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Yang Zhao,1,2 Xu Tong Yang,1 Yan Ping Bai,3 Lin Feng Li2 1Department of Dermatology, Daxing Teaching Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 102600, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Lin Feng Li, Department of Dermatology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, 95 Yong an Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100050, People’s Republic of China, Email zoonli@sina.comBackground and Aim: Psoriasis is a persistent inflammatory disorder that affects 3% of the population and is associated with cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlations between complete blood cell count (CBC)-derived inflammatory biomarkers, psoriasis prevalence, and all-cause mortality.Methods: Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2003– 2006 and 2009– 2014. Mortality data up to December 31, 2019 were obtained using the National Death Index. The following CBC-derived inflammatory biomarkers were examined: neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil/(white blood cells ˗ neutrophils) ratio (dNLR), monocyte count/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), (neutrophil + monocyte)/lymphocyte ratio (NMLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI). Weighted logistic and Cox regression analyses were used to calculate odds ratios, hazard ratios, and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Additionally, the prognostic value of the inflammatory indicators was assessed and ranked using the random survival forest approach.Results: In total, data from 21,431 participants with average age of 45.02 ± 0.27 years (49.51% male) were included in the study, among which 600 participants were positive for psoriasis (prevalence rate, 2.80%). Additionally, 79 all-cause deaths were recorded during a median follow-up period of 8.83 (6.67– 11.00) years. Moreover, NLR, dNLR, NMLR, PLR, and SIRI were positively associated with the prevalence of psoriasis. Furthermore, MLR, NMLR, and SIRI were positively correlated with all-cause mortality in patients with psoriasis, with NMLR being the most valuable predictor of all-cause mortality.Conclusion: CBC-derived inflammatory biomarkers were associated with psoriasis prevalence, NMLR, SIRI, and MLR values were associated with all-cause mortality in patients with psoriasis. Overall, assessment of these CBC-derived indicators may serve as a simple method for screening high-risk individuals among patients with psoriasis.Keywords: association, biomarker, inflammatory, NHANES, psoriasis

Xin-Yu Li,1,2 Xi-Tao Yang1 1Department of Interventional Therapy, Multidisciplinary Team of Vascular Anomalies, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xi-Tao Yang, Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 639 Zhizaoju Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, 200011, People’s Republic of China, Email xitao123456@126.comBackground: RNA methylation is one of the most common RNA modifications and is dynamic and reversible. The enzymes and downstream effectors associated with RNA methylation modifications can be targeted to regulate RNA methylation levels. This mechanism can affect RNA processing, metabolism, cell proliferation and migration, and regulation of physiological or pathological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of RNA methylation-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods: Baseline RNA methylation data were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The expression pattern, predictive value, mutational profile, and interaction network of RNA methylation genes in pancancer were examined. Then, the association between the expression of RNA methylation genes and immune infiltration was investigated. In addition, a risk score model for HCC was developed and analyzed.Results: Cancer cells had a higher expression of RNA methylation genes than normal cells in some cancer cells, and a higher expression of RNA methylation genes could negatively affect patient prognosis. Enrichment analysis revealed that RNA methylation genes are involved in the mRNA surveillance pathway and RNA degradation and transport. A 4-gene (ALYREF, NSUN4, TRMT6, YTHDF1) prognostic signature was established to predict HCC prognosis based on RNA methylation-related genes. Finally, the role of prognostic models in HCC was validated.Conclusion: RNA methylation genes can be an indicator of oncogenicity in relation to HCC prognosis and are associated with immune infiltration in the tumour microenvironment. This finding could provide clinicians with the opportunity to explore new strategic approaches.Keywords: RNA methylation, pan-cancer, genes

Hong-Fang Zhi,1,* Liu-Feng Yang,2,* Jing Ge,2 Xuan-Tao Yang3 1Department of Pathology, Kunming Kingmed Institute for Clinical Laboratory, Kunming, 650506, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gynecology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province/Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province/ Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xuan-Tao Yang, Department of Pathology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province/Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, No. 157 of Jinbi Road, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-871-63638441, Email yangxt832@126.com Jing Ge, Department of Gynecology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province/Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, No. 157 of Jinbi Road, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-871-63638701, Email gejinggj9@126.comObjective: This study aimed to analyze the status of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in women in Yunnan in the south of China and their correlation with the grade of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).Methods: A total of 281 patients with CIN and HPV infection, diagnosed at Kunming Kingmed Institute for Clinical Laboratory between January 2019 and June 2021, were enrolled as the subjects of the study and underwent HPV genotyping and cervical histopathology.Results: The mean age of the 281 patients was 42.3 years, and the median age was 42 years. There were 79 patients in the low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) group, and 202 patients in the high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) group. The proportion of 30– 45 years old in HSIL group was 58%. Overall, single infections accounted for 76%, and HR-HPV infections accounted for 90.1%. The most common HR-HPV subtypes in the two CIN groups were almost the same, including HPV16, HPV58 and HPV52. The most common LR-HPV subtype in the two CIN groups was HPV43. There were no significant differences in ethnic and single or multiple infection rates among different CIN groups. Single infection of HPV43 and HPV81 was found in minority HSIL patients.Conclusion: HPV infection in Yunnan was dominated by single infection and HR-HPV. Patients aged 30 to 45 years were in the high incidence of HSIL, and the most common HR-HPV subtypes were HPV16, HPV58, and HPV52. Single LR-HPV infection exists in minority HSIL patients.Keywords: human papillomavirus, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Ming Tang,1,* Xue-Zhong Gu,2,* Peng-Chun Wu,3 Xuan-Tao Yang1 1Department of Pathology, the First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, the Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Hematology, the First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Yunnan Blood Disease Clinical Medical Research Center, the Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Kunming Kingmed Institute for Clinical Laboratory, Kunming, 650506, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xuan-Tao Yang, Department of Pathology, the First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, the Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, No. 157 of Jinbi Road, Xishan District, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 871 63638441, Email yangxt832@126.com Peng-Chun Wu, Department of Pathology, Kunming Kingmed Institute for Clinical Laboratory, K13-K14, Daliyuan Road, Chenggong District, Kunming, 650506, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 871 68172222, Email wupengchunwpc70@126.comObjective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, and mutations of NRAS, KRAS, BRAF and MAP2K1 genes in extranodal Rosai–Dorfman disease (RDD).Methods: The clinic opathological features of 27 patients with extranodal RDD were retrospectively analyzed, and the NRAS, KRAS, BRAF and MAP2K1 genes mutation were detected by Sanger sequencing.Results: The male to female ratio was 1.7:1. The average age was 46.9 years. There were skin lesions in 12 cases (44.4%) and head and neck lesions in 8 cases (29.6%). Microscopically, those patients with skin RDD had lesions characterized by clear and dark intervals and obvious emperipolesis, while in other parts, the background was more complex. About 21.1% (4/19) had mutations, including 3 mutations in NRAS 2 exon and 1 mutation in KRAS 2 exon. Two of the three NRAS mutations were located in the skin, accounting for 20% (2/10) of skin RDD.Conclusion: Extranodal RDD was more common in males than in females, and might occur in all ages, with a greater incidence in skin, head, and neck. Besides the obvious microscopic characteristics in those with skin RDD, the background of other parts was complex and easily missed or misdiagnosed. Some RDD with gene mutations, mainly in NRAS 2 exon, especially in skin RDD, support partial RDD is a clonal disease.Keywords: Rosai–Dorfman disease, clinical pathology, gene mutation, NRAS, KRAS, BRAF, MAP2K1, diagnosis, identification

Ming Tang,1,2 Peng-Jie Liu,3 Bing Yue,2 Xuan-Tao Yang,1 Guang-Yong Chen2 1Department of Pathology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Tumor Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, 650118, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Guang-Yong ChenDepartment of Pathology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 95 of Yongan Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100050, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 10 6301 4411Fax +86 10 6301 6616Email gycdr_sun06@163.comObjective: This study aims to explore the correlation between the expression of mutant p53 protein and cellular atypia in early differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma (DGA).Methods: A total of 107 cases of early DGA samples resected by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) were collected from the Pathology Department of Beijing Friendship Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019. The EnVision two-step immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of mutant p53 protein in these cancer tissues, and the correlation with cell atypia was analyzed.Results: In early DGA tissues, the expression rate of mutant p53 protein was significantly higher than in normal gastric mucosa (P < 0.01). However, the expression of mutant p53 protein was not correlated to age or gender (P > 0.05) but to the location of the tumor, depth of invasion, and degree of differentiation (P < 0.01). The expression of mutant p53 protein was closely correlated to cell atypia. Furthermore, this was weakly positive in low-grade atypical adenocarcinoma but strongly positive or negative in high-grade atypical adenocarcinoma, and there was a significant difference between these two (P < 0.01).Conclusion: Mutant p53 protein is highly expressed in early DGA, which can be used as an auxiliary index for the diagnosis of early gastric cancer. The different expression patterns of mutant p53 protein in high-grade and low-grade atypical gastric cancers suggest that these may have different genetic changes.Keywords: early gastric cancer, cell atypia, mutation, P53 protein

