Search

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a formidable challenge due to high recurrence rates and limited efficacy of conventional treatments. Immunotherapy holds potential, but its effectiveness is often restricted by low patient responsiveness. This study presents a novel therapeutic strategy using GSH/pH-responsive copper-based cascade nanocomplexes to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) in OSCC. The fabricated nanocomplex, PC@B-H, leverages the acidic and reducing tumor microenvironment to release copper ions and plumbagin, triggering a cascade of cell death mechanisms including cuproptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis. This multifunctional system not only enhances oxidative stress but also depletes glutathione, promotes lipid peroxidation, and disrupts mitochondrial function, leading to robust tumor inhibition. Additionally, the induction of ICD facilitates dendritic cell maturation and cytotoxic T lymphocyte infiltration, providing durable anti-tumor immunity. The study demonstrates that PC@B-H achieves a 92.3 % tumor growth inhibition rate with minimal systemic toxicity, offering a promising avenue for enhancing the efficacy of OSCC treatment through combined cell death pathways and immune activation.

The low hydrostatic pressure in the intervertebral disc plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of the disc environment, particularly in supporting the physiological functions of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs). However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. TRPV4, a baroreceptor in the intervertebral disc, is primarily responsible for converting extracellular pressure signals into intracellular chemical signals. Upon activation, TRPV4 facilitates the influx of calcium ions, thereby regulating the physiological behavior of NP cells. Calreticulin (CRT), an endoplasmic reticulum retention protein, performs various physiological functions, including the regulation of intracellular calcium levels. CRT also exhibits distinct roles depending on its subcellular localization. In this study, we observed that under low hydrostatic pressure, TRPV4 activation and subsequent calcium influx led to an increase in CRT synthesis and a significant rise in its cytosolic expression. This was followed by the depolymerization of focal adhesion (FA) complexes, primarily consisting of FAK and integrin β1, which resulted in an increase in collagen type II (Col II) and a decrease in collagen type I (Col I). These changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) composition helped maintain the physiological function of NP cells. Furthermore, overexpression of CRT enhanced the ability of NP cells to resist partial functional damage caused by high hydrostatic pressure. Taken together, our findings suggested that low hydrostatic pressure enhanced NP cell function by regulating the TRPV4/CRT/FA complex signaling axis.

BackgroundBrain structure changes after long-term adaptation to the high-altitude environment; however, related studies are few, results are in consistent, and long-term effects on cognitive function and pathophysiological mechanisms are unclear. Therefore, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to investigate the damage to white matter fiber tracts and correlations between brain structural abnormalities and cognitive function.MethodsForty healthy Han people living on the high-altitude and 40 healthy Han people living on the plains were enrolled in this study and underwent magnetic resonance imaging, emotional state assessment, and cognitive function tests. The sex, age, education level, and social status of the two groups were not different. The tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) method was used to analyze the DTI parameters of the white matter fiber tracts of the two groups. Moreover, the partial correlation method (age and sex as covariates) was used to analyze the correlations between the intergroup differences in the DTI parameters and a series of clinical indicators of emotional state and cognitive function. Two-sample t tests, Mann-Whitney U test, generalized linear model, or chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis.ResultsCompared with those individuals in the plain group, the scores on the PSQI, SDS, SAS, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 of individuals in the high-altitude group were higher, while the scores on the DST-Backwards, MoCA, and MMSE in the high-altitude group were lower. The fractional anisotropy (FA) value of the body of the corpus callosum in the high-altitude group was lower than that in the plain group. The FA value of the body of the corpus callosum in the plain group was negatively correlated with the Logical Memory, while no significant correlation was found in the high-altitude group.ConclusionThis study revealed that long-term exposure to a high-altitude environment could lead to a series of changes in sleep, emotion, and cognitive function and irreversible damage to the white matter microstructure of the body of the corpus callosum, which is the related brain region responsible for logical memory. The absence of logical memory impairment in the healthy Han Chinese population living on the high-altitude in this study may be due to the existence of adaptive compensation after long-term high-altitude exposure.

As railway freight technology advances towards heavy-load, high-speed capabilities, the design of liquid tank products is evolving to prioritize high load capacity, lightweight, high-strength materials, low structural rigidity, and thin-walled construction. These changes result in pronounced nonlinear low-frequency vibrations during rail operation. Addressing these complex liquid-solid coupled vibrations requires accurate dynamic modeling of the structural system. This paper introduces a novel dynamic modeling method for liquid tank products based on acousto-elastic coupling. This approach considers the swaying of the free liquid surface and liquid-solid interactions, enabling precise characterization of these dynamics in a unified model. Specifically, it tackles the challenge of uneven node swaying forces caused by non-uniform liquid surface meshing, presenting a technique and program to adjust swaying recovery forces based on nodes’ actual coverage area. This method’s liquid sway frequency calculations showed a 10% precision increase over traditional methods, more accurately reflecting liquid vibration states. The paper applies these techniques to a single tank container and an LNG tank container on a flatbed trailer. Through theoretical, simulation, and experimental comparisons, the model’s accuracy and reasonableness were validated. This low-dimensionality, high-precision dynamic model is universally applicable, especially valuable in modeling complex engineering structures.

To explore the effect of interchange spacing on drivers' visual characteristics in the merging areas of interchange, a high-density group of five interchanges on the expressway of Chongqing, China, was selected as the test site. An naturalistic driving test was conducted with 47 participants, and the Tobii Glasses II portable eye tracker was used to collect gaze data during driving. The drivers' fixation field was divided into six areas by applying a K-means dynamic clustering algorithm combined with the actual scenario. Markov chains were used to calculate the drivers' gaze transition probability matrices under different driving conditions, and the analysis of gaze transition behaviors was directed at common spacing interchanges, small spacing interchanges, and composite interchanges. Under the ramp-mainline condition, drivers’ fixations were primarily concentrated on the near ahead and the left side areas, with higher rates of repeated fixations on the left rearview mirror and left-side line areas. The average value of fixation duration, saccade distance, and saccade speed of small spacing interchange is higher than common spacing interchange. Additionally, under the mainline condition, the probability of one-step transition and repeated fixation rates significantly increased for the right-side lane areas, and the average values of fixation index and saccade index of small spacing interchange are lower than those of common spacing interchange. The results show that the highest probabilities of repeated fixation by drivers occurred in the near ahead and far ahead areas in the interchange merging areas. Insufficient spacing resulted in more frequent occurrences of zero values in one-step transition probability matrices. The research conclusions provide theoretical support for the optimal design and safe operation of the merging area of high-density interchange group of urban expressway.

