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Hui Huang,1– 3,* Qing Ye,1– 4,* Yulan Xu,1– 3,* Baoming Tao,1– 3 Junlan Liu,1– 3 Tian Xie,1– 3 Lingfeng Zha1– 3 1Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Hubei Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center of Immunological Diagnosis and Therapy for Cardiovascular Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Tian Xie; Lingfeng Zha, Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-15972150162 ; +86-15827177185, Email xietian@hust.edu.cn; zhalf@hust.edu.cnPurpose: We investigated the risk factors and characteristic clinical features of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) to lay the groundwork for early identification, screening, diagnosis, and intervention in high-risk pregnant women.Patients and methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze data from 44 patients with PPCM and 226 normal pregnant women from a Chinese population.Results: Significant differences were found between the groups in terms of various factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), heart rate, and medical history. Logistic regression models identified abnormal electrocardiography (OR=18.852), upper respiratory tract infection (OR=41.822), gestational hypertension (OR=18.188), and cesarean section (OR=8.394) as risk factors for PPCM. Common clinical features observed in patients with PPCM included cough, wheezing, and chest tightness (68.18%), left heart enlargement (56.82%) and valvular insufficiency (81.82%). Additionally, cardiotropic virus was detected in a subset of patients (43.18%) and NT-proBNP was elevated ≥ 400 pg/mL (81.82%).Conclusion: In the Chinese population, the presence of abnormal electrocardiograms during pregnancy, history of upper respiratory tract infection, gestational hypertension, and maternal choice of cesarean section suggest the possibility of PPCM development. Factors such as advanced age, family history of cardiovascular disease, gestational diabetes mellitus, eclampsia, anemia, and hypoproteinemia should be considered. Clinically, patients present with cough, wheezing, chest tightness, enlarged left heart, valvular insufficiency and NT-proBNP elevated ≥ 400 pg/mL. This study could serve as a valuable reference for medical practitioners for the early identification and screening of patients with PPCM.Keywords: peripartum cardiomyopathy, risk factors, clinical features, early identification

Xiaomei Cui,1,2 Ting Zhang,2 Tao Xie,2 Fang-xi Guo,2 Yu-ying Zhang,2 Yuan-jia Deng,2 Qi Wang,1,2 Yi-xing Guo,1,2 Ming-hua Dong,1,2 Xiao-ting Luo1,3 1Key Laboratory of Cardio Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Public Health and Health Management, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3School of General Medicine, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiao-ting Luo, Golden Campus of Gannan Medical University, Zhanggong District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13677975578, Email xtluo76@163.comAbstract: Among cardiovascular diseases, hypertension is the most important risk factor for morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its pathogenesis is complex, involving genetic, dietary and environmental factors. The characteristics of the gut microbiota can vary in response to increased blood pressure (BP) and influence the development and progression of hypertension. This paper describes five aspects of the relationship between hypertension and the gut microbiota, namely, the different types of gut microbiota, metabolites of the gut microbiota, sympathetic activation, gut–brain interactions, the effects of exercise and dietary patterns and the treatment of the gut microbiota through probiotics, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and herbal remedies, providing new clues for the future prevention of hypertension. Diet, exercise and traditional Chinese medicine may contribute to long-term improvements in hypertension, although the effects of probiotics and FMT still need to be validated in large populations. Keywords: blood pressure, metabolites, gut-brain, treatment

Zhen-Zhen Wang,1– 3,&ast; Hang Li,4,&ast; Anish R Maskey,2,&ast; Kamal Srivastava,2,5,&ast; Changda Liu,6,&ast; Nan Yang,2,5 Taoyun Xie,7 Ziyi Fu,8 Junxiong Li,9 Xiaohong Liu,10 Hugh A Sampson,6 Xiu-Min Li2,11 1Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA; 3Collaborative Innovation Center of Research and Development on the Whole Industry Chain of Yu-Yao, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China; 4Central Lab, Shenzhen Bao’an Chinese Medicine Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 5General Nutraceutical Technology, Elmsford, NY, USA; 6Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; 7The Affiliated TCM Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 8The First Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 9Guangdong Province Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Foshan, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 10Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 11Department of Otolaryngology, Westchester Medical Center New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiu-Min Li, Tel +1 914-594-4197, Email XiuMin_Li@NYMC.eduIntroduction: Neutrophil predominant airway inflammation is associated with severe and steroid-resistant asthma clusters. Previously, we reported efficacy of ASHMI, a three-herb TCM asthma formula in a steroid-resistant neutrophil-dominant murine asthma model and further identified Ganoderic Acid C1 (GAC1) as a key ASHMI active compound in vitro. The objective of this study is to investigate GAC1 effect on neutrophil-dominant, steroid-resistant asthma in a murine model.Methods: In this study, Balb/c mice were systematically sensitized with ragweed (RW) and alum and intranasally challenged with ragweed. Unsensitized/PBS challenged mice served as normal controls. Post sensitization, mice were given 4 weeks of oral treatment with GAC1 or acute dexamethasone (Dex) treatment at 48 hours prior to challenge. Pulmonary cytokines were measured by ELISA, and lung sections were processed for histology by H&E staining. Furthermore, GAC1 effect on MUC5AC expression and on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in human lung epithelial cell line (NCI-H292) was determined by qRT-PCR and ROS assay kit, respectively. Computational analysis was applied to select potential targets of GAC1 in steroid-resistant neutrophil-dominant asthma. Molecular docking was performed to predict binding modes between GAC1 and Dex with TNF-α.Results: The result of the study showed that chronic GAC1 treatment, significantly reduced pulmonary inflammation (P < 0.01– 0.001 vs Sham) and airway neutrophilia (P < 0.01 vs Sham), inhibited TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-5 levels (P < 0.05– 0.001 vs Sham). Acute Dex treatment reduced eosinophilic inflammation and IL-4, IL-5 levels, but had no effect on neutrophilia and TNF-α production. GAC1 treated H292 cells showed decreased MUC5AC gene expression and production of ROS (P < 0.001 vs stimulated/untreated cells). Molecular docking results showed binding energy of complex GAC1-TNF was − 10.8 kcal/mol.Discussion: GAC1 may be a promising anti-asthma botanical drug for treatment of steroid-resistant asthma.Keywords: asthma, mouse model, neutrophilic inflammation, Ganoderma, ganoderic acid

