Burden and trend of dietary risk-related colorectal cancer in China and its provinces: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the spatial pattern and temporal trend of colorectal cancer (CRC) burden attributed to dietary risk factors in China from 1990 to 2019 using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors study (GBD) 2019.

METHODS

Numbers and age-standardised rates of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and corresponding average annual percentage change (AAPC) were determined. The joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess the temporal trends of CRC deaths and DALYs from 1990 to 2019.

RESULTS

In China, the number of diet-attributable CRC deaths and DALYs in 2019 were 90.41 (95% uncertainty interval: 65.69, 114.67) and 2234.06 (1609.96, 2831.24) per-1000 population, marking 2.05% and 1.68% annual increases since 1990, respectively. The region with the highest increase in age-standardised rates (ASRs) of diet-related CRC deaths and DALYs was in Taiwan with an AAPC of 2.00% (1.51, 2.48), whereas the highest decline in ASRs of CRC deaths and DALYs was observed in Hong Kong with an AAPC of -0.63% (-0.90, -0.35) (all P < 0.05). Nationally, men suffered higher CRC deaths and DALY burdens attributable to dietary risks than did women. Regarding the specific diet group, diets low in calcium, milk, and whole grains contributed to CRC deaths and DALYs the most.

CONCLUSIONS

Diet is an important contributor to increasing CRC burden in China. Necessary measures should be taken to kerb the growing burden attributed to dietary factors, particularly in males and in regions with middle Socio-demographic Index or lower.

A rotational spectroscopy study of microsolvation effects on intramolecular proton transfer in trifluoroacetylacetone-(H2O)1-3

Trifluoroacetylacetone (TFAA) has two enol forms, which can switch to each other via proton transfer. While much attention has been paid to their conformational preferences, the influence of microsolvation on regulating the proton position remains unexplored. Herein, we report the rotational spectra of trifluoroacetylacetone-(water)n (n = 1-3) investigated by chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy in the 2-8 GHz frequency range. Two conformers were identified for both TFAA-H2O and TFAA-(H2O)2, while only one conformer was characterized for TFAA-(H2O)3. The results indicate that water binding on the CH3 side stabilizes the enolF form, whereas water binding on the CF3 side stabilizes the enolH form. The enolF form predominates over the enolH form in these hydrated complexes, which contrasts with the fact that only enolH exists in isolated TFAA. EnolH becomes preferred only when water inserts itself into the intramolecular hydrogen bond. Instanton theory calculations reveal that the proton transfer reaction is dominated by quantum tunneling at low temperatures, leading to the stable existence of only one enol form in each configuration of the hydrated clusters.

Competing risk nomogram predicting cause-specific mortality in older patients with testicular germ cell tumors

Background

Testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) is the most common type of malignancy in young men, but rarely in older adults. We aimed to construct a competing risk model to predict the prognosis for older patients with TGCT.

Methods

We collected TGCT patients aged 50 years or older diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We estimated the cumulative incidences of cause-specific death (CSD) and other causes of death and established a nomogram predicting cause-specific mortality in older patients with TGCT by Fine-Gray competing risk regression. The concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and decision analysis curves (DCA) were used to evaluate the differentiation, accuracy, and clinical significance of the nomogram.

Results

A total of 2,751 older TGCT patients were included in the study. The 3-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative incidences were 4.4, 5.0 and 6.1%, respectively, for cause-specific death, and 3.8, 6.2, 13.1%, respectively, for other causes of death. Predictors of cause-specific mortality in older TGCT included age, marital status, annual household income, histology, tumor size, stage and surgery. In the training and validation sets, the C-indexes were greater than 0.8, indicating that the nomogram had good discrimination. The AUC revealed the same result. The calibration curves showed good agreement between the predicted and observed results of the nomogram. DCA curves indicated that the nomogram had more clinical significance than the conventional American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging. Based on the total nomogram score of each case, all patients were categorized into low-risk and high-risk groups, and risk categorization allowed the identification of cases with a high risk of death.

Conclusion

We established a competing risk nomogram with good performance that may help clinicians accurately predict the prognosis of older TGCT patients.

Association of the triglyceride-glucose index variability with blood pressure and hypertension: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

Several studies have indicated that the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) index is associated with hypertension; however, evidence on the association of change in the TyG index with blood pressure and hypertension is limited.

AIMS

To assess the association of the TyG index with blood pressure and hypertension.

DESIGN

A cohort study.

METHODS

We included 17 977 individuals with a mean age of 60.5 years from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort. The TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglyceride (mg/dl)×fasting glucose (mg/dl)/2]. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg, self-reported current use of antihypertensive medication or self-reported physician diagnosis of hypertension.

RESULTS

In the longitudinal analyses, we found a linear dose-response relationship between changes in the TyG index and change in blood pressure. Each one-unit change in the TyG index was associated with a 1.93 (1.23-2.63) mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and a 1.78 (1.42-2.16) mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure (DBP). During a median follow-up of 9.37 years, a total of 3594 individuals were newly diagnosed with hypertension. We also found a linear dose-response relationship between the TyG index and the incidence of hypertension. The hazard ratio (HR) of hypertension for each one-unit increase in the TyG index was 1.21 (1.13-1.29). In addition, the best cut-off point of TyG for predicting hypertension was 8.4797, with sensitivity, and specificity of 57.85% and 55.40%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The TyG index had a positive dose-response relationship with blood pressure and could be used to predict the risk of hypertension.

Orbital Electrowetting-on-Dielectric for Droplet Manipulation on Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD), recognized as the most successful electrical droplet actuation method, is essential in diverse applications, ranging from thermal management to microfluidics and water harvesting. Despite significant advances, it remains challenging to achieve repeatability, high speed, and simple circuitry in EWOD-based droplet manipulation on superhydrophobic surfaces. Moreover, its efficient operation typically requires electrode arrays and sophisticated circuit control. Here, a newly observed droplet manipulation phenomenon on superhydrophobic surfaces with orbital EWOD (OEW) is reported. Due to the asymmetric electrowetting force generated on the orbit, flexible and versatile droplet manipulation is facilitated with OEW. It is demonstrated that OEW droplet manipulation on superhydrophobic surfaces exhibits higher speed (up to 5 times faster), enhanced functionality (antigravity), and manipulation of diverse liquids (acid, base, salt, organic, e.g., methyl blue, artificial blood) without contamination, and good durability after 1000 tests. It is envisioned that this robust droplet manipulation strategy using OEW will provide a valuable platform for various processes involving droplets, spanning from microfluidic devices to controllable chemical reactions. The previously unreported droplet manipulation phenomenon and control strategy shown here can potentially upgrade EWOD-based microfluidics, antifogging, anti-icing, dust removal, and beyond.

Measurements of All-Particle Energy Spectrum and Mean Logarithmic Mass of Cosmic Rays from 0.3 to 30 PeV with LHAASO-KM2A

We present the measurements of all-particle energy spectrum and mean logarithmic mass of cosmic rays in the energy range of 0.3-30 PeV using data collected from LHAASO-KM2A between September 2021 and December 2022, which is based on a nearly composition-independent energy reconstruction method, achieving unprecedented accuracy. Our analysis reveals the position of the knee at 3.67±0.05±0.15  PeV. Below the knee, the spectral index is found to be -2.7413±0.0004±0.0050, while above the knee, it is -3.128±0.005±0.027, with the sharpness of the transition measured with a statistical error of 2%. The mean logarithmic mass of cosmic rays is almost heavier than helium in the whole measured energy range. It decreases from 1.7 at 0.3 PeV to 1.3 at 3 PeV, representing a 24% decline following a power law with an index of -0.1200±0.0003±0.0341. This is equivalent to an increase in abundance of light components. Above the knee, the mean logarithmic mass exhibits a power law trend towards heavier components, which is reversal to the behavior observed in the all-particle energy spectrum. Additionally, the knee position and the change in power-law index are approximately the same. These findings suggest that the knee observed in the all-particle spectrum corresponds to the knee of the light component, rather than the medium-heavy components.