In order to describe the local cyclic behavior of welds during low cycle fatigue of welded structures, so as to effectively assess the low cycle fatigue of structures, a structural strain numerical method is proposed. Based on the plate and shell theory and elastic-plastic theory, the numerical method of equivalent structural strain parameter is derived, and the UMAT subroutine of ABAQUS software is used to solve the structural strain parameters directly. The fatigue life of the welded specimens of different materials was evaluated, and the predicted life was basically the same as the test life, among which the maximum error of the predicted life of structural steel was 12%, the maximum error of the predicted life of aluminum alloy was 15.7%, and the maximum error of the predicted life of titanium alloy was 7.3%. The fatigue data of different materials were analyzed by using the master E-N curve, and the results showed that all the evaluated fatigue data were distributed in the same narrow band of the master E-N curve, which proved the effectiveness of the equivalent structural strain range for the evaluation of low cycle fatigue of welded specimens.

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and graphene nanosheets (GNs) are introduced to obtain nano-sized TiC particles in a novel additive manufactured Ni-Co-based superalloy. The double strengthening effects of reaction-induced TiC and remaining CNFs/GNs are conceptualized in the present paper. The CNFs and GNs act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for the formation of uniformly distributed TiC nanoparticles, which inhibits the crack and homogenize the microstructure. Interestingly, the existence of remaining GNs/CNFs is revealed via 3D atom-by-atom tomographic reconstruction technology for the first time. This unique combination of nanoparticles and residual CNFs/GNs nanofillers has great potential to develop superalloys with excellent properties.

Abstract Background The larval zebrafish tail fin can completely regenerate in 3 days post amputation. mTOR, the main regulator of cell growth and metabolism, plays an essential role in regeneration. Lots of studies have documented the role of mTOR in regeneration. However, the mechanisms involved are still not fully elucidated. Materials and results This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of mTOR in the regeneration of larval zebrafish tail fins. Initially, the spatial and temporal expression of mTOR signaling in the larval fin was examined, revealing its activation following tail fin amputation. Subsequently, a mTOR knockout (mTOR-KO) zebrafish line was created using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. The investigation demonstrated that mTOR depletion diminished the proliferative capacity of epithelial and mesenchymal cells during fin regeneration, with no discernible impact on cell apoptosis. Insight from SMART-seq analysis uncovered alterations in the cell cycle, mitochondrial functions and metabolic pathways when mTOR signaling was suppressed during fin regeneration. Furthermore, mTOR was confirmed to enhance mitochondrial functions and Ca2 + activation following fin amputation. These findings suggest a potential role for mTOR in promoting mitochondrial fission to facilitate tail fin regeneration. Conclusion In summary, our results demonstrated that mTOR played a key role in larval zebrafish tail fin regeneration, via promoting mitochondrial fission and proliferation of blastema cells.

During deep geothermal resource development, the estimation of drilling efficiency and tool wear in extremely hard rocks relies primarily on CAI testing. However, the degradation of rocks caused by high-temperature water cooling conditions leads to unpredictable changes in CAI. To address this issue, this study conducted P-wave velocity, hardness, thermal conductivity testing, BTS experiments, CAI testing, and NMR testing on granite samples subjected to water cooling at different temperatures (25–600 °C). The study analyzed the degradation mechanisms of granites under high temperature-water cooling conditions, the relationship between various parameters and the CAI index, and established a dual-parameter fitting model. The results indicate that the degradation of rocks under hightemperature-water cooling conditions is primarily attributed to mineral thermal reactions, thermal expansion effects at high temperatures, and rapid cooling-induced thermal contraction effects. Once the degradation effects exceed the skeleton constraint limit, macroscopic cracks gradually form within the granite. The formation of macroscopic cracks has a mitigating effect on abrasivity. The research findings on the correlation between CAI and various parameters can provide important theoretical support for the application of high-temperature rock breaking engineering.

Frailty is associated with an increased risk for negative health outcomes in older populations, and being able to predict frailty could facilitate prevention measures. By performing an epigenome-wide screen, the authors derived a DNA methylation based measure for frailty which can predict both prevalence and longer-term incidence of frailty.

Abstract Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) presents cartilage damage in addition to chronic inflammation. However, self-recovery of damaged cartilage in an inflammatory environment is not possible. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the bone marrow are a source of regenerative repair of damaged cartilage. To date, whether intra-luminal administration of the bone marrow can delay the progression of OA is still unknown. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the role of intra-bone marrow injection of Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG) in delaying the OA progression and to investigate the underlying mechanism. Methods Rabbit OA models were established using the anterior cruciate ligament transection method while a catheter was implanted into the bone marrow cavity. 1 week after surgery, MgIG treatment was started once a week for 4 weeks. The cartilage degradation was analyzed using hematoxylin–eosin staining, Masson’s trichrome staining and Alcian blue staining. Additionally, the pro-inflammatory factors and cartilage regeneration genes involved in the cartilage degeneration and the underlying mechanisms in OA were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. Results The results of histological staining revealed that intra-bone marrow injection of MgIG reduced degeneration and erosion of articular cartilage, substantially reducing the Osteoarthritis Research Society International scores. Furthermore, the productions of inflammatory cytokines in the bone marrow cavity and articular cavity such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were inhibited upon the treatment of MgIG. At the same time, the expression of alkaline phosphate, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRAP-5b) and C-telopeptides of type II collagen (CTX-II) in the blood also decreased and was positively correlated. On the contrary, cartilage-related genes in the bone marrow cavity such as type II collagen (Col II), Aggrecan (AGN), and SRY-box 9 (SOX9) were up-regulated, while matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) was down-regulated. Mechanistically, MgIG was found to exert an anti-inflammatory effect and impart protection to the cartilage by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. Conclusion Intra-bone marrow injection of MgIG might inhibit the activation of the NF-κB pathway in the progression of OA to exert an anti-inflammatory effect in the bone marrow cavity and articular cavity, thereby promoting cartilage regeneration of MSCs in the bone marrow, making it a potential new therapeutic intervention for the treatment of OA.

The tensile properties of laser directed energy deposited (LDEDed) titanium (Ti) alloys are usually characterized by high strength and low ductility, which seriously limits their wide application prospects. In this study, a novel Ti6Al4V4Ta alloy is prepared using LDED technique and achieved excellent strength (UTS ∼ 990 MPa) and ductility (elongation ∼ 16%) through solution treatment at 930 °C and aging at 550 °C. The high strength is mainly attributed to the ultrafine micron-scale α _s while the good ductility results from equiaxed α _p , the increased β phase and weakened α -variant selection. The combination of appropriate elemental alloying and heat treatments could provide some guidance for LDED Ti alloys of good mechanical performance with potentials for wider applications.

