Risk Factors for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Wide-Angled Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that some metabolic factors, lifestyle factors, and socioeconomic factors may have a causal effect on pelvic organ prolapse (POP). METHODS: We selected instruments from corresponding genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which identified independent single nucleotide polymorphisms strongly associated with 12 potential risk factors. Summary statistics for POP were derived from two GWAS datasets, serving for discovery and replication stage. The primary analysis involved the use of the inverse-variance weighting mendelian randomization (MR) method, with additional sensitivity MR analyses conducted. RESULTS: The univariable mendelian randomization (UVMR) analysis in both the discovery and replication stage provided evidence for significant causal effects between higher waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (WHRadjBMI) levels, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and lower educational attainment and higher POP risk, as well as a suggestive positive causal effect between triglycerides and POP. The multivariable mendelian randomization (MVMR) analysis showed that only HDL-C among the three blood lipid fractions could reduce the risk of POP. Mediation analysis indicated that HDL-C may partially mediate the effect of WHRadjBMI on POP risk, and the causal effect between educational attainment and POP may be mediated through WHRadjBMI and HDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: Our study's evidence supported a causal relationship between WHRadjBMI, triglycerides, HDL-C, educational attainment, and POP risk. This highlights that clinicians may guide the general female population to control obesity and blood lipid levels to reduce the risk of POP.

Reductases Produce Nitric Oxide in an Alternative Pathway to Form the Diazeniumdiolate Group of l-Alanosine.

l-Alanosine is a diazeniumdiolate (N-nitrosohydroxylamine) antibiotic that inhibits MTAP-deficient tumor cells by blocking de novo adenine biosynthesis. Previous work revealed the early steps in the biosynthesis of l-alanosine. In the present study, we used genome mining to discover two new l-alanosine-producing strains that lack the aspartate-nitrosuccinate pathway genes found in the original l-alanosine producer. Instead, nitrate is reduced with a unique set of nitrate-nitrite reductases. These enzymes are typically used as part of the nitrogen cycle for denitrification or assimilation, and our report here shows how enzymes from the nitrogen cycle can be repurposed for the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites. The widespread distribution of nitric-oxide-producing reductases also indicates a potential for the discovery of new nitric-oxide-derived natural products.

Floating Debris in the Northern Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina (category 5 with maximum wind of 280 km/h when the eye is in the central Gulf of Mexico) made landfall near New Orleans on August 29, 2005, causing millions of cubic meters of disaster debris, severe flooding, and US$125 billion in damage. Yet, despite numerous reports on its environmental and economic impacts, little is known about how much debris has entered the marine environment. Here, using satellite images (MODIS, MERIS, and Landsat), airborne photographs, and imaging spectroscopy, we show the distribution, possible types, and amount of Katrina-induced debris in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Satellite images collected between August 30 and September 19 show elongated image features around the Mississippi River Delta in a region bounded by 92.5°W-87.5°W and 27.8°N-30.25°N. Image spectroscopy and color appearance of these image features indicate that they are likely dominated by driftwood (including construction lumber) and dead plants (e.g., uprooted marsh) and possibly mixed with plastics and other materials. The image sequence shows that if aggregated together to completely cover the water surface, the maximal debris area reached 21.7 km2 on August 31 to the east of the delta, which drifted to the west following the ocean currents. When measured by area in satellite images, this perhaps represents a historical record of all previously reported floating debris due to natural disasters such as hurricanes, floodings, and tsunamis.

Establishment of hairy root system of transgenic IRT1 brassica campestris L. and preliminary study of its effect on cadmium enrichment.

Cadmium (Cd) is the main heavy metal pollutant in soil. The combination of genetic engineering technology and Rizobium rhizogenes mediated technology can effectively improve the enrichment efficiency of heavy metals in super accumulators and reduce soil heavy metal pollution. In this study, the transgenic hairy root system containing the IRT1 gene of Cd hyperaccumulator-Brassica campestris L. was successfully constructed by the R. rhizogenes mediated method (IRT1 gene come from Arabidopsis thaliana). The hairy roots of each subculture can grow stably within 6 weeks, and IRT1 gene will not be lost within 50 subcultures., which is detected using PCR method. The results of Cd enrichment experiments showed that after treatment with 100 µmol/L Cd for 14 days, the growth state of transgenic IRT1 hairy roots only showed slight browning. Also, the accumulation value of Cd reached 331.61 µg/g and the enrichment efficiency of transgenic IRT1 hairy roots was 13.8% higher than that of wild-type hairy roots. Western blotting results showed that the expression of IRT1 protein in transgenic hairy roots was significantly higher than that of wild-type hairy roots under Cd stress. The above results indicated that the overexpression of IRT1 gene can help B. campestris L. hairy roots to effectively cope with Cd stress and improve its ability to enrich Cd.

In this study, the transgenic hairy root system containing the IRT1 gene of Cd hyperaccumulator-Brassica campestris L. was successfully constructed by the Rizobium rhizogenes mediated method. At the same time, the growth state and cadmium enrichment efficiency of transgenic hairy roots under different concentrations of Cd stress were studied. Overexpression of IRT1 gene can effectively improve the tolerance of hairy root to Cd. The enrichment efficiency of transgenic IRT1 hairy roots was 13.8% higher than that of wild-type hairy roots. The transgenic IRT1 hairy root system established in this study can be used as a reliable experimental model for the study of Cd adsorption mechanism, and can be further regenerated to obtain transgenic IRT1 B. campestris L. plants for the study of heavy metal Cd pollution remediation.

A bibliometric analysis of top-cited journal articles in interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To identify and compare the top-cited articles from all indexed journals and urology-nephrology and obstetrics-gynecology journals in the Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science's Citation Index Expanded on interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). METHODS: Cross-sectional bibliometric analysis of top-cited articles in Web of ScienceTM (WoS) from 1900-2022. The articles were retrieved by the MeSH terms from NCBI. The characteristics of top 100 cited articles from all indexed journals and specialized journals were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 5547 articles were collected from 1115 journals, in which 3225 articles were from 141 urological and gynecological specialized journals. The USA and the UK were the top two origins for articles on interstitial cystitis. The articles from non-specialized journals were more frequently cited than those from specialized journals (median [IQR], 221.5 [189.8-313.5] vs 131.0 [126.0-142.8], P < 0.0001). The citation number per year showed similar results (median [IQR], 239.9 [194.5-311.8] vs 132.0 [126.7-140.5], P < 0.0001). There were many more open-access articles in non-specialized than specialized journals (P = 0.0018). CONCLUSIONS: The current study initially queried the articles published on WoS on IC/BPS by the number of citations to identify the differences between two journal categories. The characteristics and trends of research were analyzed by citations to provide insights into the current research status and future direction.

Experimental analysis of the measurement precision of spectral water-leaving radiance in different water types.

The on-water radiometric approach employs a unique provision to obtain water-leaving radiance from nadir (Lw(λ)) which can be used for the calibration of ocean color satellites. In this effort, we address the measurement precision associated with Lw(λ) from a single on-water instrument, which is an important aspect of measurement uncertainty. First, we estimated the precision as the ratio of the standard deviation of the means of repeated measurements to the mean of these measurements. We show that the measurement precision for Lw(λ) is within 2.7-3.7% over 360-700 nm. The corresponding remote sensing reflectance spectra (Rrs(λ)) from the same instrument also exhibit a high precision of 1.9-2.8% in the same spectral domain. These measured precisions of radiance and reflectance over the 360-700 nm range are independent of the optical water type. Second, we quantified the consistency of on-water Lw(λ) and Rrs(λ) from two collocated systems for further insight into their measurement repeatability. The comparison reveals that Lw(λ) measurements in the 360-700 nm agree with each other with an absolute percentage difference of less than 3.5%. The corresponding Rrs(λ) data pairs are subjected to increased differences of up to 8.5%, partly due to variable irradiance measurements (Es(λ)). The evaluation of measurement precision corroborates the reliability of the on-water acquisition of radiometric data for supporting satellite calibration and validation.

Experimental analysis of the measurement precision of spectral water-leaving radiance in different water types: reply.

Reliable in situ water-leaving radiance (Lw) measurements are critical for calibrating and validating the ocean color products from remote platforms (e.g., satellite). In an experimental effort, Wei et al. [Opt. Express29, 2780 (2021)10.1364/OE.413784] reported that the on-water radiometry allows for high-precision radiance determination. Zibordi [Opt. Express29, 19214 (2021)10.1364/OE.421786] questioned the use of the "1% radiometry" term in the former and commented on the data collection with the sensor's optical window submerged in water. This reply responds to the comments and discusses the on-water data processing protocol, which shows the obtained Lw is not affected by the questions raised therein.

Participation in Virtual Urology Conferences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, conventional face-to-face academic conferences have been restricted, and many of these conferences have moved onto the internet. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the virtual conferences in the field of urology during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide suggestions for better organization of such conferences. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 30 to June 15, 2020, in China. Our team designed a 23-item questionnaire to investigate the conferences attended by urologists during the COVID-19 pandemic. SPSS 22.0 (IBM Corporation) was applied to analyze the data collected. RESULTS: A total of 330 Chinese urologists participated in our survey, and the response rate was 89.7% (330/368). Among the participants, 40.9% (135/330) were associate chief physicians. The proportion of participants who took part in conventional face-to-face academic conferences decreased from 92.7% (306/330) before the COVID-19 pandemic to 22.1% (73/330) during the pandemic (P<.001). In contrast, the proportion of urologists who took part in virtual conferences increased from 69.4% (229/330) to 90% (297/330) (P<.001). Most urologists (70.7%, 210/297) chose to participate in the virtual conferences at home and thought that a meeting length of 1-2 hours was most appropriate. Among the urologists, 73.7% (219/297) reported that their participation in the virtual conferences went smoothly, while the remaining respondents reported that they had experienced lags in video and audio streaming during the virtual conferences. When comparing conventional face-to-face conferences with virtual conferences, 70.7% (210/297) of the respondents thought that both conference formats were acceptable, while 17.9% (53/297) preferred virtual conferences and 11.5% (34/297) preferred conventional face-to-face meetings. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual conferences are increasing in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, many aspects of these conferences could be improved for better organization.

Deriving consistent ocean biological and biogeochemical products from multiple satellite ocean color sensors.

A methodology is developed for deriving consistent ocean biological and biogeochemical products from multiple satellite ocean color sensors that have slightly different sensor spectral characteristics. Specifically, the required coefficients for algorithm modifications are obtained using the hyperspectral in situ optical measurements from the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) in the water off Hawaii. It is demonstrated that using the proposed approach for modifying ocean biological and biogeochemical algorithms, satellite-derived ocean property data over the global open ocean are consistent from multiple satellite sensors, although their corresponding sensor-measured normalized water-leaving radiance spectra nLw(λ) are different. Therefore, the proposed approach allows satellite-derived ocean biological and biogeochemical products to be consistent and can therefore be routinely merged from various satellite ocean color sensors. The proposed approach can be applied to any satellite algorithms that use the input of sensor-measured nLw(λ) spectra.

Chetocochliodins A-I, Epipoly(thiodioxopiperazines) from Chaetomium cochliodes.

Nine new epipoly(thiodioxopiperazine) (ETP) analogues, chetocochliodins A-I (1-9), along with two known ones, chetoseminudins E and C (10 and 11), were purified from the fungus Chaetomium cochliodes. The planar structures and absolute configurations of these new compounds were determined by extensive NMR spectroscopic analysis, CD spectra, and chemical reactions. Shielding effects from the indole on the 3-SCH3/3-OCH3/3-OCH2- groups facilitated the determination of relative configuration of the analogues. Compound 9 was cytotoxic, suggesting the importance of the sulfide bridge for the diketopiperazine bioactivities.

Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation for overactive bladder syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched systematically to identify all the relevant studies. Void frequency per day, nocturia frequency per day, urgency episodes per day, incontinence episodes per day, urodynamic values, success rate and side effects, etc., were extracted from the included studies and analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies with 2461 patients in total were included. Results showed that there was a significant clinical effect on the voiding frequency per day (MD = -2.48; 95% CI -3.19, -1.76; P < 0.001), nocturia frequency per day (MD = -1.57; 95% CI -2.16, -0.99; P < 0.001), urgency episodes per day (MD = -2.20; 95% CI -3.77, -0.62; P = 0.006), incontinence episodes per day (MD = -1.37; 95% CI -1.71, -1.02; P < 0.001), maximum cystometric capacity (MD = 63.76; 95% CI 31.90, 95.61; P < 0.001) and compliance (MD = 7.62; 95% CI 0.61, 14.63; P = 0.033). The pooled success rate was 0.68 (95% CI 0.59, 0.78). The major complication was the pain at the puncture site, but the incidence was low. CONCLUSIONS: PTNS is effective and safe in treating OAB symptoms.

Biosynthesis of the N-N-Bond-Containing Compound l-Alanosine.

The formation of a N-N bond is a unique biochemical transformation, and nature employs diverse biosynthetic strategies to activate nitrogen for bond formation. Among molecules that contain a N-N bond, biosynthetic routes to diazeniumdiolates remain enigmatic. We here report the biosynthetic pathway for the diazeniumdiolate-containing amino acid l-alanosine. Our work reveals that the two nitrogen atoms in the diazeniumdiolate of l-alanosine arise from glutamic acid and aspartic acid, and we clarify the early steps of the biosynthetic pathway by using both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Our work demonstrates a peptidyl-carrier-protein-based mechanism for activation of the precursor l-diaminopropionate, and we also show that nitric oxide can participate in non-enzymatic diazeniumdiolate formation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the gene alnA, which encodes a fusion protein with an N-terminal cupin domain and a C-terminal AraC-like DNA-binding domain, is required for alanosine biosynthesis.

Optimal satellite orbit configuration for global ocean color product coverage.

We develop a methodology to evaluate the current orbital configuration of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) and NOAA-20 satellites and to study various orbital configurations for the next VIIRS in the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series from the perspective of maximizing the global daily ocean color retrievals. We focus on the coverage losses due to high sensor-zenith angle and high sun glint contamination and find that two sensors cannot avoid gaps in daily coverage. If JPSS-2 shares the same orbit with SNPP and NOAA-20, then phase shift of around 90° relative to SNPP and NOAA-20 would maximize daily ocean color retrievals.

Proteomic evidence that ABCA4 is vital for traumatic proliferative vitreoretinopathy formation and development.

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the leading cause of retinal detachment failure. The mechanism of PVR development is complex and still not completely elucidated. There are no proven methods for early prevention or clinical treatment. Retinal proteins are abnormally expressed during the entire PVR disease process. Due to the limitations of research methods and techniques, we do not fully understand the retinal protein changes in PVR. This proteomics study systemically analyzed and identified differential protein expression between retinas of PVR and non-PVR (normal) eyes. Retinal samples were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) coupled with mass spectrometry. Raw data were processed and analyzed by Maxquant software and then searched against the human UniProKB (201510) protein database. Differentially expressed proteins were selected and further validated in a human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line. The effects of dysregulated proteins on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration were studied. Systemic proteomics analysis identified several PVR-enriched proteins. The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation to find abnormal pathways involved in PVR. Retinal-specific ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA4) expression was one of the most increased proteins in PVR tissue. ABCA4 knockdown significantly reduced proliferation and affected the cell cycle in the human RPE cell line. ABCA4 knockdown also induced apoptosis and inhibited retinal cell migration. In conclusion, systemic proteomics analysis identified differentially expressed proteins in traumatic PVR, with ABCA4 being highly expressed. Disruption of ABCA4 expression induced apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation and migration in a human RPE cell line.

NOAA-20 VIIRS polarization effect and its correction.

The follow-on Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) housed in the NOAA-20 satellite was launched on 18 November 2017. It has 22 spectral bands, among which 14 are reflective solar bands (RSBs) covering the wavelength range from 411 to 2258 nm. Prelaunch polarization sensitivity measurements have revealed that NOAA-20 VIIRS RSBs are much more sensitive to polarization of the incident light than its predecessor, the VIIRS on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. For the short wavelength bands, i.e., M1-M4, the polarization sensitivities are out of specifications, especially for band M1, for which the polarization factors can be as large as ∼6%. The polarization effect induces striping in imagery along the track and radiometric bias both along the scan and along the track, resulting in much larger uncertainties in the environmental data records (EDR). In this paper, the polarization effect correction algorithms are described and applied to the NOAA-20 VIIRS RSBs for ocean scenes where the top-of-atmosphere radiance can be separated into the ocean normalized water-leaving radiance, the basis of the ocean color EDR, and the sunlight reflected by the atmosphere, which can be mostly described by the Rayleigh scattering radiance. The errors of the sensor data records (SDR or Level-1B radiance) due to the polarization effect can be as large as ∼1% for bands M1 and M2, and those in the ocean normalized water-leaving radiances are about 13% and 10% for wavelengths at 411 nm (band M1) and 445 nm (band M2), respectively. The polarization effect also induces strong striping in both NOAA-20 VIIRS RSB SDR and normalized water-leaving radiances. It is demonstrated that with the polarization correction applied, the aforementioned errors and artifacts are successfully removed.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Molecular Mechanism of the Hairy Roots of Brassica campestris L. in Response to Cadmium Stress.

Brassica campestris L., a hyperaccumulator of cadmium (Cd), is considered a candidate plant for efficient phytoremediation. The hairy roots of Brassica campestris L are chosen here as a model plant system to investigate the response mechanism of Brassica campestris L. to Cd stress. High-throughput sequencing technology is used to identify genes related to Cd tolerance. A total of 2394 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are identified by RNA-Seq analysis, among which 1564 genes are up-regulated, and 830 genes are down-regulated. Data from the gene ontology (GO) analysis indicate that DEGs are mainly involved in metabolic processes. Glutathione metabolism, in which glutathione synthetase and glutathione S-transferase are closely related to Cd stress, is identified in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. A Western blot shows that glutathione synthetase and glutathione S-transferase are involved in Cd tolerance. These results provide a preliminary understanding of the Cd tolerance mechanism of Brassica campestris L. and are, hence, of particular importance to the future development of an efficient phytoremediation process based on hairy root cultures, genetic modification, and the subsequent regeneration of the whole plant.

LncRNA HOTAIR/miR-613/c-met axis modulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition of retinoblastoma cells.

Since lncRNAs could modulate neoplastic development by modulating downstream miRNAs and genes, this study was carried out to figure out the synthetic contribution of HOTAIR, miR-613 and c-met to viability, apoptosis and proliferation of retinoblastoma cells. Totally 276 retinoblastoma tissues and tumour-adjacent tissues were collected, and human retinoblastoma cell lines (ie, Y79, HXO-Rb44, SO-Rb50 and WERI-RB1) were also gathered. Moreover, transfections of pcDNA3.1-HOTAIR, si-HOTAIR, miR-613 mimic, miR-613 inhibitor, pcDNA3.1/c-met were performed to evaluate the influence of HOTAIR, miR-613 and c-met on viability, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of retinoblastoma cells. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was also arranged to confirm the targeted relationship between HOTAIR and miR-613, as well as between miR-613 and c-met. Consequently, up-regulated HOTAIR and down-regulated miR-613 expressions displayed associations with poor survival status of retinoblastoma patients (P < 0.05). Besides, inhibited HOTAIR and promoted miR-613 elevated E-cadherin expression, yet decreased Snail and Vimentin expressions (P < 0.05). Simultaneously, cell proliferation and cell viability were also less-motivated (P < 0.05). Nonetheless, c-met prohibited the functioning of miR-613, resulting in promoted cell proliferation and viability, along with inhibited cell apoptosis (P < 0.05). Finally, HOTAIR was verified to directly target miR-613, and c-met was the direct target gene of miR-613 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the role of lncRNA HOTAIR/miR-613/c-met signalling axis in modulating retinoblastoma cells' viability, apoptosis and expressions of EMT-specific proteins might provide evidences for developing appropriate diagnostic and treatment strategies for retinoblastoma.

Sensor performance requirements for atmospheric correction of satellite ocean color remote sensing.

We analyze the effects of the sensor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) requirements for atmospheric correction of satellite ocean color remote sensing using the near-infrared (NIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands. Using the Gaussian noise model for the sensor noise distribution in the NIR and SWIR bands, some extensive simulations have been carried out to evaluate and assess the effects of sensor NIR and SWIR SNR values on the retrieved normalized water-leaving reflectance spectra ρwN(λ), which are used to derive all ocean or inland water biological and biogeochemical property data. The standard atmospheric correction algorithm for global oceans and inland waters using the two NIR bands, i.e., Gordon and Wang (1994) [Appl. Opt.33, 443 (1994)Appl. Opt.46, 1535 (2007)], is assumed in the evaluation. Specifically, the minimum and goal SNR requirements for the NIR and SWIR bands for atmospheric correction are estimated. The minimum SNR values are those with which sufficiently accurate ρwN(λ) can be derived, while the goal SNR requirements are those with which the atmospheric correction algorithms reach to their corresponding inherent limitations (or inherent errors), i.e., no gains can be achieved with further increase of SNR values in the NIR and SWIR bands. Evaluation results show that the minimum SNR requirement for the two NIR bands is ~200-300, while the minimum SNR requirement for the three SWIR bands is ~100. For the goal SNR requirements, the recommendations are SNR's of ~600 and ~200 for the two NIR bands and three SWIR bands, respectively.

The interactive effects of genetic polymorphisms within LFA-1/ICAM-1/GSK-3ß pathway and environmental hazards on the development of Graves' opthalmopathy.

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the combined effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within LFA-1/ICAM-1/GSK-3ß pathway and environmental hazards on susceptibility to Graves' opthalmopathy (GO) among a Chinese Han population. Altogether 305 GO patients and 283 Graves' disease (GD) subjects were recruited. Information relevant to the participants' age, gender, body mass index (BMI), regular physical activity, smoking history, alcohol intake, stressful work environment, stress at work, family history of thyroid disease and 131I treatment were summarized, and the participants' related SNPs of LFA-1/ICAM-1/GSK-3ß were also detected. Then the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions were evaluated by logistic regression model and multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) modeling. The results exhibited that age, BMI, smoking history, stressful work, stress at home, family history of thyroid disease and 131I treatment appeared as potential indicators regulating GO risk, when either univariate or multivariate regression analysis was performed (all P < 0.05). Moreover, rs12716977 (T > C) and rs2230433 (G > C) of LFA-1, rs1799969 (G > A) and rs5498 (A > G) of ICAM-1, as well as rs6438552 (T > C) and rs334558 (T > C) of GSK-3ß were significantly associated with altered susceptibility to GO under the allelic models (all P < 0.05). Also haplotype TGAATC acted as a protective factor against GO risk (P < 0.05), whereas haplotype CGAACC largely elevated risk of GO (P < 0.05). Besides, logistic regression analysis demonstrated that rs12716927, rs5498 and rs6438552 all would affect the influences exerted by age, BMI, smoking history, stressful work, stress at home, family history of thyroid disease or 131I treatment on GO susceptibility (all P < 0.05). MDR modeling implied that the combined model of rs12716977, rs2230433 and rs1799969 was the supreme interactive model when BMI was co-assessed, and the interactive model of rs12716977, rs334558 and rs5491 was the most desirable among the smoking population. In conclusion, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions served as a crucial manner in affecting susceptibility to GO, providing solid evidences for screening effective GO-susceptible biomarkers and exploring potential GO treatment strategies.

Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite reflective solar bands on-orbit calibration using solar diffuser illuminated by scattered light through the nadir port.

A new variant to the standard on-orbit calibration of the reflective solar bands (RSBs) using a solar diffuser (SD) is formulated. Instead of direct solar exposure through the SD port in the front of the instrument as originally designed, the variant method uses light reflecting off Earth's surface coming through the nadir port as the light source to illuminate the built-in onboard SD. The methodology is applied to the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, and is shown to be viable and useful. This approach effectively preserves the standard calibration pipeline other than using a different set of illumination data, corresponding to a different illumination source, for computing the radiance emanating from the SD. It has the added advantages of not dealing with operational needs for the standard calibration activities and completely bypassing the characterization of the transmission function of the attenuation screen in the front of the SD port. The RSB calibration coefficients are computed from the data of scattered light from the SD sector per each orbit, and a 16-day average is taken. The variant calibration coefficients are shown to well match the standard solar-based RSB calibration coefficients for Bands M5 to M8, but diverging results emerge for Bands M1 to M4, highlighting the known non-ideal behavior in the degradation of SD that contributes to the worsening error in RSB calibration. The result also shows a consistent 2% variation mission-long for all RSBs, showing the overall consistency of this first analysis of the new method but also the level of the uncertainty. The result and the implications of this study are discussed.