Leaf morphology, functional trait and altitude response in perennial vetch (Vicia unijuga A. Braun), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.).

MAIN CONCLUSION: Species have plasticity across altitude gradients in leaf morphology and function, and their response to high altitude conditions was mainly reflected in leaf cell metabolism and gas exchange. Leaf morphological and functional adaptation to altitude has received research attention in recent years, but there are no studies for forage legumes. Here we report differences in 39 leaf morphology and functional traits of three leguminous forages (alfalfa, sainfoin and perennial vetch) at three sites in Gansu Province, China, ranging from 1768 to 3074 m altitude to provide information for potential use in breeding programmes. With increasing altitude, plant water status increased, reflecting increase in soil water content and decreased average temperature, which lead to leaf intercellular CO2 concentration. Stomatal conductance and evapotranspiration increased significantly but water-use efficiency decreased. At high altitude, ΦPSII decreased but non-photochemical quenching and chlorophyll a:b ratio increased while spongy mesophyll tissue and leaf thickness increased. These changes may be due to UV or low-temperature damage of leaf protein and metabolic cost of plant protection or defence responses. Contrary to many other studies, leaf mass per area decreased significantly at higher altitude. This was consistent with predictions under the worldwide leaf economic spectrum on the basis that soil nutrients increased with increasing altitude. The key species differences were more irregularly shaped epidermal cells and larger stomatal size in perennial vetch compared to alfalfa or sainfoin that enhanced gas exchange and photosynthesis by generating mechanical force, increasing guard cell turgor, and promoting stomatal operation. The lower adaxial stomatal density also enhanced water-use efficiency. These adaptations might confer perennial vetch an advantage in environments with extreme diurnal temperature fluctuation or in frigid conditions.

Microglia-dependent excessive synaptic pruning leads to cortical underconnectivity and behavioral abnormality following chronic social defeat stress in mice.

Synapse loss in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in stress-related mood disorders, such as depression. However, the exact effect of synapse elimination in the depression and how it is triggered are largely unknown. Through repeated longitudinal imaging of mPFC in the living brain, we found both presynaptic and postsynaptic components were declined, together with the impairment of synapse remodeling and cross-synaptic signal transmission in the mPFC during chronic stress. Meanwhile, chronic stress also induced excessive microglia phagocytosis, leading to engulfment of excitatory synapses. Further investigation revealed that the elevated complement C3 during the stress acted as the tag of synapses to be eliminated by microglia. Besides, chronic stress induced a reduction of the connectivity between the mPFC and neighbor regions. C3 knockout mice displayed significant reduction of synaptic pruning and alleviation of disrupted functional connectivity in mPFC, resulting in more resilience to chronic stress. These results indicate that complement-mediated excessive microglia phagocytosis in adulthood induces synaptic dysfunction and cortical hypo-connectivity, leading to stress-related behavioral abnormality.

IRE1α: from the function to the potential therapeutic target in atherosclerosis.

Inositol requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) is generally thought to control the most conserved pathway in the unfolded protein response (UPR). Two isoforms of IRE1, IRE1α and IRE1ß, have been reported in mammals. IRE1α is a ubiquitously expressed protein whose knockout shows marked lethality. In contrast, the expression of IRE1ß is exclusively restricted in the epithelial cells of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, and IRE1ß-knockout mice are phenotypically normal. As research continues to deepen, IRE1α was showed to be tightly linked to inflammation, lipid metabolism regulation, cell death and so on. Growing evidence also suggests an important role for IRE1α in promoting atherosclerosis (AS) progression and acute cardiovascular events through disrupting lipid metabolism balance, facilitating cells apoptosis, accelerating inflammatory responses and promoting foam cell formation. In addition, IRE1α was recognized as novel potential therapeutic target in AS prevention. This review provides some clues about the relationship between IRE1α and AS, hoping to contribute to further understanding roles of IRE1α in atherogenesis and to be helpful for the design of novel efficacious therapeutics agents targeting IRE1α-related pathways.

Role of Sp1 in atherosclerosis.

Specificity protein (Sp) is a famous family of transcription factors including Sp1, Sp2 and Sp3. Sp1 is the first one of Sp family proteins to be characterized and cloned in mammalian. It has been proposed that Sp1 acts as a modulator of the expression of target gene through interacting with a series of proteins, especially with transcriptional factors, and thereby contributes to the regulation of diverse biological processes. Notably, growing evidence indicates that Sp1 is involved in the main events in the development of atherosclerosis (AS), such as inflammation, lipid metabolism, plaque stability, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation and endothelial dysfunction. This review is designed to provide useful clues to further understanding roles of Sp1 in the pathogenesis of AS, and may be helpful for the design of novel efficacious therapeutics agents targeting Sp1.