With the rapid development of space programs in various countries, the number of satellites in space is rising continuously, which makes the space environment increasingly complex. In this context, it is essential to improve space object identification technology. Herein, it is proposed to perform intelligent detection of space objects by means of deep learning. To be specific, 49 authentic 3D satellite models with 16 scenarios involved are applied to generate a dataset comprising 17,942 images, including over 500 actual satellite Palatino images. Then, the five components are labeled for each satellite. Additionally, a substantial amount of annotated data is collected through semi-automatic labeling, which reduces the labor cost significantly. Finally, a total of 39,000 labels are obtained. On this dataset, RepPoint is employed to replace the 3 × 3 convolution of the ElAN backbone in YOLOv7, which leads to YOLOv7-R. According to the experimental results, the accuracy reaches 0.983 at a maximum. Compared to other algorithms, the precision of the proposed method is at least 1.9% higher. This provides an effective solution to intelligent recognition for spatial target components.

Abstract Objective The patellar inferior pole fracture is typically comminuted. Hence, achieving firm fixation and early activity is highly challenging. In this article, we employed the method of wire cerclage through a generated bone hole to reduce the fracture. Our objective was to compare the clinical efficacy of patellar concentrator alone with a combination of cerclage and patellar concentrator in the treatment of patellar inferior pole fracture. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of patients with patellar inferior pole fractures, who underwent patellar concentrator fixation only (the control group) or cerclage combined with patellar concentrator fixation (the experimental group), performed by a single surgeon, between July 2015 and October 2019. Our analysis included surgical indexes like7 aspects (fracture gap after operation, operation time, intra-operative blood loss, intra-operative number of C-arm fluoroscopies conducted, Insall–Salvati ratio calculated immediately after operation, initial range of motion on the 7th day after operation, and fracture healing time), as well as the Bostman score and complications recorded on 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow up post operation. Results A total of 94 patients with patellar inferior pole fracture and a minimum 1-year follow up were recruited. Following operation, the control group had 33 (71.74%) patients with a fracture gap of 0–2 mm and 13 (28.26%) patients with a fracture gap greater than 2 mm (P = 0.002). Conversely, the experimental group had 46 (95.83%) patients with a fracture gap of 0–2 mm and 2 (4.17%) patients with a fracture gap greater than 2 mm (P = 0.002). Compared to the control group, the experimental group did not experience enhanced operation time or intra-operative blood loss (P = 0.811, P = 0.823). The Insall–Salvati ratio and initial range of motion in the experimental group were larger than the control group (P = 0.037, P = 0.000). Alternately, the number of intra-operative C-arm fluoroscopies conducted and fracture healing time of the experimental group were considerably less than the control group (P = 0.003, P = 0.000). Moreover, at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow ups after operation, the Bostman scores of the experimental group were remarkably higher than the control group (P

Objective: Corticosteroid injection is a common treatment for primary frozen shoulder, but controversy remains regarding whether different injection approaches to the glenohumeral joint have similar clinical benefits. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients: A total of 60 patients with primary frozen shoulder were divided randomly into either anterior or posterior approach groups. Methods: Both groups received a 5-mL drug injection, including 1 mL 40 mg/mL triamcinolone acetonide and 4 mL 2% lidocaine. Follow-up time-points were 4, 8 and 12 weeks post-injection. Outcome measures included visual analogue scale score, Constant-Murley score, and passive range of motion of the shoulder joint. Results: All outcome measures improved over the follow-up period compared with those of previous follow-up time-points within the groups. The primary finding was that the visual analogue scale score in the anterior group was better than that in the posterior group at each follow-up time-point (all p < 0.05). In addition, improvement in function score and external rotation was faster and significant in the anterior group in the early stages (p = 0.02). Conclusion: The anterior approach achieves more satisfactory results in pain control and offers better recovery of functional activity than posterior approach in the early period for primary frozen shoulder. LAY ABSTRACT Although many studies have been published in recent years on corticosteroid injection in the glenohumeral joint for primary frozen shoulder, the injection approaches described by current reports are not consistent and not described in detail, which is not conducive for their use to be repeated by clinicians. Meanwhile, controversy remains regarding whether different approaches have similar clinical outcomes. This study used a modified anterior approach based on anatomical landmarks, taking the acromioclavicular joint as a reference, to accurately and quickly complete the injection process. The study showed that the anterior approach could reduce pain severity more significantly than the regular posterior approach, and this advantage can be maintained for 3 months. Meanwhile, the function score of the anterior approach could recover to the maximum more quickly. In addition, recovery of external rotation in the anterior approach was faster and greater that for the posterior approach.

Abstract Background Although recent molecular analyses have improved our knowledge regarding gastric cancer (GC) biology, the molecular mechanisms that confer metastatic potential to GC remain poorly understood. In this study, we intend to explore the function and characterize the underlying mechanism of long noncoding RNA RNF144A-AS1 in GC metastasis and outgrowth. Methods The expression of RNF144A-AS1, miR-30c-2-3p, and Lysyl oxidase (LOX) was detected by quantitative real-time PCR assay. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and subcellular fractionation assay determined the cellular localization of RNF144A-AS1. Cell counting kit 8 assay, transwell assay, and tube formation assay were performed to detect the effect on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, respectively. Animal models were also applied to verify the effect on tumor metastasis, outgrowth, and angiogenesis. Bioinformatic analysis, luciferase reporter assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay explored the interactions among RNF144A-AS1, miR-30c-2-3p, and LOX. Gene regulation was further validated by knockdown of Dicer or mutating the miRNA binding sites on RNF144A-AS1 and LOX 3ʹUTR. Cells were treated with recombinant human TGF-β1 (Transforming Growth Factor β1) to explore the effect of TGF-β1 on RNF144A-AS1. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect protein expression. Results The expression of RNF144A-AS1 was significantly upregulated in GC tissues and was associated with poor prognosis and later-stage diseases. Hypoxia stimulated the expression of RNF144A-AS1 in a HIF-1α-independent manner. Additionally, RNF144A-AS1 was also induced by TGF-β1. Loss and gain of function assays revealed that RNF144A-AS1 promoted tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, and proliferation. Mechanism exploration indicated RNF144A-AS1 served as a microRNA decoy of miR-30c-2-3p to release LOX. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis further suggested LOX and RNF144A-AS1 were enriched in the same gene sets, emphasizing the internal mechanism connection between these two genes. Conclusions TGF-β1- and hypoxia-inducible RNF144A-AS1 promoted tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, and proliferation through targeting the miR-30c-2-3p/LOX axis in GC, highlighting the value of the RNF144A-AS1/miR-30c-2-3p/LOX axis in therapeutic interventions of GC.

