Diagnostic performance of serum IgG4 level for IgG4-related disease: a meta-analysis.

An elevated serum IgG4 level is one of the most useful factors in the diagnosis of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of the published articles assessing the diagnostic accuracy of serum IgG4 concentrations for IgG4-RD. The databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant studies. Sensitivities and specificities of serum IgG4 in each study were calculated, and the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model with a random effects model were employed to obtain the individual and pooled estimates of sensitivities and specificities. In total, twenty-three studies comprising 6048 patients with IgG4-RD were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity was 85% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 78-90%; the pooled specificity was 93% with a 95% CI of 90-95%. The HSROC curve for quantitative serum IgG4 lies closer to the upper left corner of the plot, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.95 (95% CI 0.93, 0.97), which suggested a high diagnostic accuracy of serum IgG4 for the entity of IgG4-RD. Our study suggests that serum IgG4 has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of IgG4-RD.

[Case-based evaluation of forest ecosystem service function in China.] / 基于案例的中国森林生态系统服务功能评价.

The data of valuation of forest ecosystem service function (FESF) in 101 primary case studies of China were collected and obtained based on Specifications for Assessment of Forest Ecosystem Services in China (LY/T 1721-2008). FESF was then analyzed synthetically in terms of value coefficient. The results showed that the average value per unit area (VPUA) of FESF in China was 6.11×104 yuan·hm-2, and the order of VPUA of each service function was: water conservation (2.44×104 yuan·hm-2)> soil conservation (1.15×104 yuan·hm-2)> biodiversity conservation (1.00×104 yuan·hm-2)> carbon fixation and oxygen release (0.98×104 yuan·hm-2)> atmosphere environmental purification (0.28×104 yuan·hm-2)> forest recreation (0.23×104 yuan·hm-2)> action of forest against natural calamities (0.19×104 yuan·hm-2)> nutrient accumulation(0.16×104 yuan·hm-2). Water conservation, soil conservation, biodiversity conservation, carbon fixation and oxygen release were the four dominant service functions of forest ecosystem in China. The VPUA of FESF of the reserve level was higher than that of county level. The establishment of reserves played positive roles in biodiversity conservation and enhancement of service function, but the service function of forest recreation still existed with some insufficiency, and it needed to be further improved. Dominant service functions of forest ecosystem varied in different physicographic regions, and each type of service function presented different differentiation characteristics in space. The VPUA of FESF in South China was the highest up to 11.36×104 yuan·hm-2. The power regression correlation coefficients (R2) of the total value of FESF with forest area and forest stock volume were 0.905 (P<0.01) and 0.860 (P<0.01), respectively, indicating that forest area and forest stock volume were the two key factors affecting FESF and its total value. Moreover, latitude and mean annual precipitation also had significant effect on the VPUA of FESF.

Plasma-Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles on Electrospun Chitosan Nanofiber Surfaces for Antibacterial Applications.

Chitosan nanofibers have been electrospun with poly(ethylene oxide) and silver nitrate, as a coelectrospinning polymer and silver nanoparticle precursor, respectively. The average diameter of the as-spun chitosan nanofibers with up to 2 wt % silver nitrate loading was approximately 130 nm, and there was no evidence of bead formation or polymer agglomeration. Argon plasma was then applied for surface etching and synthesis of silver nanoparticles via precursor decomposition. Plasma surface bombardment induced nanoparticle formation primarily on the chitosan nanofiber surfaces, and the moderate surface plasma etching further encouraged maximum exposure of silver nanoparticles. UV-vis spectra showed the surface plasmon resonance signature of silver nanoparticles. The surface-immobilized nanoparticles were visualized by TEM and were found to have average particle diameters as small as 1.5 nm. Surface analysis by infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the interactions between the silver nanoparticles and chitosan molecules, as well as the effect of plasma treatment on the nanofiber surfaces. Finally, a bacteria inhibition study revealed that the antibacterial activity of the electrospun chitosan nanofibers correspondingly increased with the plasma-synthesized silver nanoparticles.