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The aim of this study was to investigate the biological properties of a novel gut-specific cysteine protease in Trichinella spiralis (TsGSCP) and its role in larval intrusion, development and fecundity. TsGSCP has a functional C1 peptidase domain; C1 peptidase belongs to cathepsin B family. The TsGSCP gene cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 showed intensive immunogenicity. qPCR and Western blotting revealed that TsGSCP mRNA and protein were expressed at various T. spiralis stages, but their expression levels in intestinal infectious larvae (IIL) were clearly higher than those in muscle larvae (ML), adult worms (AWs) and new-born larvae (NBL). Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) analysis showed that TsGSCP was primarily located at the outer cuticle and the intrauterine embryos of this parasite. rTsGSCP showed the ability to specifically bind with IECs, and the binding site is within the IEC cytoplasm. rTsGSCP accelerated larval intrusion into host intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), whereas anti-rTsGSCP antibodies suppressed larval intrusion; the acceleration and suppression was induced by rTsGSCP and anti-rTsGSCP antibodies, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. When ML were transfected with TsGSCP-specific dsRNA, TsGSCP expression and enzymatic activity were reduced by 46.82 and 37.39%, respectively, and the capacity of the larvae to intrude into IECs was also obviously impeded. Intestinal AW burden and adult female length and fecundity were significantly decreased in the group of mice infected with dsRNA-transfected ML compared to the control dsRNA and PBS groups. The results showed that TsGSCP plays a principal role in gut intrusion, worm development and fecundity in the T. spiralis lifecycle and might be a candidate target for vaccine development against Trichinella intrusion and infection.

PURPOSE To examine the association between near work, screen time including TV and outdoor time with myopia in children from the Sunflower Myopia Asian Eye Epidemiology Consortium (AEEC). METHODS We analysed AEEC cross-sectional data (12 241 children) on risk factors (near work, screen time including TV and outdoor time) and myopia of six population-based studies (China, Hong Kong and Singapore). Cycloplegic refraction and axial length (AL) measurements were included. Risk factors were determined using questionnaires. Data were pooled from each study, and multivariable regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between risks factors and myopia, spherical equivalent (SE) and AL. RESULTS Among the included children, 52.1% were boys, 98.1% were Chinese and 69.7% lived in urban areas. Mean±standard deviation (SD) for age was 8.8 ± 2.9 years, for SE was -0.14 ± 1.8 D and for AL was 23.3 ± 1.1 mm. Myopia prevalence was 30.6%. In multivariate analysis, more reading and writing (OR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11-1.24), more total near work (OR = 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09) and less outdoor time (OR = 0.82, 95% CI, 0.75-0.88) were associated with myopia (p's

Objective To study the influence of recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor as an adjuvant therapy on scar alleviation and inflammatory cytokines in patients with atrophic acne scar. Methods The random number table was employed to randomly assign 120 patients with atrophic acne scar into a test group and a control group.Both groups of patients were treated with CO

