Posterior Eye Shape in Myopia.

Purpose: To explore prevalence and associated factors of abnormalities of the posterior eye shape in dependence of axial length. Design: Population-based study. Participants: Of the participants (n = 3468) of the Beijing Eye Study, we included all eyes with an axial length of ≥25 mm, and a randomized sample of eyes with an axial length of <25 mm. Methods: Using 30°-wide, serial horizontal, and fovea-centered radial, OCT images, we examined location and depth of the most posterior point of the retinal pigment epithelium/Bruch's membrane line (PP-RPE/BML). Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence and depth of an extrafoveal PP-RPE/BML. Results: The study included 366 eyes (314 individuals). On the radial OCT scans, the PP-RPE/BML was located in the foveola in 190 (51.9%) eyes, in 121 (33.1%) eyes in the 6 o'clock part of the vertical meridian (distance to foveola: 1.73 ± 0.70 mm), and in 54 (14.8%) eyes in the 12 o'clock part of the vertical meridian (fovea distance: 2.01 ± 0.66 mm). On the horizontal OCT scans, the PP-RPE/BML was located in the foveola in 304 (83.1%) eyes, between foveola and optic disc in 36 (9.8%) eyes (fovea distance: 1.59 ± 0.76 mm), and temporal to the foveola in 26 (7.1%) eyes (fovea distance: 1.20 ± 0.60 mm). Higher prevalence of an extrafoveal PP-RPE/BML correlated with longer axial length (odds ratio [OR]: 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28, 1.89), higher corneal astigmatism (OR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.79), and female sex (OR: 2.74; 95% CI: 1.30, 5.77). The curvature of the RPE/BML at the posterior pole was similar to the RPE/BML curvature outside of the posterior pole in 309 (84.4%) eyes, and it was steeper (i.e., smaller curvature radius) in 57 (15.6%) eyes. In these eyes, axial length was longer (24.41 ± 1.78 mm versus 27.74 ± 1.88 mm; P < 0.001). Conclusions: With longer axial length, the foveola is more often located outside of the geometrical posterior pole. It may be of importance for biometric axial length measurements. An extrafoveal location of the PP-RPE/BML may be due to an axial elongation-associated, meridionally asymmetric enlargement of Bruch's membrane in the fundus midperiphery. Financial Disclosures: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Chromosome-Scale Genome Assembly for Soft-Stem Bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) Confirms a Clade-Specific Whole-Genome Duplication in Cyperaceae.

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (C. C. Gmelin) Palla is a typical macrophyte in diverse wetland ecosystems. This species holds great potential in decontamination applications and carbon sequestration. Previous studies have shown that this species may have experienced recent polyploidization. This would make S. tabernaemontani a unique model to study the processes and consequences of whole-genome duplications in the context of the well-documented holocentric chromosomes and dysploidy events in Cyperaceae. However, the inference was not completely solid because it lacked homology information that is essential to ascertain polyploidy. We present here the first chromosome-level genome assembly for S. tabernaemontani. By combining Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long reads and Illumina short reads, plus chromatin conformation via the Hi-C method, we assembled a genome spanning 507.96 Mb, with 99.43% of Hi-C data accurately mapped to the assembly. The assembly contig N50 value was 3.62 Mb. The overall BUSCO score was 94.40%. About 68.94% of the genome was comprised of repetitive elements. A total of 36,994 protein-coding genes were predicted and annotated. Long terminal repeat retrotransposons accounted for ∼26.99% of the genome, surpassing the content observed in most sequenced Cyperid genomes. Our well-supported haploid assembly comprised 21 pseudochromosomes, each harboring putative holocentric centromeres. Our findings corroborated a karyotype of 2n = 2X = 42. We also confirmed a recent whole-genome duplication occurring after the divergence between Schoenoplecteae and Bolboschoeneae. Our genome assembly expands the scope of sequenced genomes within the Cyperaceae family, encompassing the fifth genus. It also provides research resources on Cyperid evolution and wetland conservation.

Linking active rectal mucosa-attached microbiota to host immunity reveals its role in host-pathogenic STEC O157 interactions.

