Visualization Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Literature in Forensic Research.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the literature on artificial intelligence in forensic research from 2012 to 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection Database, to explore research hotspots and developmental trends. METHODS: A total of 736 articles on artificial intelligence in forensic medicine in the Web of Science Core Collection Database from 2012 to 2022 were visualized and analyzed through the literature measuring tool CiteSpace. The authors, institution, country (region), title, journal, keywords, cited references and other information of relevant literatures were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 736 articles published in 220 journals by 355 authors from 289 institutions in 69 countries (regions) were identified, with the number of articles published showing an increasing trend year by year. Among them, the United States had the highest number of publications and China ranked the second. Academy of Forensic Science had the highest number of publications among the institutions. Forensic Science International, Journal of Forensic Sciences, International Journal of Legal Medicine ranked high in publication and citation frequency. Through the analysis of keywords, it was found that the research hotspots of artificial intelligence in the forensic field mainly focused on the use of artificial intelligence technology for sex and age estimation, cause of death analysis, postmortem interval estimation, individual identification and so on. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to pay attention to international and institutional cooperation and to strengthen the cross-disciplinary research. Exploring the combination of advanced artificial intelligence technologies with forensic research will be a hotspot and direction for future research.

Factors influencing treatment status of syphilis among pregnant women: a retrospective cohort study in Guangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Many syphilis infected pregnant women do not receive treatment, representing a major missed opportunity to reduce the risk of syphilis-related adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study explored correlates of treatment among pregnant women with syphilis in Guangzhou, China. METHODS: Pregnant women with a diagnosis of syphilis in Guangzhou between January 2014 and December 2016 were included. Information of syphilis treatment and correlates were extracted from a comprehensive national case-reporting system. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the correlations between information on the demographic characteristics, previous history, clinical characteristics about current syphilis, information of diagnosing hospital, and receiving no treatment or inadequate treatment among syphilis-seropositive pregnant women. A causal mediation analysis was used to explore the potential mediating role of the timing of syphilis diagnosis in the correlates. RESULTS: Among 1248 syphilis-seropositive pregnant women, 379 (30.4%) women received no treatment or inadequate treatment. Migrant pregnant women (adjusted OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.25-2.73), multiparous participants (adjusted OR = 3.68, 95% CI: 2.51-5.50), unmarried participants (adjusted OR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.97-5.28) and unemployed participants (adjusted OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.41-4.39) were more likely to receive no treatment or inadequate treatment. Participants who with history of syphilis infection (adjusted OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.42-0.82) and with high school and higher education participants (adjusted OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.49-0.97) were less likely to receive untreated or inadequately treatment. And that the impact of all these factors (except for the migrants) on treatment status are fully mediated through the syphilis diagnosis time, with the direct effect of migrants that would have resulted in a higher rate of no or inadequate treatment (OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.08-5.32) was partially cancelled out by the syphilis diagnosis time. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women who were migrant without local residence and women with syphilis diagnosed at a later gestational age were more likely to slip through the cracks of the existing antenatal care system. More programs should focus on eliminating these gaps of residence-related health inequalities. This research highlights actionable elements for health services interventions that could increase syphilis treatment rates among pregnant women.

2-D Heterometallic Pb-Iodoargentate Framework [PbAg2I6]n with a Diskoid [Pb(18-crown-6)]2+ Linker and Cocatalyst for Synergistically Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties via g-C3N4 Doping.

