CircUGGT2 downregulation by METTL14-dependent m6A modification suppresses gastric cancer progression and cisplatin resistance through interaction with miR-186-3p/MAP3K9 axis.

Chemoresistance is a major therapeutic challenge in advanced gastric cancer (GC). N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification has been shown to play fundamental roles in cancer progression. However, the underlying mechanisms by which m6A modification of circRNAs contributes to GC and chemoresistance remain unknown. We found that hsa_circ_0030632 (circUGGT2) was a predominant m6A target of METTL14, and METTL14 knockdown (KD) reduced circUGGT2 m6A levels but increased its mRNA levels. The expression of circUGGT2 was markedly increased in cisplatin (DDP)-resistant GC cells. CircUGGT2 KD impaired cell growth, metastasis and DDP-resistance in vitro and in vivo, but circUGGT2 overexpression prompted these effects. Furthermore, circUGGT2 was validated to sponge miR-186-3p and upregulate MAP3K9 and could abolish METTL14-caused miR-186-3p upregulation and MAP3K9 downregulation in GC cells. circUGGT2 negatively correlated with miR-186-3p expression and harbored a poor prognosis in patients with GC. Our findings unveil that METTL14-dependent m6A modification of circUGGT2 inhibits GC progression and DDP resistance by regulating miR-186-3p/MAP3K9 axis.

Analysis of Postoperative Urinary Incontinence and Influencing Factors of Transurethral Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate.

INTRODUCTION: Aims of the study were to investigate the related factors of urinary incontinence after transurethral holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and to provide guidance for clinical urinary control of HoLEP. METHODS: The clinical data of 548 patients who underwent HoLEP were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were followed up for the occurrence of urinary incontinence in the short term (2 weeks), medium term (3 months), and long term (6 months) after HoLEP. RESULTS: Among the 548 benign prostatic hyperplasia patients, 79 cases (14.42%) had urinary incontinence at 2 weeks, 19 cases (3.47%) at 3 months, and 2 cases (0.36%) at 6 months after surgery. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, prostate volume, diabetes mellitus, operation time, prostate tissue weight, and histological prostatitis were risk factors for recent urinary incontinence (p < 0.05). Age, diabetes, and operation time were risk factors for mid-term urinary incontinence (p < 0.05). The incidence of long-term urinary incontinence was low and no risk factor analysis was performed. CONCLUSIONS: For good urinary control after HoLEP, in addition to surgery-related factors such as surgical skills, proficiency, and precise anatomy, patients' risk factors should also be paid attention to in order to improve postoperative urinary control more effectively and reduce the incidence of urinary incontinence.

[Melatonin alleviates autophagy in cortical neurons of neonatal rats with hypoxic- ischemic brain damage via the PI3K/AKT pathway]. / è¤ªé»‘ç´ é€šè¿‡PI3K/AKTé€šè·¯å‡è½»ç¼ºæ°§ç¼ºè¡€æ€§è„‘æŸä¼¤æ–°ç”Ÿå¤§é¼ å¤§è„‘çš®å±‚ç¥žç»ç»†èƒžè‡ªå™¬çš„ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the effects of melatonin on autophagy in cortical neurons of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) and to explore its mechanisms via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, aiming to provide a basis for the clinical application of melatonin. METHODS: Seven-day-old Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, an HIBD group, and a melatonin group (n=9 each). The neonatal rat HIBD model was established using the classic Rice-Vannucci method. Neuronal morphology in the neonatal rat cerebral cortex was observed with hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining. Autophagy-related protein levels of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin-1 were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot analysis. Phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (p-PI3K) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) protein expression levels were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The correlation between autophagy and the PI3K pathway in the melatonin group and the HIBD group was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-four hours post-modeling, neurons in the sham operation group displayed normal size and orderly arrangement. In contrast, neurons in the HIBD group showed swelling and disorderly arrangement, while those in the melatonin group had relatively normal morphology and more orderly arrangement. Nissl bodies were normal in the sham operation group but distorted in the HIBD group; however, they remained relatively intact in the melatonin group. The average fluorescence intensity of LC3 and Beclin-1 was higher in the HIBD group compared to the sham operation group, but was reduced in the melatonin group compared to the HIBD group (P<0.05). The number of p-PI3K+ and p-AKT+ cells decreased in the HIBD group compared to the sham operation group but increased in the melatonin group compared to the HIBD group (P<0.05). LC3 and Beclin-1 protein expression levels were higher, and p-PI3K and p-AKT levels were lower in the HIBD group compared to the sham operation group (P<0.05); however, in the melatonin group, LC3 and Beclin-1 levels decreased, and p-PI3K and p-AKT increased compared to the HIBD group (P<0.05). The correlation analysis results showed that the difference of the mean fluorescence intensity of LC3 and Beclin-1 protein in the injured cerebral cortex between the melatonin and HIBD groups was negatively correlated with the difference of the number of p-PI3K+ and p-AKT+ cells between the two groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin can inhibit excessive autophagy in cortical neurons of neonatal rats with HIBD, thereby alleviating HIBD. This mechanism is associated with the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Reducing Medication Errors by Adopting Automatic Dispensing Cabinets in Critical Care Units.

Medication errors can have severe consequences and threaten patient safety. The patient safety-related benefits of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) have been reported by several previous studies, including a reduction in medication errors in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments. However, the benefits of ADCs need to be assessed, given the different healthcare practice models. This study aimed to compare the rates of medication errors, including prescription, dispensing, and administrative, before and after using ADCs in intensive care units. The prescription, dispensing, and administrative error data before and after the adoption of ADCs were retrospectively collected from the medication error report system. The severity of medication errors was classified according to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention guidelines. The study outcome was the rate of medication errors. After the adoption of ADCs in the intensive care units, the rates of prescription and dispensing errors reduced from 3.03 to 1.75 per 100,000 prescriptions and 3.87 to 0 per 100,000 dispensations, respectively. The administrative error rate decreased from 0.046 to 0.026%. The ADCs decreased National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention category B and D errors by 75% and category C errors by 43%. To improve medication safety, multidisciplinary collaboration and strategies, such as the use of automated dispensing cabinets, education, and training programs from a systems perspective, are warranted.

[Cloning and expression analysis of wpHSP90 gene from Whitmania pigra at different temperatures].

HSP90 is a widely distributed molecular chaperone that participates in a variety of cellular processes and plays an important role in the meiosis of germ cells. However, its role in the gonadal development of hermaphroditic Whitmania pigra is not yet clear. To explore the effect of HSP90 on the germ cell development of Wh. Pigra, this study cloned the wpHSP90 gene, performed bioinformatics analysis, and measured its expression levels. The results showed that the cloned wpHSP90 was 2 592 bp in length, with an open reading frame(ORF) of 2 373 bp, encoding 790 amino acids. Prediction analysis revealed 85 phosphorylation modification sites on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues of the wpHSP90 protein. Structural domain prediction and multiple sequence alignment results showed that wpHSP90 contained two conserved domains of HSP90 and exhibited the highest homology with Helobdella robusta, with a sequence similarity of 80.72%. RT-qPCR results showed that the relative expression level of wpHSP90 in the gonads of 5-month-old Wh. pigra was positively correlated with temperature within the range of 12 ℃ to 28 ℃. The expression level in the female gonads was significantly higher than in the male gonads and correlated with the trend of germ cell development in the ovaries and testes. In conclusion, wpHSP90 may be involved in regulating the development of germ cells, particularly oocytes, in Wh. pigra. This study provides a reference for further research on the gonadal development mechanism in Wh. pigra.

METTL14-mediated m6A modification of circORC5 suppresses gastric cancer progression by regulating miR-30c-2-3p/AKT1S1 axis.

BACKGROUND: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation and circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to act vital roles in multiple malignancies including gastric cancer (GC). However, there is little knowledge about how m6A modification of circRNAs contributes to GC progression. METHODS: The association of METTL14 expression with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with GC was assessed by Western blot, Immunohistochemistry and public datasets. In vitro and vivo function experiments were conducted to investigate the role of METTL14 in GC. Furthermore, m6A-circRNA epitranscriptomic microarray was utilized to identify METTL14-mediated m6A modification of circRNAs, which were validated by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (Me-RIP), RT-qPCR and rescue experiments in GC cells. The sponge of circORC5 with miR-30c-2-3p was confirmed by luciferase gene report and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. The expression, localization and prognosis of circORC5 in GC were evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The effects of METTL14 and (or) circORC5 on miR-30c-2-3p-mediated AKT1S1 and EIF4B were estimated by RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses. RESULTS: We found that METTL14 was downregulated in GC tissue samples and its low expression acted as a prognostic factor of poor survival in patients with GC. Ectopic expression of METTL14 markedly repressed growth and invasion of GC cells in vitro and in vivo, whereas knockdown of METTL14 harbored the opposite effects. Mechanically, m6A-circRNA epitranscriptomic microarray and Me-RIP identified circORC5 as the downstream target of METTL14. Silencing of METTL14 reduced the m6A level of circORC5, but increased circORC5 expression. Moreover, circORC5 could sponge miR-30c-2-3p, and reverse METTL14-caused upregulation of miR-30c-2-3p and downregulation of AKT1S1 and EIF4B. In addition, circORC5 possessed a negative correlation with miR-30c-2-3p and indicated a poor survival in GC. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that METTL14-mediated m6A modification of circORC5 suppresses gastric cancer progression by regulating miR-30c-2-3p/AKT1S1 axis.

Alterations in the saliva microbiome in patients with gastritis and small bowel inflammation.

The oral microbiome is an important part of the human microbiome. Accumulating data have shown that oral microbiome alterations are closely related to multiple human diseases. However, salivary microbiota distributions remain unclear in patients with gastritis and small bowel inflammation. Magnetically guided capsule endoscopy (MGCE) is a noninvasive diagnostic tool for patients with gastritis and small bowel inflammation. Herein, we analysed the alterations in saliva microbiota in the normal, small intestinal inflammation and chronic gastritis groups through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We found that the abundance of Lactobacillaceae was dramatically higher in chronic gastritis group than healthy individuals (p = 0.001). The levels of Porphyromonas and Faecalibaculum in gastritis samples were increased (p = 0.028; p = 0.006), and the enrichments of Faecalibaculum and Kosakonia in small intestine inflammation samples were elevated (p < 0.001; p = 0.002) compared to those in normal individuals. Our findings clarify the saliva microbiota components and their importance of specific bacteria in gastritis and small bowel inflammation.

Jeotgalibacillus aurantiacus sp. nov., a novel orange-pigmented species with a carotenoid biosynthetic gene cluster, isolated from wetland soil.

A Gram-stain-positive, orange-pigmented, rod-shaped and flagellated bacterial strain T12T was isolated from wetland soil in Kunyu Mountain Wetland in Yantai, China. The strain was able to grow at 15-40 °C (optimum 37 °C), at 0.0-9.0% NaCl (optimum 2%, w/v) and at pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum 8.5). A phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain T12T is a member of the family Planococcaceae, sharing 97.6% and 97.1% sequence similarity with the type strains of Jeotgalibacillus salarius and Jeotgalibacillus marinus, respectively. Genome-based analyses revealed a genome size of 3,506,682 bp and a DNA G + C content of 43.7%. Besides, the genome sequence led to 55.0-74.6% average amino acid identity values and 67.8-74.7% average nucleotide identity values between strain T12T and the current closest relatives. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization of strain T12T with the type strains of Jeotgalibacillus proteolyticus and J. marinus demonstrated 19.0% and 20.3% relatedness, respectively. The chemotaxonomic analysis showed that the sole quinone was MK-7. The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0, C16:1ω7c alcohol and iso-C14:0. The polar lipids consisted of an unidentified aminolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and two unidentified phospholipids. Based on the polyphasic characterization, strain T12T is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Jeotgalibacillus aurantiacus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is T12T (= KCTC 43296 T = MCCC 1K07171T).

Kangiella shandongensis sp. nov., a novel species isolated from saltern in Yantai, China.

A Gram-stain-negative, wheat, rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore forming, and facultatively anaerobic bacterium strain, designated as PIT, was isolated from saline silt samples collected in saltern in Yantai, Shandong, China. Growth was observed within the ranges 4-45 °C (optimally at 33 °C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimally at pH 7.0) and 1.0-11.0% NaCl (optimally at 3.0%, w/v). Strain PIT showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Kangiella sediminilitoris BB-Mw22T (98.3%) and Kangiella taiwanensis KT1T (98.3%). The major cellular fatty acids (> 10% of the total fatty acids) were iso-C15:0 (52.7%) and summed featured 9 (iso-C17:1ω9c/C16:0 10-methyl, 11.8%). The major polar lipids identified were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. The major respiratory isoprenoid quinone was Q-8. The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 45.8%. Average Nucleotide Identity values between whole genome sequences of strain PIT and next related type strains supported the novel species status. Based on physiological, biochemical, chemotaxonomic characteristics and genomic analysis, strain PIT is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Kangiella, for which the name Kangiella shandongensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is PIT (= KCTC 82509 T = MCCC 1K04352T).

A multicenter, randomized, open, controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of Honglilai Vaginal Cream and Premarin Vaginal Cream for Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause in different subgroups of Chinese postmenopausal women.

AIM: In a randomized, multicenter, open, controlled trial, we compared the effects of Honglilai Vaginal Cream and Premarin Vaginal Cream in different age subgroups and menopausal year subgroups (trial registration numbers: 02003L00493). METHODS: Postmenopausal women with Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) were divided into Honglilai group (n = 319) and Premarin group (n = 116), while subgroups were divided according to their different characteristics of age and menopausal years. Honglilai Vaginal Cream (0.625 mg/g) or Premarin Vaginal Cream (0.625 mg/g) once daily for 3 weeks. RESULTS: In the subgroup of participates >60 years, there were no significant differences of Vaginal Cell Maturation Index (VMI) between the two groups after treatment (p = .171). In the subgroup of 50-59 years, the VMI of Honglilai group was significantly lower than Premarin group (Honglilai group: 74.37 ± 22.76; Premarin group: 80.06 ± 16.15; p = .02). There were no significant differences of Vaginal symptom scores between Honglilai group and Premarin group in every sub-group (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Honglilai Vaginal Cream had comparable efficacy with Premarin Vaginal Cream in Chinese women older than 60 years.

Theoretical studies on the g factors, optical absorption, and their concentration variations for Mo5+ in 40PbO-(10 - x)Y2 O3 -50P2 O5 :xMoO3 glass.

On the basis of the higher order perturbation formulas of g factors for a 4d1 group in tetragonally compressed octahedra, the g factors, optical absorption, local structure, and their concentration dependences of pentavalent molybdenum in 40PbO-(10 - x)Y2 O3 -50P2 O5 :xMoO3 (1 ≤ x ≤ 5 mol%) glass are uniformly investigated. The experimental optical absorption spectra and g factors for Mo5+ at various concentrations x are reasonably regenerated by using the reasonable exponential concentration functions of the cubic field parameter Dq , covalent factor N, and relative tetragonal compression ratio ρ. The tetragonal compression ratio ρ due to the Jahn-Teller effect was found in the range of 3.8% to 4.2%. The decreasing trend of Dq and N and the increasing trend of ρ with concentration can be interpreted as the fact that the variations of MoO3 and Y2 O3 concentrations lead to the modulations of local structure and electron cloud distribution around Mo5+ , associated with the adjustment of the glass network. The concentration dependence of optical basicity is also analyzed for the above glass systems.

Theoretical studies of the concentration dependences of d-d transition band, g factors, and local distortion for V4+ in Li2 O-PbO-B2 O3 -P2 O5 glasses.

In this work, the g factors, d-d transition band, local distortion, and their concentration dependences for impurity V4+ in 20Li2 O-20PbO-45B2 O3 -(15 - x)P2 O5 :V2 O5 (0 ≤ x ≤ 2.5 mol%) glasses are theoretically investigated by using perturbation formulas of g factors for a tetragonally compressed octahedral 3d1 cluster. In the light of the cubic polynomial concentration functions for cubic field parameter Dq , covalency factor N, and relative tetragonal compression ratio ρ, the calculated concentration dependences of d-d transition band and g factors for V4+ show good agreement with the experimental data. With increasing x, N (≈0.7682-0.8165) displays the monotonously increasing trend, whereas ρ (≈6.5-4.2%) and Dq (≈1504.9-1481.1 cm-1 ) exhibit the decreasing tendencies. The above concentration dependences can be ascribed to the modifications of the V4+ -O2- bonding and orbital admixtures around the impurity V4+ due to the effects of V2 O5 doping on the stability of the glass network, the strength of local crystal fields, and the electron cloud distribution.

Mucosal microbiome dysbiosis associated with duodenum bulb inflammation.

BACKGROUND: There is high morbidity in clinical patients with duodenum bulb inflammation. Mucosa-associated microbiota, which are closely related to inflammatory processes, may have a pathogenic role, but the duodenum bulb microbial signature is poorly studied. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize microbial changes associated with duodenum bulb inflammation. METHODS: Mucosal biopsy is commonly used to assess microbial communities associated with the intestinal mucosa. Sixteen patients (8 with duodenum bulb inflammation and 8 controls) underwent gastroscopy, and duodenal bulb biopsies were obtained. Diagnoses were based on both endoscopic and histological findings. To determine microbiota composition and diversity, 454 pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA and multiple bioinformatics analyses were performed. OTU-level alpha diversity indices, such as the Chao1 richness estimator, abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE) metric, Shannon diversity index, and Simpson index, were calculated using the OTU table in QIIME. RESULTS: More OTUs were identified in the normal samples (781) than in the inflammatory samples (553). Metastats analysis identified 19 phyla and 97 genera that were significantly different between the two groups, and the beta diversity was significantly different between the two groups (unweighted UniFrac: P = 0.001; weighted UniFrac: P = 0.001). For all individuals, composition analyses showed that the most abundant phyla in the duodenal bulb samples were Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. The phylogenetic diversity of the microbiota in the duodenal bulbs of healthy volunteers was higher than that in volunteers with inflammation. Dominant microbes differed between the DN samples and DI samples. The most frequently represented genera in the DN samples were Cetobacterium, Aeromonadaceae, and Clostridium (accounting for 58.4%, 8.5%, and 4.8% of the total, respectively), and the dominant genera in the DI samples were Cetobacterium, Cupriavidus, and Helicobacter (accounting for 43.6%, 13.1%, 4.5% of the total, respectively). Significant differences in the microbiota were observed between those exhibiting an inflammatory state and the controls. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that the dominant species in duodenum bulbs differ between healthy subjects and patients with inflammation and that mucosal microbiome dysbiosis is involved in the development of duodenum bulb inflammation.

Structure Characteristics, Biochemical Properties, and Pharmaceutical Applications of Alginate Lyases.

Alginate, the most abundant polysaccharides of brown algae, consists of various proportions of uronic acid epimers α-L-guluronic acid (G) and ß-D-mannuronic acid (M). Alginate oligosaccharides (AOs), the degradation products of alginates, exhibit excellent bioactivities and a great potential for broad applications in pharmaceutical fields. Alginate lyases can degrade alginate to functional AOs with unsaturated bonds or monosaccharides, which can facilitate the biorefinery of brown algae. On account of the increasing applications of AOs and biorefinery of brown algae, there is a scientific need to explore the important aspects of alginate lyase, such as catalytic mechanism, structure, and property. This review covers fundamental aspects and recent developments in basic information, structural characteristics, the structure-substrate specificity or catalytic efficiency relationship, property, molecular modification, and applications. To meet the needs of biorefinery systems of a broad array of biochemical products, alginate lyases with special properties, such as salt-activated, wide pH adaptation range, and cold adaptation are outlined. Withal, various challenges in alginate lyase research are traced out, and future directions, specifically on the molecular biology part of alginate lyases, are delineated to further widen the horizon of these exceptional alginate lyases.

[Effects of Wp-PKC on gonadal development of Whitmania pigra].

Protein kinase C(PKC) is a kind of kinase which is widely involved in cell proliferation and development. PKC(Wp-PKC) in Whitmania pigra body belongs to classic PKC. In order to investigate the effect of Wp-PKC on the development of Wh. pigra germ cells, 17ß-estradiol(17ß-E2)(100 ng·mL~(-1)) and methyltestosterone(MT)(150 µg·L~(-1)), 150 µg·L~(-1)(MT)+0.5 mg·L~(-1) PKC, 0.5 mg·L~(-1) PKC inhibitor were added to Wh. pigra culture water, and no addition group(control group) was added, and the effects on the development of Wh. pigra germ cells and the expression of Wp-PKC were observed. The results showed that: Wp-PKC in male gonads was always higher than that in female gonads; MT promoted the development of male gonads in Wh. pigra, while the expression of Wp-PKC was significantly higher than that in the control; 17ß-E2 promoted the development of female gonads in Wh. pigra and Wp-PKC expression significantly lower than that of the control; while the development of the female and male gonads in the PKC inhibitor group was inhibited, the expression of Wp-PKC was significantly lower than that of the control. In summary, Wp-PKC may promote the development of Wh. pigra, especially the development of male gonads.

[Cloning and expression analysis of protein kinase C gene from Whitmania pigra].

Protein kinase C(PKC) is a type of protein kinase widely involved in cell proliferation and development, but the developmental mechanism in the gonads of androgynous animals is still unclear. In order to explore the role of protein kinase C in the development of Whitmania pigra germ cells, the Wh. pigra PKC(Wp-PKC) gene was cloned, bioinformatics analysis was conducted, and fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to analyze the expression of female and male gonads. The results showed that:(1)The cloned Wp-PKC had a full length of 2 580 bp, a relative molecular weight of 76 555.19, and contains an open reading frame encoding 670 amino acids, Wp-PKC was closely related to Danio rerio PKC-α and rat PKC-γ. The similarity of amino acid sequence was 55% and 58%.(2)The protein encoded by Wp-PKC had no signal peptide and was a hydrophilic protein. The secondary structure is mainly composed of random coils, α-helices, extended chains, folds and folds, with the largest proportion of random coils and α-helices. Wp-PKC protein does not contain a transmembrane domain. Multiple sequence alignment and domain prediction analysis show that Wp-PKC contains 4 conserved domains of classical protein kinase C.(3)Fluorescence quantitative results showed that the expression of Wp-PKC in Wh. pigra gonads was positively correlated with the development of germ cells, and the expression in male gonads was significantly higher than that in female gonads. In summary, Wp-PKC is a classic PKC, and Wp-PKC may promote the development of Wh. pigra, especially the development of male gonads, and provide references for further research on the developmental mechanisms of Wh. pigra.

Mild changes in the mucosal microbiome during terminal ileum inflammation.

Patients with inflammation in the terminal ileum have high morbidity. In genetically susceptible hosts, chronic intestinal inflammation targeting the resident intestinal microbiota develops, but the microbial signature of the terminal ileum is poorly studied. To improve understanding of the mechanisms underlying the high prevalence of terminal ileum inflammation, we used 16S rRNA sequencing to analyse the mucosa-associated microbiota of the terminal ileum under intestinal homeostasis and inflammation conditions. Mucosal biopsy is the most commonly used sampling technique for assessing microbial communities associated with the intestinal mucosa. Thirty patients (15 with terminal ileum inflammation and 15 controls) underwent colonoscopy and biopsies were taken from the terminal ileum. Diagnosis depended on a combination of endoscopic and histological factors. To determine the composition and diversity of the microbiota, the 16S rRNA was analysed, and a variety of bioinformatics analyses were performed. Among the patients, composition analysis showed that the most abundant phyla identified in the terminal ileum samples were Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. At the phylum level, the relative proportion of Bacteroidetes was lower in patients with inflammation than in control patients. In addition, there was an increase in the abundance of the phyla Proteobacteria and Lentisphaerae in patients with inflammation. The abundances of the dominant microbes in the terminal ileum were not significantly different between patients in an inflammatory state and controls. These results confirm that partial dysbiosis of the intestinal mucosa-associated microbiota composition is associated with terminal ileum inflammation.

Effect of an ICU diary on psychiatric disorders, quality of life, and sleep quality among adult cardiac surgical ICU survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Although studies on the effectiveness of the use of ICU diaries on psychiatric disorders and quality of life have been published, the results still seem to be controversial. The study aimed to determine the effects of using an ICU diary on psychiatric disorders, sleep quality, and quality of life (QoL) in adult ICU survivors in China. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-six patients who underwent a scheduled cardiac surgery and were expected to stay ≥ 24 h in ICU were randomized to two groups (63 in each group). The patients in the intervention group received the use of ICU diaries during the period of post-ICU follow-up, while the patients in the control group received usual care without ICU diaries. The primary outcome was significant PTSD symptoms (Chinese version of Impact of Event Scale-Revised, IES-R; total score ≥ 35 was defined as significant PTSD symptoms) and its severity in patients 3 months post-ICU. The secondary outcomes included memories of the ICU at 1 month, QoL (Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form, SF-36), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire, PSQI), anxiety, and depression symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS) at 3 months. RESULTS: Eighty-five and 83 patients completed the follow-up interviews at 1 month and 3 months post-ICU, respectively. Significant PTSD symptoms were reported by 6 of 41 (14.63%) in the intervention group vs 9 of 42 (21.43%) in the control group (risk difference, - 9% [95% CI, - 2% to 21%], P = 0.10). There was no significant differences between groups in IES-R score, symptoms of intrusion, symptoms of avoidance, numbers of memories of feeling and delusional memories, SF-36 score and anxiety score (P > 0.05), while significant differences were found in symptom of hyperarousal score, numbers of factual memories and PSQI score (P < 0.05). No adverse effect was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Using an ICU diary is not useful for preventing PTSD symptoms and anxiety symptoms and preserving the quality of life of the patients at 3 months post-ICU, while it significantly improves the survivor's factual memory of ICU and sleep quality, and prevents the hyperarousal symptom. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IOR-16009109, registered on 28 August 2016.

Compensation of Rotary Encoders Using Fourier Expansion-Back Propagation Neural Network Optimized by Genetic Algorithm.

The measurement accuracy of the precision instruments that contain rotation joints is influenced significantly by the rotary encoders that are installed in the rotation joints. Apart from the imperfect manufacturing and installation of the rotary encoder, the variations of ambient temperature could cause the angle measurement error of the rotary encoder. According to the characteristics of the 2π periodicity of the angle measurement at the stationary temperature and the complexity of the effects of ambient temperature changes, the method based on the Fourier expansion-back propagation (BP) neural network optimized by genetic algorithm (FE-GABPNN) is proposed to improve the angle measurement accuracy of the rotary encoder. The proposed method, which innovatively integrates the characteristics of Fourier expansion, the BP neural network and genetic algorithm, has good fitting performance. The rotary encoder that is installed in the rotation joint of the articulated coordinate measuring machine (ACMM) is calibrated by using an autocollimator and a regular optical polygon at ambient temperature ranging from 10 to 40 °C. The contrastive analysis is carried out. The experimental results show that the angle measurement errors decrease remarkably, from 110.2″ to 2.7″ after compensation. The mean root mean square error (RMSE) of the residual errors is 0.85″.

[Effects of light intensity on physio-biochemical characteristics of Chrysanthemum indicum].

By analyzing the effects of light intensity on the growth, physiological and biochemical characteristics of Chrysanthemum indicum, the light intensity suitable for the growth of Ch. indicum was revealed, which provided a reference for the planting of Ch. indicum. There were five treatment groups of Ch. indicum, which was planted under 100%, 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% all natural light intensity conditions, respectively. In the meantime, these indicators of photosynthetic physiology, such as relative growth, photosynthetic pigment content, photosynthetic parameters, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters etc. were measured in the peak period of growth of Ch. indicum as well as related indicators of the protective enzyme system, and the ultrastructure of chloroplast was observed with the use of transmission electron microscope technique. In our study, the results showed that the leaves of Ch. indicum occurred yellow phenomenon in different degrees when Ch. indicum was placed at more than 80% of the total natural light intensity condition, the height and stem diameter of plant reached the maximum at 60% of the total natural light intensity. More importantly, the number of branches of Ch. indicum was significantly increased under the total natural light intensity of more than 60%. Both the content of photosynthetic pigment and net photosynthetic rate were negatively correlated with light intensity, while photosynthetic parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters showed a trend of rising first and then decreasing with the decrease of light intensity. The physiological indexes of Ch.indicum including stomatal conductivity, intracellular CO_2 concentration, transpiration rate, water use efficiency and actual photochemical quantum yield of PS Ⅱ had been determined, and the results showed that all of them were at the highest level under 60% total natural light intensity condition. The chloroplast structure of Ch. indicum was not obviously abnormal under 60% and 80% total natural light intensity treatments, but the stroma lamella was broken under 100% total natural light intensity, and not only the number of chloroplast, but also the number and volume of starch grains were decreased significantly under 20% and 40% total natural light intensity. With the decrease of light intensity, the enzymes activities of SOD and CAT decreased, the activity of POD increased in the early stage and decreased in the later stage, and the content of MDA showed a decreasing trend. The analysis of results indicated that the Ch. indicum can grow under 20%-100% total natural light intensity, but the best growth condition was under 60% total natural light intensity.