Safety and immunogenicity of heterologous boosting with orally administered aerosolized bivalent adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine and B.1.1.529 variant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine in adults 18 years and older: a randomized, double blinded, parallel controlled trial

Vaccination strategies that can induce a broad spectrum immune response are important to enhance protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants. We conducted a randomized, double-blind and parallel controlled trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the bivalent (5×1010viral particles) and B.1.1.529 variant (5×1010viral particles) adenovirus type-5 (Ad5) vectored COVID-19 vaccines administrated via inhalation. 451 eligible subjects aged 18 years and older who had been vaccinated with three doses inactivated COVID-19 vaccines were randomly assigned to inhale one dose of either B.1.1.529 variant Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoVO-IH group, N=150), bivalent Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoV/O-IH group, N=151), or Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (5×1010viral particles; Ad5-nCoV-IH group, N=150). Adverse reactions reported by 37 (24.67%) participants in the Ad5-nCoVO-IH group, 28 (18.54%) in the Ad5-nCoV/O-IH group, and 26 (17.33%) in the Ad5-nCoV-IH group with mainly mild to moderate dry mouth, oropharyngeal pain, headache, myalgia, cough, fever and fatigue. No serious adverse events related to the vaccine were reported. Investigational vaccines were immunogenic, with significant difference in the GMTs of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron BA.1 between Ad5-nCoV/O-IH (43.70) and Ad5-nCoV-IH (29.25) at 28 days after vaccination (P=0.0238). The seroconversion rates of neutralizing antibodies against BA.1 in Ad5-nCoVO-IH, Ad5-nCoV/O-IH, and Ad5-nCoV-IH groups were 56.00%, 59.60% and 48.67% with no significant difference among the groups. Overall, the investigational vaccines were demonstrated to be safe and well tolerated in adults, and was highly effective in inducing mucosal immunities in addition to humoral and cellular immune responses defending against SARS-CoV-2 variants.Trial registration: Chictr.org identifier: ChiCTR2200063996.

[Short-term observation of electrical acoustic stimulation in patients with low frequency residual hearing after cochlear implant]

Objective: To analyze the effects of electrical acoustic stimulation (EAS) on speech and tone recognition as well as music perception in children with low-frequency residual hearing (LFRH) after cochlear implant (CI). Methods: A total of twelve Mandarin patients with LFRH who underwent unilateral CI from January 2017 to October 2020 were recruited, including 8 males and 4 females. There were 5 cases of pre-lingual deafness and 7 cases of post-lingual deafness. The median age at implantation was 12 years old (3-62 years). All patients had residual hearing (RH) before surgery, wore hearing aid (HA) timely, had an effective rehabilitation and the duration of use of electrical stimulation was 37.0±16.2 months. On the implanted side, the thresholds of 125 Hz and 250 Hz were less than and equal to 80 dB HL after implantation. A two-month follow-up clinical study was conducted with the EAS devices. The EAS effects were evaluated before, immediately after and 2 months after upgrade, including speech recognition rate, tone recognition and music tests. SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of ten patients completed a two-month clinical follow-up and efficiency evaluation. Compared to the electrical stimulation, the recognition rate of spondee word significantly decreased after the immediate use of EAS (71.7±4.3 vs 79.6±3.1, P=0.018). Compared to the electrical stimulation as well as immediate use of EAS, the results of sentence in noise, tone in noise, and SRT of sentence in noise were all significantly improved at 2 months after use of EAS (P<0.05). The pitch discrimination was significantly improved at 2 months after the use of EAS compared with that before the use of EAS (P=0.042). Compared with before (P=0.021) and immediately (P=0.017) use of EAS, the ability of rhythm resolution was significantly improved. There were no significant differences in other test results (P>0.05). Conclusions: The low-frequency acoustic information provided by EAS as well as the electrical-acoustic stimulation mode can provide rich auditory cues of speech perception in noise, tone recognition in noise, and musical discrimination for CI subjects. It can promote the improvement of complex listening ability of CI patients undergoing long-term electrical stimulation in a short time and comprehensively improve their hearing capacities.

[Multicenter clinical epidemiological analysis of elderly atopic dermatitis in China]

Objective: To investigate and analyze the clinical features of elderly atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. Methods: Based on the National Clinical Research and Homogeneous Diagnosis and Treatment Project for Type 2 Inflammation Dermatosis, a total of 2 281 patients aged 65 years or older were enrolled from 172 grade A tertiary hospitals who were diagnosed as atopic dermatitis from June 2021 to February 2023, and their demographics, clinical feature, and disease severity, etc. were collected. Elderly AD patients were divided into groups based on gender, history of allergic diseases (with or without a personal or family history of allergic diseases), and clinical features (site of onset, AD signs) and scales were compared within the groups. Median (Q1, Q3) was used for quantitative data. Results: The age of 2 281 elderly AD patients was 73.02 (68.83, 79.62) years old, among whom there were 1 649 males (72.29%) and 632 females (27.71%). A total of 2 244 cases were recorded with the information of the onset stage, of whom 1 713 cases (76.34%) occurred in the elderly stage. A total of 2 136 cases were recorded with the information of personal or family history of allergic diseases, of which 1 076 cases (50.37%) had a personal or family history of allergic diseases, and 1 060 (49.63%) had no history of allergic diseases. Skin lesions were predominantly involved in the waist, back, buttocks, and AD signs were mainly eczema-like skin lesions on the cheek and/or scalp and/or limb extension. Patients with moderate to severe AD accounted for 60.58% (1 327 cases), moderate to severe itching accounted for 81.32% (1 781 cases). Patients with anxiety and depression accounted for 46.14% (1 011 cases) and 39.27% (860 cases), respectively. Men had a higher EASI score than women [9.67 (4.77, 19.28) vs 8.45 (3.98, 17.11), P=0.040]. EASI, HADS-anxiety and WI-NRS scores were higher in patients with history of allergic diseases than those without allergy history [ (9.79 (4.84, 19.96) vs 8.96 (4.05, 18.31), P=0.015; 7.22 (3.49, 10.00) vs 6.81 (3.12, 9.33), P=0.012; 7.64 (5.62, 9.07) vs 7.38 (5.35, 8.91), P=0.036]. Conclusion: Elderly AD patients have their own exclusive clinical manifestations, and the understanding of these characteristics is beneficial for guiding clinical development of targeted management plans. Elderly AD patients are mostly senile onset, and male patients are more than female patients, skin lesions are mainly distributed on the extended side, and the disease burden is heavy.

[Characteristics of responsiveness of cochlear nerve to electrical stimulation in patients with cochlear nerve deficiency]

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the responsiveness of cochlear nerve to electrical stimulation in patients with cochlear nerve deficiency(CND), to compare their results with those measured in implanted children with normal-sized cochlear nerves, and to investigate the characteristics of the cochlear nerve injury of children with CND. Methods: Participants were children who underwent cochlear implantation at Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital from January 2012 to January 2020, including CND group and control group. The CND group included 51 subjects (male:20; female: 31) who were diagnosed with CND and had normal cochlea. For the CND group, four children had been bilaterally implanted, the mean implantation age was (2.7±1.5) years old. The control group included 21 subjects (male:10; femal:11) who had normal-sized cochlear nerve and normal cochlea. For the control group, all children had been unilaterally implanted except one, and the mean implantation age was (3.0±1.9)years old. Three subjects in the CND group used CI422 electrode arrays, and all the other subjects used CI24RECA/CI512 electrode arrays. The electrically evoked compound action potentials (ECAP) had been tried to record for each electrode using Custom Sound EP software (v. 4.3, Cochlear Ltd.) at least six months post first activation. Furthermore, ECAP amplitude growth functions (AGF) were measured at multiple electrode locations across the electrode array. Generalized linear mixed effect models with the subject group and electrode location as the fixed effects and subjects as the random effect were used to compare results of ECAP measurements. Results: In the control group, ECAP could been recorded at all electrodes (100%), but it could only be recorded in 71% (859/1 210) electrodes in the CND group. Additionally, the percentage of electrodes with measurable ECAP decreased from electrode 1 to electrode 22 in the CND group. Compared to the control group, the ECAP thresholds significantly increased, the ECAP amplitudes and AGF slopes significantly decreased, and the ECAP latency significantly increased in the CND group (P<0.01). GLMM showed that the stimulating site had a significant effect on the ECAP threshold, maximum amplitude, and AGF slope (P<0.01), but had no significant effect on the ECAP latency (P>0.05) in the CND group. However, the stimulating site had no significant effects on the ECAP measurements in the control group. Furthermore, the functional status of cochlear nerve varied greatly among CND group. From electrode 1 to electrode 22, the ECAP thresholds gradually increased, the ECAP maximum amplitudes and AGF slopes gradually decreased in the CND group. Conclusion: Compared with patients with normal-sized cochlear nerve, not only the number of residual spinal ganglion neurons reduce,but also the function of spinal ganglion neurons damages in CND patients. The degree of cochlea nerve deterioration varies greatly among CND patients. Generally, the deterioration of cochlear nerve tends to increase from the basal to the apical site of the cochlea.

