Capture of single Ag atoms through high-temperature-induced crystal plane reconstruction.

The "terminal hydroxyl group anchoring mechanism" has been studied on metal oxides (Al2O3, CeO2) as well as a variety of noble and transition metals (Ag, Pt, Pd, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Co) in a number of generalized studies, but there is still a gap in how to regulate the content of terminal hydroxyl groups to influence the dispersion of the active species and thus to achieve optimal catalytic performance. Herein, we utilized AlOOH as a precursor for γ-Al2O3 and induced the transformation of the exposed crystal face of γ-Al2O3 from (110) to (100) by controlling the calcination temperature to generate more terminal hydroxyl groups to anchor Ag species. Experimental results combined with AIMD and DFT show that temperature can drive the atomic rearrangement on the (110) crystal face, thereby forming a structure similar to the atomic arrangement of the (100) crystal face. This resulted in the formation of more terminal hydroxyl groups during the high-temperature calcination of the support (Al-900), which can capture Ag species to form single-atom dispersions, and ultimately develop a stable and efficient single-atom Ag-based catalyst.

Genome-wide variants and optimal allelic combinations for citric acid in tomato.

Citric acid (CA) plays a crucial role as a fruit flavor enhancer and serves as a mediator in multiple metabolic pathways in tomato fruit development. Understanding factors influencing CA metabolism is essential for enhancing fruit flavor and CA-mediated biological processes. The accumulation of CA, however, is influenced by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, leading to challenges in accurately predicting and regulating its levels. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on CA, employing six landmark models based on genome-wide variations including structural variants, insertions and deletions, and single nucleotide polymorphisms. The identification of 11 high-confidence candidate genes was further facilitated by leveraging linkage disequilibrium and causal variants associated with CA. The transcriptome data from candidate genes were examined, revealing higher correlations between the expression of certain candidate genes and changes in CA metabolism. Three CA-associated genes exerted a positive regulatory effect on CA accumulation, while the remaining genes exhibited negative impacts based on gene cluster and correlation analyses. The CA content of tomatoes is primarily influenced by improvement sweeps with minimal influence from domestication sweeps in the long-term breeding history, as evidenced by population differentiation and variants distribution. The presence of various causal variants within candidate genes is implicated in the heterogeneity of CA content observed among the tomato accessions. This observation suggests a potential correlation between the number of alternative alleles and CA content. This study offers significant function-based markers that can be utilized in marker-assisted breeding, thereby enhancing their value and applicability.

Dynamic Simulation Research on Microprofile Control Mechanism of Foam in Fractured Media Based on Level Set Method.

Fractured reservoirs are an important source of oil and gas energy. After depletion of production, the production capacity of this reservoir decreases rapidly. Effective profile control is needed to improve the sweep efficiency and reservoir heterogeneity. Foam can solve such problems, but its profile control mechanism is not fully understood. Based on this, this paper uses the level set method to study the microscale control mechanism of foam in fractured media. The results show that artificial fractures and high-permeability microfractures are tighter than natural fractures, the Jamin effect of foam is stronger, and the secondary foaming ability is better. Therefore, the plugging ability of foam to natural fractures is far less than that of foam to artificial fractures and high-permeability microfractures. The larger the fracture opening, the larger the foam volume and the smaller the flow rate. As the opening ratio increases gradually, the generated foam flows more to the natural fractures with a large opening, and the effect of foam blocking large fractures becomes worse. The diversion rate curves of different opening ratios show that the foam has a good profile control effect when the opening ratios are 4:1 and 2:1, and even the diversion rate overturns, while the profile control diversion effect is poor when the opening ratio is 10:1, so it cannot play an effective role in profile control. The foam shows the profile control process of preferentially plugging the high-permeability area and allowing more subsequent fluids to enter the low-permeability area. The research reveals the profile control mechanism of foam on fractured reservoirs from the micro level, which is the supplement and verification of relevant macro research and provides a theoretical basis for the efficient development of fractured reservoirs.

