Lanthanum nitrate demonstrated no genotoxicity in the conducted tests.

Given the widespread applications in industrial and agricultural production, the health effects of rare earth elements (REEs) have garnered public attention, and the genotoxicity of REEs remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the genetic effects of lanthanum nitrate, a typical representative of REEs,with guideline-compliant in vivo and in vitro methods. Genotoxicity assays, including the Ames test, comet assay, mice bone marrow erythrocyte micronucleus test, spermatogonial chromosomal aberration test, and sperm malformation assay were conducted to assess mutagenicity, chromosomal damage, DNA damage, and sperm malformation. In the Ames test, no statistically significant increase in bacterial reverse mutation frequencies was found as compared with the negative control. Mice exposed to lanthanum nitrate did not exhibit a statistically significant increase in bone marrow erythrocyte micronucleus frequencies, spermatogonial chromosomal aberration frequencies, or sperm malformation frequencies compared to the negative control ( P > 0.05). Additionally, after a 24-hour treatment with lanthanum nitrate at concentrations of 1.25, 5, and 20 µg/ml, no cytotoxicity was observed in CHL cells. Furthermore, the comet assay results indicate no significant DNA damage was observed even after exposure to high doses of lanthanum nitrate (20 µg/ml). In conclusion, our findings suggest that lanthanum nitrate does not exhibit genotoxicity.

Impact of hyperglycemia on tuberculosis treatment outcomes: a cohort study.

Hyperglycemia is prevalent and closely associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). This study aimed to investigate the effects of hyperglycemia on the outcomes of PTB treatment. This study comprised 791 patients with PTB in total. Patients with fasting plasma glucose levels of ≥ 6.1 mmol/L were diagnosed with hyperglycemia. Anthropometric and baseline demographic data were also collected. The treatment response was assessed based on clinical symptoms (sputum production, cough, chest pain, fever, hemoptysis, night sweats, loss of appetite, and fatigue), sputum smear, chest computed tomography (CT), and adverse gastrointestinal responses (vomiting, nausea, abdominal distension, diarrhea, and constipation). A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to evaluate these relationships. Hyperglycemia affected 266 (33.6%) of the 791 patients with PTB. In GEE analyses, patients with hyperglycemia exhibited a greater incidence of elevated tuberculosis (TB) scores (odds ratio (OR) 1.569; 95% CI 1.040-2.369), cough (OR 1.332; 95% CI 1.050-1.690), and night sweats (OR 1.694; 95% CI 1.288-2.335). Hyperglycemia was linked with a higher risk of positive sputum smears (OR 1.941; 95% CI 1.382-2.727). During therapy, hyperglycemia was also associated with an increased incidence of vomiting (OR 2.738; 95% CI 1.041-7.198), abdominal distension (OR 2.230; 95% CI 1.193-4.171), and constipation (OR 2.372; 95% CI 1.442-3.902). However, the CT results indicated that hyperglycemia did not affect pulmonary lesions in patients with TB. Patients with TB and hyperglycemia are at a higher risk of severe clinical manifestations, positive sputum smears, and adverse gastrointestinal effects and, therefore, the special situation of hyperglycemic patients should be considered in the prevention and treatment of TB.

Study on the Expression and Potential Function of LncRNA in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