Drought priming-induced stress memory improves subsequent drought or heat tolerance via activation of γ-aminobutyric acid-regulated pathways in creeping bentgrass

Recurrent drought can induce stress memory in plants to induce tolerance to subsequent stress, such as high temperature or drought. Drought priming (DP) is an effective approach to improve tolerance to various stresses; however, the potential mechanism of DP-induced stress memory has not been fully resoved. We examined DP-regulated subsequent drought tolerance or thermotolerance associated with changes in physiological responses, GABA and NO metabolism, heat shock factor (HSF) and dehydrin (DHN) pathways in perennial creeping bentgrass. Plants can recover after two cycle of DP, and DP-treated plants had significantly higher tolerance to subsequent drought or heat stress, with higher leaf RWC, Chl content, photochemical efficiency, and cell membrane stability. DP significantly alleviated oxidative damage through enhancing total antioxidant capacity in response to subsequent drought or heat stress. Endogenous GABA was significantly increased by DP through activating glutamic acid decarboxylase activity and inhibiting GABA transaminase activity. DP also enhanced accumulation of NO, depending on NOS activity, under subsequent drought or heat stress. Transcript levels of multiple transcription factors, heat shock proteins, and DHNs in the HSF and DHN pathways were up-regulated by DP under drought or heat stress, but there were differences between DP-regulated heat tolerance and drought tolerance in these pathways. The findings indicate that under recurrent moderate drought, DP improves subsequent tolerance to drought or heat stress in relation to GABA-regulated pathways, providing new insight into understanding of the role of stress memory in plant adaptation to complex environmental stresses.

Spectroscopic Study of [Mg, H, N, C, O] Species: Implications for the Astrochemical Magnesium Chemistry

Magnesium is an abundant metal element in space, and magnesium chemistry has vital importance in the evolution of interstellar medium (ISM) and circumstellar regions, such as the asymptotic giant branch star IRC+10216 where a variety of Mg compounds bearing H, C, N, and O have been detected and proposed as the important components in the gas-phase molecular clouds and solid-state dust grains. Herein, we report the formation and infrared spectroscopic characterization of the Mg-bearing molecules HMg, [Mg, N, C], [Mg, H, N, C], [Mg, N, C, O], and [Mg, H, N, C, O] from the reactions of Mg/Mg+ and the prebiotic isocyanic acid (HNCO) in the solid neon matrix. Based on their thermal diffusion and photochemical behavior, a complex reactivity landscape involving association, decomposition, and isomerization reactions of these Mg-bearing molecules is developed, which can not only help understand the chemical processes of the magnesium (iso)cyanides in astrochemistry but also provide implications on the presence of magnesium (iso)cyanates in the ISM and the chemical model for the dust grain surface reactions. It also provides a new paradigm of the key intermediate nature of the cationic complexes in the formation of neutral interstellar species.

The application of quantitative perfusion analysis of golden-angle radial sparse parallel MRI and R2∗ value for predicting pathological prognostic factors in rectal cancer

AIM

To investigate the diagnostic value of golden-angle radial sparse parallel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (GRASP) and R2∗ in predicting the prognostic factors of resectable rectal cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 108 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma were included in this retrospective study. The volume transfer constant (Ktrans), rate constant (Kep), plasma volume fraction (Ve), and R2∗ were obtained. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were conducted. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the imaging parameters.

RESULTS

The Ktrans was found to be significantly higher in rectal cancers with positive lymph node metastasis (LNM), higher tumour grade, positive lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and higher ki-67 (all p<0.05). The Kep was also significantly higher in the LNM-positive group (p<0.001), while the R2∗ was higher in rectal cancers with LNM-positive, higher tumour grade, LVI-positive, and higher ki-67 (all p<0.05). Combining the Ktrans and R2∗ provided the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) for LNM-positive and higher ki-67 tumours differentiation (0.790 and 0.823, respectively).

DISCUSSION

Combining quantitative parameters of the Ktrans and R2∗ could be used to non-invasively predict pathological prognostic factors preoperatively.

Antioxidant effect of dimethyl fumarate in pentylenetetrazole-kindled epilepsy mice and is activated by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway

This study was designed to examine the anti-oxidative stress effect of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced epileptic mice, and to evaluate the correlation of its mechanism with the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated signaling pathway. The experimental mice were separated into three groups: control, model, and DMF groups. Mice in the model group were administered PTZ to establish an epilepsy model, mice in the DMF group were administered DMF concurrently when modeling, and mice in the control group were administered a 0.9% NaCl solution. The latency, severity, and frequency of epileptic seizures in mice after each treatment were recorded, and the modelling success rate was computed at the conclusion of the experiment. The mice were euthanized, their levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and Nrf2 were measured, and the electron microscope was used to examine the mitochondrial damage of brain tissue. The latency of epileptic seizures was longer in the DMF group compared to the model group (P<0.05). The levels of MDA and ROS in the DMF group were lower than those in the model group (P<0.0001), and the activity of SOD in the DMF group was higher than that in the model group (P<0.0001); however, the levels of MDA and ROS were elevated and the activity of SOD was lower in both groups relative to the control group. The levels of 8-OHdG were lower in the DMF group than the model group (P<0.0001), however, the levels were higher in both groups compared to the control group. Mitochondrial abnormalities were more prevalent in the model group than in the DMF group, and more prevalent in both groups compared to the control group. The DMF group contained more Nrf2 content than the model group (P<0.0001), and both groups contained more Nrf2 than the control group. We concluded that the mechanism by which DMF reduced the level of oxidative stress in epileptic mice might involve the Nrf2-mediated signaling pathway.

Infrared Spectroscopy of [M(CO2)n]+ (M = Ca, Sr, and Ba; n = 1-4) in the Gas Phase: Solvation-Induced Electron Transfer and Activation of CO2

Cationic complexes of heavy alkaline earth metal and carbon dioxide [M(CO2)n]+ (M = Ca, Sr, and Ba) are produced by a laser vaporization-supersonic expansion ion source in the gas phase and are studied by infrared photodissociation spectroscopy in conjunction with quantum chemistry calculations. For the n = 1 complexes, the metal-ligand binding arises primarily from the electrostatic interaction with the CO2 ligand bound to the metal (+I) center in an end-on η1-O fashion. The more highly coordinated complexes [M(CO2)n]+ with n ≥ 2 are characterized to involve a [M2+(CO2-)] core ion with the CO2- ligand bound to the metal (+II) center in a bidentate η2-O, O manner. The activation of CO2 in forming a bent CO2- moiety occurs via solvation-induced metal cation-ligand electron transfer reactions. Bonding analyses reveal that the attractive forces between M2+ and CO2- in the core cation come mainly from electrostatic attraction, but the contribution of covalent orbital interactions should not be underestimated. The atomic orbitals of metal dications that are engaged in the orbital interactions are ns and (n - 1)d orbitals.

