[Sero-epidemiological study and infection rate evaluation of pertussis in Henan Province].

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological distribution characteristics, influencing factors, and infection rates of pertussis in the population of Henan Province. Methods: From 2022 to 2023, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate the permanent population in Henan Province. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect anti-pertussis toxin IgG (PT-IgG), analyze the antibody positivity rate (≥20 IU/ml) and median concentration (MC), and estimate the pertussis infection rate based on PT IgG ≥40 IU/ml. The rank sum test was used to compare antibody levels among groups, and the χ2 test was used to compare antibody positive rates and infection rates among groups. Results: A total of 4 810 research subjects were included in this study. The overall positive rate of PT-IgG was 12.10% and MC was 3.04 (0.35, 10.36) IU/ml. There were significant differences both in positive rates and antibody levels of PT-IgG among different regions or age groups (region positive rate: χ2=134.06, P<0.001, MC: H=337.74, P<0.001; age group positive rate: χ2=45.27, P<0.001, MC: H=134.49, P<0.001). Both the positive rate of PT-IgG (25.26%) and MC (8.01 IU/ml) were the highest within one year after completing a full course of vaccination. There were significant differences in positive rates and antibody levels among people receiving different types of pertussis vaccines (positive rate: χ2=12.38, P=0.006, MC: H=17.93, P<0.001). The antibody positivity rate (35.71%) and MC (8.88 IU/ml) of the people who received cell-free pertussis inactivated poliomyelitis influenza type b (combined) vaccine throughout the course were higher than those who received other types of vaccines. The natural infection rate of pertussis was evaluated for individuals aged≥3 years who had no history of pertussis vaccine immunization within the year prior to sampling. With a high vaccination rate, the estimated infection rate of pertussis in the population was 5 757.22/100 000. The infection rates in the 3-year-old (1 940.16/100 000) and 4-year-old (1 765.68/100 000) populations were at a low level among the entire population, reaching their peak at the age of 6 (12 656.71/100 000). Subsequently, although the infection rate continued to decline, it remained at a high level and peaked again at the age of 40-49 years (8 740.39/100 000). There was a statistically significant difference in the estimated infection rate of pertussis among different age groups (χ2=53.21, P<0.001). Conclusion: The PT-IgG level of pertussis in the population of Henan Province is generally at a low level. The estimated infection rate of pertussis is much higher than the reported incidence rate. A booster dose of pertussis vaccine is recommended at 6 years old.

[17-year study on the curative effect of treatment to prevent the recurrence of hepatitis B in different risk groups after liver transplantation].

Objective: To observe the recurrence condition of hepatitis B in different risk groups after liver transplantation in an attempt to provide useful information on whether to discontinue hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in the future at an early stage. Methods: The patient population was divided into high, low-risk, and special groups [especially primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)] according to the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation. The recurrence condition and risk factors in this population were observed for hepatitis B. Measurement data were analyzed using a t-test and a rank-sum test. Count data were compared using a χ(2) test between groups. Results: This study finally included 532 hepatitis B-related liver transplant cases. A total of 35 cases had HBV recurrence after liver transplantation, including 34 cases that were HBsAg positive, one case that was HBsAg negative, and 10 cases that were hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA positive. The overall HBV recurrence rate was 6.6%. The recurrence rate of HBV was 9.2% and 4.8% in the high- and low-risk HBV DNA positive and negative groups before surgery (P = 0.057). Among the 293 cases diagnosed with HCC before liver transplantation, 30 had hepatitis B recurrence after surgery, with a recurrence rate of 10.2%. The independent related factors for the recurrence of hepatitis B in patients with HCC after liver transplantation were HCC recurrence (HR =181.92, 95%CI 15.99~2 069.96, P < 0.001), a high postoperative dose of mycophenolate mofetil dispersible tablets (MMF) ( HR =5.190, 95%CI 1.289~20.889, P = 0.020), and a high dosage of HBIG (HR = 1.012, 95%CI 1.001~1.023, P = 0.035). Among the 239 cases who were non-HCC before liver transplantation, five cases (recurrence rate of 2.1%) arouse postoperative hepatitis B recurrence. Lamivudine was used in all cases, combined with on-demand HBIG prophylaxis after surgery. There was no hepatitis B recurrence in non-HCC patients who treated with entecavir combined with HBIG after surgery. Conclusion: High-barrier-to-resistance nucleotide analogues combined with long-term HBIG have a good effect on preventing the recurrence of hepatitis B after liver transplantation. The discontinuation of HBIG may be considered at an early stage after administration of a high-barrier-to-resistance nucleotide analogue in low-risk patients. Domestically, the HBV infection rate is high, so further research is still required to explore the timing of HBIG discontinuation for high-risk patients, especially those with HCC.