The heterometallic Pb-iodoargentate hybrid [Pb(18-crown-6)(PbAg2I6)]n (1; 18-crown-6 = 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane) was prepared via self-assembly of the tetrahedal AgI4 and octahedral PbI6 primary units using crown ether 18-crown-6 as an organic ligand in DMF solvent. The hybrid heterocomposite cocatalyst based on 1 and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was prepared by a facile solvothermal method. In 1, the dimeric units Ag2I6 and Pb2I10 are joined via face sharing, leading to a ternary heterometallic 1-D [PbAg2I62-]n chain containing novel Ag2Pb2I4 cubes. The 1-D chains are joined by the discoid [Pb(18-crown-6)]2+ complex cations, forming the 2-D [Pb(18-crown-6)(PbAg2I6)]n hybrid with the skeleton of [Pb2Ag2I6]n. Compound 1 shows photocatalytic activity in the degradation of MB at room temperature under visible-light irradiation. The photoelectric response measurement showed that the photocurrent of 1 increased from 1.41 to 2.43 µA/cm-2 when g-C3N4 was loaded, indicating that the introduction of a certain amount of g-C3N4 on the surface of 1 improves the separation and migration rate of photoinduced electrons and holes. The 1/g-C3N4 composite showed much higher photocatalytic efficiency in comparison to pristine 1 and g-C3N4 for MB degradation, which suggests the synergistic effect between 1 and g-C3N4 toward visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance. Meanwhile, the 1/g-C3N4 composite exhibited good reusability and stability in the photocatalytic reaction. Free radical quenching experiments showed that the •O2- radical is the main reactive substance over catalyst 1, while h+, •OH, and •O2- species have synergistic effects over the 1/g-C3N4 composite catalyst in the process of photodegradation.

An Improved POD Model for Fast Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Carbendazim in Fruit by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

The current detection method of carbendazim suffers from the disadvantages of complicated preprocessing and long cycle time. In order to solve the problem of rapid quantitative screening of finite contaminants, this article proposed a qualitative method based on characteristic peaks and a semi-quantitative method based on threshold to detect carbendazim in apple, and finally the method is evaluated by a validation system based on binary output. The results showed that the detection limit for carbendazim was 0.5 mg/kg, and the detection probability was 100% when the concentration was no less than 1 mg/kg. The semi-quantitative analysis method had a false positive rate of 0% and 5% at 0.5 mg/kg and 2.5 mg/kg, respectively. The results of method evaluation showed that when the added concentration was greater than 2.5 mg/kg, the qualitative detection method was consistent with the reference method. When the concentration was no less than 5 mg/kg, the semi-quantitative method is consistent between different labs. The semi-quantitative method proposed in this study can achieve the screening of finite contaminants in blind samples and simplify the test validation process through the detection probability model, which can meet the needs of rapid on-site detection and has a good application prospect.

Screening Biomarkers of Sudden Coronary Death Based on mRNA Expression Profile of Rat Myocardial Tissues.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the differential expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) in myocardial tissues of rats with sudden coronary death (SCD), and to provide ideas for the forensic identification of SCD. METHODS: The rat SCD model was established, and the transcriptome sequencing was performed by next-generation sequencing technology. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in myocardial tissues of SCD rats were screened by using the R package limma. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by using the STRING database and Cytoscape 3.8.2 on DEG, and hub genes were screened based on cytoHubba plug-in. Finally, the R package clusterProfiler was used to analyze the biological function and signal pathway enrichment of the selected DEG. RESULTS: A total of 177 DEGs were associated with SCD and were mainly involved in the renin-angiotensin system and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The genes including angiotensinogen (AGT), complement component 4a (C4a), Fos proto-oncogene (FOS) and others played key roles in the development of SCD. CONCLUSIONS: Genes such as AGT, C4a, FOS and other genes are expected to be potential biomarkers for forensic identification of SCD. The study based on mRNA expression profile can provide a reference for forensic identification of SCD.

Online trypsin digestion coupled with LC-MS/MS for detecting of A1 and A2 types of ß-casein proteins in pasteurized milk using biomarker peptides.

Bovine A1-or A2-type ß-caseins have attracted a growing interest due to their variation in beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7) formation, which may affect health. In the present work, identification and quantification of A1 and A2 types of ß-casein proteins at the peptide level was achieved for the first time. An automated and online immobilized trypsin digestion system was employed for high throughput digesting of proteins into peptides. Tryptic peptides were separated and analyzed subsequently by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry platform. Two specific peptides ranging from the position of 49 to 97 in the peptide chain were selected for the identification and quantification of A1 and A2 ß-casein, which covered the different amino acids between them. Synthetic isotopically labeled winged peptides were used for absolute quantification. Compared with traditional in-solution digestion, online digestion shortens digestion times from 2 to 24 h to 4 min. The limits of quantification (LOQ) of A1 and A2 ß-casein in pasteurized milk are 0.8 and 2.4 µg/g, respectively. To further demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, commercial pasteurized milk tests were performed with satisfactory results. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05376-6.