Summary: Background: Frailty indices (FIs), defined by accumulation of health deficits, have been shown to be strongly related to mortality in older adults. However, previous studies mostly relied on FI measurement at a single point of time. We aimed to investigate the association of frailty with mortality according to longitudinal repeated measurements of FI in a large population-based cohort study in Germany. Methods: Among 9912 men and women aged 50–75 years living in Saarland, Germany and recruited in the ESTHER study in 2000–2002, a FI based on 30 deficits was determined at baseline, 2-, 5-, 8-, and 11-year follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated to assess the associations of FI with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality during 14 years of follow-up using Cox proportional hazards models that included FI as a time-varying covariate. Findings: During the 14-year follow-up, a total of 2483 deaths were observed, of which 859 and 863 were due to cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), respectively. The time-varying FI showed consistently strong associations with mortality throughout 14 years of follow-up, with HRs (95% confidence intervals) for frail (FI≥ 0·35) versus non-frail (FI≤ 0·11) participants of 4·72 (4.05–5.51), 2·55 (1·95–3·34) and 7·52 (5·69–9·94) for all-cause, cancer, and CVD mortality, respectively. Gradually decreasing associations with increasing length of follow-up would have been obtained by using baseline FI only. Interpretation: Longitudinal repeated measures of FI show strong, consistent associations with mortality, especially CVD mortality, throughout extended periods of follow-up among community-dwelling older adults. Funding: The ESTHER study was funded by grants from the Baden-Württemberg state Ministry of Science, Research and Arts (Stuttgart, Germany), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Berlin, Germany), the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Berlin, Germany), and the Saarland State Ministry of Health, Social Affairs, Women and the Family (Saarbrücken, Germany).

The hippocampus is highly plastic and vulnerable to hypoxia. However, it is unknown whether and how it adapts to chronic hypobaric hypoxia in humans. With a unique sample of Tibetans and acclimatized Han Chinese individuals residing on the Tibetan plateau, we aimed to build a neuroanatomic profile of the altitude-adapted hippocampus by measuring the volumetric differences in the whole hippocampus and its subfields. High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed in healthy Tibetans (TH, n = 72) and healthy Han Chinese individuals living at an altitude of more than 3,500 m (HH, n = 27). In addition, healthy Han Chinese individuals living on a plain (HP, n = 72) were recruited as a sea-level reference group. Whereas the total hippocampal volume did not show a significant difference across groups when corrected for age, sex, and total intracranial volume, subfield-level differences within the hippocampus were found. Post hoc analyses revealed that Tibetans had larger core hippocampal subfields (bilateral CA3, right CA4, right dentate gyrus); a larger right hippocampus–amygdala transition area; and smaller bilateral presubiculum, right subiculum, and bilateral fimbria, than Han Chinese subjects (HH and/or HP). The hippocampus and all its subfields were found to be slightly and non-significantly smaller in HH subjects than in HP subjects. As a primary explorational study, our data suggested that while the overall hippocampal volume did not change, the core hippocampus of Tibetans may have an effect of adaptation to chronic hypobaric hypoxia. However, this adaptation may have required generations rather than mere decades to accumulate in the population.

Understanding the water quality and its influencing factors of different water bodies is essential for managing water resources in closed inland lake basins in semi-arid regions. However, generally, groundwater or surface water is assessed separately, and the differences among different water bodies are neglected. This study assessed the water quality and its influencing factors of different water bodies in the Daihai Lake Basin (a closed inland lake basin in a semi-arid region) by analysing the hydrochemical data of groundwater, and spring, river, and lake waters in the dry and wet seasons. The dominant hydrochemical type of groundwater (81.48%), spring water (80%), and river water (83.33%) was HCO3–Ca•Mg, while that of lake water was Cl-Na (100%). Groundwater, spring water, and river water were suitable for drinking and agricultural irrigation; however, the groundwater quality was worse in the wet season than in the dry season. Na+ and Cl– majorly affected the lake water quality. The mean NO3– concentration in groundwater was 28.39 mg/L, and its non-carcinogenic hazard quotient indicated that high risk areas were mainly distributed in Tiancheng and northern Maihutu. The hydrochemical compositions of groundwater, spring water, and river water were mainly influenced by rock (silicate and carbonate) weathering and cation exchange, and agricultural activities were the main sources of groundwater NO3–. Moreover, the lake hydrochemical composition was mainly affected by evaporation and halite dissolution. Thus, groundwater NO3– pollution and lake water salinisation should be prioritised. These findings provide a more thorough understanding of water quality and its influencing factors in the closed inland lake basin in the semi-arid region, and can be used to develop the protection of ecosystems and water resources management strategies in the Daihai Lake Basin.

In this paper, the discrepancy between the calculated and actual fatigue life distribution trend of the axles of railway vehicle structures is corrected. The calculations were made using the traditional fixed-axle model in which the wheelset rotation is neglected in random vibration analysis. A correction method is proposed, which is based on the original methods of fatigue life analysis of the axle structure of railway vehicles (i.e. the pseudo-excitation method and finite element model) and according to the characteristics of the symmetrical axle structure and the actual rotational operation state of the railway vehicle wheelset. Taking a locomotive system as an example, the minimum fatigue life calculated by the fixed-axle model is only 0.81 million km. In contrast, the minimum fatigue life calculated by the proposed method is 5.85 million km, which is consistent with the actual fatigue life of the axle. The position of the minimum fatigue life is also consistent with the actual position. The reliability of the proposed method for calculating the random fatigue life of the axle structure is illustrated. The influence and contribution of the prestress generated by axle press-fitting and vehicle serving weight of the railway vehicle acting on the axle on the axle fatigue life were studied. The results show that the prestress has a different influence on the fatigue life reduction of the wheelset. The minimum fatigue life reduction can reach 16.68% when all the prestresses are considered. Therefore, the influence of prestress should be considered in the design of railway vehicle axle structures. The idea of considering prestress should be proposed when revising axle standards.

Abstract The weakly supervised methods for salient object detection are attractive, since they greatly release the burden of annotating time‐consuming pixel‐wise masks. However, the image‐level annotations utilized by current weakly supervised salient object detection models are too weak to provide sufficient supervision for this dense prediction task. To this end, a weakly supervised salient object detection method is proposed via double object proposals guidance, which is generated under the supervision of double bounding boxes annotations. With the double object proposals, the authors' method is capable of capturing both accurate but incomplete salient foreground and background information, which contributes to generating saliency maps with uniformly highlighted saliency regions and effectively suppressed background. In addition, an unsupervised salient object segmentation method is proposed, taking advantage of the non‐parametric statistical active contour model (NSACM), for segmenting salient objects with complete and compact boundaries. Experiments on five benchmark datasets show that the authors' weakly supervised salient object detection approach consistently outperforms other weakly supervised and unsupervised methods by a considerable margin, and even has comparable performance to the fully supervised ones.

