Connection of pre-competition anxiety with gut microbiota and metabolites in wrestlers with varying sports performances based on brain-gut axis theory

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection of pre-competition anxiety with gut microbiota and metabolites in wrestlers with different sports performances.

METHODS

One week prior to a national competition, 12 wrestlers completed anxiety questionnaires. Faecal and urine samples were collected for the analysis of gut microbiota and metabolites through the high-throughput sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene in conjunction with untargeted metabolomics technology. The subjects were divided into two groups, namely, achievement (CP) and no-achievement (CnP) wrestlers, on the basis of whether or not their performances placed them in the top 16 at the competition. The relationship amongst the variations in gut microbiota, metabolites, and anxiety indicators was analyzed.

RESULTS

(1) The CP group exhibited significantly higher levels of "state self-confidence," "self-confidence," and "somatic state anxiety" than the CnP group. Conversely, the CP group displayed lower levels of "individual failure anxiety" and "sports competition anxiety" than the CnP group. (2) The gut microbiota in the CP group was more diverse and abundant than that in the CnP group. Pre-competition anxiety was linked to Oscillospiraceae UCG_005, Paraprevotella, Ruminococcaceae and TM7x. (3) The functions of differential metabolites in faeces and urine of the CP/CnP group were mainly enriched in caffeine metabolism, lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and VEGF and mTOR signaling pathways. Common differential metabolites in feces and urine were significantly associated with multiple anxiety indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

Wrestlers with different sports performance have different pre-competition anxiety states, gut microbiota distribution and abundance and differential metabolites in faeces and urine. A certain correlation exists between these psychological and physiological indicators.

MCC950 Ameliorates Diabetic Muscle Atrophy in Mice by Inhibition of Pyroptosis and Its Synergistic Effect with Aerobic Exercise

Diabetic muscle atrophy is an inflammation-related complication of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Even though regular exercise prevents further deterioration of atrophic status, there is no effective mediator available for treatment and the underlying cellular mechanisms are less explored. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of MCC950, a specific, small-molecule inhibitor of NLRP3, to treat pyroptosis and diabetic muscle atrophy in mice. Furthermore, we used MCC950 to intervene in the protective effects of aerobic exercise against muscle atrophy in diabetic mice. Blood and gastrocnemius muscle (GAS) samples were collected after 12 weeks of intervention and the atrophic state was assessed. We initially corroborated a diabetic muscle atrophy phenotype in db/db mice (D) by comparison with control m/m mice (W) by examining parameters such as fasting blood glucose (D vs. W: 24.47 ± 0.45 mmol L-1 vs. 4.26 ± 0.6 mmol L-1, p < 0.05), grip strength (D vs. W: 166.87 ± 15.19 g vs. 191.76 ± 14.13 g, p < 0.05), exercise time (D vs. W: 1082.38 ± 104.67 s vs. 1716 ± 168.55 s, p < 0.05) and exercise speed to exhaustion (D vs. W: 24.25 ± 2.12 m min-1 vs. 34.75 ± 2.66 m min-1, p < 0.05), GAS wet weight (D vs. W: 0.07 ± 0.01 g vs. 0.13 ± 0.01 g, p < 0.05), the ratio of GAS wet weight to body weight (D vs. W: 0.18 ± 0.01% vs. 0.54 ± 0.02%, p < 0.05), and muscle fiber cross-sectional area (FCSA) (D vs. W: 1875 ± 368.19 µm2 vs. 2747.83 ± 406.44 µm2, p < 0.05). We found that both MCC950 (10 mg kg-1) treatment and exercise improved the atrophic parameters that had deteriorated in the db/db mice, inhibited serum inflammatory markers and significantly attenuated pyroptosis in atrophic GAS. In addition, a combined MCC950 treatment with exercise (DEI) exhibited a further improvement in glucose uptake capacity and muscle performance. This combined treatment also improved the FCSA of GAS muscle indicated by Laminin immunofluorescence compared to the group with the inhibitor treatment alone (DI) (DEI vs. DI: 2597 ± 310.97 vs. 1974.67 ± 326.15 µm2, p < 0.05) or exercise only (DE) (DEI vs. DE: 2597 ± 310.97 vs. 2006.33 ± 263.468 µm2, p < 0.05). Intriguingly, the combination of MCC950 treatment and exercise significantly reduced NLRP3-mediated inflammatory factors such as cleaved-Caspase-1, GSDMD-N and prevented apoptosis and pyroptosis in atrophic GAS. These findings for the first time demonstrate that targeting NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis with MCC950 improves diabetic muscle homeostasis and muscle function. We also report that inhibiting pyroptosis by MCC950 can enhance the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on diabetic muscle atrophy. Since T2DM and muscle atrophy are age-related diseases, the young mice used in the current study do not seem to fully reflect the characteristics of diabetic muscle atrophy. Considering the fragile nature of db/db mice and for the complete implementation of the exercise intervention, we used relatively young db/db mice and the atrophic state in the mice was thoroughly confirmed. Taken together, the current study comprehensively investigated the therapeutic effect of NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis inhibited by MCC950 on diabetic muscle mass, strength and exercise performance, as well as the synergistic effects of MCC950 and exercise intervention, therefore providing a novel strategy for the treatment of the disease.