Efficacy and nephrotoxicity of polymyxin B in elderly patients with carbapenem resistant bacterial infection.

BACKGROUND: To study the efficacy and nephrotoxicity of polymyxin B in the treatment of elderly patients with carbapenem-resistant organism (CRO) infection. METHODS: The clinical and microbiological data of patients with CRO-infected sepsis treated with polymyxin B were retrospectively analyzed. The effective rate, bacterial clearance, incidence and recovery rate of acute renal injury (AKI) and prognosis-related indicators in AKI at different stages were compared. RESULTS: The effective rate of 215 elderly patients with CRO infection treated with polymyxin was 50.7%. The total bacterial clearance rate was 44.2%, the total incidence of AKI was 37.2%, the recovery rate of AKI was 35%, and the incidence range of polymyxin B-related AKI was 10.2-37.2%. Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that the predictors of AKI in elderly patients were high APACHE II score, long duration of polymyxin, chronic renal insufficiency and ineffective outcome; the ROC curve showed that the cutoff value for predicting AKI was a serum creatinine concentration of 73 mmol/L before polymyxin B use, and the AUC was 0.931. CONCLUSIONS: Rational use of polymyxin B is safe and effective in elderly patients with CRO infection, and its effective outcome can improve the recovery rate of AKI.

Preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion and perineural invasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics analysis.

AIM: To develop and validate a predictive model based on 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) radiomics features and clinicopathological parameters to preoperatively identify microvascular invasion (MVI) and perineural invasion (PNI), which are important predictors of poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT images and clinicopathological parameters of 170 patients in PDAC were collected retrospectively. The whole tumour and its peritumoural variants (tumour dilated with 3, 5, and 10 mm pixels) were applied to add tumour periphery information. A feature-selection algorithm was employed to mine mono-modality and fused feature subsets, then conducted binary classification using gradient boosted decision trees. RESULTS: For MVI prediction, the model performed best on a fused subset of 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics features and two clinicopathological parameters, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 83.08%, accuracy of 78.82%, recall of 75.08%, precision of 75.5%, and F1-score of 74.59%. For PNI prediction, the model achieved best prediction results only on the subset of PET/CT radiomics features, with AUC of 94%, accuracy of 89.33%, recall of 90%, precision of 87.81%, and F1 score of 88.35%. In both models, 3 mm dilation on the tumour volume produced the best results. CONCLUSIONS: The radiomics predictors from preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging exhibited instructive predictive efficacy in the identification of MVI and PNI status preoperatively in PDAC. Peritumoural information was shown to assist in MVI and PNI predictions.

Veliparib monotherapy following carboplatin/paclitaxel plus veliparib combination therapy in patients with germline BRCA-associated advanced breast cancer: results of exploratory analyses from the phase III BROCADE3 trial.