Unveiling the Role of Water on π-π Stacking Through Microwave Spectroscopy of (Thiophene)2-(Water)1-2 Clusters

There has been an ongoing debate about whether water enhances or hinders π-π stacking, a phenomenon crucial in various biological and chemical systems. In this study, the influence of water on π-π stacking is investigated by microwave spectroscopic observation of gas-phase hydrated clusters of thiophene dimers. Two isomers of (C4H4S)2-H2O and two isomers of (C4H4S)2-(H2O)2 have been unambiguously identified. These identifications are supported by quantum chemistry calculations and isotopic measurements. In each of these conformations, water molecules are situated between aromatic pairs, forming distinctive interactions. Water molecules engage with thiophene molecules either as hydrogen bond donors through OH···π interactions or as hydrogen bond acceptors through CH···O interactions. The energy decomposition analysis indicates that the bonding pattern of water molecules significantly affects the π···π interactions between aromatic rings. These findings offer valuable structural insights into the role of water in shaping π-π stacking.

[Preliminary insights into the practice of hypoallergenic home visiting program]

Allergic diseases affect about 40% of the world's population. Environmental factors are important in the occurrence and development of allergic diseases. Dust mites are one of the most important allergens in the indoor environment. The World Health Organization proposes the "four-in-one, combination of prevention and treatment" treatment principle for allergic diseases, in which environmental control to avoid or reduce allergens is the first choice for treatment. Modern people spend much more time at home (including sleeping) than outdoors, and the control of the home environment is particularly critical. This practice introduces the hypoallergenic home visit program, which including home environment assessment, environmental and behavioral intervention guidance, and common household hypoallergenic supplies and service guidance for the patient's home environment. The real-time semi-quantitative testing of dust mite allergens, qualitative assessments of other indoor allergens, record of patients' household items and lifestyle, and precise, individualized patient prevention and control education will be conducted. The hypoallergenic home visit program improves the doctors' diagnosis and treatment data dimension, and becomes a patient management tool for doctors outside the hospital. It also helps patients continue to scientifically avoid allergens and irritants in the environment, effectively build a hypoallergenic home environment, reduce exposure to allergens in the home environment, and achieve the goal of combining the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.

[Analysis and prediction of burden of viral hepatitis C-associated diseases in China from 1990 to 2044]

OBJECTIVE

To measure the burden of hepatitis C-associated diseases in China from 1990 to 2019, and to predict its changes from 2020 to 2044, so as to provide insights into formulation of the targeted hepatitis C control strategy.

METHODS

The total burden due to hepatitis C-associated diseases in China from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 (GBD 2019) data resources, and the trends in age-standardized prevalence, incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate of hepatitis C-associated acute hepatitis C (AHC), chronic liver diseases (CLD) and liver cancer in China from 1990 to 2019 were evaluated in China from 1990 to 2019 using estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). In addition, the changes in the burden of hepatitis C-associated diseases were predicted in China from 2020 to 2044 using a Bayesian model.

RESULTS

The prevalence, incidence, mortality and DALY rate of hepatitis C-associated diseases all appeared an overall tendency towards a decline in China from 1990 to 2019 (EAPC = -2.64%, -2.24%, -3.81% and -3.90%, respectively); however, there was a minor rise in the incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C-associated diseases from 2015 to 2019. The overall prevalence of hepatitis C-associated diseases reduced from 2 152.7/105 in 1990 to 1 254.1/105 in 2019 in China, with a reduction of 41.7%. The overall incidence reduced from 87.9/105 in 1990 to 55.0/105 in 2019 in China, with a reduction of 37.4%, and the highest incidence was seen for AHC, followed by CLD and liver cancer. The overall mortality and DALY rate of hepatitis C-associated diseases was 4.0/105 and 100.8/105 in China from 1990 to 2019, with CLD showing the largest contributions to the gross mortality and DALY. The mortality and DALY rate of hepatitis C-associated diseases were 5.5/105 and 142.4/105 among men in China in 2019, which were both much higher than among women (2.8/105 and 60.3/105, respectively), and the overall prevalence (1 604.9/105), mortality (30.2/105) and DALYs (437.1/105) of hepatitis C-associated diseases were all highest among patients at ages of 70 years and older, and the highest incidence was seen among patients at ages of 0 to 9 years (167.3/105). The incidence of hepatitis C-associated diseases was predicted to rise in China from 2020 to 2044; however, the DALY rate was projected to appear a tendency towards a decline.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the burden of hepatitis C-associated diseases showed a tendency towards a decline in China from 1990 to 2019, the burden remained high, and was predicted to slightly rise from 2020 to 2044. High attention should be paid to screening of hepatitis C among infants and treatment among adults.

Morphological and molecular characterization of a new freshwater Ceratomyxa species (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) from the yellow catfish, Trachysurus fulvidraco in China

Ceratomyxa Thélohan, 1892 is one of the largest genera of the sub-phylum Myxozoa, and has a worldwide geographical distribution. Ceratomyxa species mainly infect the gallbladder of marine fish and rarely infect histozoically or coelozoically freshwater fish. In the present study, yellow catfish, Trachysurus fulvidraco (Siluriformes, Actinopteri) collected from the low reach of Yellow River was first found to be infected with an unknown Ceratomyxa species in their gallbladder which was identified to be new to science and nominated as Ceratomyxa huangheensis n. sp. by an integrative taxonomic approach for myxosporeans. Spores are typical of the genus Ceratomyxa, and matures spores are arcuate, with posterior angle of 139.2 ± 11.6 (137.0-156.0)° and rounded ends, and measures 4.7 ± 0.6 (3.3-5.5) μm in length, and 10.7 ± 1.3 (8.5-13.3) μm in thickness. Two spore valves are slightly unequal and present elongated ovoid in the lateral view. Two equal spherical polar capsules, measuring 2.2 ± 0.4 (1.4-2.8) μm × 2.0 ± 0.4 (1.0-2.5) μm in size locates adjacent to the straight suture line. The obtained partial small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequence was unique among all myxozoans in GenBank, and the highest similarity is 85.3% with Ceratomyxa sparusaurati, a marine fish-infecting congener. Phylogenetic analysis further indicated that this novel species did not cluster with other freshwater fish-infecting congeners from South America to form an independent clade, but was phylogenetically positioned within the marine fish-infecting clade. The possible presence of different radiation trajectories between Ceratomyxa huangheensis n. sp. and Amazonian freshwater Ceratomyxa lineage was discussed. This is the first report of Ceratomyxa species in the Yellow River basin and the second freshwater Ceraotomyxa species in China, even in Asia.

Measurement of Ultra-High-Energy Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission of the Galactic Plane from 10 TeV to 1 PeV with LHAASO-KM2A

The diffuse Galactic γ-ray emission, mainly produced via interactions between cosmic rays and the interstellar medium and/or radiation field, is a very important probe of the distribution, propagation, and interaction of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. In this Letter, we report the measurements of diffuse γ rays from the Galactic plane between 10 TeV and 1 PeV energies, with the square kilometer array of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). Diffuse emissions from the inner (15°10  TeV). The energy spectrum in the inner Galaxy regions can be described by a power-law function with an index of -2.99±0.04, which is different from the curved spectrum as expected from hadronic interactions between locally measured cosmic rays and the line-of-sight integrated gas content. Furthermore, the measured flux is higher by a factor of ∼3 than the prediction. A similar spectrum with an index of -2.99±0.07 is found in the outer Galaxy region, and the absolute flux for 10≲E≲60  TeV is again higher than the prediction for hadronic cosmic ray interactions. The latitude distributions of the diffuse emission are consistent with the gas distribution, while the longitude distributions show clear deviation from the gas distribution. The LHAASO measurements imply that either additional emission sources exist or cosmic ray intensities have spatial variations.

