Theoretical study on electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction over copper with copper-based layered double hydroxides.

The conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels and multi-carbon chemical substances by electrical energy is an effective strategy to solve environmental problems by using renewable energy sources. In this work, the density functional theory (DFT) method is used to reveal the electrocatalytic mechanism of CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) over the surface of CuAl-Cl-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with Cu monoatoms (Cu@CuAl-Cl-LDH), Cu2 diatoms (Cu2@CuAl-Cl-LDH), orthotetrahedral Cu4 clusters (Td-Cu4@CuAl-Cl-LDH) and planar Cu4 clusters (Pl-Cu4@CuAl-Cl-LDH). The active sites, density of states, adsorption energy, charge density difference and free energy are calculated. The results show that CO2RR over all the above five catalysts can generate C2 products. Pl-Cu4@CuAl-Cl-LDH tends to generate C2H5OH, while the remaining four structures all tend to produce C2H4. Cuδ+ favors CO2RR, and Td-Cu4@CuAl-Cl-LDH with a larger positively charged area at the active site has the better electrocatalytic performance among the calculated systems with a maximum step height of 0.78 eV. The selectivity of the products C2H4 and C2H5OH depends on the dehydration of the intermediate *C2H2O to *C2H3O or *CCH; if the dehydration produces *CCH intermediate, the final product is C2H4, and if no dehydration occurs, C2H5OH is produced. This work provides theoretical information and guidance for further rational design of efficient CO2RR catalysts for energy saving and emission reduction.

Associations between organophosphate esters and bone mineral density in adults in the United States: 2011-2018 NHANES.

BACKGROUND: Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are used extensively as flame retardants and plasticizers. Laboratory studies have shown that OPEs exhibit osteotoxicity by inhibiting osteoblast differentiation; however, little is known about how OPEs exposure is associated with bone health in humans. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the association between OPEs exposure and bone mineral density (BMD) in adults in the United States using data from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: Multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the association between concentrations of individual OPE metabolites and BMDs. We also used the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile g-computation (qgcomp) models to estimate joint associations between OPE mixture exposure and BMDs. All the analyses were stratified according to gender. RESULTS: A total of 3546 participants (median age, 40 years [IQR, 30-50 years]; 50.11% male) were included in this study. Five urinary OPE metabolites with a detection rate of > 50% were analyzed. After adjusting for the potential confounders, OPE metabolite concentrations were associated with decreased total-body BMD and lumbar spine BMD in males, although some associations only reached significance for bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCPP), dibutyl phosphate (DBUP), and bis(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (BCEP) (ß = -0.013, 95% CI: -0.026, -0.001 for BCPP and total-body BMD; ß = -0.022, 95% CI: -0.043, -0.0001 for DBUP and lumbar spine BMD; ß=-0.018, 95% CI: -0.034, -0.002 for BCEP and lumbar spine BMD). OPE mixture exposure was also inversely associated with BMD in males, as demonstrated in the BMKR and qgcomp models. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that urinary OPE metabolite concentrations are inversely associated with BMD. The results also suggested that males were more vulnerable than females. However, further studies are required to confirm these findings.

A DFT study on methanol decomposition over single atom Pt/CeO2 catalysts: the effect of the position of Pt.

Pt/CeO2 catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic performance for the methanol dehydrogenation (MD) reaction. In this work, MD reactions on three systems of Pt1/CeO2(110)), Pt7/CeO2(110), and Pt1/Ce1-xO2(110) are investigated via density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The CH3OH adsorption, electronic structure of the catalyst, and mechanism of methanol decomposition (MD) are systematically calculated. The results reveal that the d-band center of the Pt atom moves away from the Fermi level in the order of Pt1/CeO2(110) < Pt7/CeO2(110) < Pt1/Ce1-xO2(110), and the order of the activity of the MD reaction is Pt1/CeO2(110) < Pt7/CeO2(110) < Pt1/Ce1-xO2(110). The results of the microkinetic dynamics simulation verify that only Pt1/Ce1-xO2(110) is conducive to the decomposition of methanol at low temperatures (373 K), and the products CO and H2 are easily dissociated from the catalyst surface. This work uncovers that both the small size and the Ce vacancy substituted sites of Pt favor the performance of the Pt/CeO2 catalyst, and provides theoretical guidance for the construction and design of efficient metal-support catalysts for the MD reaction.

