Preconception maternal retinal arteriolar narrowing and fetal growth throughout pregnancy: A prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between preconception maternal retinal arteriolar calibre and fetal growth. DESIGN, SETTING AND POPULATION: A hospital-based, prospective preconception cohort including 369 women with a singleton live birth. METHODS: We collected detailed information on sociodemographic status, pregnancy history and lifestyle, and performed retinal imaging at the preconception visit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We retrieved medical records documenting fetal growth biometrics (e.g., abdominal circumference [AC], head circumference [HC], femur length [FL]) at 11-13, 18-21, 24-28, and 32-34 weeks throughout pregnancy. We then computed the z scores for all fetal growth biometrics from 14 weeks of gestation where data were available, referencing the INTERGROWTH-21st fetal growth chart. We used a linear mixed model to estimate the association between maternal preconception retinal arteriolar calibre and fetal growth biometrics z scores throughout pregnancy, with random intercept accounting for repeated measures within individuals. We then performed a multivariable linear regression of maternal preconception retinal arteriolar calibre and z score changes for all fetal growth biometrics between 24-28 weeks and 32-34 weeks of gestation, after full adjustment. RESULTS: Maternal preconception generalised retinal arteriolar narrowing was consistently associated with a reduction in fetal AC z scores (-0.34; 95% CI -0.66 to -0.03) throughout pregnancy. In addition, women with preconception generalised retinal arteriolar narrowing tended to have significantly reduced z score changes in AC (-0.41; 95% CI -0.90 to -0.001) and fetal FL (-0.55; 95% CI -1.00 to -0.10) between 24-28 weeks and 32-34 weeks of gestation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that women with narrower preconception retinal arterioles had smaller fetuses, evidenced by reductions in AC and FL z score throughout pregnancy.

Effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on body fat: a retrospective case‒control study in Chinese transwomen.

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient research on how gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) affects body fat modifications in transwomen from China. It is unclear whether hormone therapy affects the prevalence of obesity and blood lipid levels within this population. The current research aimed to assess how GAHT and treatment duration had an impact on the change in and redistribution of body fat in Chinese transwomen. METHODS: This study included 40 transwomen who had not received GAHT and 59 who had. Body fat, blood lipid, and blood glucose levels were measured. GAHT is mainly a pharmacologic (estrogen and anti-androgen) treatment. The study also stratified participants based on the duration of GAHT to assess its impact on body fat distribution. The duration of GAHT was within one year, one to two years, two to three years, or more than three years. RESULTS: After receiving GAHT, total body fat increased by 19.65%, and the percentage of body fat increased by 17.63%. The arm, corrected leg, and leg regions showed significant increases in fat content (+ 24.02%, + 50.69%, and + 41.47%, respectively) and percentage (+ 25.19%, + 34.90%, and + 30.39%, respectively). The total visceral fat content decreased (-37.49%). Based on the diagnostic standards for a body mass index ≥ 28 or total body fat percentage ≥ 25% or 30%, the chance of developing obesity did not change significantly. Blood glucose levels significantly increased (+ 12.31%). Total cholesterol levels (-10.45%) decreased significantly. Fat changes in those who received GAHT for one to two years were significantly different from those who did not receive GAHT. CONCLUSION: After receiving GAHT, total body fat and regional fat increased in Chinese transwomen, and the body fat distribution changed from masculine to feminine, especially during the first two years. However, neither the increase in total body fat percentage nor the decrease in visceral fat content didn't bring about significant changes in the incidence of obesity, nor did triglycerides or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.

Engaging and (the Illusion of) Learning? Examining the Relationship Between Different Social Media Activities and Reproductive Health Knowledge.