[Short-course radiotherapy combined with CAPOX and PD-1 inhibitor for the total neoadjuvant therapy of locally advanced rectal cancer: the preliminary single-center findings of a prospective, multicentre, randomized phase II trial (TORCH)]

Objective: Total neoadjuvant therapy has been used to improve tumor responses and prevent distant metastases in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Patients with complete clinical responses (cCR) then have the option of choosing a watch and wait (W&W) strategy and organ preservation. It has recently been shown that hypofractionated radiotherapy has better synergistic effects with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors than does conventionally fractionated radiotherapy, increasing the sensitivity of microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer to immunotherapy. Thus, in this trial we aimed to determine whether total neoadjuvant therapy comprising short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) combined with a PD-1 inhibitor improves the degree of tumor regression in patients with LARC. Methods: TORCH is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, phase II trial (TORCH Registration No. NCT04518280). Patients with LARC (T3-4/N+M0, distance from anus ≤10 cm) are eligible and are randomly assigned to consolidation or induction arms. Those in the consolidation arm receive SCRT (25Gy/5 Fx), followed by six cycles of toripalimab plus capecitabine and oxaliplatin (ToriCAPOX). Those in the induction arm receive two cycles of ToriCAPOX, then undergo SCRT, followed by four cycles of ToriCAPOX. Patients in both groups undergo total mesorectal excision (TME) or can choose a W&W strategy if cCR has been achieved. The primary endpoint is the complete response rate (CR, pathological complete response [pCR] plus continuous cCR for more than 1 year). The secondary endpoints include rates of Grade 3-4 acute adverse effects (AEs) etc. Results: Up to 30 September 2022, 62 patients attending our center were enrolled (Consolidation arm: 34, Induction arm:28). Their median age was 53 (27-69) years. Fifty-nine of them had MSS/pMMR type cancer (95.2%), and only three MSI-H/dMMR. Additionally, 55 patients (88.7%) had Stage III disease. The following important characteristics were distributed as follows: lower location (≤5 cm from anus, 48/62, 77.4%), deeper invasion by primary lesion (cT4 7/62, 11.3%; mesorectal fascia involved 17/62, 27.4%), and high risk of distant metastasis (cN2 26/62, 41.9%; EMVI+ 11/62, 17.7%). All 62 patients completed the SCRT and at least five cycles of ToriCAPOX, 52/62 (83.9%) completing six cycles of ToriCAPOX. Finally, 29 patients achieved cCR (46.8%, 29/62), 18 of whom decided to adopt a W&W strategy. TME was performed on 32 patients. Pathological examination showed 18 had achieved pCR, four TRG 1, and 10 TRG 2-3. The three patients with MSI-H disease all achieved cCR. One of these patients was found to have pCR after surgery whereas the other two adopted a W&W strategy. Thus, the pCR and CR rates were 56.2% (18/32) and 58.1% (36/62), respectively. The TRG 0-1 rate was 68.8% (22/32). The most common non-hematologic AEs were poor appetite (49/60, 81.7%), numbness (49/60, 81.7%), nausea (47/60, 78.3%) and asthenia (43/60, 71.7%); two patients did not complete this survey. The most common hematologic AEs were thrombocytopenia (48/62, 77.4%), anemia (47/62, 75.8%), leukopenia/neutropenia (44/62, 71.0%) and high transaminase (39/62, 62.9%). The main Grade III-IV AE was thrombocytopenia (22/62, 35.5%), with three patients (3/62, 4.8%) having Grade IV thrombocytopenia. No Grade V AEs were noted. Conclusions: SCRT-based total neoadjuvant therapy combined with toripalimab can achieve a surprisingly good CR rate in patients with LARC and thus has the potential to offer new treatment options for organ preservation in patients with MSS and lower-location rectal cancer. Meanwhile, the preliminary findings of a single center show good tolerability, the main Grade III-IV AE being thrombocytopenia. The significant efficacy and long-term prognostic benefit need to be determined by further follow-up.

Immunogenicity consistency and safety with different production scales of recombinant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine in healthy adults: a randomized, double-blinded, immunobridging trial

BACKGROUND

The certification of immunogenicity consistency at different production scales is indispensable for the quality control of vaccines.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A randomized, double-blind immunobridging trial in healthy adults aged 18-59 was divided into Scale A (50 L and 800 L) and Scale B (50 L and 500 L) based on vaccine manufacturing scales. Eligible participants in Scale A were randomly assigned to receive the single-dose recombinant adenovirus type-5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoV) of different scales at a 1:1 ratio, as was Scale B. The primary endpoint was the geometric mean titer (GMT) of anti-live SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAb) 28 days post-vaccination.

RESULTS

1,012 participants were enrolled, with 253 (25%) per group. The post-vaccination GMTs of NAb were 10.72 (95% CI: 9.43, 12.19) and 13.23 (11.64, 15.03) in Scale A 50 L and 800 L, respectively; 11.64 (10.12, 13.39) and 12.09 (10.48, 13.95) in Scale B 50 L and 500 L, respectively. GMT ratios in Scale A and B have a 95% CI of 0.67-1.5. Most adverse reactions were mild or moderate. 17 of 18 participants reported non-vaccination-related serious adverse reactions.

CONCLUSIONS

The Ad5-nCoV in the scale-up production of 500 L and 800 L showed consistent immunogenicity with the original 50 L production scale, respectively.

Batch-to-batch consistency trial of an adenovirus type-5 vector-based COVID-19 vaccine in adults aged 18 years and above

BACKGROUND

The demonstration of batch-to-batch consistency is indispensable for quality control of vaccines.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled trial to evaluate the immunogenicity consistency of a single shot of Ad5-nCoV in healthy adults who had not previously received any COVID-19 vaccine. All eligible participants were randomly assigned equally to receive one of the three consecutive batches of Ad5-nCoV (5 × 10¹⁰ viral particles/vial, 0.5 mL). The primary endpoint was geometric mean titers (GMTs) of serum SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific IgG on day 28 post-vaccination.

RESULTS

One thousand fifty participants were enrolled, with 350 (33%) participants per group. On day 28 post-vaccination, GMTs in three groups were 78.3 binding antibody units (BAU)/mL (95% CI 70.3-87.3), 82.9 BAU/mL (73.9-92.9), and 78.8 BAU/mL (70.2-88.4), respectively. The two-sided 95% CIs for the GMT ratios between each pair of batches were all between 0.67 and 1.5. The highest incidence of solicited adverse reactions within 7 days post-vaccination was reported by batch 3 recipients (23.1% versus 15.1% in batch 1 recipients and 14.6% in bath 2 recipients; p = 0.0039). None of the serious adverse events were related to vaccination.

CONCLUSIONS

Immunogenicity consistency between consecutive batches of Ad5-nCoV was well established in adults.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05313646).

[Research advances on the treatment of hydrofluoric acid burns]

Hydrofluoric acid is a highly dangerous and toxic inorganic acid, which is widely used in industrial fields and daily life. The risk of hydrofluoric acid burns is related to hydrofluoric acid mass fraction, duration of exposure to hydrofluoric acid, burn area, burn depth, and burn site, etc. Hydrofluoric acid has strong toxicity and tissue penetration ability. A small area of hydrofluoric acid burns can cause death in a short time. Therefore, improving the understanding of the mechanism of hydrofluoric acid burns and learning how to treat hydrofluoric acid burns in different sites can further improve the cure rate of hydrofluoric acid burns.

