Elucidating the biological characteristics and pathogenicity of the highly virulent G2a porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

Since the large-scale outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) in 2010, caused by the genotype 2 (G2) variant of the porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), pig farms in China, even those vaccinated with the G2b vaccine, have experienced infections from the G2a variant, leading to significant economic losses. This study successfully isolated the G2a strain DY2020 from positive small intestine contents (SICs) by blind passage on Vero cells for four generations. The SICs were taken from Daye, Hubei Province, China. The biological characteristics were identified by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The growth kinetics of the strain on Vero cells were detected by TCID50, and the virus titre could reach 107.35 TCID50 ml-1 (SD: 5.07×106). The pathogenicity towards colostrum-deprived piglets was conducted by assessing faecal viral shedding, morphometric analysis of intestinal lesions, and immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that DY2020 was highly virulent to colostrum-deprived piglets, with severe watery diarrhoea and other clinical symptoms appeared at 6 h post-infection (h p.i.), and all died within 30 h. Pathological tissue examination results showed that the lesions mainly occurred in the intestines of piglets, causing pathological changes such as shortening of intestinal villi. In summary, the discovery of the G2a strain DY2020 in this study is of great significance for understanding Hubei PEDV and provides an important theoretical basis for the development of new efficient PEDV vaccines.

A Versatile Platform to Generate Prodrugs with Rapid and Precise Albumin Hitchhiking and High Cargo Loading for Tumor-Targeted Chemotherapy.

Due to its tumor homing and long serum half-life, albumin is an ideal drug carrier for chemotherapy. For endogenous albumin hitchhiking with high cargo loading, a trimeric albumin-binding domain (ABD), i.e., ABD-Tri is designed by fusing an ABD with high specificity and affinity for albumin to a self-trimerizing domain (Tri) with an additional cysteine residue. ABD-Tri is highly (40 mg L-1) expressed as soluble and trimeric proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli). Once mixed together, ABD-Tri rapidly and specifically forms a stable complex with albumin under physiological conditions without obviously changing its receptor- and cell-binding and tumor-homing properties. Maleimide-modified prodrugs are highly effectively conjugated to ABD-Tri to produce homogenous ABD-Tri-prodrugs with triple cargo loading under physiological conditions by thiol-maleimide click chemistry. Unlike the maleimide moiety, which can only mediate time- and concentration-dependent albumin binding, ABD-Tri mediated fast (within several minutes) albumin binding of drugs even at extremely low concentrations (µg mL-1). Compared to maleimide-modified prodrugs, ABD-Tri-prodrugs exhibit better tumor homing and greater in vivo antitumor effect, indicating that conjugation of chemical drug to ABD-Tri outperforms maleimide modification for endogenous albumin hitchhiking. The results demonstrate that ABD-Tri may serve as a novel platform to produce albumin-binding prodrugs with high cargo-loading capacity for tumor-targeted chemotherapy.

Thermodynamic Response and Neutral Excitations in Integer and Fractional Quantum Anomalous Hall States Emerging from Correlated Flat Bands.

Integer and fractional Chern insulators have been extensively explored in correlated flat band models. Recently, the prediction and experimental observation of fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) states with spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking have garnered attention. While the thermodynamics of integer quantum anomalous Hall (IQAH) states have been systematically studied, our theoretical knowledge on thermodynamic properties of FQAH states has been severely limited. Here, we delve into the general thermodynamic response and collective excitations of both IQAH and FQAH states within the paradigmatic flat Chern-band model with remote band considered. Our key findings include (i) in both ν=1 IQAH and ν=1/3 FQAH states, even without spin fluctuations, the charge-neutral collective excitations would lower the onset temperature of these topological states, to a value significantly smaller than the charge gap, due to band mixing and multiparticle scattering; (ii) by employing large-scale thermodynamic simulations in FQAH states in the presence of strong interband mixing between C=±1 bands, we find that the lowest collective excitations manifest as the zero-momentum excitons in the IQAH state, whereas in the FQAH state, they take the form of magnetorotons with finite momentum; (iii) the unique charge oscillations in FQAH states are exhibited with distinct experimental signatures, which we propose to detect in future experiments.