Abstract Background The incidence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is high, but there is still a lack of intra-operative preventive measures. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different irrigating solutions continuous irrigation on intra-articular inflammation and cartilage degeneration. Methods 66 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into normal (N) group, no treatment (NT) group, sodium chloride (NaCl) group, magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) group, and calcium chloride (CaCl2) group. The right knee joint of the experimental group was utilized to construct the model of PTOA, and the left side was utilized as the normal control group. At different time points postoperatively, the blood concentration of hemoglobin and Mg2 + , the synovial fluid concentration of IL-1 β, TNF-α, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRAP-5b), and Type II Collagen, the gene expression of IL-1 β and MMP-3, and the protein expression of TRPV5 and CaM were detected. Pearson′s linear correlation was employed to identify the possible relationship between the expression of TRAP-5b and the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and Type II collagen. The hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE), Masson’s trichrome staining, and Alcian blue staining were performed at postoperative 35 days. Osteoarthritis Scoring (OA score) comprised categories including Alcian blue staining, cartilage histology, the cellular density of cartilage, degree of cell disintegration, and formation of chondrocyte cluster were blindly scored by trained researchers at postoperative 35 days. Results There was no statistical difference (P > 0.05) in the hemoglobin concentration between different groups. The concentration of serum Mg2+ in the MgSO4 group was higher than that of the other three groups (P

Summary: Background: Previous studies have shown that three DNA methylation (DNAm) based algorithms of aging, DNAm PhenoAge acceleration (AgeAccelPheno), DNAm GrimAge acceleration (AgeAccelGrim), and mortality risk score (MRscore), to be strong predictors of mortality and aging related outcomes. We aimed to investigate if and to what extent these algorithms predict cancer. Methods: In four subsets (n = 727, 1003, 910, and 412) of a population-based cohort from Germany, DNA methylation in whole blood was measured using the Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip kit or the Infinium HumanMethylation450K BeadChip Assay (Illumina.Inc, San Diego, CA, USA). AgeAccelPheno, AgeAccelGrim, and a revised MRscore based on 8 CpGs only (MRscore-8CpGs), were calculated. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated to assess associations of the three DNAm algorithms with total cancer risk and risk of invasive breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer incidence. Findings: During 17 years of follow-up, a total of 697 malignant tumors (thereof breast cancer = 75, lung cancer = 146, prostate cancer = 114, colorectal cancer = 155) were observed. All three algorithms showed strong positive associations with lung cancer risk in a dose response manner, with adjusted HRs per SD increase in AgeAccelPheno, AgeAccelGrim, and MRscore-8CpGs, of 1·37 (1·03-1·82), 1·74 (1·11-2·73), and 2·06 (1·39-3·06), respectively. By contrast, strong inverse associations were seen with breast cancer risk [adjusted HRs 0·65 (0·49-0·86), 0·45 (0·25-0·80), and 0·42 (0·25-0·70), respectively]. Weak positive associations of MRscore-8CpGs were seen with total cancer risk. Interpretation: The DNAm algorithms, particularly the MRscore-8CpGs, have potential to contribute to site-specific cancer risk prediction. Funding: The ESTHER study was funded by grants from the Baden-Württemberg state Ministry of Science, Research and Arts (Stuttgart, Germany), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Berlin, Germany), the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Berlin, Germany), and the Saarland State Ministry of Health, Social Affairs, Women and the Family (Saarbrücken, Germany). The work of Xiangwei Li was supported by a grant from Fondazione Cariplo (Bando Ricerca Malattie invecchiamento, #2017-0653).

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) are key components of the global wetland soil carbon pool, which plays a crucial role in carbon cycling. However, research on carbon storage in riparian wetland soils, especially in inland steppe river environments impacted by human activities, is relatively scarce. Thus, we evaluated the SOC and SIC distributions and storage in riparian wetland soils under the pressure of human activities in the Xilin River Basin (XRB). We collected surface and profile soil samples, determined the SOC and SIC contents, aboveground biomass, and soil physicochemical properties, and calculated the SOC and SIC storage (SOCs and SICs) values. The surface soil SOC content decreased substantially from the upstream to the downstream zones (mean value range: 76.30–3.18 g/kg), and the SIC content showed the opposite trend (mean value range: 0.08–34.38 g/kg). The SIC content of the riparian wetlands along the permanently flowing stretch of river was much lower than that in the wetlands along the intermittently flowing stretch. In the XRB, the SOCs was primarily affected by vegetation coverage, soil water content, and soil pH, whereas the SICs was greatly affected by soil texture. A dry lake zone was markedly affected by wetland degradation, indicating a potential increase in the decomposition rate of the surface soil SOC; however, the SOC in the deep soils was relatively stable. The high SIC content most likely resulted from weathering, resuspension, and carbonate rock reprecipitation. Compared to different steppe grassland types, riparian wetlands appear to be potential hotspots of SOCs and SICs in the Inner Mongolian region. Riparian wetland SOCs in the upstream zones was substantially greater than in adjacent terrestrial locations. However, the SOCs in the downstream wetlands was similar to that in the grasslands. Under the impact of human activities, the water and soil environments in the downstream zone of the Xilin River were substantially modified, leading to severe wetland degradation, which most likely caused the carbon storage function of the riparian wetlands to weaken and carbon loss to accelerate. The mean SOCs in the riparian wetland soils decreased from 33.3 kg/m2 in the upstream area to 16.2 kg/m2 downstream, and the mean SICs increased from 2.3 kg/m2 to 34.6 kg/m2. Therefore, urgent measures are needed to restore the carbon sink function of river wetlands for long-term climate change mitigation.

Abstract With the popularization of friction stir welding (FSW), 5083-H321 and 6061-T6 aluminum alloy materials are widely used during the FSW process. In this study, the fatigue life of friction stir welding with two materials, i.e., 5083-H321 and 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, are studied. Fatigue tests were carried out on the base metal of these two materials as well as on the butt joints and overlapping FSW samples. The principle of the equivalent structural stress method is used to analyze the FSW test data of these two materials. The fatigue resistances of these two materials were compared and a unified principal S–N curve equation was fitted. Two key parameters of the unified principal S–N curve obtained by fitting, C d is 4222.5, and h is 0.2693. A new method for an FSW fatigue life assessment was developed in this study and can be used to calculate the fatigue life of different welding forms with a single S–N curve. Two main fatigue tests of bending and tension were used to verify the unified principal S–N curve equation. The results show that the fatigue life calculated by the unified mean 50% master S–N curve parameters are the closest to the fatigue test results. The reliability, practicability, and generality of the master S–N curve fitting parameters were verified using the test data. The unified principal S–N curve acquired in this study can not only be used in aluminum alloy materials but can also be applied to other materials.