Background For pediatric pneumonia, the meteorological and air pollution indicators have been frequently investigated for their association with viral circulation but not for their impact on disease severity. Methods We performed a 10-year prospective, observational study in 1 hospital in Chongqing, China, to recruit children with pneumonia. Eight commonly seen respiratory viruses were tested. Autoregressive distributed lag (ADL) and random forest (RF) models were used to fit monthly detection rates of each virus at the population level and to predict the possibility of severe pneumonia at the individual level, respectively. Results Between 2009 and 2018, 6611 pediatric pneumonia patients were included, and 4846 (73.3%) tested positive for at least 1 respiratory virus. The patient median age was 9 months (interquartile range, 4‒20). ADL models demonstrated a decent fitting of detection rates of R2 > 0.7 for respiratory syncytial virus, human rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, and human metapneumovirus. Based on the RF models, the area under the curve for host-related factors alone was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], .87‒.89) and 0.86 (95% CI, .85‒.88) for meteorological and air pollution indicators alone and 0.62 (95% CI, .60‒.63) for viral infections alone. The final model indicated that 9 weather and air pollution indicators were important determinants of severe pneumonia, with a relative contribution of 62.53%, which is significantly higher than respiratory viral infections (7.36%). Conclusions Meteorological and air pollution predictors contributed more to severe pneumonia in children than did respiratory viruses. These meteorological data could help predict times when children would be at increased risk for severe pneumonia and when interventions, such as reducing outdoor activities, may be warranted.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is the 7th most common type of cancer in the world. Through the advantages of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) large-scale sequencing-based genome analysis technology, we can explore the potential molecular mechanisms that can improve the prognosis of HNSC patients.The HNSC transcriptome and clinical data were downloaded from TCGA database. A univariate survival analysis and differential expression analysis were conducted to obtain the intersection gene set. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, modular analysis, and Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analysis were then conducted to identify the hub genes. Clinical correlation analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed on the identified hub genes to determine the prognostic impact of hub genes on HNSC patients.In total, 601 intersecting gene sets were obtained. A modular analysis was conducted, and the highest scoring module was 19.304. Based on the GO/KEGG enrichment analysis results, CD247 molecule (CD247) was ultimately selected as the gene for this study. The CD247 were divided into a high-expression group and a low-expression group. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the 2 groups (P0.0001). The median survival time of the low-expression CD247 group was 30.9 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 36.4%. While the median survival time of the high-expression CD247 group was 68.8 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 52.3%. The clinical correlation analysis showed that CD247 was significantly negatively correlated with pathological tumor stage (pT) and pathological nodal extracapsular spread. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) showed that CD247 activating KEGG pathway hsa04650 and hsa04660.CD247 is an independent protective factor in the prognosis of HNSC patients. By activating the hsa04650 and hsa04660 pathways, the expression of interferon gamma, interleukin (IL)-2, and IL-10 is promoted, which in turn improves the tumor immune monitoring ability of the body, induces tumor cell apoptosis, and inhibits tumor cell growth. CD247 is a potential target for improving the clinical treatment effect of HNSC and the prognosis of patients.

The bicyclometalated iridium(III) complexes bearing 2,4-diphenylquinoline with fluorinated picolinates and methoxy picolinates as ancillary ligands were synthesized, and the effects of substituent groups at the ancillary ligands on the photophysical and electrochemiluminescent properties of the cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes were also investigated. The cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes with methoxy picolinates were obtained by a tandem reaction under a mild condition. All these complexes display the intense orange phosphorescence with the peak wavelengths at 586–600 nm. It is significant to note that the 6-position substitution of picolinates reduces the stability of the cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes, and the luminous and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) efficiency is accordingly reduced. Electrochemical testing suggested that the low oxidation potential could be beneficial to improve ECL efficiency. Moreover, the electron-donating methoxy group may result in the increase of photoluminescence (PL) and ECL efficiencies of the iridium(III) complexes, whereas the electron-withdrawing fluorine groups may lead to reducing of both PL and ECL efficiencies. Especially, the ECL intensity of the cyclometalated iridium(III) complex with 3,5-dimethoxy picolinate is ca. 11 times higher than that of the typical [Ru(bpy)3]2+(bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine).The ECL intensity of complex MeOIr4 is 11 times higher than that of the typical [Ru(bpy)3]2+.

Introduction: Recently, molecular epidemiological studies have suggested that aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 G>A polymorphism may be a risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS). However, the results reported have not been consistent. Methods: We conducted the meta-analysis to explore the precise association between ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism and IS risk. Five online databases were searched and the relative studies were reviewed from inception to October 1, 2018. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in each genetic model of the general and subgroup. Furthermore, the heterogeneity, accumulative analyses, sensitivity analyses and publication bias were calculated simultaneously. Results: Overall, nine case-control studies involving 6,129 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. All studies were focused on the Chinese population and some significant associations were found between ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism and IS risk (A vs G: OR=1.29, 95% CI=1.01-1.65, P=0.04, I2=78.2%; AA vs GG: OR=1.86, 95% CI=1.27-2.21, P A polymorphism may play an important role in the occurrence of IS by reducing the activity of ALDH2 and interfering with the metabolic processes involving acetaldehyde.