Bioinformatic Analysis Identifying PSMB 1/2/3/4/6/8/9/10 as Prognostic Indicators in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Renal cancer incidence has been increasing across the world, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) represents the major subtype of renal cancer. The proteasome is involved in onset, metabolism and survival of tumor and has been recognized as a therapeutic target for various malignancies, while the role of ß subunits of proteasome, PSMB gene family, in ccRCC has not been fully unveiled. Herein we investigated the expression and the prognostic role of PSMBs in ccRCC by analyzing a series of databases, including ONCOMINE, UALCAN, cBioPortal, STRING, GEPIA, GO and KEGG. Over-expressions of PSMB1/2/4/7/8/9/10 mRNA were found in ccRCC tissues compared to normal tissues, transcriptional levels of PSMB2/3/4/6/8/9/10 were significantly positively associated with patients' individual cancer stages and grades. Similar or higher levels of proteins encoded by PSMB1/2/3/7/8/9/10 were observed in tumor tissues compared to normal renal tissues. Further, high mRNA levels of PSMB1/2/3/4/6/10 were correlated with shorter overall survival in univariate analysis. Taken together, the results of our analysis implied that overexpression of PSMB1/2/3/4/6/8/9/10 were indicative of worse prognosis of ccRCC. However, further researches were required to validate our findings.

Preventive treatment with ginsenoside Rb1 ameliorates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats and involves store-operated calcium entry inhibition.

CONTEXT: Ginsenoside Rb1, the main active ingredient of ginseng, exhibits ex vivo depression of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) and related vasoconstriction in pulmonary arteries derived from pulmonary hypertension (PH) rats. However, the in vivo effects of ginsenoside Rb1 on PH remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the possibility of using ginsenoside Rb1 as an in vivo preventive medication for type I PH, i.e., pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and potential mechanisms involving SOCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (170-180 g) were randomly divided into Control, MCT, and MCT + Rb1 groups (n = 20). Control rats received only saline injection. Rats in the MCT + Rb1 and MCT groups were intraperitoneally administered single doses of 50 mg/kg monocrotaline (MCT) combined with 30 mg/kg/day ginsenoside Rb1 or equivalent volumes of saline for 21 consecutive days. Subsequently, comprehensive parameters related to SOCE, vascular tone, histological changes and hemodynamics were measured. RESULTS: Ginsenoside Rb1 reduced MCT-induced STIM1, TRPC1, and TRPC4 expression by 35.00, 31.96, and 32.24%, respectively, at the protein level. SOCE-related calcium entry and pulmonary artery contraction decreased by 162.6 nM and 71.72%. The mean pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricle systolic pressure, and right ventricular mass index decreased by 19.5 mmHg, 21.6 mmHg, and 39.50%. The wall thickness/radius ratios decreased by 14.67 and 17.65%, and the lumen area/total area ratios increased by 18.55 and 15.60% in intrapulmonary vessels with 51-100 and 101-150 µm o.d. CONCLUSION: Ginsenoside Rb1, a promising candidate for PH prevention, inhibited SOCE and related pulmonary vasoconstriction, and relieved MCT-induced PAH in rats.

Assessment of scoliotic deformity using spinous processes: comparison of different analysis methods of an ultrasonographic system.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of 5 analysis methods in quantifying scoliotic deformity, using the spatial positions of SP tips acquired by a custom-developed ultrasound-based system, with different curve fitting methods and angle metrics in terms of their correlation with Cobb angle, test-retest reliability, vulnerability to digitization errors, and accuracy of identifying end vertebrae and convexity direction. METHODS: Three spinal column dry bone specimens were randomly configured to 30 different scoliotic deformities. Raw spatial data of the SP tips were processed by the following 3 methods: (1) fifth-order polynomial fitting, (2) locally weighted polynomial regression (LOESS) with smoothing parameter (α) = .25, and (3) LOESS with α = .4. Angle between the 2 tangents along the spinal curve with the most positive and negative slopes (ie, posterior deformity angle) and summation of the angles formed by every 2 lines joining 3 neighboring SPs between the end vertebrae (ie, accumulating angle) were computed to quantify scoliotic deformity. Their performances were compared in terms of their correlation with Cobb angle, test-retest reliability, vulnerability to digitization errors, and accuracy of identifying end vertebrae. RESULTS: Posterior deformity angle calculated from the spinal curve constructed by LOESS with α = .4 excelled in every aspect of the comparison (ie, Cobb angle, test-retest reliability, vulnerability to digitization errors, and accuracy of identifying end vertebrae and convexity direction), making it the method of choice of those tested for processing the spatial data of the SP tips in this ultrasonography study using dry bone specimens. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasound-based system and the LOESS (0.4)-posterior deformity angle method developed for this study offer a viable technology for quantifying scoliotic deformity in a reliable and radiation-free manner. However, further validation using scoliosis subjects is needed before they can be used to quantify spinal deformity in the clinical setting.