Meilan Xian,1,2,&ast; Jiaoyuan Xu,1,3,&ast; Yamei Zheng,4 Lei Zhang,4 Jie Zhao,4 Jie Chen,1 Siguang Li,1 Lingsang Lin,1 Yi Zhong,4 Zehua Yang,4 Tian Xie,4 Linhui Huang,4 Yipeng Ding1,4 1Department of General Practice, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of General Diseases, Hainan Chengmei Hospital, Haikou, Hainan, 570300, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of General Clinic, Longbo Health Hospital, Lingao County, Hainan, 571800, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yipeng Ding; Linhui Huang, Department of General Practice, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Hainan General Hospital, No. 19, Xiuhua Road, Xiuying District, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, People’s Republic of China, Email ypding@yeah.net; rochelle-11@163.comBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disorder in pulmonology. Chuanbeimu (CBM) is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb for treating COPD and has been widely utilized in clinical practice. However, the mechanism of CBM in the treatment of COPD remains incompletely understood. This study aims to investigate the underlying therapeutic mechanism of CBM for COPD using network pharmacology and experimental approaches.Methods: Active ingredients and their targets were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology database. COPD-associated targets were retrieved from the GeneCards database. The common targets for CBM and COPD were identified through Venn diagram analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and disease-herb-ingredient-target networks were constructed. Subsequently, the results of the network pharmacology were validated by molecular docking and in vitro experiments.Results: Seven active ingredients and 32 potential targets for CBM were identified as closely associated with COPD. The results of the disease-herb-ingredient-target network and PPI network showed that peimisine emerged as the core ingredient, and SRC, ADRB2, MMP2, and NOS3 were the potential targets for CBM in treating COPD. Molecular docking analysis confirmed that peimisine exhibited high binding affinity with SRC, ADRB2, MMP2, and NOS3. In vitro experiments demonstrated that peimisine significantly upregulated the expression of ADRB2 and NOS3 and downregulated the expression of SRC and MMP2.Conclusion: These findings indicate that CBM may modulate the expression of SRC, ADRB2, MMP2, and NOS3, thereby exerting a protective effect against COPD.Keywords: chuanbeimu, molecular docking, network pharmacology, experiment verification, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Youqin Li,1,2 Lulu Wang,1 Jing Sun,1 Tian Xie,1 Jia Fu,1 Chang Feng,1 Guodong Lu1 1Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, First People’s Hospital of Jinan, Jinan, 250011, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Guodong Lu, Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 247 Bei Yuan Street, Jinan, 250033, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-17660085568, Email luguodong3114@163.comBackground: The combination of different anesthesia techniques or adjuvant drugs can relieve the stress response to surgery, reduce adverse reactions and improve the clinical outcome. We investigated the effects of subcostal anterior quadratus lumborum block (SQLB) with and without dexmedetomidine (DEX) on postoperative rehabilitation for laparoscopic renal surgery (LRS).Methods: We included 90 patients in this single-center study. All were scheduled for elective laparoscopic radical or partial nephrectomy under general anesthesia (GA). We randomly and evenly assigned them to three groups: Group GA (GA alone), Group QG (SQLB with 30 mL of 0.25% ropivacaine and GA), and Group DQG (SQLB with 30 mL of 0.25% ropivacaine plus 1 μg/kg DEX and GA). The primary outcomes were serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels; the secondary outcomes included the average numeric rating scale (NRS) scores at rest and during activity within 48 h postoperatively; perioperative opioid consumption; the time to first ambulation, exhaust, and fluid intake, and postoperative adverse reactions.Results: The serum Cr and BUN levels in Group DQG decreased significantly compared with Group GA (P < 0.05). The average NRS scores in Group DQG were significantly lower than other two groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the indexes reduced significantly in Group QG compared with Group GA (P < 0.05). Groups DQG and QG had lower consumption of opioid compared with Group GA (P < 0.05). The recovery indicators in Groups DQG and QG were higher quality than Group GA (P < 0.05). The incidences of adverse reactions in Group DQG was significantly lower than the other groups (P < 0.05).Conclusion: SQLB with and without DEX could attenuate postoperative pain, reduce opioids requirement and side effects, as well as facilitate postoperative early rehabilitation. More interesting, SQLB with DEX could confer kidney protection.Clinical Trial Registration Number: The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200061554).Keywords: dexmedetomidine, subcostal anterior quadratus lumborum block, renal function, laparoscopic renal surgery

Wenyan Zhu,1 Tiange Xie,2 Mengru Xu,1 Ruxuan Chen,1 Ting Zhang1 1Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of General Practice, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ting Zhang; Ruxuan Chen, Email tintin-03@163.com; nandao2006@126.comBackground: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still rampant around the world. Immunocompromised patients are prone to have long-term infection with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, it is difficult to decide on an appropriate treatment for persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection.Case Presentation: We present a case of prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection in a patient who had undergone B-cell depletion therapy. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed notable migratory pulmonary infiltrates, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was positive for SARS-CoV-2 (day-120). The patient responded well to the combination treatment of antiviral medication, convalescent plasma, and corticosteroid.Conclusion: When chest CT shows migratory pulmonary infiltrates in patients with recent COVID-19, it is necessary to be alert to the possibility of persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in B-cell-depleted immunocompromised patients. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, repeated antiviral therapy and intravenous convalescent plasma should be considered.Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, migratory pulmonary infiltrates, B-cell depletion, antiviral therapy, convalescent plasma