Nanogalvanic Cells Release Highly Reactive Electrons in Tumors to Effectively Eliminate Tumors.

External stimuli triggering chemical reactions in cancer cells to generate highly reactive chemical species are very appealing for cancer therapy, in which external irradiation activating sensitizers to transfer energy or electrons to surrounding oxygen or other molecules is critical for generating cytotoxic reactive species. However, poor light penetration into tissue, low activity of sensitizers, and reliance on oxygen supply restrict the generation of cytotoxic chemical species in hypoxic tumors, which lowers the therapeutic efficacy. Here, we present galvanic cell nanomaterials that can directly release highly reactive electrons in tumors without external irradiation or photosensitizers. The released reactive electrons directly react with surrounding biomolecules such as proteins and DNA within tumors to destroy them or react with other surrounding (bio)molecules to yield cytotoxic chemical species to eliminate tumors independent of oxygen. Administering these nanogalvanic cells to mice results in almost complete remission of subcutaneous solid tumors and deep metastatic tumors. The results demonstrate that this strategy can further arouse an immune response even in a hypoxic environment. This method offers a promising approach to effectively eliminate tumors, similar to photodynamic therapy, but does not require oxygen or irradiation to activate photosensitizers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Old woman with Sheehan's syndrome suffered severe hyponatremia following percutaneous coronary intervention: a case report and review of literature.

Glucocorticoid deficiency can lead to hypoglycemia, hypotension, and electrolyte disorders. Acute glucocorticoid deficiency under stress is very dangerous. Here, we present a case study of an elderly patient diagnosed with Sheehan's syndrome, manifesting secondary adrenal insufficiency and secondary hypothyroidism, managed with daily prednisone and levothyroxine therapy. She was admitted to our hospital due to acute non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. The patient developed nausea and limb twitching post-percutaneous coronary intervention, with subsequent diagnosis of hyponatremia. Despite initial intravenous sodium supplementation failed to rectify the condition, and consciousness disturbances ensued. However, administration of 50 mg hydrocortisone alongside 6.25 mg sodium chloride rapidly ameliorated symptoms and elevated blood sodium levels. Glucocorticoid deficiency emerged as the primary etiology of hyponatremia in this context, exacerbated by procedural stress during percutaneous coronary intervention. Contrast agent contributed to blood sodium dilution. Consequently, glucocorticoid supplementation emerges as imperative, emphasizing the necessity of stress-dose administration of glucocorticoid before the procedure. Consideration of shorter intervention durations and reduced contrast agent dosages may mitigate severe hyponatremia risks. Moreover, it is crucial for this patient to receive interdisciplinary endocrinologist management. In addition, Sheehan's syndrome may pose a risk for coronary atherosclerotic disease.

Understanding the Influence of Single Payer Health Insurance on Socioeconomic Disparities in Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) Utilization: A Transnational Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Access to care varies between countries. It is theorized that income-based disparities in access may be reduced in countries with universal health insurance relative to the United States, but data are currently limited. We hypothesized that income-based differences in total hip arthroplasty (THA) utilization and outcomes would be larger in the United States than in Canada. METHODS: We retrospectively compared all patients undergoing THA from 2012 to 2018 in Pennsylvania, the United States, and Ontario, Canada. We compared age-standardized and sex-standardized per-capita THA utilization in the United States and Canada overall and across different income strata, where income strata were defined by neighborhood income quintile. We also examined income-based differences in rates of 1-year revision, 90-day mortality, and 90-day readmission. RESULTS: Overall THA utilization per 10,000 people per year was higher across all income groups in Pennsylvania compared with Ontario (15.1 versus 8.8, P < 0.001 in lowest-income quintile; 21.4 versus 12.6, P < 0.001 in highest-income quintile). Income-based differences in utilization in the highest-income vs lowest-income quintile groups were greater in Ontario (43.2%) than Pennsylvania (41.7%). The adjusted odds for the lowest-income group compared with the highest-income group of 1-year revision were greater in Ontario compared with Pennsylvania (P = 0.03), and risk of 90-day mortality and 90-day readmission was similar between the regions. CONCLUSION: Income-based differences in THA utilization were more notable in Ontario than in Pennsylvania. In addition, patients in low-income communities in Ontario were at equal or greater risk relative to high-income community patients for adverse outcomes compared with patients in Pennsylvania. Income-based disparities in THA utilization and outcomes were smaller in the United States than in Canada, in contrast to what might be expected. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Perivascular neurons instruct 3D vascular lattice formation via neurovascular contact.