Polymeric Iodoargentate Hybrids Incorporating Octakis- or Heptakis-Solvated Lanthanide Complexes: Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Photocatalysis.

New iodoargentate hybrids containing lanthanide complexes, [La(DMA)8]Ag9I12·2H2O (1) and [Ln(DMA)7]2Ag16I22 (Ln = Pr (2), Sm(3); DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide), were prepared by diffusion methods using DMA-solvated lanthanide complexes as structure-directing agents. The octakis-solvated La3+ cation leads to formation of the 1-D nonanuclear [Ag9I12]n3n- polymeric anion constructed by AgI4 tetrahedral units through edge sharing, while the heptakis-solvated Ln3+ (Ln = Pr, Sm) cation affords the new 1-D hexadecanuclear [Ag16I22]n6n- polymeric anion built up from AgI4 units by both corner and edge sharing. Compounds 1-3 possess band gaps of 2.58, 2.77, and 2.74 eV, respectively, and show steady photocurrents in the range 14.2-18.0 µA under Xe light irradiation. They are photocatalytic active in the degradation of organic pollutants of crystal violet (CV) and rhodamine B (RhB) in water at room temperature. 2 and 3 perform higher photocatalytic activities than 1 in the CV degradation, which is attributed to the different photocurrent intensities. Photocatalytic mechanism investigations on compounds 2 and 3 show that h+ hole and ·O2- radical play major roles in the CV degradation, respectively.

Syphilis-attributable adverse pregnancy outcomes in China: a retrospective cohort analysis of 1187 pregnant women with different syphilis treatment.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis is responsible for a substantial burden of preventable adverse outcomes in pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of adverse pregnancy outcomes among syphilis-seropositive women who received different treatment regimens at different times in Guangzhou, China. METHODS: Pregnant women with syphilis infection who received prenatal and delivery services in Guangzhou between January 2014 and December 2016 were included. Association between treatment status and the composite adverse outcomes (preterm birth, infant smaller than gestational age, stillbirth, and spontaneous abortion) was estimated. RESULTS: Of 1187 syphilis-seropositive pregnant women included in the analysis, 900 (75.8%) syphilis-seropositive pregnant women received treatment, and 287(24.2%) did not receive treatment. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were observed among 16.3% (147/900) of women with treatment and 33.8% (97/287) of women without treatment. Syphilis-seropositive pregnant women treated with one or two courses of penicillin had a similar risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (adjusted RR = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.94-1.96). Adverse outcomes were more common among women whose non-treponemal serum test titer was >1:8 and received treatment after 28 weeks compared to before 28 weeks (adjusted RR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.22-4.48). CONCLUSIONS: Women who received one course of penicillin and women who received two courses of penicillin had a similar risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Syphilis treatment before 28 weeks of pregnancy is critical. Strategies to promote high-quality prenatal services are needed.

Maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and preterm delivery: a large prospective cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Evidence about the associations between maternal dietary patterns and preterm delivery is scarce in Eastern countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and preterm delivery in a Chinese population. METHODS: A total of 7352 mothers were included in the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study, a prospective study in China. A validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess maternal diet at 24-27 weeks of gestation. Dietary patterns were identified by cluster analysis. Gestational age was obtained from routine medical records. Preterm delivery was defined as delivery before 37 completed weeks of gestation, and was further classified into spontaneous and iatrogenic preterm delivery, and also early/moderate and late preterm delivery. Associations between dietary patterns and preterm delivery outcomes were assessed using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Six dietary patterns were identified, including 'Milk', 'Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups', 'Meats', 'Fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts', 'Vegetables', and 'Varied'. There were 351 (4.8%) preterm deliveries in this study population. Among those of preterm delivery, 16.2 and 83.8% were early/moderate and late preterm delivery, respectively. Compared with women of 'Vegetables' pattern, those of 'Milk' pattern had greater odds of overall preterm delivery (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11, 2.29, p < 0.05), spontaneous preterm delivery (adjusted OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.14, 2.62, p < 0.05) and late preterm delivery (adjusted OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.08, 2.62, p < 0.05); those of 'Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups' and 'Fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts' patterns had greater odds of late preterm delivery (adjusted OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.01, 2.35 for 'Cereals, eggs, and Cantonese soups', adjusted OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.04, 2.50 for 'Fruits, nuts, and Cantonese desserts', respectively). CONCLUSION: Maternal diet with frequent consumption of milk and less frequent consumption of vegetables during pregnancy might be associated with increased odds of preterm delivery. Future interventions should investigate whether increasing vegetable intake reduces preterm deliveries.

The Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS).

The Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS) is a large-scale prospective observational study investigating the role of social, biological and environmental influences on pregnancy and child health and development in an urban setting in southern China. Pregnant women who reside in Guangzhou and who attend Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center (GWCMC) for antenatal care in early pregnancy (<20 weeks' gestation) are eligible for inclusion. Study recruitment commenced in February 2012, with an overall participation rate of 76.3%. Study recruitment will continue until December 2018 to achieve the target sample size of 30,000 mother-child pairs. At 30 April 2016, a total of 75,422 questionnaires have been collected, while 14,696 live births have occurred with planned follow-up of cohort children until age 18 years. During the same period a total of 1,053,000 biological samples have been collected from participants, including maternal, paternal and infant blood, cord blood, placenta, umbilical cord, and maternal and infant stool samples. The dataset has been enhanced by record linkage to routine health and administrative records. We plan future record linkage to school enrolment and national examination records.

Does tea consumption during early pregnancy have an adverse effect on birth outcomes?

BACKGROUND: Tea, a common beverage, has been suggested to exhibit a number of health benefits. However, one of its active ingredients, caffeine, has been associated with preterm birth and low birthweight. We investigated whether tea consumption during early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and abnormal fetal growth. METHODS: A total of 8775 pregnant women were included from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. Tea consumption (type, frequency, and strength) during their first trimester and social and demographic factors were obtained by way of questionnaires administered during pregnancy. Information on birth outcomes and complications during pregnancy was obtained from hospital medical records. RESULTS: Overall habitual tea drinking (≥1 serving/week) prevalence among pregnant women was low, at 16%. After adjustment for potential confounding factors (eg, maternal age, educational level, monthly income) tea drinking during early pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of preterm birth or abnormal fetal growth (small or large for gestational age) (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS: We did not identify a consistent association between frequency of tea consumption or tea strength and adverse birth outcomes among Chinese pregnant women with low tea consumption. Our findings suggest that occasional tea drinking during pregnancy is not associated with increased risk of preterm birth or abnormal fetal growth. Given the high overall number of annual births in China, our findings have important public health significance.

Maternal IGF1 and IGF1R polymorphisms and the risk of spontaneous preterm birth.

BACKGROUND: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway was involved in the occurrence of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB), but little is known regarding the relationship between genetic variations in IGF pathway and the risk of SPTB. We aimed to investigate the associations of IGF1 rs972936 and IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) rs2229765 polymorphisms with SPTB risk in a Chinese population. METHOD: A total of 114 cases of SPTB and 250 controls of term delivery were included from Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, China. The odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: We found that the GA and GA/AA genotypes of IGF1 rs972936 were associated with an increased risk of SPTB, and the adjusted ORs (95% CI) were 1.74 (1.01-3.02) and 1.75 (1.04-2.93) respectively. Women carrying GA and GA/AA genotypes of IGF1R rs2229765 had a reduced risk compared to those with the GG genotype (0.60 [0.37-0.98] and 0.64 [0.40-1.00] respectively). There were significant interactions between IGF1 rs972936 and GDM status (P for interaction=.02), as well as between IGF1R rs2229765 and pre-pregnancy BMI (P for interaction <.001) on the risk of SPTB. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that polymorphisms of IGF1 rs972936 and IGF1R rs2229765 were associated with the risk of SPTB in Chinese pregnant women and these effects depend on the maternal metabolic status.

Maternal dietary patterns and gestational diabetes mellitus: a large prospective cohort study in China.

