[Progress of circulating tumor DNA in the clinical management of colorectal cancer]

Despite the great progress in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), the current standard treatment protocols still have many limitations, and there is an urgent need for more effective biomarkers for personalized patient treatment. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), as a dynamic, non-invasive liquid biopsy approach, overcomes the limitations of tissue biopsy in detecting tumor heterogeneity and molecular evolution. Current evidence from several studies suggests that ctDNA shows great promise in stratifying recurrence risk, guiding treatment decisions, and monitoring early recurrence. In addition, ctDNA can improve the efficiency of clinical research and drug development. However, the lack of standardisation of pre-ctDNA test variables and analysis procedures and the high technical costs limit its promotion and development. In this review, we summarize the available evidence on ctDNA in the clinical management of CRC and present its limitations and strategies for improvement.

Effects of oleanolic acid on acute liver injury triggered by lipopolysaccharide in broiler chickens

1. Infectious injury caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a metabolite of gram-negative bacteria, can induce stress responses in animals and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in young birds. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with oleanolic acid (OA) on acute liver injury in broiler chickens challenged with LPS.2. In total, 120 broiler chickens were randomly divided into six groups and fed a basal diet containing 0, 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg OA or 100 mg/kg aureomycin. On d 15, broiler chickens were injected with either LPS or an equivalent volume of normal saline. Six hours after LPS injection, two broiler chicks were randomly selected for sampling in each replicate.3. The results indicated that dietary aureomycin was ineffective in alleviating LSP-associated liver injury, but protected broiler chickens from LPS-induced liver damage. This promoted a significant reduction in the levels of malondialdehyde and an increase in the levels of superoxide dismutase in liver. In addition, OA was found to cause significant reductions in the relative expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in broiler liver tissues, whereas the relative expression of IL-10 was significantly increased.4. In conclusion, oleanolic acid can alleviate oxidative stress and injury in the livers of broiler chickens induced by lipopolysaccharide. Consequently, oleanolic acid has potential utility as a novel anti-inflammatory and antioxidant feed additive.

[Safety of the strategy of minimizing intestinal resection during surgery for pelvic radiation- induced terminal small intestinal stenosis]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of strategies for minimizing small bowel resection during surgery for pelvic radiation-induced terminal small intestinal stenosis in preventing postoperative complications such as anastomotic leakage and short bowel syndrome. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. There are two subtypes of chronic radiation enteritis (CRE) with combined intestinal stenosis and intestinal obstruction: (1) Type I: terminal ileal lesions with a normal ileal segment of 2-20 cm between the ileal lesion and ileocecal junction; and (2) Type II: the lesion is located in the small bowel at a distance from the ileocecal region, usually accompanied by extensive damage to the bowel segments outside the lesion. The indications for minimal bowel resection are as follows: (1) diagnosis of Type I small bowel CRE; (2) absence of radiological evidence of rectosigmoid damage; and (3) absence of colonic obstruction. The contraindications are: (1) stenotic, penetrating lesions of the distal cecum; (2) emergency surgery; (3) recurrence of malignant tumor or history of radiotherapy for recurrent malignant tumor; (4) interval between radiotherapy and surgery <6 months; and (5) history of preoperative small bowel resection or abdominal chemotherapy. Case data of 40 patients with Type I CRE who met the above criteria and had undergone minimal bowel resection between April 2017 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed (minimal bowel resection group; including 13 patients from Jinling Hospital, 16 from the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and 11 from the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University). Forty patients with Type I CRE who had undergone resection of intestinal stenosis lesions and the ileocecal region between October 2015 and March 2017 were included as historical controls (conventional resection group; all from Jinling Hospital). The specific strategy for minimal bowel resection was one-stage partial ileal resection+ileo anastomosis+protective small bowel stoma. In contrast, conventional resection comprised ileocecal resection+ileocecal-ascending colon anastomosis. Postoperative complications, intraoperative and postoperative recovery, and changes in postoperative quality of life were analyzed in both groups. The severity of postoperative complications was assessed by Clavien-Dindo and the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI). Karnofsky performance scores (KPS) were used to evaluate the quality of life of patients in the two groups preoperatively and postoperatively. The higher the KPS score, the better the quality of life. Results: Baseline patient characteristics did not differ significantly between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the conventional resection group, the length of small bowel resected in the minimal bowel resection group (51 [20-200] cm vs. 91 [60-200] cm, Z=5.653, P<0.001), duration of postoperative total enteral nutrition [9 (3-18) days vs. 12 (4-50) days, Z=2.172, P=0.030], and duration of postoperative hospital stay [17 (9-24) days vs 29 (13-57) days, Z=6.424, P<0.001] were shorter; all of these differences are statistically significant. The overall incidence of postoperative complications was lower in the minimal bowel resection group than in the conventional resection group [20.0% (8/40) vs. 70.0% (28/40), χ2=19.967, P<0.001], These comprised short bowel syndrome [5.0% (2/40) vs. 25.0% (10/40), χ2=6.274, P=0.012], anastomotic leakage or fistula [2.5% (1/40) vs. 22.5% (9/40), χ2=7.314, P=0.014], and pleural effusion [7.5% (3/40) vs. 25.0% (10/40), χ2=4.500, P=0.034], all of which occurred less often in the minimal bowel resection than conventional resection group. The CCI index was also lower in the minimal bowel resection group than in the conventional resection group [CCI>40: 2.5% (1/40) vs. 12.5% (5/40), Z=18.451, P<0.001]. KPS scores were higher in the minimal bowel resection group 1 and 3 months postoperatively than they had been 1 day preoperatively (79.9±4.7 vs. 75.3±4.1, 86.2±4.8 vs. 75.3±4.1, both P<0.05). In the minimal bowel resection group, seven patients were satisfied with their current quality of life and refused to undergo stoma reduction at follow-up and one deferred stoma reduction because of rectal bleeding. The remaining 32 patients underwent stoma reduction 3 to 12 months after surgery, 26 of whom underwent ileo-cecal anastomosis. The remaining six underwent resection of the stoma and anastomosis of the ileum to the ascending colon. Conclusions: The strategy of minimal small bowel resection in patients with radiation-induced bowel injuries reduces the length of resected small bowel, decreases the risk and severity of postoperative complications, and is associated with a better prognosis and quality of life than conventional resection.