The vasculature of the central nervous system is a 3D lattice composed of laminar vascular beds interconnected by penetrating vessels. The mechanisms controlling 3D lattice network formation remain largely unknown. Combining viral labeling, genetic marking, and single-cell profiling in the mouse retina, we discovered a perivascular neuronal subset, annotated as Fam19a4/Nts-positive retinal ganglion cells (Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs), directly contacting the vasculature with perisomatic endfeet. Developmental ablation of Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs led to disoriented growth of penetrating vessels near the ganglion cell layer (GCL), leading to a disorganized 3D vascular lattice. We identified enriched PIEZO2 expression in Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs. Piezo2 loss from all retinal neurons or Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs abolished the direct neurovascular contacts and phenocopied the Fam19a4/Nts-RGC ablation deficits. The defective vascular structure led to reduced capillary perfusion and sensitized the retina to ischemic insults. Furthermore, we uncovered a Piezo2-dependent perivascular granule cell subset for cerebellar vascular patterning, indicating neuronal Piezo2-dependent 3D vascular patterning in the brain.

Decreased femoral trochlea axial orientation corrected by derotational distal femur osteotomy in patients with patellar dislocation yields satisfactory outcomes.

PURPOSE: The femoral trochlea axial orientation has been shown to be a better predictor of patellar dislocation than the femoral anteversion angle. However, no study has investigated the importance of the femoral trochlea axial orientation in the surgical treatment of patellar dislocation. It is aimed to explore the pathological threshold of the femoral trochlea axial orientation and its guiding implications for surgical interventions in the study. METHODS: Sixty-four patients with patellar dislocation and 64 controls were included for measurement of the femoral trochlea axial orientation. The ability to predict the patellar dislocation and the pathologic threshold of the femoral trochlea axial orientation were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve. One hundred patients with medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction and 25 patients with derotational distal femur osteotomy were divided into two groups based on the femoral trochlea axial orientation cut-off value and their postoperative knee functions, and patellar tilt angles were compared. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the femoral trochlea axial orientation (60.8 ± 7.9 vs. 67.8 ± 4.6, p < 0.05) between patients with patellar dislocation and the normal population. The sensitivity and specificity of the femoral trochlea axial orientation were 0.641 and 0.813, respectively, at the femoral trochlea axial orientation smaller than 63.8°. Amongst patients having had isolated medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction with decreased femoral trochlea axial orientation, knee function was poorer after surgery. The prognosis of patients with the femoral trochlea axial orientation correction in derotational distal femur osteotomy was better than that for patients without correction. CONCLUSIONS: The femoral trochlea axial orientation had good predictive efficiency for patellar dislocation. Isolated medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction is not sufficiently effective for patients with patellar dislocation and decreased femoral trochlea axial orientation. Patients with a decreased femoral trochlea axial orientation can have better surgical outcomes after correction by derotational distal femur osteotomy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Measuring algorithmic bias to analyze the reliability of AI tools that predict depression risk using smartphone sensed-behavioral data.