[The imaging characteristics and prognosis of patients with cochlear implants whose cochlear nerves are not shown on MRI]

Objective: To analyze the temporal bone CT and inner ear magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of cochlear implant patients with no cochlear nerve display in the inner auditory canal under MRI. To retrospectively analyze the long-term hearing and speech rehabilitation effects of such patients after cochlear implant. And to analyze the correlation between the results of imaging examinations and the postoperative effects of cochlear implant patients with this type of cochlear nerve deficiency. Methods: A total of 88 children with cochlear nerve deficiency, who underwent cochlear implantation in Shandong Provincial ENT Hospital from May 2014 to October 2018, were enrolled. Patients with cochlear malformations were excluded,only the patients with cochlear nerve deficiency whose cochlear structure was normal and no cochlear nerve displayed in inner auditory canal under MRI were enrolled. There were 64 patients, including 4 bilaterally implanted, 68 ears in total, with an average age of (2.8±1.7) years (range 1-6 years) at the time of implantation. The implanted product was Cochlear, including 24RECA and 512 models. All patients underwent inner ear magnetic resonance imaging and temporal bone CT scan before operation. Auditory speech function assessments were performed at 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months after surgery, including categories of auditory performance (CAP), speech intelligibility rating (SIR) and hearing aid threshold test. The imaging evaluation content included the width of the cochlear nerve canal of temporal bone CT, the width of the internal auditory canal, the width of the auditory nerve at the cerebellopontine angle of the inner ear MRI, and the ratio of the facial nerve to the width of the auditory nerve at the cerebellopontine angle. The correlations between the results of postoperative hearing aid hearing threshold, CAP, SIR and imaging results were analyzed. Results: Among the 64 cases of cochlear nerve not shown under MRI, 56 ears with CT data showed that the width of the cochlear nerve canal in temporal bone CT was (0.72±0.30) mm (mean±standard deviation, the same below), and the width of the internal auditory canal was (4.07±1.10) mm; 66 ears with MRI data showed that the diameter of the auditory nerve at the cerebellopontine angle of the inner ear MRI was (1.58±0.27) mm, the diameter of the facial nerve was (1.57±0.27) mm, and the ratio of the diameter of the facial nerve to the auditory nerve was (1.02±0.23). The average hearing thresholds at 12, 24, and 36 months after surgery were (46.8±2.5) dB HL, (40.7±0.8) dB HL, and (36.8±1.5) dB HL, respectively. The preoperative and postoperative CAP scores at 12, 24 and 36 months were (1.0±1.0), (3.8±1.4), (4.5±1.4) and (5.1±0.7) points, respectively. The preoperative and postoperative SIR scores at 12, 24, and 36 months were (1.1±0.3), (1.9±0.9), (2.5±0.9), and (2.9±0.6) points, respectively. The hearing threshold at 24 months after surgery was negatively correlated with the width of the internal auditory canal of temporal bone CT (r=-0.349, P=0.037), and the hearing threshold at 36 months after surgery was positively correlated with the ratio of the diameter of the facial nerve to the auditory nerve at the cerebellopontine angle of the inner ear MRI (r=0.740, P=0.001). Conclusions: Children with cochlear implants whose cochlear nerves are not shown on MRI can benefit from cochlear implantation, and their speech and auditory functions can improve significantly after surgery. The width of the internal auditory canal in the temporal bone CT and the ratio of the diameter of the facial nerve to the auditory nerve at the cerebellopontine angle of the inner ear MRI may be related to the long-term hearing threshold after surgery.

[Molecular mechanism of zoledronic acid inhibiting angiogenesis by semi flexible binding with vascular endothelial growth factor conformation]

Objective: To study the relationship between zoledronic acid (ZOL) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) conformation so as to reveal the mechanism of bisphosphonates inhibiting angiogenesis. Methods: The binding structures of ZOL and VEGF were preprocessed and the molecular dockings were simulated through AutoDockTools, Discovery studio4 and AutoDockVina. The best binding conformation was accurately screened. The effects of various concentrations of ZOL (group A was 0 μmol/L, groups B, C and D were 25, 50 and 100 μmol/L, respectively) on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation, angiogenesis and angiogenic molecules were detected by using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) in vivo and in vitro angiogenesis, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Results: There was a ZOL binding site on the target protein VEGF conformation. The affinity was -5.2 kcal/mol. This binding site consisted of the hydrophobic region composed of amino acids Cys26, 51, 57, etc. and the hydrogen bond binding region of the A chain (ASP34, SER50) and B chain (CYS61, 68, LEU66, GLY59). The results of CCK-8 showed that the levels of value A in groups B, C and D were significantly lower than that in group A at each time point from 3 to 6 days (P<0.05). In vitro vascular experiments demonstrated that the numbers of budding in groups B, C and D [(208±28), (151±21) and (62±9), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (276±30) (P<0.05). In vivo vascular experiments displayed that the ratio of Matrigel gel/plasma fluorescence in group A (0.003 1±0.000 3) was significantly higher than those in group B (0.002 1±0.000 2), group C (0.001 6±0.000 2) and group D (0.000 6±0.000 1) (P<0.05). The results of Western blotting revealed that the expression of VEGF in groups B, C and D [(0.72±0.11), (0.41±0.07) and (0.24±0.04), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (1.01±0.02) (P<0.05), and the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in groups B, C and D [(0.68±0.09), (0.55±0.06) and (0.43±0.08), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (0.96±0.04) (P<0.05). Conclusions: ZOL could inhibit cell proliferation, in vivo and in vitro vascularization and expression of VEGF/HIF-1α. The binding site of ZOL with the conformation of VEGF was located in the hydrophobic region and hydrogen-bonding region of amino acids. Designing an antagonist targeting this site might potentially alleviate the effect of ZOL in inhibiting angiogenesis.

[Sleep status associated with psychological and behavioral problems in adolescents and children]

Objective: To examine whether sleep status and social jet lag are related to the mental health behaviors in children and adolescents, providing a reference for preventing and improving children and adolescents' mental health behaviors. Methods: A large cross-section was conducted in Baoan District, Shenzhen, from April to May 2019. A total of 30 188 adolescents and children in grades 1-12 in 14 schools were included. The growth trajectory and health index questionnaire of primary and secondary school students were designed to evaluate the sleep status. Mental health behavior problems among students were accessed using the parents' and students' versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. After controlling for confounding factors of demographic variables, including gender, age, parental education level, academic performance, learning burden, and noise impact, a multivariate logistic regression model was used for statistical analyses. Results: The sleep duration of four grades students were 90.4％,90.1％, 98.2％, and 98.4％, respectively. 19.9％ did not have a post-lunch nap. 19.6％ had a wake-up delay of more than or equal to 2 h weekend morning. 35.1％ had an inconsistent bedtime and 15.5％ had an inconsistent awakening time. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that compared with 8-9 h, the sleep duration of elementary school juniors at night less than or equal to 7 h, 7-8 h increased the risk of psychological behavior problems. The sleep time more than 9 h was negatively correlated with psychological behavior problems. The sleep duration of elementary school seniors less than or equal to 7 h increased the risk of psychological behavior problems. The sleep duration of middle school and high school students less than or equal to 6 h increased psychological behavior problems. The ORs (95％CI) appeared as 2.53(1.85-3.47), 2.41(1.11-5.25), respectively. The ones with a sleep time more than 9 h also increased the risk, and ORs (95％CI) appeared as 2.37(1.40-4.01), 5.38 (1.79-16.1), respectively. Both the absence of post-lunch nap and the nap time less than 0.5 h were risk factors for psychological behavior problems in primary and middle school students. The nap time over 1-2 h was also a risk factor for high school students' psychological behavior problems. Waking up at irregular times in the morning, going to bed at varying times in the evening, and delaying getting up for more than or equal to 2 h on weekends were all risk factors for psychological and behavioral problems among primary and middle school students. The ORs (95％CI) of psychological behavior problems of elementary school juniors and seniors, middle school and high school students were 2.07 (1.45-2.97), 1.57 (1.09-2.26), 2.66 (2.06-3.44), 2.48 (1.96-3.15), respectively. Conclusions: Sleep duration, no post-lunch sleep, and daily intraindividual variability of sleep is positively associated with poor mental health. Additionally, social jet lag is associated with mental health problems in students. It is noted that delaying sleep within half an hour on the weekends of elementary school juniors is significantly associated with an increase in bad mental behavior.