The rectal-anal junction (RAJ) is the major colonization site of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 in beef cattle, leading to transmission of this foodborne pathogen from farms to food chains. To date, there is limited understanding regarding whether the mucosa-attached microbiome has a profound impact on host-STEC interactions. In this study, the active RAJ mucosa-attached microbiota and its potential role in host immunity-STEC commensal interactions were investigated using RAJ mucosal biopsies collected from calves orally challenged with two STEC O157 strains with or without functional stx2a (stx2a+ or stx2a-). The results revealed that shifts of microbial diversity, topology, and assembly patterns were subjected to stx2a production post-challenge and Paeniclostridium and Gallibacterium were the keystone taxa for both microbial interactions and assembly. Additional mucosal transcriptome profiling showed stx2a-dependent host immune responses (i.e. B- and T-cell signaling and antigen processing and presentation) post-challenge. Further integrated analysis revealed that mucosa-attached beneficial microbes (i.e. Provotella, Faecalibacterium, and Dorea) interacted with host immune genes pre-challenge to maintain host homeostasis; however, opportunistic pathogenic microbes (i.e. Paeniclostridium) could interact with host immune genes after the STEC O157 colonization and interactions were stx2a-dependent. Furthermore, predicted bacterial functions involved in pathogen (O157 and Paeniclostridium) colonization and metabolism were related to host immunity. These findings suggest that during pathogen colonization, host-microbe interactions could shift from beneficial to opportunistic pathogenic bacteria driven and be dependent on the production of particular virulence factors, highlighting the potential regulatory role of mucosa-attached microbiota in affecting pathogen-commensal host interactions in calves with STEC O157 infection.

Varied microbial community assembly and specialization patterns driven by early life microbiome perturbation and modulation in young ruminants.

Perturbations and modulations during early life are vital to affect gut microbiome assembly and establishment. In this study, we assessed how microbial communities shifted during calf diarrhea and with probiotic yeast supplementation (Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii, SCB) and determined the key bacterial taxa contributing to the microbial assembly shifts using a total of 393 fecal samples collected from 84 preweaned calves during an 8-week trial. Our results revealed that the microbial assembly patterns differed between healthy and diarrheic calves at 6- and 8-week of the trial, with healthy calves being stochastic-driven and diarrheic calves being deterministic-driven. The two-state Markov model revealed that SCB supplementation had a higher possibility to shift microbial assembly from deterministic- to stochastic-driven in diarrheic calves. Furthermore, a total of 23 and 21 genera were specific ecotypes to assembly patterns in SCB-responsive (SCB-fed calves did not exhibit diarrhea) and nonresponsive (SCB-fed calves occurred diarrhea) calves, respectively. Among these ecotypes, the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that Blautia and Ruminococcaceae UCG 014, two unidentified genera from the Ruminococcaceae family, had the highest predictiveness for microbial assembly patterns in SCB-responsive calves, while Prevotellaceae, Blautia, and Escherichia-Shigella were the most predictive bacterial taxa for microbial assembly patterns in SCB-nonresponsive calves. Our study suggests that microbiome perturbations and probiotic yeast supplementation serving as deterministic factors influenced assembly patterns during early life with critical genera being predictive for assembly patterns, which sheds light on mechanisms of microbial community establishment in the gut of neonatal calves during early life.

Plateletcrit is predictive of clinical outcome and prognosis for early-stage breast cancer: A retrospective cohort study based on propensity score matching.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer (BC) is diagnosed as the most common cancer in women in 2022 according to the American Cancer Society. It is essential to detect early and treat early. Several studies have shown that some blood parameters have important predictive value for BC. In this study, we aim to explore whether some immune-associated blood parameters are relevant to disease-free survival (DFS) in early-stage BC. METHODS: A single-center, regression cohort study of 1490 patients with early-stage BC in Shanghai Cancer Center was conducted from January 2008 to December 2016. The patients were matched according to the ratio of 1:1 based on Propensity Score Matching (PSM). All patients who experienced disease progression were matched successfully. Thus, 58 pairs of subjects were obtained. Matched blood parameters were evaluated by paired samples t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Factors with statistical difference were further evaluated by stratified COX regression model. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed differences in platelet-related parameters (PLT, PCT, and PLR) and NLR between the two matched groups. However, stratified COX regression analysis, which ruled out the confounding effects of multiple factors, found that only PCT had prognostic value in early BC patients at baseline and study endpoint. Meanwhile, platelet-related parameters (PLT, MPV) and NLR were different in the progressive group by self before and after comparison. However, the multiple-factor analysis showed that only the NLR had prognostic value. ROC curve analysis indicated that the best sensitivity (65.45%) and specificity (78.18%) were obtained when the baseline PCT was 0.225. The optimal sensitivity (70.91%) and specificity (65.45%) were obtained when the PCT of disease progression was 0.215. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to calculate the DFS rate based on the critical values of the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Some blood parameters have value to predict DFS in early-stage BC patients, especially platelet-associated parameters.

Outcomes with and without postmastectomy radiotherapy for pT3N0-1M0 breast cancer: An institutional experience.