A more accurate relationship between serum androgen and metabolism among healthy, nonobese, reproductive-age women based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

This study explored a more precise association between androgens and glycolipid metabolism in healthy women of different ages. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio were used as body fat indicators. High-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and total cholesterol were used as lipid markers. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin, and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance were used to assess insulin resistance and glucose metabolism. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure androgen indicators, including testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), free testosterone (FT), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), androstenedione (A4), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). DHEAS levels varied across age groups. Correlation analyses with Spearman's coefficient showed that the free androgen index correlated positively with WC (p = 0.040), FT correlated positively with BMI (p = 0.033) and WC (p = 0.049), SHBG correlated positively with HDL (p = 0.013), and A4 correlated positively with FBG (p = 0.017). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that among healthful women aged 36-40 years, A4 increased with FBG, and SHBG increased with HDL. Even within healthy, nonobese women, lipid and glucose metabolism were robustly correlated with androgens. Yearly metabolic assessments are necessary, particularly for FBG and HDL, since these markers can predict the likelihood of hyperandrogenemia, enabling timely interventions.

Impacts of pilot carbon emission trading policies on urban environmental pollution: Evidence from China.

The trading of carbon emissions is a crucial regulatory method to address environmental pollution issues. This study takes China's carbon emission trading pilot policy established in 2013 as a quasi-natural experiment and uses the DID model to empirically test the urban panel data from 2006 to 2019. The results show that the carbon emission trading pilot policy can effectively reduce urban environmental pollution, and this effect is more noticeable in mid-western cities, northern cities, cities with fewer resources, and large-scale cities. In addition, to address the urban environmental pollution problem through this policy, the government is encouraged to raise its environmental protection awareness and put more effort into the innovation of technology. In general, this study uses carbon emission trading policies from China to confirm that market-based incentive environmental regulation tools can effectively reduce environmental pollution in urban areas. These findings can provide more theoretical support and empirical evidence for the government to use mechanisms of the market to effectively solve pollution problems, improve ecological environment quality, and accelerate the realization of green economy.

Advances in applications of artificial intelligence algorithms for cancer-related miRNA research. / äººå·¥æ™ºèƒ½ç®—æ³•åœ¨ç™Œç—‡ç›¸å ³å¾®RNAç ”ç©¶ä¸­çš„åº”ç”¨è¿›å±•.

MiRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs, which regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by partial complementary base pairing. Aberrant miRNA expressions have been reported in tumor tissues and peripheral blood of cancer patients. In recent years, artificial intelligence algorithms such as machine learning and deep learning have been widely used in bioinformatic research. Compared to traditional bioinformatic tools, miRNA target prediction tools based on artificial intelligence algorithms have higher accuracy, and can successfully predict subcellular localization and redistribution of miRNAs to deepen our understanding. Additionally, the construction of clinical models based on artificial intelligence algorithms could significantly improve the mining efficiency of miRNA used as biomarkers. In this article, we summarize recent development of bioinformatic miRNA tools based on artificial intelligence algorithms, focusing on the potential of machine learning and deep learning in cancer-related miRNA research.

Prediabetes and all-cause mortality in young patients undergoing coronary artery angiography: a multicenter cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of prediabetes is increasing in young adults and patients undergoing coronary angiography. However, whether prediabetes is a considerable risk factor for all-cause mortality remains undetermined in young patients undergoing coronary angiography. METHODS: In this study, we retrospectively included 8868 young patients (men aged < 45 years, women aged < 55 years) who underwent coronary angiography (CAG). Patients were categorized as normoglycemic, prediabetes and diabetes according to the HbA1c level or documented history of diabetes. The association of all-cause mortality with diabetes and prediabetes was detected by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 3240 (36.5%) among 8868 young patients receiving CAG were prediabetes and 2218 (25.0%) were diabetes. 728 patients died during a median follow-up of 4.92 years. Compared to the normoglycemic group, prediabetes increased the risk of all-cause mortality in young CAG patients by 24%(adjusted HR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.49, p = 0.019) and diabetes increased the risk of all-cause mortality by 46%(adjusted HR:1.46, 95% CI:1.2-1.79, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that diabetes and prediabetes increased the risk of death mainly in patients without comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Prediabetes accounts for more than one-third of the young adults undergoing CAG and was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, active prevention strategy should be considered for these patients.