[The relationship between migration time and the prevalence of myopia of children and adolescents aged 6-18 years old in Shenzhen]

Objective: To analyze the relationship between migration time and the prevalence of myopia of children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 years old in Shenzhen. Methods: From April to May 2019, 26 618 children and adolescents from 14 schools in six streets of Baoan District, including Fuyong, Shajing, Xin'an, Xixiang, Songgang and Shiyan, were included in the study by using random cluster sampling method. The demographic characteristics, migration status, self-reported myopia, screen time in the last seven days, outdoor activities in the last one month and other information were collected through the questionnaire. The differences of myopia among children and adolescents with different characteristics were compared by χ² test, and the relationship between migration time and the prevalence of myopia was analyzed by multivariate unconditional logistic regression model. Results: The age of 26 618 study participants was (12.37±3.49) years old, and the overall prevalence of myopia was 49.4%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after controlling for relevant confounding factors, compared with migrant children and adolescents of migrant workers who migrated for 1-2 years, those of migrant workers who had migrated for more than 6 years had a higher risk of myopia [OR (95%CI): 1.48 (1.14-1.92)]. After being grouped by phase of school, in the lower grade group of primary school, the children and adolescents of migrant workers who had migrated for more than 6 years had a higher risk of myopia compared with those of migrant workers who migrated for 1-2 years [OR (95%CI): 1.96 (1.20-2.74)]. In the high school group, compared with the children and adolescents of migrant workers who migrated for 1-2 years, those of migrant workers who had migrated for 3-5 years and ≥6 years had a higher risk of myopia [OR (95%CI): 6.03 (1.29-28.15) and 6.52 (1.51-28.11), respectively]. Conclusion: The migration time is related to the prevalence of myopia of the children and adolescents of migrant workers.

Identification of an MiRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network in Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most prevalent cancer in the world. However, the molecular mechanism underlying CRC is largely unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the pathogenic mechanism of CRC and to facilitate better diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

METHODS

Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and genes (DEGs) in CRC vs. Control samples from the miRNA expression data in GSE115513 and the miRNA and mRNA expression data in the TCGA-COAD dataset were screened, followed by the construction of the miRNAmRNA regulatory network. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, and survival analysis were then performed for these DEGs and DEMs.

RESULTS

We identified 64 DEMs from the GSE115513 dataset and 265 DEMs and 2218 DEGs from the TCGA-COAD dataset. miR-27a-3p was a hub DEM with the highest degree in the miRNA-mRNA network, while GRIN2B and PCDH10 were hub DEGs targeted by multiple miRNAs, including miR-27a-3p. SNAP25 and GRIN2B were also hub DEGs with the highest degree of interactions in the PPI network. These DEMs and DEGs were significantly enriched in multiple KEGG pathways, including proteoglycans expression and cAMP signaling pathway in cancer. Finally, seven DEGs, including FJX1 Dsc2, and hsa-miR-375, were revealed to be correlated with CRC prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Aberrant expressions of genes and miRNAs were involved in the pathogenesis of CRC, probably by regulating proteoglycans expression and cAMP signaling. miR-27a-3p, PCDH10, GRIN2B, FJX1, Dsc2, and hsa-miR-375 were identified as potential targets for understanding the pathogenic mechanism of CRC. In addition, FJX1, Dsc2 and hsa-miR-375 were identified as potential predictive markers for CRC prognosis.

Epidemiological and Clinical Findings of Short-Term Recurrence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase Chain Reaction Positivity in 1282 Discharged Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Short-term recurrence of positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in discharged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients attracts the public's concern. This study aimed to determine the clinical and epidemiological results of such patients.

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted on 32 designated hospitals for COVID-19 patients discharged from January 14 to March 10, 2020. After 28-day followed-up, patients who tested positive again for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and confirmed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were re-admitted to hospital for further treatments. All of the close contacts of patients who tested positive again were asked to self-segregate for 14 days. Data of epidemiology, symptoms, laboratory tests, and treatments were analyzed in those patients, and their close contacts were investigated.

RESULTS

Of 1282 discharged patients, 189 (14.74%) tested positive again for SARS-CoV-2 RNA during 28-day follow-up. The median time from discharge to the next positive test was 8 days (interquartile range [IQR], 5-13). Patients in the group that tested positive again were younger (34 vs 45 years, P < .001) with a higher proportion of moderate symptoms (95.77% vs 84.35%, P < .001) in the first hospitalization than in the negative group. During the second hospitalization, all patients who tested positive again showed normal peripheral white blood cells and lymphocytes and no new symptoms of COVID-19; 78.31% further improved on chest computed tomography scan compared with the first discharge, yet 25.93% accepted antiviral therapy. The median time of re-positive to negative test was 8 days (IQR, 4-15). None of the close contacts developed COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that the short-term recurrence of positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA in discharged patients is not a relapse of COVID-19, and the risk of onward transmission is very low. This provides important information for managing COVID-19 patients.

[Correlation between elevation of brachial artery pulse pressure increased and coronary heart disease in different genders]

Objective: To explore the relationship between elevation of brachial pulse pressure and coronary heart disease in different genders. Methods: A total of 5 116 inpatients with suspected stable coronary heart disease were consecutively enrolled from December 2011 to June 2017 in the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, and divided into coronary heart disease group (n=3 694) and non-coronary heart disease group (n=1 422). The clinical data of all inpatients were collected. A binary logistic regression model of coronary heart disease in different genders were separately established. Results: The morbidity of hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, ischemic stroke and elevated pulse pressure were all higher in the coronary heart disease group than those in the non-coronary heart disease group (all P<0.05). The area under curve (AUC) of pulse pressure in the male group was 0.540, with an optimal diagnostic threshold of 50 mmHg. The AUC of pulse pressure in the female group was 0.612, with an optimal diagnostic threshold of 60 mmHg. Besides hypertension, type 2 diabetes, increase of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, ischemic stroke, smoking, and aging, elevated pulse pressure was also an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease in both male and female groups (all P<0.05). Additionally, the risk of elevated pulse pressure for coronary heart disease was higher in female group than that of male group (odds ratio (OR): 1.741 vs 1.284, P<0.05). Conclusion: Elevated pulse pressure may be a new risk factor for coronary heart disease, and its risk for coronary heart disease is higher in women than in men.

[Fractional vegetation cover and topographic effects in Pisha sandstone area of Northwest China in 2000-2018]

Based on MODIS-EVI data and binary pixel model, we calculated fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) in Pisha sandstone area of Northwest China from 2000 to 2018. The topographic effects on fractional vegetation coverage was analyzed from elevation, slope, and aspect using digital elevation model (DEM) data. From 2000 to 2018, FVC in Pisha sandstone area of Northwest was relatively low, which increased with a rate of 2.43·a^-1. The positive anomaly of FVC existed in 12 years, with higher positive anomaly FVC mainly in 2018 and 2013. The negative anomaly of FVC existed in seven years, with the lower negative anomaly of FVC mainly in 2000 and 2001. The spatial distribution of FVC in Pisha sandstone area decreased from southeast to northwest, which differed significantly among different types, with that in bare Pisha sandstone being the lowest, followed by sand-covered Pisha sandstone, and soil-covered Pisha sandstone area being the highest. The FVC in this area had an average increasing rate of 0.0031, suggesting an improved vegetation growth status. Analysis of elevation-aspect effect showed that aspect had a great influence on FVC at the elevation no more than 1000 m and more than 1500 m in bare Pisha sandstone and sand-covered Pisha sandstone areas, respectively. The aspect of soil-covered Pisha sandstone had a small influence on FVC, its influence was relatively large at 1200-1300 m. When the slope of Pisha sandstone area was no more than 15°, the slope-aspect effect of FVC was not obvious. When the slope was more than 25°, FVC of shady and semi-shady slope in bare and sand-covered Pisha sandstone areas was larger than that of sunny and semi-sunny slopes. For soil-covered Pisha sandstone, when the slope was more than 15°, FVC of semi-shady and semi-sunny slopes was larger than that of shady and sunny slopes.

