each of these organisms uses a transcriptionally regulated negative feedback loop in which the messenger RNA levels of the clock components cycle over a 24-h period. Proteins containing PAS domains are invariably found in at least one component of the characterized eukaryotic clocks. Here we describe ADAGIO1 (ADO1), a gene of Arabidopsis thaliana that encodes a protein containing a PAS domain. We found that a loss-of-function ado1 mutant is altered in both gene expression and cotyledon movement in circadian rhythmicity. Under constant white or blue light, the ado1 mutant exhibits a longer period than that of wild-type Arabidopsis seedlings, whereas under red light cotyledon movement and stem elongation are arrhythmic. Both yeast two-hybrid and in vitro binding studies show that there is a physical interaction between ADO1 and the photoreceptors CRY1 and phyB. We propose that ADO1 is an important component of the Arabidopsis circadian system.

Cryptochrome blue light photoreceptors share sequence similarity to photolyases, flavoproteins that mediate light-dependent DNA repair. However, cryptochromes lack photolyase activity and are characterized by distinguishing C-terminal domains. Here we show that the signaling mechanism of Arabidopsis cryptochrome is mediated through the C terminus. On fusion with beta-glucuronidase (GUS), both the Arabidopsis CRY1 C-terminal domain (CCT1) and the CRY2 C-terminal domain (CCT2) mediate a constitutive light response. This constitutive photomorphogenic (COP) phenotype was not observed for mutants of cct1 corresponding to previously described cry1 alleles. We propose that the C-terminal domain of Arabidopsis cryptochrome is maintained in an inactive state in the dark. Irradiation with blue light relieves this repression, presumably through an intra- or intermolecular redox reaction mediated through the flavin bound to the N-terminal photolyase-like domain.

Using two Chinese strains ofTetrahymena pyriformis, S1 and BJ4, as the biological models, the effects of lighter rare earths (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, and europium), representatives of heavier rare earths (yttrium and thulium), and mixed rare earths were studied. The stimulation of population growth ofTetrahymena in peptone-glucose media containing trace amounts of these elements have been observed. The mechanisms for the beneficial effects of rare earth elements in low concentrations remains to be discovered.