Intermediate Hyperglycemia Increases the Risk of All-Cause Mortality in Premature Coronary Artery Disease Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Hyperglycemia has been associated with an adverse prognosis in patients with premature coronary artery disease (CAD). However, whether the intermediate hyperglycemia status affects the risk of mortality in premature CAD patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), remains unclear. Methods: We retrospectively included 14,585 premature CAD patients undergoing PCI from 2007 to 2020. Patients were divided into normal glycemia ( < 6%), intermediate hyperglycemia (6%-6.5%), and hyperglycemia ( ≥ 6.5%) according to hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level in whole blood. Follow-up all-cause mortality was defined as a primary outcome, and Cox proportional regression analysis was used to assess the association between glycemia status and the primary outcome. Results: Among 14,585 premature CAD patients undergoing PCI (mean age 43.6 ± 7.6 years, 28.1% female), 2856 (19.6%) were diagnosed with intermediate hyperglycemia. Over a median follow-up of 4.62 years (2.72-7.19 years), patients with hyperglycemia were correlated with higher risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19-1.54, p < 0.001) while patients with intermediate hyperglycemia were associated with intermediate mortality risk from all causes (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.0-1.36, p = 0.049). Conclusions: Intermediate hyperglycemia was positively associated with all-cause mortality risk in patients with premature CAD undergoing PCI. Active glucose-lowering therapy may be considered in these patients. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05050877.

Wall Motion Score Index Predicts Persistent Moderate or Severe Secondary Mitral Regurgitation and its Prognostic Role in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Patients with secondary mitral regurgitation (sMR) often present with greater mortality and comorbidity, which may be predicted by some risk factors. This study was designed to investigate the prognostic meaning of the echocardiographically detected wall motion score index (WMSI) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with moderate or severe baseline sMR who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) therapy. Methods: The present study was a multi-center and prospective cohort of consecutive CAD patients with baseline moderate or severe sMR who underwent PCI. All underwent echocardiography at baseline and at follow-up after PCI to assess sMR and WMSI. The primary endpoint was the persistence of moderate or severe sMR after the second echocardiographic measurement. Logistic and Cox proportional hazards models were constructed for the primary (persistent moderate or severe sMR) and secondary (worsening heart failure [HF]; all-cause mortality; cardiovascular-specific mortality; and major adverse cardiovascular events [MACE]) endpoints. Results: Among 920 participants, 483 had WMSI values of ≥ 1.47, and 437 were less. Of all the participants, 366 (39.8%) continued to have moderate or severe sMR after the second echocardiogram measurement. After full adjustment for confounders, elevated WMSI after PCI was independently associated with the primary endpoint during 3-12 month follow-up. Similarly, elevated WMSI was associated with increased risk of worsening HF, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular-specific mortality, and MACE. Conclusions: Persistent moderate or severe sMR is common (approximately 40%) in PCI patients. Elevated WMSI in CAD patients after PCI is a predictor of persistent moderate or severe sMR and has independent negative prognostic value. Patients with CAD and sMR should be monitored for WMSI to identify those at higher risk of mortality and comorbidity.

Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio and Long-Term Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease Patients with Different Glucose Metabolism Status.