Dexmedetomidine alleviates hyperalgesia in arthritis rats through inhibition of the p38MAPK signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has showed significant analgesic effects in neuropathic pain, but the underlying mechanism has remained elusive. Our present study aimed to explore the effect of DEX on hyperalgesia with the involvement of p38MAPK signaling pathway in a rat model of monoarthritis (MA). METHODS: MA rat model was induced by injection of Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA). Pathological changes of MA rats were observed by HE staining and Safranin-O/Fast Green staining. Ankle circumference, paw withdrawal latency (PWL) and paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) were measured to judge the degree of hyperalgesia in MA rats. Immunohistochemistry and ELISA were applied to observe the degree of inflammation in rats. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect expression of p38MAPK signaling pathway-related factors. The mechanism of p38MAPK signaling pathway in MA rats was observed via treatment of Anisomycin or SB203580 combined with DEX. RESULTS: After 8 h of CFA induction, joint swelling and hyperalgesia occurred in rats. There were obvious pathological changes in the joint cavity, the joint cavity space became narrow and synovial bursa became rough. A large number of inflammatory cell infiltration was observed under microscope. After injection of DEX and SB203580, PWT and PWL were prolonged, the expression of serum inflammatory factors was decreased, and the expression of p38MAPK signaling pathway-related factors was decreased; while all the detected indexes were recovered in MA rats after treated with DEX and Anisomycin. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provided evidence that DEX could alleviate hyperalgesia in arthritis rats through inhibition of the p38MAPK signaling pathway.

Dioscin promotes autophagy by regulating the AMPK-mTOR pathway in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Dioscin is reported to alleviate the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Autophagy plays an anti-inflammatory role in UC. We herein aimed to explore the biological functions of dioscin in autophagy in UC. METHODS: To explore the effects of dioscin on UC progression, a DSS-induced mouse model of UC was established. Body weight, disease activity index and macroscopic damage index scores were recorded for seven days. Hematoxylin & Eosin (HE) staining was used to stain colon sections and an BX53 microscope was prepared to observe pathological changes. The activities of glutathione, superoxidative dismutase, and malondialdehyde were determined by commercially available kits. Western blotting was performed to measure the protein levels of p-AMPK/AMPK, p-mTOR/mTOR and autophagy-related genes. RESULTS: The DSS-induced colitis and oxidative stress in mice were ameliorated after dioscin treatment. Dioscin promoted the phosphorylation of AMPK to inhibit mTOR activation and facilitated autophagy in DSS-induced mice model of UC. CONCLUSION: Dioscin promotes autophagy by promoting the phosphorylation of AMPK to inhibit mTOR activation in ulcerative colitis.

Preparation and characterization of sodium alginate/phosphate-stabilized amorphous calcium carbonate nanocarriers and their application in the release of curcumin.

Phosphate-stabilized amorphous calcium carbonate (ACCP) has excellent biocompatibility, bioactivity, and biodegradability, and can be easily synthesized and stored. However, unmodified ACCP, as a controlled drug release carrier, decomposes rapidly in an acidic environment and highly depends on the system's pH value, which can not meet the need for long-term release of active substances, thus limiting its application scope. To realize the specific pH responsiveness of ACCP nanoparticles, we designed and synthesized monodisperse sodium alginate/ACCP (Alginate/ACCP) composite nanoparticles in this paper. After ultrasonic treatment, nanoparticles with an average particle size less than 200 nm could form stable water dispersion that could be dispersed for up to 10 d. Based on the specific pH sensitivity of sodium alginate, the drug-controlled release performance of composite nanoparticles and the therapeutic effect of drug-loaded nanoparticles on A549 cancer cells were studied. The results indicated that under the same pH condition, the curcumin (Cur) release rate of composite nanoparticles gradually decreased with sodium alginate addition. When the dosage of sodium alginate was 1.0 mg ml-1, the cumulative drug release rate of nanoparticles in 40 h was only about 35%. Besides, the drug-loaded nanoparticles showed the excellent killing ability of cancer cells, and the survival rate of cancer cells decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, through reasonable optimization design, we can synthesize composite nanoparticles with excellent sustained-release properties to provide a new strategy for cancer cells' long-term treatment.