BACKGROUND: In the BROCADE3 trial, addition of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, veliparib, to carboplatin/paclitaxel improved progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.57-0.88; P = 0.002) in patients with advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, germline BRCA1/2-mutated breast cancer. A subset of patients discontinued both carboplatin and paclitaxel before progression and continued on veliparib/placebo maintenance monotherapy until progression. Analyses in this patient subgroup are reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomized 2 : 1 to veliparib plus carboplatin/paclitaxel or placebo plus carboplatin/paclitaxel. Veliparib (120 mg twice daily) or placebo was given on days -2 to 5, carboplatin (area under the curve 6 mg/ml) on day 1, and paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) on days 1, 8, and 15 of 21-day cycles. Patients who discontinued both carboplatin and paclitaxel before progression received blinded study drug monotherapy at an increased dose of 300-400 mg twice daily continuously. PFS was the primary endpoint. Exploratory analyses were carried out in the subgroup of patients who received blinded study drug as monotherapy. A time-varying Cox model including data from all patients was also used to evaluate treatment effect in the combination and monotherapy phases. RESULTS: A total of 136 of 337 patients randomized to veliparib plus carboplatin/paclitaxel and 58/172 patients randomized to placebo plus carboplatin/paclitaxel discontinued both carboplatin and paclitaxel before progression and continued on blinded veliparib or placebo monotherapy. In this blinded monotherapy subgroup, investigator-assessed median PFS from randomization was 25.7 months with veliparib versus 14.6 months with placebo. Hazard ratios from a time-varying Cox model favored veliparib during both combination therapy and monotherapy. Any-grade adverse events occurring in the monotherapy phase were primarily gastrointestinal. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were neutropenia and anemia (4% each with veliparib; 5% and 2%, respectively, with placebo). CONCLUSIONS: Veliparib maintenance monotherapy had a tolerable safety profile and may extend PFS following combination chemotherapy.

Insight into biosorption of heavy metals by extracellular polymer substances and the improvement of the efficacy: a review.

Heavy metals are continuously released into aquatic environments in which they accumulate. This phenomenon endangers public health because heavy metals accumulate along the food chain. However, conventional remediation methods are inefficient, expensive and yield toxic intermediate products, which adversely affect the environment. The discovery of green bio-adsorbents such as microbial extracellular polymer substance (EPS) has quickly attracted considerable worldwide attention because of their low cost, high removal efficiency of heavy metals and industrial availability. Hence, this review considers the sources, hazards and treatment methods of heavy metals pollution, particularly the biosorption mechanism of EPS to heavy metals and the influencing factors of the bio-adsorption process, which are significant in the efficient removal of heavy metals-containing wastewater treatment. This review also focuses on strengthening the process of EPS adsorption of heavy metals, which can further contribute to heavy metals removal. Finally, it has been proposed that improving the yield, stability, selectivity and recoverability of EPS is the key direction of further research.

[The impact of diabetic retinopathy on vision-related quality of life].

Objective: To assess the effect of diabetic retinopathy (DR) on vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with type 2 diabetes residing in 15 residency communities in Fushun, Liaoning province were enrolled from July 2012 to May 2013. We measured the VRQoL by the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25). Patients were grouped according to their age, gender, presence of visual impairment, and affected eyes. NEI-VFQ-25 scores were compared between/among groups using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test or Kruskal-Wallis H test. The severity of DR in the eyes was graded into no DR, mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), moderate NPDR, severe NPDR, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Severity scores from both eyes were then summarized to create a single per-person grade ranging from 1 (no DR in either eye) to 7 (bilateral PDR). Generalized linear models were used to assess the linear relationship between NEI-VFQ-25 scores and DR severity. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing plots were generated to evaluate the possible nonlinear associations between concatenated severity of DR and VRQoL. Results: A total of 1 537 patients were recruited, including 836 (54.4%) with no DR, 479 (31.2%) with mild NPDR, 90 (5.9%) with moderate NPDR, 72 (4.7%) with severe NPDR and 60 (3.9%) with PDR. Compared with patients with unilateral DR, bilaterally involved subjects were statistically significantly compromised in general vision [70.2 (66.5, 72.5) vs. 68.9 (63.9, 71.6), Z=90.222, P=0.038], near activities [90.5 (85.8, 94.0) vs. 88.8 (84.5, 92.5), Z=114.942, P=0.005], dependency [91.1 (85.6, 96.5) vs. 89.3 (83.8, 94.5), Z=91.934, P=0.033], mental health [80.0 (73.4, 84.9) vs. 77.5 (70.8, 82.0), Z=118.388, P=0.003], role difficulties [76.8 (70.1, 82.4) vs. 74.5 (67.6, 80.6), Z =90.791, P=0.036] and NEI-VFQ-25 composite [88.3 (84.2, 91.0) vs. 86.9 (82.8, 90.1), Z=96.207, P=0.024]. Scores on general vision (χ2=85.665), near activities (χ2=78.462), distance activities (χ2=145.489), social function (χ2=53.629), dependency (χ2=86.710), mental health (χ2=68.281), role difficulties (χ2=45.357), color vision (χ2=68.176), peripheral vision (χ2=116.179) and NEI-VFQ-25 composite (χ2=133.291) decreased gradually as DR severity increased (all P<0.001). On role difficulties, locally weighted scatterplot smoothing plots showed significant"turning points"from bilateral mild NPDR to mild NPDR/>mild NPDR (slope m=-4.7) and from moderate NPDR/≥moderate NPDR to severe NPDR/≥severe NPDR (slope m=-12.6). Conclusion: Both greater severity and bilaterality of DR were associated with lower vision-specific VRQoL, particularly role difficulties and mental health.