Abstract Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in both physiological and pathological processes. EMT plays an essential role in the invasion, migration and metastasis of tumours. Autophagy has been shown to regulate EMT in a variety of cancers but not in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Herein, we investigated whether autophagy also regulates EMT in HNSCC. Analyses of clinical data from three public databases revealed that higher expression of fibronectin-1 (FN1) correlated with poorer prognosis and higher tumour pathological grade in HNSCC. Data from SCC-25 cells demonstrated that rapamycin and Earle’s balanced salt solution (EBSS) promoted autophagy, leading to increased FN1 degradation, while 3-methyladenine (3-MA), bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1) and chloroquine (CQ) inhibited autophagy, leading to decreased FN1 degradation. On the other hand, autophagic flux was blocked in BECN1 mutant HNSCC Cal-27 cells, and rapamycin did not promote autophagy in Cal-27 cells; also in addition, FN1 degradation was inhibited. Further, we identified FN1 degradation through the lysosome-dependent degradation pathway using the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Data from immunoprecipitation assays also showed that p62/SQSTM1 participated as an autophagy adapter in the autophagy–lysosome pathway of FN1 degradation. Finally, data from immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the interaction between p62 and FN1 was abolished in p62 mutant MCF-7 and A2780 cell lines. These results indicate that autophagy significantly promotes the degradation of FN1. Collectively, our findings clearly suggest that FN1, as a marker of EMT, has adverse effects on HNSCC and elucidate the autophagy–lysosome degradation mechanism of FN1.

The green and clean sunlight-driven catalytic conversion of CO2 into high-value-added chemicals can simultaneously solve the greenhouse effect and energy problems. The controllable preparation of semiconductor catalyst materials and the study of refined structures are of great significance for the in-depth understanding of solar-energy-conversion technology. In this study, we prepared nitrogen-doped NiO semiconductors using a one-pot molten-salt method. The research shows that the molten-salt system made NiO change from p-type to n-type. In addition, nitrogen doping enhanced the adsorption of CO2 on NiO and increased the separation of photogenerated carriers on the NiO. It synergistically optimized the CO2-reduction system and achieved highly active and selective CO2 photoreduction. The CO yield on the optimal nitrogen-doped photocatalyst was 235 μmol·g−1·h−1 (selectivity 98%), which was 16.8 times that of the p-type NiO and 2.4 times that of the n-type NiO. This can be attributed to the fact that the nitrogen doping enhanced the oxygen vacancies of the NiOs and their ability to adsorb and activate CO2 molecules. Photoelectrochemical characterization also confirmed that the nitrogen-doped NiO had excellent electron -transfer and separation properties. This study provides a reference for improving NiO-based semiconductors for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

Background: Three DNA methylation (DNAm) based algorithms, DNAm PhenoAge acceleration (AgeAccelPheno), DNAm GrimAge acceleration (AgeAccelGrim), and mortality risk score (MRscore), based on methylation in 513, 1030, and 10 CpGs, respectively, were established to predict health outcomes and mortality. We aimed to compare and validate the predictive ability of these scores and frailty in relation to mortality in a population-based cohort from Germany. Methods: DNA methylation in whole blood was measured by the Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip kit (EPIC, Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) in two random subsets of the ESTHER cohort study (n = 741 and n = 1030). AgeAccelPheno, AgeAccelGrim, and a revised MRscore to adapt EPIC, the MRscore with 8 CpGs (MRscore-8CpGs), were calculated. Frailty was assessed by a frailty index (FI). Findings: During 17 years of follow-up, 458 deaths were observed. All DNAm algorithms and FI were positively correlated with each other. AgeAccelPheno, AgeAccelGrim, MRscore, and FI showed independent associations with all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (95% CI) per SD increase = 1·32 (1·19-1·46), 1·47 (1·32-1·64), 1·73 (1·49-2·01), and 1·31 (1·20-1·43), respectively]. Harrell's C-statistic was 0·710 for a model predicting mortality by age, sex, and leukocyte composition and increased to 0·759 in a model including MRscore-8CpGs and FI. The predictive performance was further improved (Harrell's C-statistic = 0·766) when additionally including AgeAccelPheno and AgeAccelGrim into the model. Interpretation: The combination of a DNA methylation score based on 8 CpGs only and an easy to ascertain frailty index may strongly enhance mortality prediction beyond age and sex. Funding: The ESTHER study was funded by grants from the Baden-Württemberg state Ministry of Science, Research and Arts (Stuttgart, Germany), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Berlin, Germany), the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Berlin, Germany), and the Saarland State Ministry of Health, Social Affairs, Women and the Family (Saarbrücken, Germany). The work of Xiangwei Li was supported by a grant from Fondazione Cariplo (Bando Ricerca Malattie invecchiamento, #2017-0653).

Objective To systematically assess the efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine as an anaesthesia adjuvant for cleft lip and palate (CLP) repair in children.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) and Wanfang (up to October 2020). Studies in languages other than English and Chinese were excluded.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the impact of dexmedetomidine on emergence agitation (EA), the need for postoperative rescue analgesics, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and other adverse events in paediatric patients during CLP repair.Data extraction and synthesis The quality of evidence was assessed by using the Cochrane Review Methods and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Data were screened, extracted and assessed by two independent authors. Outcomes were reported as a risk ratio (RR) with a 95% CI. A random-effect model was used when heterogeneity was detected.Results Thirteen studies including 1040 children met the inclusion criteria. The incidence of EA was significantly decreased in the dexmedetomidine group (RR, 0.19; 95% CI 0.10 to 0.36; p

Abstract During China’s urbanization process, rural labor migrants have been suggested to be one important bridge population to change urban-rural distribution on tuberculosis (TB) burden. Aiming to estimate the prevalence of TB infection and to track the active disease development in rural labor migrants, a prospective study was conducted in Shenzhen city, southern China. TB infection was detected using interferon-γ release assay (IGRA). Here we mainly report the characteristics of TB infection in the study population based on the baseline survey. A total of 4,422 eligible participants completed baseline survey in July 2013. QuantiFERON (QFT) positivity rates 17.87% (790/4,422) and was found to be consistent with the local TB epidemic of the areas where the participants immigrated from. Age, smoking, residence registered place, and present of BCG scars were found to be independently associated with QFT positivity. Additionally, evidence for interaction between smoking and age was observed (p for likelihood ratio test

Compressive Sensing Imaging (CSI) is a new framework for image acquisition, which enables the simultaneous acquisition and compression of a scene. Since the characteristics of Compressive Sensing (CS) acquisition are very different from traditional image acquisition, the general image compression solution may not work well. In this paper, we propose an efficient lossy compression solution for CS acquisition of images by considering the distinctive features of the CSI. First, we design an adaptive compressive sensing acquisition method for images according to the sampling rate, which could achieve better CS reconstruction quality for the acquired image. Second, we develop a universal quantization for the obtained CS measurements from CS acquisition without knowing any a priori information about the captured image. Finally, we apply these two methods in the CSI system for efficient lossy compression of CS acquisition. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed solution improves the rate-distortion performance by 0.4~2 dB comparing with current state-of-the-art, while maintaining a low computational complexity.