Felodipine blocks osteoclast differentiation and ameliorates estrogen-dependent bone loss in mice by modulating p38 signaling pathway.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is one of the most common types of osteoporosis resulting from estrogen deficiency in elderly women. In addition, hypertension is another common disease in the elderly, and it has become an independent risk factor for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. Here, we report for the first time that felodipine, a first-line antihypertensive agent, significantly prevents postmenopausal osteoporosis in addition to its vasodilation properties. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that treatment with felodipine significantly downregulated the genes associated with osteoclast differentiation. RNA-sequencing and western blotting suggested that felodipine could inhibit bone resorption by suppressing MAPK pathway phosphorylation. Moreover, micro-CT scanning and histological analysis in an ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone-loss mouse model indicated that felodipine might be a potent drug for preventing osteoporotic fractures. Therefore, this study proposes an attractive and promising agent with vasodilation properties to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of severe and non-severe patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who develop severe symptoms need to be determined in advance so that appropriate treatment strategies are in place. METHODS: To determine the clinic features of patients diagnosed definitely with COVID-19 and evaluate risk factors for severe outcome, the medical records of hospitalized patients were reviewed retrospectively by us and data were compiled. Laboratory data from 90 cases were analyzed, and COVID-19 patients were classified into two groups (severe and non-severe) based on the severity. RESULTS: Severe COVID-19 cases on admission had higher leukocyte and neutrophil counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein levels, and lower lymphocyte counts compared with those of non-severe cases (p < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) for leukocyte counts, neutrophil counts, and levels of C-reactive protein was 0.778, 0.831, and 0.800, respectively. The thresholds were 7.70 × 109 /L for leukocyte counts, 5.93 × 109/L for neutrophil counts, and 75.07 mg/L for C-reactive protein, respectively. Logistic regression analyses indicated that higher white blood cell (WBC) counts (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.05-1.71), neutrophil counts (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.06-1.73), and C-reactive protein levels (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.0-1.04) were several predictive factors for severe outcome. Severe COVID-19 patients had a reduction in WBC counts, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen upon discharge from hospital, while lymphocyte counts increased (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Counts of WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte, NLR, and levels of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, and fibrinogen are helpful for prediction of the deterioration trend in patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

Antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of flufenamic acid against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are one of the most serious surgery complications, and their prevention is of utmost importance. Flufenamic acid is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug approved for clinical use to relieve inflammation and pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In this study, we explored the antibacterial efficacy of flufenamic acid and the mechanisms underlying this effect. By using minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), time-kill, resistance induction assays, and the antibiotic synergy test, we demonstrated that flufenamic acid inhibited the growth of methicillin-resistant staphylococci and did not induce resistance when it was used at the MIC. Furthermore, flufenamic acid acted synergistically with the beta-lactam antibiotic oxacillin and did not show significant toxicity toward mammalian cells. The biofilm inhibition assay revealed that flufenamic acid could prevent biofilm formation on medical implants and destroy the ultrastructure of the bacterial cell wall. RNA sequencing and quantitative RT-PCR indicated that flufenamic acid inhibited the expression of genes associated with peptidoglycan biosynthesis, beta-lactam resistance, quorum sensing, and biofilm formation. Furthermore, flufenamic acid efficiently ameliorated a local infection caused by MRSA in mice. In conclusion, flufenamic acid may be a potent therapeutic compound against MRSA infections and a promising candidate for antimicrobial coating of implants and surgical devices.

Analysis of drug-resistance-associated mutations and genetic barriers in hepatitis C virus NS5B sequences in China.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B protein is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that is required for viral genome replication and constitutes the most important target region for drugs being developed as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) against HCV genotype 1. However, the extreme genetic variability leading to drug resistance mutations and genetic barriers has dramatically compromised the effectiveness of DAA therapy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the genetic variability of NS5B polymerase in HCV patients from different provinces of China to identify the impact of these resistance sites on genetic barriers. We analyzed 3489 NS5B sequences of HCV strains circulating in different regions of China, obtained from the GenBank database, 153 of which were from three cities in Sichuan Province (Yibin, Zigong and Zhangzhou). Sequence alignment was conducted using MEGA 6.0, the genetic information was translated into amino acids, and the percentage of polymorphic amino acid sites was calculated. The Vijver method was used to evaluate the occurrence of genetic barriers in HCV NS5B sequences. Blood samples were collected from 153 HCV patients from Sichuan for NS5B sequence analysis using real-time PCR and the Sanger method. Of the 17 antiviral drug resistance sites summarized from the published literature, nine were found in Chinese NS5B sequences, and C316Y was identified as the dominant mutation. Analysis of genetic barriers revealed that the probability of mutation to a drug-resistance-associated amino acid, in response to selective pressure from antiviral drugs was 100% at site 96 and 99.7% at site 282. Our study is the first to analyze the drug resistance sites and to evaluate genetic barriers in NS5B sequences that could affect the responsiveness of Chinese HCV patients to DAA therapy. The results provide a valuable basis for drug development and introduction of foreign-origin antiviral drugs in China that targeting the HCV NS5B region.