[Diagnosis status and genetic characteristics analysis of Fanconi anemia in China]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and molecular diagnostic status of Fanconi anemia (FA) in China. Methods: The General situation, clinical manifestations and chromosome breakage test and genetic test results of 107 pediatric FA cases registered in the Chinese Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry Group (CBMTRG) and the Chinese Children Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry Group (CCBMTRG) from August 2009 to January 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Children with FANCA gene variants were divided into mild and severe groups based on the type of variant, and Wilcoxon-test was used to compare the phenotypic differences between groups. Results: Of the 176 registered FA patients, 69 (39.2%) cases were excluded due to lack of definitive genetic diagnosis results, and the remaining 107 children from 15 hospitals were included in the study, including 70 males and 37 females. The age at transplantation treatment were 6 (4, 9) years. The enrolled children were involved in 10 pathogenic genes, including 89 cases of FANCA gene, 7 cases of FANCG gene, 3 cases of FANCB gene, 2 cases of FANCE gene and 1 case each of FANCC, FANCD1, FANCD2, FANCF, FANCJ, and FANCN gene. Compound heterozygous or homozygous of loss-of-function variants account for 69.2% (72/104). Loss-of-function variants account for 79.2% (141/178) in FANCA gene variants, and 20.8% (37/178) were large exon deletions. Fifty-five children (51.4%) had chromosome breakage test records, with a positive rate of 81.8% (45/55). There were 172 congenital malformations in 80 children.Café-au-Lait spots (16.3%, 28/172), thumb deformities (16.3%,28/172), polydactyly (13.9%, 24/172), and short stature (12.2%, 21/172) were the most common congenital malformations in Chinese children with FA. No significant difference was found in the number of congenital malformations between children with severe (50 cases) and mild FANCA variants (26 cases) (Z=-1.33, P=0.185). Conclusions: FANCA gene is the main pathogenic gene in children with FA, where the detection of its exon deletion should be strengthened clinically. There were no phenotypic differences among children with different types of FANCA variants. Chromosome break test is helpful to determine the pathogenicity of variants, but its accuracy needs to be improved.

Does Dual Anti-HER2 Therapy Increase Early Cardiac Toxicity in Comparison with Trastuzumab Alone in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Adjuvant Radiotherapy? A Multicenter Retrospective Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Adjuvant trastuzumab in combination with RT has proved its safety in terms of cardiac events. Dual anti-HER2 therapy with pertuzumab is currently standard adjuvant therapy in N+ and high-risk N0 early breast cancer (BC) patients. Our study aims to find if it increases early cardiac toxicity compared with trastuzumab alone in BC patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Operable BC patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) and trastuzumab with or without pertuzumab between January 2017 and September 2020 in 7 Chinese centers were retrospectively reviewed. The cardiac examination included ultrasonography, electrocardiogram (ECG), NT-proBNP, and cTnI before RT and during follow-up. The cardiac event was any new-onset symptomatic heart disease or abnormality in the cardiac examination after RT.

RESULTS

In total, 711 patients with a median age of 52 years were included, of whom 567 (79.7%) patients were treated with trastuzumab-only and 144 (20.3%) patients received dual anti-HER2 therapy. Adjuvant RT was given concurrently in 140/144 (97.2%) of dual anti-HER2 therapy and 562/567 (99.1%) of trastuzumab alone, respectively. With a median follow-up of 11 months, no patients developed symptomatic heart diseases. Among patients with normal baseline, 17 (2.4%), 86 (12.1%), 18 (2.5%) and 14 (7.3%) developed new-onset diastolic dysfunction, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decline, abnormal ECG, and abnormal NT-proBNP, respectively. No significant difference was found between the trastuzumab-only and dual anti-HER2 cohort in the incidence of all kinds of new-onset cardiac events (all p > 0.1). Multivariate analysis showed that left-sided (vs right-sided) RT significantly increased the risk of ECG abnormality (HR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.62-3.32, p<0.001). Increased age was an independent risk factor for diastolic dysfunction (HR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.02-1.18, p = 0.0098). Dosimetric analysis showed that patients who developed any cardiac events had increased mean heart dose (397.67±251.08 vs 344.87±236.75 cGy, p = 0.032). A significant increase in risk of cardiac events was found in patients with mean heart dose > 450 cGy (HR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.17-2.05, p = 0.0024), V5 > 26% (HR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.09-2.09, p = 0.013), and V30 > 5.5% (HR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.09-2.04, p = 0.0117), respectively. Further analysis was done in the subgroup of patients treated with left-sided RT, internal mammary nodes RT, or anthracyclines, no difference in risk of cardiac events was found between trastuzumab alone and dual anti-HER2 therapy in concurrent with RT (all p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Compared with trastuzumab-only, dual anti-HER2 therapy does not increase early cardiac toxicity in combination with adjuvant RT in BC patients. Cardiac radiation exposure remains the primary risk factor associated with early cardiac toxicity.

[Diagnosis and treatment procedures and health management for patients with hereditary angioedema]

As a recognized rare and highly fatal disease, hereditary angioedema (HAE) is difficult to diagnose and characterized by recurrent edema involving the head, limbs, genitals and larynx, etc. Diagnosis of HAE is not difficult. However, low incidence and lack of clinical characteristics lead to difficulty of doctors on timely diagnosis and correct intervention for HAE patients. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the awareness of this disease and prevent its recurrence. for HAE patients. In view of absent cognition of doctors and the general public on HAE, patients often suffer from sudden death or become disabled due to laryngeal edema which cannot be treated in time. Thus, based on the Internet mobile terminal platform, the team set up an all-day rapid emergency response system which is provided for HAE patients by setting up "one-click help". The aim is to offer optimization on overall management of HAE and designed the intelligent follow-up management to provide timely assistance and specialized suggestion for patients with acute attacks.

[Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of adverse childhood experiences international questionnaire in parents of preschool children]

OBJECTIVE

To test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of adverse childhood experiences international questionnaire (ACE-IQ) in Chinese parents of preschool children.

METHODS

The parents of preschool children in 6 kindergartens in Tongzhou District of Beijing were selected by stratified random cluster sampling, and the Chinese version of ACE-IQ after translation and adaptation was used for survey online. The collected data were randomly divided into two parts. One part of the data (n=602) was used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), to screen items and evaluate structural validity, and then form the final Chinese version of ACE-IQ. The other part of the data (n=700) was used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), criterion validity analysis and reliability analysis. At the same time, experts investigation method was used to evaluate the content validity of the final Chinese version of ACE-IQ.

RESULTS

After deleting four items of collective violence, the Chinese version of ACE-IQ with twenty-five items indicated good structural, criterion and content validity. Analysis results showed that the Chinese version of ACE-IQ presented a seven-factor model dimension, namely emotional neglect, physical neglect, family dysfunction, family violence, emotional and physical abuse, sexual abuse and violence outside the home, and the total score of the binary version of ACE-IQ Chinese version was positively correlated with the total score of childhood trauma questionaire-28 item short form (CTQ-SF, r=0.354, P < 0.001) and the center for epidemiological studies depression scale (CES-D, r=0.313, P < 0.001) respectively. Results from five experts showed that the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) of 25 items was between 0.80 and 1.00, and the average of all I-CVIs on the scale (S-CVI/Ave) of the scale was 0.984. At the same time, the internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient) of the whole scale was 0.818, and the split-half reliability (Spearman-Brown coefficient) was 0.621, which demonstrated good reliability.