Distinct Kondo Screening Behaviors in Heavy Fermion Filled Skutterudites with 4f

CeOs_{4}Sb_{12} (COS) and PrOs_{4}Sb_{12} (POS) are two representative compounds that provide the ideal vantage point to systematically study the physics of multi-f-electron systems. COS with Ce 4f^{1}, and POS with Pr 4f^{2} configurations show distinct properties of Kondo insulating and heavy fermion superconductivity, respectively. We unveiled the underlying microscopic origin by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy studies. Their eV-scale band structure matches well, representing the common characters of conduction electrons in ROs_{4}Sb_{12} systems (R=rare earth). However, f electrons interact differently with conduction electrons in COS and POS. Strong hybridization between conduction electrons and f electrons is observed in COS with band dependent hybridization gaps, and the development of a Kondo insulating state is directly revealed. Although the ground state of POS is a singlet, finite but incoherent hybridization exists, which can be explained by the Kondo scattering with the thermally excited triplet crystalline electric field state. Our results help us to understand the intriguing properties in COS and POS, and provide a clean demonstration of the microscopic differences in heavy fermion systems with 4f^{1} and 4f^{2} configurations.

[Preliminary study of the fourth-generation CAR-T cells targeting CS1 in the treatment of refractory and recurrent multiple myeloma].