Effects of resistance training on alleviating hypoxia-induced muscle atrophy: Focus on acetylation of FoxO1

This study aims to explore the role of FoxO1 and its acetylation in the alleviation of hypoxia-induced muscle atrophy by resistance training. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: normoxic control group (C), normoxic resistance training group (R), hypoxic control group (H) and hypoxic resistance training group (HR). Rats in R and HR groups were trained on an incremental weight-bearing ladder every other day, while those in H and HR groups were kept in an environment containing 12.4% O2 . After 4 weeks, muscles were collected for analysis. Differentiated L6 myoblasts were analysed in vitro after hypoxia exposure and plasmids transfection (alteration in FoxO1 acetylation). The lean body mass loss, wet weight and fibre cross-sectional area of extensor digitorum longus of rats were decreased after 4 weeks hypoxia, and the adverse reactions above was reversed by resistance training. At the same time, the increase in hypoxia-induced autophagy was suppressed, which was accompanied by a decrease in the expression of nuclear FoxO1 and cytoplasmic Ac-FoxO1 by resistance training. The L6 myotube diameter increased and the expression of autophagic proteins were inhibited under hypoxia via intervening by FoxO1 deacetylation. Overall, resistance training alleviates hypoxia-induced muscle atrophy by inhibiting nuclear FoxO1 and cytoplasmic Ac-FoxO1-mediated autophagy.

Negative capacitors and inductors enabling wideband waveguide metatronics

Waveguide metatronics, known as an advanced platform of metamaterial-inspired circuits, provides a promising paradigm for millimeter-wave and terahertz integrated circuits in future fifth/sixth generation (5/6G) communication systems. By exploiting the structural dispersion properties of waveguides, a lumped type of waveguide integrated elements and circuits could be developed in deep subwavelength scales with intrinsic low loss and low crosstalk. In this study, we focus on constructing negative capacitors and inductors for waveguide metatronics, effectively expanding the operating frequency range of waveguide integrated circuits. The incorporation of negative elements enables wideband impedance matching in waveguide, which have been both theoretically explored and experimentally validated within the waveguide metatronics paradigm. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the negative elements can also be realized in the optical domain through the utilization of a silicon waveguide with photonic crystal cladding, indicating the feasibility and universality of wideband waveguide metatronics. The negative lumped elements could boost the progress of the waveguide metatronic technique, achieving superior performance on the conventional lumped circuits within waveguides that solely rely on positive elements.

Weight bearing training alleviates muscle atrophy and pyroptosis of middle-aged rats

Background

Age-related muscle atrophy and adipose accumulation begin to occur in young and middle-aged individuals, and exercise at an early age improves body composition. Pyroptosis may play an essential role in age-related low-grade inflammation. This study aimed to explore the alleviation of muscle atrophy by weight-bearing training with increasing age via inhibition of pyroptosis.

Methods

Ninety 8-month-old male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: (1) normal baseline group (N group, n = 10), sacrificed after adaptive feeding; control group (C group, n = 40); and weight-bearing running group (R group, n = 40). Blood samples, adipose tissue (AT), and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were collected after 8, 16, 24, and 32-weeks intervention.

Results

The body weight, muscle mass, fat mass, plasma lipid, AT wet weight, adipocyte cross-sectional area (CSA), and apoptosis rates of AT and EDL were increased, while the muscle mass, wet weight, and fiber CSA of EDL were decreased by aging, which were reversed by exercise. Weight-bearing training promoted protein synthesis in EDL, inhibited protein degradation in EDL, and expression of pyroptotic key proteins in EDL and AT in rats.

Conclusion

Weight-bearing training improves body composition and alleviates age-related muscle atrophy in rats, and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of pyroptosis in the EDL and AT and the improvement of muscle protein metabolism.

[Research progress of FAPI PET/CT in the diagnosis of malignant liver tumors]

Malignant liver tumors have a high incidence and mortality rate. Therefore, it is of great significance to promptly learn about tumor advancement status through relevant examinations for patients' follow-up, diagnosis, and therapy as well as the improvement of the five-year survival rate. The primary lesions and intrahepatic metastases of malignant liver tumors have been better demonstrated in the clinical study with the use of various isotope-labeled fibroblast activating protein inhibitors because of their low uptake in liver tissues and high tumor/background ratio, which provides a new method for early diagnosis, precise staging, and radionuclide therapy. In light of this context, a review of the research progress of fibroblast-activating protein inhibitors for the diagnosis of liver malignant tumors is presented.

Prevalence and distribution of acute gastrointestinal illness in the community of China: a population-based face-to-face survey, 2014-2015

BACKGROUND

The true incidence of acute gastrointestinal illness in China is underrecognized by surveillance systems. The aims of this study were to estimate the incidence and prevalence of self-reported AGI in the community of China, and to investigate sociodemographic and epidemiological determinants of AGI.