Background: Abnormal glucose metabolism is present in most patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Inflammation is considered to be a common risk factor for CAD and diabetes. Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR), a novel inflammation biomarker, has been proposed as a predictor for cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between the level of FAR and long-term mortality including all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, remains unknown in CAD patients, especially those with prediabetes. Methods: We enrolled 66,761 CAD patients from 2007 to 2020 from a multi-center registry cohort study. The primary outcomes were the all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality. FAR was calculated using the following formula: Fibrinogen (g/L)/Albumin (g/L). Patients were divided into three groups by FAR tertile (low FAR (FAR-L), median FAR (FAR-M), high FAR (FAR-H)), and further categorized into 9 groups according to FAR and glucose metabolism status (normal glucose regulation (NGR), prediabetes mellitus (PreDM), diabetes mellitus (DM)). Cox regression models and competing risk models were used to examine the relationships between FAR and clinical outcomes. Results: 66,761 patients (63.1 ± 11.0 years, 75.3% male) were enrolled. During the follow-up, 10,534 patients died, including 4991 cardiovascular deaths and 1092 cancer deaths. After adjusting for confounders, higher FAR was associated with increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in CAD patients with NGR, PreDM and DM. The risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was highest in FAR-H with DM (HR (95% CI) = 1.71 (1.58-1.86), 2.11 (1.86-2.38), respectively; p < 0.001). FAR-H with PreDM was significantly associated with the highest risk of cancer mortality (HR (95% CI) = 2.27 (1.70-3.02), p < 0.001). Adding FAR to the original model significantly improved the prediction of long-term mortality. Conclusions: Increased FAR was significantly associated with higher risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in CAD patients with NGR, PreDM and DM. Abnormal glucose metabolism augments the relationship between FAR and mortality. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05050877.

Thermodynamic Characteristic for a Correlated Flat-Band System with a Quantum Anomalous Hall Ground State.

While the ground-state phase diagram of the correlated flat-band systems has been intensively investigated, the dynamic and thermodynamic properties of such lattice models are less explored, but it is the latter which is most relevant to the experimental probes (transport, quantum capacitance, and spectroscopy) of the quantum moiré materials such as twisted bilayer graphene. Here we show, by means of momentum-space quantum Monte Carlo and exact diagonalization, in chiral limit there exists a unique thermodynamic characteristic for the correlated flat-band model with interaction-driven quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) ground state, namely, the transition from the QAH insulator to the metallic state takes place at a much lower temperature compared with the zero-temperature single-particle gap generated by the long-range Coulomb interaction. Such low transition temperature comes from the proliferation of excitonic particle-hole excitations, which transfers the electrons across the gap between different topological bands to restore the broken time-reversal symmetry and gives rise to a pronounced enhancement in the charge compressibility. Future experiments, to verify such generic thermodynamic characteristics, are proposed.

Elevated systemic immune inflammation level increases the risk of total and cause-specific mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease: a large multi-center longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is inherently a complex immune-inflammatory condition, and heightened inflammation and immune dysfunction are closely related to an increased risk of death. However, evidence regarding the relationship between immune-inflammatory levels and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality among patients with CKD is scarce. METHODS: Patients with non-dialysis dependent CKD undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) were included from five Chinese tertiary hospitals. Systemic immune inflammation index (SII) was calculated by multiplying peripheral platelet count with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and patients were categorized into four groups by SII quartiles. Cox regression models and competing risk Fine and Gray models were used to examining the relationships between SII levels and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. RESULTS: A total of the 19,327 patients (68.8 ± 10.03 years, female 32.0%) were included in this study. During a median follow-up of 4.5 years, 5,174 deaths occurred, including 2,861 cardiovascular deaths and 375 cancer deaths. Controlling for confounders, all-cause mortality (Q2, Q3, Q4: hazard ratio(HR) [95 CI%] = 1.15 [1.06-1.26], 1.30 [1.19-1.42], 1.48 [1.35-1.62], respectively; p for trend < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (Q2, Q3, Q4: HR [95 CI%] = 1.16 [1.03-1.31], 1.40 [1.24-1.58], 1.64 [1.44-1.85], respectively; p for trend < 0.001) increased with higher SII levels, and SII levels was related to cancer mortality comparing last quartile to first quartile of SII (Q2, Q3, Q4: HR [95 CI%] = 1.12 [0.83-1.52], 1.22 [0.90-1.67], 1.50 [1.09-2.08], respectively; p for trend < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Elevated immune inflammation level on admission was an independent risk factor for all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality among CKD patients. Further research is needed to validate the predictive value of SII for mortality risk among CKD patients.