CONCLUSION

This study has formed a Chinese version of ACE-IQ with 25 items and 7 dimensions, which has good reliability and validity among the parents of preschool children in China. It can be used as an evaluation instrument for measuring the minimum threshold of the adverse childhood experiences in the parents of preschool children in the cultural background of China.

[Efficacy and safefy of Polymyxin B treatment for neutropenic patients suffering from refractory Gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infection]

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of polymyxin B in neutropenic patients with hematologic disorders who had refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infection. Methods: From August 2021 to July 2022, we retrospectively analyzed neutropenic patients with refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infection who were treated with polymyxin B in the Department of Hematology of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Soochow University between August 2021 to July 2022. The cumulative response rate was then computed. Results: The study included 27 neutropenic patients with refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infections. Polymyxin B therapy was effective in 22 of 27 patients. The median time between the onset of fever and the delivery of polymyxin B was 3 days [interquartile range (IQR) : 2-5]. The median duration of polymyxin B treatment was 7 days (IQR: 5-11). Polymyxin B therapy had a median antipyretic time of 37 h (IQR: 32-70). The incidence of acute renal dysfunction was 14.8% (four out of 27 cases), all classified as "injury" according to RIFLE criteria. The incidence of hyperpigmentation was 59.3%. Conclusion: Polymyxin B is a viable treatment option for granulocytopenia patients with refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infections.

Rotational Spectroscopy Probes Lone Pair···π-Hole Interactions in Hexafluorobenzene-Tertiary Alkylamines Complexes

We employed microwave spectroscopy to investigate the 1:1 complexes of hexafluorobenzene with trimethylamine and quinuclidine, respectively. These complexes exhibit a C_3v symmetry and are stabilized by nitrogen lone pair···π-hole interactions along the C₃ axes. The N···π-center distances were determined to be 3.110(1) and 3.040(2) Å, respectively, which are shorter than that of hexafluorobenzene-ammonia at 3.2685(3) Å. Additionally, the strength of the intermolecular interaction increases with cluster size. While it was initially expected that the electron-donating effect of alkyl groups was responsible for changing the N···π interaction, the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory analysis revealed that, from hexafluorobenzene-ammonia to both hexafluorobenzene-alkylamines, electrostatic interaction actually decreases while dispersion interaction increases and becomes dominant. Interestingly, dispersion interaction decreases while electrostatic interaction increases from C₆F₆-N(CH₃)₃ to C₆F₆-NC₇H₁₃. The splitting pattern of the spectra indicates hexafluorobenzene rotates freely relative to its partners along the axis of the N···π-hole interactions.

[Dietetic Materia Medica (Yue Fu Shi Wu Ben Cao) : The rise of Dietetic Materia Medica in the Edo Period in Japan]

Food was believed to have some medicinal properties apart from its everyday sustenance in Japan in the Edo period (1603-1867). The dietetic materia medica then became a knowledge system in Japan with reference of the knowledge system of traditional Chinese materia medica, following some related books published.Dietetic Materia Medica (Yue Fu Shi Wu Ben Cao) was written by Nagoya Genyi as the pioneer work on dietetic materia medica in the Edo period. The book was divided into two volumes. The first one involved a total of 290 types of dietetic materia medica and 167 types of botanical medicines (grains, vegetables, aquatic plants, fungi, fruits, and herbs). The second volume included 123 types of animal medicines (fish,meso, poultry and animal sections). Its author, Nagoya Genyi, was the first doctor to link food with clinical treatment in Japan. He mainly focused on disease treatment in terms of specific classification and exposition. In this sense, the book was characteristic of materia medica rather than its museum properties. The content of the book showed the writing style and the medical tendency of the early food materia medica in the Edo period. Researching this book can help in understanding the compilation of dietetic materia medica represented by physicians in this period in Japan.

Mg-Fe Bonding in the MgFe(CO)n+ (n = 4-9) Cation Complexes: An Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study

Heteronuclear magnesium-iron carbonyl cation complexes MgFe(CO)_n⁺ (n = 4-9) are prepared in the gas phase and are detected by mass-selected infrared photodissociation spectroscopy in the carbonyl stretching frequency region. The geometric structures and the metal-metal bonding are discussed with the aid of quantum chemical calculations. The MgFe(CO)₉⁺ cation is a coordinatively saturated complex. Each complex is characterized to contain more than one isomer. The small complexes (n = 4-6) possess the Mg-Fe bonded [(OC)_n-4Mg-Fe(CO)₄]⁺ and/or [(OC)_n-5Mg-Fe(CO)₅]⁺ structures with all the carbonyl ligands terminally bonded. For the larger complexes with n = 7-9, the [(OC)_n-4Mg-Fe(CO)₄]⁺ structure is the major isomer experimentally observed. In addition, the [(OC)_n-5Mg-OC-Fe(CO)₄]⁺ isomer involving a linear bridging carbonyl ligand is also characterized. Bonding analyses indicate that each [(OC)_n-4Mg-Fe(CO)₄]⁺ complex contains a Mg-Fe electron-sharing σ bond. The metal-metal bond is described as a Mg(+I)-Fe(0) bond in MgFe(CO)₄⁺ and as a Mg(+II)-Fe(-I) bond in the larger n = 5-9 complexes.

Visualizing dynamic three-dimensional changes of human reticular dermal collagen under mechanical strain

In clinical practice, plastic surgeons are often faced with large skin defects that are difficult to close primarily. Management of large skin wounds e.g. burns or traumatic lacerations requires knowledge of skin biomechanic properties. Research into skin microstructural adaptation to mechanical deformation has only been performed using static regimes due to technical limitations. Here, we combine uniaxial stretch tests with fast second harmonic generation imaging and we apply this for the first time to investigate dynamic collagen rearrangement in reticular human dermis.Ex vivohuman skin from the abdomen and upper thigh was simultaneously uniaxially stretched while either periodically visualizing 3D reorganization, or visualizing 2D changes in real time. We determined collagen alignment via orientation indices and found pronounced variability across samples. Comparing mean orientation indices at the different stages of the stress strain curves (toe, heel, linear) showed a significant increase in collagen alignment during the linear part of the mechanical response. We conclude that fast SHG imaging during uni-axial extension is a promising research tool for future studies on skin biomechanic properties.

Quantum Tunneling in Peroxide O-O Bond Breaking Reaction

The importance of quantum-mechanical tunneling becomes increasingly recognized in chemical reactions involving hydrogen as well as heavier atoms. Here we report concerted heavy-atom tunneling in an oxygen-oxygen bond breaking reaction from cyclic beryllium peroxide to linear dioxide in cryogenic Ne matrix, as evidenced by subtle temperature-dependent reaction kinetics and unusually large kinetic isotope effects. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the tunneling rate can be tuned through noble gas atom coordination on the electrophilic beryllium center of Be(O₂), as the half-life dramatically increased from 0.1 h for NeBe(O₂) at 3 K to 12.8 h for ArBe(O₂). Quantum chemistry and instanton theory calculations reveal that noble gas coordination notably stabilizes the reactants and transition states, increases the barrier heights and widths, and consequently reduces the reaction rate drastically. The calculated rates and in particular kinetic isotope effects are in good agreement with experiment.

Characterization of ovarian tissue oocytes from transgender men reveals poor calcium release and embryo development, which might be overcome by spindle transfer

STUDY QUESTION

Can spindle transfer (ST) overcome inferior embryonic development of in vitro matured ovarian tissue oocytes (OTO-IVM) originating from testosterone-treated transgender men?