METHODS

We conducted a 12-months cross-sectional population-based survey in eight provinces of China during 2014-2015. The survey determined the prevalence and incidence of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in the total permanent resident population in China according to the census of the population in 2010. The random multilevel population sample was stratified by geographic, population, and socioeconomic status. We used a recommended case definition of AGI, with diarrhea (three loose or watery stools) and/or any vomiting in a four-week recall. A face-to-face survey was conducted by selecting the member in the household with the most recent birthday.

RESULTS

Among 56,704 sampled individuals, 948 (1,134 person-time) fulfilled the case definition; 98.5% reported diarrhea. This corresponds to 2.3% (95% CI:1.9%-2.8%) of an overall standardized four-week prevalence and 0.3 (95% CI: 0.23-0.34) episodes per person-year of annual adjusted incidence rate. There was no significant difference between males and females. The incidence rates were higher among urban residents, and in the spring and summer. In the whole study period, 50% of the cases sought medical care, of which 3.9% were hospitalized and 14.3% provided a biological sample for laboratory identification of the causative agent. Children aged 0-4 and young adults aged 15-24, people living in rural areas and people who traveled frequently had higher prevalence of AGI.

CONCLUSION

Results showed that AGI represents a substantial burden in China, and will contribute to the estimation of the global burden of AGI. Complemented with data on the etiologies of AGI, these estimates will form the basis to estimate the burden of foodborne diseases in China.

[Dietary micronutrient intake of children aged 2-5 years in China in 2019-2021]

OBJECTIVE

To describe dietary intake of calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B_1, vitamin B_2 and vitamin C and compare the intake between urban and rural areas among preschool children aged 2-5 years based on the data from the National Nutrition and Health Systematic Survey for Children 0-17 Years of Age in China.

METHODS

Children from 14 provinces were selected by multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling, and the dietary data of preschool children aged 2-5 years were recorded using the 3 day 24-hour weighted food records method. SAS 9.4 was used to calculate dietary intake of these micronutrients based on the Chinese Food Composition Table and to compare the intake between urban and rural areas. The risk of insufficient or excessive intake of micronutrients among Chinese children aged 2-5 years was assessed according to the Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes(DRIs) 2013 edition.

RESULTS

A total of 820 children aged 2 to 5 years were selected. The median daily dietary calcium intake of children aged 2-5 years in China was 433.7, 338.9, 356.4 and 347.4 mg, respectively. The median daily dietary intake of vitamin B_1 of children aged 2-5 years was 0.5 mg for all age groups. The median daily dietary vitamin B_2 intake of children aged 2-5 years was 0.7, 0.6, 0.6 and 0.6 mg, respectively. The median daily dietary intake of vitamin C of children aged 2-5 years was 37.9, 37.4, 44.0 and 40.0 mg, respectively. The median daily dietary selenium intake of children aged 2-5 years was 17.1, 20.5, 22.7 and 22.3 μg, respectively. Dietary calcium intake for aged 2-5 years, dietary vitamin B_2 intake for aged 2-4 years, dietary iron, selenium, zinc and vitamin B_1 intake for aged 2-3 years was significantly greater in urban children than rural children. Among all nutrients, the proportion of dietary calcium intakes below the estimated average requirement(EAR) was the highest in aged 2-5 years(61.4%, 76.4%, 91.4% and 91.5%, respectively). The proportions of dietary vitamin B_1, vitamin C and selenium intake lower than EAR of children aged 2-5 years in China were 52.4%-63.2%, 42.8%-50.2% and 46.6%-58.7%, respectively.

COUCLUSION

The dietary calcium intake of children aged 2-5 years in China remains insufficient for these children, especially for rural children. Dietary vitamin B_1, vitamin C and selenium intake should be improved.

State of Health Prediction of Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Deep Dilated Convolution

A battery's charging data include the timing information with respect to the charge. However, the existing State of Health (SOH) prediction methods rarely consider this information. This paper proposes a dilated convolution-based SOH prediction model to verify the influence of charging timing information on SOH prediction results. The model uses holes to fill in the standard convolutional kernel in order to expand the receptive field without adding parameters, thereby obtaining a wider range of charging timing information. Experimental data from six batteries of the same battery type were used to verify the model's effectiveness under different experimental conditions. The proposed method is able to accurately predict the battery SOH value in any range of voltage input through cross-validation, and the SDE (standard deviation of the error) is at least 0.28% lower than other methods. In addition, the influence of the position and length of the range of input voltage on the model's prediction ability is studied as well. The results of our analysis show that the proposed method is robust to different sampling positions and different sampling lengths of input data, which solves the problem of the original data being difficult to obtain due to the uncertainty of charging-discharging behaviour in actual operation.