AI tools intend to transform mental healthcare by providing remote estimates of depression risk using behavioral data collected by sensors embedded in smartphones. While these tools accurately predict elevated symptoms in small, homogenous populations, recent studies show that these tools are less accurate in larger, more diverse populations. In this work, we show that accuracy is reduced because sensed-behaviors are unreliable predictors of depression across individuals; specifically the sensed-behaviors that predict depression risk are inconsistent across demographic and socioeconomic subgroups. We first identified subgroups where a developed AI tool underperformed by measuring algorithmic bias, where subgroups with depression were incorrectly predicted to be at lower risk than healthier subgroups. We then found inconsistencies between sensed-behaviors predictive of depression across these subgroups. Our findings suggest that researchers developing AI tools predicting mental health from behavior should think critically about the generalizability of these tools, and consider tailored solutions for targeted populations.

An adhesion-switchable hydrogel dressing for painless dressing removal without secondary damage.

Hydrogels with strong adhesion to wet tissues are considered promising for wound dressings. However, the clinical application of adhesive hydrogel dressing remains a challenge due to the issues of secondary damage during dressing changes. Herein, we fabricated an adhesion-switchable hydrogel formed with poly(acrylamide)-co-poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide), quaternary ammonium chitosan and tannic acid. This hydrogel forms instant and robust adhesion to the skin at body temperature. However, as the temperature rises above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), the hydrogel loses its adhesion towards the wound area due to the temperature-dependent volume phase transition of the copolymer, occurring around 45 °C. Consequently, the designed hydrogel can be easily detached from adhered tissues upon demand, providing a facile and effective method for painless dressing changes without secondary damage. This hydrogel holds great promise for long-term application in wound dressings.

Whole genome sequencing based analysis of inflammation biomarkers in the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) consortium.

Inflammation biomarkers can provide valuable insight into the role of inflammatory processes in many diseases and conditions. Sequencing based analyses of such biomarkers can also serve as an exemplar of the genetic architecture of quantitative traits. To evaluate the biological insight, which can be provided by a multi-ancestry, whole-genome based association study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of 21 inflammation biomarkers from up to 38 465 individuals with whole-genome sequencing from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program (with varying sample size by trait, where the minimum sample size was n = 737 for MMP-1). We identified 22 distinct single-variant associations across 6 traits-E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, interleukin-6, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity and mass, and P-selectin-that remained significant after conditioning on previously identified associations for these inflammatory biomarkers. We further expanded upon known biomarker associations by pairing the single-variant analysis with a rare variant set-based analysis that further identified 19 significant rare variant set-based associations with 5 traits. These signals were distinct from both significant single variant association signals within TOPMed and genetic signals observed in prior studies, demonstrating the complementary value of performing both single and rare variant analyses when analyzing quantitative traits. We also confirm several previously reported signals from semi-quantitative proteomics platforms. Many of these signals demonstrate the extensive allelic heterogeneity and ancestry-differentiated variant-trait associations common for inflammation biomarkers, a characteristic we hypothesize will be increasingly observed with well-powered, large-scale analyses of complex traits.

Investigation of the Single-Particle Scale Structure-Activity Relationship Providing New Insights for the Development of High-Performance Batteries.

As electric vehicles, portable electronic devices and tools have increasingly high requirements for battery energy density and power density, constantly improving battery performance has become a research focus. Accurate measurement of the structure-activity relationship of active materials is the key to advancing the research of high-performance batteries. However, the conventional performance tests of active materials are based on the electrochemical measurement of porous composite electrodes containing active materials, polymer binders, and conductive carbon additives, which cannot establish an accurate structure-activity relationship with the physical characterization of microregions. In this review, in order to promote the accurate measurement and understanding of the structure-activity relationship of materials, the electrochemical measurement and physical characterization of energy storage materials at single-particle scale are reviewed. The potential problems and possible improvement schemes of the single particle electrochemical measurement and physical characterization are proposed. Their potential applications in single particle electrochemical simulation and machine learning are prospected. This review aims to promote the further application of single particle electrochemical measurement and physical characterization in energy storage materials, hoping to achieve three-dimensional unified evaluation of physical characterization, electrochemical measurement, and theoretical simulation at the single particle scale to provide new inspiration for the development of high-performance batteries. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Spin-orbit torque manipulation of sub-terahertz magnons in antiferromagnetic α-Fe2O3.