SUMMARY ANSWER

ST shows some potential to overcome the embryo developmental arrest observed in OTO-IVM oocytes from transgender men.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

OTO-IVM is being applied as a complementary approach to increase the number of oocytes/embryos available for fertility preservation during ovarian tissue cryopreservation in cancer patients. OTO-IVM has also been proposed for transgender men, although the potential of their oocytes remains poorly investigated. Currently, only one study has examined the ability of OTO-IVM oocytes originating from transgender men to support embryo development, and that study has shown that they exhibit poor potential.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

Both ovaries from 18 transgender men undergoing oophorectomy were collected for the purposes of this study, from November 2020 to September 2022. The patients did not wish to cryopreserve their tissue for fertility preservation and donated their ovaries for research. All patients were having testosterone treatment at the time of oophorectomy and some of them were also having menses inhibition treatment.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

Sibling ovaries were collected in either cold or warm medium, to identify the most optimal collection temperature. Cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) from each condition were isolated from the ovarian tissue and matured in vitro for 48 h. The quality of OTO-IVM oocytes was assessed by calcium pattern releasing ability, embryo developmental competence following ICSI, and staining for mitochondrial membrane potential. In vitro matured metaphase I (MI) oocytes, germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes, and in vivo matured oocytes with aggregates of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SERa) were donated from ovarian stimulated women undergoing infertility treatment and these served as Control oocytes for the study groups. ST was applied to overcome poor oocyte quality. Specifically, enucleated mature Control oocytes served as cytoplasmic recipients of the OTO-IVM spindles from the transgender men. Embryos derived from the different groups were scored and analysed by shallow whole genome sequencing for copy number variations (CNVs).

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

In total, 331 COCs were collected in the cold condition (OTO-Cold) and 282 were collected in the warm condition (OTO-Warm) from transgender men. The maturation rate was close to 54% for OTO-Cold and 57% for OTO-Warm oocytes. Control oocytes showed a calcium releasing ability of 2.30 AU (n = 39), significantly higher than OTO-Cold (1.47 AU, P = 0.046) oocytes (n = 33) and OTO-Warm (1.03 AU, P = 0.036) oocytes (n = 31); both values of calcium release were similar between the two collection temperatures. Mitochondrial membrane potential did not reveal major differences between Control, OTO-Warm, and OTO-Cold oocytes (P = 0.417). Following ICSI, 59/70 (84.2%) of Control oocytes were fertilized, which was significantly higher compared to 19/47 (40.4%) of OTO-Cold (P < 0.01) and 24/48 (50%) of OTO-Warm oocytes (P < 0.01). In total, 15/59 (25.4%) blastocysts were formed on Day 5 in the Control group, significantly higher than 0/19 (0%) from the OTO-Cold (P = 0.014) and 1/24 (4.1%) in OTO-Warm oocytes (P = 0.026). Application of ST rescued the poor embryo development, by increasing the Day 5 blastocyst rate from 0% (0/19) to 20.6% (6/29) (P = 0.034), similar to that in the ICSI-Control group (25.4%, 15/59). A normal genetic profile was observed in 72.7% (8/11) of OTO-Cold, 72.7% (8/11) of OTO-Warm and 64.7% (11/17) of Control Day 3-Day 5 embryos. After ST was applied for OTO-IVM oocytes, 41.1% (7/17) of the embryos displayed normal genetic patterns, compared to 57.1% (4/7) among ST-Control Day 3-Day 5 embryos.

LARGE SCALE DATA

N/A.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

Due to the limited access to human oocytes and ovarian tissue, our results should be interpreted with some caution, as only a limited number of human oocytes and embryos could be investigated.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

The results of this study, clearly indicate that OTO-IVM oocytes originating from transgender patients are of inferior quality, which questions their use for fertility preservation. The poor quality is likely to be related to cytoplasmic factors, supported by the increased blastocyst numbers following application of ST. Future research on OTO-IVM from transgender men should focus on the cytoplasmic content of oocytes or supplementation of media with factors that promote cytoplasmic maturation. A more detailed study on the effect of the length of testosterone treatment is also currently missing for more concrete guidelines and guidance on the fertility options of transgender men. Furthermore, our study suggests a potentially beneficial role of experimental ST in overcoming poor embryo development related to cytoplasmic quality.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

A.C. is a holder of FWO grants (1S80220N and 1S80222N). A.B. is a holder of an FWO grant (1298722N). B.H. and A.V.S. have been awarded with a special BOF (Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds), GOA (Geconcerteerde onderzoeksacties) and 2018000504 (GOA030-18 BOF) funding. B.H. has additional grants from FWO-Vlaanderen (Flemish Fund for Scientific Research, G051516N and G1507816N) and Ghent University Special Research Fund (Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds, BOF funding (BOF/STA/202109/005)), and has been receiving unrestricted educational funding from Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Aalst, Belgium). The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

Phosphorus-Boron Multiple Bonding in the π Radical HBP

The HBP radical was generated via the reaction of laser ablated boron atom with PH₃ in a solid neon matrix, which is identified via IR spectroscopy with isotopic substitutions and quantum chemical calculations. The results show that HBP has a ² Π electronic ground state with a short B-P bond. Bonding analysis indicates that besides an electron-sharing σ bond, there are two degenerate π bonding orbitals that are occupied by three electrons, resulting in a bond order of two and half between P and B. This is in sharp contrast to the bonding properties of the isovalent HNB, which was characterized to be a N≡B triply bonded σ radical with the unpaired electron locating on the B atom.

Mg(I)-Fe(-II) and Mg(0)-Mg(I) covalent bonding in the MgnFe(CO)4- (n = 1, 2) anion complexes: an infrared photodissociation spectroscopic and theoretical study

Heteronuclear magnesium-iron carbonyl anion complexes MgFe(CO)₄^- and Mg₂Fe(CO)₄^- are produced in the gas phase and are detected by mass-selected infrared photodissociation spectroscopy in the carbonyl stretching frequency region. The geometric structures and the metal-metal bonding are discussed with the aid of quantum chemical calculations. Both complexes are characterized to have a doublet electronic ground state with C_3v symmetry containing a Mg-Fe bond or a Mg-Mg-Fe bonding unit. Bonding analyses indicate that each complex involves an electron-sharing Mg(I)-Fe(-II) σ bond. The Mg₂Fe(CO)₄^- complex involves a relatively weak covalent Mg(0)-Mg(I) σ bond.

Evaporative water loss from dairy cows in climate-controlled respiration chambers