Pump-guided nonlinear film for phase conjugation

It is known that phase conjugation technique is achieved by the nonlinearity of materials, and widely adopted in various applications, such as high-resolution imaging, signal amplification, and target detecting. Here, we have proposed a field-enhancement method for the degenerate four wave mixing (FWM) for phase conjugation purpose. In this method, a thin film waveguide with nonlinear property is utilized to confine and guide the pumps, achieving the enhanced FWM within a flexible structure. Compared to existing degenerate FWM methods, three merits are introduced by the proposed pump-guided nonlinear film. First, the pump is confined and guided in the nonlinear waveguide, and the pump energy is concentrated to achieve high power level of the phase-conjugated signals. Second, less pump energy leaks out from the thin film, with less interference to the phase-conjugated signals. The last one is that pump-guided film can be engineered into flexible shapes for different practical applications. Based on these advantages, the phase conjugation property is numerically verified for high-resolution image reconstruction, even with damping of waveguide or in the presence of the metallic particles and the dielectric blocks.

State-of-Health Prediction Using Transfer Learning and a Multi-Feature Fusion Model

Existing data-driven technology for prediction of state of health (SOH) has insufficient feature extraction capability and limited application scope. To deal with this challenge, this paper proposes a battery SOH prediction model based on multi-feature fusion. The model is based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory network (LSTM). The CNN can learn the cycle features in the battery data, the LSTM can learn the aging features of the battery over time, and regression prediction can be made through the full-connection layer (FC). In addition, for the aging differences caused by different battery operating conditions, this paper introduces transfer learning (TL) to improve the prediction effect. Across cycle data of the same battery under 12 different charging conditions, the fusion model in this paper shows higher prediction accuracy than with either LSTM and CNN in isolation, reducing RMSPE by 0.21% and 0.19%, respectively.

[Chinese expert consensus on management of dyslipidemia in the elderly]

Dyslipidemia is an important risk factor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Statins delay the occurrence and development of ASCVD, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and death. Due to safety concerns, there exist insufficient use of lipid-lowering agents and a high withdrawal rate of the agents in the elderly. To promote the prevention and treatment of ASCVD, this expert consensus is issued and focuses on the management of dyslipidemia of Chinese elderly basing on the clinical evidence of the use of lipid-lowering drugs by the elderly, and the lipid management guidelines and expert consensus recommendations at home and abroad.

Performing calculus with epsilon-near-zero metamaterials

Calculus is a fundamental subject in mathematics and extensively used in physics and astronomy. Performing calculus operations by analog computing has received much recent research interest because of its high speed and large data throughput; however, current analog calculus frameworks suffer from bulky sizes and relatively low integration densities. In this work, we introduce the concept of an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterial processing unit (MPU) that performs differentiation and integration on analog signals to achieve extreme miniaturization at the subwavelength scale by generating desired dispersions of the ENZ metamaterials with photonic doping. To show the feasibility of this proposal, we further build an experimental analog image edge extraction system with a differentiating ENZ-MPU as its compute core. With a computing density theoretically analyzed to be several tera-operations per second and square micrometer, the proposed ENZ-MPU is scalable and configurable for more complex computations, providing an effective solution for analog calculus operators with extreme computing density and data throughput.

Identification of Novel Locus RsCr6 Related to Clubroot Resistance in Radish (Raphanus sativus L.)

Clubroot is a devastating disease that causes substantial yield loss worldwide. However, the inheritance and molecular mechanisms of clubroot resistance during pathogen infection in radish remain largely unclear. In this study, we investigated the inheritance of clubroot resistance in the F₂ population derived from crossing clubroot-resistant (CR) and clubroot-susceptible inbred lines "GLX" and "XNQ," respectively. Genetic analysis revealed that a single dominant gene controlled the clubroot resistance of "GLX" with a Mendelian ratio of resistance and susceptibility of nearly 3:1. Bulked segregant analysis combined with whole-genome resequencing (BSA-seq) was performed to detect the target region of RsCr6 on chromosome Rs8. Linkage analysis revealed that the RsCr6 locus was located between two markers, HB321 and HB331, with an interval of approximately 92 kb. Based on the outcomes of transcriptome analysis, in the RsCr6 locus, the R120263140 and R120263070 genes with a possible relation to clubroot resistance were considered candidate genes. In addition, three core breeding materials containing the two reported quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and our novel locus RsCr6 targeting clubroot resistance were obtained using marker-assisted selection (MAS) technology. This study reveals a novel locus responsible for clubroot resistance in radishes. Further analysis of new genes may reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the clubroot resistance of plants and provide a theoretical basis for radish resistance breeding.

Role of irisin in physiology and pathology

Irisin, out-membrane part of fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 protein (FNDC5), was activated by Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) during physical exercise in skeletal muscle tissues. Most studies have reported that the concentration of irisin is highly associated with health status. For instance, the level of irisin is significantly lower in patients with obesity, osteoporosis/fractures, muscle atrophy, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) but higher in patients with cancer. Irisin can bind to its receptor integrin αV/β5 to induce browning of white fat, maintain glucose stability, keep bone homeostasis, and alleviate cardiac injury. However, it is unclear whether it works by directly binding to its receptors to regulate muscle regeneration, promote neurogenesis, keep liver glucose homeostasis, and inhibit cancer development. Supplementation of recombinant irisin or exercise-activated irisin might be a successful strategy to fight obesity, osteoporosis, muscle atrophy, liver injury, and CVDs in one go. Here, we summarize the publications of FNDC5/irisin from PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science until March 2022, and we review the role of FNDC5/irisin in physiology and pathology.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alleviate adenine-induced chronic renal failure via regulating ROS production and TGF-β/SMAD pathway

The article "Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alleviate adenine-induced chronic renal failure via regulating ROS production and TGF-β/SMAD pathway", by J. Xu, Z.-P. Feng, H.-Y. Peng, P. Fu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2018; 22 (15): 5024-5032-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201808_15645-PMID: 30070341, has been retracted by the authors due to input errors which occurred in the experimental data. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/15645.