Yi-ni Ma,1,* Li-xiang Zhang,2,* Yuan-yuan Hu,3 Tian-lu Shi1 1Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Tian-lu ShiDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-18900518553Email ahslyy4224@163.comObjective: This study established an individualized nomogram for predicting the risk of multidrug-resistant bacterial (MDRB) infectionin patients with the diabetic foot (DF), and providing a reference for clinical prevention and treatment.Methods: A total of 199 DF patients admitted to the hospital from July 2015 to December 2018 were included in this study. The pathogenic bacteria at the site of infection were detected and the factors affecting the occurrence of MDRB infection in DF patients summarized. The R software was used to draw the nomogram, and the Bootstrap Method used to internally verify the model. The calibration curve and the Harrell’s Concordance Index (C-index) were used to evaluate the predictive effect of the nomogram model.Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that age, course of diabetes, previous use of antibacterial drugs, types of antibacterial drugs, and osteoporosis were risk factors for multidrug-resistant infectionsin DF (P< 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC, Area Under Curve) of the nomogram model after internal verification was 0.773 (95% CI: 0.704– 0.830). The mean absolute error between the predicted probability of infection in the nomogram and the actual occurrence of MDRB was 0.032, indicating that the nomogram model had good forecasting efficiency and stability.Conclusion: The risk factors for multidrug-resistant infections in DF are age, course of diabetes, previous use of antibacterial drugs, types of antibacterial drugs used, and osteoporosis. The nomogram model drawn on these risk factors has good predictive accuracy and can assist medical staff in formulating targeted infection prevention strategies for patients.Keywords: diabetic foot, multidrug-resistant bacteria, infection, risk-factors, nomogram

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a novel phlebovirus in the Bunyaviridae family, causing SFTS with high mortality rate. Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks has been demonstrated as a competent vector of SFTSV by experimental transmission study and field study. However, there has been query whether other tick species that infest human beings in the SFTS endemic regions are capable of transmitting the pathogen. Here by performing experimental transmission study, we compared the capable of transmitting SFTSV among Ixodes sinensis, Ixodes persulcatus and Dermacentor silvarum ticks. The transovarial transmission was seen in the I. sinensis ticks with a rate of 40%, but neither in I. persulcatus nor in D. silvarum ticks. I. sinensis ticks also have the ability to transmit SFTSV horizontally to uninfected mice at 7 days after feeding, but not for I. persalcatus or D. silvarum ticks. In the transstadial transmission of I. persulcatus and D. silvarum ticks, I. persulcatus ticks were tested negative from larvae to adults. But the D. silvarum ticks were tested positive from larvae to nymphs, with the positive rate of 100% (10/10) for engorged larval ticks and 81.25% (13/16) for molted nymphs. However, the mice bitten by SFTSV-infected D. silvarum nymphs were negative for SFTSV detection. Therefore, there is not enough evidence to prove the transstadial transmission of SFTSV in I. persalcatus and D. silvarum ticks., Author summary Due to its wide distribution and high fatality rate (16%-30%), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has been listed in the top 10 priority diseases blueprint by the world health organization (WHO) in 2017. SFTSV is a novel phlebovirus in the Bunyaviridae family, and Haemaphysalis longicornis tick has been demonstrated as a competent vector of SFTSV by experimental transmission study and field study. However, there are many other tick species that infest human beings in the SFTS endemic regions. Therefore, it’s neccessary to query whether these tick species are capable of transmitting SFTSV. The authors found that in addition to H. longicornis ticks, Ixodes sinensis ticks also served as an efficient vector capable of transovarial transmitting SFTSV, therefore posing as a potential threat in causing the circulation of SFTSV. In contrast, Dermacentor silvarum and Ixodes persulcatus ticks might not serve as an efficient vector of transmitting SFTSV. This research will provide important reference for the surveillance of SFTSV and the disease prevention and control.