Cellulose Aerogel Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon for Enhancing Flavin-Based Interfacial Electron Transfer in Microbial Fuel Cells

The flavin-based indirect electron transfer process between electroactive bacteria and solid electrode is crucial for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Here, a cellulose-NaOH-urea mixture aerogel derived hierarchical porous carbon (CPC) is developed to promote the flavin based interfacial electron transfer. The porous structure of the CPC can be tailored via adjusting the ratio of urea in the cellulose aerogel precursor to obtain CPCs with different type of dominant pores. According to the electrocatalytic performance of different CPC electrodes, the CPCs with higher meso- and macropore area exhibit greatly improved flavin redox reaction. While, the CPC-9 with appropriate porous structure achieves highest power density in Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 MFC due to larger active surface for flavin mediated interfacial electron transfer and higher biofilm loading. Considering that the CPC is just obtained from the pyrolysis of the cellulose-NaOH-urea aerogel, this work also provides a facile approach for porous carbon preparation.

[Analysis of edge morphology of partial veneers made by different processing techniques and materials]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the edge morphology of partial veneers made of different materials by slurry molding, heat-pressed and computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques.

METHODS

Thirty premolars with smooth surface and intact enamel were selected and randomly divided into five groups, 6 specimens for each group. Group A were made from feldspathic porcelain (Noritake®) by slurry molding, while Group B were made from lithium disilicate glass ceramic (IPS E.max® Press) by heat-pressed. Group C/D/E were respectively made from feldspar porcelain block (VITA Mark II®), zirconia-reinforced glass ceramic (VITA Suprinity®) and hybrid ceramic with a ceramic-polymer network (VITA Enamic®) by CAD/CAM techniques. All the partial veneers luted with light-cured composite resin. Then the partial veneers were trimmed and polished to achieve the smooth finishing margin, clinical polishing sets were used according to the product descriptions. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the edge morphology of prostheses and the exposure of resin cements.

RESULTS

The smooth surface and knife-like edge of the partial veneers could be obtained after bonding, trimming and polishing. The edges of Group A were slightly rough and the width of the exposed adhesive was (106.00±9.17) μm. In Group B, the edges were smoother than Group A, and the exposed wide adhesive strip was visible, which was (138.33±20.59) μm. In Group E, the edges were smooth too, and the width of exposed adhesive strip was (186.00±5.66) μm. The edges of Group C and Group D were rough and uneven, and the adhesive was rarely exposed, they were (50.67±7.51) μm and (65.67±17.90) μm. There were all significant differences between two groups, except Group C and Group D.

CONCLUSION

After trimming and polishing in accordance with clinical procedures, the expected knife-like edge can be obtained in all groups. The width of the exposed resin adhesive of each group is different, the order: Mark II/Suprinity < Noritake < E.max Press < Enamic. The edge morphology of partial veneers in different processing technic and materials are different.

[Downregulation of large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels in paraventricular nucleus contributes to sympathoexcitation in rats with chronic heart failure]

Objective: To elucidate the association between large conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (BK_Ca) in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) and sympathetic outflow in rats with chronic heart failure (CHF) . Methods: Male Wistar rats (6-7 weeks old) were randomized to sham operated group and CHF group (coronary artery ligation) . Two weeks after operation, BK_Ca inhibitor Iberiotoxin (IBTX) was infused into PVN by osmotic minipumps, rats were divided into following groups: sham+aCSF, CHF+aCSF, sham+low dose IBTX (0.125 nmol/nl) , CHF+low dose IBTX, sham+moderate dose IBTX (1.25 nmol/nl) , CHF+moderate dose IBTX, sham+ high dose IBTX (12.5 nmol/nl) , and CHF+high dose IBTX (n=6 each) . Additional rats were grouped as follows: sham+vehicle, sham+KCNMB4 knockdown (by rAAV2-KCNMB4 shRNA virus injection in PVN) , CHF+vehicle, CHF+ KCNMB4 knockdown group (n=6 each) . The cardiac function was determined by echocardiography, left ventricular hemodynamics were measured invasively, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was recorded at 6 weeks after coronary artery ligation or sham operation. The contents of norepinephrine (NE) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in plasma were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein and mRNA expression of KCNMB4 in PVN were measured by immunofluorescence staining, Western blot, and real-time PCR, mRNA expression of BK_Ca in PVN was detected by real-time PCR. Results: Compared with the sham operation group, the cardiac function of the heart failure group was significantly reduced (P<0.05) , and the plasma NE and the serum NT-proBNP were significantly elevated (P<0.05) . The protein and mRNA expression of KCNMB4 in PVN were obviously down-regulated in CHF rats (P<0.05) . After perfusion of IBTX or KCNMB4 knockdown by microinjection of rAAV2-KCNMB4 shRNA virus,right ventricular weight/body weight and lung weight/body weight ratio as well as left ventricular end-diastolic diameter were increased and left ventricular ejection fraction was decreased (all P<0.05) , the sympathetic driving indexes was increased in sham rats, changes of these parameters further aggravated in CHF rats (P<0.05) . KCNMB4 knockdown further downregulated protein expression in PVN of CHF rats. Conclusion: Downregulation and blunted function of BK_Ca in PVN may contribute to sympathoexcitation and deterioration of cardiac function in rats with chronic heart failure.

Mechanical responses of a-axis GaN nanowires under axial loads

Gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires (NWs) hold technological significance as functional components in emergent nano-piezotronics. However, the examination of their mechanical responses, especially the mechanistic understanding of behavior beyond elasticity (at failure) remains limited due to the constraints of in situ experimentation. We therefore performed simulations of the molecular dynamics (MD) of the mechanical behavior of [Formula: see text]-oriented GaN NWs subjected to tension or compression loading until failure. The mechanical properties and critical deformation processes are characterized in relation to NW sizes and loading conditions. Detailed examinations revealed that the failure mechanisms are size-dependent and controlled by the dislocation mobility on shuffle-set pyramidal planes. The size dependence of the elastic behavior is also examined in terms of the surface structure determined modification of Young's modulus. In addition, a comparison with c-axis NWs is made to show how size-effect trends vary with the growth orientation of NWs.

Tailoring of pore structure in mesoporous carbon for favourable flavin mediated interfacial electron transfer in microbial fuel cells

Mesoporous carbon (MC) is supposed to be a good candidate for microbial fuel cell (MFC) anodes as it possesses a large specific area for the redox reaction of the electron shuttles and should deliver high power density. However, the power generation performance of MC anodes is often un-satisfying. It seems that a large portion of the pore surface is not available for anodic redox reaction but the reason is not clear. Here, three MCs with different pore sizes and pore shapes were fabricated and used to explore the effect of the pore structure on the bioelectrocatalysis in Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 MFCs. It is interesting that MC with 40–60 nm spheric pores (MC-III) possesses superior bio-electrocatalytic performance to the CMK-3 (MC-I with 3 nm channel like pores) and the one with 14 nm spheric pores (MC-II) although the specific surface area of MC-III is lower than MC-II and MC-I. The reason might be that the MC-III provides a more favorable pore structure than the other two MCs for flavin based redox reaction at the interface between the biofilm and the electrode. As a result, the MC-III anode delivered the highest power density at around 1700 mW m⁻², which is 1.6 fold higher than that of the MC-I anode. A possible mechanism for the pore shape/size dependent interfacial electron transfer process has also been proposed. This work reveals that spheric mesopores with large pore width could be more favorable than the narrow channel-like pores for flavin based interfacial electron transfer in biofilm anodes, which will provide some insights for the design of the mesoporous anode in MFCs.

Spherical mesopores with large pore width are more favorable to flavin mediated interfacial electron transfer in microbial fuel cells.

Role of Th1/Th2 cytokines in the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a progressive disease of the spine, manifests as peripheral arthritis with tendon and ligament inflammation that restricts activity. AS is a rheumatoid autoimmune disease although the rheumatoid factor is absent in patients with AS. It is characterized by inflammatory changes such as elevated levels of serum inflammatory factors. The roles of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in autoimmune diseases are well known. However, the roles of these cytokines in the diagnosis and prognosis of AS is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of Th1/Th2 cytokines in the diagnosis and prognosis of AS. The BASDAI activity, BASFI functional index, BASMI measurement score, and the levels of CRP and ESR were measured during the treatment of patients with active AS. The levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α (Th1 cytokines) and IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2 cytokines) were quantified. The levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly low in the serum of patients with active AS, who also had high IFN-γ and TNF-α levels compared to those in the control individuals (P < 0.05). After treatment, the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 increased while those of IFN-γ and TNF-α decreased compared to those in individuals with active AS (P < 0.05). The disease activity index correlated positively with levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α and negatively with levels of IL-4 and IL-10, but not with that of CRP or ESR. Changes in the levels of Th1/2 cytokines in patients with AS may reflect disease activity and prognosis.