The Role of Coronary Artery Calcium Score to Assess Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Irradiated Esophageal Cancer Patients

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is an important predictive imaging marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While studies have found positive association between CAC score and cardiac toxicity in irradiated lung and breast cancer patients, there are no studies assessing CAC scores in esophageal cancer (EC). While a cardiac-gated CT is required for standard Agatston CAC score, visual assessment of CAC via ordinal scoring on non-gated CT has shown good concordance with Agatston score. In this study, we sought to examine whether visual assessment of CAC, measured on standard of care, non-contrast chest CT, predicts the development of adverse cardiovascular events (ACVE) in irradiated EC patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

This is a single institution retrospective study of EC patients treated with RT from 2010-2021. We included patients with available PET/CT at diagnosis or chest CT simulation scan without contrast, and excluded those with history of percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary bypass surgery, or prior thoracic RT. Pre-treatment characteristics, clinical factors, and grade ≥ 3 (G3+) adverse cardiovascular events (ACVE) (CTCAEv5.0) were evaluated. Visual assessment of CAC was performed using ordinal method (CAC scored from 0 to 12), by a thoracic radiologist. Fine and Gray regression was used to compute hazard ratios for time to first ACVE. Univariate analyses using Cox proportional hazards were used for overall survival (OS). ACVEs were recorded from start of oncologic treatment and OS calculated after completion of RT.

RESULTS

A total of 118 patients were analyzed with a median follow-up of 16 months. Median age was 67 years, 65% male, 43% white, 59% with EC of distal esophagus, and 59% had squamous cell carcinoma. Median mean heart dose was 21.93 Gy (range 0.15-36.94). 24% developed G3+ ACVEs: atrial fibrillation 9%, stroke 6%, heart failure 4%, pulmonary embolism 4%, pericardial effusion 3%, myocardial infarction 2%, heart block 2%, and cardiac death 1%. On univariate analyses, CAC >1 vs. CAC ≤ 1 trended towards increased risk of ACVE (HR = 1.95, 95% CI = 0.89-4.26; p = 0.094), however it is not predictive of OS (HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.75-2.30; p = 0.343). Proportion of patients with ACVEs was greater in CAC>1 group (Table). When compared to patients with CAC ≤ 1, those with CAC >1 were older (median age 62 vs 72 years, p = 0.0015), less likely to be never smokers (38% vs 30%, p = 0.0437), and more likely to have hypertension (43% vs 64%, p = 0.0197), and hyperlipidemia (30% vs 47%, p = 0.0557).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to investigate the relationship between CAC score and ACVEs in EC. While the study was underpowered (likely due to low rates of recorded ACVEs), to detect a significant association between CAC score and ACVEs, there was a trend towards increased risk of ACVEs in patients with a CAC score >1 by visual ordinal scoring. Further prospective evaluation with a larger cohort is warranted.

[Impact of different diagnostic criteria for assessing mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy in liver cirrhosis: an analysis based on a prospective, multicenter, real-world study]

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

CATEGORICAL REPRESENTATION LEARNING AND RG FLOW OPERATORS FOR ALGORITHMIC CLASSIFIERS

Following the earlier formalism of the categorical representation learning, we discuss the construction of the ``RG-flow-based categorifier''. Borrowing ideas from the theory of renormalization group flows (RG) in quantum field theory, holographic duality, and hyperbolic geometry and combining them with neural ODE techniques, we construct a new algorithmic natural language processing (NLP) architecture, called the RG-flow categorifier or for short the RG categorifier, which is capable of data classification and generation in all layers. We apply our algorithmic platform to biomedical data sets and show its performance in the field of sequence-to-function mapping. In particular, we apply the RG categorifier to particular genomic sequences of flu viruses and show how our technology is capable of extracting the information from given genomic sequences, finding their hidden symmetries and dominant features, classifying them, and using the trained data to make a stochastic prediction of new plausible generated sequences associated with a new set of viruses which could avoid the human immune system.

[Analysis on causes and influencing factors of sudden death on job of workers in a large oil field branch plant during 2014-2020]

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of sudden death on job among workers in the large oil field, and to provide scientific basis for dealing with such incidents. Methods: In April 2021, the medical records of employees who died in a large oilfield from 2014 to 2020, and the occupational health examination data in the first year of life were collected, and 85 employees who died suddenly on duty were included in the study. According to whether the employees are exposed to the occupational disease hazards, they are divided into the injured type of work (66 persons) and the non injured type of work (19 persons) . The characteristics of the clinical data of the sudden death employees are analyzed retrospectively. The gender, age, length of service, type of work, distribution of causes of sudden death of the cases are analyzed. The detection of abnormalities in various occupational health examination indicators is analyzed. The chi square test is used to analyze the distribution of the types of work, length of service and abnormal physical examination indicators. Results: Among the 85 employees who died suddenly on duty, the ratio of men and women was 16∶1. The proportion of sudden death among employees aged 40 to 50 years was the highest (54.12%, 46/85) , which was mainly the first-line workers in the affected departments (43.53%, 37/85) and those with 20-30 years of service (57.64%, 49/85) . The main cause of sudden death was cardiogenic sudden death (78.82%, 67/85) . There were statistically significant differences in abnormal rates of blood pressure and blood glucose among workers of different types of work (χ(2)=7.24, 24.22, P<0.05) , and there were statistically significant differences in abnormal rates of blood lipid and blood glucose among workers of different ages of service (χ(2)=12.37, 31.44, P<0.05) Conclusion: Higher risks of sudden death on job are male, older than 40 years old, front-line workers in disaster receiving departments, worked for more than 30 years, and have abnormal cardiovascular indicators. Workers with these high risks are the major target population for the prevention and treatment of sudden death on the job. It's necessary to supervise enterprises to implement protective measures against risk factors, and to strengthen health education and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, in order to reduce the occurrence rate of sudden death in oilfield workers.

