Similarity of Chinese and Pakistani oral microbiome.

Oral microbiota is vital for human health and can be affected by various factors (i.e. diets, ethnicity). However, few studies have compared oral microbiota of individuals from different nationalities in the same environment. Here, we explored the assembly and interaction of oral microbial communities of Chinese and Pakistanis in one university. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the predominant microorganisms in the oral cavity of Chinese and Pakistanis. Streptococcus and Neisseria were the dominant genera of China, while Streptococcus and Haemophilus were the dominant genera of Pakistanis. In addition, the oral community membership and structure were not influenced by season, Chinese/Pakistani student and gender, reflecting the stability of the human oral microbiome. The beta diversity of oral microbiomes between Chinese and Pakistanis significantly differed in winter, but not in spring. The alpha diversity of Chinese students and Pakistani students was similar. Moreover, oral microbial community of both Chinese and Pakistani students was mainly driven by stochastic processes. The microbial network of Chinese was more complexity and stability than that of Pakistanis. Our study uncovers the characteristics of human oral microbiota, which is of great significance for oral and human health.

Echocardiographic assessment for cardiopulmonary function in patients with congenital heart disease-related pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: For patients with congenital heart disease-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (CHD-PAH), cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) can reflect cardiopulmonary reserve function. However, CPET may not be readily accessible for patients with high-risk conditions or limited mobility due to disability. Echocardiography, on the other hand, serves as a widely available diagnostic tool for all CHD-PAH patients. This study was aimed to identify the parameters of echocardiography that could serve as indicators of cardiopulmonary function and exercise capacity. METHODS: A cohort of 70 patients contributed a total of 110 paired echocardiogram and CPET results to this study, with 1 year interval for repeated examinations. Echocardiography and exercise testing were conducted following standardized procedures, and the data were collected together with clinically relevant indicators for subsequent statistical analysis. Demographic comparisons were performed using t-tests and chi-square tests. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify potential predictors of peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2) and the carbon dioxide ventilation equivalent slope (VE/VCO2 slope). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the performance of the parameters. RESULTS: The ratio of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion to pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) was found to be the only independent indicator significantly associated with both peak VO2 and VE/VCO2 slope (both p < 0.05). Additionally, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and right ventricular fractional area change (FAC) were independently correlated with the VE/VCO2 slope (both p < 0.05). TAPSE/PASP showed the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) for predicting both a peak VO2 ≤ 15 mL/kg/min and a VE/VCO2 slope ≥ 36 (AUC = 0.91, AUC = 0.90, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of TAPSE/PASP at the optimal threshold exceeded 0.85 for both parameters. CONCLUSIONS: TAPSE/PASP may be a feasible echocardiographic indicator for evaluating exercise tolerance.

New risk model by right ventricle - pulmonary arterial coupling and inferior vena cava from echocardiography in patients with conventional low-intermediate risk pulmonary artery hypertension under targeted treatment.

BACKGROUND: Accurately stratifying patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is very important, and traditional risk scores still have internal heterogeneity. This study aimed to construct a risk stratification model that can accurately identify clinical worsening (CW) events in conventional low-intermediate risk patients with pulmonary hypertension under targeted drug treatment by using echocardiographic parameters. METHODS: This study is a single-center, prospective study, including 105 PAH patients who underwent regular follow-up at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from October 2021 to April 2023. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of CW, including death, hospitalization due to pulmonary hypertension, escalation of targeted drug therapy, and worsening of PAH. The predictive value of the echocardiography-based three-strata risk model was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and COX regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 98 PAH patients were ultimately included in this study. The median follow-up duration was 26 months (range 7-28 months). The echocardiography-based three-strata model included the ratio of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) and inferior vena cava (IVC). The echocardiography-based three-strata model had higher diagnostic value (C-index = .76) compared to the 2022 ESC/ERS three-strata model and four-strata model (C-index = .66 and C-index = .61, respectively). PAH patients with lower TAPSE/PASP and wider IVC showed a higher CW rate compared to patients with higher TAPSE/PASP and normal IVC (HR = 15.1, 95%CI:4.4-51.9, p < .001). CONCLUSION: The echocardiography-based three-strata model based on TAPSE/PASP and IVC can effectively improve the stratification of low-intermediate risk PAH patients under targeted treatment.

Effect of Tea Polyphenols on Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-related Factor 2 (NRF2) and Kelch-like ECH-associated Protein 1 (KEAP1) Gene Expression in Mice with Acute Cadmium Poisoning.

Background: Cadmium poisoning is mainly caused by inhalation of cadmium dust or cadmium compound dust, which greatly harms people's lives. Tea polyphenols extracted from green tea have wide biological properties, including anti-cardiovascular disease, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and immune regulation. The transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) are involved in the regulation of cadmium-induced oxidative damage. However, whether tea polyphenols relieve acute cadmium poisoning via regulating NRF2 and KEAP1 gene expression remains unclear. Objective: To explore the influences of tea polyphenols on NRF2 and KEAP1 gene expression in mice with acute cadmium poisoning. Design: This is an animal experiment that adopts hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Setting: This study was carried out in Zunyi Medical and Pharmaceutical College. Participants: Fifty specific pathogen-free (SPF) male Kunming mice aged 9 weeks, weighing 18-22 g were divided into five groups: normal group, model group, low-dose tea polyphenols group, middle-dose tea polyphenols group, and high-dose tea polyphenols group. Interventions: Tea polyphenols were administered intraastrically into mice with doses of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 200 mg/kg for 10 consecutive days, respectively. Observation indicators: (1) liver coefficient, (2) pathological liver injury, (3) liver function, (4) oxidative damage, and (5) NRF2 and KEAP1 gene expression. Results: The liver coefficient, pathological liver injury, serum aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase levels of the model group were higher relative to the normal group (P < .05). Relative to the model group, different doses of tea polyphenols treatment significantly relieved liver coefficient, pathological liver injury, serum aspartate transaminase, and alanine transaminase levels (P < .05). Malondialdehyde content in liver tissues of the model group was significantly higher compared to the normal group, while glutathione together with glutathione peroxidase contents of the model group was lower (P < .05). Compared to the model group, malondialdehyde content in liver tissues declined while glutathione together with glutathione peroxidase contents were elevated after different doses of tea polyphenols treatment (P < .05). Relative to the normal group, NRF2 expression in the liver tissues of the model group was significantly lower, while KEAP1 expression was higher (P < .05). Relative to the model group, NRF2 expression in the liver tissues was elevated after treatment of different doses of tea polyphenols, while KEAP1 expression was declined (P < .05). Conclusion: Tea polyphenols can relieve liver injury in mice with acute cadmium poisoning by regulating NRF2 and KEAP1 expression. Our study might provide a promising treatment strategy for acute cadmium poisoning.

Formate Additive for Efficient and Stable Methylammonium-Free Perovskite Solar Cells by Gas-Quenching.

In order to promote the commercialization of perovskite solar cells, gas-quenching is considered to be a promising technique for perovskite film fabrication. However, when handling with methylammonium-free (MA-free) perovskites, it is often difficult to obtain high-quality perovskite films by gas-quenching. Herein, formate additives are employed to regulate the crystallization of MA-free perovskite, and improve the quality of perovskite films. Different additives of formamidine formate (FAFO) and potassium formate (KFO) is compared to investigate the role of formate groups in the crystallization of perovskite films prepared by gas-quenching. The FAFO additive facilitates the perovskite crystallization in (001) orientation whereas KFO favors for (111) orientation. The MA-free device with addition of FAFO demonstrate a champion power conversion efficiency of 20.94 %, compared to that of 20.14 % for KFO devices. In addition, FAFO device also exhibits improved thermal stability in ambient condition without encapsulation, extending the T80 lifetime by 18 times compared to the pristine device.

Multi-omics methods reveal that putrescine and cadaverine cause different degrees of enrichment of high-risk resistomes and opportunistic pathogens in the water and sediment of the Yellow River.

Contamination of antibiotic resistomes due to animal carcass decay has become a serious environmental concern. However, the relationship between main metabolite compounds of corpse decomposition (i.e., putrescine and cadaverine) and antibiotic resistomes remains unclear. To tackle this issue, the response of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microbiome in aquatic environment to excess putrescine, cadaverine and a mixture of both based on laboratory simulation experiment was investigated by high-throughput quantitative PCR and amplicon sequencing methods. Our results showed putrescine and cadaverine led to the increasing of TC (total carbon) and TN (total nitrogen) both in water and sediment. Under the exposure of putrescine and cadaverine, the total abundance of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and most ARGs in water was higher than in sediment. In particular, putrescine and cadaverine caused significantly different decreases in alpha diversity of microbial community in water and sediment compared with the control group. Microbial community structures both in water and sediment were also significantly affected by cadaverine and putrescine. Furthermore, putrescine and cadaverine led to different degrees of increases of high-risk ARGs (like mecA) and opportunistic pathogens (like Delftia) in sediment, promoting the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In conclusion, our findings revealed the influences of main metabolites of carcass decay on microbiome and resistomes, providing references for risk assessment and pollution management.

Deterministic Processes Shape Abundant and Rare Bacterial Communities in Drinking Water.

The deep mechanisms shaping bacterial assembly are a crucial challenge in drinking water ecosystem. However, much less is known about seasonal diversity distributions and assembly mechanisms of abundant and rare bacteria in drinking water. The combination of environmental variables and high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing was conducted to examine the composition, assembly, co-occurrence patterns of abundant and rare bacteria from five drinking water sites across four seasons in one year in China. The results indicated that abundant taxa were mainly composed of Rhizobiales_UG1, Sphingomonadales_UG1, and Comamonadaceae, while rare taxa were Sphingomonadales_UG1, Rhizobiales_UG2, and Rhizobiales_UG1. The richness of rare bacteria was greater than that of abundant ones, and the richness had no differences among seasons. The beta diversity was significantly discrepant in abundant and rare communities and among seasons. Deterministic mechanism accounted for a larger contribution to abundant taxa than rare taxa. Furthermore, water temperature had higher effects on abundant microbiome than rare ones. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that abundant taxa that occupied frequently in central positions had stronger effect on co-occurrence network. In our study, these results collectively suggested that rare bacteria respond to environmental variables with an analogical pattern to abundant counterparts (similar community assembly), but their ecological diversities, driving forces, and co-occurrence patterns were not equivalent in drinking water.

Long-Lasting Conceptual Change in Science Education: The Role of U-shaped Pattern of Argumentative Dialogue in Collaborative Argumentation.

Meaningful learning for conceptual change in science education should aim to help students change their existing misconceptions to develop an accurate understanding of scientific concepts. Although collaborative argumentation is assumed to support such processes, its value for conceptual change is unclear. Moreover, the roles of argumentative dialogue should be considered in studies on collaborative argumentation. In the present study, using a controlled experiment, we examined the value of collaborative argumentation for conceptual change in science education while fully considering the roles of argumentative dialogue. Twenty-three postgraduate students were each allocated to one of two conditions (individual argumentation [control group] and collaborative argumentation [experimental group]) and participated in two argumentation activities. The results revealed that collaborative argumentation had a delayed but long-lasting effect on conceptual change in science education (i.e., conceptual change induced by collaborative argumentation did not immediately indicate a significant improvement at the moments of argumentation but showed a significant improvement during the delay period). Collaborative argumentation provided opportunities for change in cognitive, ontological, intentional, and other aspects of learning. Dialogue protocol analysis revealed that long-lasting conceptual change was associated with a U-shaped pattern of argumentative dialogue (i.e., two high and one low: both deliberative argumentation and co-consensual construction frequently occurred, while disputative argumentation rarely occurred) in collaborative argumentation. A third argumentation activity was then conducted to confirm this unexpected finding. The results confirmed an association between long-lasting conceptual change and a U-shaped pattern of argumentative dialogue in collaborative argumentation. The current study sheds light on the value of collaborative argumentation for long-lasting conceptual change, deepening our understanding of whether conceptual gains from argumentation activities were contingent on a particular type of verbal dialogue powered by collaborative argumentation. Implications for science education were discussed.

Highly Selective Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Amines to Nitriles Assisted by Water Oxidation on Metal-Doped α-Ni(OH)2.

Selective oxidation to synthesize nitriles is critical for feedstock manufacturing in the chemical industry. Current strategies typically involve substitutions of alkyl halides with toxic cyanides or the use of strong oxidation reagents (oxygen or peroxide) under ammoxidation/oxidation conditions, setting considerable challenges in energy efficiency, sustainability, and production safety. Herein, we demonstrate a facile, green, and safe electrocatalytic route for selective oxidation of amines to nitriles under ambient conditions, assisted by the anodic water oxidation on metal-doped α-Ni(OH)2 (a typical oxygen evolution reaction catalyst). By controlling the balance between co-adsorption of the amine molecule and hydroxyls on the catalyst surface, we demonstrate that Mn doping significantly promotes the subsequent chemical oxidation of amines, resulting in Faradaic efficiencies of 96% for nitriles under ≥99% conversion. This anodic oxidation is further coupled with cathodic hydrogen evolution for overall atomic economy and additional green energy production.

LINC00174 promotes cell proliferation and metastasis in renal clear cell carcinoma by regulating miR-612/FOXM1 axis.

BACKGROUND: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is the most common pathological subtype of kidney tumor. Reportedly, LINC00174 is a key regulator in cancer progression. This study aims to clarify the role and molecular mechanism of LINC00174 in the progression of KIRC. METHODS: LINC00174 expression in KIRC and its prognostic value were analyzed by bioinformatics. LINC00174, miR-612 and FOXM1 mRNA expression levels in KIRC clinical samples and cell lines were detected by qRT-PCR. After LINC00174 was overexpressed or knocked down, CCK-8, BrdU and Transwell assays were adopted to evaluate the proliferation and metastatic potential of KIRC cells. Bioinformatics and dual luciferase reporter assays were employed to validate the targeting relationship between miR-612 and LINC00174 or FOXM1 mRNA, respectively. Western blot assay was performed to detect FOXM1 protein expression in KIRC cells. RESULTS: LINC00174 expression and FOXM1 expression were up-regulated in 42 cases of KIRC tissues (p < 0.001), while miR-612 expression was down-regulated (p < .001). LINC00174 overexpression or miR-612 inhibitor promoted the viability and proliferation of KIRC cells (p < .01). Migration and invasion of KIRC cells were promoted when the cells were transfected with LINC00174 overexpression or miR-612 inhibitor (p < .05). LINC00174 can competitively bind with miR-612 to repress the expression of miR-612, in turn up-regulate the expression of FOXM1 mRNA. CONCLUSION: LINC00174 facilitates the proliferation and metastatic potential of KIRC cells via regulating the miR-612/FOXM1 axis.

The role of parental conflict in predicting adolescent depression symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study.

The present study was designed to investigate the association and the underlying mechanism between parental conflict and adolescent depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a longitudinal study, a total of 655 Chinese adolescents ranging from 13 to 16 years old completed a three-wave survey (W1, W2, W3) via a survey website. The data was collected three times: March 15-20, 2020 (W1, the outbreak period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China), June 20-25, 2020 (W2, the trough stage), and December 15-20, 2020 (W3, six months after the trough stage). The SPSS 16.0 software was used to investigate the relationships among study variables. The findings showed that a double-hump effect was found for depression detection among adolescents during the pandemic, with depression rates in W1 (26.9%) and W3 (29%) were higher than that in W2 (21.9%). The parental conflict subscales of content and resolution had a greater impact on adolescent adjustment than other subscales. The parental conflict had direct and indirect impacts (through reducing family support and increasing burdensomeness) on adolescent depression symptoms in W3. It was concluded that when the COVID-19 pandemic was in a trough curve for more than six months, adolescent adjustment was significantly impacted by the pandemic, and parental conflict was an important risk factor in predicting individual adjustment. Therefore, family intervention is recommended when improving adolescent adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The association of sex-biased ATRX mutation in female gastric cancer patients with enhanced immunotherapy-related anticancer immunity.

BACKGROUND: Genetic alterations have been proven to be the promising biomarkers for ICI response. However, sex biases in genetic alterations have been often ignored in the field of immunotherapy, which might specially influence the anticancer immunity and immunotherapy efficacy in male or female patients. Here, we have systematically evaluated the effect of the sex biases in somatic mutation of gastric cancer (GC) patients on the anticancer immunity and clinical benefit to immunotherapy. METHODS: Genomic and transcriptomic data of gastric cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). We also obtained the genomic and clinical data of a MSKCC ICI-treated cohort from cbioportal database. GC male and female-derived tumor somatic mutation profiles were compared by maftools R package. Single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was conducted to calculate the score of the anticancer immunity indicators including IFN-γ signaling, cytolytic activity (CYT) and antigen presenting machinery (APM). RESULTS: ATRX was found to mutate more frequently in female GC patients compared to male patients (FDR = 0.0108). Female GC patients with ATRX mutation manifested significantly more MSI-high subtypes, increased TMB and PDL1 expression as well as higher scores of IFN-γ signaling, CYT and APM. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) has shown that ATRX mutation might enhance the immunogenicity and anticancer immunity through affecting DNA damage repair pathways. In the ICI-treated cohort from MSKCC, GC patients with ATRX mutation were associated with prolonged overall survival. When stratifying the entire ICI-treated cohort by sex, female patients with ATRX mutation obtained significantly better survival benefits than that of ATRX mutant male patients (Female patients, HR of ATRX MT vs WT = 0.636, 95%CI = 0.455-0.890, P = 0.023; Male patients, HR of ATRX MT vs WT = 0.929, 95%CI = 0.596-1.362, P = 0.712). CONCLUSIONS: ATRX mutation might serve as a potential predictive biomarker for favorable clinical benefit to ICI in female GC patients. ATRX mutation could be applied in combination with other biomarkers of ICI response to better identify the female GC patients who will derive greater benefits from ICI therapy.

Mental health consequences of COVID-19 media coverage: the need for effective crisis communication practices.

During global pandemics, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), crisis communication is indispensable in dispelling fears, uncertainty, and unifying individuals worldwide in a collective fight against health threats. Inadequate crisis communication can bring dire personal and economic consequences. Mounting research shows that seemingly endless newsfeeds related to COVID-19 infection and death rates could considerably increase the risk of mental health problems. Unfortunately, media reports that include infodemics regarding the influence of COVID-19 on mental health may be a source of the adverse psychological effects on individuals. Owing partially to insufficient crisis communication practices, media and news organizations across the globe have played minimal roles in battling COVID-19 infodemics. Common refrains include raging QAnon conspiracies, a false and misleading "Chinese virus" narrative, and the use of disinfectants to "cure" COVID-19. With the potential to deteriorate mental health, infodemics fueled by a kaleidoscopic range of misinformation can be dangerous. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of research on how to improve crisis communication across media and news organization channels. This paper identifies ways that legacy media reports on COVID-19 and how social media-based infodemics can result in mental health concerns. This paper discusses possible crisis communication solutions that media and news organizations can adopt to mitigate the negative influences of COVID-19 related news on mental health. Emphasizing the need for global media entities to forge a fact-based, person-centered, and collaborative response to COVID-19 reporting, this paper encourages media resources to focus on the core issue of how to slow or stop COVID-19 transmission effectively.

Electro-Descriptors for the Performance Prediction of Electro-Organic Synthesis.

Electrochemical organic synthesis has attracted increasing attentions as a sustainable and versatile synthetic platform. Quantitative assessment of the electro-organic reactions, including reaction thermodynamics, electro-kinetics, and coupled chemical processes, can lead to effective analytical tool to guide their future design. Herein, we demonstrate that electrochemical parameters such as onset potential, Tafel slope, and effective voltage can be utilized as electro-descriptors for the evaluation of reaction conditions and prediction of reactivities (yields). An "electro-descriptor-diagram" is generated, where reactive and non-reactive conditions/substances show distinct boundary. Successful predictions of reaction outcomes have been demonstrated using electro-descriptor diagram, or from machine learning algorithms with experimentally-derived electro-descriptors. This method represents a promising tool for data-acquisition, reaction prediction, mechanistic investigation, and high-throughput screening for general organic electro-synthesis.

The evolutionary and transmission characteristic of HIV-1 CRF07_BC in Nanjing, Jiangsu.

To understand the epidemiology, evolutionary and transmission characteristics of HIV-1 CRF07_BC in Nanjing, China. One hundred and fifty-nine patients with HIV-1 CRF07_BC were recruited. DNA sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, and molecular transmission cluster analysis were conducted to determine the molecular epidemiology and evolutionary characteristics. Of these HIV-1-infected patients, 95.6% were male, and men who sex with men (76.7%) were the main transmission route. Only 34.0% of these cases were born in Nanjing, and most of them (64.8%) reported having multiple sex partners in the last 6 months. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of HIV-1 CRF07_BC revealed two lineages. Overall, 67.3% of Nanjing sequences were connected to at least one other individual distributed in 11 clusters, and the average degree was 21.2 with range (1-178). The clustered patients were more likely to be male. The time to a most recent common ancestor for the early HIV-1 CRF07_BC circulating in Nanjing was estimated to be 1998.71[1997.36-2001.07]. The mean estimated evolutionary rate for the epidemic cluster was slightly lower at 2.38[2.12-2.65] × 10-3 per site per year with the relaxed exponential clock model. HIV-1 CRF07_BC was transmitted into Nanjing more than 20 years ago from Yunnan and has become one of the most predominant subtypes with a higher evolutionary rate than before.

The nationwide distribution and trends of hepatitis C virus genotypes in mainland China.

Comprehensive data on hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes distribution is critical for treatment regimen selection, vaccine design, and drug development. This study aimed to understand the dynamic distribution of HCV genotypes in Mainland China. Three hundred sixty-two studies published from January 1993 to December 2017 involving 64 891 samples (5133 injecting drug users, 2748 volunteer blood donors, 1509 former paid plasma donors, 160 sexually encounters, and 1992 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV coinfection patients) were eligible for the quantitative synthesis estimation. Pooled proportion of HCV genotypes (and 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) was estimated through the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation by period, region, and risk group. A sharp decline of the subtype 1b was observed in all regions except in northwestern and central regions. The genotypes 3 and 6 showed an obvious increase in southern and southwestern regions and have already spread nationwide. After 2010, subtype 1b was the most dominant variant in all regions and risk groups, accounting for 54.0% (95% CI, 51.9-56.1) of all national infections. Subtype 2a was the second most prevalent strain in all regions except in the south and southwest, with 15.4% (95% CI, 13.1-17.8) national infections. The subtype 6a in southern region and 3b and 3a in southwestern region had a higher proportion of infections than that in other regions. In addition, the genotypes 3 and 6 are already prevalent in almost all risk groups. The distribution of HCV genotypes were sharply shifting in China in the past three decades. The HCV subtype 1b posed a sharp decline, whereas genotypes 3 and 6 played an increasing role in the regional and populational HCV pandemic.

An Integrated Transfer Learning and Multitask Learning Approach for Pharmacokinetic Parameter Prediction.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacokinetic evaluation is one of the key processes in drug discovery and development. However, current absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion prediction models still have limited accuracy. AIM: This study aims to construct an integrated transfer learning and multitask learning approach for developing quantitative structure-activity relationship models to predict four human pharmacokinetic parameters. METHODS: A pharmacokinetic data set included 1104 U.S. FDA approved small molecule drugs. The data set included four human pharmacokinetic parameter subsets (oral bioavailability, plasma protein binding rate, apparent volume of distribution at steady-state, and elimination half-life). The pretrained model was trained on over 30 million bioactivity data entries. An integrated transfer learning and multitask learning approach was established to enhance the model generalization. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic data set was split into three parts (60:20:20) for training, validation, and testing by the improved maximum dissimilarity algorithm with the representative initial set selection algorithm and the weighted distance function. The multitask learning techniques enhanced the model predictive ability. The integrated transfer learning and multitask learning model demonstrated the best accuracies, because deep neural networks have the general feature extraction ability; transfer learning and multitask learning improve the model generalization. CONCLUSIONS: The integrated transfer learning and multitask learning approach with the improved data set splitting algorithm was first introduced to predict the pharmacokinetic parameters. This method can be further employed in drug discovery and development.

Genetic transmission networks reveal the transmission patterns of HIV-1 CRF01_AE in China.

OBJECTIVES: The epidemic of HIV-1 CRF01_AE has become a major public health issue in China. This study aimed to characterise the transmission patterns of genetic networks for CRF01_AE nationwide and elucidate possible opportunities for prevention. METHODS: We isolated and conducted genetic transmission network analysis of all available CRF01_AE pol sequences (n=4704) from China in the Los Alamos HIV sequence database. RESULTS: A total of 1391 (29.6%) sequences were identified as belonging to 400 separate networks. Of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the networks, 93.8% were linked to other MSM and only 2.4% were linked to heterosexual women. However, 11.8% heterosexual women in the networks were linked to MSM. Lineages composed mainly of MSM had higher transmission than those that were mostly heterosexuals. Of the 1391 individuals in networks, 513 (36.9%) were linked to cases diagnosed in different provinces. The proportion of individuals involved in inter-province links was interrelated with the number of migrant people (Spearman's r=0.738, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of this study could help improve our ability to understand HIV transmission among various regions and risk groups in China, and highlighted the importance of targeting MSM and migrants by prevention and intervention efforts.

Screening of different sample types associated with sheep and cattle for the presence of nematophagous fungi in China.

A total of 1502 samples, including feces of sheep (793) and cattle (348), pasture soil (118), dung compost (147) and barn soil (96), were examined between October 2012 and August 2014 to discover potential strains of nematophagous fungi for the biological control of livestock-parasitic nematodes. These samples were collected from 87 sites located in 48 counties of 20 provinces (autonomous regions/municipalities) of China. Fungi were identified down to a species level. Four hundred and seventy-seven isolates, which were distributed in 8 genera and 28 taxa, were identified as nematophagous fungi. Nematode-trapping fungi included 17 species and one unidentified species of Arthrobotrys, two of Dactylella, Drechslerella dactyloides, and Duddingtonia flagrans. Five identified species and two unidentified species of endoparasitic fungi were isolated. The predominant species from all regions were Arthrobotrys oligospora, followed by Arthrobotrys musiformis, Arthrobotrys (Monacrosporium) thaumasiun, and Arthrobotrys (Monacrosporium) microscaphoides. Species with adhesive networks were the most frequently isolated. Among the endoparasitic fungi, Podocrella harposporifera (Harposporium anguillulae) was the most common species, followed by Harposporium lilliputanum and Harposporium arcuatum. Based on Shannon diversity index, the diversity levels of nematophagous fungi were relatively higher in samples associated with cattle, barn soil, and subtropical monsoon climate zone. Three species isolated from this study, namely, Duddingtonia flagrans, Arthrobotrys salina (Monacrosporium salinum), and Arthrobotrys oligospora var. sarmatica, are newly recorded in China, and 20 species (including one unidentified species) are newly recorded in sheep and cattle barn soils worldwide.

A cross-sectional survey on the health status and the health-related quality of life of the elderly after flood disaster in Bazhong city, Sichuan, China.

BACKGROUND: Flood is common in China and causes extensive loss of property and human lives. Elderly is a vulnerable population prone to the detrimental impacts of floods. This survey aims to investigate the health status and the HRQoL of the elderly in Bazhong city after a major flood in 2011. METHODS: A total of 1183 elderly (aged > 60) were surveyed through random sampling from eight villages in Bazhong city. Two-week healthcare-seeking rate and chronic diseases prevalence were recorded anonymously. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36). Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine the associated factors of poor HRQoL. RESULTS: The two-week healthcare-seeking rate among post-flood Bazhong elderly was significantly higher than the references rate among rural elderly in Sichuan province (59.3% versus 55.7%, χ2 = 5.134, p = 0.013), but Bazhong elderly demonstrated a significantly lower prevalence of chronic disease (33.2% versus 44.4%, χ2 = 48.847, p < 0.001). All dimension scores among Bazhong elderly were significantly lower than the references scores in rural Sichuan elderly. The determinants of poor physical health included older age, singlehood, poor sleep patterns, and chronic diseases and so on. CONCLUSIONS: A marked decline in health status among elderly in Bazhong after the 2011 flood. Post-flood management targeting elderly need to be sensitive to their age, gender, married status and status of chronic diseases.