Alterations of regional homogeneity in Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment: a preliminary resting-state fMRI study.

PURPOSE: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is commonly observed in Parkinson's disease (PD), even in the early stages. However, the neural substrates of cognitive impairment in PD remain unclear. The aim of the current study was to investigate the change of local brain function in PD patients with MCI. METHODS: Fifty patients with PD, including 25 PD patients with MCI (PD-MCI) and 25 PD patients with normal cognition (PD-NC), and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 3D structural images, and resting state-functional MRI (rs-fMRI) were performed in all subjects. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was measured based on the rs-fMRI images to investigate the altered local brain functions. RESULTS: Brain regions with decreased ReHo were located in the left posterior cerebellar lobe in PD sub-groups compared to the HC group, and the brain regions with increased ReHo were located in the limbic lobe (right precuneus/bilateral middle cingulate cortex) in PD-MCI compared with HC group. PD-MCI presented with increased ReHo in the bilateral precuneus/left superior parietal lobe and decreased ReHo in the left insula compared to PD-NC. ReHo values for the left precuneus were negatively related to neuropsychological scores, and ReHo values for the left insula were positively related to neuropsychological scores in PD subjects. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated abnormal spontaneous synchrony in the left insula and left precuneus in patients with PD-MCI compared to PD-NC, which might provide a novel insight into the diagnosis and clinical treatment of cognitive impairment in PD.

Emergence delirium is associated with increased postoperative delirium in elderly: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of emergence delirium remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between emergence delirium and postoperative delirium in elderly after general anesthesia and surgery. METHODS: This prospective observational study was done in a tertiary hospital in Beijing, China. Elderly patients (65-90 years) who underwent major noncardiac surgery under general anesthesia and admitted to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) after surgery were enrolled. Emergence delirium was assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit during PACU stay. Postoperative delirium was assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method during the first 5 postoperative days. The association between emergence delirium and postoperative delirium was analyzed with a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: A total of 942 patients were enrolled and 915 completed the study. Emergence delirium developed in 37.0% (339/915) of patients during PACU stay; and postoperative delirium developed in 11.4% (104/915) of patients within the first 5 postoperative days. After adjusted confounding factors, the occurrence of emergence delirium is independently associated with an increased risk of postoperative delirium (OR 1.717, 95% CI 1.078-2.735, P = 0.023). Patients with emergence delirium stayed longer in PACU and hospital after surgery, and developed more non-delirium complications within 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Emergence delirium in elderly admitted to the PACU after general anesthesia and major surgery is independently associated with an increased risk of postoperative delirium. Patients with emergence delirium had worse perioperative outcomes. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (chictr.org.cn) ChiCTR-OOC-17012734.

Reversibility and safety of KISS1 metastasis suppressor gene vaccine in immunocastration of ram lambs.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the reversibility and safety of KISS1 metastasis suppressor (KISS1) gene vaccine in immunocastration. METHODS: Six eight-week old ram lambs were randomly divided into vaccinated and control groups. The vaccine (1 mg/ram lamb) was injected at weeks 0, 3, and 6 of the study. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein before primary immunization and at weeks 2, 4, 6, 10, 14, 22, and 30 after primary immunization. All ram lambs were slaughtered at 38 weeks of age, and samples were collected. RESULTS: The specific anti-KISS1 antibody titers in vaccinated animals were significantly higher and the serum testosterone level was significantly lower than those in the control groups from week 4 to 14 after primary immunization (p<0.05). No significant difference was observed at weeks 22 and 30 after the primary immunization. Similar results were also found for scrotal circumference, testicular weight, length, breadth, and spermatogenesis in seminiferous tubules in week 30 after primary immunization. KS (KISS1-hepatitis B surface antigen S) fusion fragment of KISS1 gene vaccine was not detected in host cell genomic DNA of 9 tissues of the vaccinated ram lambs by polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSION: The effects of KISS1 gene vaccine in immunocastration were reversible and no integration events were recorded.