Aerobic exercise promotes the functions of brown adipose tissue in obese mice via a mechanism involving COX2 in the VEGF signaling pathway

Background

High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity causes immune cells to infiltrate adipose tissue, leading to chronic inflammation and metabolic syndrome. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) can dissipate the energy produced by lipid oxidation as heat, thereby counteracting obesity. Aerobic exercise activates BAT, but the specific underlying mechanism is still unclear.

Methods

Male C57BL/6 J mice were divided into a normal diet control group (NC group) and HFD group (H group). After becoming obese, the animals in the H group were subdivided into a control group (HC group) and an exercise group (HE group, with treadmill training). After 4 weeks, the mRNA profile of BAT was determined, and then differentially expressed key genes and pathways were verified in vitro.

Results

Relative to the NC group, the genes upregulated in the HC group coded mainly for proteins involved in immune system progression and inflammatory and immune responses, while the downregulated genes regulated lipid metabolism and oxidation–reduction. Relative to the HC group, the genes upregulated in the HE group coded for glycolipid metabolism, while those that were downregulated were involved in cell death and apoptosis. VEGF and other signaling pathways were enhanced by aerobic exercise. Interaction analysis revealed that the gene encoding cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) of the VEGF signaling pathway is central to this process, which was verified by a sympathetic activator (isoprenaline hydrochloride) and COX2 inhibitor (NS-398).

Conclusions

In mice with HFD-induced obesity, four weeks of aerobic exercise elevated BAT mass and increased the expression of genes related to glycolipid metabolism and anti-inflammatory processes. Several pathways are involved, with COX2 in the VEGF signaling pathway playing a key role.

Absent Cortical Venous Filling Is Associated with Aggravated Brain Edema in Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Predicting malignant cerebral edema can help identify patients who may benefit from appropriate evidence-based interventions. We investigated whether absent cortical venous filling is associated with more pronounced early brain edema, which leads to malignant cerebral edema.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large-vessel occlusion in the MCA territory who presented between July 2017 and September 2019 to our hospital were included. Collateral filling was rated using the modified Tan scale on CTA, and good collaterals were defined as a score of 2-3. The Cortical Vein Opacification Score (COVES) was calculated, and absent cortical venous filling was defined as a score of 0. Early brain edema was determined using net water uptake on baseline CT images. Malignant cerebral edema was defined as a midline shift of ≥5 mm on follow-up imaging or a massive cerebral swelling leading to decompressive hemicraniectomy or death. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were performed to analyze data.

RESULTS

A total of 163 patients were included. Net water uptake was significantly higher in patients with absent than in those with favorable cortical venous filling (8.1% versus 4.2%; P < .001). In the multivariable regression analysis, absent cortical venous filling (β = 2.04; 95% CI, 0.75-3.32; P = .002) was significantly and independently associated with higher net water uptake. Absent cortical venous filling (OR, 14.68; 95% CI, 4.03-53.45; P < .001) and higher net water uptake (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.58; P = .016) were significantly associated with increased likelihood of malignant cerebral edema.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with absent cortical venous filling were associated with an increased early brain edema and a higher risk of malignant cerebral edema. These patients may be targeted for optimized adjuvant antiedematous treatment.

A Partial Discharge Study of Medium-Voltage Motor Winding Insulation Under Two-Level Voltage Pulses With High Dv/Dt

Medium-voltage (e.g., 10 kV rated) silicon carbide (SiC) devices have great potentials in medium-voltage variable speed drives. But their high switching dv/dt can increase the voltage stress on motor windings and cause partial discharges. This paper presents a partial discharge study of a medium-voltage form-wound winding under two-level square-wave voltage pulses. A 10 kV SiC device-based test platform is built to generate voltage pulses with high dv/dt. A three-step test approach is proposed and employed to systematically investigate the effects of various voltage parameters on partial discharges. These include voltage rise/fall time, voltage pulse width, pulse repetitive rate, duty ratio, voltage polarity, fundamental frequency, and modulation index. Partial discharge inception voltages (PDIVs) and repetitive partial discharge inception voltages (RPDIVs) of the sample are measured with varied voltage parameters. Test results show that voltage rise/fall time is a major affecting factor which reduces PDIVs of the winding sample by 6.5% when it decreases from 800 ns to 100 ns. Based on test results, a hypothetical partial discharge mechanism is presented to explain the effects of fast voltage rise/fall edges. An empirical equation is also derived to estimate PDIVs of a winding sample under various voltage rise/fall time and pulse width conditions.