The ability to electrically manipulate antiferromagnetic magnons, essential for extending the operating speed of spintronic devices into the terahertz regime, remains a major challenge. This is because antiferromagnetic magnetism is challenging to perturb using traditional methods such as magnetic fields. Recent developments in spin-orbit torques have opened a possibility of accessing antiferromagnetic magnetic order parameters and controlling terahertz magnons, which has not been experimentally realised yet. Here, we demonstrate the electrical manipulation of sub-terahertz magnons in the α-Fe2O3/Pt antiferromagnetic heterostructure. By applying the spin-orbit torques in the heterostructure, we can modify the magnon dispersion and decrease the magnon frequency in α-Fe2O3, as detected by time-resolved magneto-optical techniques. We have found that optimal tuning occurs when the Néel vector is perpendicular to the injected spin polarisation. Our results represent a significant step towards the development of electrically tunable terahertz spintronic devices.

First Report of Aspergillus westerdijkiae Causing Leaf Blight on Rehmannia glutinosa in China.

Rehmannia glutinosa (also known as Chinese foxglove) is a perennial dicotyledonous herb, which plays an important role in traditional Chinese medicine. Its active ingredients have a wide range of pharmacological effects on the blood system, endocrine system, immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system (Zhang et al. 2008). In May 2022, leaf blight was observed on 45-day-old R. glutinosa in a seedling nursery in Jiaozuo City (35°01'44.20″N, 113°05'30.63″E), Henan Province, China with an approximate disease incidence up to 54% (~1,300 plants). Irregular brown lesion initially appeared on the tips of basal leaves, then progressed to the entire leaf causing leaf drying out (Supple. Fig. 1-A, B, C). The same symptoms appeared successively in the leaves from the base to the top of the plant, which eventually caused the whole plant to die. To identify the pathogen, eight symptomatic leaves were randomly collected from eight individual plants, and cut into small pieces (5 × 5 mm) at the border of lesions. The pieces were surface disinfected in 75% ethanol for 15 s, followed by 1% NaClO for 1 min, rinsed in sterile water three times, and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium in the dark for 3 days at 25℃. Finally, 12 purified isolates (DHY1-DHY12) were obtained by using single spore method. Leaves of R. glutinosa seedlings were inoculated with conidial suspension (106 conidia/ml), three plants were inoculated per isolate. Controls were treated with sterilized water. All inoculated and control plants were incubated in a greenhouse at 25℃ under 80 ± 10% humidity and a 8-h/16-h dark/light cycle. This experiment was repeated three times. After 5 days, similar symptoms to those of diseased leaves in the seedling nursery appeared on leaves inoculated with DHY4-DHY10, while plants inoculated with DHY1-DHY3, DHY11-DHY12, and the controls remained asymptomatic (Supple. Fig.1-D, E). The same fungi were re-isolated from diseased leaves, fulfilling Koch's postulates. The causal agents DHY4 to DHY10, showed similar morphology, which were morphologically identified as Aspergillus sp. (Visagie et al. 2014). Isolate DHY5 was selected for further study. On PDA plates, the colonies were covered with white velutinous mycelia (Supple. Fig.1-F). Conidia were ochre yellow and outwards concentric circles. Vesicles were globose, and about 20.1-26.6 µm in diameter (Supple. Fig.1-G). Conidiophore stipes were smooth walled and hyaline, with conidial heads radiating. The conidia were light yellow to orange, exudate clear to orange droplets. The conidia were (2.53-3.25) µm × (2.58-3.47) µm in diameter (n=50) (Supple. Fig.1-H). For further molecular identification, the ITS and TUB gene sequences were amplified with primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 and BT2a/BT2b (Glass and Donaldson. 1995), respectively. BLASTn searches of the ITS (PP355445) and TUB (PP382788) sequences showed 100% and 98.42% similarity to those of A. westerdijkiae (OP237108 and OP700424), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated sequences of ITS and TUB confirmed that the fungus was A. westerdijkiae, (Supple. Fig.2). A. westerdijkiae was mainly reported on its secondary metabolite ochratoxin A contamination of agricultural products, fruits, and various food products, such as coffee beans (Alvindia et al 2016), grapes (Díaz et al. 2009), oranges and fruit juice (Marino et al. 2009), etc. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. westerdijkiae causing leaf blight on R. glutinosa in China.