Test-retest reliability, repeatability, and sensitivity of an automated deformation-controlled indentation on pressure pain threshold measurement.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to construct a computerized deformation-controlled indentation system and compare its test-retest reliability, repeatability, and sensitivity with a manual algometer for pressure pain threshold (PPT) measurements. METHODS: Pressure pain threshold measurements were made on 16 healthy subjects for 2 sessions on bilateral erector spinae muscles at L1, L3, and L5 spinal levels, consisting of 5 repeated trials each using computerized algometry on one side and manual algometry on the other side. Mean, SD, coefficient of variation, standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change, and intraclass correlation coefficient were calculated for both manual and computerized PPT measurements. Effects of session, level, method, and side on PPT measurements were evaluated using analysis of variance. RESULTS: Manual PPT measurements were significantly larger than computerized PPT measurements (P = .017), and session 2 was significantly larger than session 1 (P = .021). Coefficient of variation, intraclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change of the manual and computerized PPT measurements were 10.3%, 0.91, 0.19 kg/cm(2), and 0.54 kg/cm(2) and 15.6%, 0.87, 0.26 kg/cm(2), and 0.73 kg/cm(2), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although computerized algometry offers the benefits of eliminating the effects of operator reaction time, operator anticipation, alignment error, and variation in indentation rate on PPT measurements, these results indicate that manual algometry using load-controlled strategy may be better than computerized deformation-controlled algometry in terms of test-retest reliability, repeatability, and sensitivity. Constant load-controlled indentation protocol may be more favorable for PPT measurements. Future computerized instrumentation for PPT measurements should adopt a load-controlled mechanism.

[Analysis of influential factors for job burnout among managers in a joint venture in Guangzhou, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influential factors for job burnout among the managerial staff in a Sino-Japanese joint venture automobile manufacturer in Guangzhou, China. METHODS: A total of 288 managers in a Sino-Japanese joint venture automobile manufacturer were surveyed using the Occupational Stress Indicator, Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Social Support Rating Scale. RESULTS: On the depersonalization dimension, the male managers had significantly higher scores than the female managers. The scores of emotion exhaustion and depersonalization of MBI showed significant differences among the managers with different levels of occupational stress. The path analysis showed that occupational stress, neuroticism, and psychoticism had negative effects on emotion exhaustion, while job satisfaction and utilization of social support had direct positive effects on emotion exhaustion. Occupational stress, psychoticism, and passive coping style had direct negative effects on depersonalization, while job satisfaction, objective support, and utilization of social support had positive effects on depersonalization. Job satisfaction and active coping style had positive effects on sense of personal accomplishment, while passive coping style had a negative effect on sense of personal accomplishment. Personality exerted its effect on social support through coping style and thus on job satisfaction and job burnout. CONCLUSION: Male managers have a greater propensity to depersonalization than their female counterparts. High occupational stress is a risk factor for job burnout. Personality, social support, and coping style are influential factors for job burnout.

Role of sirtuins in metabolic disease-related renal injury.

Poor control of metabolic diseases induces kidney injury, resulting in microalbuminuria, renal insufficiency and, ultimately, chronic kidney disease. The potential pathogenetic mechanisms of renal injury caused by metabolic diseases remain unclear. Tubular cells and podocytes of the kidney show high expression of histone deacetylases known as sirtuins (SIRT1-7). Available evidence has shown that SIRTs participate in pathogenic processes of renal disorders caused by metabolic diseases. The present review addresses the regulatory roles of SIRTs and their implications for the initiation and development of kidney damage due to metabolic diseases. SIRTs are commonly dysregulated in renal disorders induced by metabolic diseases such as hypertensive nephropathy and diabetic nephropathy. This dysregulation is associated with disease progression. Previous literature has also suggested that abnormal expression of SIRTs affects cellular biology, such as oxidative stress, metabolism, inflammation, and apoptosis of renal cells, resulting in the promotion of invasive diseases. This literature reviews the research progress made in understanding the roles of dysregulated SIRTs in the pathogenesis of metabolic disease-related kidney disorders and describes the potential of SIRTs serve as biomarkers for early screening and diagnosis of these diseases and as therapeutic targets for their treatment.

Automated deep-learning system in the assessment of MRI-visible prostate cancer: comparison of advanced zoomed diffusion-weighted imaging and conventional technique.

BACKGROUND: Deep-learning-based computer-aided diagnosis (DL-CAD) systems using MRI for prostate cancer (PCa) detection have demonstrated good performance. Nevertheless, DL-CAD systems are vulnerable to high heterogeneities in DWI, which can interfere with DL-CAD assessments and impair performance. This study aims to compare PCa detection of DL-CAD between zoomed-field-of-view echo-planar DWI (z-DWI) and full-field-of-view DWI (f-DWI) and find the risk factors affecting DL-CAD diagnostic efficiency. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 354 consecutive participants who underwent MRI including T2WI, f-DWI, and z-DWI because of clinically suspected PCa. A DL-CAD was used to compare the performance of f-DWI and z-DWI both on a patient level and lesion level. We used the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristics analysis and alternative free-response receiver operating characteristics analysis to compare the performances of DL-CAD using f- DWI and z-DWI. The risk factors affecting the DL-CAD were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: DL-CAD with z-DWI had a significantly better overall accuracy than that with f-DWI both on patient level and lesion level (AUCpatient: 0.89 vs. 0.86; AUClesion: 0.86 vs. 0.76; P < .001). The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of lesions in DWI was an independent risk factor of false positives (odds ratio [OR] = 1.12; P < .001). Rectal susceptibility artifacts, lesion diameter, and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were independent risk factors of both false positives (ORrectal susceptibility artifact = 5.46; ORdiameter, = 1.12; ORADC = 0.998; all P < .001) and false negatives (ORrectal susceptibility artifact = 3.31; ORdiameter = 0.82; ORADC = 1.007; all P ≤ .03) of DL-CAD. CONCLUSIONS: Z-DWI has potential to improve the detection performance of a prostate MRI based DL-CAD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR, NO. ChiCTR2100041834 . Registered 7 January 2021.

Sonomyographic responses during voluntary isometric ramp contraction of the human rectus femoris muscle.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between torque and muscle morphological change, which is derived from ultrasound image sequence and termed as sonomyography (SMG), during isometric ramp contraction of the rectus femoris (RF) muscle, and to further compare SMG with the electromyography (EMG) and mechanomyography (MMG), which represent the electrical and mechanical activities of the muscle. Nine subjects performed isometric ramp contraction of knee up to 90% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) at speeds of 45, 22.5 and 15% MVC/s, and EMG, MMG and ultrasonography were simultaneously recorded from the RF muscle. Cross-sectional area, which was referred to as SMG, was automatically extracted from continuously captured ultrasound images using a newly developed image tracking algorithm. Polynomial regression analyses were applied to fit the EMG/MMG/SMG-to-torque relationships, and the regression coefficients of EMG, MMG, and SMG were compared. Moreover, the effect of contraction speed on SMG/EMG/MMG-to-torque relationships was tested by pair-wise comparisons of the mean relationship curves at different speeds for EMG, MMG and SMG. The results show that continuous SMG could provide important morphological parameters of continuous muscle contraction. Compared with EMG and MMG, SMG exhibits different changing patterns with the increase of torque during voluntary isometric ramp contraction, and it is less influenced by the contraction speed.

[Epidemiological study of occupational diseases in Guangzhou City, China in 2001 - 2010].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of occupational diseases in Guangzhou City, China in 2001 - 2010, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of occupational diseases. METHODS: Statistical analysis was performed on the reported data on the occupational diseases in Guangzhou from 2001 to 2010. RESULTS: A total of 380 cases of occupational diseases (37 types,8 classes) were diagnosed and reported in 2001 - 2010. The three most frequent diseases were occupational poisonings (48.9%), pneumoconiosis (20.0%), and occupational ear, nose, and throat (ENT) diseases (18.7%). In the cases of occupational poisonings, 25.3% suffered from acute occupational poisonings, especially the poisoning by dichloroethane (19.1%), and 74.7% suffered from chronic occupational poisonings, mainly caused by lead (38.8%), benzene (37.4%), and n-hexane (18.0%). The cases of silicosis accounted for 77.6% of all cases of pneumoconiosis. The cases of noise-induced deafness accounted for 97.2% of all cases of occupational ENT diseases. Patients with occupational diseases were reported in 13 districts of Guangzhou, mostly in Panyu (18.9%), Tianhe (13.2%), Baiyun (12.9%), and Liwan (11.1%). All the cases occurred in 19 industries, mainly including light industry (27.1%) and machinery industry (23.7%). Of all cases, 29.5% were in the public sector, 40.3% in the private sector, and 30.3% in the foreign-funded enterprises and those funded by businessmen from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. The ratio of male to female cases was 15:4. The mean age of onset was 42.2 ± 10.9 years. The average speed of development of occupational diseases was 134.0%, and the average growth rate was 34.0%. CONCLUSION: The incidence of occupational diseases tends to increase year by year, with younger age of onset and shorter history of exposure in patients. The occupational poisonings caused by lead, benzene, n-hexane, and dichloroethane, silicosis, and noise-induced deafness seem to be the main occupational hazards in Guangzhou, China. Occupational diseases occur in all districts of Guangzhou and in various industries. The private sector and small enterprises should be the focuses of occupational health supervision.

The sirtuin family in health and disease.

Sirtuins (SIRTs) are nicotine adenine dinucleotide(+)-dependent histone deacetylases regulating critical signaling pathways in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and are involved in numerous biological processes. Currently, seven mammalian homologs of yeast Sir2 named SIRT1 to SIRT7 have been identified. Increasing evidence has suggested the vital roles of seven members of the SIRT family in health and disease conditions. Notably, this protein family plays a variety of important roles in cellular biology such as inflammation, metabolism, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, etc., thus, it is considered a potential therapeutic target for different kinds of pathologies including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and other conditions. Moreover, identification of SIRT modulators and exploring the functions of these different modulators have prompted increased efforts to discover new small molecules, which can modify SIRT activity. Furthermore, several randomized controlled trials have indicated that different interventions might affect the expression of SIRT protein in human samples, and supplementation of SIRT modulators might have diverse impact on physiological function in different participants. In this review, we introduce the history and structure of the SIRT protein family, discuss the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of seven members of the SIRT protein family, elaborate on the regulatory roles of SIRTs in human disease, summarize SIRT inhibitors and activators, and review related clinical studies.

A comparative study of pattern synchronization detection between neural signals using different cross-entropy measures.

Cross-approximate entropy (X-ApEn) and cross-sample entropy (X-SampEn) have been employed as bivariate pattern synchronization measures for characterizing interdependencies between neural signals. In this study, we proposed a new measure, cross-fuzzy entropy (X-FuzzyEn), to describe the synchronicity of patterns. The performances of three statistics were first quantitatively tested using five different coupled systems including both deterministic and stochastic models, i.e., coupled broadband noises, Lorenz-Lorenz, Rossler-Rossler, Rossler-Lorenz, and neural mass model. All the measures were compared with each other with respect to their ability to distinguish between different levels of coupling and their robustness against noise. The three measures were then applied to a real-life problem, pattern synchronization analysis of left and right hemisphere rat electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. Both simulated and real EEG data analysis results showed that the X-FuzzyEn provided an improved evaluation of bivariate series pattern synchronization and could be more conveniently and powerfully applied to different neural dynamical systems contaminated by noise.

Immediate effects of 2 different whole-body vibration frequencies on muscle peak torque and stiffness.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the immediate effects of 2 vibration protocols with different vibration frequencies that yielded the same maximum acceleration (106.75ms(-2)) on muscle peak torque and stiffness of knee extensor and flexor. DESIGN: Randomized crossover study with repeated measures. SETTING: Laboratory setting. PARTICIPANTS: Recreationally active male adults (N=10). INTERVENTION: Participants performed 10 bouts of 60-second static half squats intermitted with a 60-second rest period between bouts on a platform with no vibration (control) and a vibration frequency of 26Hz or 40Hz. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Concentric and eccentric peak torques of knee extensor and flexor were examined within 5 minutes before and after vibration by isokinetic test. Young's modulus as an index of tissue stiffness was determined at quadriceps and hamstring pre- and postvibration by using an ultrasound indentation method. RESULTS: The 2-way repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a significant interaction effect between vibration and vibration frequency for knee extensor concentric peak torque (P=.003). The vibration-induced changes of knee extensor concentric peak torque in vibration frequency of 26Hz (14.5Nm) and 40Hz (12.0Nm) were found to be significantly greater than that in controls (-29.4Nm) (P<.05). The change in eccentric peak torque of knee flexor after vibration tended to be greater in 26Hz of vibration frequency when compared with controls (26Hz of vibration frequency vs controls: 13.9±7.1 vs -11.4±5.3Nm, P=.08). No statistically significant differences were obtained in tissue stiffness in the quadriceps and hamstring with any of the conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that whole-body vibration at a frequency of 26Hz and 40Hz preclude the decline in concentric peak torque of knee extensor observed after 10 bouts of 60 seconds of static half squats. A change in muscle mechanical stiffness property as induced by whole-body vibration is not supported by our data.

Surveillance on schistosomiasis in five provincial-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China in the post-elimination era.

BACKGROUND: The People's Republic of China (P. R. China) has made significant progress on schistosomiasis control. Among the 12 provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) with schistosomiasis endemic in P. R. China, Guangdong, Shanghai, Fujian, Guangxi and Zhejiang PLADs (following as five PLADs) had successively eliminated schistosomiasis during 1985-1995. However, consolidation of the schistosomiasis elimination in these five PLADs remains challenging. In the current study, we sought to understand the epidemic situation in these post-elimination areas and their surveillance capabilities on schistosomiasis. METHODS: Annual data reflecting the interventions and surveillance on human beings, cattle and snails based on county level from 2005 to 2016 were collected through the national schistosomiasis reporting system and the data were analyzed to understand the epidemic status of schistosomiasis in the five PLADs. A standardized score sheet was designed to assess the surveillance capacity for schistosomiasis of selected disease control agencies in five PLADs and ten counties. Assessment on surveillance capacity including schistosomiasis diagnostic skills, identification of snails' living and infection status and knowledge about schistosomiasis and its control were made. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the epidemic status and evaluation results on surveillance capacities. RESULTS: The assessments showed that no local cases in humans and cattle or infected snail were found in these five PLADs since 2005. However, from 2005 to 2016, a total of 221 imported cases were detected in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Fujian, and 11.98 hm2 of new snail habitats were found in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Guangxi. In addition, snail infestation reoccurred in 247.55 hm2 of former snail habitats since 2011. For the surveillance capacity assessment, the accuracy rate of IHA and MHT were 100 and 89.3%, respectively. All participants could judge the living status of snails accurately and 98.1% on the infection status of snails. The accuracy rate of the questionnaire survey was 98.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Elimination of schistosomiasis was consolidated successfully in five PLADs of P. R. China due to effective and strong post-elimination surveillance. Comprehensive consolidation strategies should be focused on the elimination of residual snails and the prevention of imported infection sources to consolidate the achievements of schistosomiasis control.

The Undervalued Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposure on Breast Cancer.

The incidence of breast cancer across the world has been on the rise in recent decades. Because identified risk factors can only explain a relatively small portion of the cases, environmental exposure to organic pollutants is suspected to play a role in breast cancer etiology. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are among the most abundant pollutants, and the impact of their exposure on breast cancer risk has been extensively studied in recent decades. However, the results of most epidemiologic studies do not support an association between PCB exposure and breast cancer risk. We hypothesized that the effects of PCBs on breast cancer might have been undervalued for reasons such as insufficient recognition of the confounding effects of several factors and lack of attention on the innate heterogeneity of PCB mixtures or breast cancer. After reviewing the evidence in the existing literature, we concluded that early life exposure, known risk factors of breast cancer, and impact of exposure to other pollutants are the main sources of confounding effects and have potentially masked the associations between PCBs and breast cancer. Because PCBs are mixtures of congeners with varied properties, and because breast cancers of different subtypes are etiologically distinct diseases, the absence of stratified subgroup analysis on individual PCBs and patients with specific biological subtypes and insufficient attention paid to the results of these subgroup analyses may result in an underestimation of the correlations between PCBs and breast cancer. In future studies, these factors must be taken into consideration when exploring the effect of PCB exposure on breast cancer risk.

Classification of the mechanomyogram signal using a wavelet packet transform and singular value decomposition for multifunction prosthesis control.

Previous works have resulted in some practical achievements for mechanomyogram (MMG) to control powered prostheses. This work presents the investigation of classifying the hand motion using MMG signals for multifunctional prosthetic control. MMG is thought to reflect the intrinsic mechanical activity of muscle from the lateral oscillations of fibers during contraction. However, external mechanical noise sources such as a movement artifact are known to cause considerable interference to MMG, compromising the classification accuracy. To solve this noise problem, we proposed a new scheme to extract robust MMG features by the integration of the wavelet packet transform (WPT), singular value decomposition (SVD) and a feature selection technique based on distance evaluation criteria for the classification of hand motions. The WPT was first adopted to provide an effective time-frequency representation of non-stationary MMG signals. Then, the SVD and the distance evaluation technique were utilized to extract and select the optimal feature representing the hand motion patterns from the MMG time-frequency representation matrix. Experimental results of 12 subjects showed that four different motions of the forearm and hand could be reliably differentiated using the proposed method when two channels of MMG signals were used. Compared with three previously reported time-frequency decomposition methods, i.e. short-time Fourier transform, stationary wavelet transform and S-transform, the proposed classification system gave the highest average classification accuracy up to 89.7%. The results indicated that MMG could potentially serve as an alternative source of electromyogram for multifunctional prosthetic control using the proposed classification method.

Estimation of wrist angle from sonomyography using support vector machine and artificial neural network models.

Sonomyography (SMG) is the signal we previously termed to describe muscle contraction using real-time muscle thickness changes extracted from ultrasound images. In this paper, we used least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict dynamic wrist angles from SMG signals. Synchronized wrist angle and SMG signals from the extensor carpi radialis muscles of five normal subjects were recorded during the process of wrist extension and flexion at rates of 15, 22.5, and 30cycles/min, respectively. An LS-SVM model together with back-propagation (BP) and radial basis function (RBF) ANN was developed and trained using the data sets collected at the rate of 22.5cycles/min for each subject. The established LS-SVM and ANN models were then used to predict the wrist angles for the remained data sets obtained at different extension rates. It was found that the wrist angle signals collected at different rates could be accurately predicted by all the three methods, based on the values of root mean square difference (RMSD<0.2) and the correlation coefficient (CC>0.98), with the performance of the LS-SVM model being significantly better (RMSD<0.15, CC>0.99) than those of its counterparts. The results also demonstrated that the models established for the rate of 22.5cycles/min could be used for the prediction from SMG data sets obtained under other extension rates. It was concluded that the wrist angle could be precisely estimated from the thickness changes of the extensor carpi radialis using LS-SVM or ANN models.

Prognostic value of preoperative hyponatremia in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Hyponatremia is an emerging issue in cancer patients. However, few studies have explored the prognostic value of preoperative hyponatremia in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. We conducted a retrospective study of women diagnosed with EOC at Shengjing Hospital from 2011 to 2015. Preoperative serum sodium levels were measured and classified as normal (136-145 mmol/L) or hyponatremic (≤135 mmol/L) according to the average/most recent measurements of this biomarker. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were applied to determine the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of preoperative hyponatremia with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We identified 607 EOC patients meeting the inclusion criteria with a median age of 51 years (inter-quartile range: 47-59 years). The median follow-up duration was 3.1 years (inter-quartile range: 2.2-4.2). The recurrence and mortality rates were 56.8% (345/607) and 38.4% (233/607), respectively. Among the patients, 81 (13.3%) were observed as hyponatremic. Preoperative hyponatremia was associated with poorer PFS (HR=1.51; 95%CI=1.07-2.15) as well as OS (HR=1.47; 95%CI=1.03-2.11) after adjusting for potential confounders. Notably, results were in line with the main findings only when using the most recent serum sodium levels before treatment, with corresponding HRs of 1.58 (95%CI=1.12-2.23) for PFS and 1.45 (95%CI=1.02-2.07) for OS. Preoperative hyponatremia is an independent prognostic factor of EOC. Further studies are warranted to confirm our findings as well as to determine whether correction of preoperative hyponatremia may alter clinical outcomes in these patients.