The effect of a consortium of Penicillium sp. and Bacillus spp. in suppressing banana fungal diseases caused by Fusarium sp. and Alternaria sp

AIMS

This study sought to utilize indigenous soil micro-organisms to suppress wilt-causing fungal pathogens of the banana.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Fungal pathogens were isolated from wilt-affected rhizospheric soil, and potential antagonistic bacterial strains were isolated from healthy rhizospheric soil in the same area from which fungal pathogens were isolated. The antifungal activity of isolated micro-organisms against fungal pathogens was studied both in vitro and in vivo against fungal pathogens. It was found that Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria sp. were pathogenic, while Penicillium sp., Bacillus velezensis and Bacillus subtilis were antagonistic. Moreover, it was seen that B. velezensis, B. subtilis and Penicillium sp. inhibited the growth of the two fungal pathogens in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Further investigation indicated that B. velezensis, B. subtilis and Penicillium sp. were able to produce enzymatic antifungal compounds (chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase). The spray application around rhizome revealed that a combination of Bacillus spp. and Penicillium sp. in greenhouse conditions gave the highest reduction in disease severity by up to 60% to both fungal pathogens among the treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

Banana disease is seen to be induced not only by F. oxysporum but also by Alternaria sp. The isolated indigenous micro-organisms can effectively control both the pathogens. The combination of isolated antagonistic micro-organisms has thus demonstrated substantial potential for suppressing banana disease.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

An antagonistic consortium isolated in this study has demonstrated remarkable potential for controlling fungal diseases caused by Fusarium sp. and Alternaria sp. Therefore, the use of indigenous microflora to improve disease suppression of banana plants against soil-borne pathogens is a preferable approach.

Double Burden of Malnutrition: Examining the Growth Profile and Coexistence of Undernutrition, Overweight, and Obesity among School-Aged Children and Adolescents in Urban and Rural Counties in Henan Province, China

OBJECTIVE

To examine the gender, age, and region of residence in the anthropometric and nutritional profiles of children and adolescents aged 6-18 in Henan Province, China's third most populous province.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study of the China National Nutrition and Health survey (2010-2013) used a multistage cluster sampling technique. The sample included Chinese schoolchildren and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years (1,660 boys and 1,561 girls). Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between sociodemographic correlates and overweight or obesity and stunting. Setting. Nine districts/counties in Henan Province. Participants. 3,221 subjects completed the questionnaire. Sociodemographic information was obtained. Body weight and height were measured.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant regional differences in average height and weight for boys in all age groups. Girls followed the same trends except for height when 15-18 years old. The urban-rural residence differences were found in relation to prevalence of stunting and weight status. Subjects in poor rural areas (15.43%) and ordinary rural areas (15.34%) had higher rates of stunting compared to their urban counterparts. Prevalence of overweight or obesity was highest in big city areas (15.71%) and lowest in ordinary rural areas (6.37%). Being a boy (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.314-2.143), living in a big city (OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.431-3.073), or in a small-medium city (OR = 2.28, CI = 1.606-3.247), or being in a younger age group was associated with being overweight or obese. In addition, being a boy, living in a big city, or in a small-medium city, or being younger in age meant they were less likely to be stunted.

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial dual burden of malnutrition among children and adolescents in Henan Province was revealed. The urban-rural differences in nutritional status were found. Stunting was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban. In contrast, while the rising problem of childhood and adolescent obesity still exists in the big city, we also found a great spike in obesity in small-medium cities. Evidence also indicated that boys were more likely to be overweight or obese. Our findings suggest that nutrition education, as well as environmental and policy interventions, is needed to target specific geographic regions.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alleviate adenine-induced chronic renal failure via regulating ROS production and TGF-β/SMAD pathway

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) in adenine-induced rat chronic renal failure and its underlying mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

30 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into three groups, namely sham group, adenine induction group (adenine group) and adenine induction + ω-3 PUFAs treatment group (ω-3 PUFAs group), with 10 rats in each group. Serum and kidney samples were collected after rats were sacrificed. Serum levels of Cr (creatinine) and BUN (urea nitrogen) were detected using commercial kits. HE (hematoxylin and eosin) staining was performed to evaluate the pathological changes of kidneys. Levels of oxidative stress indicators in rat kidney homogenate were detected by relative commercial kits, including SOD (superoxide dismutase), GSH (reduced glutathione), CAT (catalase), and T-AOC (total antioxidant capacity). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was also detected by immunofluorescence. Protein expressions of nuclear factor E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)/SMAD pathway-related genes were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS

Serum levels of Cr and BUN in ω-3 PUFAs group were remarkably decreased compared with those of adenine group. Higher contents of SOD, GSH, CAT and T-AOC were observed in ω-3 PUFAs group compared with those of adenine group. Besides, MAD content and ROS production were lower in ω-3 PUFAs group than those of adenine group. Pathological changes of kidneys were alleviated after ω-3 PUFAs treatment. Western blot results demonstrated that ω-3 PUFAs treatment remarkably upregulates Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, but downregulates relative genes in TGF-β/SMAD pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

ω-3 PUFAs alleviated adenine-induced chronic renal failure through enhancing antioxidant stress and inhibiting inflammatory response via regulating Nrf2 and TGF-β/SMAD pathway.