[Determination of multiple residual solvents in ibandronate sodium using headspace-gas chromatography].

Ibandronate sodium, a third-generation diphosphate drug used worldwide to treat osteoporosis, has the advantages of convenient use, low toxicity, and significant therapeutic effects. However, the residual organic solvents in the synthesis process of sodium ibandronate not only have a negative impact on the efficacy of the drug, but also lead to a decrease in drug stability. Moreover, if the residual amounts of these solvents exceed safety standards, they may pose serious threats to human health. This study successfully established a convenient and efficient method based on headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC) for the simultaneous determination of five residual solvents (methanol, acetone, benzene, toluene, 1-pentanol) in the raw materials of ibandronate sodium. The results indicated that satisfactory analytical performance can be achieved by using DB-624 capillary column (30 m×0.32 mm×1.8 µm) and a flame ionization detector in conjunction with headspace autosampling and a temperature program. The specific operating conditions included an initial temperature of 40 ℃, with a hold of 2 min, followed by a temperature ramp first to 200 ℃ at a rate of 5 ℃/min and then to 240 ℃ at a rate of 20 ℃/min, with a hold of 5 min. Nitrogen with a flow rate of 1 mL/min and split ratio of 14∶1 was used as the carrier gas. The headspace vial temperature was maintained at 80 ℃, and the sample equilibration time was 20 min. Under the established analytical conditions, good linear relationships were obtained between the mass concentrations of methanol (72-216 µg/mL), acetone (120-360 µg/mL), benzene (0.048-0.144 µg/mL), toluene (21.36-64.08 µg/mL), and 1-pentanol (120-360 µg/mL) and their corresponding peak areas, with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.990. The limits of detection for these solvents were 2.88, 0.011, 0.90, 0.24, and 0.024 ng/mL, respectively, with limits of quantification of 11.5, 0.043, 3.6, 0.96, and 0.096 ng/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the recoveries of these solvents ranged from 86.3% to 101.9%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=3) of less than 2.49%. The proposed method is simple, accurate, reliable, and suitable for the rapid and simultaneous determination of five residual solvents in the raw materials of ibandronate sodium. This study has important practical significance in improving drug safety and ensuring public health.

Risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with uremia and hypertension during maintenance hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate risk factors for major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in patients with uremia and hypertension during maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). METHODS: Clinical data of patients with uremia and refractory hypertension admitted to Changzhou Fourth People's Hospital (Changzhou Tumor Hospital) from February 2018 to February 2022 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. All patients were treated with MHD and categorized into an MACCE group and a non-MACCE group according to whether MACCEs occurred during the treatment cycle. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to identify the risk factors for MACCEs in the patients during the treatment period. RESULTS: (1) A total of 156 patients were included in this study, among whom 75 patients were in the MACCE group and 81 in the non-MACCE group, with an MACCE incidence of 48.08%. (2) Diabetes, body mass growth rate, triglyceride (TG), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), as well as the standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variability (CV) for both systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) showed significant differences between the two groups, with P<0.05. (3) Diabetes, body mass growth rate ≥5.54%, TG≥1.40 mmol/L, NT-proBNP≥5.82 ng/L, SBP-SD≥13.52, SBP-CV≥8.63, DBP-SD≥8.14, and DBP-CV≥8.82 were found to be risk factors for MACCEs in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of MACCEs in patients with uremia and hypertension during MHD was associated with diabetes, body mass growth rate, TG, NT-proBNP, SBP-SD, SBP-CV, DBP-SD, and DBP-CV.Early screening for high-risk patients and positive intervention measures should be given to reduce the risk of MACCEs to enhance the safety of dialysis procedures.