The effects of ambient temperature (AT) on total evaporative water loss from dairy cows at different relative humidity (RH) and air velocity (AV) levels were studied. Twenty Holstein dairy cows with an average parity of 2.0 ± 0.7 and body weight of 687 ± 46 kg participated in the study. Two climate-controlled respiration chambers were used. The experimental indoor climate was programmed to follow a diurnal pattern with AT at night being 9°C lower than during the day. Night AT was gradually increased from 7 to 21°C and day AT was increased from 16°C to 30°C within an 8-d period, both with an incremental change of 2°C/d. The effect of 3 RH levels with a diurnal pattern were studied as well, with low values during the day and high values during the night: low (day, 30%; night, 50%), medium (day, 45%; night, 70%), and high (day, 60%; night, 90%). The effects of AV were studied during the daytime at 3 levels: no fan (0.1 m/s), fan at medium speed (1.0 m/s), and fan at high speed (1.5 m/s). The medium and high AV levels were only combined with medium RH. In total, there were 5 treatments with 4 replicates each. The animals had free access to feed and water. Based on the water balance principle inside the respiration chambers, the total evaporative water loss from dairy cows at a daily level was quantified by measuring the mass of water in the incoming and outgoing air, condensed water, added water from a humidifier, and evaporative water from a wet floor, drinking bowl, manure reservoir, and water bucket. Water evaporation from a sample skin area was measured with a ventilated skin box, and water evaporation, through respiration with a face mask. The results show that RH/AV levels had no significant effect on total evaporative water loss, whereas the interaction effect between RH/AV with AT was significant. Cows at a high RH had a tendency for a lower increasing rate of evaporative water loss compared with cows at a low RH (0.61 vs. 0.79 kg/d per 1°C increase of AT). Cows at medium and high AV levels had a greater increasing rate than cows at low AV (0.91 and 0.95 vs. 0.71 kg/d per 1°C increase of AT, respectively). The increase of evaporative heat loss from dairy cows was mainly a result of the increase in evaporation (of sweat) from the skin. The skin water evaporation determined with the water balance method (less evaporation from respiration) and the ventilated skin box method showed no significant difference. The implication of this study is that cows at a high AT depend mainly on evaporative cooling from the skin. The ventilated skin box method, measuring only a small part of the skin during a short period during the day, can be a convenient and accurate way to determine the total cutaneous evaporative water loss from cows.

Maternal rumen and milk microbiota shape the establishment of early-life rumen microbiota in grazing yak calves

Early-life gut microbial colonization and development exert a profound impact on the health and metabolism of the host throughout the life span. The transmission of microbes from the mother to the offspring affects the succession and establishment of the early-life rumen microbiome in newborns, but the contributions of different maternal sites to the rumen microbial establishment remain unclear. In the present study, samples from different dam sites (namely, oral, rumen fluid, milk, and teat skin) and rumen fluid of yak calves were collected at 6 time points between d 7 and 180 postpartum to determine the contributions of the different maternal sites to the establishment of the bacterial and archaeal communities in the rumen during early life. Our analysis demonstrated that the dam's microbial communities clustered according to the sites, and the calves' rumen microbiota resembled that of the dam consistently regardless of fluctuations at d 7 and 14. The dam's rumen microbiota was the major source of the calves' rumen bacteria (7.9%) and archaea (49.7%) compared with the other sites, whereas the potential sources of the calf rumen microbiota from other sites varied according to the age. The contribution of dam's rumen bacteria increased with age from 0.36% at d 7 to 14.8% at d 180, whereas the contribution of the milk microbiota showed the opposite trend, with its contribution reduced from 2.7% at d 7 to 0.2% at d 180. Maternal oral archaea were the main sources of the calves' rumen archaea at d 14 (50.4%), but maternal rumen archaea became the main source gradually and reached 66.2% at d 180. These findings demonstrated the potential microbial transfer from the dam to the offspring that could influence the rumen microbiota colonization and establishment in yak calves raised under grazing regimens, providing the basis for future microbiota manipulation strategies during their early life.

Evolution of Solute-Water Interactions in the Benzaldehyde-(H2O)1-6 Clusters by Rotational Spectroscopy

The investigation on the preferred arrangement and intermolecular interactions of gas phase solute-water clusters gives insights into the intermolecular potentials that govern the structure and dynamics of the aqueous solutions. Here, we report the investigation of hydrated coordination networks of benzaldehyde-(water)n (n = 1-6) clusters in a pulsed supersonic expansion using broadband rotational spectroscopy. Benzaldehyde (PhCHO) is the simplest aromatic aldehyde that involves both hydrophilic (CHO) and hydrophobic (phenyl ring) functional groups, which can mimic molecules of biological significance. For the n = 1-3 clusters, the water molecules are connected around the hydrophilic CHO moiety of benzaldehyde through a strong CO···HO hydrogen bond and weak CH···OH hydrogen bond(s). For the larger clusters, the spectra are consistent with the structures in which the water clusters are coordinated on the surface of PhCHO with both the hydrophilic CHO and hydrophobic phenyl ring groups being involved in the bonding interactions. The presence of benzaldehyde does not strongly interfere with the cyclic water tetramer and pentamer, which retain the same structure as in the pure water cluster. The book isomer instead of cage or prism isomers of the water hexamer is incorporated into the microsolvated cluster. The PhCHO molecule deviates from the planar structure upon sequential addition of water molecules. The PhCHO-(H2O)1-6 clusters may serve as a simple model system in understanding the solute-water interactions of biologically relevant molecules in an aqueous environment.

Formation and infrared spectroscopic characterization of carbon suboxide complexes TM-η1 -C3 O2 and the inserted ketenylidene complexes OCTMCCO (TM=Cu, Ag, Au) in solid neon

The reactions of coinage metal atoms Cu, Ag and Au with carbon suboxide (C₃ O₂ ) are studied by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. The weakly bound complexes TM-η¹ -C₃ O₂ (TM=Cu, Ag, Au), in which the carbon suboxide ligand binds to the metal center in the monohapto fashion are formed as initial reaction products. The complexes subsequently isomerize to the inserted products OCTMCCO upon visible light (λ = 400-500 nm) excitation. The analysis of the electronic structure using modern quantum chemistry methods suggests that the linear OCTMCCO complexes are best described by the bonding interactions between the TM⁺ cation in the electronic singlet ground state and the [OC…CCO]^- ligands in the doublet state forming two TM⁺  ← ligands σ donation and two TM⁺  → ligands π backdonation bonding components. In addition, the CuCCO, AgCCO and AuCCO complexes are also formed, which are predicted to be bent.

Water Complex of Imidogen

Imidogen (NH) is the simplest nitrogen hydride that plays an important role in combustion and interstellar chemistry, and its combination with H₂O is the prototypical amidation reaction of O-H bonds involving a nitrene intermediate. Herein, we report the observation of the elusive water complex of NH, a prereaction complex associated with the amidation reaction in a solid N₂ matrix at 10 K. The hydrogen-bonded structure of NH···OH₂ (versus HN···HOH) is confirmed via IR spectroscopy with comprehensive isotope labeling (D, ¹⁸O, and ¹⁵N) and quantum chemical calculations at the UCCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVQZ level of theory. In line with the observed absorption at 350 nm, irradiation of the complex at 365 nm leads to O-H bond insertion, yielding hydroxylamine NH₂OH.

[Analysis of the effects of low/intermediate dose of coagulation factor Ⅷ on 30 adult patients with severe hemophilia A in a single center]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of low- and intermediate-dose factor Ⅷ (F Ⅷ) prophylaxis in Chinese adult patients with severe hemophilia A. Methods: Thirty adult patients with severe hemophilia A who received low- (n=20) /intermediate-dose (n=10) F Ⅷ prophylaxis at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital affiliated with Nanjing University Medical College were included in the study. The annual bleeding rate (ABR), annual joint bleeding rate (AJBR), number of target joints, functional independence score of hemophilia (FISH), quality of life score, and health status score (SF-36) before and after preventive treatment were retrospectively analyzed and compared. Results: The median follow-up was 48 months. Compared with on-demand treatment, low- and intermediate-dose prophylaxis significantly reduced ABR, AJBR, and the number of target joints (P<0.05) ; the improvement in the intermediate-dose prophylaxis group was better than that in the low-dose prophylaxis group (P<0.05). Compared with on-demand treatment, the FISH score, quality of life score, and SF-36 score significantly improved in both groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) . Conclusion: In Chinese adults with severe hemophilia A, low- and intermediate-dose prophylaxis can significantly reduce bleeding frequency, delay the progression of joint lesions, and improve the quality of life of patients as compared with on-demand treatment. The improvement in clinical bleeding was better with intermediate-dose prophylaxis than low-dose prophylaxis.