BACKGROUND: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease that has the characteristics of difficult early diagnosis and a high disability rate. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to further explore the possible mechanism and potential function of lncRNA in AS. METHODS: We used lncRNA microarray technology to detect the expression of lncRNA and mRNA in patients with active AS, stable patients, and healthy controls (HC). Afterward, bioinformatics analysis was conducted on differentially expressed genes. Seven differentially expressed lncRNAs were screened out for real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), combined with various clinical indicators for correlation analysis, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the potential of lncRNA as a diagnostic marker for AS. RESULTS: The results showed that the expression levels of NR-037662 and ENST00000599316 in the AS subgroups were significantly higher than those in the HC group, while the expression levels of ENST00000577914 and ENST00000579003 were lower than those in the HC group. The expression levels of NR-003542 and ENST00000512051 in the ASA group were significantly higher than those in the ASS and HC groups, while NR-026756 was just the opposite. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the expression level of NR-003542 was positively correlated with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP). The expression level of NR-026756 was negatively correlated with the Bath Ankylosing Spine Inflammatory Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), BASFI, ESR, hsCRP, and globulin (GLOB). In addition, it was also found that the ROC curve analysis of the 4 lncRNAs between the AS group (ASA group and ASS group) and the HC group were statistically significant, and the area under the curve (AUC) of NR-037662, ENST00000599316, ENST00000577914, and ENST00000579003 was 0.804, 0.812, 0.706, and 0.698, respectively. CONCLUSION: It was found that these differentially expressed lncRNAs of AS may be involved in the occurrence and development of the disease. Among them, NR-037662, ENST00000599316, ENST00000577914, and ENST00000579003 might have the potential to become AS diagnostic molecular markers. Moreover, NR -003542, ENST00000512051, and NR-026756 might have the potential to be indicators of disease activity.

Application value of ultrasound elastography for screening of early pregnancy cervical insufficiency: a retrospective case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate changes in the cervical strain rate (SR), cervical length (CL), and uterine artery blood flow parameters during early pregnancy in women with cervical insufficiency and evaluate the clinical efficacy of these markers for screening of cervical insufficiency in early pregnancy. METHODS: This retrospective study in 60 pregnant women with cervical insufficiency and 100 normal pregnant women was conducted between September 2021 and January 2023 and measured ultrasound parameters of the cervix during early pregnancy. The cervical SR, CL, and uterine artery resistance index (RI) were measured in both groups at 11-14 weeks of gestation. Strain elastography represented by the SR was used to assess the hardness of the internal and external cervical openings. RESULTS: During early pregnancy, the SR at the internal and external cervical openings were significantly higher in the cervical insufficiency group than those in the normal pregnancy group (SR I: 0.19 ± 0.018% vs. 0.16 ± 0.014%; SR E: 0.26 ± 0.028% vs. 0.24 ± 0.025%; p < .001). The CL was significantly shorter in the cervical insufficiency group than that measured in the normal pregnancy group (34.3 ± 2.9 mm vs. 35.2 ± 1.99 mm; p = .036), while cervical blood perfusion was also poorer in the cervical insufficiency group than that in the normal pregnancy group (uterine artery RI: 0.76 ± 0.07 vs. 0.74 ± 0.05; p = .048). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the optimal critical values for diagnosing cervical insufficiency were 0.17% for SR I, 0.25% for SR E, 33.8 mm for CL, and 0.78 for uterine artery RI. Of these parameters, the ROC curve for SR I had the largest area under the curve [AUC = 0.89 (p < .001)], with the highest sensitivity (78%) and specificity (82%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the SR at the internal cervical opening (OR 17.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.08-60.08; p < .001) and CL (OR 5.05, 95% CI 1.66-15.32; p = .004) still showed significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Cervical elastography is an effective tool for screening early pregnancy cervical insufficiency. The SR at the internal cervical opening is a valuable indicator for screening cervical insufficiency and has superior clinical efficacy for screening for this condition compared to that of CL and the uterine artery blood flow index.

Seasonal dynamics response mechanism of benthic microbial community to artificial reef habitats.