Zhao X, Xie T, Zhao W, Cai W, Su X. Onco Targets Ther. 2019;12:1965–1977. We, the Editor and Publisher of the journal OncoTargets and Therapy are retracting the published article. Following publication of the article, concerns were raised regarding the duplication of images from Figure 1 with images from unrelated articles. Specifically, The images for Figure 1C, Patient 2 and Patient 3, ANT, have been duplicated with the images for Figure 1D, Clinical stage I, 200X and Normal, 400X, respectively from Zhao X, Xie T, Dai T, et al. CHP2 Promotes Cell Proliferation in Breast Cancer via Suppression of FOXO3a. Mol Cancer Res. 2018;16(10):1512–1522. https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-18-0157. The image for Figure 1D, Clinical stage III, 200x, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 1C, Tumor, 200X, from Wang X, Lin C, Zhao X, et al. Acylglycerol kinase promotes cell proliferation and tumorigenicity in breast cancer via suppression of the FOXO1 transcription factor. Mol Cancer. 2014;13:106. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-4598-13-106. The images for Figure 2C, ZR-75-30, siMMSET and Figure 4C, ZR-75-30, siMMSET+pcDNA3.1, have been duplicated. The images for Figure 2C, MDA-MB-231, siCon and Figure 4C, ZR-75-30, siMMSET, have been duplicated. The images for Figure 3B, MDA-MB-231, siCon and Figure 4E, MDA-MB-231, siMMSET+MMSET, have been duplicated. The corresponding author did not respond to our queries and was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for how the images came to be duplicated or provide satisfactory original data for the study. As verifying the validity of published work is core to the integrity of the scholarly record, the Publisher and Editor requested to retract the article and the corresponding author was notified of this. We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and COPE guidelines. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

Lina Al-Quran,1 Guang Li,2 Zhezhang Liu,1 Dan Xiong,1 Xianwei Cao,1 Ting Xie1 1Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang City, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, Dermatology Hospital of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang City, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ting Xie, Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang City, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8615079120510, Email dnxieting@126.comPurpose: Post-acne erythema (PAE) is one of the most common physical sequelae of acne regression, PAE can resolve spontaneously, but in some patients it may last for years. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of narrow and broad spectrum filters of intense pulsed light (IPL) for the treatment of PAE.Patients and Methods: This prospective study evaluated 60 patients with PAE for at least 6 months, assigned equally to three groups: 1st group received narrow-spectrum with vascular filter (530– 650 nm and 900– 1200 nm), 2nd group received broad-spectrum with (560/590– 1200 nm) filters, the appropriate adjustments were made according to patient’s skin colour. Every patient received four sessions one month apart. 3rd group is blank control group did not receive any treatment. CAT (CEA (Clinical Erythema Assessment), Area, and Telangiectasia) used to grade clearance of PAE before and after treatment, Investigators Global Assessment (IGA) used to assess the improvement score after the treatment, and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) used to evaluate the impact of PAE on patients’ Quality of Life (QoL). Self-satisfaction scale completed at the follow-up. Adverse events and acne relapse were recorded.Results: A significant decrease of CAT score in vascular group (P< 0.05). IGA scale showed significant improvement after vascular treatment. A significant decrease in CADI (P< 0.05) after vascular treatment. Patient satisfaction was higher in vascular group than control and blank control groups. Acne relapse observed in control and blank control groups (40% and 15%, respectively).10% of patients showed pigmentation, 15% had blisters after 590 nm treatment.Conclusion: IPL vascular filter (530– 650 nm and 900– 1200 nm) have efficacy in the treatment of PAE. CADI score, patient satisfaction, and acne relapse were significantly better after vascular narrow spectrum treatment than broad-spectrum treatment.Keywords: PAE, vascular filter, acne relapse, CADI, IPL

We provide an overview of the status of Monte-Carlo event generators for high-energy particle physics. Guided by the experimental needs and requirements, we highlight areas of active development, and opportunities for future improvements. Particular emphasis is given to physics models and algorithms that are employed across a variety of experiments. These common themes in event generator development lead to a more comprehensive understanding of physics at the highest energies and intensities, and allow models to be tested against a wealth of data that have been accumulated over the past decades. A cohesive approach to event generator development will allow these models to be further improved and systematic uncertainties to be reduced, directly contributing to future experimental success. Event generators are part of a much larger ecosystem of computational tools. They typically involve a number of unknown model parameters that must be tuned to experimental data, while maintaining the integrity of the underlying physics models. Making both these data, and the analyses with which they have been obtained accessible to future users is an essential aspect of open science and data preservation. It ensures the consistency of physics models across a variety of experiments.

Xiaomin An,1,2,&ast; Guohua Li,1,&ast; Shu Wang,1 Tianrun Xie,1 Xiaoxiao Ren,1 Yongli Zhao1 1Department of Pediatrics, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nephrology, Xi’an Children’s Hospital, Xi’an, 710003, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yongli Zhao, Department of Pediatrics, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116027, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 0411 84671291, Email zhaoyongli79@163.comIntroduction: Our previous study conducted in an obesity-related renal injury rat model have established a connection between increased connexin 43 (Cx43) expression and renal injury. In this study, we investigated whether inhibiting Cx43 expression could provide renoprotection in a mouse model of obesity-related renal injury.Methods: Five-week-old C57BL/6J mice were fed with a high-fat diet for 12 weeks to establish an obesity-related renal injury model, then they were treated with Cx43 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS) or scrambled oligodeoxynucleotide (SCR) by an implanted osmotic pump for 4 weeks. Finally, the glomerular filtration function, the histological change in the glomeruli, and the markers of podocyte injury (WT-1, Nephrin) and inflammatory infiltration of renal tissue (CD68, F4/80 and VCAM-1) were examined respectively.Results: The results showed that inhibiting Cx43 expression by AS in this mouse model of obesity-related renal injury can effectively improve glomerular filtration function, alleviate glomerular expansion and podocyte injury, and attenuate the inflammatory infiltration of renal tissue.Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that inhibiting Cx43 expression by AS could provide renoprotection for the mouse model of obesity-related renal injury.Keywords: childhood obesity, obesity-related renal injury, connexin 43, antisense oligodeoxynucleotide