Social media have become fundamental platforms for learning about health, including reproductive health knowledge. However, little is known about what specific user activity is conducive to learning about reproductive health and by what means. Drawing upon the cognitive mediation model, this study examines how different social media activities function in terms of elaboration and knowledge gain. Our hypothesized model was largely supported by a nationwide online survey with 1,000 Chinese women residing in both rural and urban areas. The results revealed the crucial role of information elaboration in bridging different social media activities with both subjective and factual reproductive health knowledge. Interestingly, public reposting of reproductive health information was found to be positively related to subjective knowledge but negatively related to factual knowledge, suggesting the emergence of an illusion of knowing among our participants. Multigroup SEM analyses revealed that the positive roles of scanning and private sharing in encouraging elaboration were more pronounced among users with lower levels of need for cognition. The findings are expected to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of health learning based on users' social media activities and intrinsic motivations for learning.

Exploring preconception signatures of metabolites in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus using a non-targeted approach.

BACKGROUND: Metabolomic changes during pregnancy have been suggested to underlie the etiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, research on metabolites during preconception is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate distinctive metabolites during the preconception phase between GDM and non-GDM controls in a nested case-control study in Singapore. METHODS: Within a Singapore preconception cohort, we included 33 Chinese pregnant women diagnosed with GDM according to the IADPSG criteria between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. We then matched them with 33 non-GDM Chinese women by age and pre-pregnancy body mass index (ppBMI) within the same cohort. We performed a non-targeted metabolomics approach using fasting serum samples collected within 12 months prior to conception. We used generalized linear mixed model to identify metabolites associated with GDM at preconception after adjusting for maternal age and ppBMI. After annotation and multiple testing, we explored the additional predictive value of novel signatures of preconception metabolites in terms of GDM diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 57 metabolites were significantly associated with GDM, and eight phosphatidylethanolamines were annotated using HMDB. After multiple testing corrections and sensitivity analysis, phosphatidylethanolamines 36:4 (mean difference ß: 0.07; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.11) and 38:6 (ß: 0.06; 0.004, 0.11) remained significantly higher in GDM subjects, compared with non-GDM controls. With all preconception signals of phosphatidylethanolamines in addition to traditional risk factors (e.g., maternal age and ppBMI), the predictive value measured by area under the curve (AUC) increased from 0.620 to 0.843. CONCLUSIONS: Our data identified distinctive signatures of GDM-associated preconception phosphatidylethanolamines, which is of potential value to understand the etiology of GDM as early as in the preconception phase. Future studies with larger sample sizes among alternative populations are warranted to validate the associations of these signatures of metabolites and their predictive value in GDM.

Third-Generation Single-Molecule Sequencing for Preimplantation Genetic Testing of Aneuploidy and Segmental Imbalances.

BACKGROUND: Current strategies for preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy or structural rearrangements (PGT-A/SR) rely mainly on next-generation sequencing (NGS) and microarray platforms, which are robust but require expensive instrumentation. We explored the suitability of third-generation single-molecule sequencing as a PGT-A/SR screening platform for both aneuploidy and segmental imbalance. METHODS: Single-cell and multicell replicates from aneuploid or segmentally unbalanced cell lines (n = 208) were SurePlex-amplified, randomized, and subjected to (a) Nanopore-based single-molecule sequencing (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and (b) NGS using a leading commercial PGT-A solution (Illumina VeriSeq PGS). Archival SurePlex-amplified trophectoderm biopsy samples (n = 96) previously analyzed using the commercial kit were blinded and reanalyzed using Nanopore. RESULTS: Nanopore-based PGT-A identified the specific aberration in 95.45% (84/88) and 97.78% (88/90) of single-/multicells with an aneuploidy or segmental imbalance (10-30.5 Mb), respectively. Comparison against the commercial kit's results revealed concordances of 98.86% (87/88) and 98.89% (89/90) for the aneuploid and segmentally unbalanced (10-30.5 Mb aberration) samples, respectively. Detection sensitivity for smaller segmental imbalances (5-5.8 Mb aberration, n = 30) decreased markedly on both platforms. Nanopore-based PGT-A reanalysis of trophectoderm biopsy samples was 97.92% (94/96) concordant with the commercial kit results. CONCLUSION: Up to 24 SurePlex-amplified single-cell, multicell, or trophectoderm samples could be sequenced in a single MinION flow-cell for subsequent preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy or structural rearrangements (PGT-A/SR) analysis, with results obtainable in ≤3 days and at per-sample costs that are competitive with commercial offerings. Nanopore's third-generation single-molecule sequencing represents a viable alternative to current commercial NGS-based PGT-A solutions for aneuploidy and segmental imbalance (≥10 Mb) screening of single-/multicell or trophectoderm biopsy samples.