[Growth and nutritional status of children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years in Henan Province from 2010 to 2013]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the height, weight and BMI of children and adolescents aged 6-17 in different sex, age and area in Henan Province from 2010 to2013.

METHODS

Based on the monitoring of nutrition and health status of Chinese residents conducted in 9 urban and rural monitoring points in Henan Province from October 2010 to December 2013, 3221 aged 6-17 children and adolescents were selected by multi-stage stratification and population proportional random sampling method, including 1660 male students and 1561 female students; 420 in large cities, 628 in small and medium-sized cities, 1460 in rural areas, and 713 in poor rural areas. Family members basic information questionnaires were used to collect basic information, measured height, weight to obtain data, after weighted to analyze the height, weight, body mass index(BMI), stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity.

RESULTS

In 2010-2013, the development of children and adolescents aged 6-17 in Henan Province were in line with the general principles. The height and weight development of urban students were generally better than those of rural students. The difference between urban and rural areas had been narrowed in BMI. The overall malnutrition rate in the province was 6. 89%. A total of 89 children and adolescents had stunting with a stunting rate of 2. 76%. In addition to stunting, there were 59 moderate-serve wasting(1. 83%) and 74 mild wasting(2. 30%). The malnutrition of rural students was more serious than that of cities. The overweight and obesity rates of children and adolescents in big cities, small and mediumsized cities, ordinary rural areas and poor rural areas were 10. 0%, 9. 69%, 5. 47%, 4. 56%, and 9. 02%, 9. 34%, 3. 40% and 4. 10%, respectively. The overweight and obese were more serious in urban than rural areas. Especially the obesity was epidemic in low-age primary school students.

CONCLUSION

In view of the double burden coexists in stunting, wasting, overweight and obesity of children and adolescents in Henan Province, and meanwhile, the feature that malnutrition in rural students more serious, overweight and obese in urban students more critical, scientific and effective preventive measures should be carried out in time to ensure the healthy growth of children and adolescents, especially more attention on lower grade children in primary school.

Abstract P4-14-14: Clinicopathological features and endocrine therapy mode of ER low expression (1%-9%) breast cancer patients in China

Purpose: Since 2010, ASCO/CAP recommended that ER be considered positive if ≥1% tumor cells with positive nuclear staining by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in breast cancer. ASCO/CAP also recommended considering endocrine therapy (ET) in ER positive patients. However, most breast cancers are either ER negative or ER strongly positive (≥10%), and tumors with low ER (1-9%) expression are rare. Up to now, the effect of ET is controversial for these patients with ER 1-9% and unfortunately, we know little about the clinical information of this subgroup. In this study, we analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics and ET mode of patients with low ER expression. We sought to figure out whether the ASCO/CAP guidelines affect clinical ET decision in China and Which features are important considerations for doctors to choose ET. We also evaluated the efficacy of ET in these patients. Methods: Patients diagnosed stage I-III primary invasive breast cancer with ER low expression (1-9%) between January 2008 and December 2016 were retrospectively identified from six hospitals in China. Result: 457 patients (2.7%) had low expression of ER (1-9%) of 17216 patients. Mean age at diagnosis was 49 years. 288 patients (49.9%)were younger than 50 years old. 254 patients (55.6%) had stage II disease and 37 patients (8.1%) had lymphovascular invasion (LVI). 260 patients (56.9%) were HER2 positive; 408 patients had PR negative or low expression; 327 patients' (71.6%) Ki-67 status were &gt; 20%. 388 patients (85%) received chemotherapy. Of those 388 patients, 90% patients received anthracycline combined with taxol chemotherapy regimens. 170 patients (37.2%)received ET. Before 2010, only 25.7% patients with low ER expression received ET. The proportion of ET increased after the 2010 ASCO/CAP guideline was published. In 2013, 50% patients received ET. The rate of ET was totally different in six hospitals. 55% patients received ET in the hospital with highest rate, while only 4% patients received ET in the hospital with lowest rate. Using the univariate logistic regression analysis of ET, ER expression, PR expression, Ki-67 status and LVI were associated with the rate of ET. But after adjustment for other covariates, only ER level was significantly associated with the rate of ET. Compared to patients with ER&lt;5% tumors, patients with ER≥5% tumors had a significantly higher probability of ET rate (OR, 2.882; 95% CI: 1.928-4.308; P &lt; 0.001). Median follow time was 30 months. The 5-year RFS rate was 85%. Younger age and positive lymph nodes were associated with worse RFS. Survival rate did not differ significantly between patients with or without ET (without ER vs with ET: OR, 0.870; 95% CI: 0.508-1.448; p=0.61). Conclusions: 2010 ACSO/CAP recommendation indeed result in an increase of ET rate for patients with 1%-9% ER positive. But these patients do not appear to benefit from ET. Prospective studies are needed for these patients and we need more accurate way to evaluate ER levels, which associate with endocrine response.