[Simultaneous triple semicircular canal plugging and cochlear implantation in advanced Meniere's disease]

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of combining simultaneous triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) and cochlear implantation (CI) to treat vertigo and hearing loss in advanced Meniere's disease(MD) patients, so as to provide an alternative surgical procedure for treating this disorder. Methods: Data from seven patients, who were referred to our hospital and diagnosed with unilateral MD strictly meeting the criteria issued by Chinese Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Committee (2006), from Jan. 2015 to Jan. 2016, were retrospectively analyzed in this work. Seven patients, in whom the standardized conservative treatment had been given for at least one year and frequent vertigo still occurred, underwent simultaneous TSCP and CI under general anesthesia via mastoid approach. Postoperative follow-up time was more than six months. Vertigo control and auditory function were measured. Pure tone audiometry, speech perception scores, caloric test, head impulse test (HIT), and vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) were performed for evaluation of audiological and vestibular functions. Results: All patients had bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss preoperatively. One side hearing loss was due to MD and another side was due to reasons including sudden sensorineural hearing loss, mumps and other unknown reason. The total control rate of vertigo in seven MD patients was 100.0% in the six-month follow-up, with complete control rate of 85.7% (6/7) and substantial control rate of 14.3% (1/7). Improved hearing threshold and speech perception scores were observed in all study participants. Postoperative average aided hearing threshold was 32.5 dBHL, the average monosyllabic word score was 42.6% and speech perception scores of sentences tested in quiet was 52.3%. Tinnitus improved in five cases, and no significant change in two patients. Post-operatively, all patients suffered from temporary vertigo and balance disorders. Vertigo was disappeared in all patients within 3-5 days, while, an average recovery time of balance disorders was 19.7 days. Six months after treatment, loss of semicircular canal function by caloric test was found in the operation side of all patients and no change in cVEMP or oVEMP test was noted. All patients had no facial paralysis, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and other complications. Conclusions: A combined approach of TSCP and CI which could control vertigo effectively and improve hearing loss and tinnitus represents an effective and safe therapy for some advanced MD patients.

[Effects of miR-93 on proliferation and apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells]

Objective: To investigate the effects of miR-93 on proliferation and apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells and the possible mechanism. Methods: The expression levels of miR-93 and the naked cuticle homolog 2 (NKD2) in 6 osteosarcoma cell lines (143B, HuO9, Saos2, MG63, U2OS and G292) and one osteoblast cell line hFOB1.19 were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot assays, respectively. MiR-93 down-regulated 143B and HuO9 cells were constructed by lipofection transfection, and their proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay was used to determine whether the 3'UTR of NKD2 mRNA was a binding target of miR-93. In addition, 143B cells were transfected with NKD2 cDNA, and the effects of NKD2 on proliferation and apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells were investigated. Results: Up-regulation of miR-93 and down-regulation of NKD2 were detected in osteosarcoma cell lines. MTT and flow cytometry assays showed that miR-93 promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells. Luciferase assay confirmed that miR-93 targeted NKD2 directly. In addition, overexpression of NKD2 inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells were found. Conclusions: MiR-93 targets NKD2 to promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells. The findings may have significant implications in the diagnosis and treatment of osteosarcoma.

Discovery of differentially expressed genes in cashmere goat (Capra hircus) hair follicles by RNA sequencing

The mammalian hair follicle (HF) is a unique, highly regenerative organ with a distinct developmental cycle. Cashmere goat (Capra hircus) HFs can be divided into two categories based on structure and development time: primary and secondary follicles. To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the primary and secondary HFs of cashmere goats, the RNA sequencing of six individuals from Arbas, Inner Mongolia, was performed. A total of 617 DEGs were identified; 297 were upregulated while 320 were downregulated. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the main functions of the upregulated genes were electron transport, respiratory electron transport, mitochondrial electron transport, and gene expression. The downregulated genes were mainly involved in cell autophagy, protein complexes, neutrophil aggregation, and bacterial fungal defense reactions. According to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database, these genes are mainly involved in the metabolism of cysteine and methionine, RNA polymerization, and the MAPK signaling pathway, and were enriched in primary follicles. A microRNA-target network revealed that secondary follicles are involved in several important biological processes, such as the synthesis of keratin-associated proteins and enzymes involved in amino acid biosynthesis. In summary, these findings will increase our understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms of HF development and cycling, and provide a basis for the further study of the genes and functions of HF development.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Southern catfish (Silurus meridionalis Chen) and Chinese catfish (S. asotus Linnaeus): Structure, phylogeny, and intraspecific variation

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Southern catfish (Silurus meridionalis) and the Chinese catfish (S. asotus), was determined using the long and accurate polymerase chain reaction (LA-PCR) method. The mitochondrial DNA nucleotide sequences of S. meridionalis and S. asotus were compared with those of 47 other catfish species in the same order. The total length of mitochondrial DNA for S. meridionalis and S. asotus was 16,526 and 16,525 bp, respectively, and included 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a non-coding control region. This mitochondrial gene arrangement is identical to that observed in other Siluriformes. To determine the relative phylogenetic positions of S. meridionalis and S. asotus, and to discover phylogenetic relationships among 24 families of Siluriformes, analyses were conducted, based on mitochondrial DNA, 12S ribosomal RNA, 16S ribosomal RNA, and 13 protein-coding gene sequence data sets. Phylogenetic analyses were congruent with a basal split of the order into Clupeiformes, Characiformes, Cypriniformes, and Siluriformes, and supported a closer relationship of the Southern catfish (family Siluridae) and the Chinese catfish (family Siluridae) to Pimelodidae than to Bagridae. We concluded that these two species are part of a molecular clade that is different from that proposed in recent studies, in which Amblycipitidae appears as a sister group. Our results showed Amblycipitidae appearing as the most basal extant, and Bagridae appearing as a sister group of Cranoglanididae and Pangasiidae. The Siluriformes showed close phylogenetic relationship to the Characiformes.

Hair follicle transcriptome profiles during the transition from anagen to catagen in Cashmere goat (Capra hircus)

Previous molecular genetic studies of the goat hair life cycle have focused primarily on a limited number of genes and proteins. To identify additional genes that may play important roles in hair follicle cycle regulation, Illumina sequencing technology was used to catalog differential gene expression profiles in the hair growth cycle (anagen to catagen) of goat, comparing the primary hair follicle with the secondary hair follicle. There were 13,769 and 12,240 unigenes assembled from the reads obtained from primary hair follicle and secondary hair follicle, respectively. Genes encoding keratin proteins and keratin-associated proteins were the most highly expressed. A total of 5899 genes were differentially expressed in anagen vs catagen primary hair follicles, with 532 genes up-regulated and 5367 genes down-regulated. A total of 5208 genes were differentially expressed in anagen vs catagen secondary hair follicle, including 545 genes that were up-regulated and 4663 genes that were down-regulated. Numerous hair growth genes are expressed in the goat hair follicle, of which 73 genes showed co-up-regulation in both hair follicles during the anagen stage. Many of these up-regulated genes, such as STC2, VEGFR, and ROR2, are known to be transfactors in the process of cell differentiation and in the cell cycle. The differential gene expression profiles between primary hair follicles and secondary hair follicles obtained provide a foundation for future studies examining the network of gene expression controlling hair growth cycle in Cashmere goat.

Molecular characterization, phylogenetic analysis and expression profiling of myoglobin and cytoglobin genes in response to heat stress in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus

To understand the function of myoglobin (Mb) and cytoglobin (Cygb) in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus in response to heat stress, mb and cygb genes were identified and characterized in this study. These genes were widely expressed in all the tested tissues, but strong tissue preferences were observed, with the mb gene being expressed most highly in the heart, cygb1 most highly expressed in the intestine and cygb2 most highly expressed in the brain. After heat-stress challenge, mb and cygb genes were up-regulated in almost all tested tissues. In general, such up-regulation was more dramatic in the tolerant group than in the intolerant group, suggesting that higher expression of mb and cygb genes contributed to greater tolerance of I. punctatus to heat stress.