BACKGROUND Aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) plays an important role in the alcohol detoxification and acetaldehyde metabolism. Published studies have demonstrated some inconsistent associations between ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk. METHODS A meta-analysis was performed to provide pooled data on the association between the ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism and HNC risk. Electronic databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to examine the pooled effect size of each genetic model. In addition, heterogeneity test, accumulative analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were conducted to test the statistical power. RESULTS Thirteen publications (14 independent case-control studies) involving 10,939 subjects were selected. The stratified analysis indicated that both light/moderated drinking (e.g., GA vs. GG: OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.16 to 1.86, p A mutation (e.g., GA vs. GG: OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.11 to 4.77, p = 0.03, I2 = 81.9%). CONCLUSIONS In summary, this meta-analysis suggested that the ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism may play an important synergistic effect in the pathogenesis of HNC development in East Asians.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that interleukin-10 (IL-10) polymorphisms may be associated with the development of Behcet’s disease (BD). However, the published results were inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to derive a more precise relationship between IL-10 polymorphisms and BD susceptibility. Online databases (PubMed, Embase, Science Citation Index (SCI), CNKI, and WanFang) were searched to identify eligible studies. Odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to assess the relationship strength between IL-10 -1082A>G (rs1800896), -819T>C (rs1800871), and -592A>C (rs1800872) polymorphisms and BD susceptibility. Publication bias, sensitivity, and cumulative analyses were conducted to measure the robustness of our findings. Finally, fifteen articles (36 independent case-control studies) involving 5,971 patients and 8,913 controls were included. Overall, significant associations between -819T>C polymorphisms and BD risk were observed in the total population (C vs. T: OR=0.72, 95%CI=0.67‐0.77, P<0.01, I2=36.6%; TC vs. TT: OR=0.73, 95%CI=0.66‐0.80, P<0.01, I2=23.0%; CC vs. TT: OR=0.52, 95%CI=0.39‐0.70, P<0.01, I2=53.7%; TC+CC vs. TT: OR=0.67, 95%CI=0.61‐0.71, P<0.01, I2=22.1%; and CC vs. TT+TC: OR=0.66, 95%CI=0.53‐0.82, P<0.01, I2=57.8%). Moreover, the IL-10 -592 A>C polymorphism and the ACC haplotype exhibited a significant, protective effect against BD susceptibility. In summary, our meta-analysis suggested that IL-10 gene polymorphisms may play a salient role for BD development.

N-Heterocyclic carbene-palladacyclic complexes 3 were successfully achieved in a one-pot procedure under mild conditions. The structure of 3a was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction and it was an active catalyst in the Buchwald-Hartwig amination and α-arylation of ketones even at very low catalyst loadings (0.01 mol%).

A series of steric phenylpyridazine based homoleptic iridium(iii) complexes (1-3) have been synthesized with novel one-pot methods. Single X-ray structural analyses are conducted on complexes 1 and 2 to reveal their coordination arrangement. These complexes exhibit a very strong green phosphorescence emission with high quantum yields of over 64%. The relationship between photophysical properties and the substituent nature of the complexes is discussed by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT. Self-quenching is significantly reduced for these complexes in solid even at very high concentrations because the sterically hindered bicyclo [2.2.2] oct-2-ene and m-substituted CF3 spacers in the phosphor molecules lead to minimum bimolecular interactions. Accordingly, the electroluminescence device based on complex 3 exhibits a maximum luminous efficiency of 64.1 cd A-1 with a high EQE of 25.2% at a high doping concentration of 15 wt%. Meanwhile, when neat 3 was adopted as the emitting layer, the non-doped green device gives a state-of-the-art EQE as high as 15.2% (40.1 cd A-1) along with CIE coordinates of (0.346, 0.599).