Complete mitochondrial genomes of Papilio nephelus chaon and Papilio epycides (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Papilioninae) and phylogenetic analysis

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences of Papilio nephelus chaon and Papilio epycides were sequenced by Illumina and analyzed in this study. They are 15,287 bp and 15,012 bp in size, respectively, and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes (tRNAs), 2 rRNA genes (rRNAs), and 1 AT-rich control region (CR). The phylogenetic relationships of 56 species in the Papilionidae were inferred based on concatenated nucleotide sequences by using Maximum Likelihood with the selected best-fit model GTR + F+R6. The phylogenetic analysis showed that P. nephelus chaon and P. epycides were located in the genus Papilio. This study provides a basis for further study on mitogenome and phylogenetics of the Papilionidae.

[Comparison of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting alone or combined with mitral valve plasty for coronary heart disease with moderate ischemic mitral insufficiency]

Objective: To compare the efficacy of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or CABG plus mitral valve plasty (MVP) in patients with coronary heart disease complicated with moderate ischemic mitral insufficiency. Methods: The clinical data of 1 050 patients with coronary heart disease complicated with moderate ischemic mitral insufficiency who underwent surgical procedures from January 2009 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 733 males and 317 females, aging (63.3±9.0) years (range: 31 to 83 years). Patients were divided into CABG+MVP group and CABG group according to surgical methods, and the two groups of patients were matched for 1∶4 by the propensity score matching method. There were 107 patients in the CABG+MVP group and 406 patients in the CABG group after matching. The t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, Fisher's exact probability method and repeated measures anova were used to compare the surgical outcomes and overall survival in the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in perioperative death and postoperative complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with CABG group, CABG+MVP group had longer operation time ((5.6±1.2) hours vs. (4.2±1.0) hours, t=11.528, P<0.01), ICU stay(M(IQR))(43.0(47.3) hours vs. 25.0(33.6) hours, Z=2.483, P=0.013), and postoperative hospital stay (8(4) days vs. 7(5) days, Z=2.143, P=0.032). The amount of erythrocyte and platelet used in CABG+MVP group was significantly increased (2.0(6.5) U vs. 0(2.0) U, Z=7.084, P<0.01; 0(0.5) U vs. 0(0) U, Z=5.210, P<0.01). A total of 463 cases (93.9%) were followed up. Median follow-up was 32(31) months (range: 3 to 105 months). There was no significant difference in overall survival and no major adverse cardic and cerebrovascular events survival between CABG group and CABG+MVP group (P=0.196,P=0.305). Echocardiography showed that there was no significant difference in ejection fraction left ventricular end-diastolic diameter between the two groups (F=0.322, P=0.571; F=0.681, P=0.410). However, CABG+MVP improved mitral regurgitation better than CABG (F=160.222, P<0.01). Conclusions: For patients with coronary heart disease with moderate ischemic mitral insufficiency, the rates of all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events are similar between the two surgeries. Although CABG+MVP improves mitral regurgitation better than CABG, it increases the duration of surgery, ICU stay, postoperative hospital stay, and blood transfusion requirement.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Parnassius glacialis (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Parnassius glacialis is a butterfly species distributed in China, Korea, Japan. The complete P. glacialis mitochondrial genome was assembled using Illumina sequencing data. The mitogenome is 15,353 bp long and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. A phylogenetic analysis of P. glacialis and 14 related Papilionidae species indicated that P. glacialis is clustered with other Parnassius species. This study generated useful genetic information for future studies on the taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution of Papilionidae species.

[Clinical research progress in non-invasive positive pressure ventilation from 2020 to 2021]

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV), an essential respiratory support method, is widely used in acute/chronic respiratory failure and assisting rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We searched the relevant research articles about NPPV published from 1^st October 2020 to 30^th September 2021 through Medline. Researches focusing on the clinical application and viral transmission protection during high-flow nasal cannula oxygen and NPPV in COVID-19, were mainly retrospective and of small sample size. It demonstrated that high-flow nasal cannula oxygen and NPPV might reduce intubation rates when treating patients with mild-to-moderate respiratory failure, but the risk of delayed intubation should draw particular precaution. When using NPPV in non-COVID-19-related de novo acute respiratory failure, diaphragm thickening fraction and tidal change of esophageal pressure were validated to predict the treatment outcome. In addition, some studies explored the compliance and related influencing factors associated with the treatment effects of early NPPV initiation on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and the effects of NPPV on dynamic hyperinflation during exercise in COPD patients. Furthermore, the effectiveness of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist ventilation and a novel communication device optimizing the use of NPPV were also investigated and outlined.

The complete mitogenome of the Paranticopsis xenocles (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Papilioninae) and phylogenetic implications

Paranticopsis xenocles Doubleday belongs to the Paranticopsis of Papilionidae and is mainly distributed in China mainland. Herein, we report the complete mitogenome of P. xenocles reconstructing from Illumina sequence data. The mitogenome is 15,187 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that P. xenocles were clustered within Paranticopsis. This study would provide useful genetic information for future studies on taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution of Papilionidae species.

CCAT2 contributes to progression and treatment resistance of thyroid carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to uncover the correlations of the expression of colon cancer associated transcript 2 (CCAT2) in the clinical papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) specimens with the prognosis and chemoresistance of patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression level of CCAT2 in the PTC and ATC specimens was determined using Real-Time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR), and the correlations of CCAT2 expression with the clinical features of patients were detected via χ2 test. Besides, survival analysis was conducted to verify the relation between CCAT2 expression and patients' survival. After knockdown or overexpression of CCAT2, the changes in the proliferation ability of human thyroid carcinoma cells were examined via Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of doxorubicin and cisplatin were measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay.

RESULTS

According to the χ2-test results, the expression of CCAT2 was notably correlated with the capsular invasion and lymph node metastasis of PTC, and the capsular invasion, tumor size, and lymph node metastasis of ATC. It was discovered through the survival analysis that the expression of CCAT2 was notably associated with the poor prognosis of ATC patients. After knockdown of CCAT2, both the proliferation ability and the IC50 values of doxorubicin and cisplatin substantially declined in human thyroid carcinoma cells. The opposite conditions were found after CCAT2 was overexpressed in human thyroid carcinoma cells.

CONCLUSIONS

CCAT2 potentiates the proliferation ability and chemoresistance of cells, promotes the progression of thyroid carcinoma, and hinders the prognosis of ATC.

[Development and functional validation of a nano-delivery system of miR-16/polypeptide targeting ovarian cancer cells]

OBJECTIVE

To develop a nano-delivery system for targeted delivery of miR-16/polypeptide for enhancing cisplatin sensitivity of ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE

R9-SS-R9 and cRGD-R9-SS-R9 peptides were synthesized and self-assembled with miR-16 molecules to form a nano-delivery system. The stability, particle size, potential and morphology of the nanoparticles were determined by agarose gel electrophoresis, particle size potentiometer and transmission electron microscopy. CCK-8 assay was used to assess the toxicity of the polypeptides in ovarian cancer cells. Stem loop qRT-PCR and living cell imaging were used to verify the uptake efficiency and intracellular distribution of the nanoparticles. Flow cytometry and Western blotting were performed to verify the effect of the nanoparticles for enhancing cisplatin sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells and explore the possible mechanism.

OBJECTIVE

R9-SS-R9/miR-16 and cRGD-R9-SS-R9/miR-16 nanoparticles were successfully prepared. The nanoparticles, with a particle size below 150 nm, a dispersity index less than 0.1 and a potential of about 40 mV, showed a good serum stability. The polypeptide material had no obvious cytotoxicity. The miR-16/polypeptide nanoparticles could be efficiently absorbed by human ovarian cancer cells and were distributed in the cytoplasm. The nanoparticles significantly increased the intracellular expression level of miR-16 (P < 0.001) and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and Chk-1 proteins in ovarian cancer cells, thus enabling miR-16 to promote apoptosis and enhance cisplatin sensitivity of the cells.

OBJECTIVE

We successfully prepared a miR-16/polypeptide nano-delivery system for targeted delivery of miR-16 to ovarian cancer cells for enhancing cisplatin sensitivity of the cancer cells.

[Absence of arterial duct in fetus: an autopsy analysis]

Objective: To analyze the absence of congenital arterial duct in fetus and to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Four hundred cases of congenital heart disease diagnosed by echocardiography during pregnancy were examined the fetal cardiovascular malformation and visceral malformation, and the absence of arterial duct was analyzed. Results: There were 24(6%)cases of absence of arterial duct, including 19 cases of left aortic arch and five cases of right aortic arch. There were 21 cases with main pulmonary arteries and 3 cases without main pulmonary arteries and branches. There were 15 cases of pulmonary artery stenosis with absence of arterial duct and the major cardiovascular malformations included six cases of single ventricle, six cases of atrial septal defect, four cases of single atrium, four cases of right atrium isomerism, four cases of double outlet right ventricle, four cases of anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, three cases of tetralogy of Fallot, and three cases of persistent left superior vena cava. There were seven cases of pulmonary atresia with absence of arterial duct and with systemic-pulmonary collateral circulation. There was one case of tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve and absent arterial duct and the pulmonary artery was dilated. There was one case of aortopulmonary septal defect with absent arterial duct, with normal pulmonary artery. There were also seven cases of asplenia, seven cases of pulmonary abnormality and seven cases of visceral inversion. Conclusions: The absence of arterial duct is often associated with congenital heart disease. Pulmonary atresia is often associated with systemic-pulmonary collateral circulation. The visceral malformations are related to the accompanying congenital cardiovascular malformations.

Financial toxicity in lung cancer: an assessment of magnitude, perception, and impact on quality of life

BACKGROUND

Advances in lung cancer therapy have resulted in improved clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, advances can come at a financial cost to patients and their families that poses a significant risk to overall quality of life (QoL). Financial distress has been shown to be associated with increased symptom burden and decreased treatment compliance but the magnitude of financial distress is not well characterized in lung cancer populations.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with stage II-IV newly diagnosed lung cancer and starting first-line therapy were recruited at a tertiary academic institution between July 2018 and April 2019. The comprehensive score for financial toxicity (COST) was used to assess financial toxicity and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) was used to assess QoL. Associations between financial toxicity and baseline variables were assessed using multivariable linear regression and correlations were assessed using the Pearson correlation.

RESULTS

In this study, 143 consecutive patients were approached and 91.6% agreed to participate (N = 131). The median age was 65 years (35-90); 52.7% were male (n = 69), and 75.6% were white (n = 99). The inability to afford basic necessities and having <1 month of savings was associated with increased financial toxicity (P < 0.001) after adjusting for other factors such as age, race, insurance, and income. There was also a trend toward increased financial toxicity among those who were employed but on sick leave (P = 0.06). Increased financial toxicity was correlated with a decrease in QoL (correlation coefficient 0.41, P < 0.001). Patients' anticipated out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses for the upcoming 6 months ranged from $0 to $50 000 (median $2150). However, there was no correlation between anticipated OOP expenses and either financial toxicity or QoL.

CONCLUSIONS

These data identify key factors for identifying at-risk patients and builds a framework for exploring the benefit of financial counseling interventions, which may improve QoL and oncologic outcomes.

FAIMS-MS might contribute to phosphopeptides identification in plasma

FAIMS interface is gaining popularity because of the impressive 100-fold signal to noise enhancement in addition to the recent coupling to the Orbitrap technology, the most important analyzer developed in the last 20 years. The selection of group of ions and effective removal of single-charged ones at particular compensation voltages increases around 50% the proteome coverage at expenses of lower peptides coverage. However, specific setting for phosphoproteome analysis is yet poorly described. Here we have found the maximum transmission for several tryptic phosphopeptides isolated from a single complex mixture and we have set an experimental method based on five compensation voltages partially different to the ones described previously, demonstrating the relevance of voltages higher than 47 V, with an increase of around 20% of unique phosphopeptides. Using this experimental setup two complex phosphoproteomes isolates (SH-SY5Y cell line and plasma) were analyzed and found increments of 50% on phosphopeptides identification with the proposed method with respect to a previous one, for the cell line extract. Meanwhile for plasma 109 of the detected phosphopeptides are found for first time in this body fluid, presumably due to the release of intracellular proteins. With this FAIMS setup, 60% of the proteins identified are classified as very low abundant proteins.

Root Morphogenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana Tuned by Plant Growth-Promoting Streptomyces Isolated From Root-Associated Soil of Artemisia annua

In this study, the capacity to tune root morphogenesis by a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium, Streptomyces lincolnensis L4, was investigated from various aspects including microbial physiology, root development, and root endophytic microbial community. Strain L4 was isolated from the root-associated soil of 7-year plantation of Artemisia annua. Aiming at revealing the promotion mechanism of Streptomyces on root growth and development, this study first evaluated the growth promotion characters of S. lincolnensis L4, followed by investigation in the effect of L4 inoculation on root morphology, endophytic microbiota of root system, and expression of genes involved in root development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Streptomyces lincolnensis L4 is able to hydrolyze organic and inorganic phosphorus, fix nitrogen, and produce IAA, ACC deaminase, and siderophore, which shaped specific structure of endophytic bacterial community with dominant Streptomyces in roots and promoted the development of roots. From the observation of root development characteristics, root length, root diameter, and the number of root hairs were increased by inoculation of strain L4, which were verified by the differential expression of root development-related genes in A. thaliana. Genomic traits of S. lincolnensis L4 which further revealed its capacity for plant growth promotion in which genes involved in phosphorus solubilization, ACC deamination, iron transportation, and IAA production were identified. This root growth-promoting strain has the potential to develop green method for regulating plant development. These findings provide us ecological knowledge of microenvironment around root system and a new approach for regulating root development.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Correlates of Insomnia in China College Student During the COVID-19

Objective: The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) broke out in Hubei Province and spread rapidly to the whole country, causing huge public health problems. College students are a special group, and there is no survey on insomnia among college students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and related factors of insomnia in college students during the period of COVID-19. Method: A total of 1,086 college students conducted a cross-sectional study through the questionnaire star platform. The survey time was from February 15 to February 22, 2020. The collected information included demographic informatics and mental health scale, Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) to assess sleep quality, Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) to assess general psychological symptoms, Chinese perceived stress scale (CPSS) to assess stress. We used logistic regression to analyze the correlation between related factors and insomnia symptoms. Results: The prevalence of insomnia, general psychological symptoms and stress were 16.67, 5.8, and 40.70%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender (OR = 1.55, p = 0.044, 95% CI = 1.00-2.41), general psychological symptoms (OR = 1.49, p < 0.01, 95% CI = 1.40-1.60) and living in an isolation unit (OR = 2.21, p = 0.014, 95% CI = 1.17-4.16) were risk factors for insomnia of college students. Conclusion: Our results show that the insomnia is very common among college students during the outbreak of covid-19, and the related factors include gender, general psychological symptoms and isolation environment. It is necessary to intervene the insomnia of college students and warrants attention for mental well-being of college students.

The use of laser in dentistry: a narrative review

Implant dentistry has emerged as a first line of treatment to replace missing teeth for both the edentulous and partially dentate patients. Implant dentistry is accompanied by the onset of peri-implantitis (PIM). PIM is characterized by the inflammatory destruction of the implant-supporting tissues, because of biofilm formation on the implant surface. A history of periodontitis, poor oral hygiene, and smoking are considered as risk factors for PIM. Occasionally PIM is associated with iatrogenic factors, that, only recently, have been acknowledged as direct cause of PIM, i.e.: non-parallel adjacent implants or the presence of a gap, between fixture and prosthetic components. The use both of traditional protocols of nonsurgical periodontal therapy and the laser seems to be an effective alternative treatment modality for PMI. By the application of laser-assisted non-surgical peri-implant therapy the periodontal pocket depth was reduced. The present article illustrates the nonsurgical management of one case, where failure to remove residual cement, from an implant-supported dental prosthesis, seemed to cause PMI.

Clinical characteristics of 116 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a single-centered, retrospective, observational study

BACKGROUND

A cluster of acute respiratory illness, now known as Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic. Aged population with cardiovascular diseases are more likely be to infected with SARS-CoV-2 and result in more severe outcomes and elevated case-fatality rate. Meanwhile, cardiovascular diseases have a high prevalence in the middle-aged and elderly population. However, despite of several researches in COVID-19, cardiovascular implications related to it still remains largely unclear. Therefore, a specific analysis in regard to cardiovascular implications of COVID-19 patients is in great need.

METHODS

In this single-centered, retrospective, observational study, 116 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled, who admitted to the General Hospital of Central Theater Command (Wuhan, China) from January 20 to March 8, 2020. The demographic data, underlying comorbidities, clinical symptoms and signs, laboratory findings, chest computed tomography, treatment measures, and outcome data were collected from electronic medical records. Data were compared between non-severe and severe cases.

RESULTS

Of 116 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the median age was 58.5 years (IQR, 47.0-69.0), and 36 (31.0%) were female. Hypertension (45 [38.8%]), diabetes (19 [16.4%]), and coronary heart disease (17 [14.7%]) were the most common coexisting conditions. Common symptoms included fever [99 (85.3%)], dry cough (61 [52.6%]), fatigue (60 [51.7%]), dyspnea (52 [44.8%]), anorexia (50 [43.1%]), and chest discomfort (50 [43.1%]). Local and/or bilateral patchy shadowing were the typical radiological findings on chest computed tomography. Lymphopenia (lymphocyte count, 1.0 × 109/L [IQR, 0.7-1.3]) was observed in 66 patients (56.9%), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (245.5 U/L [IQR, 194.3-319.8]) in 69 patients (59.5%). Hypokalemia occurred in 24 (20.7%) patients. Compared with non-severe cases, severe cases were older (64.0 years [IQR, 53.0-76.0] vs 56.0 years [IQR, 37.0-64.0]), more likely to have comorbidities (35 [63.6%] vs 24 [39.3%]), and more likely to develop acute cardiac injury (19 [34.5%] vs 4 [6.6%]), acute heart failure (18 [32.7%] vs 3 [4.9%]), and ARDS (20 [36.4%] vs 0 [0%]). During hospitalization, the prevalence of new onset hypertension was significantly higher in severe patients (55.2% vs 19.0%) than in non-severe ones.

CONCLUSIONS

In this single-centered, retrospective, observational study, we found that the infection of SARS-CoV-2 was more likely to occur in middle and aged population with cardiovascular comorbidities. Cardiovascular complications, including new onset hypertension and heart injury were common in severe patients with COVID-19. More detailed researches in cardiovascular involvement in COVID-19 are urgently needed to further understand the disease.

Clinical concept normalization with a hybrid natural language processing system combining multilevel matching and machine learning ranking

OBJECTIVE

Normalizing clinical mentions to concepts in standardized medical terminologies, in general, is challenging due to the complexity and variety of the terms in narrative medical records. In this article, we introduce our work on a clinical natural language processing (NLP) system to automatically normalize clinical mentions to concept unique identifier in the Unified Medical Language System. This work was part of the 2019 n2c2 (National NLP Clinical Challenges) Shared-Task and Workshop on Clinical Concept Normalization.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We developed a hybrid clinical NLP system that combines a generic multilevel matching framework, customizable matching components, and machine learning ranking systems. We explored 2 machine leaning ranking systems based on either ensemble of various similarity features extracted from pretrained encoders or a Siamese attention network, targeting at efficient and fast semantic searching/ranking. Besides, we also evaluated the performance of a general-purpose clinical NLP system based on Unstructured Information Management Architecture.

RESULTS

The systems were evaluated as part of the 2019 n2c2 challenge, and our original best system in the challenge obtained an accuracy of 0.8101, ranked fifth in the challenge. The improved system with newly designed machine learning ranking based on Siamese attention network improved the accuracy to 0.8209.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrate the successful practice of combining multilevel matching and machine learning ranking for clinical concept normalization. Our results indicate the capability and interpretability of our proposed approach, as well as the limitation, suggesting the opportunities of achieving better performance by combining general clinical NLP systems.

Revealing the Role of Liquid Metals at the Anode-Electrolyte Interface for All Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries

All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLIBs) are receiving tremendous attention for safety concerns over liquid system. However, current ASSLIBs still suffer from poor cycling and rate performance because of unfavorable interfacial contact between solid electrolyte and electrodes, especially in the alloy-based anode. To wet the solid electrode/electrolyte interface, accommodate volume change, and further boost kinetics, liquid metal Ga is introduced into the representative Sb anode, and its corresponding role is comprehensively revealed by experimental results and theoretical calculations for the first time. In addition to interface contact and strain accommodation, with the aid of in situ generation of liquid metal Ga, the lithiation/de-lithiation activity of Sb is stimulated, showing outstanding rate and cycling performance in half cells. Furthermore, benefited from the in situ chemical reaction, TiS₂ powder can be directly used to construct a novel "Li-free" TiS₂|LiBH₄|GaSb full cell, which exhibits an outstanding capacity retention of 226 mA h g^-1 after 1000 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g^-1. This work provides guidance for implementing future rational design of alloy anodes within ASSLIBs.

Effect of Electrolyte on the Proton Transport through Graphane in the Electrochemical Cell: A First-Principles Study

The proton transport behaviors through graphane in the electrochemical environment are not only determined by the film but also correlated with the properties of the electrolytes. Here, the effect of electrolytes is studied for this transport process. The step of proton transfer from electrolyte to graphane is the rate-determining step of the whole transport process in most of the studied cases and is indeed influenced much by the electrolytes, while the following steps are affected little. Its energy barrier increases significantly with the number of water molecules but only fluctuates with the number of mimicked Nafion molecules until the bulk case. This barrier could be further affected by the hydration number of Nafion and be reduced by increasing local proton concentrations. The dynamical effect of the environment and the nuclear quantum effect are found to further reduce the energy barrier of the transport process but by a relatively small amount.

Transcriptomic changes in the nasal epithelium associated with diesel engine exhaust exposure

BACKGROUND

Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) exposure causes lung cancer, but the molecular mechanisms by which this occurs are not well understood.

OBJECTIVES

To assess transcriptomic alterations in nasal epithelium of DEE-exposed factory workers to better understand the cellular and molecular effects of DEE.

METHODS

Nasal epithelial brushings were obtained from 41 diesel engine factory workers exposed to relatively high levels of DEE (17.2-105.4 μg/m3), and 38 unexposed workers from factories without DEE exposure. mRNA was profiled for gene expression using Affymetrix microarrays. Linear modeling was used to identify differentially expressed genes associated with DEE exposure and interaction effects with current smoking status. Pathway enrichment among differentially expressed genes was assessed using EnrichR. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to compare gene expression patterns between datasets.

RESULTS

225 genes had expression associated with DEE exposure after adjusting for smoking status (FDR q < 0.25) and were enriched for genes in pathways related to oxidative stress response, cell cycle pathways such as MAPK/ERK, protein modification, and transmembrane transport. Genes up-regulated in DEE-exposed individuals were enriched among the genes most up-regulated by cigarette smoking in a previously reported bronchial airway smoking dataset. We also found that the DEE signature was enriched among the genes most altered in two previous studies of the effects of acute DEE on PBMC gene expression. An exposure-response relationship was demonstrated between air levels of elemental carbon and the first principal component of the DEE signature.

CONCLUSIONS

A gene expression signature was identified for workers occupationally exposed to DEE that was altered in an exposure-dependent manner and had some overlap with the effects of smoking and the effects of acute DEE exposure. This is the first study of gene expression in nasal epithelial cells of workers heavily exposed to DEE and provides new insights into the molecular alterations that occur with DEE exposure.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-Based Thermoresponsive Composite Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-based thermosensitive hydrogels demonstrate great potential in biomedical applications. However, they have inherent drawbacks such as low mechanical strength, limited drug loading capacity and low biodegradability. Formulating PNIPAM with other functional components to form composited hydrogels is an effective strategy to make up for these deficiencies, which can greatly benefit their practical applications. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive observation about the PNIPAM-based composite hydrogels for biomedical applications so as to guide related research. It covers the general principles from the materials choice to the hybridization strategies as well as the performance improvement by focusing on several application areas including drug delivery, tissue engineering and wound dressing. The most effective strategies include incorporation of functional inorganic nanoparticles or self-assembled structures to give composite hydrogels and linking PNIPAM with other polymer blocks of unique properties to produce copolymeric hydrogels, which can improve the properties of the hydrogels by enhancing the mechanical strength, giving higher biocompatibility and biodegradability, introducing multi-stimuli responsibility, enabling higher drug loading capacity as well as controlled release. These aspects will be of great help for promoting the development of PNIPAM-based composite materials for biomedical applications.

[Short-term outcomes of sequential radial artery grafting in patients with coronary artery disease]

Objective: To explore the short-term outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) with sequential radial artery graft. Methods: Clinical data of patients with CAD who underwent CABG with sequential radial artery graft from August to December 2018 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital was retrospectively analyzed. Computer tomography angiography was employed to evaluate the patency of grafts and the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events was followed up 3 months after surgery. Results: A total of thirty patients were included, with an average age of (60.2±7.3) years old, among whom 83.3% were male, and 93.3% had three-vessel disease detected by coronary angiography. All patients had left internal mammary artery (LIMA) anastomosed to the left anterior descending (LAD) and sequential radial artery graft. Among sequential radial artery grafts, the most frequent anastomosis of sequential radial artery graft was aortic artery (AO)-first diagonal branch (D1)-first obtuse marginal branch (OM1) (13 patients, 43.3%), followed by AO-OM1-second obtuse marginal branch (OM2) (9 patients, 30.0%), and 18 patients also underwent saphenous vein graft. None of 30 patients experienced adverse cardiovascular events during postoperative period in hospital. Three-months follow-up outcomes showed that LIMA-LAD in 1 patient (3.3%) occluded, 3 patients had occluded anastomosis of sequential radial artery graft, 1 patient (3.3%) had heart failure, and 1 patient (3.3%) had recurrent angina. Conclusion: The radial artery could be used as the second arterial graft for CAD patients undergoing CABG with a sequential anastomosis technique, and these patients need regular anti-arterial spasm drug treatment after CABG.

Effects of Embedded Helium on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Erbium Films

A series of helium (He) charged nanograin-sized erbium (Er) films were deposited by direct current (DC)-magnetron sputtering with different He/Ar mixture gases. The microstructure and mechanical properties of He-charged Er films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nanoindentation. The helium concentrations in Er films, determined by elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), ranged from 0 to 49.6%, with the increase in He:Ar flow ratio up to 18:1. The XRD results show that the grain sizes of Er films decreased with and increase in He content. The embedded He atoms induced the formation of spherical nanometer He bubbles, and the diameter of the He bubbles increased with the He content. The hardness and Young's modulus increased and decreased with the decreasing grain sizes of polycrystalline Er-He films. The mechanisms of mechanical properties with respect to the grain size and He content were discussed based on the Hall-Petch formula and composite spheres model.

Hydrogen Isotope Separation via Ion Penetration through Group-IV Monolayer Materials in Electrochemical Environment

Based on density functional theory calculations, the chemical penetration behaviors and separation properties of hydrogen isotope ions through pristine and fully hydrogenated group-IV monolayer materials are investigated. Both the penetration energy profiles and kinetic isotope effects are studied to evaluate the performance of four group-IV (C, Si, Ge, and Sn) monolayer materials for hydrogen isotope separation. To examine the thermodynamically stable morphologies of these monolayer materials in electrochemical aqueous environment, the Pourbaix diagrams varying with pH and external bias are constructed. The fully hydrogenated monolayer materials are found to be thermodynamically favorable in some conditions, and the proton penetration and hydrogen isotope separation behaviors are different from their pristine counterparts. The silicene is found to be a suitable candidate material for hydrogen isotope separation in an electrochemical environment.

Effect of autophagy on cardiomyocyte membrane Cx43 acute remodeling in rats with ischemia-reperfusion

BACKGROUND

To investigate the impact of autophagy on cardiomyocyte membrane connexin 43 (Cx43) expression, distribution, and phosphorylation in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MI/RI).

METHODS

Twenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a chloroquine (CQ) + sham operation group, an I/R group, and a CQ + I/R group. The MI/RI model was established by reversible ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery to induce ischemia for 30 min and reperfusion for 2 h. The left ventricular infarct size was measured by TTC (2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride) and Evans blue double staining. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) content was detected by automatic biochemical analyzer. Autophagy related gene Beclin1, Cx43, and p-Cx43 protein expressions were tested by western blot. Cx43 and p-Cx43 distributions in ventricular myocardium were observed by immunofluorescence analysis.

RESULTS

Compared with the I/R group, the left ventricular infarct size, serum cTnI content, reperfusion arrhythmia severity, and in vivo induced ventricular fibrillation threshold, and Beclin-1 protein expression were significantly reduced in CQ + I/R group (P < 0.05). Compared with the SH group, Beclin-1 protein expression was significantly enhanced, while Cx43 and p-Cx43 levels were obviously downregulated in the I/R group. Beclin-1 protein declined, whereas Cx43 and p-Cx43 levels enhanced in CQ + I/R group compared with the I/R group.

CONCLUSION

Autophagy may reduce myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and malignant arrhythmia by improving the acute remodeling of myocardial cell membrane Cx43.

Properties Investigation of GO/HA/Pt Composite Thin Film

Hydroxyapatite/graphene oxide/platinum (HA/GO/Pt) nanocomposite was synthesized and electrodeposited on a pure zirconium substrate. The coated zirconium was annealed at 200, 300, 400, and 600°C in vacuum furnace in presence of argon gas. The structure and morphology of the coated samples were characterized. Biocompatibility and wear and corrosion resistances of specimens were examined. The result of corrosion tests shows that the graphene into HA/Pt composites significantly improves their corrosion resistance. The wear tests results of uncoated and coated samples before and after annealing show that coated samples annealed at 300°C had better wear resistance compared with uncoated and coated samples at other temperatures. Furthermore, the biocompatibility test shows that the coatings improved the cell attachment and proliferation compared to the pure zirconium substrate.

Key factors determining variations in RNA interference efficacy mediated by different double-stranded RNA lengths in Tribolium castaneum

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) length may affect RNA interference (RNAi) efficacy. Herein, variation in RNAi efficacy associated with dsRNA molecular length was confirmed via comparison of knockdown results following dsRNA injection into Tribolium castaneum. Through in vitro experiments with T. castaneum midgut, dsRNA accumulation in the midgut, degradation by midgut homogenates and persistence in haemolymph after injection were tested to determine the causes of RNAi efficacy variation. The comparative efficacies of dsRNAs were 480 bp ≈ 240 bp > 120 bp > 60 bp >> 21 bp. The combined midgut dsRNA accumulation and midgut homogenate-induced degradation analyses suggested cellular uptake to be the key barrier for 21 bp dsRNA functioning, but was likely not the main determinant of the variation in longer dsRNAs' (≥60 bp) bioactivity. In vitro RNAi experiment with T. castaneum midgut showed that long dsRNAs all significantly depleted the expression of corresponding genes, suggesting little variation in intracellular RNAi machinery's affinity for different dsRNA lengths. In vivo haemolymph content dynamics of different dsRNAs following injection indicated higher persistence of longer dsRNAs. In addition, comparison of the in vivo and in vitro RNAi efficacy also indicated the importance of haemolymph degradation. Thus, the varied efficacy of long dsRNAs resulted from their degradation by nucleases, which varied with dsRNA length.

Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets with the Inherent Open Active Sites as Electrocatalysts in Aprotic Li-O2 Batteries

Ultrathin two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (2D MOFs) have the potential to improve the performance of Li-O₂ batteries with high O₂ accessibility, open catalytic active sites, and large surface areas. To obtain highly efficient cathode catalysts for aprotic Li-O₂ batteries, a facile ultrasonicated method has been developed to synthesize three kinds of 2D MOFs (2D Co-MOF, Ni-MOF, and Mn-MOF). Contributing from the inherent open active sites of the Mn-O framework, the discharge specific capacity of 9464 mAh g^-1 is achieved with the 2D Mn-MOF cathode, higher than those of the 2D Co-MOF and Ni-MOF cathodes. During the cycling test, the 2D Mn-MOF cathode stably operates more than 200 cycles at 100 mA g^-1 with a curtailed discharge capacity of 1000 mAh g^-1, quite longer than those of others. According to further electrochemical analysis, we observe that the 2D Mn-MOF outperforms 2D Ni-MOF and Co-MOF due to a superior oxygen reduction reactions and oxygen evolution reactions activity, in particular, the efficient oxidation of both LiOH and Li₂O₂. The present study provides new insights that the 2D MOF nanosheets can be well applied as the Li-O₂ cells with high energy density and long cycling life.

ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) Transporter Genes Involved in Pyrethroid Resistance in the Malaria Vector Anopheles sinensis: Genome-Wide Identification, Characteristics, Phylogenetics, and Expression Profile

background: The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters family is one of the largest families of membrane proteins existing in all living organisms. Pyrethroid resistance has become the largest unique obstacle for mosquito control worldwide. ABC transporters are thought to be associated with pyrethroid resistance in some agricultural pests, but little information is known for mosquitoes. Herein, we investigated the diversity, location, characteristics, phylogenetics, and evolution of ABC transporter family of genes in the Anopheles sinensis genome, and identified the ABC transporter genes associated with pyrethroid resistance through expression profiles using RNA-seq and qPCR. Results: 61 ABC transporter genes are identified and divided into eight subfamilies (ABCA-H), located on 22 different scaffolds. Phylogenetic and evolution analyses with ABC transporters of A. gambiae, Drosophila melanogaster, and Homo sapiens suggest that the ABCD, ABCG, and ABCH subfamilies are monophyly, and that the ABCC and ABCG subfamilies have experienced a gene duplication event. Both RNA-seq and qPCR analyses show that the AsABCG28 gene is uniquely significantly upregulated gene in all three field pyrethroid-resistant populations (Anhui, Chongqing, and Yunnan provinces) in comparison with a laboratory-susceptible strain from Jiangsu province. The AsABCG28 is significantly upregulated at 12-h and 24-h after deltamethrin exposure in three-day-old female adults. Conclusion: This study provides the information frame for ABC transporter subfamily of genes, and lays an important basis for the better understanding and further research of ABC transporter function in insecticide toxification. The AsABCG28 gene is associated with pyrethroid detoxification, and it functions at later period in the detoxification process for xenobiotics transportation.