Aim: Perineal wound complications after abdominoperineal resection (APR) have become a major clinical challenge. Myocutaneous flap closure has been proposed in place of primary closure to improve wound healing. We conducted this comprehensive meta‐analysis to evaluate the current scientific evidence of primary closure vs myocutaneous flap closure of perineal defects following APR for colorectal disease. Methods: We systematically searched the MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases to identify all relevant studies. After data extraction from the included studies, meta‐analysis was performed to compare perioperative outcomes of primary closure and myocutaneous flap closure. Results: Eighteen studies with a total of 17 913 patients (16 346 primary closure vs 1567 myocutaneous flap closure) were included. We found that primary closure was significantly associated with higher total perineal wound complications (P = 0.007), major perineal wound complications (P < 0.001) and perineal wound infection (P = 0.001). On the other hand, myocutaneous flap closure takes more operation time (P < 0.001) and increases the risk of perineal wound dehiscence (P = 0.01), deep surgical site infection (P < 0.001), enterocutaneous fistulas (P = 0.03) and return to the operating room (P = 0.0005). There were no significant differences between the two groups for other outcomes. Conclusions: This is the first systematic review with meta‐analysis comparing primary closure with myocutaneous flap closure of perineal defects after APR for colorectal disease. Although taking more operation time and an increased risk of specific complications, the pooled results have validated the use of myocutaneous flaps for reducing total/major perineal wound complications. More investigations are needed to draw definitive conclusions on this dilemma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental behaviors of heavy metal in soil are strongly influenced by seasonal freeze-thaw events at the mid-high altitudes. However, the potential impact mechanisms of freeze-thaw cycles on the vertical migration of heavy metal are still poor understood. This study aimed to explore how exogenous cadmium (Cd) migrated and remained in soil during the in-situ seasonal freeze-thaw action using rare earth elements (REEs) as tracers. As a comparison, soil which was incubated in the controlled laboratory (25 °C) was employed. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the Cd levels of different soil depths under different treatments, the original aggregate sources of Cd in the 5-10 cm and 10-15 cm soil layers differed. From the distributions of REEs in soil profile, it can be known that Cd in the subsurface of field incubated soil was mainly from the breakdown of >0.50 mm aggregates, while it was mainly from the <0.106 mm aggregates for the laboratory incubated soil. Furthermore, the dissolved and colloidal Cd concentrations were 0.47 μg L -1 and 0.62 μg L -1 in the leachates from field incubated soil than those from control soil (0.21 μg L -1 and 0.43 μg L -1 ). Additionally, the colloid-associated Cd in the leachate under field condition was mainly from the breakdown of >0.25 mm aggregates and the direct migration of <0.106 mm aggregates, while it was the breakdown of >0.50 mm and the direct migration of <0.106 mm aggregates for the soil under laboratory condition. Our results for the first time provided insights into the fate of exogenous contaminants in seasonal frozen regions using the rare earth element tracing method., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To summarize the clinical characteristics and investigate the efficacy of ethanol embolotherapy in the treatment of chest well arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Treatment-associated complications were also explored., Materials and Methods: Between March 2017 and August 2021, 32 consecutive patients (mean age, 23.7 years; age range, 5-54 years) who underwent ethanol embolotherapy for chest well AVMs under general anesthesia were included in this study. Embolization was performed through a direct puncture, transarterial catheterization, or a combination of the 2 procedures. The mean follow-up duration after the last treatment was 18.0 months (range, 3-42 months). The degree of devascularization on follow-up (assessed using angiography or computed tomography), and the clinical signs and symptoms of AVMs were evaluated as the therapeutic outcomes. The major and minor complications associated with the procedures were recorded., Results: A total of 103 embolization procedures (mean, 3.2; range, 2-7) comprising 101 ethanol embolization and 2 coil embolizations were performed on 32 patients with chest wall AVMs. The AVM nidus was accessed through the transarterial approach alone in 4 patients, by direct puncture in 11, and a combined procedure in 17 patients. Overall, more than 80% of the procedures were performed using the combined approach. Complete AVM devascularization was achieved in 12 (37.5%) patients. Moreover, 76% to 99% AVM was achieved in 18 patients (56.3%), and 50% to 75% in 2 patients (6.3%). Bleeding, pain, heart failure, and cosmetic deformities were the indications for treatment. For 3 patients (3/32, 9.4%) who had bleeding, the treatment stopped the hemorrhage. Complete pain relief was reported in 8 patients (8/32, 25.0%), whereas complete relief from congestive heart failure post-embolization was observed in 5 of the 6 patients with congestive heart failure (5/6, 83.3%). Complete correction of cosmesis deformities after embolization was achieved in 10 patients (10/32, 31.3%). Two patients who underwent surgery to correct persistent deformity after embolization only showed insignificant improvement. In addition, 6 (18.8%) patients developed 13 complications including blister, necrosis, hemothorax, transient hemoglobinuria, and transient pulmonary artery hypertension., Conclusions: Ethanol embolotherapy is a safe and effective procedure for chest well AVMs. Surgery is required for some patients with residual cosmesis deformity., Clinical Impact: Currently, there is no standard treatment for chest well AVMs due to their rarity and high heterogeneity. The present study shows that thanol embolotherapy is a safe and clinically effective treatment procedure for the chest well AVMs. Transarterial embolization in combination with direct puncture embolization can reach the AVM nidus. Ethanol embolotherapy can achieve complete obliteration of the AVM nidus in the majority of patients. Surgery may still be needed to correct cosmetic deformity after embolization. The present study provides valuable evidence to inform clinical decision-making., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The susceptibility evaluation of debris flow has excellent significance for people's life and property safety. The game theory combination weighting-normal cloud model is applied to evaluate its susceptibility in the paper. Firstly, the length ratio of the supply segment (X1), the longitudinal slope of the main ditch (X2), the slope of the mountain (X3), watershed area (X4), the relative difference (X5), the vegetation coverage (X6), as well as the daily maximum rainfall (X7) are adopted as the assessment index; the game theory combination weighting-normal cloud model is introduced. Secondly, the normal cloud model of specific debris flow hazards is established; the weight coefficient of each index is calculated using the game theory combination weighting method, and the membership degree of each index is determined using the cloud model; finally, conclusions are drawn that the results obtained by the suggested method are consistent with the actual investigation for eight different gullies. Its accuracy reaches 100% for the proposed method, which is higher than the results from the gray extension model (62.5%); its assessment results predict the susceptibility level of debris flow hazards accurately and further determine the susceptibility grade ranking for different gullies at the same level. Therefore, it can provide a new method and thought for the susceptibility assessment of debris flow hazards in the future., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Gu. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: The diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy (TP) presents a significant challenge due to the low bacterial load in pleural effusion (PE) samples. Cell-free Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA (cf-TB) in PE samples is considered an optimal biomarker for diagnosing TP. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of cf-TB testing across diverse research sites with a relatively large sample size., Methods: Patients suspected of TP and presenting with clinical symptoms and radiological evidence of PE were consecutively enrolled by treating physicians from 11 research sites across 6 provinces in China between April 2020 and August 2022. Following centrifugation, sediments obtained from PE were used for Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and mycobacterial culture, while the supernatants were subjected to cf-TB testing. This study employed a composite reference standard to definite TP, which was characterized by any positive result for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) through either PE culture, PE Xpert, or pleural biopsy., Results: A total of 1412 participants underwent screening, and 1344 (95.2%) were subsequently enrolled in this study. Data from 1241 (92.3%) participants were included, comprising 284 with definite TP, 677 with clinically diagnosed TP, and 280 without TP. The sensitivity of cf-TB testing in definite TP was 73.6% (95% CI 68.2-78.4), significantly higher than both Xpert (40.8%, 95% CI 35.3-46.7, P < 0.001) and mycobacterial culture (54.2%, 95% CI 48.4-59.9, P < 0.001). When clinically diagnosed TP was incorporated into the composite reference standard for sensitivity analysis, cf-TB testing showed a sensitivity of 46.8% (450/961, 95% CI 43.7-50.0), significantly higher than both Xpert (116/961, 12.1%, 95% CI 10.2-14.3, P < 0.001) and mycobacterial culture (154/961, 16.0%, 95% CI 13.8-18.5, P < 0.001). The specificities of cf-TB testing, Xpert, and mycobacterial culture were all 100.0%., Conclusions: The performance of cf-TB testing is significantly superior to that of Xpert and mycobacterial culture methods, indicating that it can be considered as the primary diagnostic approach for improving TP detection. Trial registration The trial was registered on Chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2000031680, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=49316 )., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: This study aimed to quantify the global stroke burden attributable to low physical activity and high body mass index in adults aged ≥55 years using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study., Methods: We extracted data on stroke mortality, disability-adjusted life years, and risk factor exposure from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study for people aged ≥55 years. We calculated the population-attributable fraction and absolute number of stroke cases and disability-adjusted life years attributable to low physical activity and high body mass index by location, age group, sex, and year., Results: Globally, body mass index and physical inactivity-attributable stroke burden have declined modestly since 1990, but with diverging escalatory regional trajectories. Population growth and aging drive this rising burden., Conclusions: Multidimensional, context-specific strategies focused on modifiable lifestyle risks are imperative to address the modest declines and escalatory regional trajectories in body mass index and physical inactivity-attributable stroke burden., Competing Interests: None.