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in pre-weaned calves in Shaanxi Province, north-western China

Cryptosporidium, a worldwide protozoan parasite, is one of the most common causes of diarrhoea in humans and animals. The aim of the present study was to determine Cryptosporidium species/genotypes in pre-weaned calves in Shaanxi Province using PCR and sequencing based on the small subunit rRNA gene. A total of 258 faecal samples were collected from pre-weaned calves in 19 different farms from six areas in Shaanxi Province, north-western China. Cryptosporidium infection was detected in 14 of 19 farms (73.7 %), with a total prevalence of 20.2 % (52/258). Both dairy and Qinchuan (beef) cattle were found with Cryptosporidium infection. Three Cryptosporidium species, namely Cryptosporidium bovis (n = 26), Cryptosporidium andersoni (n = 14) and Cryptosporidium ryanae (n = 12), were detected in pre-weaned calves in Shaanxi Province, with C. bovis (in 12 farms) identified as the most common species on cattle farms. Two additional and previously unknown C. ryanae genotypes, CRTypes III and IV, were observed in the present study. However, the zoonotic species, Cryptosporidium parvum, was not detected in this study, which suggested a low zoonotic potential in Cryptosporidium-infected pre-weaned calves in this province.

Flexographic printing-assisted fabrication of ZnO nanowire devices

In this study, the use of flexographic printing was investigated for low cost, high volume production of devices incorporating nanowires through the printing of zinc acetate precursors on a substrate used to form zinc oxide (ZnO) seeds for the growth of nanowires using a hydrothermal growth technique. The printing of precursors allows the selective area growth of ZnO nanowires, which has implications in high-yield production of devices incorporating ZnO nanowires. The work presented here achieved printed line widths of <60 μm with low edge distortion (<3 μm) using a printing plate with a line width of 50 μm. The hydrothermally grown ZnO nanowires show uniform density of growth over the printed area with nanowire diameters between 40 and 60 nm on both silicon and polyimide substrates. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectra showed contamination-free crystals with a 1:1 (zinc to oxygen) stoichiometry. Crystal orientation is along the c-axis with high quality crystalline structure shown using x-ray diffraction spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. A ZnO nanowire gas sensor, fabricated using the flexographic printing technique, is demonstrated. Such a printing-assisted fabrication offers low cost, high volume production of devices incorporating ZnO nanowires, ranging from gas sensors to field emission devices.

Carbohydrate Accumulation and Metabolism in Escherichia coli: Characteristics of the Reversions of ctr Mutations

The reversion behavior of pleiotropic carbohydrate mutants, previously designated as ctr, was studied. The mutants revert to complete restoration of the wild-type phenotype, as well as to a spectrum of partial wild-type phenotypes. Lac(+) reversions were found in the lac region (11 min) and some Mal(+) reversions occurred at malB (79 min), at a distance from the site of the ctr mutations (46 to 47 min). About one-third of Lac(+) and Mal(+) revertants were constitutive for uptake of their respective substrates, and one-third modified for inducibility. The remaining third were not distinguishable from wild type. Induction of a ctr mutation in a lac constitutive strain, either operator or repressor mutant, did not affect lactose metabolism. A polar-like ctr mutant, deficient in both enzyme I and heat-stable protein of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase strain was also described. Partial revertants of ctr were still found to lack enzyme I.

Functional properties of a new low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit gene from a bread wheat cultivar

Some allelic forms of low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (LMW-GS) can greatly influence the end-use of wheat flours, understanding the function of each allele of LMW-GS is important to wheat quality breeding. A LMW-GS gene XYGluD3-LMWGS 1(AY263369) has been cloned from bread wheat cultivar Xiaoyan 6. The deduced protein contained nine cystine residues, one more than that in all other LMW-GSs reported previously, indicating that it is either a new gene or a new allele of a known LMW-GS gene. In this study, the gene was expressed in E. coil in large scale for the testing of its functional property. Reactive Red 120-Agarose resin was used efficiently to purify the expressed LMW-GS proteins from bacteria, with the lactic acid-sodium lactate buffer (pH 4.5) which contained low concentration SDS as elution solution. The purified protein (belonging to the LMW-m family, MW about 35 KDa) was supplemented into a base flour, the results of 10 g dough mixing test indicated that incorporation of the LMW-GS increased the strength of the dough, with significant increases in mixing time (MT) and peak width (PW), and decrease in breakdown in resistance (RBD) compared with the control. In addition, the dough with incorporation of the LMW-GS had more glutenin macropolyeric protein than the control, suggesting that the LMW-GS participated in forming larger glutenin polymers, and greatly contributed to dough strength. The changes in mixing parameters and the amount of glutenin macropolyeric protein were related to the quantity of incorporating subunits.

Novel H-Shaped Persistent Architecture Based on a Dispiro Building Block System

[structure: see text] A novel dispiro building block, dispiro[fluorene-9,5'(7'H)-diindeno[2,1-b:1',2'-d]thiophene-7',9' '-fluorene], and its two derivatives, TBP-DSFDITF and TDOF-DSFDITF, were designed and synthesized. Because of the rigidity and orthogonality of the spiro structure, TBP-DSFDITF exhibits a well-defined H-shaped architecture, which consists of two ter(biphenyls) as the arms of the H-shape and 3,4-diphenylthiophene as the rung, connecting via completely rigid dispiro linkages with two sp(3) carbon atoms.

Herpes simplex virus 1 inhibits apoptosis through a caspase-3-dependent pathway in primary cultures of cortical neuronal cells of fetal mice

We could induce apoptosis in primary cultures of cortical neurons of fetal mice with ceramide or sorbitol. The induction was accompanied by an increase in caspase-3 (CAS-3) activity and depolarization of the inner mitochondrial membrane of neuronal cells which both could be reversed by Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection. We conclude tha HSV-1 infection inhibited the apoptosis, induced in neuronal cells by sorbitol or ceramide, via a CAS-dependent pathway.

[Regulatory effect of Bcl-2 on the cortical neurons of primary cultured mice with HSV-1 infection]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of Bcl-2 on the cortical neurons of primary cultured mice with HSV-1 infection.

METHODS

Analysis of the expression of Bcl-2 on the cortical neurons of primary cultured fetal mice in vitro infected with HSV-1 for 11 hours or exposed to sorbitol for 5 hours was made by flow cytometry and Western blotting.

RESULTS

The Bcl-2 of the cultured neurons undergoing HSV-1 infection expressed upregulating compared with the mock untreated neurons. The Bcl-2 protein of HSV-1 infected and exposed to sorbitol neurons expressed upregulating compared with the control group. The Bcl-2 protein of the primary cultured 3 day cells expressed higher than that of the primary cultured 7 day cells. The higher neurovirulence, the higher expression of Bcl-2.

CONCLUSIONS

Bcl-2 might protect the primary cultured cortical neurons of fetal mice from apoptosis where infected with HSV-1, and thereby the lifespan of host cells may be prolonged.

Influence of electrical and chemical factors on transdermal iontophoretic delivery of three diclofenac salts

The aim of this present study was to investigate the in vitro transdermal iontophoretic delivery of three diclofenac salts--diclofenac sodium (DFS), diclofenac potassium (DFP), and diclofenac diethylammonium (DFD). A series of physicochemical and electrical variables which might affect iontophoretic permeation of diclofenac salts was studied. Application of 0.3 mA/cm2 current density significantly increased the transdermal flux of diclofenac salts as compared to passive transport. The iontophoretic enhancement increased in the order of DFS>DFP>DFD. The permeability coefficient of diclofenac salts all decreased with increasing donor concentration during iontophoresis. The addition of buffer ions and salt ions such as NaCl, KCl, and C4H12ClN reduced the permeation of diclofenac salts due to competition. However, this effect was lesser for DFD than for DFS and DFP. Comparing the various application modes of iontophoresis, the discontinuous on/off mode showed lower but more constant flux than the continuous mode.