Objective: To design the fourth-generation chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cells that secrete interleukin-7 (IL7) and chemokine C legend 19 (CCL19) on the basis of the second-generation CAR, and to analyze and compare the differences in proliferation, chemotaxis, tumor cell clearance and persistence in the microenvironment of multiple myeloma (MM) between them. Methods: The fourth-generation CAR vector plasmid was constructed by using 2A self-cleaving peptide technology. The third-generation lentiviral packaging system was used to prepare high-titer lentivirus. Flow cytometry was used to monitor the transduction efficiency of lentivirus and the subtype changes of CAR-T cells. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to quantify the IL7 and CCL19 secreted by CAR-T cells.The calculation of absolute number of CAR-T cells during culture was used to analysis cell proliferation activity. Transwell migration assay was used to verify the chemotactic ability of CAR-T cells. The specific killing activity of CAR-T cells was detected by using the luciferase bioluminescence method. The NOD-Prkdcem26Cd52Il2rgem26Cd22/Nju (NOD) mouse xenograft model was used to verify the anti-myeloma activity and safety of CAR-T cells in vivo. Results: Flow cytometry results showed that the stable CAR expression rates of the second-generation anti-CS1 CAR-T and fourth-generation anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T cells were (91.50±0.29)% and (46.7±0.12)%, respectively. CAR-T cells were successfully constructed. Subtype analysis demonstrated that the ratio of stem memory T cell (TSCM) in anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T cells was (67.58±0.59)%, which was significantly higher than (50.74 ± 1.01)% of anti-CS1 CAR-T (P=0.000 1), with more strong immune memory function and better durability. Anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T cells can continuously secrete IL7 and CCL19 compared to MOCK-T and anti-CS1 CAR-T (P<0.000 1). The number of anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T cells reached (22.77±0.79)×10(6) on the 9th day after lentivirus transduction, which was significantly higher than (9.40±0.79)×10(6) of anti-CS1 CAR-T cells (P=0.000 1), with stronger proliferation ability. The number of chemotaxis cells of anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T cells to reactive T cells was (109.0±4.04), which was significantly higher than (9.33±1.20) of MOCK-T (P<0.000 1) and (7.33±0.88) of anti-CS1 CAR-T (P<0.000 1), with stronger chemotactic ability. The specific killing activity showed that both anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T and anti-CS1 CAR-T cells had specific killing efficacies when compared with the MOCK-T cells (P<0.000 1). Animal experiment indicated that anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T cells significantly reduced the tumor burden (P<0.000 1) and extended the overall survival time (P=0.006 1) of tumor-bearing mice. Conclusions: The anti-CS1-IL7-CCL19 CAR-T cells designed in this study show stronger proliferative activity, chemotactic ability, and durability without affecting the anti-myeloma activity in vivo and in vivo, which provides strategies for overcoming the defects of low survival rate, poor durability and inhibition by tumor microenvironment of traditional CAR-T cells, and offers preliminary experimental basis for the clinical application of the fourth-generation CAR-T cells.

Ultrafast quasiparticle dynamics and coherent phonon in nodal line topological material LaBi.

We use an ultrafast optical pump-probe spectroscopy to study quasiparticle (QP) dynamics in a topological insulator LaBi. Temperature-dependent optical measurements have been carried out, by which we observed nearly constant fast component (with a lifetime of 0.15 ps) and slow component (with a lifetime of 1.5 ps) for the whole range from 10 K to 295 K. The laser fluence dependence result shows that there is no saturation for the QP dynamics up to 3.3 mJ /cm2. Moreover, an Eg mode transverse optical (TO) coherent phonon has also been observed, with a frequency of 2.8 THz. Our results provide for the first time the ultrafast dynamics information of both the QPs and coherent phonons in a nodal line topological material.

A novel, rapid and simple method for detecting brucellosis based on rapid vertical flow technology.

AIMS: To prevent the spread of brucellosis, a simple and rapid vertical flow technology (RVFT) for the detection of antibodies targeting brucellosis was developed. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, Brucella sp. lipopolysaccharide was purified and used to detect brucellosis antibodies. Sheep IgG was used as a negative control. Colloidal gold-labeled recombinant staphylococcus aureus protein A was sprayed on a fibreglass membrane to prepare immunogold pads. Rapid vertical flow technology was used to detect Brucella in 1668 Sheep, 2743 bovine, 674 red deer and 420 human samples. The results indicated that the accuracy of this assay can reach 98%. CONCLUSIONS: The established RVFT uses a single multifunctional buffer that can be used to detect antibodies in serum, plasma, whole blood and other biological samples while preserving the advantages of lateral-flow immunoassays. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This technology would be of great use in primary medical units and veterinary stations, and it is of great significance for the control of epidemic diseases.

A new diagnostic index for sarcopenia and its association with short-term postoperative complications in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.