China has high burden on both of tuberculosis (TB) and tobacco use. This study aims to explore the potential link between smoking and TB infection using baseline survey data of a large-scale population-based prospective study in rural China.Between July 1 and Sept 30, 2013, based on the baseline survey of a population-based, prospective study in rural China, the relationship between smoking and TB infection, assessed by interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA), was investigated among the total study population and only among those smokers, respectively.A total of 21,008 eligible rural registered residents (≥ 5 years old) from 4 rural sites were included in the analysis. Ever-smokers were more likely to be QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) positive than never smokers with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.34 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21-1.49). Among ever smokers, a significant linear dose-response relation was observed between duration of smoking (by years) and QFT positivity (p < 0.001). Stratified analysis suggested that such an association was not influenced by gender and age. Evidence for interaction of smoking status with age was found.Our results provide further evidence to support smoking might increase host susceptibility to TB infection. Populations under high risk of infection, such as elderly smokers, should be prior to TB infection controlling under a premise of community level intervention.

The chemotherapy of stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems (SDDSs) is a promising method to enhance cancer treatment effects. However, the low efficiency of chemotherapy drugs and poor degradation partly limit the application of SDDSs. Herein, we report doxorubicin (DOX)-loading mixed micelles for biotin-targeting drug delivery and enhanced photothermal/photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT). Glutathione (GSH)-responsive mixed micelles were prepared by a dialysis method, proportionally mixing polycaprolactone-disulfide bond-biodegradable photoluminescent polymer (PCL-SS-BPLP) and biotin-polyethylene glycol-cypate (biotin-PEG-cypate). Chemically linking cypate into the mixed micelles greatly improved cypate solubility and PTT/PDT effect. The micelles also exhibited good monodispersity and stability in cell medium (~119.7 nm), low critical micelles concentration, good biodegradation, and photodecomposition. The high concentration of GSH in cancer cells and near-infrared light (NIR)-mediated cypate decomposition were able to achieve DOX centralized release. Meanwhile, the DOX-based chemotherapy combined with cypate-based NIR-triggered hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species could synergistically induce HepG2 cell death and apoptosis. The in vivo experiments confirmed that the micelles generated hyperthermia and achieved a desirable therapeutic effect. Therefore, the designed biodegradable micelles are promising safe nanovehicles for antitumor drug delivery and chemo/PTT/PDT combination therapy.

Anal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and its related diseases are relatively common in men who have sex with men (MSM), especially in those HIV positive. In China, molecular epidemiology of anal HPV infection among HIV-positive MSM has been sparsely studied.A cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV-positive MSM in Xi'an, China between April and July 2014. Anal swabs were collected for HPV genotyping.A total of 195 HIV-positive MSM were included in this study. HPV genotyping showed that 99.0% (191/193) of participants were positive for at least one of the targeted 37 HPV genotypes. 183 (94.8%) of them were infected with multiple high-risk types and 154 (79.8%) of them with low-risk HPV types. HPV 18 was the most frequently identified high-risk type, followed by HPV 16 and HPV 51. As for low-risk types, HPV11, HPV 6 and HPV 81 were most commonly observe. High-risk HPV infection was found to be associated with the status of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the distribution of low-risk types was observed to be varied by CD4+ T cell level.Almost all HIV-positive MSM were anal HPV infected in our study. It is highly recommended to consider regular active screening and preventive intervention of HPV infection among this high risk population.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact factors of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and the knowledge of TB prevention and treatment policy among health care workers (HCWs) in different types of hospitals and explore the strategies for improving TB prevention and control in medical institutions in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the risk of TB infection and personnel occupational protection among HCWs who directly engage in medical duties in one of two public hospitals. Each potential participant completed a structured questionnaire and performed a tuberculin skin test (TST). Factors associated with LTBI were identified by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Seven hundred twelve HCWs completed questionnaires and 74.3% (n = 529) took the TST or had previous positive results. The TST-positive prevalence was 58.0% (n = 127) in the infectious disease hospital and 33.9% (n = 105) in the non-TB hospital. The duration of employment in the healthcare profession (6-10 years vs. ≤5 years [OR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.10, 3.25] and >10 vs. ≤5 [OR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.20, 2.68]), type of hospital (OR = 2.40; 95% CI = 1.59, 3.62), and ever-employment in a HIV clinic or ward (OR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.08, 3.26) were significantly associated with LTBI. The main reasons for an unwillingness to accept TST were previous positive TST results (70.2%) and concerns about skin reaction (31.9%). CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of TB infections was observed among HCWs working in high-risk settings and with long professional experiences in Henan Province in China. Comprehensive guidelines should be developed for different types of medical institutions to reduce TB transmission and ensure the health of HCWs.

BACKGROUND: Genetic polymorphism is suggested to be associated with human physical performance. The angiotensin I-converting enzyme insertion/deletion (ACE I/D) polymorphism and the α-actinin-3 gene (ACTN3) R577X polymorphism have been most widely studied for such association analysis. However, the findings are frequently heterogeneous. We aim to summarize the associations of ACE I/D and ACTN3 R577X with sport performance by means of meta-analysis. METHODS: We systematically reviewed and quantitatively summarized published studies, until October 31, 2012, on relationship between ACE/ACTN3 genetic polymorphisms and sports performance, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 366 articles on ACE and 88 articles on ACTN3 were achieved by literature search. A significant association was found for ACE II genotype compared to D allele carriage (DD+ID) with increased possibility of physical performance (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.05-1.45). With respect to sport discipline, the II genotype was found to be associated with performance in endurance athletes (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.17-1.55). On the other hand, no significant association was observed for ACTN3 RR genotype as compared to X allele carriage (XX+RX) (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.92-1.15). However, when restricted the analyses to power events, a significant association was observed (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.03-1.42). CONCLUSION: Our results provide more solid evidence for the associations between ACE II genotype and endurance events and between ACTN3 R allele and power events. The findings suggest that the genetic profiles might influence human physical performance.