Tao Xie,1 Rong Huang,1 Daishuo Deng,1 Peipei Tang,2 Yufeng Fu,2 Yulong Zheng,1 Yufeng Wan1 1Department of Respiratory Diseases, The Affiliated Huai’an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai’an, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Jiangsu College of Nursing, Huai’an, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yulong Zheng; Yufeng Wan, Department of Respiratory Diseases, The Affiliated Huai’an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai’an, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 137 7670 7363 ; +86 158 0523 0282, Fax +86 517 8087 1636 ; +86 517 8087 1616, Email ha183@163.com; ggwanyufeng@163.comPurpose: Corticosteroid insensitivity has become a major barrier in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is known that oxidative stress reduces the expression and activity of histone deacetylase (HDAC)-2 by activating phosphoinositide-3-kinase-δ(PI3Kδ)/Akt pathway, which is a common mechanism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether cryptotanshinone (CPT) can improve corticosteroid sensitivity and to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which this occurs.Patients and Methods: Corticosteroid sensitivity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from COPD patients, or in human monocytic U937 monocytic cells exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE), was quantified as the dexamethasone concentration required to achieve 30% inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα)–induced interleukin 8 (IL-8) production in the presence or absence of cryptotanshinone. PI3K/Akt activity (measured as the relative ratio of phosphorylated Akt at Ser-473 to total Akt) and HDAC2 expression levels were determined by western blotting. HDAC activity was evaluated by a Fluo-Lys HDAC activity assay kit in U937 monocytic cells.Results: Both PBMCs in patients with COPD and U937 cells exposed to CSE were found to be insensitive to dexamethasone, accompanied by increased phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) and decreased HDAC2 protein expression. The pretreatment of cryptotanshinone restored their sensitivity to dexamethasone, and simultaneously downregulated the level of phosphorylated Akt and upregulated the level of HDAC2 protein. Pretreatment with cryptotanshinone or IC87114 reversed the decrease in HDAC activity in CSE-stimulated U937 cells.Conclusion: Cryptotanshinone restores corticosteroid sensitivity induced by oxidative stress via inhibition of PI3Kδ and is a potential treatment for corticosteroid-insensitive diseases such as COPD.Keywords: corticosteroid insensitivity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, phosphoinositide-3-kinase-δ, histone deacetylase 2, cryptotanshinone

Considering the time-consuming and tedious work of the current methods to control plant layout, which is mostly based on expert experience or field trials, we propose an algorithm to optimize and simulate a planting layout based on a virtual plant model and an optimization algorithm. A functional-structural plant model, which combines the structure and physiological function of plants, is used to construct a planting scene. The planting and row spacing are set as the genetic factors and the chromosomes of the genetic algorithm are encoded with a binary method. The photosynthetic yield of the unit planting area is denoted as the fitness value. By using this method, the intercropping of maize and soybean plants and the sole cropping of rice plants are studied. Experimental results show that the proposed method can obtain a high yield planting plan.

Chao Li,1,&ast; ZhaoHui Deng,2,3,&ast; GuiXian Zheng,3,&ast; Ting Xie,3 XinYan Wei,3 ZengYu Huo,3 Jing Bai3 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, 410219, People’s Republic of China; 2Zhuzhou Hospital Affiliated to Xiangya School of Medicine, Zhuzhou, Hunan, 412000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jing Bai, Department of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 6 Shuangyong Road, Nanning, Guangxi, Tel +86-771-5356702, Fax +86-771-5608132, Email bj1312002@aliyun.comObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol (RSV) on cigarette smoke (CS)-induced skeletal muscle atrophy and senescence in mice with emphysema and to explore the underlying mechanisms.Methods: Gastrocnemius muscle weight and lung and muscular morphology were observed in CS-exposed mice with or without RSV treatment. The expression of atrophy-related markers (MURF1 and MAFbx), senescence-related markers (P53, P21 and SMP30) and NF-κB inflammatory pathways was detected by Western blotting and real-time PCR. The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were also determined by ELISA, and the number of senescent cells was determined by SA-β gal staining. In addition, the expression of HDAC2 and the effect of HDAC2 on CSE-induced skeletal muscle atrophy and senescence by RSV treatment were investigated.Results: RSV prevented emphysema and skeletal muscle atrophy in long-term CS-exposed mice. RSV decreased the expression of MURF1, MAFbx, P53, and P21 and inhibited the NF-κB pathway both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, RSV reversed CS-induced downregulation of HDAC2 expression both in gastrocnemius and in C2C12 cells. Moreover, knockdown of HDAC2 significantly abolished the inhibitory effect of RSV on the expression of MURF1, MAFbx, P53, P21 and inflammatory factors (IL-1β and TNF-α) in C2C12 cells.Conclusion: RSV prevents CS-induced skeletal muscle atrophy and senescence, and upregulation of HDAC2 expression and suppression of inflammation are involved.Keywords: resveratrol, skeletal muscle, histone deacetylase 2, cigarette smoke, inflammation