Contradictory Impacts of Nitrate on the Dissimilatory Arsenate-Respiring Prokaryotes-Induced Reductive Mobilization of Arsenic from Contaminated Sediments: Mechanism Insight from Metagenomic and Functional Analyses.

Dissimilatory arsenate-respiring prokaryotes (DARPs) are considered to be a key impetus of the reductive dissolution of solid-phase arsenic. However, little is known about the interaction between nitrate and DARPs so far. In this study, we showed that nitrate either inhibited or promoted the DARP population-catalyzed reductive mobilization of As in sediments. Metagenomic analysis of the microbial communities in the microcosms after seven days of As release assays suggested that microbes mainly consisted of: Type-I DARPs having potential to reduce NO3- into NO2- and Type-II DARPs having potential to reduce NO3- to NH4+. We further isolated two cultivable DARPs, Neobacillus sp. A01 and Paenibacillus sp. A02, which represent Type-I and -II DARPs, respectively. We observed that nitrate suppressed A01-mediated release of As(III) but promoted A02-mediated release of As(III). Furthermore, we demonstrated that this observation was due to the fact that nitrite, the end product of incomplete denitrification by Type-I DARPs, suppressed the arrA gene expression per cell and growth of all DARPs, whereas ammonium, the end product of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) by Type-II DARPs, enhanced the arrA gene expression per cell and significantly promoted the growth of all DARPs. These findings suggest that the actual effects of nitrate on DARP population-catalyzed reductive mobilization of arsenic, largely depend on the ratio of Type-I to Type-II DARPs in sediments.

Comparison of cardiac biomarkers on risk assessment of contrast-associated acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization: A multicenter retrospective study.

AIM: Cardiac biomarkers' predictive value of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) remains unclear. We analysed whether creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CKMB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and preoperative N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are tied to CA-AKI patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. METHODS: In the multi-center study, we included 3553 people underwent cardiac catheterization for analysis. CA-AKI was defined as the absolute increase of over 0.3 mg/dL or an increase of more than 50% compared with the baseline serum creatinine within 48 hours following cardiac catheterization. Logistic regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to examine the association between cardiac biomarkers and CA-AKI and the efficacy of Mehran risk score (MRS) model on CA-AKI prediction with and without cardiac biomarkers. RESULTS: Among 3553 people, 200 people eventually developed CA-AKI. The logistic regression model showed that log10 CKMB (odds ratio (OR): 1.97, 95%CI:1.51-2.57, p < .001), cTnI (OR: 1.03, 95%CI: 1.02-1.04, p < .001) and log10 NT-proBNP (OR: 3.19, 95%CI: 2.46-4.17, p < .001) were independent predictors of CA-AKI. The ROC curve demonstrated that area under the curve (AUC) of MRS was 0.733. CKMB, cTnI and NT-proBNP all significantly improved the AUC value in combination with MRS model. (NT-proBNP: 0.798, p < .001; CKMB: 0.758, p = .003; cTnI: 0.755, p = .002), among which the NT-proBNP had the best predictive efficacy improvement. CONCLUSION: Cardiac biomarkers of CKMB, cTnI and NT-proBNP are all independently associated with CA-AKI among patients undergoing cardiac catheterization while NT-proBNP remains the best indicator. Adding CKMB, cTnI and NT-proBNP to MRS improved the prognostic efficacy and may be considered effective tools to predict the risk of CA-AKI in clinical practice.