Comparing Sonazoid contrast-enhanced ultrasound to contrast-enhanced CT and MRI for differentially diagnosing renal lesions: a prospective multicenter study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced (CE) ultrasound using Sonazoid (SNZ-CEUS) by comparing with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) for differentiating benign and malignant renal masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 306 consecutive patients (from 7 centers) with renal masses (40 benign tumors, 266 malignant tumors) diagnosed by both SNZ-CEUS, CE-CT or CE-MRI were enrolled between September 2020 and February 2021. The examinations were performed within 7 days, but the sequence was not fixed. Histologic results were available for 301 of 306 (98.37%) lesions and 5 lesions were considered benign after at least 2 year follow-up without change in size and image characteristics. The diagnostic performances were evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and compared by McNemar's test. RESULTS: In the head-to-head comparison, SNZ-CEUS and CE-MRI had comparable sensitivity (95.60 vs. 94.51%, P = 0.997), specificity (65.22 vs. 73.91%, P = 0.752), positive predictive value (91.58 vs. 93.48%) and negative predictive value (78.95 vs. 77.27%); SNZ-CEUS and CE-CT showed similar sensitivity (97.31 vs. 96.24%, P = 0.724); however, SNZ-CEUS had relatively lower than specificity than CE-CT (59.09 vs. 68.18%, P = 0.683). For nodules > 4 cm, CE-MRI demonstrated higher specificity than SNZ-CEUS (90.91 vs. 72.73%, P = 0.617) without compromise the sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: SNZ-CEUS, CE-CT, and CE-MRI demonstrate desirable and comparable sensitivity for the differentiation of renal mass. However, the specificity of all three imaging modalities is not satisfactory. SNZ-CEUS may be a suitable alternative modality for patients with renal dysfunction and those allergic to gadolinium or iodine-based agents.

Aerobic exercise improves verbal working memory sub-processes in adolescents: behavioral evidence from an N-back task.

Background: Studies on the effects of aerobic exercise on working memory (WM) have mainly concentrated on the overall effects, yet there is little knowledge on how moderate intensity aerobic exercise impacts the sub-processes of verbal WM (VWM) in adolescents. To address this gap, two experiments were conducted to explore the influence of aerobic exercise on the maintenance and updating sub-processes of VWM. Methods: In Experiment 1, a mixed experimental design of 2 (exercise habit: high vs. low) × 3 (memory load: 0-back vs. 1-back vs. 2-back) was used to compare VWM and its sub-processes in 40 adolescents. In Experiment 2, a 2 (group: intervention vs. control) × 3 (time point: pretest vs. 1st post-test vs. 18th post-test) × 3 (memory load: 0-back vs. 1-back vs. 2-back) mixed experimental design was used to investigate the acute and long-term effects of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on VWM and its sub-processes in 24 adolescents with low exercise habits. Results: The results of Experiment 1 showed that VWM performance and its sub-processes in the high exercise habit group were better than those in the low exercise habit group. The results of Experiment 2 showed that the effects of the long-term exercise intervention were superior to those of the acute exercise intervention, and both were superior to the pretest. Meanwhile, it was found that aerobic exercise intervention had a greater effect size on the updating sub-process of VWM. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results indicated that moderate intensity aerobic exercise could enhance the performance of VWM and its sub-processes in adolescents, and long-term intervention showed greater improvement effects compared to acute intervention, especially in the updating sub-process of VWM.

Diagnostic value of combined detection of three gastric functions and Helicobacter pylori typing in chronic gastritis and gastric cancer.