The aim of this study was to ascertain the characteristics of a Trichinella spiralis cathepsin X (TsCX) and its role on larval invasion of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). The full-length of TsCX cDNA sequence was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The results of RT-PCR, IFA and Western blot revealed that TsCX was expressed at T. spiralis muscle larvae (ML), intestinal infective larvae, adult worm and newborn larvae, and it was located in whole worm section. The results of Far western and confocal microscopy demonstrated that there was a specific binding of rTsCX and IEC, and the binding site was located within the IEC cytoplasm. rTsCX promoted T. spiralis larval invasion of mouse IECs while anti-rTsCX antibody inhibited larval invasion into the IECs. Silencing TsCX by specific siRNA reduced the TsCX expression and larval invasive capacity. These results indicated that TsCX specifically binds to IECs and promotes larval invasion of intestinal epithelia, and it might be a potential target of vaccines against enteral stages of T. spiralis.

Objective: To study the improving effect of sputum aspiration combined with bronchoalveolar lavage by fiber bronchoscope on the condition and inflammation in lung cancer patients with postoperative pulmonary infection. Methods: A total of 78 patients with lung cancer who received surgical treatment in our hospital between August 2013 and January 2015 and were with postoperative infection were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into two groups, control group received mechanical ventilation therapy, observation group received bronchoalveolar lavage by bronchoscope combined with mechanical ventilation, and the inflammatory factor levels, RAAS system activity and respiratory mechanics indexes of two groups were determined after treatment. Results: 3 d after treatment, serum hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-8, PCT, renin, angiotensin II and aldosterone levels of observation group were lower than those of control group, and PIP, Raw and WOB values were lower than those of control group while Cdyn value was higher than that of control group. Conclusion: For lung cancer patients with postoperative pulmonary infection, bronchoalveolar lavage by bronchoscope combined with mechanical ventilation can optimize patients’ condition, relieve systemic inflammatory response and improve respiratory function, and it has positive clinical significance.

// Xin-Ya Du 1, * , Yuan-Yuan Hu 2, * , Chun Xie 1, * , Chun-Yan Deng 3 , Cai-Yun Liu 2 , Zhi-Guo Luo 5 , Yu-Ming Niu 2, 4 , Ming Shen 6, 7 1 Department of Stomatology, People’s Hospital of New District Longhua Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518109, China 2 Department of Stomatology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, China 3 Intensive Care Unit, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, China 4 Center for Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Research, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, China 5 Department of Clinical Oncology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan 442000, China 6 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, China 7 Department of Dental Implant, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Yu-Ming Niu, email: niuyuming@yeah.net Ming Shen, email: mingshen85@yahoo.com Keywords: let-7, KRAS, polymorphism, cancer Received: August 23, 2016 Accepted: January 06, 2017 Published: January 16, 2017 ABSTRACT Association between let-7-KRAS rs712 polymorphism and cancer risk was inconsistent. We therefore conducted this meta-analysis to clarify the association between let-7-KRAS rs712 polymorphism and cancer risk with STATA 14.0 software. A systemic literature search in online databases (PubMed, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang database) was preformed to obtain relevant articles. A total of 13 case-control studies involving 3,453 patients and 4,470 controls were identified up to May 16, 2015. The pooled results indicated that significantly increased risk were observed in Chinese population in T vs. G (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.03–1.42) and TT vs. GG + GT genetic models (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.17–2.42). Sensitivity analysis was conducted and the result without heterogeneity showed significant associations in all five genetic models. Subgroup analyses of cancer type indicated a similar result in digestive cancer (for T vs. G: OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.26–1.57; GT vs. GG: OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.07–1.43; TT vs. GG: OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.86–3.44; GT + TT vs. GG: OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.19–1.56; TT vs. GG + GT: OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.73–3.19). In summary, these evidences demonstrate that let-7-KRAS rs712 G > T polymorphism might be associated with digestive system cancer risk in the Chinese population.