Covalent Immobilization of Enoxacin onto Titanium Implant Surfaces for Inhibiting Multiple Bacterial Species Infection and In Vivo Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection Prophylaxis.

Infection is one of the most important causes of titanium implant failure in vivo A developing prophylactic method involves the immobilization of antibiotics, especially vancomycin, onto the surface of the titanium implant. However, these methods have a limited effect in curbing multiple bacterial infections due to antibiotic specificity. In the current study, enoxacin was covalently bound to an amine-functionalized Ti surface by use of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer, and the bactericidal effectiveness was investigated in vitro and in vivo The titanium surface was amine functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), through which PEG spacer molecules were covalently immobilized onto the titanium, and then the enoxacin was covalently bound to the PEG, which was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS). A spread plate assay, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the antimicrobial activity. For the in vivo study, Ti implants were inoculated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and implanted into the femoral medullary cavity of rats. The degree of infection was assessed by radiography, micro-computed tomography, and determination of the counts of adherent bacteria 3 weeks after surgery. Our data demonstrate that the enoxacin-modified PEGylated Ti surface effectively prevented bacterial colonization without compromising cell viability, adhesion, or proliferation in vitro Furthermore, it prevented MRSA infection of the Ti implants in vivo Taken together, our results demonstrate that the use of enoxacin-modified Ti is a potential approach to the alleviation of infections of Ti implants by multiple bacterial species.

Promotion of adhesion and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells on decellularized valves by covalent incorporation of RGD peptide and VEGF.

Tissue engineered heart valve is a promising alternative to current heart valve surgery, for its capability of growth, repair, and remodeling. However, extensive development is needed to ensure tissue compatibility, durability and antithrombotic potential. This study aims to investigate the biological effects of multi-signal composite material of polyethyl glycol-cross-linked decellularized valve on adhesion and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells. Group A to E was decellularized valve leaflets, composite material of polyethyl glycol-cross-linked decellularized valves leaflets, vascular endothelial growth factor-composite materials, Arg-Gly-Asp peptide-composite materials and multi-signal modified materials of polyethyl glycol-cross-linked decellularized valve leaflets, respectively. The endothelial progenitor cells were seeded for each group, cell adhesion and proliferation were detected and neo-endothelium antithrombotic function of the multi-signal composite materials was evaluated. At 2, 4, and 8 h after the seeding, the cell numbers and 3H-TdR incorporation in group D were the highest. At 2, 4, and 8 days after the seeding, the cell numbers and 3H-TdR incorporation were significantly higher in groups C, D, and E compared with groups A and B (P < 0.05) and cell numbers and the expression of t-PA and eons in the neo-endothelium were quite similar to those in the human umbilical vein endothelial cells at 2, 4, and 8 days after the seeding. The Arg-Gly-Asp- peptides (a sequential peptide composed of arginine (Arg), glycine (Gly) and aspartic acid (Asp)) and VEGF-conjugated onto the composite material of PEG-crosslinked decellularized valve leaflets synergistically promoted the adhesion and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells on the composite material, which may help in tissue engineering of heart valves.

Comparison of Complications between Total Intravenous Anaesthesia and Combined Intravenous and Inhalation Anaesthesia after Renal Biopsy in Children.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the influence of total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) compared to combined intravenous and inhalation anaesthesia (CIIA) in paediatric patients undergoing renal biopsy. METHODS: A total of 86 children with nephrotic syndrome, acute glomerulonephritis, chronic glomerulonephritis, IgG nephropathy, systemic lupus erythematosus and purpura nephritis were selected from January 2018 to January 2023 in our hospital. All children were divided into the total intravenous anaesthesia group and intravenous inhalational anaesthesia group according to the anaesthesia method. The experimental group comprised 46 children with renal diseases who underwent static aspiration compound anaesthesia during renal biopsy at our hospital from January 2018 to January 2023. Conversely, the control group included 40 children with renal diseases who underwent total intravenous anaesthesia during renal biopsy at the hospital within the same period. Hemodynamic parameters, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and oxygen saturation (SPO2), were assessed at four different time points: Before anesthesia induction (T0), during anesthesia induction (T1), after anesthesia induction (T2), and at the conclusion of the surgery (T3). Puncture success rate, time to renal puncture, time to get out of bed, postoperative recovery from anaesthesia (including time to postoperative awakening and time to return to spontaneous respiration) and incidence of adverse anaesthetic reactions were also included. RESULTS: We observed notable variations in HR and MAP at T2 and T3, as well as SPO2 levels, duration of awakening from anaesthesia and time taken to resume spontaneous respiration between the two groups at T2 (p < 0.05). No statistically significant variances were detected between the two groups concerning adverse reactions to anaesthesia, puncture success rate, duration to renal puncture and time to mobilisation from bed (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, compared with the total intravenous anaesthesia, the implementation of the sedation-aspiration-combined anaesthesia in renal biopsy in children with renal disease features less haemodynamic fluctuation, better postoperative anaesthesia recovery and does not increase the incidence of adverse reactions.

Hybrid mRMR and multi-objective particle swarm feature selection methods and application to metabolomics of traditional Chinese medicine.

Metabolomics data has high-dimensional features and a small sample size, which is typical of high-dimensional small sample (HDSS) data. Too high a dimensionality leads to the curse of dimensionality, and too small a sample size tends to trigger overfitting, which poses a challenge to deeper mining in metabolomics. Feature selection is a valuable technique for effectively handling the challenges HDSS data poses. For the feature selection problem of HDSS data in metabolomics, a hybrid Max-Relevance and Min-Redundancy (mRMR) and multi-objective particle swarm feature selection method (MCMOPSO) is proposed. Experimental results using metabolomics data and various University of California, Irvine (UCI) public datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of MCMOPSO in selecting feature subsets with a limited number of high-quality features. MCMOPSO achieves this by efficiently eliminating irrelevant and redundant features, showcasing its efficacy. Therefore, MCMOPSO is a powerful approach for selecting features from high-dimensional metabolomics data with limited sample sizes.

New research for detecting complex associations between variables with randomness.

Many correlation analysis methods can capture a wide range of functional types of variables. However, the influence of uncertainty and distribution status in data is not considered, which leads to the neglect of the regularity information between variables, so that the correlation of variables that contain functional relationship but subject to specific distributions cannot be well identified. Therefore, a novel correlation analysis framework for detecting associations between variables with randomness (RVCR-CA) is proposed. The new method calculates the normalized RMSE to evaluate the degree of functional relationship between variables, calculates entropy difference to measure the degree of uncertainty in variables and constructs the copula function to evaluate the degree of dependence on random variables with distributions. Then, the weighted sum method is performed to the above three indicators to obtain the final correlation coefficient R. In the study, which considers the degree of functional relationship between variables, the uncertainty in variables and the degree of dependence on the variables containing distributions, cannot only measure the correlation of functional relationship variables with specific distributions, but also can better evaluate the correlation of variables without clear functional relationships. In experiments on the data with functional relationship between variables that contain specific distributions, UCI data and synthetic data, the results show that the proposed method has more comprehensive evaluation ability and better evaluation effect than the traditional method of correlation analysis.

Analysing pharmacodynamic interactions of traditional Chinese medicine in treating acute pancreatitis based on OPLS method.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a surgical abdominal disease for which the Dachengqi Decoction (DCQD) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in China. This study aims to analyse the pharmacodynamic interactions and quantitative relationship of DCQD in the treatment of AP based on orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) analysis. The experimental data show organic chemical components as candidate pharmacodynamic substances (PS) in the blood and include pharmacodynamic indicators (PIs). Taking each PI as the target and using OPLS method to construct three types of mathematical equations, including the mathematical relationship between the pharmacodynamic substances and each target pharmacodynamic indicator (PS-TPI); the mathematical relationship between the pharmacodynamic substances, the pharmacodynamics indicators and each target pharmacodynamic indicator (PS, PI-TPI); and the mathematical relationship between the pharmacodynamic indicators and each target pharmacodynamic indicator (PI-TPI). Through analysis, we find that the R2Y(cum) values and VIP values indicate that PS and PI are the follow-up factors of TPI; the coefficient value indicates that there is a quantitative relationship between the PS and the TPI; and there also is a quantitative relationship between PI and TPI. The results demonstrated that PS and other PIs are the important influencing factors of TPI, and that there are interactions and quantitative relationships among the PIs.