Qi Xin,1 Tonghui Xie,1 Rui Chen,1 Xing Zhang,1 Yingmu Tong,1 Hai Wang,1 Shufeng Wang,2 Chang Liu,1,3 Jingyao Zhang1,3 1Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of SICU, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Chang Liu; Jingyao Zhang, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-29-85323900, Fax +86-29-85324642, Email liuchangdoctor@163.com; you12ouy@163.comBackground: Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (S-AKI) is associated with systemic inflammatory responses and coagulation system dysfunction, and it is associated with an increased risk of mortality. However, there was no study to explore the predictive value of inflammatory and coagulation indicators for S-AKI.Methods: In this retrospective study, 1051 sepsis patients were identified and divided into a training cohort (75%, n = 787) and a validation cohort (25%, n = 264) in chronological order according to the date they were admitted. Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the independent predictors of S-AKI. The logistic regression analyses (enter methods) were used to conducted the prediction models. The ROC curves were used to determine the predictive value of the constructed models on S-AKI. To test whether the increase in the AUC is significant, we used a two-sided test for ROC curves available online (http://vassarstats.net/roc_comp.html). The secondary outcome was different AKI stages and major adverse kidney events within 30 days (MAKE30). Stage 3B of S-AKI was defined as both meeting the stage 3 criteria [increase of Cr level by > 300% (≥ 4.0 mg/dL with an acute increase of ≥ 0.5 mg/dL) and/or UO < 0.3 mL/kg/h for > 24 h or anuria for > 12 h and/or acute kidney replacement therapy] and having cystatin C positive. MAKE30 were a composite of death, new renal replacement therapy (RRT), or persistent renal dysfunction (PRD).Results: We discovered that cardiovascular disease, white blood cell (WBC), mean arterial pressure (MAP), platelet (PLT), serum procalcitonin (PCT), prothrombin time activity (PTA), and thrombin time (TT) were independent predictors for S-AKI. The predictive value (AUC = 0.855) of the simplest model 3 (constructed with PLT, PCT, and PTA), with a sensitivity of 77.6% and a specificity of 82.4%, had a similar predictive value comparing with the model 1 (AUC = 0.872) and the model 2 (AUC = 0.864) in the training cohort (P > 0.05). Compared with the model 1 (AUC = 0.888) and the model 2 (AUC = 0.887), the model 3 (AUC = 0.887) had a similar predictive value in the validation cohort. Moreover, model 3 had the best predictive power for predicting S-AKI in the stage 3 (AUC = 0.777), especially in stage 3B (AUC = 0.771). Finally, the model 3 (AUC = 0.843) had perfect predictive power for predicting MAKE30 in sepsis patients.Conclusion: Within 24 hours after admission, the simplest model 3 (constructed with PLT, PCT, and PTA) might be a robust predictor of the S-AKI in sepsis patients, providing information for timely and efficient intervention.Keywords: inflammation, coagulation, prediction model, sepsis, acute kidney injury

Qi Wang,1,2 Tao Xie,2 Ting Zhang,2 Yuanjia Deng,2 Yuying Zhang,2 Qingfeng Wu,1,2 Minghua Dong,1,2 Xiaoting Luo1– 3 1Key Laboratory of Cardio Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Public Health and Health Management, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3School of General Medicine, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaoting Luo, Tel +86 13677975578, Fax +86 0797-8169600, Email xtluo76@163.comPurpose: The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the cumulative exposure of blood lipid parameters on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Another purpose was to explore whether the cumulative burden of blood lipid parameters plays a certain role in the pathogenesis of diet affecting T2DM.Patients and Methods: A total of 63 cases of diabetes occurred from 2017 to 2020, with an incidence density of 3.71 person-years. The dietary intake of the residents was obtained by using a dietary frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Cumulative lipid parameter burden was calculated according to the number of years (2016– 2020) multiplied by total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride (TG). A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the effect of cumulative lipid burden on T2DM. A mediating analysis of accelerated failure time (AFT) was used to investigate the mediating effects of certain foods, the cumulative lipid parameter burden and T2DM.Results: A higher cumulative TG load corresponded to a higher risk of T2DM onset (Ptrend=0.021). After adjusting for covariates, the highest quartile cumulative TG burden had a 3.462 times higher risk of T2DM than that in the lowest quartile (HR=3.462, 95% CI: 1.297– 9.243). Moreover, a higher cumulative HDL load corresponded to a lower risk of T2DM onset (Ptrend =0.006). After adjusting for covariates, the risk of T2DM was 0.314-fold lower in the highest quartile of cumulative HDL burden than that in the lowest quartile (HR=0.314, 95% CI: 0.131– 0.753). Cumulative TG burden partially mediated the association between red meat and T2DM.Conclusion: The increase in cumulative HDL burden and the decrease in cumulative HDL burden are related to the incidence of T2DM. Cumulative TG burden was shown to play a partial mediating role in the pathogenesis of red meat and diabetes.Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, cumulative lipid parameter burden, diet, cohort study