Purpose: To judge the injury mode and injury severity of the real human body through the measured values of anthropomorphic test devices (ATD) injury indices, the mapping relationship of lumbar injury between ATD and human body model (HBM) was explored., Methods: Through the ATD model and HBM simulation, the mapping relationship of lumbar injury between the 2 subjects was explored. The sled environment consisted of a semi-rigid seat with an adjustable seatback angle and a 3-point seat belt system with a seatback-mounted D-ring. Three seatback recline states of 25°, 45°, and 65° were designed, and the seat pan angle was maintained at 15°. A 23 g, 47 km/h pulse was used. The validity of the finite element model of the sled was verified by the comparison of ATD simulation and test results. ATD model was the test device for human occupant restraint for autonomous vehicles (THOR-AV) dummy model and HBM was the total human model for safety (THUMS) v6.1. The posture of the 2 models was adjusted to adapt to the 3 seat states. The lumbar response of THOR-AV and the mechanical and biomechanical data on L1-L5 vertebrae of THUMS were output, and the response relationship between THOR-AV and THUMS was descriptive statistically analyzed., Results: Both THOR-AV and THUMS were submarined in the 65° seatback angle case. With the change of seatback angle, the lumbar spine axial compression force (F z ) of THOR-AV and THUMS changed in the similar trend. The maximum F z ratio of THOR-AV to THUMS at 25° and 45° seatback angle cases were 1.6 and 1.7. The flexion moment (M y ) and the time when the maximum M y occurred in the 2 subjects were very different. In particular, the form of moment experienced by the L1 - L5 vertebrae of THUMS also changed. The changing trend of M y measured by THOR-AV over time can reflect the changing trend of maximum stress of L1 and L2 of THUMS., Conclusion: The F z of ATD and HBM presents a certain proportional relationship, and there is a mapping relationship between the 2 subjects on F z . The mapping function can be further clarified by applying more pulses and adopting more seatback angles. It is difficult to map M y directly because they are very different in ATD and HBM. The M y of ATD and stress of HBM lumbar showed a similar change trend over time, and there may be a hidden mapping relationship., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Chinese Medical Association. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Electrolyte plays a crucial role in ensuring stable operation of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) have the potential to form a robust solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and mitigate Li dendrite growth, making them a highly promising electrolyte option. However, the principles governing the selection of diluents, a crucial component in LHCE, have not been clearly determined, hampering the advancement of such a type of electrolyte systems. Herein, the diluents from the perspective of molecular polarity are rationally designed and developed. A moderately fluorinated solvent, 1-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)propane (TNE), is employed as a diluent to create a novel LHCE. The unique molecular structure of TNE enhances the intrinsic dipole moment, thereby altering solvent interactions and the coordination environment of Li-ions in LHCE. The achieved solvation structure not only enhances the bulk properties of LHCE, but also facilitates the formation of more stable anion-derived SEIs featured with a higher proportion of inorganic species. Consequently, the corresponding full cells of both Li||LiFePO 4 and Li||LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 cells utilizing Li thin-film anodes exhibit extended long-term stability with significantly improved average Coulombic efficiency. This work offers new insights into the functions of diluents in LHCEs and provides direction for further optimizing the LHCEs for LMBs., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objectives: To describe the current state of research and future research hotspots through a metrological analysis of the literature in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification research., Methods: The data retrieved and extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), the core database of the Web of Science information service platform (hereinafter referred to as "WoS"), was used to analyze the trends and topic changes in research on forensic identification of human remains from 1991 to 2022. Network visualisation of publication trends, countries (regions), institutions, authors and topics related to the identification of remains in forensic anthropology was analysed using python 3.9.2 and Gephi 0.10., Results: A total of 873 papers written in English in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification research were obtained. The journal with the largest number of publications was Forensic Science International (164 articles). The country (region) with the largest number of published papers was China (90 articles). Katholieke Univ Leuven (Netherlands, 21 articles) was the institution with the largest number of publications. Topic analysis revealed that the focus of forensic anthropological remains identification research was sex estimation and age estimation, and the most commonly studied remains were teeth., Conclusions: The volume of publications in the field of forensic anthropological remains identification research has a distinct phasing. However, the scope of both international and domestic collaborations remains limited. Traditionally, human remains identification has primarily relied on key areas such as the pelvis, skull, and teeth. Looking ahead, future research will likely focus on the more accurate and efficient identification of multiple skeletal remains through the use of machine learning and deep learning techniques.

Background: Despite the efficacy of absolute ethanol (EtOH), its radiolucency introduces several risks in interventional therapy for treating vascular malformations. This study aims to develop a novel radiopaque ethanol injection (REI) to address this issue., Methods: Iopromide is mixed with ethanol to achieve radiopacity and improve the physicochemical properties of the solution. Overall, 82 male New Zealand white rabbits are selected for in vivo radiopacity testing, peripheral vein sclerosis [animals were divided into the following 5 groups (n = 6): negative control (NC, saline, 0.250 ml/kg), positive control (EtOH, 0.250 ml/kg), low-dose REI (L-D REI, 0.125 ml/kg), moderate-dose REI (M-D REI, 0.250 ml/kg), and high-dose REI (H-D REI 0.375 ml/kg)], pharmacokinetic analyses (the blood sample was harvested before injection, 5 min, 10 min, 20 min, 40 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h after injection in peripheral vein sclerosis experiment), peripheral artery embolization [animals were divided into the following 5 groups (n = 3): NC (saline, 0.250 ml/kg), positive control (EtOH, 0.250 ml/kg), L-D REI (0.125 ml/kg), M-D REI (0.250 ml/kg), and H-D REI (0.375 ml/kg)], kidney transcatheter arterial embolization [animals were divided into the following 4 groups (n = 3): positive control (EtOH, 0.250 ml/kg), L-D REI (0.125 ml/kg), M-D REI (0.250 ml/kg), and H-D REI (0.375 ml/kg); each healthy kidney was injected with saline as negative control], and biosafety evaluations [animals were divided into the following 5 groups (n = 3): NC (0.250 ml/kg), high-dose EtOH (0.375 ml/kg), L-D REI (0.125 ml/kg), M-D REI (0.250 ml/kg), and H-D REI (0.375 ml/kg)]. Then, a prospective cohort study involving 6 patients with peripheral venous malformations (VMs) is performed to explore the clinical safety and effectiveness of REI. From Jun 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023, 6 patients [age: (33.3 ± 17.2) years] with lingual VMs received sclerotherapy of REI and 2-month follow-up. Adverse events and serious adverse events were evaluated, whereas the efficacy of REI was determined by both the traceability of the REI under DSA throughout the entire injection and the therapeutic effect 2 months after a single injection., Results: The REI contains 81.4% ethanol (v/v) and 111.3 mg/ml iodine, which can be traced throughout the injection in the animals and patients. The REI also exerts a similar effect as EtOH on peripheral venous sclerosis, peripheral arterial embolization, and renal embolization. Furthermore, the REI can be metabolized at a similar rate compared to EtOH and Ultravist® and did not cause injury to the animals' heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys and brain. No REI-related adverse effects have occurred during sclerotherapy of VMs, and 4/6 patients (66.7%) have achieved complete response at follow-up., Conclusion: In conclusion, REI is safe, exerts therapeutic effects, and compensates for the radiolucency of EtOH in treating VMs., Trial Registration: The clinical trial was registered as No. ChiCTR2300071751 on May 24 2023., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: This study aimed to explore the incidence of occult lymph node metastasis (OLM) in clinical T 1 - 2 N 0 M 0 (cT 1 - 2 N 0 M 0 ) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients and develop machine learning prediction models using preoperative intratumoral and peritumoral contrast-enhanced CT-based radiomic data., Methods: By conducting a retrospective analysis involving 242 eligible patients from 4 centeres, we determined the incidence of OLM in cT 1 - 2 N 0 M 0 SCLC patients. For each lesion, two ROIs were defined using the gross tumour volume (GTV) and peritumoral volume 15 mm around the tumour (PTV). By extracting a comprehensive set of 1595 enhanced CT-based radiomic features individually from the GTV and PTV, five models were constucted and we rigorously evaluated the model performance using various metrics, including the area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). For enhanced clinical applicability, we formulated a nomogram that integrates clinical parameters and the rad&#95;score (GTV and PTV)., Results: The initial investigation revealed a 33.9% OLM positivity rate in cT 1 - 2 N 0 M 0 SCLC patients. Our combined model, which incorporates three radiomic features from the GTV and PTV, along with two clinical parameters (smoking status and shape), exhibited robust predictive capabilities. With a peak AUC value of 0.772 in the external validation cohort, the model outperformed the alternative models. The nomogram significantly enhanced diagnostic precision for radiologists and added substantial value to the clinical decision-making process for cT 1 - 2 N 0 M 0 SCLC patients., Conclusions: The incidence of OLM in SCLC patients surpassed that in non-small cell lung cancer patients. The combined model demonstrated a notable generalization effect, effectively distinguishing between positive and negative OLMs in a noninvasive manner, thereby guiding individualized clinical decisions for patients with cT 1 - 2 N 0 M 0 SCLC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common component in the manufacture of daily plastic consumer goods. Recent studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to BPA can increase the susceptibility of offspring to mental illness, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we performed transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling in the adult mouse brain following prenatal exposure to low-dose BPA. We observed a sex-specific transcriptional dysregulation in the cortex, with more significant differentially expressed genes was observed in adult cortex from male offspring. Moreover, the upregulated genes primarily influenced neuronal functions, while the downregulated genes were significantly associated with energy metabolism pathways. More evidence supporting impaired mitochondrial function included a decreased ATP level and a reduced number of mitochondria in the cortical neuron of the BPA group. We further investigated the higher-order chromatin regulatory patterns of DEGs by incorporating published Hi-C data. Interestingly, we found that upregulated genes exhibited more distal interactions with multiple enhancers, while downregulated genes displayed relatively short-range interactions among adjacent genes. Our data further revealed decreased H3K9me3 signal on the distal enhancers of upregulated genes, whereas increased DNA methylation and H3K27me3 signals on the promoters of downregulated genes. In summary, our study provides compelling evidence for the potential health risks associated with prenatal exposure to BPA, and uncovers sex-specific transcriptional changes with a complex interplay of multiple epigenetic mechanisms., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