Citation Format: Fu P, Wang S, Yao M, Xiang A, Li J, Wang H, Geng C, Jin F, Yin Y, Huang X, Jiang Z. Clinicopathological features and endocrine therapy mode of ER low expression (1%-9%) breast cancer patients in China [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-14-14.

[Mean blood pressure among the adults in China 2010-2012: based on the results of mercury sphygmomanometer and converted electronic sphygmomanometer]

Objective: To analyze the average systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) among adults aged 18 years old and above in China between 2010 and 2012; and to compare the difference in the results measured by mercury sphygmomanometer and converted electronic sphygmomanometer. Methods: The data was collected from Chinese Nutrition and Health Surveillance in 2010-2012. 120 428 adults aged 18 years old and above were selected from 150 survey counties (districts) of 31 provinces in China Mainland, by multi-stage stratified and probability proportion to size (PPS) cluster randomization sampling method. The average blood pressure value was calculated from three systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings measured by mercury sphygmomanometer. The value of Electronic Sphygmomanometer was converted by regression formula. Age-standardized results were calculated incorporating a complex sample weighting using the population data from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2009. Results: The overall adjusted mean of SBP based on the value of mercury sphygmomanometer among Chinese adults aged 18 years old and above was 122 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), 124 mmHg in men and 120 mmHg in women. The average SBP value was separately 115, 127, and 137 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. The average SBP was 122 mmHg in urban and 122 mmHg in rural areas. Mean DBP was 78 mmHg, 79 mmHg in men and 76 mmHg in women. The average DBP was separately 75, 81, and 81 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. The average DBP was 78 mmHg in urban and 77 mmHg in rural areas. The overall adjusted mean of SBP based on converted electronic device was 129 mmHg,130 mmHg in men and 127 mmHg in women, respectively. The mean of SBP was separately122, 134, and 143 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. Mean SBP was both 129 mmHg in urban and in rural areas. Mean DBP was 76 mmHg, 78 mmHg in men and 75 mmHg in women, respectively. The average DBP was separately 74, 79, and 79 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. The average DBP was both 76 mmHg in urban and rural areas. Conclusion: The average SBP and DBP was different between the mercury sphygmomanometer and converted electronic device. However, the results from both measures showed that the blood pressure was higher in men than in women, the blood pressure increased with the increase of age, and there was no difference between urban and rural areas.

Identification and Mapping of the Clubroot Resistance Gene CRd in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis)

The rapid spread of clubroot disease, which is caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, threatens Brassicaceae crop production worldwide. Breeding plants that have broad-spectrum disease resistance is one of the best ways to prevent clubroot. In the present study, eight Chinese cabbage germplasms were screened using published clubroot-resistant (CR) loci-/gene-linked markers. A CR gene Crr3 potential carrier "85-74" was detected which linked to marker BRSTS61; however, "85-74" shows different responses to local pathogens "LAB-19," "LNND-2," and "LAB-10" from "CR-73" which harbors Crr3. We used a next-generation sequencing-based bulked segregant analysis approach combined with genetic mapping to detect CR genes in an F₂ segregant population generated from a cross between the Chinese cabbage inbred lines "85-74" (CR) and "BJN3-1" (clubroot susceptible). The "85-74" line showed resistance to a local pathogen "LAB-19" which was identified as race 4; a genetic analysis revealed that the resistance was conferred by a single dominant gene. The CR gene which we named CRd was mapped to a 60 kb (1 cM) region between markers yau389 and yau376 on chromosome A03. CRd is located upstream of Crr3 which was confirmed based on the physical positions of Crr3 linked markers. The identification of CRd linked markers can be applied to marker-assisted selection in the breeding of new CR cultivars of Chinese cabbage and other Brassica crops.

Identification and Mapping of the Clubroot Resistance Gene CRd in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis)

The rapid spread of clubroot disease, which is caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, threatens Brassicaceae crop production worldwide. Breeding plants that have broad-spectrum disease resistance is one of the best ways to prevent clubroot. In the present study, eight Chinese cabbage germplasms were screened using published clubroot-resistant (CR) loci-/gene-linked markers. A CR gene Crr3 potential carrier "85-74" was detected which linked to marker BRSTS61; however, "85-74" shows different responses to local pathogens "LAB-19," "LNND-2," and "LAB-10" from "CR-73" which harbors Crr3. We used a next-generation sequencing-based bulked segregant analysis approach combined with genetic mapping to detect CR genes in an F₂ segregant population generated from a cross between the Chinese cabbage inbred lines "85-74" (CR) and "BJN3-1" (clubroot susceptible). The "85-74" line showed resistance to a local pathogen "LAB-19" which was identified as race 4; a genetic analysis revealed that the resistance was conferred by a single dominant gene. The CR gene which we named CRd was mapped to a 60 kb (1 cM) region between markers yau389 and yau376 on chromosome A03. CRd is located upstream of Crr3 which was confirmed based on the physical positions of Crr3 linked markers. The identification of CRd linked markers can be applied to marker-assisted selection in the breeding of new CR cultivars of Chinese cabbage and other Brassica crops.