AIM: Sarcopenia is a robust prognostic indicator of outcomes after surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, there are no serum markers routinely available for estimating skeletal muscle mass (SMM). The present study aimed to describe a new sarcopenia index (SI), serum creatinine (Scr) × cystatin C-based glomerular filtration rate, and investigate its association with short-term complications after curative resection of CRC. METHOD: Consecutive patients who underwent curative resection of CRC from December 2011 to January 2017 were retrospectively identified. Skeletal muscle cross-sectional area was analysed on L3 computed tomographic images. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the cutoff points of SI for sarcopenia were below 56.1 in men and below 43.7 in women. Patients were classified into low and high SI groups in accordance with these cutoff values. The association between SI and body composition and the impact of preoperative SI on postoperative outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: Among 417 patients, SI showed a stronger correlation with skeletal muscle area (SMA) (r = 0.537, P < 0.001) than with the Scr/cystatin C ratio (r = 0.469, P < 0.001) and Scr (r = 0.447, P < 0.001). The low SI group had a lower SMA, lower preoperative haemoglobin, a higher prevalence of sarcopenia and experienced more postoperative complications compared with the high SI group (all P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the independent risk factors for overall complications were low preoperative haemoglobin, low SI, sarcopenia and American Society of Anesthesiologists grade ≥ 3. CONCLUSION: This new SI is a simple and useful surrogate marker for estimating SMM, and is associated with outcomes after CRC surgery.

[C5-6 nerve root block technique for postoperative analgesia of shoulder arthroscope: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block and C5-6 nerve root block for analgesia after shoulder arthroscopy. METHODS: In the study, 40 patients of ASA I-II were selected for elective general anesthesia to repair the shoulder ligament rupture in Peking University Third Hospital, who were randomly divided into two groups, respectively for the intermuscular brachial plexus block group (group I) and C5-6 nerve root block group (group C), n=20. The forty patients underwent ultrasound-guided brachial plexus block or C5-6 nerve root block before general anesthesia. Group I: 0.2% ropivacaine 10 mL was injected into brachial plexus intermuscular approach; Group C: 0.2% ropivacaine 10 mL was injected around the nerve roots of C5 and C6, and the ultrasound images showed that the liquid wrapped nerve roots. The time of sensory and motor block after puncture, operation time, the time of postoperative analgesia, numerical rating scale (NRS) scores at 1, 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively and the finger movements were recorded. The adverse drug reactions and the patient satisfaction were recorded. The primary end point was the study of shoulder rest and movement pain in the patients with postoperative nerve blockage; the secondary end point was the patient's limb movements and thepatient satisfaction. RESULTS: The duration of analgesia was (571.50±70.11) min in group I and (615.60±112.15) min in group C, and there was no difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The static and dynamic NRS scores at 1, 6, and 12 h in group C were lower than those in group I (P<0.05). There was no difference in static and dynamic NRS scores between the two groups during 24 hours (P>0.05). There was a significant difference in grade of muscle strength between group C [5(4,5)] and group I [4(2,4)] in the patients with nerve block hind limb (P<0.01), and there were significant differences between the two groups' sensation in the radial nerve group C [1(0,2)] and group I [2(1,2)], the median nerve group C [0(0,2)] and group I [2(1,2)], and the ulnar nerves group C [0(0,1)] and group I [1(1,2)] (P<0.01). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the sencation of the shoulder, group C 2(1,2) and group I 2(1,2) , P>0.05. Compared with group I 8(6,9), group C 9(8,10) was a significant difference in satisfaction (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Interscalene brachial plexus block and C5-6 nerve root block could satisfy the needs of analgesia after shoulder arthroscopy, but C5-6 nerve root blockage does not limit the limb activity, the numbness is less, and the patient's satisfaction is higher.

[Application of disposable oval circumcision anastomat in pediatric urology].