To study the long-term variation in ozone (O 3 ) pollution in Sichuan Basin,the spatiaotemporal distribution of O 3 concentrations during 2017 to 2020 was analyzed using ground-level O 3 concentration data and meteorological observation data from 18 cities in the basin. The dominant meteorological factors affecting the variation in O 3 concentration were screened out,and a prediction model between meteorological factors and O 3 concentration was constructed based on a random forest model. Finally,a prediction analysis of O 3 pollution in the Sichuan Basin urban agglomeration during 2020 was carried out. The results showed that:① O 3 concentrations displayed a fluctuating trend during the period from 2017 to 2020,with a downward trend in 2019 and a rebound in 2020. ② The fluctuating trend of O 3 concentration was significantly influenced by relative humidity,daily maximum temperature,and sunshine hours,whereas wind speed,air pressure,and precipitation had less impact. The linear relationships between meteorological factors were different. Air pressure was negatively correlated with other meteorological factors,whereas the remaining meteorological factors had a positive correlation. ③ The goodness of fit statistics ( R 2 ) between the predicted and actual values of the O 3 prediction model constructed based on random forest demonstrated a strong predictive performance and ability to accurately forecast the long-term daily variations in O 3 concentration. The random forest O 3 prediction model exhibited excellent stability and generalization capability. ④ The prediction analysis of O 3 concentrations in 18 cities in the basin showed that the explanation rate of variables in the prediction model reached over 80% in all cities (except Ya'an),indicating that the random forest model predicted the trend of O 3 concentration accurately.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role of vitamin B2 in the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Vitamin B2 intake has been postulated to modulate the screening rate for PCa by altering the concentration of prostate-specific antigen(PSA). However, the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA remains indeterminate. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database., Methods: From a pool of 20,371 participants in the NHANES survey conducted between 2003 and 2010, a cohort of 2,323 participants was selected for the present study. The male participants were classified into four distinct groups based on their levels of vitamin B2 intake. We employed a multiple linear regression model and a non-parametric regression method to investigate the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA levels., Results: The study cohort comprised of 2,323 participants with a mean age of 54.95 years (± 11.73). Our findings revealed a statistically significant inverse correlation between vitamin B2 intake (mg) and PSA levels, with a reduction of 0.13 ng/ml PSA concentration for every unit increase in vitamin B2 intake. Furthermore, we employed a fully adjusted model to construct a smooth curve to explore the possible linear relationship between vitamin B2 intake and PSA concentration., Conclusions: Our study in American men has unveiled a notable inverse association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, potentially posing a challenge for the identification of asymptomatic prostate cancer. Specifically, our findings suggest that individuals with higher vitamin B2 intake may be at a greater risk of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in the future, possibly indicating a detection bias. These results may offer a novel explanation for the observed positive correlation between vitamin B2 intake and prostate cancer., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To develop a deep learning model for automated age estimation based on 3D CT reconstructed images of Han population in western China, and evaluate its feasibility and reliability., Methods: The retrospective pelvic CT imaging data of 1 200 samples (600 males and 600 females) aged 20.0 to 80.0 years in western China were collected and reconstructed into 3D virtual bone models. The images of the ischial tuberosity feature region were extracted to create sex-specific and left/right site-specific sample libraries. Using the ResNet34 model, 500 samples of different sexes were randomly selected as training and verification set, the remaining samples were used as testing set. Initialization and transfer learning were used to train images that distinguish sex and left/right site. Mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used as primary indicators to evaluate the model., Results: Prediction results varied between sexes, with bilateral models outperformed left/right unilateral ones, and transfer learning models showed superior performance over initial models. In the prediction results of bilateral transfer learning models, the male MAE was 7.74 years and RMSE was 9.73 years, the female MAE was 6.27 years and RMSE was 7.82 years, and the mixed sexes MAE was 6.64 years and RMSE was 8.43 years., Conclusions: The skeletal age estimation model, utilizing ischial tuberosity images of Han population in western China and employing the ResNet34 combined with transfer learning, can effectively estimate adult ischium age.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), known for causing gastric inflammation, gastritis and gastric cancer, prompted our study to investigate the differential expression of cytokines in gastric tissues, which is crucial for understanding H. pylori infection and its potential progression to gastric cancer. Focusing on Il-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α, we analysed gene and protein levels to differentiate between H. pylori-infected and non-infected gastritis. We utilised real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for gene quantification, immunohistochemical staining, and ELISA for protein measurement. Gastric samples from patients with gastritis were divided into three groups: (1) non-gastritis (N-group) group, (2) gastritis without H. pylori infection (G-group), and (3) gastritis with H. pylori infection (GH-group), each consisting of 8 samples. Our findings revealed a statistically significant variation in cytokine expression. Generally, cytokine levels were higher in gastritis, but in H. pylori-infected gastritis, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were lower compared to H. pylori-independent gastritis, while IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α levels were higher. This distinct cytokine expression pattern in H. pylori-infected gastritis underscores a unique inflammatory response, providing deeper insights into its pathogenesis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Combination therapy (lenvatinib/programmed death-1 inhibitor) is effective for treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). We reveal that responders have better overall and progression-free survival, as well as high tumor mutation burden and special somatic variants. We analyze the proteome and metabolome of 82 plasma samples from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; n = 51) and normal controls (n = 15), revealing that individual differences outweigh treatment differences. Responders exhibit enhanced activity in the alternative/lectin complement pathway and higher levels of lysophosphatidylcholines (LysoPCs), predicting a favorable prognosis. Non-responders are enriched for immunoglobulins, predicting worse outcomes. Compared to normal controls, HCC plasma proteins show acute inflammatory response and platelet activation, while LysoPCs decrease. Combination therapy increases LysoPCs/phosphocholines in responders. Logistic regression/random forest models using metabolomic features achieve good performance in the prediction of responders. Proteomic analysis of cancer tissues unveils molecular features that are associated with side effects in responders receiving combination therapy. In conclusion, our analysis identifies plasma features associated with uHCC responders to combination therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to explore whether dietary live microbe intake is associated with various cognitive domains using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2014. And the specific relationship between low, medium and high dietary live microbe intake groups and cognitive ability of the elderly. Dietary live microbe intake was calculated from 24-h diet recall interviews. Cognitive function was assessed using the number symbol substitution test (DSST, which measures processing speed), the animal fluency test (AFT, which measures executive function), the Alzheimer's Registry sub-test (CERAD, which measures memory), and the Composite Z-score, which adds the Z-values of individual tests. Multiple linear regression models and restricted cubic bar graphs were used to investigate the relationship between live microbe intake and cognitive performance. A total of 2,450 participants aged 60 or older were included. Live microbe intake was positively correlated with cognitive ability on the whole. Specifically, when the intake of low, medium and high live microbe was > 2640 g, > 39 g and > 0 g respectively, the CERAD, DSST, AFT and compositive-Z score of the subjects increased with the increase of microbial intake (P < 0.05). In American adults age 60 or older, higher intakes of live microbes were associated with better cognitive performance, especially after a certain amount was reached., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Little is known about the extent of geographic variation in online health record usage and related demographic characteristics in the United States., Methods: In order to examine geographical variation in the usage of online e-health records (EHR) patient portals in the US, and the sociodemographic factors effects on the access and use of the EHR patient's portal. This study using data from the 2019 and 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey. Specifically, predictors associated with accessing patients' EHR portal were examined. Furthermore, geographic variation of EHR portal' availability and usage gap were examined and mapped., Results: Respondents had significantly higher likelihood to access EHR portals when they are higher educated, willing to seek health information online, insured and had regular providers (adjusted OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.44 - 2.80; adjusted OR = 3.51, 95% CI: 2.49 - 4.94; adjusted OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.05 - 5.43; adjusted OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.51 - 2.92, respectively). Individuals living in Central-West, South regions or other non-urban areas as well as deprived urban areas are less likely to access their EHR portals (adjusted OR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.41 - 0.89). Furthermore, we found that people living in the Midwest, Southern regions, and Mountain rural areas are more likely to have greater difficulties to access EHR than other regions. Therefore, populations residing in these underserved (deprived urban, rural or remote) areas tend to face more considerable obstacles to e-healthcare., Conclusions: Improve the disparities, accessibility, and educational initiatives on the usage of eHealth resources and encouragement from both healthcare providers and policymakers should be implemented with a particular focus on targeting non-urban areas and underserved population., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease, with onset usually occurring during childhood or adolescence. The aim of this study was to estimate the dynamic changes in the burden of asthma disease among adolescents (aged 15-39 years). Between 1990 and 2019, our comprehensive analysis spanned 204 nations and territories to ascertain the global prevalence of asthma. This extensive evaluation meticulously quantified the disease's burden by examining a range of critical metrics-including mortality rates, prevalence figures, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs)-across diverse demographics. Our investigation systematically segmented the data by age, gender, and year, as well as by geographical regions and the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), offering an in-depth perspective on the multifaceted impact of asthma worldwide. From 1990 to 2019, there was a global increase in the incidence cases of asthma among young adults, with the number rising from 6487957.18 (95 %UI: 4578735.08-8736387.55) to 7604488.39 (95 % UI:5428024.98-10177808.25). The prevalence rate of asthma among young adults exhibited a decline from 580.09 per 1,00,000 (95 %UI:481.37-757.28) to 504.28 per 1,00,000 (95 %UI:400.64-633.26). It is also noteworthy that the incidence rates in the remaining SDI regions, although lower, also showed varying degrees of increase in 2015. The age-standardized disease burden rate for asthma among young adults has exhibited a decline over the course of the previous three decades. Nevertheless, regions characterized by lower SDI demonstrate elevated age-standardized mortality rates for asthma, thereby warranting focused attention and prioritized allocation of medical resources., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Introduction: Cholesterol gallstone disease is a prevalent condition that has a significant economic impact. However, the role of the bile microbiome in its development and the host's responses to it remain poorly understood., Methods: In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of microbial and human bile proteins in 40 individuals with either gallstone disease or gallbladder polyps. We employed a combined proteomic and metaproteomic approach, as well as meta-taxonomic analysis, functional pathway enrichment, and Western blot analyses., Results: Our metaproteomic analysis, utilizing the lowest common ancestor algorithm, identified 158 microbial taxa in the bile samples. We discovered microbial taxa that may contribute to gallstone formation, including β-glucuronidase-producing bacteria such as Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Clostridium, as well as those involved in biofilm formation like Helicobacter, Cyanobacteria, Pseudomonas, Escherichia coli , and Clostridium. Furthermore, we identified 2,749 human proteins and 87 microbial proteins with a protein false discovery rate (FDR) of 1% and at least 2 distinct peptides. Among these proteins, we found microbial proteins crucial to biofilm formation, such as QDR3, ompA, ndk, pstS, nanA, pfIB, and dnaK. Notably, QDR3 showed a gradual upregulation from chronic to acute cholesterol gallstone disease when compared to polyp samples. Additionally, we discovered other microbial proteins that enhance bacterial virulence and gallstone formation by counteracting host oxidative stress, including sodB, katG, rbr, htrA, and ahpC. We also identified microbial proteins like lepA, rtxA, pckA, tuf, and tpiA that are linked to bacterial virulence and potential gallstone formation, with lepA being upregulated in gallstone bile compared to polyp bile. Furthermore, our analysis of the host proteome in gallstone bile revealed enhanced inflammatory molecular profiles, including innate immune molecules against microbial infections. Gallstone bile exhibited overrepresented pathways related to blood coagulation, folate metabolism, and the IL-17 pathway. However, we observed suppressed metabolic activities, particularly catabolic metabolism and transport activities, in gallstone bile compared to polyp bile. Notably, acute cholelithiasis bile demonstrated significantly impaired metabolic activities compared to chronic cholelithiasis bile., Conclusion: Our study provides a comprehensive metaproteomic analysis of bile samples related to gallstone disease, offering new insights into the microbiome-host interaction and gallstone formation mechanism., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Yang, Wang, Jiang, Zhang, Du, Li and Liu.)

Epilepsy is a profound disorder, accounting for roughly 1% of the global disease burden. It can result in premature death and significant disability. To comprehensively understand the current dynamics and trends of idiopathic epilepsy, a deep insight into its epidemiological attributes is vital. We evaluated the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years associated with idiopathic epilepsy from 1990 to 2019 using data and methodologies from the Global Burden of Disease Study. In 2019, there were approximately 2,898,222 individuals diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. Intriguingly, from 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence rate of idiopathic epilepsy was consistently lower in women compared to men. Over these three decades, global mortality connected to idiopathic epilepsy increased by 13.95%. However, within the same period, age-standardized death rates for idiopathic epilepsy decreased from 1.94 per 100,000 population to 1.46 per 100,000 population. Predictions indicate an increase in the incidence of idiopathic epilepsy across all age brackets through 2035, especially among the elderly aged 80 and above. Mortality rates are projected to climb for those aged 80 and above while remaining relatively unchanged in other age demographics. Idiopathic epilepsy continues to be a significant contributor to both disability and death. The findings of our study underscore the critical importance of incorporating idiopathic epilepsy management into modern healthcare frameworks. Such strategic inclusion can enhance public awareness of relevant risk factors and the range of available therapeutic interventions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: We have read and understood the BMJ policy on declaration of interests and declare no competing financial interests.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of modified Bikini approach periacetabular osteotomy in the treatment of developmental hip dysplasia under 50 years of age. Methods: The clinical data of 39 patients with developmental hip dysplasia who underwent periacetabular osteotomy in the Department of Orthopedics, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital from June 2016 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Among them, 20 patients (21 hips) underwent the improved Bikini approach (study group) and 19 patients (20 hips) underwent the improved Smith-Petersen approach (control group).In the study group, there were 3 males and 17 females, aged( M (IQR))27.5 (14.3) years (range:11 to 44 years).In the control group, there were 2 males and 17 females, aged 27.5 (19.3) years (range:17 to 47 years).Both groups were sutured in the same manner by the same physician.Incision length, operation time, intraoperative blood loss and complications were recorded.X-ray images, anterior central marginal angle (ACE), lateral central marginal Angle (LCE) and acetabulum tilt angle (Tonnis AI) were measured before and after the operation.The coverage rate of acetabulum to femoral head (AHI) was measured and calculated, and the healing time was observed.Harris Hip score, International Hip score (IHOT)-12 and visual analogue scale (VAS) were recorded before and after surgery.Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) score and patient and observer scar assessment scale (POSAS) score were recorded 12 months after surgery.The independent sample t test,Wilcoxon rank sum test, χ 2 test or Fisher exact test were used to compare the clinical efficacy between the two groups. Results: All patients successfully completed the operation.There was no significant difference in operation time and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups (all P >0.05).The incision length of the study group was smaller than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (10.5(5.0)cm vs. 15.0(3.0), W =309.000, P =0.007).Patients were followed up for (19.1±11.1) months (range:12 to 60 months).Femoral nerve stretching injury occurred in 2 cases and sciatic branch fracture occurred in 1 case in the study group, all of which recovered to normal at 3 months follow-up, while no corresponding injury occurred in the control group.Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury occurred in 3 cases in the study group and 2 cases in the control group.Delayed wound healing occurred in 1 case in each of the two groups, and both healed after re-operation debridement and suture.Pubic branch nonunion occurred in 4 patients in the study group and 5 patients in the control group.There were no serious complications such as sciatic nerve and femoral blood vessel injury between the 2 groups, and there was no statistical significance in the incidence of complications between the 2 groups (52.4%(11/21) vs. 40.0%(8/20), χ 2 =0.631, P =0.427).The clinical healing time of the patient was (4.5±1.3) months after surgery (range:3.0 to 8.0 months).There were no significant differences in ACE, LCE, Tonnis AI and AHI between the 2 groups (all P >0.05).At the last follow-up, there were no significant differences in VAS,Harris hip score and IHOT-12 score between the two groups (all P >0.05).The incision scars in the study group were smaller than those in the control group, and the differences in VSS and POSAS were statistically significant (all P <0.05). Conclusion: Compared with the improved Smith-Petersen approach, the improved Bikini approach has the same early clinical efficacy in the treatment of patients with developmental hip dysplasia under the age of 50, and has the advantages of smaller postoperative incision scars, more hidden and beautiful incision, and no serious complications, which is worthy of further study and promotion.