Identification of fluorescent aerosol observed by a spectroscopic lidar over northwest China.

Bioaerosols play a significant role in climate change and variation of ecological environment. To investigate characterization of atmospheric bioaerosols, we conducted lidar measurement for observing bioaerosols close to dust sources over northwest China in April, 2014. The developed lidar system can not only allowed us to measure the 32-channel fluorescent spectrum between 343 nm to 526 nm with a spectral resolution of 5.8 nm but also simultaneously detect polarisation measurements at 355 nm and 532 nm, as well as Raman scattering signals at 387 nm and 407 nm. According to the findings, the lidar system was able to pick up the robust fluorescence signal emitted by dust aerosols. Especially the polluted dust, the fluorescence efficiency could reach 0.17. In addition, the efficiency of single-band fluorescence typically rises as the wavelength goes up and the ratio of fluorescence efficiency of polluted dust, dust, air pollutant and background aerosols is about 4:3:8:2. Moreover, our results demonstrate that simultaneous measurements of depolarization at 532 nm and fluorescence could better distinguish fluorescent aerosols than those at 355 nm. This study enhances the ability of laser remote sensing for real-time detecting bioaerosol in the atmosphere.

Small lidar ratio of dust aerosol observed by Raman-polarization lidar near desert sources.

Previous studies have shown that the lidar ratio has a significant influence on the retrieval of the aerosol extinction coefficient via the Fernald method, leading to a large uncertainty in the evaluation of dust radiative forcing. Here, we found that the lidar ratios of dust aerosol were only 18.16 ± 14.23sr, based on Raman-polarization lidar measurements in Dunhuang (94.6°E, 40.1°N) in April of 2022. These ratios are much smaller than other reported results (∼50 sr) for Asian dust. This finding is also confirmed by some previous results from lidar measurements under different conditions for dust aerosols. The particle depolarization ratio (PDR) at 532 nm and color ratio (CR, 1064 nm/532 nm) of dust aerosols are0.28 ± 0.013 and 0.5-0.6, respectively, indicating that extremely fine nonspherical particles exist. In addition, the dust extinction coefficients at 532 nm range from2 × 10-4 to 6 × 10-4m-1for such small lidar ratio particles. Combining lidar measurements and model simulation by the T-matrix method, we further reveal that the reason for this phenomenon is mainly due to the relatively small effective radius and weak light absorption of dust particles. Our study provides a new insight into the wide variation in the lidar ratio for dust aerosols, which helps to better explain the impacts of dust aerosols on the climate and environment.

Method for retrieving range-resolved aerosol microphysical properties from polarization lidar measurements.

Aerosol microphysical properties, such as volume concentration (VC) and effective radius (ER), are of great importance to evaluate their radiative forcing and impacts on climate change. However, range-resolved aerosol VC and ER still cannot be obtained by remote sensing currently except for the column-integrated one from sun-photometer observation. In this study, a retrieval method of range-resolved aerosol VC and ER is firstly proposed based on the partial least squares regression (PLSR) and deep neural networks (DNN), combining polarization lidar and collocated AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) sun-photometer observations. The results show that the measurement of widely-used polarization lidar can be reasonably used to derive the aerosol VC and ER, with the determination coefficient (R2) of 0.89 (0.77) for VC (ER) by use of the DNN method. Moreover, it is proven that the lidar-based height-resolved VC and ER at near-surface are well consistent with independent observations of collocated Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS). Additionally, we found that there are significant diurnal and seasonal variations of aerosol VC and ER in the atmosphere at Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University (SACOL). Compared with columnar ones from the sun-photometer observation, this study provides a reliable and practical way to obtain full-day range-resolved aerosol VC and ER from widely-used polarization lidar observation, even under cloud conditions. Moreover, this study also can be applied to long-term observations by current ground-based lidar networks and spaceborne CALIPSO lidar, aiming to further evaluate aerosol climatic effects more accurately.

Simulated depolarization ratios for dust and smoke at laser wavelengths: implications for lidar application.

Polarization measurements have been widely used to detect aerosol properties by remote sensing in recent decades. To better understand the polarization characteristics of aerosols by lidar, the numerically exact T-matrix method was used to simulate the depolarization ratio (DR) of dust and smoke aerosols at typical laser wavelengths in this study. The results show that the DRs of dust and smoke aerosols have obviously different spectral dependences. Moreover, the ratio of DRs at two wavelengths has an obvious linear relationship with the microphysical properties of aerosols, including aspect ratio, effective radius and complex refractive index. At short wavelengths, we can use it to invert the absorption characteristics of particles, further improving the detection ability of lidar. Comparing the simulation results of different channels, DR, (color ratio) CR and (lidar ratio) LR have a good logarithmic fitting relationship at 532 nm and 1064 nm, which helps to classify the aerosol types. On this basis, a new inversion algorithm, "1ß+1α+2δ", was presented. By this algorithm, the backscattering coefficient (ß), extinction coefficient (α), DR (δ) at 532 nm and 1064 nm can be used to expand the range of inversion and compare lidar data with different configurations to obtain more extensive optical characteristics of aerosols. Our study enhances the application of laser remote sensing in aerosol observations more accurately.

Factors affecting the distribution of serum anti-müllerian hormone levels among infertile Asian women: a multi-nation, multi-centre, and multi-ethnicity prospective cohort study.

STUDY QUESTION: How do age, ethnicity, and other characteristics affect serum anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels in Asian women undergoing fertility treatment? SUMMARY ANSWER: Age, ethnicity, obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) significantly impacted serum AMH levels, with the rate of decrease accelerating as age increased; a concentration of 4.0 ng/ml was the optimal cut-off for diagnosis of PCOS. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: There are significant differences in ovarian reserve among women from different races and ethnicities, and Asian women often have poorer reproductive outcomes during assisted reproductive treatment cycles. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A population-based multi-nation, multi-centre, multi-ethnicity prospective cohort study of 4613 women was conducted from January 2020 to May 2021. Infertile women of 20-43 years of age were enrolled. The exclusion criteria included: age <20 or >43, non-Asian ethnicity, and missing critical data. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Participants were Asian women of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Indian, and Indonesian ethnicities from 12 IVF centres across Asia. These women were all naïve to ovarian stimulation cycles and attended IVF centres for fertility assessment. The AMH measurement was performed using an AMH automated assay on a clinically validated platform. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A total of 4556 infertile Asian women were included in the final analyses. The mean ± SD for serum AMH concentrations (ng/ml) across specific age groups were: overall, 3.44 ± 2.93; age <30, 4.58 ± 3.16; 30-31, 4.23 ± 3.23; 32-33, 3.90 ± 3.06; 34-35, 3.21 ± 2.65; 36-37, 2.74 ± 2.44; 38-39, 2.30 ± 1.91; 40 and above, 1.67 ± 2.00. The rate of AMH decrease was ∼0.13 ng/ml/year in patients aged 25-33 and 0.31 ng/ml/year in women aged 33-43. The highest rates of PCOS were found in Indians (18.6%), Malays (18.9%), and Vietnamese (17.7%). Age (P < 0.001), ethnicity (P < 0.001), obesity (P = 0.007), PCOS (P < 0.001), and a history of endometrioma cystectomy (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with serum AMH values. Smoking status, pretreatment with GnRH agonist (GnRHa) or the oral contraceptive pill (OCP), freezing-thawing of blood samples, and sampling on Day 2 to Day 5 of the menstrual cycle or randomly did not appear to affect serum AMH levels. An AMH concentration of 4.0 ng/ml was the optimal cut-off for PCOS diagnosis with a sensitivity of 71.7% and specificity of 75.8% (AUC = 0.81, CI 95%: 0.79-0.83; P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The incidence of PCOS was supposedly high in this cohort as some IVF clinics were tertiary referral centres for managing specific fertility issues encountered by women with PCOS. Treatment with GnRHa or OCP before AMH testing was regionally and ethnically confined, mostly in Hong Kong SAR and Japan. Moreover, this reference for serum AMH value is limited to Asian women of the ethnicities examined and may not apply to other ethnicities not included in the study. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This is the first study to collate and construct age-specific reference ranges for serum AMH levels using the same bioassay on Asian women of different ethnicities. The findings of this investigation can assist clinicians to counsel and prognosticate about Asian women's ovarian reserve and reproductive potential, thus providing better strategies for personalized fertility interventions. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was technically supported by Ferring Pharmaceuticals and received no specific grant from any funding agency. All authors have no competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04203355.

Mediterranean diet and female reproductive health over lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Mediterranean diet on female reproductive health outcomes over the life-course. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify eligible studies published till February 2022. Eligible references from identified studies and review articles were also considered. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, or nested case-control studies examining Mediterranean diet and major female reproductive outcomes over the lifespan, including clinical outcomes from childhood to adulthood (menarche, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and outcomes related to fertility, pregnancy, and menopause), were included for review. METHODS: Two independent reviewers screened and performed data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. We performed random-effects meta-analysis to obtain summary relative risks and 95% confidence intervals for major female reproductive outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed for several pregnancy outcomes according to timing of the interventions for randomized controlled trials and timing of the dietary assessment for observational studies. RESULTS: Thirty-two studies (9 randomized controlled trials, 22 prospective cohort studies, and 1 nested case-control study) involving 103,204 predominantly White women (>95%) were included. The pooled relative risk (95% confidence interval) comparing randomization to Mediterranean diet vs a control diet based on 7 randomized controlled trials was 0.74 (0.55-0.99) for gestational diabetes mellitus, 0.45 (0.26-0.76) for preterm birth, 0.71 (0.51-1.00) for gestational hypertension, and 0.82 (0.54-1.22) for preeclampsia; the effect sizes for preterm birth were greater in randomized controlled trials that initiated the interventions in first trimester vs after first trimester (P heterogeneity=.02). We observed inverse associations for all the above-mentioned pregnancy outcomes based on 9 cohort studies. There was suggestive evidence of favorable associations between Mediterranean diet adherence with fertility and gestational weight management. Limited studies suggested associations between higher Mediterranean diet adherence and later time to menarche and fewer vasomotor menopausal symptoms, null associations for polycystic ovary syndrome-like phenotype and pregnancy loss, and positive associations for luteal phase deficiency. CONCLUSION: Adherence to Mediterranean diet may lower risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes among predominantly White populations. For fertility-related outcomes, available evidence supporting potential beneficial effects is suggestive yet limited. For other reproductive outcomes across the lifespan, data remains sparse.

Predictive value of the Trauma Rating Index in Age, Glasgow Coma Scale, Respiratory rate and Systolic blood pressure score (TRIAGES) and Revised Trauma Score (RTS) for the short-term mortality of patients with isolated traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring rapid and precise mortality prediction in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at the emergency department (ED) is paramount in patient triage and enhancing their outcomes. We aimed to estimate and compare the predictive power of the Trauma Rating Index in Age, Glasgow Coma Scale, Respiratory rate, and Systolic blood pressure score (TRIAGES) and Revised Trauma Score (RTS) for 24-h in-hospital mortality in patients with isolated TBI. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective single-center study analyzing clinical data from 1156 patients with isolated acute TBI treated in the ED of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. We calculated each patient's TRIAGES and RTS scores and estimated their predictive value for short-term mortality using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: 87 patients (7.53%) died within 24 h of admission. The non-survival group had higher TRIAGES and lower RTS than the survival group. Compared to non-survivors, survivors exhibited higher Glasgow Coma Scale scores (GCS) with a median score of 15 (12, 15) compared to a median score of 4.0 (3.0, 6.0). The crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for TRIAGES were 1.79, 95% CI (1.62 to 1.98) and 1.79, 95% CI (1.60 to 2.00), respectively. The crude and adjusted ORs for RTS were 0.39, 95% CI (0.33 to 0.45) and 0.40, 95% CI (0.34 to 0.47), respectively. The area under the ROC (AUROC) curve of TRIAGES, RTS, and GCS was 0.865 (0.844 to 0.884), 0.863 (0.842 to 0.882), and 0.869 (0.830 to 0.909), respectively. The optimal cut-off values for predicting 24-h in-hospital mortality were 3 for TRIAGES, 6.08 for RTS, and 8 for GCS. The subgroup analysis showed a higher AUROC in TRIAGES (0.845) compared to GCS (0.836) and RTS (0.829) among patients aged 65 and above, although the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: TRIAGES and RTS have shown promising efficacy in predicting 24-h in-hospital mortality in patients with isolated TBI, with comparable performance to GCS. However, improving the comprehensiveness of assessment does not necessarily translate into an overall increase in predictive ability.

Blocking vicious cycle of cardiac dysfunction by external cardiopulmonary resuscitation is the key to rescue acute aluminium phosphide poisoning.

Aluminium phosphide (ALP) and aluminium zinc phosphide (ZnP), the two main ingredients of fumigation drugs, are commonly used to kill insects or rodents in grain. When exposed to water, highly toxic phosphine gas is released and absorbed through the respiratory or digestive tract. Phosphine gas could non-selectively block cytochrome oxidase, inhibit electron transfer and suppress oxidative phosphorylation, leading to cellular hypoxia and organ dysfunction. The characteristic clinical manifestations are refractory shock and metabolic acidosis with high mortality. However, patients with ALP poisoning have a chance to be cured. Here, we report a case of oral ALP poisoning that was successfully treated by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) combined with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) during frequent ventricular fibrillation and cardiac dysfunction.

Interaction between cigarette smoking and genetic polymorphisms on the associations with age of natural menopause and reproductive lifespan: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

STUDY QUESTION: Are there genetic variants that interact with smoking to reduce reproductive lifespan in East-Asian women? SUMMARY ANSWER: Our study corroborates several recently identified genetic loci associated with reproductive lifespan and highlights specific genetic predispositions that may interact with smoking status to adversely affect reproductive lifespan in East-Asian women. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Epidemiological data as well as evaluations on genetic predisposition to smoke indicate on the importance of smoking in adverse effects on reproductive lifespan in women. However, there are no previous smoking and gene interaction studies for reproductive traits in East-Asian women. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This population-based prospective cohort study comprised 11 643 East-Asian Chinese women with overlapping genome-wide genotyping and reproductive data. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: We performed a genome-wide association study for reproductive lifespan in women (n = 11 643) from the Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS) and carried out a genome-wide interaction study to identify loci that interacted with smoking status to affect age of natural menopause and reproductive-time. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Two known loci associated with menopause, rs113430717 (near HMCES, chromosome 3, Pmeta = 5.72 × 10-15) and rs3020136 (near RAD21, chromosome 8, Pmeta = 1.38 × 10-8) were observed beyond genome-wide levels of association with age at menopause in this study. For reproductive lifespan, the genome-wide association observed at rs79784106 (chromosome 3, Pmeta = 5.05 × 10-12) was in linkage disequilibrium with the menopause lead single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs113430717). Four additional loci, first reported to be associated with menopause, were also associated with reproductive lifespan in our study (PAdj between 7.42 × 10-5 to 4.51 × 10-3). A significant interaction was observed between smoking and an East-Asian specific SNP, rs140146885, for reduced reproductive lifespan, per copy of the minor C allele (beta = -1.417 years, Pinteraction = 2.31 × 10-10). This interaction was successfully replicated in additional independent samples (beta = -1.389 years, Pinteraction = 6.78 × 10-3). Another known variant associated with menopause, rs11031006 (near FSHB), was also observed to interact with smoking status to reduce age at menopause in our dataset (beta = -0.450 years, Padj = 0.042). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The modest sample size of the replication datasets used likely affected the statistical power to firmly replicate all identified novel loci observed in our smoking interaction analyses. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Age of natural menopause and reproductive lifespan have clear genetic predispositions with distinct ethnic differences, and they may be adversely truncated by lifestyle factors such as smoking, which can pose a significant impact on the reproductive lifespan and future health outcomes in women. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The Singapore Chinese Health Study is funded by the National Medical Research Council, Singapore (NMRC/CIRG/1456/2016), National Institutes of Health (R01 CA144034 and UM1 CA182876) and National Research Foundation, Singapore (Project Number 370062002). W.-P.K. is supported by the National Medical Research Council, Singapore (MOH-CSASI19nov-0001). The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication. The authors do not report conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Green synthesis of novelin situmicro/submicron-Cu paste for semiconductor interconnection.

A green method for the synthesis ofin situCu paste is developed. Cu particles are prepared through chemical reduction by selecting a special copper source, reducing agent, and solvent. Then the reaction solution is directly concentrated to obtain anin situCu paste. The synthesis of Cu particles and the preparation of Cu paste are conducted simultaneously, and the process of separation, purification, drying, storage, and re-dispersion of powder are reduced. Particles are not directly exposed to air, thus the oxidation of micro/submicron -Cu is effectively prevented, and the agglomeration of particles caused by drying and dispersion operations is simultaneously reduced. Furthermore, the proposed method has a certain universality, and different types of Cu sources can be used to preparein situpaste with different sizes and morphologies. The entire preparation process is simple, efficient, green, and the yield can reach 99.99%, which breaks through the bottleneck of the application of traditional micro/submicron-Cu materials. Copper acetate-basedin situpaste is sintered for 30 min at 260 °C and 2 MPa in a reducing atmosphere. The shear strength, resistivity, and thermal conductivity reach 55.26 MPa, 4.01 × 10-8Ω·m, and 92.75 W/(m·K), respectively, which could meet the interconnection application of power semiconductor devices.

Two kinds of embryo research: four case examples.

There are ethical obligations to conduct research that contributes to generalisable knowledge and improves reproductive health, and this should include embryo research in jurisdictions where it is permitted. Often, the controversial nature of embryo research can alarm ethics committee members, which can unnecessarily delay important research that can potentially improve fertility for patients and society. Such delay is ethically unjustified. Moreover, countries such as the UK, Australia and Singapore have legislation which unnecessarily captures low-risk research, such as observational research, in an often cumbersome and protracted review process. Such countries should revise such legislation to better facilitate low-risk embryo research.We introduce a philosophical distinction to help decision-makers more efficiently identify higher risk embryo research from that which presents no more risks to persons than other types of tissue research. That distinction is between future person embryo research and non-future person embryo research. We apply this distinction to four examples of embryo research that might be presented to ethics committees.Embryo research is most controversial and deserving of detailed scrutiny when it potentially affects a future person. Where it does not, it should generally require less ethical scrutiny. We explore a variety of ways in which research can affect a future person, including by deriving information about that person, and manipulating eggs or sperm before an embryo is created.

Infographics and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): Differences between Visual and Textual Health Messages.

Effective health communication is vital to improving health outcomes. One increasingly popular form of health communication is the use of infographics. Despite its popularity, there is a lack of empirical investigation regarding its information processing mechanism. We applied the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to study the conditions that lead to elaboration. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: a text-only health message and a health infographic. Results showed that the infographic had better image appeal rating than the text-only message, and the group that viewed the infographic reported greater elaboration. In addition, for both groups, prior knowledge, ease of understanding, and image appeal had effects on elaboration. Presentation format (text-only vs infographic) interacted with prior knowledge to impact elaboration. Our findings demonstrate that visual design cannot be sidelined as a peripheral interest, but should be positioned as one of the focal points in health communication research.