Binarized convolutional neural networks (BCNNs) are widely used to improve memory and computation efficiency of deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) for mobile and AI chips based applications. However, current BCNNs are not able to fully explore their corresponding full-precision models, causing a significant performance gap between them. In this paper, we propose rectified binary convolutional networks (RBCNs), towards optimized BCNNs, by combining full-precision kernels and feature maps to rectify the binarization process in a unified framework. In particular, we use a GAN to train the 1-bit binary network with the guidance of its corresponding full-precision model, which significantly improves the performance of BCNNs. The rectified convolutional layers are generic and flexible, and can be easily incorporated into existing DCNNs such as WideResNets and ResNets. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed RBCNs over state-of-the-art BCNNs. In particular, our method shows strong generalization on the object tracking task.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging tick-borne infectious disease caused by a novel phlebovirus (SFTS virus, SFTSV), was listed among the top 10 priority infectious diseases by the World Health Organization due to its high fatality of 12%–50% and possibility of pandemic transmission. Currently, effective anti-SFTSV intervention remains unavailable. Here, by screening a library of FDA-approved drugs, we found that benidipine hydrochloride, a calcium channel blocker (CCB), inhibited SFTSV replication in vitro. Benidipine hydrochloride was revealed to inhibit virus infection through impairing virus internalization and genome replication. Further experiments showed that a broad panel of CCBs, including nifedipine, inhibited SFTSV infection. The anti-SFTSV effect of these two CCBs was further analyzed in a humanized mouse model in which CCB treatment resulted in reduced viral load and decreased fatality rate. Importantly, by performing a retrospective clinical investigation on a large cohort of 2087 SFTS patients, we revealed that nifedipine administration enhanced virus clearance, improved clinical recovery, and remarkably reduced the case fatality rate by >5-fold. These findings are highly valuable for developing potential host-oriented therapeutics for SFTS and other lethal acute viral infections known to be inhibited by CCBs in vitro.

Objective: A number of studies have reported that aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) polymorphisms maybe associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the results of such studies are inconsistent. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to clarify the association between ALDH2 polymorphisms and the risk of AD and PD. Methods: Five online databases were searched and the relevant studies were reviewed from inception through May 10, 2018. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in each genetic model of the general population and various subgroups. Furthermore, we simultaneously performed heterogeneity, cumulative, sensitivity, and publication bias analyses. Results: Overall, nine case-control studies involving 5,315 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. Potential associations were found between the ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism and the risk of AD (A vs. G: OR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.01–2.11, P = 0.05, I2 = 84.2%; AA vs. GG: OR = 2.22, 95%CI = 1.03–4.77, P = 0.04, I2 = 79.2%; AA vs. GG+GA: OR = 1.94, 95%CI = 1.03–3.64, P =0.04, I2 = 71.1%). In addition, some similar results were observed in other subgroups. Moreover, no significant association between ALDH2 polymorphisms and PD risk. Conclusions: In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated that the ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism plays an important role in AD development.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease that is caused by a novel bunyavirus SFTSV. Currently our knowledge of the host-related factors that influence the pathogenesis of disease is inadequate to allow prediction of fatal outcome. Here we conducted a prospective study of the largest database on the SFTS patients, to identify the presence of comorbidities in SFTS, and estimate their effect on the fatal outcome. Among 2096 patients eligible for inclusion, we identified nine kinds of comorbidities, from which hyperlipidemia (12.2%; 95% CI: 10.8%–13.6%), hypertension (11.0%; 95% CI: 9.6%–12.3%), chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) (9.3%; 95% CI: 8.1%–10.5%), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (6.8%; 95% CI: 5.7%–7.9%) were prevalent. Higher risk of death was found in patients with DM (adjusted OR = 2.304; 95% CI: 1.520–3.492; P, Author summary SFTS now brings about a substantial global public health concern. Preexisting chronic conditions were thought to increase risk of severe SFTSV infections, however with sparse data mining efforts. In this study, we quantified the frequency of chronic comorbidities in SFTS, estimated their contribution to disease severity, and separately evaluated the effect from diabetes mellitus and chronic viral hepatitis on resulting in fatal outcome.