Additive Manufacturing of Two-Dimensional Conductive Metal-Organic Framework with Multidimensional Hybrid Architectures for High-Performance Energy Storage.

Two-dimensional conductive metal-organic frameworks (2D CMOFs) can be regarded as high-performance electrode substances owing to their rich hierarchical porous architecture and excellent electrical conductivity. However, the sluggish kinetics behavior of electrodes within the bulk structure restricts their advances in energy storage fields. Herein, a series of graphene-based mixed-dimensional composite aerogels are achieved by incorporating the 2D M-tetrahydroxy-1,4-quinone (M-THQ) (M = Cu, Cu/Co, or Cu/Ni) into CNTs@rGO aerogel electrodes using a 3D-printing direct ink writing (DIW) technique. Benefiting from the high capacity of M-THQ and abundant porosity of the 3D-printed microlattice electrodes, an excellent capacitive performance of the M-THQ@CNTs@rGO cathodes is achieved based on the fast electron/ion transport. Furthermore, the 3D-printed lithium-ion hybrid supercapacitor (LIHCs) device assembled with Cu/Co-THQ@CNTs@rGO cathode and C60@VNNWs@rGO anode delivers a remarkable electrochemical performance. More importantly, this work manifests the practicability of printing 2D CMOFs electrodes, which provides a substantial research basis for 3D printing energy storage.

Highly sensitive thermometry based on thermal quenching and negative thermal quenching materials.

Suppose that the opposite changes of two emissions with temperature variation may result in a high sensitivity for a ratiometric thermometer; therefore, we design such a thermometer based on thermal quenching and negative thermal quenching materials. Herein, the Sc2Mo3O12:Yb3+/Er3+ and Bi2MoO6:Yb3+/Tm3+ crystals are synthesized via the solid-state reaction, respectively, which have the properties of negative thermal expansion (NTE) and positive thermal expansion (PTE). The composite is obtained through simple mechanical mixing between NTE and PTE crystals, in which the Er3+ and Tm3+ luminescence exhibit enhancement and quenching with increasing temperature, respectively. Based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique, the maximum relative sensitivity of the thermometer is 3.80% K-1 in the temperature range of 305-425 K. More importantly, the δT ≈ 0.24 K is relatively small meaning excellent accuracy. These findings indicate that the lanthanide-doped NTE and PTE composites may be good candidates for high sensitivity and accuracy thermometry.

The Efficacy of Resin Hemoperfusion Cartridge on Inflammatory Responses during Adult Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the resin hemoperfusion device (HA380 hemoperfusion cartridge) on inflammatory responses during adult cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). METHODS: Sixty patients undergoing surgical valve replacement were randomized into the HP group (n = 30) with an HA380 hemoperfusion cartridge in the CPB circuit or the control group (n = 30) with the conventional CPB circuit. The results of routine blood tests, blood biochemical indexes, and inflammatory factors were analyzed at V0 (pre-CPB), V1 (CPB 30 min), V2 (ICU 0 h), V3 (ICU 6 h), and V4 (ICU 24 h). RESULTS: The HP group had significantly lower levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. Significant estimation of group differences in the generalized estimating equation (GEE) models was also observed in IL-6 and IL-10. The HP group had significantly lower levels of creatinine (Cr), aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin (TBil) compared to the control group. The estimation of differences of Cr, AST, and TBil all reached statistical significance in GEE results. The HP group had significantly less vasopressor requirement and shorter mechanical ventilation time and ICU stay time as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The HA380 hemoperfusion cartridge could effectively reduce the systemic inflammatory responses and improve postoperative recovery of patients during adult CPB.

GDF11 contributes to hepatic hepcidin (HAMP) inhibition through SMURF1-mediated BMP-SMAD signalling suppression.