Few studies have explored the relationship between dietary patterns and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Evidence from non-Western areas is particularly lacking. In the present study, we aimed to examine the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of GDM in a Chinese population. A total of 3063 pregnant Chinese women from an ongoing prospective cohort study were included. Data on dietary intake were collected using a FFQ at 24-27 weeks of gestation. GDM was diagnosed using a 75 g, 2 h oral glucose tolerance test. Dietary patterns were determined by principal components factor analysis. A log-binomial regression model was used to examine the associations between dietary pattern and the risk of GDM. The analysis identified four dietary patterns: vegetable pattern; protein-rich pattern; prudent pattern; sweets and seafood pattern. Multivariate analysis showed that the highest tertile of the vegetable pattern was associated with a decreased risk of GDM (relative risk (RR) 0·79, 95% CI 0·64, 0·97), compared with the lowest tertile, whereas the highest tertile of the sweets and seafood pattern was associated with an increased risk of GDM (RR 1·23, 95% CI 1·02, 1·49). No significant association was found for either the protein-rich or the prudent pattern. The protective effect of a high vegetable pattern score was more evident among women who had a family history of diabetes (P for interaction=0·022). These findings suggest that the vegetable pattern was associated with a decreased risk of GDM, while the sweets and seafood pattern was associated with an increased risk of GDM. These findings may be useful in dietary counselling during pregnancy.

[Identifying animal-derived components in camel milk and its products by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

A method for identifying specific peptide biomarkers of animal-milk-derived components in camel milk and its products was established using proteomics. Samples were prepared by defatting, protein extraction, and trypsin hydrolysis, and proteins and peptides were identified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic orbitrap-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/Exactive-HRMS) and Protein Pilot software. Twenty two peptide biomarkers from eight species (i.e., Camelus, Bos taurus, Bubalus bubalis, Bos grunniens/Bos mutus, Capra hircus, Ovis aries, Equus asinus, Equus caballus) were identified by comparing the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) with the Uniprot database. Verification of these marker peptides were performed quantitatively using a UHPLC-triple-quadrupole mass-spectrometry (QqQ-MS) system by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The pretreatment method of casein in camel milk was optimized, such as defatting, protein precipitation, and re-dissolving buffer solution. The effects of various mass-spectrometry parameters, such as atomization gas, heating- and drying-gas flow rates, and desolvation-tube (DL) and ion-source-interface temperatures on ion-response intensity were optimized. Camel milk signature peptides were detected in a mixture of milk from other seven species to ensure specificity for the selected biomarker peptides. The signature peptides of seven other species were also detected in camel milk. No mutual interference between the selected biomarker peptides of the various species was observed. Adulterated camel milk and milk powder were also quantitatively studied by adding 0, 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% bovine milk or goat milk to camel milk. Similarly, the same mass proportion of bovine milk powder or goat milk powder was added to camel milk powder. A quantitative standard curve for adulteration was constructed by plotting the peak areas of characteristic cow or goat peptide segments in each mixed sample against the mass percentage of the added adulterant. The adulteration standard curves exhibited good linearity, with correlation coefficients (r2) greater than 0.99. The limits of detection and quantification (LODs and LOQs, respectively) of the method were determined as three- and ten-times the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). The minimum adulteration LODs of bovine milk and goat milk in camel milk were determined to be 0.35% and 0.49%, respectively, and the minimum LOQs were 1.20% and 1.69%, respectively. The minimum adulteration LODs of bovine milk powder and goat milk powder in camel milk powder were determined to be 0.68% and 0.73%, respectively, and the minimum LOQs were 1.65% and 2.45%, respectively. The accuracy of the adulteration quantification method was investigated by validating the quantitative detection results for 1∶1∶1 (mass ratio) mixtures of camel milk, bovine milk, and goat milk, as well as camel-milk powder, bovine milk powder, and goat-milk powder, which revealed that this method exhibits good linearity, strong anti-interference, high sensitivity, and good repeatability for adulterated liquid-milk/solid-milk-powder samples. The adulteration results for both liquid milk and milk powder are close to the theoretical values. Finally, 11 actual commercially available samples, including five camel-milk and six camel-milk-powder samples were analyzed, which revealed that only camel signature peptides were detected in 10 samples, while camel and bovine signature peptides were both detected in one camel-milk-powder sample. The ingredient list of the latter sample revealed that it contained whole milk powder from an unidentified source; therefore, we infer that the bovine signature peptides originate from the whole milk powder. These signature peptides also demonstrate the necessity and practical significance of establishing this identification method.

Knowledge mapping and global trends of drug hypersensitivity from 2013 to 2023: A bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Drug hypersensitivity is a major global public health issue with a significant increase in prevalence in populations. Here, we provide a deep insight into the frontier hotspot and future direction in the field of drug hypersensitivity. METHODS: A knowledge map is portrayed based on publications related to drug hypersensitivity from Web of Science Core Collection using CiteSpace. Co-occurrence relationships of countries, institutes, authors, journals, references, and keywords are constructed. According to the co-occurrence relationships, hotspots and future trends are overviewed. RESULTS: The United States ranked first in the world and China with the second highest publications was the only developing country. Torres, Mayorga, and Blanca were highly productive authors. Harvard University was the institution with the most research publications. Keywords co-occurrence analysis suggested applications in emerging causes, potential mechanisms, and clinical diagnosis as the research hotspots and development frontiers. CONCLUSION: Research on drug hypersensitivity is in a rapid development stage and an emerging trend in reports of anaphylaxis to polyethylene glycols is identified. Developing algorithms for understanding the standardization process of culprit drugs, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic methods will be the focus of future direction. In addition, a better understanding of the mechanisms to culprit drugs with immunological precise phenotypic definitions and high-throughput platforms is needed.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide can promote the development of neonatal rat primordial follicles during in vitro culture.

Recruitment of primordial follicles is essential for female fertility. Some of the intraovarian growth factors involved in the initiation of primordial follicle growth have been identified, but the exact mechanisms regulating follicle activation are poorly understood. Strong evidence indicates that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide found in ovarian nerves, plays a role in the physiology of follicle development and function. The aim of the present study was to determine whether VIP might regulate the activation and growth of neonatal rat primordial follicles in an in vitro culture system. Ovaries from 4-day-old rats were cultured for 14 days in medium containing 10(-7) M VIP. At the end of the culture, the developmental stages and viability of the follicles were evaluated using histological sections. Immunohistochemistry studies for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were performed to assess the mitotic activity of granulosa cells. In addition, the expression level of kit ligand (KL) mRNA was examined after culture. Histology showed that primordial follicles could survive and start to grow in vitro. The proportion of primordial follicles was decreased and the proportion of early primary follicles increased after in vitro culture with VIP. Immunolocalization of PCNA showed that follicle growth was initiated after VIP treatment. The expression level of KL mRNA was increased in the VIP treatment group. Thus, VIP can promote primordial follicle development, possibly mediated in part through upregulating the expression of KL.

Estimating the population size of men who have sex with men: a modified Laska, Meisner and Siegel procedure taking into account internet populations.

OBJECTIVES: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are an at-risk population for HIV/AIDS. Accurately estimating the size of MSM is important to monitor the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to implement HIV/AIDS prevention in the MSM population. None of the current methods for MSM population size estimation is satisfactory, especially for internet samples. We try to use the modified Laska, Meisner and Siegel (LMS) method to estimate the size of MSM in tangible venues and internet virtual venues. METHODS: Laska, Meisner and Siegel developed an unbiased estimator for the size of a population in a single venue based on a single sample (LMS method). In this study, we modified the LMS method for the estimation of population size of MSM (LMS* procedure). Specially, we integrated the MSM size of traditional tangible venue with internet virtual venue. Currently, the latter is an important source of socialisation for MSM population. To do this, we added a few parameters to the original LMS method. Then we applied the LMS* procedure to estimate the size of MSM in Changsha, the capital city of the Chinese Province of Hunan. RESULTS: The LMS* procedure handled the complexity of socialisation among MSM population well. According to the LMS* procedure, the total number of MSM was 65 657 (95% CI 57 922 to 73 388), constituting a proportion of 5.43% (95% CI 4.79% to 6.07%) in the sexually active male population (15-64-year-olds) in Changsha. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the LMS* procedure is suitable for the estimation of a hard-to-reach population, such as MSM, in tangible venues and internet virtual venues.

Improving the sensitivity of confocal laser induced fluorescence detection to the sub-picomolar scale for round capillaries by laterally shifting the laser focus point.

This paper describes a simple and efficient approach to reduce the background level of confocal laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection for round capillaries by laterally shifting the laser focus point. A phenomenon of spontaneous separation of the fluorescence and reflected laser beams at the pinhole of a confocal LIF system when the laser focus point deviates from the center of a capillary channel to the sides was observed for the first time. On the basis of this phenomenon, the reflected laser light from the capillary-air interfaces could be mostly eliminated with a spatial filtering pinhole. A comprehensive study on the phenomenon and optimization of the shift distance was carried out using both experimental and simulation methods. A best shift distance of ±20 µm was obtained, with which background intensity could be significantly reduced by 98.9%, while fluorescence intensity was only reduced by 25.7%, resulting in an improvement of signal-to-noise ratio of 8.3 times, compared with that at a shift distance of 0 µm usually used in most of the confocal LIF systems for round capillaries. A limit of detection of 66 fM was obtained for sodium fluorescein. To demonstrate its potential as an on-column sensitive detector for microscale separation systems, the present system was coupled with a capillary electrophoresis system for separation of four fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled amino acids with concentrations of 100 pM.

Association between incense burning and prenatal depressive symptoms: evidence from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study.

This study aimed to examine the association of incense burning alone, a source of indoor air pollution, and jointly with passive smoking, with prenatal depressive symptoms. Information on incense exposure and depressive symptoms were collected at both early and late pregnancy using questionnaires in the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of incense exposure separately, and together with passive smoking, with prenatal depressive symptoms. Compared to the non-users, pregnant women with household incense burning had higher odds of depressive symptoms (odds ratio (OR), 1.17, 95% CI, 1.06, 1.28). Compared with non-users, women who occasionally (OR, 1.22, 95% CI, 1.09, 1.36) and frequently (1.51, 95% CI, 1.26, 1.80) smelled incense had higher odds of prenatal depressive symptoms. Higher duration of incense smelling was associated with higher odds of prenatal depressive symptoms compared with non-users. There was no strong evidence for an interaction of frequency of incense smelling and passive smoking in prenatal depressive symptoms. Prenatal exposure to incense burning was associated with higher odds of having depressive symptoms during pregnancy, and there is no evidence for interaction with concurrent exposure to passive smoking.

Characterization of global research trends and prospects on sudden coronary death: A literature visualization analysis.

Background: Sudden coronary death is a major global public health issue that has a significant impact on both individuals and society. Nowadays, scholars are active in sudden coronary death all over the world. However, no relevant bibliometric studies have been published. Here, we aim to gain a better understanding the current state of research and to explore potential new research directions through bibliometric analysis. Methods: Articles and reviews on sudden coronary death from 2012 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The topic search was conducted using the following keywords: ((("sudden cardiac death" OR "sudden death") AND (coronary OR "myocardial infarction")) OR "sudden coronary death"). Knowledge maps of authors, countries, institutions, journals, keywords, and citations were conducted by CiteSpace. Publication dynamics, hotspots, and frontiers were analyzed independently by authors. Results: A total of 2914 articles were identified from January 1, 2012 to June 20, 2023. The USA (n = 972) contributed the greatest absolute productivity and UK (centrality = 0.13) built a robust global collaboration. Harvard University was the institution with the highest number of publications (n = 143). Huikuri HV and Junttila MJ were the most published authors who devoted to searching for biomarkers of sudden coronary death. American Journal of Cardiology was the journal with the most publications, and Circulation was the most cited journal. Left ventricular ejection fraction, society, inflammation, and fractional flow reserve became novel burst words that lasted until 2023. Research on etiology and pathology, role of early risk factors in risk stratification, potential predictive biomarkers and novel measurement methods for the prevention and management of sudden coronary death were identified as the research hotspots and frontiers. Conclusion: Our knowledge and understanding of sudden coronary death have significantly improved. Ongoing efforts should focus on the various etiologies and pathologies of sudden coronary death. Furthermore, a novel sudden coronary death risk model, large-scale population studies, and the rational use of multiple indicators to individualize the assessment of sudden coronary death and other risk factors are other emerging research trends.