BACKGROUND: Men who have sex with men (MSM) were found to be one of the high-risk populations for Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) infection. Accompanied by the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among MSM, invasive amebiasis caused by E. histolytica has been paid attention to as an opportunistic parasitic infection. However, the status of E. histolytica infection among MSM has been barely studied in mainland China. METHODS: Seroprevalance of E. histolytica was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on a cross-sectional study conducted in Beijing and Tianjin, China. Factors potentially associated with E. histolytica infection were identified by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 602 MSM were included in the study and the laboratory data on serostatus of E. histolytica were available for 599 of them (99.5%). 246 (41.1%) and 51 (8.5%) of the study participants were E. histolytica seropositive and HIV seropositive, respectively. Univariate analyses suggested preferred anal sex behaviors were associated with E. histolytica seropositivity. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, "only has receptive anal sex" (OR: 2.03; 95% CI: 1.22 3.37), "majority receptive anal sex" (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.13, 2.95), and "sadomasochistic behavior (SM)" (OR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.04, 5.13) were found to be significantly associated with E. histolytica infection. CONCLUSIONS: High seroprevalence of E. histolytica infection was observed among MSM from Beijing and Tianjin, China. Receptive anal sex behavior and SM were identified as potential predictors. Therefore, E. histolytica and HIV co-infection needs to be concerned among MSM due to their sharing the common risk behaviors.

BACKGROUND: In the recent years, dramatic increases in HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) have been observed in China. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection related anal cancer is more common among HIV-infected MSM as compared to the general population. However, HPV infection and anal cytology has been rarely studied in HIV-infected MSM in China. METHODS: HIV-infected MSM in Beijing, China were invited to participate in this study between January and April 2011. Anal swabs were collected for examining cytology and HPV genotypes. RESULTS: Ninety-five eligible participants with complete questionnaire and laboratory data were included in the analyses. Thirty six of them (37.9%) showed abnormal anal cytology as follows: atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) in 19 (20.0%), atypical squamous cells but cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H) in 1 (1.1%), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) in 15 (15.8%), and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in 1 (1.1%). HPV6 (20.0%), HPV16 (10.9%), HPV56 (10.9%), HPV52 (9.1%) and HPV39 (9.1%) were observed most frequently among those with normal anal cytology, while different distribution was found in the ones with abnormal anal cytology as HPV6 (19.4%), HPV16 (19.4%), HPV45 (16.7%), HPV52 (16.7%) and HPV18 (11.1%). In addition, HPV16, HPV45, HPV52 and HPV18 were the most frequent high-risk types in patients with abnormal anal cytology. HPV multiplicity was found to be significantly related to the prevalence of abnormal anal cytology (p for trend = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of HPV infection and abnormal anal cytology was observed among HIV-infected MSM in China. Infection of multiple HPV types or high-risk types was found to be associated with an increased risk of abnormal anal cytology.

BackgroundNatural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1), encoded by the SLC11A1 gene, has been described to regulate macrophage activation and be associated with infectious and autoimmune diseases. The relation between SLC11A1 polymorphisms and tuberculosis susceptibility has been studied in different populations.MethodsWe systematically reviewed published studies on SLC11A1 polymorphisms and tuberculosis susceptibility until September 15, 2010 and quantitatively summarized associations of the most widely studied polymorphisms using meta-analysis.ResultsIn total, 36 eligible articles were included in this review. In Meta-analysis, significant associations were observed between tuberculosis risk and widely studied SLC11A1 polymorphisms with summarized odds ratio of 1.35 (95%CI, 1.17-1.54), 1.25 (95% CI, 1.04-1.50), 1.23 (95% CI, 1.04-1.44), 1.31 (95%CI, 1.08-1.59) for 3' UTR, D543N, INT4, and 5' (GT)n, respectively. Heterogeneity between studies was not pronounced, and the associations did not remarkably vary in the stratified analysis with respect to study population and study base.ConclusionsThe association between SLC11A1 polymorphisms and tuberculosis susceptibility observed in our analyses supports the hypothesis that NRAMP1 might play an important role in the host defense to the development of tuberculosis.

The spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major public health problems in the world. Surveillance of anti-TB drug resistance is important for monitoring TB control strategies. However, the status of drug-resistant TB in China has been reported inconsistently.We systematically reviewed published studies on drug-resistant TB in China until March 31, 2011, and quantitatively summarized prevalence and patterns of anti-TB drug resistance among new cases and previously treated cases, respectively.Ninety-five eligible articles, published during 1993-2011, were included in this review. The meta-analyses showed that the prevalence of drug-resistant TB in new cases was 27.9% (95% CI, 25.6%-30.2%) (n/N = 27,360/104,356) and in previously treated cases was 60.3% (95% CI, 56.2%-64.2%) (n/N = 30,350/45,858). Furthermore, in these two study populations, the prevalence of multiple drug resistance was found to be 5.3% (95% CI, 4.4%-6.4%) (n/N = 8810/101,718) and 27.4% (95% CI, 24.1%-30.9%) (n/N = 10,486/44,530) respectively. However, the results were found to be frequently heterogeneous (p for Q tests

BACKGROUND: TB and HIV co-epidemic is a major public health problem in many parts of the world, particularly in developing counties. We aimed to summarize the prevalence of TB and HIV co-infection in mainland China, using meta-analysis based on systematic review of published articles. METHODS: We systematically reviewed published studies, from the MEDLINE and Chinese BioMedical Literature Databases, on the prevalence of HIV infection among TB patients and on the prevalence of TB among HIV/AIDS population until 15 April 2010, and quantitatively summarized the estimates using meta-analysis. RESULTS: In total, 29 studies were included in this review, with consistently homogeneous results. TB patients, for whom the summary prevalence of HIV infection was 0.9% (0.6%-1.4%) in mainland China, were found to be a potential target population for HIV screening. The prevalence of TB among HIV/AIDS population was 7.2% (4.2%-12.3%), but this was much higher when the analyses were restricted to AIDS patients (22.8%). Significantly higher prevalence was observed for males and hospital-based studies. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses indicated that the prevalence of HIV/TB co-infection in China deserves special attention, screening of TB among HIV/AIDS populations should be attached more importance, which would be much more helpful for treatment of both diseases.

BACKGROUND: Anal HPV infection, which contributes to the development of anal warts and anal cancer, is well known to be common among men who have sex with men (MSM), especially among those HIV positives. However, HIV and anal HPV co-infection among MSM has not been addressed in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Beijing and Tianjin, China. Study participants were recruited using multiple methods with the collaboration of local volunteer organizations. Blood and anal swabs were collected for HIV-1 serological test and HPV genotyping. RESULTS: A total of 602 MSM were recruited and laboratory data were available for 578 of them (96.0%). HIV and anal HPV prevalence were 8.5% and 62.1%, respectively. And 48 MSM (8.3%) were found to be co-infected. The HPV genotypes identified most frequently were HPV06 (19.6%), HPV16 (13.0%), HPV52 (8.5%) and HPV11 (7.6%). Different modes of HPV genotypes distribution were observed with respect to HIV status. A strong dose-response relationship was found between HIV seropositivity and multiplicity of HPV genotypes (p