Artificial reefs (ARs) have been globally deployed to enhance and restore coastal resource and ecosystems. Microorganisms play an essential role in marine ecosystems, while the knowledge regarding the impact of ARs on microecology is still limited, particularly data concerning the response of benthic microbial community to AR habitats. In this study, the seasonal dynamics of benthic microbial community in AR and adjacent non-artificial reef (NAR) areas surrounding Xiaoshi Island were investigated with high-throughput sequencing technology. The results revealed that the diversity and structure of microbial community between AR and NAR both displayed pronounced seasonal dynamics. There was a greater influence of season factors on microbial communities than that of habitat type. The microbial communities in AR and NAR habitats were characterized by a limited number of abundant taxa (ranging from 5 to 12 ASVs) with high relative abundance (8.35-25.53%) and numerous rare taxa (from 5994 to 12412 ASVs) with low relative abundance (11.91%-24.91%). Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota and Desulfobacterota were the common predominant phyla, with the relative abundances ranging from 50.94% to 76.76%. A total of 52 biomarkers were discovered, with 15, 4, 6, and 27 biomarkers identified in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that AR displayed a more complex interaction pattern and higher susceptibility to external disturbances. Furthermore, the neutral model and ßNTI analyses revealed that the assembly of microbial communities in both AR and NAR is significantly influenced by stochastic processes. This study could provide valuable insights into the impact of ARs construction on the benthic ecosystems and would greatly facilitate the development and implementation of the future AR projects.

Experimental investigation on the aero-optical effects of supersonic gas films with various cooling fluids.

Despite the fact that a supersonic cooling gas film can efficiently insulate aerodynamic heating, its interaction with the mainstream generates a sophisticated flow structure which may cause significant aero-optical ramifications. This study aims to analyze the fluid structure and wavefront distortion of supersonic gas film when subjected to varying nozzle pressure ratios (NPR) by employing two distinct cooling refrigerants, namely C O 2 and air. Within the NPR range of 0 to 2, a linear relationship exists between the wavefront distortion of both C O 2 and air films, while the C O 2 film exhibits higher wavefront distortion than the air. Additionally, the influence of condensation on the discrepancies in aero-optical effects of the two refrigerants is discussed.

Nitrogen removal performance of aerobic denitrifying bacteria enhanced by an iron-anode pulsed electric field.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has attracted considerable attention because it can efficiently treat pollutants that are difficult to degrade. In this study, a PEF system using iron as the electrode was constructed to investigate the effect of PEF-Fe on the growth and metabolism of aerobic denitrifying bacteria and the effectiveness of wastewater nitrogen removal. The chemical oxygen demand, NO3--N and nitrate removal rates were 98.93%, 97.60% and 24.40 mg·L-1·h-1, respectively, under optimal conditions. As confirmed in this study, PEF-Fe could improve the key enzyme activities of W207-14. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the surface of PEF-Fe-treated W207-14 was intact and smooth without any irreversible deformation. Flow cytometry combined with fluorescence staining analysis also confirmed reversible electroporation on the cell membrane surface of PEF-Fe-treated W207-14. Differentially expressed gene enrichment analysis showed that PEF-Fe activated the transmembrane transport function of ATP-binding cassette transporte (ABC) transport proteins and enhanced the cell membrane permeability of aerobic denitrifying bacteria. The significant differential expression of iron-sulphur cluster proteins facilitated the regulation of electron transport and maintenance of the dynamic balance of iron ions within the PEF-Fe system.

Study on signal transmission mechanism of arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal network against root rot of Salvia miltiorrhiza.

To explore the signal transmission mechanism of the arbuscular mycorrhizal network against root rot of Salvia miltiorrhiza. In this experiment, the arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal network was established among Salvia miltiorrhiza plants, and a two plant three-compartment culture model was established. The root of the donor Salvia miltiorrhiza was inoculated with the pathogenic fungi Fusarium solani. The changes of hormone signals such as jasmonic acid and salicylic acid and the expression of related defense genes in the recipient Salvia miltiorrhiza plants in different periods were measured, to study the underground disease resistance signal transmission mechanism among medicinal plants. Salvia miltiorrhiza can transmit the signal of resistance to root rot through the jasmonic acid pathway; When plants suffer from disease stress, the content of JA increases significantly, and the increase of JA content will inhibit the content of SA in plants; The gene expression of PR-10 gene in the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza with arbuscular mycorrhizal network infected by pathogenic fungi was 17.56 times higher than that inoculated only with pathogenic fungi; Changes in hormone content will also cause changes in the expression of related defense genes, such as SnRK2 is inhibited by ABA in the signal transduction pathway, while JA and ABA show antagonistic changes after inoculation of pathogenic fungi in Salvia miltiorrhiza, so JA may positively regulate the expression of SnRK2 gene. Plants can transmit signals through AM hyphal network after being stressed by the pathogen Fusarium solani. In the arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal network, JA has important significance for the signal transmission of resistance to root rot and disease resistance of Salvia miltiorrhiza, which can make Salvia miltiorrhiza ready for stress resistance and improve the stress resistance of Salvia miltiorrhiza. This experiment is of great significance to further analyze the signal transmission mechanism of the arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal network.

Concerned About the Shortage of Paediatricians in Developing Countries.

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Ion-Dipole Interaction Enabling Highly Efficient CsPbI3 Perovskite Indoor Photovoltaics.

Metal halide perovskites are ideal candidates for indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) because of their easy-to-adjust bandgaps, which can be designed to cover the spectrum of any artificial light source. However, the serious non-radiative carrier recombination under low light illumination restrains the application of perovskite-based IPVs (PIPVs). Herein, polar molecules of amino naphthalene sulfonates are employed to functionalize the TiO2 substrate, anchoring the CsPbI3 perovskite crystal grains with a strong ion-dipole interaction between the molecule-level polar interlayer and the ionic perovskite film. The resulting high-quality CsPbI3 films with the merit of defect-immunity and large shunt resistance under low light conditions enable the corresponding PIPVs with an indoor power conversion efficiency of up to 41.2% (Pin : 334.11 µW cm-2 , Pout : 137.66 µW cm-2 ) under illumination from a commonly used indoor light-emitting diode light source (2956 K, 1062 lux). Furthermore, the device also achieves efficiencies of 29.45% (Pout : 9.80 µW cm-2 ) and 32.54% (Pout : 54.34 µW cm-2 ) at 106 (Pin : 33.84 µW cm-2 ) and 522 lux (Pin : 168.21 µW cm-2 ), respectively.

Comparative analysis of clinical efficacy between laparoscopic and open pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) is a technically demanding procedure but is gradually gaining acceptance in clinical practice. This study was performed to compare the short-term outcomes of LPD with open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD). The perioperative data of the patients who underwent LPD (n = 25) and OPD (n = 40) from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021 at Zhangjiagang Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University were collected and retrospectively analyzed. All patients received R0 resection, and none of the patients died within the perioperative period. The preoperative data (gender, age, body mass index [BMI], and preoperative bilirubin), the intraoperative data (operative time, number of retrieved lymph nodes), and postoperative data (level 1 monitoring time, postoperative fluid diet time, postoperative fluid feeding time, and hospitalization cost) were comparable between the 2 groups (P > .05). The estimated blood loss, abdominal drainage tube removal time, postoperative hospital stay, catheter removal time, and analgesic drug use were significantly lesser in the LPD group, when compared to the OPD group (P < .05). LPD is safe and feasible. Compared to OPD, LPD has less surgical trauma, less intraoperative bleeding, and faster postoperative recovery.

Early arrival did not ensure the early acquisition of intravenous thrombosis for acute ischemic stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a time-dependent treatment with a narrow therapeutic time window, in which the time delay could result from the deadline effect. METHODS: One hospital-based cohort was recruited to detect the factors contributing to the deadline effect, where patients with the deadline effect were defined as those who were presented with the onset-to-door time (ODT) in the first 50%, while the door-to-needle time (DNT) was in the last quartile. DNT (in-hospital delay) was further subdivided into several time intervals [door-to-examination time (DET), door-to-imaging time (DIT), door-to-laboratory time (DLT), and decision-making time (DMT) of the patients or their proxies. RESULTS: A total of 186 IVT cases were enrolled, of which 17.2% (32/186) suffered a delay of the deadline effect. The median age was 66 years, and 35.5% were female. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups (all p > .05). For the comparisons of the time intervals, DIT (26 versus 15 min, p = .001) was significantly longer in the group with deadline effect, while the differences of DET, DLT, DMT, and ONT did not reach statistical significance (all p > .05). Upon multivariable adjustment in the binary logistic regression model, longer DIT [odds ratio (OR), 1.076; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.036-1.118; p < .001], and history of coronary heart disease (OR, 3.898; 95%CI, 1.415-10.735; p = .008) were independently associated with deadline effect in the binary logistic regression model, while admitted in the working day (OR, 0.674; 95%CI, 0.096-0.907; p = .033), and having medical insurance (OR, 0.350; 95% CI, 0.132-0.931; p = .035) were negatively associated with the deadline effect. CONCLUSIONS: A speed-safety tradeoff phenomenon from the deadline effect was observed in 17.2% of IVT cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, where longer DIT contributed a lot to this time delay. Patients without medical insurance, or admitted in official holidays were more likely to experience a delay of the deadline effect.

The soldiers needed to be awakened: Tumor-infiltrating immune cells.

In the tumor microenvironment, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) are a key component. Different types of TIICs play distinct roles. CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells could secrete soluble factors to hinder tumor cell growth, whereas regulatory T cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) release inhibitory factors to promote tumor growth and progression. In the meantime, a growing body of evidence illustrates that the balance between pro- and anti-tumor responses of TIICs is associated with the prognosis in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, in order to boost anti-tumor response and improve the clinical outcome of tumor patients, a variety of anti-tumor strategies for targeting TIICs based on their respective functions have been developed and obtained good treatment benefits, including mainly immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), adoptive cell therapies (ACT), chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, and various monoclonal antibodies. In recent years, the tumor-specific features of immune cells are further investigated by various methods, such as using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and the results indicate that these cells have diverse phenotypes in different types of tumors and emerge inconsistent therapeutic responses. Hence, we concluded the recent advances in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, including functions, prognostic values, and various immunotherapy strategies for each immune cell in different tumors.

Molecular characterization, expression, and function of Vitellogenin genes in Phytoseiulus persimilis.

Vitellogenin (Vg) is an important factor that impacts oocyte maturation, egg formation and embryonic development in Arthropoda. Two orthologs of Vg gene were obtained from the genome of Phytoseiulus persimilis and termed as PpVg1 and PpVg2. Both orthologs belong to the large lipid transfer protein superfamily. The expression of PpVg1 and PpVg2 was low in immatures and male adults, and increased rapidly in female adults after mating, and reached a peak before the first egg was laid (168×  and 20.5×  the level in virgin females, respectively). When PpVg1 and PpVg2 were interfered with dsRNA, the relative expression decreased by 81.0 and 30.9%, respectively, and 7.8 and 31.4% interfered individuals died within 24 h. Among surviving individuals, ca. 51.1 and 44.8% are infertile. Factors that might be related to expression of Vg genes are also discussed.

Bacterial Symbionts Confer Thermal Tolerance to Cereal Aphids Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion avenae.

High-temperature events are evidenced to exert significant influence on the population performance and thermal biology of insects, such as aphids. However, it is not yet clear whether the bacterial symbionts of insects mediate the thermal tolerance traits of their hosts. This study is intended to assess the putative association among the chronic and acute thermal tolerance of two cereal aphid species, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) and Sitobion avenae (F.), and the abundance of their bacterial symbionts. The clones of aphids were collected randomly from different fields of wheat crops and were maintained under laboratory conditions. Basal and acclimated CTmax and chronic thermal tolerance indices were measured for 5-day-old apterous aphid individuals and the abundance (gene copy numbers) of aphid-specific and total (16S rRNA) bacterial symbionts were determined using real-time RT-qPCR. The results reveal that R. padi individuals were more temperature tolerant under chronic exposure to 31 °C and also exhibited about 1.0 °C higher acclimated and basal CTmax values than those of S. avenae. Moreover, a significantly higher bacterial symbionts' gene abundance was recorded in temperature-tolerant aphid individuals than the susceptible ones for both aphid species. Although total bacterial (16S rRNA) abundance per aphid was higher in S. avenae than R. padi, the gene abundance of aphid-specific bacterial symbionts was nearly alike for both of the aphid species. Nevertheless, basal and acclimated CTmax values were positively and significantly associated with the gene abundance of total symbiont density, Buchnera aphidicola, Serratia symbiotica, Hamilton defensa, Regiella insecticola and Spiroplasma spp. for R. padi, and with the total symbiont density, total bacteria (16S rRNA) and with all aphid-specific bacterial symbionts (except Spiroplasma spp.) for S. avenae. The overall study results corroborate the potential role of the bacterial symbionts of aphids in conferring thermal tolerance to their hosts.

Faeces from malnourished colorectal cancer patients accelerate cancer progression.

BACKGROUD: Malnutrition has been confirmed to play an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression via the gut microenvironment. However, the characteristics of the gut microbiota or its potential biological mechanism in CRC remain inconclusive. METHODS: In this work, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) tool and 16sRNA sequencing were prepared to detect the variation in gut microbiota and the association between nutrition status and gut microbiota. RDA/CCA analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between faecal microbiota from malnourished CRC and clinical nutrition indicators. To investigate the mechanism of the gut microbiota in CRC, faecal samples from malnourished CRC patients were transplanted into C57BL/6J and DSS/AOM mouse models. Moreover, FACS and IHC were prepared to detect the infiltration of B cells and macrophages. qPCR and Elisa assays were performed to explore the expression of cytokines. RESULT: We found dramatic variation in the faecal microbiota among patients with different nutritional statuses, discovering that specific microbiota species, namely, Atopobium vaginae, Selenomonas sputigena and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, may be considered diagnostic biomarkers in malnutrition and indicate poor prognosis. High expression level of A. vaginae in CRC tissues revealed the poorer overall survival compared with low expression level (Mean survival: 23.0 months vs 29.0 months). Faecal from malnourished colorectal cancer were found to be protumorigenic. More importantly, our evidence suggests that after faecal microbiota transplantation, B cells and macrophages are recruited to activate specific tumour immunity in CRC. Depletion of B cells significantly suppressed faecal microbiota-induced M2b polarization as well as the protumorigenic activity of tumour-associated macrophages in vivo. CONCLUSION: Faecal microbiota in CRC under malnutrition conditions exhibits specific characteristics that accelerate CRC progression and regulate B cells and macrophages. The use of specific faecal microbial species could be a feasible approach for identifying the malnutrition status of patients and demonstrating the poor prognosis of CRC.

The predictive value of preoperative paraspinal muscle morphometry on complications after lumbar surgery: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: The effect of paraspinal muscles atrophy and fat infiltration (FI) on the complications of spinal surgery has not been established. METHODS: A review of the literature was conducted from a search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases from inception through January 2021. The literature was searched and assessed by independent reviewers based on criteria that included an assessment of preoperative paraspinal muscle morphology in addition to measuring its relationship to surgical complications. All relevant papers were assessed for risk of bias according to the modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools. A narrative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS: The initial search yielded 5632 studies, of which 16 studies were included in the analysis. All included studies were at a low risk of bias. There existed strong evidence that the atrophy and FI of paraspinal muscles had an association with the development of bone nonunion (two high quality studies), pedicle screw loosening (two high quality studies), adjacent segment degeneration (three high quality studies) and proximal junctional kyphosis (five high quality studies) after lumbar surgery. Besides, there is also limited evidence for association between atrophy and FI of paraspinal extensor muscles and less local and global curve improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Strong evidence was found for an association between preoperative paraspinal muscle degeneration and multiple postoperative complications after lumbar surgery. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small quantity of the available literature and high heterogeneity among studies.

Combining application of wavelet analysis and genetic algorithm in wind tunnel simulation of unidirectional natural wind field near a sand ground surface.

This study proposes a method for the approximate simulation of field gust in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel driven by an axial fan. Wavelet analysis and genetic algorithm have been adopted to convert actual field gust data into a series of simplified and smooth control signals. One frequency converter is used to receive the signals via a programmable logic controller and change the fan speed correspondingly. Results show that the low-frequency energetic part of field gust on top of a saltation layer has been almost reproduced in the wind tunnel with energy fluctuations ±3.26% from the mean compared with the field data in terms of energy. The appropriate filter frequency for field gust velocity history is 1/32 Hz. A unidirectional natural wind field near a sand bed surface can be approximately simulated in the tunnel by adjusting carefully the roughness element arrangement. The time-averaged velocity profile of the simulated wind, which satisfies the logarithmic law, is nearly equivalent to the steady flow with the same average velocity.

[Differences in spatial distribution of medicinal plant resources in Yinshan region of Inner Mongolia].

Yinshan Mountains stands on the southern edge of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, which stretches 1 200 km from east to west and 50 to 100 km from north to south. The rich and varied topographic environment of the Yinshan Mountains has created a variety of vegetation floras, which also makes the species of medicinal plant resources in this area unevenly distributed. Therefore, studying the spatial distribution difference of medicinal plant resources among various banners, counties, and districts in the Yinshan area is of great significance to formulate the protection policy and promote the industry development of medicinal plant. This study is based on the fourth national survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources in Inner Mongolia, regarding the results of the third national survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources. The species of medicinal plant resources in the Yinshan area around 31 banners, counties and districts were counted in detail. Then, using exploratory spatial data analysis(ESDA), trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation, geographical detector and other geostatistical analysis methods to analyze the differences in the spatial distribution of medicinal plant resources of the Yinshan area in Inner Mongolia. After discussing and analyzing the experimental results to account for the reasons for the overall trend of change and the degree of aggregation, the author further put forward relevant constructive suggestions. The results show that the areas with the most abundant and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources in the Yinshan area are located in Guyang county, Shiguai District of Baotou city, Tutou right banner, and Tuoketuo county; the higher richness and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources is in Wulate front banner, Wulate middle banner, Wulate back banner; areas with relatively low abundance and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources located in Qingshan district of Baotou city, Saihan district and Yuquan district of Hohhot city; areas with the lowest abundance and concentrated distribution of medicinal plant resources are located in Xincheng district and Huimin district of Hohhot city. It can be concluded that the horizontal distribution difference of multiple ecological factors, the special wetland environment of the river, the vertical difference of elevation, the farmland and other factors have an important influence on the richness of the medicinal plant resources species.

[Study on improvement provided by water extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice induced by MCD].

This study aims to observe the improvement of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH) after using water extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata and explore their preliminary mechanism. Mice were fed with methionine-choline-deficent diet(MCD) for 6 weeks for modeling, and mice were orally given with 50, 100, 200 mg·kg~(-1) of Polygoni Multiflori Radix water extract(PMRWE) or Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata water extract(PMRPWE) at the last 4 weeks. During the whole experimental procedure, the body weight changes of the mice were monitored and recorded. Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) activities were detected; liver histopathological evaluation and NAFLD activity score(NAS) calculation were conducted, and the levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS) in liver tissues were analyzed. The contents of triglyceride(TG) and non-esterified fatty acids(NEFA) in liver tissues were detected, and oil red O staining of the liver tissues was conducted and observed. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR) was used to detect hepatic mRNA expression of ß-oxidation-related genes in mice. The results showed that PMRWE(100, 200 mg·kg~(-1)) and PMRPWE(50, 100, 200 mg·kg~(-1)) alleviated liver damage in MCD-induced NASH in mice. PMRWE(100, 200 mg·kg~(-1)) and PMRPWE(50, 100, 200 mg·kg~(-1)) reduced hepatic li-pid accumulation in mice with NASH. Different doses of PMRPWE inversed the decreased hepatic mRNA expression of ß-oxidation-related genes in mice with NASH. This study indicated that PMRPWE and PMRWE could ameliorate MCD-induced NASH in mice by promoting fatty acid ß oxidation, reducing liver lipid accumulation, and alleviating liver damage. Moreover, the protective effect of PMRPWE against MCD-induced NASH was better than PMRWE.