Hepcidin (HAMP) synthesis is suppressed by erythropoiesis to increase iron availability for red blood cell production. This effect is thought to result from factors secreted by erythroid precursors. Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) expression was recently shown to increase in erythroid cells of ß-thalassaemia, and decrease with improvement in anaemia. Whether GDF11 regulates hepatic HAMP production has never been experimentally studied. Here, we explore GDF11 function during erythropoiesis-triggered HAMP suppression. Our results confirm that exogenous erythropoietin significantly increases Gdf11 as well as Erfe (erythroferrone) expression, and Gdf11 is also increased, albeit at a lower degree than Erfe, in phlebotomized wild type and ß-thalassaemic mice. GDF11 is expressed predominantly in erythroid burst forming unit- and erythroid colony-forming unit- cells during erythropoiesis. Exogeneous GDF11 administration results in HAMP suppression in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, exogenous GDF11 decreases BMP-SMAD signalling, enhances SMAD ubiquitin regulatory factor 1 (SMURF1) expression and induces ERK1/2 (MAPK3/1) signalling. ERK1/2 signalling activation is required for GDF11 or SMURF1-mediated suppression in BMP-SMAD signalling and HAMP expression. This research newly characterizes GDF11 in erythropoiesis-mediated HAMP suppression, in addition to ERFE.

Pseudoesotropia in Chinese Children: A Triphasic Development of the Interepicanthal Folds Distance-to-Interpupillary Distance Ratio and Its Changing Perception.

PURPOSE: To delineate the development of the interepicanthal fold distance (IEFD) to interpupillary distance (IPD) in Chinese children, and to quantify how their ratio (EFDPD ratio) affects parent's judgment on whether a child's two eyes appear misaligned. METHODS: The values of IPD and IEFD were measured in 750 children, aged between 3 and 17 years. The developmental trend of EFDPD ratio was established. Two hundred parents were shown a series of pictures of children with varying EFDPD ratios and asked to judge whether the child in each picture demonstrated misaligned eyes. Based on the parent's responses, psychometric functional associations with EFDPD ratios were established. RESULTS: The EFDPD ratios were significantly higher (0.63 ± 0.027) and showed little change among children from 3 to 6 years of age (p = 0.704). During the age of seven to 12 years, however, the EFDPD ratio significantly decreased (p < 0.001) before stabilizing at 0.59 ± 0.023 by the ages of 13 to 17 years (p = 0.376). Children with EFDPD ratios > 0.65 were more likely to be perceived as strabismic by the parents, while children with an EFDPD ratio < 0.55 were rarely perceived as so. As many as 30% of the children aged between 3 and 6 years demonstrated EFDPD ratios > 0.65, and this number reduced to 5% by the age of 12 years. CONCLUSIONS: The development of the EFDPD ratio in Chinese children shows a triphasic pattern, with a large value before the age of 6 years, a quick drop between 7 and 12 years, and little change after 13 years of age. As the EFDPD ratio declines, fewer children appear as strabismic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Moisture-Resistant Mn4+ -Doped Core-Shell-Structured Fluoride Red Phosphor Exhibiting High Luminous Efficacy for Warm White Light-Emitting Diodes.

K2 TiF6 :Mn4+ is a highly efficient narrow-band emission red phosphor with promising applications in white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and wide-gamut displays. Nevertheless, the poor moisture-resistant properties of this material hinder commercialization. A convenient reverse cation-exchange strategy is introduced for constructing a core-shell-structured K2 TiF6 :Mn4+ @K2 TiF6 phosphor. The outer K2 TiF6 shell acts as a shield for preventing moisture in the air from hydrolyzing the internal MnF6 2- group, while effectively cutting off the path of energy migration to surface defects, thereby increasing the emission efficiency (especially for the phosphors doped with high concentrations of Mn4+ ). Employed as a red phosphor, the packaged white LED exhibits an extraordinarily high luminous efficacy of 162 lm W-1 , a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 3510 K, and a color rendering index of 93 (Ra ). Aging tests performed on this device at 85 °C and 85 % humidity for 480 h retain up to 89 % luminous efficacy. The findings could facilitate commercial application of K2 TiF6 :Mn4+ @K2 TiF6 phosphor.