Objective: To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test. Methods: This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t -test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ (2) test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results: After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.

Background: Birth asphyxia causes hypoxia or inadequate perfusion to the organs of newborns, leading to metabolism dysfunctions including blood glucose disorders., Methods: Neonates with and without birth asphyxia were retrospectively recruited from 53 hospitals in Hubei Province from January 1 to December 31, 2018. In summary, 875, 1139, and 180 cases in the control group, the mild asphyxia group, and the severe asphyxia group were recruited, respectively. Neonatal blood glucose values at postnatal 1, 2, 6, and 12 h (time error within 0.5 h was allowed) were gathered from the medical records., Results: The incidence rates of hyperglycemia in the control group, the mild asphyxia group and the severe asphyxia group were 2.97%, 7.90%, and 23.33%, respectively (p < 0.001). Additionally, the incidence rates of hypoglycemia in the three groups above were 3.66%, 4.13%, and 7.78%, respectively (p = 0.042). The blood glucose values of neonates with hypoglycemia in the asphyxia group were lower than in the control group (p = 0.003). Furthermore, the blood glucose values of neonates with hyperglycemia were highest in the severe asphyxia group (p < 0.001). There were 778 and 117 cases with blood glucose records at four predefined time points in the mild and severe asphyxia group, respectively. The incidence of blood glucose disorders in the mild asphyxia group significantly decreased from postnatal 6 h (p＜0.05). However, we found no obvious changes of the incidence of glucose disorders within postnatal 12 h in the severe asphyxia group (p = 0.589)., Conclusion: Birth asphyxia is likely to cause neonatal blood glucose disorders, both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, during the early postnatal life. The neonates with severe asphyxia have higher incidence, worse severity and longer duration of blood glucose disorders than neonates with mild asphyxia., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Taiwan Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin, obtained from Trigonella foenum-graecum, Dioscorea, and Rhizoma polgonati, has shown high potential and interest in the treatment of various cancers such as oral squamous cell carcinoma, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, glioma, and leukemia. This article aims to provide an overview of the in vivo, in vitro, and clinical studies reporting the diosgenin's anticancer effects. Preclinical studies have shown promising effects of diosgenin on inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and growth, promoting apoptosis, inducing differentiation and autophagy, inhibiting tumor cell metastasis and invasion, blocking cell cycle, regulating immunity and improving gut microbiome. Clinical investigations have revealed clinical dosage and safety property of diosgenin. Furthermore, in order to improve the biological activity and bioavailability of diosgenin, this review focuses on the development of diosgenin nano drug carriers, combined drugs and the diosgenin derivatives. However, further designed trials are needed to unravel the diosgenin's deficiencies in clinical application., (© 2023. The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Artemyrianolide H (AH) is a germacrene-type sesquiterpenolid isolated from Artemisia myriantha, and showed potent cytotoxicity against three human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines HepG2, Huh7, and SK-Hep-1 with IC 50 values of 10.9, 7.2, and 11.9 µM, respectively. To reveal structure-activity relationship, 51 artemyrianolide H derivatives including 19 dimeric analogs were designed, synthesized, and assayed for their cytotoxicity against three human hepatoma cell lines. Among them, 34 compounds were more active than artemyrianolide H and sorafenib on the three cell lines. Especially, compound 25 exhibited the most promising activity with IC 50 values of 0.7 (HepG2), 0.6 (Huh7), and 1.3 µM (SK-Hep-1), which were 15.5, 12.0, and 9.2-fold higher than that of AH and 16.4, 16.3 and 17.5-fold higher than that of sorafenib. Cytotoxicity evaluation on normal human liver cell lines (THLE-2) demonstrated good safety profile of compound 25 with SI of 1.9 (HepG2), 2.2 (Huh 7) and 1.0 (SK-Hep1). Further studies revealed that compound 25 dose-dependently arrested cells at G2/M phase which was correlated with the up-regulation of both cyclin B1 and p-CDK1, and induced apoptosis through the activation of mitochondrial pathways in HepG2 cells. In addition, the migratory and invasive abilities in HepG2 cells after treatment with 1.5 μM of compound 25 were decreased by 89% and 86% with the increase of E-cadherin expression accompanied by the decrease of N-cadherin, vimentin expression. Bioinformatics analysis based on machine learning predicted that PDGFRA and MAP2K2 might be acting targets of compound 25, and SPR assays demonstrated compound 25 were bound with PDGFRA and MAP2K2 with K D value of 0.168 nM, and 8.49 µM, respectively. This investigation proposed that compound 25 might be considered as a promising lead compound for the development of antihepatoma candidate., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a large group of chemicals widely used in People's Daily life. There is increasing evidence of the cumulative toxicity of VOCs. However, the association between VOCs and the risk of COPD has not been reported., Objective: We comprehensively evaluated the association between VOCs and COPD., Methods: Our study included a total of 1,477 subjects from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including VOCs, COPD, and other variables in the average US population. Multiple regression models and smooth-curve fitting (penalty splines) were constructed to examine potential associations, and stratified analyses were used to identify high-risk groups., Results: We found a positive association between blood benzene and blood o-xylene concentrations and COPD risk and identified a concentration relationship between the two. That is, when the blood benzene and O-xylene concentrations reached 0.28 ng/mL and 0.08 ng/mL, respectively, the risk of COPD was the highest. In addition, we found that gender, age, and MET influence the relationship, especially in women, young people, and people with low MET., Significance: This study revealed that blood benzene and blood o-xylene were independently and positively correlated with COPD risk, suggesting that long-term exposure to benzene and O-xylene may cause pulmonary diseases, and providing a new standard of related blood VOCs concentration for the prevention of COPD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Lv, Li, Shen, You, Wen, Wang and Yang.)