[Development of integrated capillary electrophoresis chips]

Capillary electrophoresis in its different operation modes has been demonstrated that it is suitable to be integrated into a planar microdevice which is called integrated capillary electrophoresis chip (ICE chip) or microchip. The use of microfabrication and micromachining allows the integration of complex channel nets and functional units such as pre- and post-column reaction chambers on a single chip, providing good sensitivity and high separation efficiency with low reagent consumption and short analysis time. In the last 10 years an important number of publications have been reported in this area. In the present paper, the development and applications are systematically reviewed with 39 references.

Analysis of autoantibodies against RNA polymerases using immunoaffinity-purifed RNA polymerase I, II, and III antigen in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Autoantibodies against RNA polymerases (RNAP) have been reported to occur in patients with a wide variety of connective tissue diseases (CTD), including systemic sclerosis (SSc), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). The frequency of anti-RNAP antibodies has been reported to vary widely between different CTD diseases in studies examining different patient populations. Furthermore, these studies have been limited by the fact that methods have not previously been available for detecting antibodies against RNAP which are both rapid and quantitative. We have developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for rapidly quantitating antibodies against RNAP I, II, and III. We have utilized both the ELISA and the immunoprecipitation of 35S-labeled HeLa cells to analyze sera from a large cohort of well-characterized Caucasian CTD patients for the presence of anti-RNAP antibodies. We found excellent concordance for the presence of anti-RNAP antibodies using immunoprecipitation and ELISA. Anti-RNAP antibodies occurred predominantly among female patients with the diffuse form of SSc and were detected in 8/36 (22%) of Caucasian patients with diffuse SSc and 1/53 (2%) with limited SSc. Anti-RNAP antibodies occurred in 1/42 (2%) of patients with SLE. Anti-RNAP antibodies did not occur in MCTD (0/49). Antibodies against RNAP were rare among antinucleolar-reactive sera, occurring in only 3/200 (1.5%). The RNAP ELISA provides a validated method which can be rapidly utilized in a clinical diagnostic laboratory setting to identify SSc patients who are at risk for developing diffuse SSc with multiorgan involvement and hypertensive renal crisis.

[Identification of semen Cuscutae by HPCE]

A method for identification of semen Cuscutae, a traditional Chinese herb, was developed. The proteins in semen Cuscutae were extracted under acid or basic conditions and separated by high performance capillary electrophoresis. The electrophoretograms of acidic or basic extractants from Cuscuta chinensis Lam., Cuscuta australis R. Br. and Cuscuta japonica Choisy showed significant differences, which can be used to identify the three different semen Cuscutae. The results of the identification for 13 pharmacognosical samples agreed well with those of scanning electronic microscopy and tissue microanalysis.

Investigations on the protective action of Condonopsis pilosula (Dangshen) extract on experimentally-induced gastric ulcer in rats

The action of Codonopsis pilosula extract in 5 animal models of gastric ulcer was investigated. It was found that the extract had higher efficacy on gastric ulcer induced by stress, acetic acid and sodium hydroxide and little significant effect on ulcers induced by pyloroligature and indomethacin. The C. pilosula extract was also capable of reducing gastric acid pepsin secretion. It is possible that inhibition of gastrointestinal movement and propulsion is one of the mechanisms underlying the antiulcer action of C. pilosula extract.

Rheumatoid arthritis complicated by pachy- and leptomeningeal rheumatoid nodule-like granulomas and systemic vasculitis

Rheumatoid nodule is a frequent and characteristic extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Its involvement of central nervous system is a rare occurrence with only a few reported cases. A 78-year-old man with severe arthritis showing the formation of rheumatoid nodule-like granulomas in the dura and subarachnoid space along with the spleen is presented. The characteristic morphological finding of the granulomas was the presence of neutrophils and the absence of definite fibrinoid necrosis, which differed from the typical features of rheumatoid nodules previously described. The diagnosis should be based on the exclusion of diseases that may cause similar granulomatous reactions including infectious diseases. Additionally, there was systemic necrotizing vasculitis in the dura and multiple cerebral infarcts, although the association between vasculitis and cerebral infarcts was not clear.

Artificial neural network-based channel selection and loudness mapping

We present in this paper artificial neural network techniques for implementing loudness mapping and "smart" channel selection for cochlear implant systems. For loudness mapping, a multilayer perceptron (MLP) is trained to perform the mapping for each channel according to threshold and comfort levels. It is shown that good accuracy mapping can be performed by a very simple MLP architecture. For channel selection, we propose a neural network-based method that can make "smart" selection. We describe and report results for the case in which 6 channels are to be selected from 18. The neural network-based selection system is trained on a multispeaker labeled speech database and tested on a database of different speakers and spoken sentences. Compared with methods used by leading cochlear implant systems, our approach produces significantly better results, and it is easy to implement in the speech processor of the cochlear implant system.

[Two autopsy cases of malignant mixed müllerian tumor of the uterus with metastasis to alimentary tract and liver]

Two autopsy cases (69 and 87-year-old women) of malignant mixed müllerian tumor (MMMT) following radiation therapy for uterine cervical cancer sixteen and twenty years ago respectively were reported. They were admitted due to abdominal pain and diagnosed as ileus. In the first case, CT examination revealed a tumor measuring about 8 x 10 cm in size in the uterine posterior wall. Recurrence of the uterine cancer was suspected and hysterooophorectomy combined with sigmoidectomy was performed. In the second case, artificial anus formation was performed because of sigmoid stricture by the invasion of the tumor. Histologically, tumors in both cases were composed of carcinomatous and sarcomatous components including heterologous elements such as cartilage. The patients died of extensive spreads and metastasis in the liver and alimentary tract.

Synthesis and Characterization of Gold(III) Halide Complexes of Quinaldic Acid (Hqd), Methyl Quinaldate and Ethyl Quinaldate, and X-Ray Structure of [(HQd)2H] [AuBr4].H2O

Complexes of the types HAuX4.2HQd, where X = Cl or Br and HQd = quinaldic acid, and AuX3L2, where L is methyl or ethyl quinaldate , have been prepared and characterized. Quinaldic acid as well as methyl and ethyl quinaldates function as monodentate ligands in these complexes, whose stereochemistries are discussed in relation to the number of gold-halogen stretching frequencies observed in their far-infrared spectra. The measured conductivities of these complexes are also discussed. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of monohydrated HAuBr4.2HQd revealed that it should be formulated as [( HQd )2H][AuBr4].H2O, in which a pair of zwitterionic HQd moieties are connected by a strong O...H...O hydrogen bond, and the gold(III) atom is in an elongated octahedral coordination environment with two long Au-O bonds of 3.388(8) and 3.440(8)Ǻ.

[Clinical and experimental observations of buzhong yiqi decoction in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B]

A clinical observation of Buzhong Yiqi decoction (BZYQD) and Western medicine was used on a matched control in treating chronic hepatitis B. The result showed that BZYQD was significantly better than the Western medicine in improving clinical symptoms and signs, the liver function and serological test of hepatitis B antigen-antibody system (HBAg-Ab system), P < 0.05. In order to explore the therapeutical mechanism of BZYQD, the study of the effects of which on synthesis of hepatic DNA, RNA and protein in mice were performed too. The results showed that BZYQD had marked promotive effects on the synthesis of hepatic DNA, RNA and protein. It was considered that the mechanism of anti-hepatitis effects might related to the enhancing protein synthesis in liver, promoting the repairs of the damaged liver tissue and improving the defense function of organism as a whole.

Antigenic domains on the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein-associated 70K polypeptide: a comparison of regions selectively recognized by human and mouse autoantibodies and by monoclonal antibodies

Antigenic regions on the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP)-associated 70K polypeptide recognized by human and mouse autoantibodies or by monoclonal antibodies were identified and compared. Using a set of 70K fusion proteins as antigen in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting revealed that serum autoantibodies of human and of MRL/Mp mouse origin recognized a common region of the 70K polypeptide. Monoclonal anti-70K antibodies derived from a patient with mixed connective tissue disease, from an autoimmune MRL/Mp mouse, and from a BALB/c mouse immunized with purified U1 snRNP were all shown to bind to a part of the 70K polypeptide rich in charged residues and different from the region recognized by most human and MRL/Mp mouse serum autoantibodies.

Furanoditerpenes of Fibraurea chloroleuca

Fibraurin, chasmanthin, and palmarin were isolated from the stems of FIBRAUREA CHLOROLEUCA, Fam. Menispermaceae. The structure of the minor constituent, palmarin, was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis.