Tissue expression and promoter activity analysis of the porcine TNFSF11 gene.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily member 11 (TNFSF11), also known as RANKL, plays a crucial role in regulating several physiological and pathological activities. Additionally, it is a vital factor in bone physiology, and the sex hormone progesterone regulates the expansion of stem cells and the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells. It is essential for animal growth and reproductive physiological processes. This study aimed to evaluate the tissue-specific expression characteristics and promoter activity of the TNFSF11 gene in pigs. As a result, the study examined the presence of TNFSF11 expression in the tissues of Xiangsu pigs at 0.6 and 12 months of age. Moreover, the core promoter region of TNFSF11 was also identified by utilizing a combination of bioinformatic prediction and dual-luciferase activity tests. Finally, the effect of transcription factors on the transcriptional activity of the core promoter region was determined using site-directed mutagenesis. TNFSF11 was uniformly expressed in all tissues; however, its expression in muscles was comparatively low. The core promoter region of TNFSF11 was located in the -555 to -1 region. The prediction of the transcription start site of TNFSF11 gene-2000 ∼ + 500bp showed that there was a CpG site in 17 ∼ + 487bp. Analysis of mutations in the transcription factor binding sites revealed that mutations in the Stat5b, Myog, Trl, and EN1 binding sites had significant effects on the transcriptional activity of the TNFSF11 gene, particularly following the EN1 binding site mutation (P < 0.001). This study provides insights into both the tissue-specific expression patterns of TNFSF11 in the tissues of Xiangsu pigs and the potential regulatory effects of transcription factors on its promoter activity. These results may be helpful for future research aimed at clarifying the expression and role of the porcine TNFSF11 gene.

Prediction of clinical risk assessment and survival in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased risk of disease exacerbation and decreased survival. We aimed to develop and validate a non-invasive nomogram for predicting COPD associated with severe PH and a prognostic nomogram for patients with COPD and concurrent PH (COPD-PH). METHODS: This study included 535 patients with COPD-PH from six hospitals. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the risk factors for severe PH in patients with COPD and a multivariate Cox regression was used for the prognostic factors of COPD-PH. Performance was assessed using calibration, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and decision analysis curves. Kaplan-Meier curves were used for a survival analysis. The nomograms were developed as online network software. RESULTS: Tricuspid regurgitation velocity, right ventricular diameter, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), the red blood cell count, New York Heart Association functional class and sex were non-invasive independent variables of severe PH in patients with COPD. These variables were used to construct a risk assessment nomogram with good discrimination. NT-proBNP, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, partial pressure of arterial oxygen, the platelet count and albumin were independent prognostic factors for COPD-PH and were used to create a predictive nomogram of overall survival rates. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed nomograms based on a large sample size of patients with COPD-PH could be used as non-invasive clinical tools to enhance the risk assessment of severe PH in patients with COPD and for the prognosis of COPD-PH. Additionally, the online network has the potential to provide artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis and treatment. HIGHLIGHTS: A multicentre study with a large sample of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients diagnosed with PH through right heart catheterisation. A non-invasive online clinical tool for assessing severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) in COPD. The first risk assessment tool was established for Chinese patients with COPD-PH.

Insufficiency of quality of life as the treatment endpoint for balloon pulmonary angioplasty in inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background and Objectives: The ability of a quality of life (QoL) to guide balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) among patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has not been fully investigated. This study explored the relationship between QoL scores and hemodynamics in CTEPH patients after BPA and examined whether QoL could be applied as a treatment endpoint. Materials and Methods: This cohort study included patients with inoperable CTEPH who had undergone at least four sessions of BPA. The patients' demographic and clinical data as well as hemodynamic parameters and scores from the RAND 36-item short-form QoL questionnaire were recorded and compared before and after BPA. Results: After BPA treatments, clinical characteristics, hemodynamic parameters, as well as QoL score improved significantly. A physical component summary (PCS) score of 35 or 46 can be used as the cutoff value for predicting better World Health Organization functional classification (WHO FC). Patients who had a higher PCS would have longer 6-min walk distance (6MWD), lower pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and better cardiac output (CO) both before and after BPA. However, 19 patients (55.9%) with a higher PCS score after BPA did not achieve the goal of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) ≤30 mmHg. During the follow-up period, a significant reduction of PVR was observed, but the PCS score improved a little. Conclusions: QoL is a useful tool for assessing the exercise endurance of patients with inoperable CTEPH treated with BPA, but is insufficient to serve as a treatment endpoint for BPA.

The Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture for Mammary Hyperplasia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: This study aims to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in treating mammary hyperplasia. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP Database, from their inception until July 2023. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) researching the use of acupuncture for mammary hyperplasia were included. Quality assessment and data analysis were performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Results: Eight RCTs, comprising 573 patients, were included in this analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that in the acupuncture group, the experimental group was better than the control group in improving breast pain, breast lump extent, and the texture of breast lump (P=0.0007, I2=61%; P=0.02, I2=0%; P=0.0002, I2=0%). We found that both could be improved, but after statistical analysis, there was no significant advantage in the acupuncture group compared with the patent Chinese medicine group (p>0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe treatment for mammary hyperplasia, providing pain relief and reducing mass volume, texture, and extent. However, the insufficient quality of the available evidence indicates the need for further methodologically rigorous and convincingly designed studies to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of breast hyperplasia.

Association between polymorphisms in NOBOX and litter size traits in Xiangsu pigs.

The newborn ovary homeobox gene (NOBOX) regulates ovarian and early oocyte development, and thus plays an essential role in reproduction. In this study, the mRNA expression level and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of NOBOX in various tissues of Xiangsu pigs were studied to explore the relationship between its polymorphism and litter size traits. Also, bioinformatics was used to evaluate the effects of missense substitutions on protein structure and function. The results revealed that NOBOX is preferentially expressed in the ovary. Six mutations were detected in the NOBOX sequence, including g.1624 T>C, g.1858 G>A, g.2770 G>A, g.2821 A>G, g.5659 A>G, and g.6025 T>A, of which g.1858 G>A was a missense mutation. However, only g.1858 G>A, g.5659 A>G, and g.6025 T>A were significantly associated with litter size traits (p < 0.05). Further prediction of the effect of the missense mutation g.1858 G>A on protein function revealed that p.V82M is a non-conservative mutation that significantly reduces protein stability and thus alters protein function. Overall, these findings suggest that NOBOX polymorphism is closely related to the litter size of Xiangsu pigs, which may provide new insights into pig breeding.

Gut Fungal Microbiota Alterations in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertensive Rats.

The gut microbiome's imbalance has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), yet the contribution of the gut mycobiome remains largely unclear. This study delineates the gut mycobiome profile in PAH and examines its interplay with the bacterial microbiome alterations. Fecal samples from monocrotaline-induced PAH rats and matched controls were subjected to internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) sequencing for fungal community assessment and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing for bacterial community characterization. Comparative analysis revealed no significant disparities in the overall mycobiome diversity between the PAH and control groups. However, taxonomic profiling identified differential mycobiome compositions, with the PAH group exhibiting a significant enrichment of genera such as Wallemia, unidentified_Branch02, Postia, Malassezia, Epicoccum, Cercospora, and Alternaria. Conversely, genera Xeromyces, unidentified_Plectosphaerellaceae, and Monilia were more abundant in the controls. Correlations of Malassezia and Wallemia abundance with hemodynamic parameters were observed. Indications of bidirectional fungal-bacterial community interactions were also noted. This investigation reveals distinct gut mycobiome alterations in PAH, which are intricately associated with concurrent bacterial microbiome changes, suggesting a possible contributory role of gut fungi in PAH pathophysiology. These findings underscore the potential for novel gut mycobiome-targeted therapeutic interventions in PAH management.

Serum proteome profiling reveals heparanase as a candidate biomarker for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Determining novel biomarkers for early identification of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) could improve patient outcomes. We used the isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation approach to compare the serum protein profiles between CTEPH patients and the controls. Bioinformatics analyses and ELISA were also performed. We identified three proteins including heparanase (HPSE), gelsolin (GSN), and secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) had significant changes in CTEPH. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the areas under the curve of HPSE in CTEPH diagnosis were 0.988. Furthermore, HPSE was correlated with multiple parameters of right ventricular function. HPSE concentrations were significantly higher in patients with a low TAPSE/sPAP ratio (≤0.31 mm/mmHg) (65.4 [60.5,68.0] vs. 59.9 [35.9,63.2] ng/mL, p < 0.05). The CTEPH patients treated by balloon pulmonary angioplasty had significantly lower HPSE levels. The study demonstrates that HPSE may be a promising biomarker for noninvasive detection of CTEPH.

Chemical Profiling of Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen Tablets Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and Its Quality Evaluation Based on UPLC-DAD Combined with Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablets (SWYST) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription used for treating chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aims to characterize the constituents in SWYST and evaluate the quality based on the quantification of multiple bioactive components. SWYST samples were analyzed with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and a data-processing strategy. As a result, 215 compounds in SWYST were unambiguously identified or tentatively characterized, including 14 potential new compounds. Meanwhile, strategies based on characteristic fragments for rapid identification were summarized, indicating that the qualitative method is accurate and feasible. Notably, the glucose esters of laccaic acid D-type anthraquinone were first found and their fragmentation patterns were described by comparing that of O-glycoside isomers. Besides, based on comparisons of the cleavage ways of mono-acyl glucose with different acyl groups or acylation sites, differences in fragmentation pathways between 1,2-di-O-acyl glucose and 1,6-di-O-acyl glucose were proposed for the first time and verified by reference substances. In addition, a validated UPLC-DAD was established for the determination of 11 major bioactive components related to treatment of CKD (albiflorin, paeoniflorin, 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy-stilbene-2-O-ß-d-glucoside (TSG), 1-O-galloyl-2-O-cinnamoyl-ß-d-glucose, emodin-8-O-ß-d-glucoside, chrysophanol-O-ß-d-glucoside, aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion). Moreover, TSG and 1-O-galloyl-2-O-cinnamoyl-ß-d-glucose were found as the quality markers related to the origins of SWYST based on multivariate statistical analysis. Conclusively, the findings in this work provide a feasible reference for further studies on quality research and mechanisms of action in treating CKD.

Polysaccharides from Chinese herbal medicine: a review on the hepatoprotective and molecular mechanism.

Polysaccharides, predominantly extracted from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as Lycium barbarum, Angelica sinensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Dendrobium officinale, Ganoderma lucidum, and Poria cocos, represent principal bioactive constituents extensively utilized in Chinese medicine. These compounds have demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory capabilities, especially anti-liver injury activities, while exhibiting minimal adverse effects. This review summarized recent studies to elucidate the hepatoprotective efficacy and underlying molecular mechanisms of these herbal polysaccharides. It underscored the role of these polysaccharides in regulating hepatic function, enhancing immunological responses, and improving antioxidant capacities, thus contributing to the attenuation of hepatocyte apoptosis and liver protection. Analyses of molecular pathways in these studies revealed the intricate and indispensable functions of traditional Chinese herbal polysaccharides in liver injury management. Therefore, this review provides a thorough examination of the hepatoprotective attributes and molecular mechanisms of these medicinal polysaccharides, thereby offering valuable insights for the advancement of polysaccharide-based therapeutic research and their potential clinical applications in liver disease treatment.

Association of sdLDL-C With Incident Carotid Plaques With Stable and Vulnerable Morphology: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) particles are more atherogenic than large and intermediate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) subfractions. We sought to investigate the association of sdLDL-C and the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio with incident carotid plaques with stable and vulnerable morphology in rural China. METHODS: This community-based cohort study used data from the RICAS study (Rose Asymptomatic Intracranial Artery Stenosis), which enrolled 887 participants (aged ≥40 years) who were living in Kongcun Town, Pingyin County, Shandong, and free of carotid plaques and had no history of clinical stroke or transient ischemic attack at baseline (2017). Incident carotid plaques and their vulnerability were detected by carotid ultrasound at follow-up (2021). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore the association of sdLDL-C or sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio with incident carotid plaques while adjusting for demographic factors, vascular risk factors, and follow-up time. RESULTS: Of the 887 participants (mean age [SD], 53.89 [8.67%] years; 54.34% women), 179 (20.18%) were detected with incident carotid plaques during an average follow-up of 3.94 years (SD=0.14). Higher sdLDL-C or sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio, but not LDL-C, was significantly associated with an increased risk of incident carotid plaques. The upper tertile of sdLDL-C (versus lower tertile) was associated with the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of 2.48 (95% CI, 1.00-6.15; P=0.049; P for linear trend=0.046) for carotid plaques with vulnerable morphology (n=41), and the association remained significant in participants with normal LDL-C (<130 mg/dL; n=693; upper versus lower tertile: odds ratio, 3.38 [95% CI, 1.15-9.90]; P=0.027; P for linear trend=0.025). Moreover, the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio was associated with a higher odds ratio of incident carotid plaques in participants without diabetes (P for interaction=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Higher sdLDL-C was associated with an increased risk of incident carotid plaques, especially carotid plaques with vulnerable morphology, even in participants with normal LDL-C. This suggests the potential of sdLDL-C as a therapeutic target for stroke prevention. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn; Unique identifier: ChiCTR1800017197.

A Two-Generation Reproductive Toxicity Study of Cerium Nitrate in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

A two-generation reproductive toxicity study was performed to evaluate the effects of cerium nitrate on the development of the parent, offspring, and third generation of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. A total of 240 SD rats (30 rats/sex/group) were randomly divided into four dosage groups according to body weight: 0 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 90 mg/kg, and 270 mg/kg. The rats were administered different dosages of cerium nitrate by oral gavage. There were no observed changes related to cerium nitrate in body weight, food consumption, sperm survival rate, motility, mating rate, conception rate, abortion rate, uterine plus fetal weight, uterine weight, corpus luteum number, implantation rate, live fetus number (rate), stillbirth number (rate), absorbed fetus number (rate), appearance, visceral, and skeletal in rats of each generation dosage group. In addition, the pathological findings showed no significant lesions associated with cerium nitrate toxicity in all tissues and organs, including reproductive organs. In conclusion, the present study showed that long-term oral gavage of cerium nitrate at 30 mg/kg, 90 mg/kg, and 270 mg/kg had no significant effect on reproduction and the developmental ability of their offspring in rats. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of cerium nitrate in SD rats was higher than 270 mg/kg.

Fibrous Conductive Metallogels with Hybrid Electron/Ion Networks for Boosted Extreme Sensitivity and High Linearity Strain Sensor.

Fibrous strain sensing materials with both high sensitivity and high linearity are of significant importance for wearable sensors, yet they still face great challenges. Herein, a photo-spun reaction encapsulation strategy is proposed for the continuous fabrication of fibrous strain sensor materials (AMGF) with a core-sheath structure. Metallogels (MOGs) formed by bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are employed as the core and sheath, respectively. The in situ ultraviolet light reduction of Ag+ ensured AgNPs to maintain the interconnections between the BC nanofibers and form electron conductive networks (0.31 S m-1 ). Under applied strain, the BC nanofibers experience separation, bringing AMGF a high sensitivity (gauge factor 4.36). The concentration of free ions in the MOGs uniformly varies with applied deformation, endowing AMGF with high linearity and a goodness-of-fit of 0.98. The sheath TPE provided AMGF sensor with stable working life (>10 000 s). Furthermore, the AMGF sensors are demonstrated to monitor complex deformations of the dummy joints in real-time as a wearable sensor. Therefore, the fibrous hybrid conductive network fibers fabricated via the photo-spun reaction encapsulation strategy provide a new route for addressing the challenge of achieving both high sensitivity and high linearity.

Association between atherogenic index of plasma and asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis in middle-aged and elderly women: A cross-sectional study in Shandong, China.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is associated with progression of atherosclerosis and used to describe how pro- or anti-atherogenic components are balanced. However, the association of AIP with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (aICAS) is uncertain. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between AIP and aICAS in rural China. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1990 participants aged ≥40 years free of stroke or transient ischemic attack were enrolled in this study. The presence of aICAS was examined by Transcranial Doppler ultrasound and confirmed by magnetic resonance angiography. The adjusted AIP (aAIP) was calculated according to the ratio of TG and HDL-C and further separated into 4 quartiles. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the association between aAIP and aICAS, and the dose-response relationship was explored by restricted cubic spline. After adjusting for conventional confounders, aAIP was significantly higher in the aICAS group than that in the non-aICAS group. Furthermore, the common odds ratios for aICAS risk increased with increasing aAIP quartiles. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that aAIP was independently associated with aICAS in female or middle-aged and elderly (age ≥50 years), and superior to other lipid profiles. Multiple-adjusted spline regression showed the dose-response association between aAIP levels and aICAS prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: AIP might be independently and positively associated with the prevalence of aICAS in middle-aged and elderly women, which might be superior to traditional and nontraditional lipid profiles in rural China.

Padua prediction score may be inappropriate for VTE risk assessment in hospitalized patients with acute respiratory conditions: A Chinese single-center cohort study.

Background: The Padua Prediction Score (PPS) recommended by the guidelines lacks effective external validation in a Chinese cohort. This study sought to assess the accuracy of the PPS to predict venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk in medical inpatients with acute respiratory conditions. Methods: This consecutive cohort study included 1,574 inpatients from January to August 2019. The occurrence rate of VTE in patients classified at high-risk and low-risk groups according to PPS and Caprini risk assessment model (RAM) was compared. The discriminatory capability of the RAMs was evaluated in all the patients and the subgroup without pharmacological prophylaxis. Reclassification parameters were also used to assess the clinical utility. Results: 170 (10.8%) patients were objectively confirmed as having VTE during hospitalization. The incidence rate of VTE in low-risk patients was 6.3% by PPS, which was significantly higher than that by Caprini RAM (2.6%, p < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for PPS and Caprini RAM was 0.714 (95%CI, 0.672-0.756) and 0.760 (95%CI, 0.724-0.797), respectively (p = 0.003). The AUC of Caprini RAM was larger than PPS even in subgroups without pharmacological prophylaxis (0.774 vs 0.709, p = 0.002). Compared with Caprini RAM, the net reclassification index was estimated at 0.037 (p = 0.436), and integrated discrimination improvement was 0.015 (p = 0.495) by PPS. Conclusions: According to our cohort study, PPS may not be appropriate to predict VTE risk in hospitalized patients with acute respiratory conditions. An accurate, widely applicable, validated RAM needs to be further constructed in Chinese medical inpatients.

The Role of Strain by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Predicting the Prognosis of Patients with Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is characterized by thrombotic obstruction of the pulmonary arteries, and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a major cause of death. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard for assessing heart wall deformation; therefore, we aimed to determine the prognostic value of CMR strain in patients with CTEPH. Strain derived by CMR was measured at the time of diagnosis in 45 patients with CTEPH, and the relationship between RV strain and prognosis was determined through follow-up. The value of RV strain in the prognostic model was compared with that of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) risk stratification. The RV global peak longitudinal strain (GLS) and global peak circumferential strain (GCS) in CTEPH patients were lower than the normal references of RV strain in the control group. GLS and longitudinal strain in the basal segment were independent risk factors for adverse events (P < .050). Adding CMR parameters to PAH risk stratification improved its predictive power in patients with CTEPH. GLS and GCS scores were impaired in patients with chronic RV overload. RV strain derived by CMR imaging is a promising noninvasive tool for the follow-up of patients with CTEPH.

Construction of a specialized integrated simulation platform for molecule screening based on scientific computing workflow engine.

Numerical simulation is an efficient tool for evaluation and prediction of material properties and behavior in many industrial domains such as the development of novel materials and medicines. For numerical studies of complex processes or systems with high fidelity, various data processing tools, modeling and simulation programs are typically involved, desiring an integrated platform that can effectively manage the collaboration of such software resources and the execution of the underlying simulation workflow for efficiency purpose. Such a platform could be practically built with a scientific computing workflow engine that focuses on the automatic scheduling and execution of a batch of interrelated computing tasks. In this work, the main procedures on construction of a specialized integrated simulation platform for material research based on a general purpose scientific computing workflow engine named HSWAP is introduced in detail, and its application to molecule screening process of energetic materials is demonstrated. Due to the flexibility and the extensibility of the platform, the work could be handily extended to the screening of other materials such as protein to find optimized protein structures or high entropy alloys to find the best configuration of component contents, as well as other application scenarios such as geometry optimizations of complex structures.

The characteristics of chest HRCT and pulmonary function tests in lung-onset primary sjogren's syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) can manifest before the diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of lung-onset pSS using chest high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function tests (PFTs). METHODS: The data of 102 patients with pSS-ILD were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: lung-onset group and the nonlung-onset group. The chest HRCT, PFTs, and clinical and laboratory data were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: Among the 102 patients with pSS-ILD, 59 (57.8%) were lung-onset and 43 (42.2%) were nonlung-onset. Chest HRCT in the lung-onset group showed higher percentage of usual interstitial pneumonia and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, the difference did not reach statistical significance. The total HRCT score was higher in the lung-onset group, compared with the nonlung-onset group (2 [2, 3], vs. 2 [1, 2], p = .014). Total lung capacity (TLC) (%pred) [(75.4 ± 16.2) versus (82.8 ± 19.4), p = .049] and forced vital capacity (FVC) (%pred) [(82.2 ± 19.9) versus (91.6 ± 28.3), p = .050] were significantly lower in the lung-onset group, compared with the nonlung-onset group. Residual volume (RV)/TLC (%) significantly increased more than 40% in the lung-onset group (p = .015). Restricted ventilation disorder, small airway obstruction and reduced diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide/alveolar volume (%Pred) were more common in the lung-onset group (p = .038, p = .050, and p = .050, respectively). Correlation analysis showed that HRCT score was positively correlated with the interval between the onset of pulmonary symptoms and the diagnosis of ILD, serum CA125, and serum CEA. TCL (%pred), VC (%pred), FVC (%pred) were negatively correlated with serum CA125. CONCLUSION: Lung-onset is common in pSS patients with more severe lung function impairments. Serum biomarkers, such CA125, CEA, and ALB, were associated with the severity of lung damage.