Peri-urban vegetable field plays an essential role in providing vegetables for local residents. Because of its particularity, it is affected by both industrial and agricultural activities which have led to the accumulations of heavy metal in soil. So far, information on heavy metal pollution status, spatial features, and human health risks in peri-urban vegetable areas across China is still scarce. To fill this gap, we systematically compiled soil and vegetable data collected from 123 articles published between 2010 and 2022 at a national level. The pollution status of heavy metals (i.e., cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)) in peri-urban vegetable soils and vegetables were investigated. To evaluate the levels of heavy metal pollution in soil and human health risks, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and target hazard quotient (HQ) were calculated. The results showed that mean concentrations of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in peri-urban vegetable soils were 0.50, 0.53, 12.03, 41.97, 55.56, 37.69, 28.55, and 75.38 mg kg -1 , respectively. The main pollutants in peri-urban vegetable soil were Cd and Hg, and 85.25% and 92.86% of the soil samples had I geo > 1, respectively. The mean I geo values of this regions followed the order of northwest > central > south > north > east > southwest > northeast for Cd and northeast > northwest > north > southwest > east > central > south for Hg. The mean Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations in vegetables were 0.30, 0.26, 0.37, 0.54, 1.17, 6.17, 1.96, and 18.56 mg kg -1 , respectively. Approximately 87.01% (Cd), 71.43% (Hg), 20% (As), 65.15% (Pb), 27.08% (Cr) of the vegetable samples exceeded the safety requirement values. The vegetables grown in central, northwest, and northern China accumulated much more heavy metals than those grown in other regions. As the HQ values for adults, 53.25% (Cd), 71.43% (Hg), 84.00% (As), and 58.33% (Cr) of the sampled vegetables were higher than 1. For children, the HQ values were higher than 1 for 66.23% (Cd), 73.81% (Hg), 86.00% (As), and 87.50% (Cr) of the sampled vegetables. The findings of this study demonstrate that the situation of heavy metal pollution in peri-urban vegetable areas across China are not optimistic and residents who consume the vegetables are at high risk of health issues. To ensure soil quality and human health, strategies should be taken to guide vegetable production and remedy soil pollution in peri-urban areas with the rapidly urbanizing China., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Golgi apparatus (GA) is assembled as a crescent-like ribbon in mammalian cells under immunofluorescence microscope without knowing the shaping mechanisms. It is estimated that roughly 1/5 of the genes encoding kinases or phosphatases in human genome participate in the assembly of Golgi ribbon, reflecting protein modifications play major roles in building Golgi ribbon., Methods: To explore how Golgi ribbon is shaped as a crescent-like structure under the guidance of protein modifications, we identified a protein complex containing the scaffold proteins Ajuba, two known GA regulators including the protein kinase Aurora-A and the protein arginine methyltransferase PRMT5, and the common substrate of Aurora-A and PRMT5, HURP. Mutual modifications and activation of PRMT5 and Aurora-A in the complex leads to methylation and in turn phosphorylation of HURP, thereby producing HURP p725. The HURP p725 localizes to GA vicinity and its distribution pattern looks like GA morphology. Correlation study of the HURP p725 statuses and GA structure, site-directed mutagenesis and knockdown-rescue experiments were employed to identify the modified HURP as a key regulator assembling GA as a crescent ribbon., Results: The cells containing no or extended distribution of HURP p725 have dispersed GA membranes or longer GA. Knockdown of HURP fragmentized GA and HURP wild type could, while its phosphorylation deficiency mutant 725A could not, restore crescent Golgi ribbon in HURP depleted cells, collectively indicating a crescent GA-constructing activity of HURP p725. HURP p725 is transported, by GA membrane-associated ARF1, Dynein and its cargo adaptor Golgin-160, to cell center where HURP p725 forms crescent fibers, binds and stabilizes Golgi assembly factors (GAFs) including TRIP11, GRASP65 and GM130, thereby dictating the formation of crescent Golgi ribbon at nuclear periphery., Conclusions: The Ajuba/PRMT5/Aurora-A complex integrates the signals of protein methylation and phosphorylation to HURP, and the HURP p725 organizes GA by stabilizing and recruiting GAFs to its crescent-like structure, therefore shaping GA as a crescent ribbon. Therefore, the HURP p725 fiber serves a template to construct GA according to its shape. Video Abstract., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Broadband supercontinuum (SC) light sources generated through nonlinear effects in solid-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) have been widely used in spectroscopy, metrology, and microscopy, leading to great application successes. The short-wavelength extension of such SC sources, a longstanding challenge, has been the subject of intensive study over the past two decades. However, the exact mechanism of blue and ultraviolet light generation, especially for some resonance spectral peaks in the short-wavelength regime, is not yet fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that the effect of inter-modal dispersive-wave radiation, which results from phase matching between pump pulses at the fundamental optical mode and packets of linear waves at some higher-order modes (HOMs) propagating in the PCF core, might be one of the critical mechanisms that can result in some resonance spectral components with wavelengths much shorter than that of the pump light. We observed in an experiment that several spectral peaks resided in the blue and ultraviolet regimes of the SC spectrum, whose central wavelengths can be tuned by varying the PCF-core diameter. These experimental results can be interpreted well using the inter-modal phase-matching theory, providing some useful insights into the SC generation process.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy and safety of interventional embolization in the treatment of frontal arteriovenous malformation (AVM)., Methods: A retrospective study was used to analyze 9 patients with frontal AVM who were treated in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The patients were treated with interventional embolization under the guidance of DSA. The scope of lesions was observed through DSA, and the injection dose of sclerosing agent was predicted so that the drug could be injected into the lesion cavity. The efficacy, adverse reactions and complications of all patients were observed and analyzed., Results: Among the 9 patients, there were 7 males(77.8%) and 2 females(22.2%), aged from 1.5-20 years old. Local swelling or mass was the main reported symptom(66.7%). The blood supply arteries of the cases involved in this study included superficial temporal artery and ophthalmic artery. All patients received interventional embolization treatment under general anesthesia, a total of 19 times (each patient received 1-6 times, average 2.1 times/person), and the average single dose of absolute ethanol was 9.0 mL. A total of 80 coils (4.2 coils/time on average) were used for 5 times (80 coils/19 times) with absolute ethanol embolization. In addition, bleomycin was used 3 times, pingyangmycin was used 2 times, and 3% polydocanol was used 1 time to assist embolization. Among the 9 cases included in this study, 4 cases were cured, 3 cases were basically cured, 2 cases were improved, and the effective rate of treatment was 100%. No local or systemic complications were reported in all patients., Conclusions: In the treatment of frontal arteriovenous malformation, correct diagnosis according to clinical and imaging manifestations, and interventional embolization with anhydrous ethanol according to DSA angiography results can reduce trauma, improve symptoms, control lesions, and obtain relatively satisfactory treatment results. This scheme is safe and effective.

The differential transformer is an important component in the front-end electronics of high-precision capacitive position sensing circuits, which are widely employed in space inertial sensors and electrostatic accelerometers. The position sensing offset, one of the space inertial sensors' most critical error sources in the performance range, is dominated by the differential transformer asymmetry and requires a high-precision evaluation. This paper proposes a method to assess differential transformers' asymmetry and realize a prototype circuit to test a transformer sample. The results show that the asymmetry measurement precision can achieve 0.6 ppm for the transformer with an asymmetry level of about -278.2 ppm., (© 2023 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for treating steroid-refractory gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host disease (GI-aGVHD) . Methods: This analysis included 29 patients with hematology who developed steroid-refractory GI-aGVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in Huaian Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from March 2017 to March 2022. Among them, 19 patients underwent FMT treatment (the FMT group) and 10 patients did not (the control group). The efficacy and safety of FMT were assessed, as well as the changes in intestinal microbiota abundance, lymphocyte subpopulation ratio, peripheral blood inflammatory cytokines, and GVHD biomarkers before and after FMT treatment. Results: ① Complete remission of clinical symptoms after FMT was achieved by 13 (68.4%) patients and 2 (20.0%) controls, with a statistically significant difference ( P <0.05). Intestinal microbiota diversity increased and gradually recovered to normal levels after FMT and FMT-related infections did not occur. ②The proportion of CD3(+) and CD8(+) cells in the FMT group after treatment decreased compared with the control group, and the ratio of CD4(+), regulatory T cells (Treg), and CD4(+)/CD8(+) cells increased (all P < 0.05). The interleukin (IL) -6 concentration in the FMT group was lower than that in the control group [4.15 (1.91-5.71) ng/L vs 6.82 (2.40-8.91) ng/L, P =0.040], and the IL-10 concentration in the FMT group was higher than that in the control group [12.11 (5.69-20.36) ng/L vs 7.51 (4.10-9.58) ng/L, P =0.024]. Islet-derived protein 3α (REG3α) was significantly increased in patients with GI-aGVHD, and the REG3α level in the FMT group was lower than that in the control group after treatment [30.70 (10.50-105.00) μg/L vs 74.35 (33.50-139.50) μg/L, P =0.021]. Conclusion: FMT is a safe and effective method for the treatment of steroid-refractory GI-aGVHD by restoring intestinal microbiota diversity, regulating inflammatory cytokines, and upregulating Treg cells.