Ting Xie,1,&ast; Dan Guo,1,&ast; Jinmei Luo,2 Zijian Guo,3 Sumei Zhang,1 Anqi Wang,1 Xiaoxi Wang,1 Xiaona Wang,2 Wenhao Cao,2 Linfan Su,2 Junwei Guo,2 Rong Huang,2 Yi Xiao2 1Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jinmei Luo, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 010 69155037, Email palmljm@126.comPurpose: In this study, we aimed to investigate the precise relationship between hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α), circadian clock genes, and OSA.Methods: We recruited 21 patients with OSA and 22 age-matched controls who underwent polysomnography and had their peripheral blood collected on the evening before and the morning after sleep. OSA was defined as an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 15 events/h. Patients in which T90 > 0 were defined as having nocturnal hypoxemia (NH) and were referred to as the NH group. The mRNA levels of HIF1α, HIF1β and several clock genes (Timeless, Clock, Bmal1, Per1, Per2, Per3, Cry1, Cry2, Ck1δ, Rorα, NR1D1, and NPAS2) were determined by RT-qPCR. The percentage difference in gene expression levels when compared between the morning and evening was then determined as referred to as morning-evening variation (MEV).Results: The MEV for HIF1α mRNA expression in OSA patients increased significantly by 23% (P = 0.008) when compared to patients without OSA. The gene expression levels of Timeless (P = 0.038) and Cry2 (P = 0.012) decreased with AHI. The MEV of Bmal1, Rorα, and HIF1α mRNA levels were upregulated by 16% (P = 0.006), 14% (P = 0.027), and 25% (P = 0.005), respectively, in participants with NH when compared to those without NH. Furthermore, the MEV for HIF1α mRNA levels was positively correlated with the MEV of Bmal1, Cry1, and CK1δ mRNA levels (R = 0.638, P < 0.001; R = 0.327, P = 0.002; R = 0.332, P = 0.001, respectively) and negatively correlated with LSpO2 (R = − 0.464, P =0.009) and Mean SpO2 (R = − 0.500, P = 0.003).Conclusion: Our data suggest that patients with OSA or NH tend to develop circadian rhythm disorders that may be induced by the hypoxia-mediated augmentation of HIF1α gene expression in OSA.Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, hypoxia-inducible factor, circadian rhythm, apnea hypopnea index

Zhaojie Qin,1,2,&ast; Kai Luo,1,&ast; Yun Liu,1 Shijie Liao,3 Juliang He,4 Mingwei He,3 Tianyu Xie,3 Xiaohong Jiang,5 Boxiang Li,5 Huijiang Liu,1,6 Qian Huang,6 Haijun Tang,5 Wenyu Feng,3,&ast; Xinli Zhan1,&ast; 1Department of Spinal Bone Disease, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Orthopedic, The People’s Hospital of Hechi, Hechi, 547600, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Trauma Orthopedic and Hand Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Surgery, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Orthopedic, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Orthopedics, The First People’s Hospital of Nanning, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xinli ZhanDepartment of Spinal Bone Disease, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 771-5350189, Fax +867715350001, Email zhanxinli@stu.gxmu.edu.cn; Wenyu FengDepartment of Trauma Orthopedic and Hand Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18277185646, Fax +867715350001, Email fengwenyu7381@126.comBackground: Osteosarcoma is a common solid malignancy of the bone in children and adolescents, and its metastasis and recurrence are the principal causes of poor treatment outcomes.Methods: Autophagy-related genes were used to cluster osteosarcoma patients by consensus clustering analysis using the GSE21257 database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by limma package. Multiple-gene risk signature was constructed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis and Cox regression analyses. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine gene expression levels. Then, single-cell RNA-sequencing dataset GSE152048 were used to identify the correlation between the DEGs and effector molecules expressed in specific tumor-infiltrating immune cells.Results: Two clusters were identified in the consensus clustering analysis, which were confirmed by principal component analysis. Limma analysis revealed that 15 genes were related, and 9 genes were screened using protein-protein interaction network and LASSO regression analysis. Cox regression analyses identified 5 genes. Combined with survival analysis, only the autophagy related 16 like 1 gene (ATG16L1) was significant. The results of qRT-PCR showed low expression levels of ATG16L1 in tumor cells group. Immune infiltration analysis revealed significantly lower expression of CD8+ T cells in the high ATG16L1 gene expression group. ScRNA-seq revealed that in the ATG16L1+CD8+ T cell group, the expression of GZMB was lower, whereas the expression of ITGA1 was higher. These results showed that ATG16L 1 is an immune-related gene, which is associated with poor prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma.Conclusion: ATG16L1 is a potential prognostic biomarker and immune signature and may be a therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.Keywords: osteosarcoma, prognosis, ATG16L1, CD8+ T cell, scRNA-seq

Yanhua Wang, Teng Xie, Huaming Liu, Xiaoping Yu Department of Neurosurgery, Hanchuan People’s Hospital, Hanchuan City, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaoping YuDepartment of Neurosurgery, Hanchuan People’s Hospital, No. 1 People’s Avenue, Hanchuan City, Hubei Province, 431600, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail xiaopingyuavenue@163.comBackground: Previous studies revealed the oncogenic role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HLA-F-AS1 in colon cancer and breast cancer, while its role in other cancers is unclear. We predicted the direct interaction between HLA-F-AS1 and MEG3, which is a tumor suppressor lncRNA. We then assessed the interaction between HLA-F-AS1 and MEG3 in glioblastoma (GBM).Methods: The expression levels of HLA-F-AS1 and MEG3 in GBM and paired non-tumor tissues from 60 GBM patients were analyzed by RT-qPCR. Overexpression of HLA-F-AS1 and MEG3 was achieved in GBM cells to explore the interaction between them. The direct interaction between them was confirmed by RNA pull-down assay. The roles of HLA-F-AS1 and MEG3 in cell invasion, migration and apoptosis were explored by Transwell assays and cell apoptosis assay.Results: HLA-F-AS1 was highly expressed, and MEG3 was downregulated in GBM. Overexpression of HLA-F-AS1 reduced the expression levels of MEG3 while overexpression of MEG3 did not alter the expression of HLA-F-AS1. HLA-F-AS1 increased cell migration and invasion, but decreased cell apoptosis. MEG3 played opposite roles and reduced the effects of HLA-F-AS1 on cell behaviors.Conclusion: HLA-F-AS1 may sponge MEG3 in GBM cells to promote cell invasion and migration, and to suppress cell apoptosis.Keywords: glioblastoma, HLA-F-AS1, MEG3, invasion, migration, apoptosis