A Spectral Encoding Simulator for Broadband Active Illumination and Reconstruction-Based Spectral Measurement.

Spectral reflectance or transmittance measurements provide intrinsic information on the material of an object and are widely used in remote sensing, agriculture, diagnostic medicine, etc. Most reconstruction-based spectral reflectance or transmittance measurement methods based on broadband active illumination use narrow-band LEDs or lamps combined with specific filters as spectral encoding light sources. These light sources cannot achieve the designed spectral encoding with a high resolution and accuracy due to their low degree of freedom for adjustment, leading to inaccurate spectral measurements. To address this issue, we designed a spectral encoding simulator for active illumination. The simulator is composed of a prismatic spectral imaging system and a digital micromirror device. The spectral wavelengths and intensity are adjusted by switching the micromirrors. We used it to simulate spectral encodings according to the spectral distribution on micromirrors and solved the DMD patterns corresponding to the spectral encodings with a convex optimization algorithm. To verify the applicability of the simulator for spectral measurements based on active illumination, we used it to numerically simulate existing spectral encodings. We also numerically simulated a high-resolution Gaussian random measurement encoding for compressed sensing and measured the spectral reflectance of one vegetation type and two minerals through numerical simulations. We reconstructed the spectral transmittance of a calibrated filter through an experiment. The results show that the simulator can measure the spectral reflectance or transmittance with a high resolution and accuracy.

Echocardiographic Characteristics of Pulmonary Artery Intimal Sarcoma: Comparison With CTPA.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the echocardiographic characteristics of patients with pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma (PAIS) and compared the results with those from computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA). METHOD: Twenty-six (26) patients were diagnosed with PAIS at the current institution during the study period, and 23 were eligible for analysis. Echocardiography and CTPA examinations were performed in all enrolled patients. RESULTS: The echocardiography results showed that most lesions had expansive growth in the left pulmonary artery (PA); the right PA; or a combination of the left PA, right PA, and main PA, with extension to the pulmonary valve and/or right ventricular outflow tract. These lesions also had distinctive sieve-like echogenic signals. Echocardiography also showed that some lesions had lobulated shapes, were nearly round and echolucent or with calcifications, and moved during imaging. The lesion distribution was similar in CTPA and echocardiography (p=0.361), but CTPA was more sensitive in detection of the complete shape (p=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: The unique echocardiographic characteristics of PAIS, especially the "sieve sign", could help in the diagnosis of this cancer. Transthoracic echocardiography is a non-invasive technique that appears effective in detecting PAIS.

Amount and characteristics of microplastic and organic matter in wind-blown sediment at different heights within the aeolian sand saltation layer.

Soils of croplands especially where plastic film mulch is commonly applied, are normally contaminated by Microplastics (MPs). Microplastics can threaten air quality, food and water health, as well as human health by wind erosion processes. In this research, we investigated MPs collected in four wind erosion events at sampling heights between 0 and 60 cm in typical semiarid farmlands in northern China that employ plastic film mulch. Height distribution and enrichment heights of the MPs were measured. The results revealed that the average amounts of MPs for 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm sampling heights were 868.71 ± 249.21, 799.87 ± 271.25, 1102.54 ± 317.44 particles kg-1. The average enrichment ratios of MPs for the different heights were 0.89 ± 0.54, 0.85 ± 0.56, 1.15 ± 0.73. Height distribution of MPs was combined affected by shape (fiber and non-fiber) and size of MPs, wind speed and soil aggregate stability. The amount of fibers approximately <4 mm in size and non-fibers <2 mm in size increased with sampling height, while both shapes of larger MPs than these two sizes was almost independent of the sampling height. Enrichment ratios of microfibers were positively related to wind speed but negatively related to soil aggregate stability at each sampling height. The results revealed that although MPs have similar density to organic matter (OM), the MPs' amount and enrichment were independent of height but the OM content and enrichment ratios increased with height. These results suggested that more attention should be paid to the exploration of the influence of higher sampling heights (>60 cm) on the distribution of MPs in the future and the MPs characteristics for different sampling heights require carefully parameterization in detailed models of atmospheric MPs transport by wind erosion.