This research attempted to clarify the clinical diagnostic value of combined detection of gastric function and Helicobacter pylori (Hp) serotyping in chronic gastritis and gastric cancer (GC). The 80 chronic non atrophic gastritis (CNAG) patients treated in our hospital from October 2021 to October 2022 received selection as the CNAG group. The 96 chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) patients diagnosed by gastroscopy and pathology in the same period received selection as CAG group. During the same period, 50 patients diagnosed with GC received inclusion in GC group. Pepsin I (PG I), PG II (PG II), gastrin-17 (G-17) and Hp serotyping received detection and comparison in three groups. The diagnostic efficacy of PG Ⅰ, PG Ⅱ, G-17, the ratio of serum PG I to PG II (PGR), and Hp serotyping in chronic gastritis and GC received evaluation by receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Relative to in the CNAG group, PG I and PGR levels in the other two groups exhibited depletion (P < 0.05); no statistical significance was observed in the PG II level among the three groups (P > 0.05); relative to the CNAG group, the G-17 level in the other two groups exhibited elevation (P < 0.05). Total Hp positive rate was 61.06%, among which GC group exhibited the highest positive rate (72.00%), and type I Hp positive rate also exhibited the highest in GC group (60.00%). The type II Hp positive rate exhibited the highest in CNAG group (15.00%). The PG I and PGR levels in type I Hp positive patients exhibited depletion relative to those in type II Hp positive patients, whereas PG II and G-17 levels exhibited elevation. When testing each indicator alone, the area under the curve (AUC) of PG I exhibited the highest in CNAG group, which was 0.874. When testing each indicator alone, AUC of Hp typing exhibited the highest in CAG group, which was 0.515. When testing each indicator alone, AUC of G-17 exhibited the highest in GC group, which was 0.787. The performance of combined detection was better than that of individual detection, with AUCs greater than 0.9 in three groups. In conclusion, changes in PG I, PG II, PGR and G-17 levels and Hp serotyping can receive application as screening indicators for chronic gastritis and GC, which can reflect relevant status of gastric mucosa to varying degrees. Combined detection of indicators has higher diagnostic performance and can receive application as an auxiliary diagnostic indicator in addition to gastroscopy biopsy, providing a reference basis for the formulation of clinical diagnosis and treatment plans.

Evaluating the mosquito vector range for two orthobunyaviruses: Oya virus and Ebinur Lake virus.

BACKGROUND: Mosquito-borne viruses cause various infectious diseases in humans and animals. Oya virus (OYAV) and Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), belonging to the genus Orthobunyavirus within the family Peribunyaviridae, are recognized as neglected viruses with the potential to pose threats to animal or public health. The evaluation of vector competence is essential for predicting the arbovirus transmission risk. METHODS: To investigate the range of mosquito vectors for OYAV (strain SZC50) and EBIV (strain Cu20-XJ), the susceptibility of four mosquito species (Culex pipiens pallens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Aedes albopictus, and Ae. aegypti) was measured through artificial oral infection. Then, mosquito species with a high infection rate (IR) were chosen to further evaluate the dissemination rate (DR), transmission rate (TR), and transmission efficiency. The viral RNA in each mosquito sample was determined by RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The results revealed that for OYAV, Cx. pipiens pallens had the highest IR (up to 40.0%) among the four species, but the DR and TR were 4.8% and 0.0%, respectively. For EBIV, Cx. pipiens pallens and Cx. quinquefasciatus had higher IR compared to Ae. albopictus (1.7%). However, the EBIV RNA and infectious virus were detected in Cx. pipiens pallens, with a TR of up to 15.4% and a transmission efficiency of 3.3%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that Cx. pipiens pallens was susceptible to OYAV but had an extremely low risk of transmitting the virus. Culex pipiens pallens and Cx. quinquefasciatus were susceptible to EBIV, and Cx. pipiens pallens had a higher transmission risk to EBIV than Cx. quinquefasciatus.