Does mental health mediate the effect of deviant peer affiliation on school adaptation in migrant children: evidence from a nationally representative survey in China

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the impact of deviant peer affiliation on migrant children's school adaptation in China and explore the mediating role of mental health in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation among migrant children.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study based on secondary data.

METHODS

This study was based on the nationally representative China Education Panel Survey. Multiple linear regression models were used to quantify the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation among 1,012 migrant children aged 12-17 years. Bootstrap test was used to evaluate the mediating effect of children's mental health.

RESULTS

Deviant peer affiliation showed a significant negative impact on the school adaptation of migrant children (β = -0.41, 95% confidence interval = -0.56 to -0.26). The relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation was partially mediated by children's mental health, resulting in an indirect effect of deviant peer affiliation on their school adaptation through their mental health (β = -0.05, 95% confidence interval = -0.09 to -0.03). The mediating role of mental health could explain 11.4% of the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation.

CONCLUSIONS

Among migrant children, deviant peer affiliation showed unique effects on their school adaptation. Taking care of their mental health might help improve their school adaptation.

Circadian nuclear receptor Rev-erbalpha is expressed by platelets and potentiates platelet activation and thrombus formation

Background

Adverse cardiovascular events have day/night patterns with peaks in the morning, potentially related to endogenous circadian clock control of platelet activation. Circadian nuclear receptor Rev-erbα is an essential and negative component of the circadian clock.

Purpose

We aim to investigate the expression profile and biological function of Rev-erbα in platelets.

Methods and results

Here we report the presence and functions of circadian nuclear receptor Rev-erbα in human and mouse platelets. Both human and mouse platelet Rev-erbα showed a circadian rhythm that positively correlated with platelet aggregation. Global Rev-erbα knockout and platelet-specific Rev-erbα knockout mice exhibited defective in hemostasis as assessed by prolonged tail-bleeding times. Rev-erbα deletion also reduced ferric chloride-induced carotid arterial occlusive thrombosis, prevented collagen/epinephrine-induced pulmonary thromboembolism, and protected against microvascular microthrombi obstruction and infarct expansion in an acute myocardial infarction model. In vitro thrombus formation assessed by CD41-labeled platelet fluorescence intensity was significantly reduced in Rev-erbα knockout mouse blood. Platelets from Rev-erbα knockout mice exhibited impaired agonist-induced aggregation responses, integrin αIIbβ3 activation and α-granule release. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition of Rev-erbα by specific antagonists decreased platelet activation markers in both mouse and human platelets. Mechanistically, mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that Rev-erbα potentiated platelet activation via oligophrenin-1-mediated RhoA/ERM (ezrin/radixin/moesin) pathway.

Conclusion

We provide the first evidence that circadian protein Rev-erbα is functionally expressed in platelets and potentiates platelet activation and thrombus formation. Rev-erbα may serve as a novel therapeutic target for managing thrombosis-based cardiovascular disease.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): This work was supported by grants from the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (81625002), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81930007).

Risk stratification for systemic lupus erythematosus associated pulmonary hypertension by simplified ESC/ERS guidelines: data from SOPHIE registry

Background

The ESC/ERS guideline has established a diagnostic algorithm for pulmonary hypertension (PH) based on the peak velocity of tricuspid regurgitation, clinical history of left heart disease, chest radiography, and other chest radiological techniques. Unfortunately, due to the medical resource limitations, not all patients can receive the comprehensive inspections listed above.

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to sort out the practical predicting factors and evaluate the efficacy of the simplified diagnostic algorithm derived from the 2015 ESC/ERS clinical guidelines.

Methods

According to the ESC/ERS guideline, patients in the intermediate or high echocardiographic probability of PH group and further satisfied the following risk stratification criteria (anti-RNP (+), Raynaud phenomenon (+), 6MWD &lt;440 meters, and SVR &gt;1500 wood) were considered to have the intermediate (IR), and high risk (HR) of PH. Patients with a low echocardiographic probability of PH and those with intermediate or high probability of PH without satisfied the risk stratification algorithm were categorized into the low risk (LR) of the PH group.

Results

1005 patients were categorized into the LR group, 30 patients in the IR group, and 19 in the HR group. Precisely, patients in the LR group were relatively younger (49.9±0.4) than that of the IR group (57.8±2.3, p=0.001) and the HR group (56.0±3.0, p=0.035). Raynaud phenomenon was occurred more frequently in the IR group (50.0%) or HR group (47.4%) compared to that of the LR group (24.1%). The occurrence of anti-RNP positive was higher in the HR group, taken up for 57.9% compared to 31.5% in the LR group (p=0.013). The incidence of right axis deviation (RAD) was increasing in the IR group (17.2%) and HR group (16.7%) compared to the LR group (3.6%). In addition, patients in IR and HR group have reduced lung volume parameters, including forced vital capacity (FVC%), forced expiratory volume at the first second (FEV1%), FEV1/FVC ratio, and forced expiratory flow at 50% of forced vital capacity (FEF50%) when compared to the LR group. Multivariate analysis was performed in four different modes to sort out the independent predictors of PH. Anti-RNP (OR=10.5, CI: 1.9, 56.5) and RAD (OR=21.9, CI: 5.2, 92.2) in mode 1, RVH (OR=10.4, CI: 1.9, 56.3) in mode 2, RAD (OR=10.3, CI: 2.0, 50.7) and FEF50% (OR=1.0, CI: 0.90, 0.97) in mode 3, and RVH (OR=56.8, CI: 6.9, 467.5) and FEF50% (OR=1.0, CI: 0.90, 0.97) in mode 4 were identified as the independent predictors of PH for SLE patients.

Conclusions

This registry has provided main clinical characteristics and phenotypes of Hong Kong Chinese patients with SLE and has demonstrated that Anti-RNP, RAD, RVH, or FEF50% was independent predictors of pulmonary hypertension in patients with SLE.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

[Diethylhexyl phthalate induces anxiety-like behavior and learning and memory impairment in mice probably by damaging blood-brain barrier]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure on anxiety-like behaviors and learning and memory ability in mice and explore the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Forty male ICR mice were randomized equally into control group (0 mg/kg) and 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg DEHP exposure groups, in which the mice were exposed to DEHP at the indicated doses by gavage for 4 weeks. After the treatments, the mice were assessed for behavioral changes using open filed test, elevated plus-maze and Morris water maze test. Brain tissues were collected from the mice for determination of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, pathologies and expressions of ZO-1 and occludin in the hippocampus.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the mice with DEHP exposure for 4 weeks exhibited no significant body weight change (P>0.05) but presented with obvious behavioral changes, manifested by reduced movement distance (P < 0.05) and time spent in the center of the open field (P < 0.05), reduced movement distance (P < 0.05) and time spent in the open arm of the elevated maze (P < 0.05), significantly increased latency of searching for the platform (P < 0.05), and decreased frequency of crossing the platform (P < 0.05). HE staining showed obvious vertebral cell death in the hippocampal CA1 to CA3 regions of the mice with DEHP exposure. The exposed mice showed significantly increased MDA content and decreased expressions of ZO-1 and occludin at both the mRNA and protein levels in the hippocampus (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis suggested a close correlation between anxiety-like behaviors and learning and memory abilities in DEHP-exposed mice.

CONCLUSION

DEHP exposure may cause damages of the blood-brain barrier and the pyramidal cells in the hippocampus of mice, thereby inducing anxiety-like behaviors and learning and memory impairment.