Objective: To summarize the application experience of Ai Tong (Chinese Shang Ring) disposable oval circumcision anastomat in pediatric urology. Methods: A retrospective study of 1 481 cases of pediatric urology using a disposable oval circumcision anastomat at Xuzhou Children's Hospital from October 2014 to December 2017 was performed. The average age at the time of surgery was 5.2 (2-14 years) years. Among them, there were 1 226 cases of phimosis, 32 cases of scar phimosis in chronic infection, 23 cases of phimosis or redundant prepuce with urethral duplication, 29 cases of foreskin trauma, 35 cases of phimosis or redundant prepuce with urethral cyst, 3 cases of phimosis or redundant prepuce with urethral stricture, 108 cases of phimosis or redundant prepuce with webbed penis, 6 cases of phimosis with penile downward bending, 4 cases of phimosis with short frenulum preputii, and 15 cases of relatively normal foreskin development, I° and II° hypospadias with unapparent penile downward bending, and megalourethra with complete foreskin hypospadias. Results: All operations were completed successfully. The postoperative circumcision time was less than 5 days on 2 cases(0.1%), and was longer than 25 days on 9 cases(0.6%). The average postoperative circumcision time was 13.2 days. During a follow-up period of 3 months, except for 2 cases (0.1%) of frenulum preputii edema, all other cases had a satisfactory foreskin appearance. They had no obvious foreskin scar hyperplasia, the foreskin cutting edge was neat, the foreskin ligament was intact, the foreskin was left and right symmetrical, and the foreskin was preserved in the absence of erection to cover the coronary sulcus to 1/3 of the glans. All children with hypospadias had no urethral stricture and urethral fistula, and the penis was satisfactory. Conclusions: Ai Tong (Chinese Shang Ring) disposable oval circumcision anastomat is satisfactory in the treatment of various diseases of pediatric urology. With a low incidence of postoperative complications, it may be easy to carry out this procedure at grass-roots hospital.

[Analysis on the hemagglutinin genetic characteristic of 7 measles virus isolated in Henan Province in 2017].

Objective: Analyze the genetic characteristic of Hemagglutinin(H) gene of measles viruses isolated in Henan Province in 2017. Methods: Swab samples collected from 7 lab confirmed measles cases, and we got the measles virus by Vero/Slam inoculation. Fragment of H genes were amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR), then the PCR products were sequenced and analyzed. Results: The age of the 7 measles confirmed cases were between 1 and 50 years old, and all of them were males. All the 7 measles viruses were identified as H1a genotype, and the average distance of the nucleotides and the amino acids was 0.005, respectively. Compared with the Shanghai-191/China-vaccine, there were some changes in isolated virus, such as 240(th), 397(th) and 381(st) sites in the amino acid sequence. Conclusion: The measles genotype which isolated in Henan Province in 2017 was H1a. There were some difference from Shanghai-191/China-vaccine in the nucleotides sequence of H gene, which suggested that it's necessary to strengthen the monitor the variation of measles virus.

DC-SIGN reacts with TLR-4 and regulates inflammatory cytokine expression via NF-κB activation in renal tubular epithelial cells during acute renal injury.

In the pathological process of acute kidney injury (AKI), innate immune receptors are essential in inflammatory response modulation; however, the precise molecular mechanisms are still unclear. Our study sought to demonstrate the inflammatory response mechanisms in renal tubular epithelial cells via Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) and dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing non-integrin 1 (DC-SIGN) signalling. We found that DC-SIGN exhibited strong expression in renal tubular epithelial cells of human acute renal injury tissues. DC-SIGN protein expression was increased significantly when renal tubular epithelial cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for a short period. Furthermore, DC-SIGN was involved in the activation of p65 by TLR-4, which excluded p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK). Interleukin (IL)-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression was decreased after DC-SIGN knock-down, and LPS induced endogenous interactions and plasma membrane co-expression between TLR-4 and DC-SIGN. These results show that DC-SIGN and TLR-4 interactions regulate inflammatory responses in renal tubular epithelial cells and participate in AKI pathogenesis.

Charge Transfer Effects in Naturally Occurring van der Waals Heterostructures (PbSe)_{1.16}(TiSe_{2})_{m} (m=1, 2).