Objective: To detect the cell-free DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Cf-TB) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM), and to assess the diagnostic value of this method for TBM. Methods: We prospectively included patients with suspected meningitis from the Department of Tuberculosis, Beijing Chest Hospital, Department of Neurology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital and Department of Neurology, 263 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army from September 2019 to March 2022. A total of 189 patients were included in this study. Among them, 116 were male and 73 were female, aged from 7 to 85 years, with an average of (38.5±19.1) years. The CSF specimens of the patients were collected for Cf-TB, MTB culture and Xpert MTB/RIF. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis and the difference was statistically significant with P <0.05. Results: Among the 189 patients, there were 127 patients in the TBM group and 62 patients in the non-TBM group. The sensitivity of Cf-TB was 50.4% (95% CI 41.4%-59.3%), the specificity was 100% (95% CI 92.7%-100.0%), the positive predictive value was 100% (95% CI 92.9%-100.0%), and the negative predictive value was 49.6% (95% CI 40.6%-58.6%). Using clinical diagnosis as the gold standard, the sensitivity of Cf-TB was 50.4% (64/127), which was significantly higher than that of MTB culture (8.7%, 11/127) and Xpert MTB/RIF (15.7%,20/127) (all P <0.001). Using etiology as the gold standard, the sensitivity of Cf-TB was 72.7% (24/33), which was significantly higher than that of MTB culture [33.3%, 11/33, ( χ 2 =10.28, P =0.001)] and was similar to Xpert MTB/RIF (60.6%, 20/33) ( χ 2 =1.091, P =0.296). Conclusion: The sensitivity of the Cf-TB test was significantly higher than that of CSF MTB culture and Xpert MTB/RIF. Cf-TB may provide evidence for earlier diagnosis and treatment of TBM.

Transition metal oxide (TMO) anodes show inferior sodium ion storage performance compared with that of lithium ion storage owing to the larger radium size and heavier elemental mass of Na+ than Li+. Effective strategies are highly desired to improve the Na+ storage performance of TMOs for applications. In this work, using ZnFe2O4@xC nanocomposites as model materials for investigation, we found that by manipulating the particle sizes of the inner TMOs core and the features of outer carbon coating, the Na+ storage performance can be significantly improved. The ZnFe2O4@1C with a diameter of the inner ZnFe2O4 core of around 200 nm coated by a thin carbon layer of around 3 nm shows a specific capacity of only 120 mA h g-1. The ZnFe2O4@6.5C with a diameter of the inner ZnFe2O4 core of around 110 nm embedding in a porous interconnected carbon matrix displays a significantly improved specific capacity of 420 mA h g-1 at the same specific current. Furthermore, the latter shows an excellent cycling stability of 1000 cycles with a capacity retention of 90% of the initial 220 mA h g-1 specific capacity at 1.0 A g-1. TEM, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and kinetic analysis show that the inner ZnFe2O4 core with reduced particle size and the outer thicker and interconnected carbon matrix synergistically improve the active reaction sites, integrity, electric conductivity, and pseudocapacitive-controlled contribution of ZnFe2O4@xC nanocomposites, thus leading to an overall enhanced Na+ storage performance. Our findings create a universal, facile, and effective method to enhance the Na+ storage performance of the TMO@C nanomaterials., (© 2023 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

To evaluate soil quality status of forest, grassland, and cropland in the southern and northern Tibetan Plateau, and to clarify the key influencing factors of productivity levels under three land use types, we measured the basic physical and chemical properties of 101 soil samples collected in the northern and southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to select three indicators as the minimum data set (MDS) to comprehensively evaluate soil quality of the southern and northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The result showed that soil physical and chemical properties of the three land use types were significantly different in the north and south. The contents of soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK) in the north were higher than those in the south, while the contents of SOM and TN of forest were signi-ficantly higher than those of cropland and grassland in both the north and south. Soil ammonium (NH 4 + -N) content showed a pattern of cropland > forest > grassland, with significant difference in the south. Soil nitrate (NO 3 - -N) content in the north and south was the highest in the forest. Soil bulk density (BD) and electrical conductivity (EC) of cropland were significantly higher than those of grassland and forest, and that of cropland and grassland in the northern part was higher than that of southern part. Soil pH of grassland in the south was significantly higher than that of forest and cropland, and that of forest was the highest in northern part. The selected indicators for eva-luating soil quality in the north were SOM, AP, and pH, and soil quality index of forest, grassland, and cropland was 0.56, 0.53 and 0.47. The selected indicators were SOM, total phosphorus (TP), and NH 4 + -N in the south, and soil quality index of grassland, forest and cropland was 0.52, 0.51 and 0.48, respectively. There was a significant correlation between soil quality index obtained by the total data set and the minimum data set, and the regression coefficient was 0.69. Soil quality in the north and south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were grade Ⅲ, and soil organic matter was the main indicator limiting soil quality in this area. Our results provide a scientific basis for eva-luating soil quality and ecological restoration in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

During the past several years, the COVID-19 pandemic has had pronounced impacts on traffic safety. Existing studies found that the crash frequency was reduced and the severity level was increased during the earlier "Lockdown" period. However, there is a lack of studies investigating its impacts on traffic safety during the later stage of the pandemic. To bridge such a gap, this study selects Salt Lake County, Utah as the study area and employs statistical methods to investigate whether the impact of COVID-19 on traffic safety differs among different stages. Negative binomial models and binary logit models were utilized to study the effects of the pandemic on the crash frequency and severity respectively while accounting for the exposure, environmental, and human factors. Welch's t-test and Pairwise t-test are employed to investigate the possible indirect effect of the pandemic by influencing other non-pandemic-related factors in the statistical models. The results show that the crash frequency is significantly less than that of the pre-pandemic during the whole course of the pandemic. However, it significantly increases during the later stage due to the relaxed restrictions. Crash severity levels were increased during the earlier pandemic due to the increased traffic speed, the prevalence of DUI, reduced use of seat belts, and increased presence of commercial vehicles. It reduced to a level comparable to the pre-pandemic later, owing to the reduction of speed and increased seat-belt-used to the pre-pandemic level. As for the incoming "New Normal" stage, stakeholders may need to take actions to deter DUI and reduce commercial-vehicle-related crashes to improve traffic safety., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Rockbursts have important influences on construction safety, so the risk assessment of rockburst intensity has great significance. Firstly, the depth of the rockburst, the uniaxial compressive strength, the stress concentration coefficients, the brittleness coefficients, and the elastic energy index are selected as the evaluation index. Secondly, an assessment model is developed based on the fuzzy variable theory. And the model is proposed to assess the rockburst intensity in the highway tunnel. Finally, the results demonstrate that the results derived from the proposed model are consistent with the current specifications; the accurate rate comes to 100%. The method can determine the risk level of rockburst intensity and provide an alternative scheme. Hence, the study can accurately present a new approach to assess the rockburst intensity in the future., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Alkaline fuel cells can permit the adoption of platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) catalysts and cheap bipolar plates, thus further lowering the cost. With the exploration of PGM-free hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) catalysts, nickel-based compounds have been considered as the most promising HOR catalysts in alkali. Here we report an interfacial engineering through the formation of nickel-vanadium oxide (Ni/V 2 O 3 ) heterostructures to activate Ni for efficient HOR catalysis in alkali. The strong electron transfer from Ni to V 2 O 3 could modulate the electronic structure of Ni sites. The optimal Ni/V 2 O 3 catalyst exhibits a high intrinsic activity of 0.038 mA cm -2 and outstanding stability. Experimental and theoretical studies reveal that Ni/V 2 O 3 interface as the active sites can enable to optimize the hydrogen and hydroxyl bindings, as well as protect metallic Ni from extensive oxidation, thus achieving the notable activity and durability., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objectives: To examine the reliability and accuracy of Walker's model for estimating the sex of Han adults in western China by using cranium three-dimensional (3D) CT reconstruction, and to study the suitable cranial sex estimation model for Han people in western China., Methods: A total of 576 cranial CT 3D reconstructed images from Hanzhong Hospital in Shaanxi Province from 2017 to 2021 were collected. These images were divided into the experimental group with 486 samples and the validation group with 90 samples. Walker's model was used by observer 1 to estimate the sex of experimental group samples. The logistic function applicable to Han people in western China was corrected by observer 1. The 90 samples in the validation group were scored and substituted into the modified logistic function to complete the back substitution test by observer 1, 2 and 3., Results: The accuracy of sex estimation of Han adults in western China was 63.2%-77.2% by applying Walker's model. The accuracy of modified logistic function was 82.9%. The accuracy of sex estimation through back substitution test by 3 observers was 75.6%-91.1%, with a Kappa value of 0.689 ( P <0.05) for inter-observer consistency and 0.874 ( P <0.05) for intra-observer consistency., Conclusions: There are great differences in bone characteristics among people from different regions. The modified logistic function can achieve higher accuracy in Han adults in western China.