Comparison of PM2.5 and CO2 Concentrations in Large Cities of China during the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Estimating the impacts on PM2.5 pollution and CO2 emissions by human activities in different urban regions is important for developing efficient policies. In early 2020, China implemented a lockdown policy to contain the spread of COVID-19, resulting in a significant reduction of human activities. This event presents a convenient opportunity to study the impact of human activities in the transportation and industrial sectors on air pollution. Here, we investigate the variations in air quality attributed to the COVID-19 lockdown policy in the megacities of China by combining in-situ environmental and meteorological datasets, the Suomi-NPP/VIIRS and the CO2 emissions from the Carbon Monitor project. Our study shows that PM2.5 concentrations in the spring of 2020 decreased by 41.87% in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and 43.30% in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), respectively, owing to the significant shutdown of traffic and manufacturing industries. However, PM2.5 concentrations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region only decreased by 2.01% because the energy and steel industries were not fully paused. In addition, unfavorable weather conditions contributed to further increases in the PM2.5 concentration. Furthermore, CO2 concentrations were not significantly affected in China during the short-term emission reduction, despite a 19.52% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the same period in 2019. Our results suggest that concerted efforts from different emission sectors and effective long-term emission reduction strategies are necessary to control air pollution and CO2 emissions.

Multi-center sparse learning and decision fusion for automatic COVID-19 diagnosis.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a sharp increase in hospitalized patients with multi-organ disease pneumonia. Early and automatic diagnosis of COVID-19 is essential to slow down the spread of this epidemic and reduce the mortality of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. In this paper, we propose a joint multi-center sparse learning (MCSL) and decision fusion scheme exploiting chest CT images for automatic COVID-19 diagnosis. Specifically, considering the inconsistency of data in multiple centers, we first convert CT images into histogram of oriented gradient (HOG) images to reduce the structural differences between multi-center data and enhance the generalization performance. We then exploit a 3-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) model to learn the useful information between and within 3D HOG image slices and extract multi-center features. Furthermore, we employ the proposed MCSL method that learns the intrinsic structure between multiple centers and within each center, which selects discriminative features to jointly train multi-center classifiers. Finally, we fuse these decisions made by these classifiers. Extensive experiments are performed on chest CT images from five centers to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can improve COVID-19 diagnosis performance and outperform the state-of-the-art methods.

Classification of atmospheric aerosols and clouds by use of dual-polarization lidar measurements.

Accurate identification of aerosols and cloud from remote sensing observations is of importance for quantitatively evaluating their radiative forcing and related impacts. Even though polarization lidar has exhibited a unique advantage of classifying atmospheric aerosols and clouds over the past several decades, polarization measurements are often achieved at one wavelength (UV or VIS) using laser remote sensing. To better identify the types of aerosols and clouds, we developed a ground-based dual-polarization lidar system that can simultaneously detect polarization measurements at wavelengths of 355 nm and 532 nm. Our results show that the volume depolarization ratios (VDRs) at 355 nm and 532 nm markedly differ for typical types of aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere. For non-spherical particles, the ratio of VDRs at 532 nm and 355 nm are 2.87 ± 1.35 for ice cloud and 1.51 ± 0.29 for dust-dominated aerosols, respectively. However, for spherical particles, the ratios are 0.43 ± 0.26 for water cloud and 0.56 ± 0.05 for air pollutants. Consequently, we proposed a simple reliable method for classifying atmospheric aerosols and clouds from polarization measurements observed by the developed lidar system. The proposed method first distinguishes clouds from aerosols using a combination of the color ratio (CR, 532 nm/355 nm) and attenuated backscattering coefficients (ABC) at 532 nm. Then, subtypes of clouds and aerosols are identified based on the ratio of VDRs at 532 nm and 355 nm. The results showed that dual-polarization lidar measurements can remarkably improve the classification of atmospheric aerosols and clouds, compared with results using a traditional method. This study illustrates that more information on atmospheric aerosols and clouds can be obtained from polarization measurements at multiple wavelengths by active remote sensing.