Background: A comprehensive analysis on meteorological, clinical and epidemiological features of respiratory viruses has been rarely described. Here we aimed to analyze the impact of demographic, viral etiological, and meteorological effects on clinical outcome of hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs). Methods: A surveillance of hospitalized children with ARTIs was conducted in one sentinel hospital from 2009 to 2018 in Chongqing, China. Respiratory specimens were collected and tested for the presence of eight common respiratory viruses. Host related factors, clinical information, meteorological factors were used for the random forest (RF) algorithm and linear regression model analysis to determine the factors that might affect the development and severity of pneumonia. Findings Altogether 7533 children with ARTIs were enrolled, with 6580 developing pneumonia, including 990 with severe pneumonia. Altogether 70.35% (5269/7490) children were positive for at least one virus, 1411 with two kinds of viruses and 375 with ≥three kinds of viruses. Children were more likely to develop severe pneumonia when the infections occurred under meteorological factors with lower temperature, larger temperature difference, higher wind speed, precipitation, SO2, PM10, NO2 and PM2.5. These metrological variables, together with the host related factor (age < 15 months old, lower body weight, longer delay in admission), can attain a good accuracy (AUC, 0.92) in predicting the disease severity, while viral infection status contributed with less effect in the model. Interpretation The meteorological factors had remarkable impacts on the development of severity pneumonia, which was less affected by the respiratory viral etiologies. Funding Statement: This study was supported by the China Mega-Project for Infectious Diseases grant (2018ZX10713002, 2018ZX10101003-002, 2017ZX10103004), the Natural Science Foundation of China (81825019, 81621005) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities & Peking University Medicine Seed Fund for Interdisciplinary Research (BMU2018MX009). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interest. Ethics approval number: The study was reviewed and approved by the ethical review committees of CHCMU.

With the development of society and the rapid progress of science and technology, computer software development technology has brought new development trends, among which layering technology is a relatively common technology in software development. This article has conducted a series of research and discussion on the development trend of layered technology in the development of computer software. In modern society, the application of computer technology is more and more extensive, the technology used in computer software development is more and more diversified, and the traditional single-layer software system is more and more difficult to meet people’s requirements. As the actual requirements of users continue to increase, the application of layered technology in computer software development is becoming more and more common. The globalization of information technology has not only changed people’s production and lifestyle, but also improved people’s quality of life, and promoted the continuous progress of society and the times. As an important development field in the information age, software technology plays an important role. The situation of globalization is becoming more and more obvious. As one of the main means of cultural communication, information globalization depends to a large extent on the development and popularization of the Internet, and determines the speed of globalization. The computer is the external outlet of the Internet. The upgrading of computers is getting more and more attention. The development of network technology provides opportunities for the development of computers. In the process of computer software development, layering technology has improved the computer’s operational capabilities and data processing capabilities. These two improvements provide effective protection and bring us a better user experience. This article is based on the particle swarm algorithm to carry out research and discussion. The experimental research results show that the development trend of layering technology in computer software development has shown a trend of vigorous development. Under this trend, we should follow this pace and keep going.

Background To assess the corneal diameter and its associations in children. Design Cross-sectional school-based study. Participants The Shandong Children Eye Study included 6026 children aged 4-18 years. Methods Horizontal corneal diameter was measured by laser interferometry based ocular biometry. Main Outcome Measures Horizontal corneal diameter. Results Corneal diameter measurements were available for 5970 (99.1%) children. In multivariate analysis, larger horizontal corneal diameter (mean:12.02 ± 0.38 mm;median:10.0 mm;range:10.1-15.0 mm) was associated (regression coefficient r:0.41) with longer corneal curvature radius (P