van der Waals heterostructures (VDWHs) exhibit rich properties and thus has potential for applications, and charge transfer between different layers in a heterostructure often dominates its properties and device performance. It is thus critical to reveal and understand the charge transfer effects in VDWHs, for which electronic structure measurements have proven to be effective. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we studied the electronic structures of (PbSe)_{1.16}(TiSe_{2})_{m} (m=1, 2), which are naturally occurring VDWHs, and discovered several striking charge transfer effects. When the thickness of the TiSe_{2} layers is halved from m=2 to m=1, the amount of charge transferred increases unexpectedly by more than 250%. This is accompanied by a dramatic drop in the electron-phonon interaction strength far beyond the prediction by first-principles calculations and, consequently, superconductivity only exists in the m=2 compound with strong electron-phonon interaction, albeit with lower carrier density. Furthermore, we found that the amount of charge transferred in both compounds is nearly halved when warmed from below 10 K to room temperature, due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the constituent layers of these misfit compounds. These unprecedentedly large charge transfer effects might widely exist in VDWHs composed of metal-semiconductor contacts; thus, our results provide important insights for further understanding and applications of VDWHs.

Unveiling the Superconducting Mechanism of Ba_{0.51}K_{0.49}BiO_{3}.

The mechanism of high superconducting transition temperatures (T_{c}) in bismuthates remains under debate despite more than 30 years of extensive research. Our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy studies on Ba_{0.51}K_{0.49}BiO_{3} reveal an unexpectedly 34% larger bandwidth than in conventional density functional theory calculations. This can be reproduced by calculations that fully account for long-range Coulomb interactions-the first direct demonstration of bandwidth expansion due to the Fock exchange term, a long-accepted and yet uncorroborated fundamental effect in many body physics.Furthermore, we observe an isotropic superconducting gap with 2Δ_{0}/k_{B}T_{c}=3.51±0.05, and strong electron-phonon interactions with a coupling constant λ∼1.3±0.2. These findings solve a long-standing mystery-Ba_{0.51}K_{0.49}BiO_{3} is an extraordinary Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superconductor, where long-range Coulomb interactions expand the bandwidth, enhance electron-phonon coupling, and generate the high T_{c}. Such effects will also be critical for finding new superconductors.

Band Dependent Interlayer f-Electron Hybridization in CeRhIn_{5}.

A key issue in heavy fermion research is how subtle changes in the hybridization between the 4f (5f) and conduction electrons can result in fundamentally different ground states. CeRhIn_{5} stands out as a particularly notable example: when replacing Rh with either Co or Ir, antiferromagnetism gives way to superconductivity. In this photoemission study of CeRhIn_{5}, we demonstrate that the use of resonant angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with polarized light allows us to extract detailed information on the 4f crystal field states and details on the 4f and conduction electron hybridization, which together determine the ground state. We directly observe weakly dispersive Kondo resonances of f electrons and identify two of the three Ce 4f_{5/2}^{1} crystal-electric-field levels and band-dependent hybridization, which signals that the hybridization occurs primarily between the Ce 4f states in the CeIn_{3} layer and two more three-dimensional bands composed of the Rh 4d and In 5p orbitals in the RhIn_{2} layer. Our results allow us to connect the properties observed at elevated temperatures with the unusual low-temperature properties of this enigmatic heavy fermion compound.

Significant improvement of intestinal microbiota of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) after traditional Chinese medicine feeding.

AIMS: Increasing attention has been attracted to intestinal microbiota, due to interactions with nutrition, metabolism and immune defence of the host. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) feed additives have been applied in aquaculture to improve fish health, but the interaction with fish gut microbiota is still poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the effect of adding TCM in feed on the intestinal microbiota of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). METHODS AND RESULTS: Bacterial communities of 16 fish intestinal contents and one water sample were characterized by high-throughput sequencing and analysis of the V4-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that the composition and structure of the bacterial community were significantly altered by the TCM feeding. Some phyla increased markedly (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, etc.), while Fusobacteria were significantly reduced. Concurrently, the richness and diversity of the taxonomic units increased, and the microbiota composition of TCM-treated fish was more homogeneous among individuals. At the genus level, the addition of TCM tended to reduce the incidence of potential pathogens (Aeromonas, Acinetobacter and Shewanella), while stimulating the emergence of some potential probiotics (Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Bacillus and Pseudomonas). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggested that the feed additive could regulate the fish intestinal microbiota by reinforcing the microbial balance. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study may provide useful information for further application of TCM for diseases prevention and stress management in aquaculture.