De-Bao Zhi,1,&ast; Zhi-Yu Wang,2,&ast; Tong Xie,1 Wen-Wen Tu1 1Department of Surgical Care Unit, Xuhui District Central Hospital, Shanghai, 200031, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurosurgery, Xuhui District Central Hospital, Shanghai, 200031, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: De-Bao Zhi Tel +86 18616568331Email zhidebao@163.comBackground: Glutathione S-Transferase P 1 (GSTP-1) gene plays an important physiological role in the body. The present study was conducted to identify the clinical implication of GSTP-1 gene polymorphism on the prognosis of patients with high-grade glioma (HGG) who received temozolomide plus radiotherapy adjuvant treatment.Methods: This study recruited a total of 186 patients with HGG who were treated with temozolomide plus radiotherapy adjuvant regimen (retrospectively). Baseline clinical characteristics were obtained and the prognostic data of the patients were collected. Peripheral blood specimen of patients was preserved for genotyping of GSTP-1 polymorphism during hospitalization. Correlation analysis was carried out accordingly. Additionally, fresh peripheral blood specimens that were available for mRNA expression analysis were collected for the mRNA expression analysis.Results: The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the 186 patients with HGG who received temozolomide plus radiotherapy regimen was 8.5 months (95% CI: 5.95– 11.05) and 15.5 months (95% CI: 11.49– 19.51), respectively. The prevalence of 313A>G among 186 patients with glioma was AA genotype: 126 cases (67.7%), AG genotype: 54 cases (29.1%), GG genotype: 6 cases (3.2%), minor allele frequency of 313A>G was 0.18. Association analysis suggested that the median PFS of patients with AA and AG/GG genotypes was 11.2 and 5.0 months, respectively (χ2=11.17, P=0.001). Furthermore, the median OS of patients with AA and AG/GG genotypes was 18.9 and 10.5 months, respectively (χ2=12.684, P< 0.001). Besides, when adjusted for PFS in multivariate Cox regression analysis, AG/GG genotype was an independent factor for PFS (HR=0.48, P=0.006). The mRNA expression results indicated that mRNA expression of GSTP-1 in patients with AG/GG genotypes of 313A>G was significantly higher than that of patients with AA genotype (P< 0.001).Conclusion: GSTP-1 polymorphism 313A>G might be used as a potential biomarker to predict the prognosis of patients with HGG who received temozolomide plus radiotherapy adjuvant treatment.Keywords: high-grade glioma, temozolomide, GSTP-1, polymorphism, prognosis

Tiansheng Xie,1,2 Haibo Yan,3 Guohua Wang4 1Zhejiang Sino-German Institute of Life science and Healthcare, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310023, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People’s Republic of China; 3Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Shaoxing, 312030, People’s Republic of China; 4Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Jiaxing, 314500, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Tiansheng XieZhejiang Sino-German Institute of Life science and Healthcare, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, 318 Liuhe Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310023, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 571 86021350Email tianshengxie@zust.edu.cnPurpose: Social support is increasingly recognized to be important in care of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), we firstly translate and validate the disease-targeted social support instrument in Chinese and to explore the correlation with WHOQOL-HIV.Patients and Methods: We established content validity for HIV-related social support scale (HSSS) and administered the resultant questionnaire to 310 PLWH. Descriptive statistics were generated for each of the variables of general characteristics; student t-test was used to compare the different groups.Results: The HSSS demonstrated a high level of internal consistency, both within each subscale and with the total score; all Cronbach’s α values exceeded a priori threshold of ≥ 0.70. The HSSS cores were positively correlated with WHOQOL-HIV total scores (Pearson correlation: 0.39, P < 0.001). We also found that higher educational level, personal income, CD4 cell count, and shorter duration of antiretroviral therapy are significantly associated with a higher level of social support (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Social support may improve quality of life for PLWH, Chinese version of HIV-related social support scale can be used in future clinical practice.Keywords: HIV, AIDS, quality of life, social support

Tiansheng Xie,1,2 Guohua Wang,3 Qiang Sun3 1Zhejiang Sino-German Institute of Life Science and Healthcare, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310023, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People’s Republic of China; 3Tongxiang Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, 314500, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Tiansheng XieZhejiang Sino-German Institute of Life Science and Healthcare, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, 318 Liuhe Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310023, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 571 86021350Email tianshengxie@zust.edu.cnPurpose: Female sex workers play an important role in transmitting HIV and syphilis from high-risk groups to the general population. However, epidemic trends and risk factors for syphilis in Chinese female sex workers (FSWs) remain unclear.Methods: Using convenient sampling methods, 2482 FSWs were interviewed and tested for syphilis from 2014 to 2019, all of them were divided into two groups of high-grade FSWs and low-grade FSWs according to service solicited and clients price there were. Demographic data were collected and logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for syphilis.Results: 43.67% of participants have received free condoms, 76.15% of them engaged in peer education of the 2482 FSWs tested for syphilis, 107 (4.31%) were positive. The prevalence of syphilis in high-grade FSWs was significantly lower than that in low-grade FSWs (3.14% and 5.62%, respectively).The overall prevalence of syphilis increased from 3.19% to4.47%. The percentage of FSWs received free condoms and engaged in peer education increased significantly. With upgraded awareness of syphilis, the number of FSWs having protected sex also increased significantly. It is also found that low-grade female sex workers are at greater risk of syphilis than those high-grade ones (odds ratio (OR) = 1.76, 95% CI 1.18– 2.63, p < 0.05).Conclusion: Great awareness of syphilis and the increased utilization of condom did not reduce the prevalence of syphilis, especially in low-grade FSWs group. More effective integrated interventions should be developed for such populations.Keywords: education, risk reduction, health promotion, risk behaviours, syphilis

Fei Chen1Yuewu Cheng2Tiansheng Xie3,41The Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, and Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People’s Republic of China; 2Shangcai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhumadian, Henan, 463800, People’s Republic of China; 3Zhejiang Sino-German Institute of Life Science and Healthcare, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310023, People’s Republic of China; 4State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People’s Republic of China Correspondence: Tiansheng XieZhejiang Sino-German Institute of Life Science and Healthcare, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, 318 Liuhe Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310023, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 571 86021350Email tianshengxie@zust.edu.cn Purpose: This study aimed to understand the oral hygiene habits and oral health status of young people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Henan province of China.Methods: Randomized stratified cluster sampling strategy was used to select young people who were receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HARRT) from 6 towns. A total of 104 participants were enrolled and divided into 2 groups, adolescence group and young adult group. By face-to-face oral interview and examination, well-trained dentists collected general information, oral hygiene habits and oral health status of the participants.Results: Fifty-eight of them were adolescence group and 46 of them were young adult group. In two groups, most of them brushed their teeth once a day (55.20%, 67.40%), and half of them basically brushed their teeth for 2 minutes (51.7%, 50.0%). Majority of participants did not use dental floss (93.1%,91.3%) and also never visited a dentist (81%,78.3%). One-third of participants had spontaneous bleeding, and about half of them had gingival bleeding when brushed their teeth. The most frequent mucosal disease was oral ulcers. Moreover, the prevalence of caries remained very high in both groups, which was 82.76% and 84.8%, respectively. Most of the participants in both groups had low education level and received less than 9 years of education (65.5%, 63%).Conclusion: The participants had poor oral hygiene habits. The economic and educationlevel may associate with the awareness of oral health and care. Keywords: oral hygiene, oral health, mouth mucosa, HIV infections, adolescent, young adult

The traditional LiDAR simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm is subject to large outlier interference and inaccurate keyframe matching. To address this a LiDAR SLAM algorithm using normal distributions transform (NDT) matching combined with two-step screening of key frames is proposed. The algorithm is built on light weight and groundoptimized LiDAR odometry and mapping (LeGO-LOAM). First, the point cloud is pre-processed using statistical outlier removal (SOR). The current frame is matched with its corresponding key frame for NDT and the matching result is added to the loop closure detection. Feature extraction is performed on the keyframe and the feature points are added to the loop closure detection and pose map. A two-step keyframe screening method is used in the loop closure detection module to effectively reduce map building errors. The proposed method was evaluated on the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute (KITTI) dataset. Additionally, the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can improve the mapping accuracy as measured by the value of the root mean square error (RMSE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the woody plant community in the Sygera Mountains to reveal the diversity changes and phylogenetic structure of woody plants in different vertical zones. Three plots of 400 m2 and two plots of 900 m2 are set up in each zone. The line transect method is used to supplement the woody plant species list. Meteorological data are adopted to analyze the composition of woody plant flora, the characteristics of the phylogenetic structure, and their relationship with annual average temperature. Results showed that (1) temperate woody plants account for a large proportion (65.6%) in the woody plant community of the Sygera Mountains, and widespread woody genera account for a small proportion (12.6%). The composition of families and genera is rich in the mountainous warm temperate zone, and the species composition is rich in the mountainous temperate zone. (2) The Gleason index and phylogenetic diversity of the woody plant communities in the five vertical zones are significantly positively correlated with the annual average temperature (P < 0.01), whereas the net relatedness and nearest taxon indices are not correlated with the annual average temperature. (3) The woody plant communities in the alpine frigid and alpine desert zones of the Sygera Mountains exhibit phylogenetic clustering, which suggests that habitat filtering plays an important role in the construction of woody plant communities in these vertical zones. However, the other vertical zones show either phylogenetic clustering or phylogenetic overdispersion, indicating that the results might be the combined effects of habitat filtering and competitive exclusion. This study provides new insights into the diversity composition and construction mechanisms of woody plant communities in the Sygera Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tiantian Xie,1 Tao Tan,2 Jun Li3,4 1Centre De Recherche Sur Les Liens Sociaux (CERLIS), Paris Descartes University, Paris, France; 2Institute of New Rural Development, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3School of International Relations, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Management, Curtin University, Perth, WA, AustraliaCorrespondence: Tiantian Xie Tel +33-651-837-168Email tiantian.xie@etu.parisdescartes.frBackground: A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) caused pneumonia broke out at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China. Many cases were subsequently reported in other cities, which has aroused strong reverberations on the Internet and social media around the world.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the reaction of global Internet users to the outbreak of COVID-19 by evaluating the possibility of using Internet monitoring as an instrument in handling communicable diseases and responding to public health emergencies.Methods: The disease-related data were retrieved from China’s National Health Commission (CNHC) and World Health Organization (WHO) from January 10 to February 29, 2020. Daily Google Trends (GT) and daily Baidu Attention Index (BAI) for the keyword “Coronavirus” were collected from their official websites. Rumors which occurred in the course of this outbreak were mined from Chinese National Platform to Refute Rumors (CNPRR) and Tencent Platform to Refute Rumors (TPRR). Kendall’s Tau-B rank test was applied to check the bivariate correlation among the two indexes mentioned above, epidemic trends, and rumors.Results: After the outbreak of COVID-19, both daily BAI and daily GT increased rapidly and remained at a high level, this process lasted about 10 days. When major events occurred, daily BAI, daily GT, and the number of rumors simultaneously reached new peaks. Our study indicates that these indexes and rumors are statistically related to disease-related indicators. Information symmetry was also found to help significantly eliminate the false news and to prevent rumors from spreading across social media through the epidemic outbreak.Conclusion: Compared to traditional methods, Internet monitoring could be particularly efficient and economical in the prevention and control of epidemic and rumors by reflecting public attention and attitude, especially in the early period of an outbreak.Keywords: public attention, COVID-19, internet monitoring, search index