AIM: The objective of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in treating patients with pT3N0-1M0 breast cancer within the context of modern therapeutic strategies. METHODS: Clinical data from patients with pT3N0-1M0 breast cancer who underwent mastectomy from January 2005 to December 2018 at our institution were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The study involved a total of 222 participants, with 112 individuals undergoing PMRT and 110 individuals not receiving it. The median follow-up duration was 77 months (range: 6-171 months). The entire cohort demonstrated 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of 85.1% and 91.0%, respectively, along with a locoregional recurrence (LRR) rate as low as 7.2%. The PMRT group showed significantly better 5-year DFS (90.2% vs. 80.0%, p = 0.02) and OS (95.5% vs. 86.4%, p = 0.012) rates, as well as a lower LRR rate (4.5% vs. 10.0%, p = 0.122), compared to the group without PMRT. Cox regression analysis confirmed the independent prognostic significance of PMRT for both DFS (p = 0.040) and OS (p = 0.047). Following propensity score matching (PSM), the analysis included 100 matched patients, revealing an improved prognosis for those who received PMRT (DFS: p = 0.067; OS: p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals favorable prognoses for pT3N0-1M0 breast cancer patients treated within contemporary therapeutic approaches. The pivotal role of PMRT in this context is evident. However, due to the retrospective design of our study and the relatively limited sample size, further investigation is imperative to validate and enhance these initial findings.

Investigating the Impact of Sun/UV Protection and Ease of Skin Tanning on the Risk of Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Purpose: To investigate the potential causal associations between the use of sun/ultraviolet (UV) protection and ease of skin tanning and the risk of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG) in European populations. Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the use of sun/UV protection and ease of skin tanning were selected from the UK Biobank genome-wide association study database consisting of 498,751 European participants. SNPs of PXG were obtained from the FinnGen study including 3424 PXG cases and 326,434 controls. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed to assess the association between the use of sun/UV protection and ease of skin tanning and risk of PXG. Results: Inverse variance weighted regression of genetic susceptibility predicted that both use of sun/UV protection and ease of skin tanning were potentially positively associated with the decreased risk of PXG in the European ancestry (use of sun/UV protection: odds ratio [OR] = 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24-0.92; P = 0.028; ease of skin tanning: OR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.67-0.97; P = 0.025). Conclusions: We found genetic evidence supporting a potential causal association between UV protection and a decreased risk of PXG in European population. Further research will help elucidate the underlying mechanisms and promote UV protection for eyes, especially in people with a high risk of PXG.

[Estimation of Cropland Nitrogen Runoff Loss Loads in the Yangtze River Basin Based on the Machine Learning Approaches].

A quantitative understanding of cropland nitrogen (N) runoff loss is critical for developing efficient N pollution control strategies. Using correlation analysis, a structural equation model, variance decomposition, and machine learning methods, this study identified the primary influencing factors of total N (TN) runoff loss from uplands (n=570) and paddy (n=434) fields in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) and then developed a machine learning-based prediction model to quantify cropland N runoff loss load. The results indicated that runoff depth, soil N content, and fertilizer addition rate were the major influencing factors of TN runoff loss from uplands, whereas TN runoff loss rate from paddy fields was mainly regulated by runoff depth and fertilizer addition rate. Among the four used machine learning methods, the prediction models based on the random forest algorithm presented the highest accuracy (R2=0.65-0.94) for predicting upland and paddy field TN runoff loss rates. The random forest algorithm based model estimated a total cropland TN loss load in the YRB of 0.47 Tg·a-1 (upland:0.25 Tg·a-1; paddy field:0.22 Tg·a-1) in 2013, with 58% of TN runoff loss load derived from the midstream and downstream regions. The models predicted that TN runoff loss loads from croplands in YRB would decrease by 2.4%-9.3% for five scenarios, with higher TN load reductions occurring from scenarios with decreased runoff amounts. To mitigate cropland N nonpoint source pollution in YRB, it is essential to integrate efficient water, fertilizer, and soil nutrient managements as well as to consider the midstream and downstream regions as the high priority area. The machine learning-based modeling method developed in this study overcame the difficulty of identifying the functional relationships between cropland TN loss rate and multiple influencing factors in developing relevant prediction models, providing a reliable method for estimating regional and watershed cropland TN loss load.

Redox state and metabolic responses to severe heat stress in lenok Brachymystax lenok (Salmonidae).

In order to provide new insights into the physiological responses of lenok (Brachymystax lenok: Salmonidae) to acute and severe heat stress (25°C, 48 h), dynamic changes in redox state and metabolic responses are studied combined biochemical index and non-targeted metabolome. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) consumption causes significant increases in ratio of reduced NADH to NAD+ and ratio of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) to NADP+, which induced the redox imbalance in heat stressed lenok. Lowered reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratios suggested that more oxidized conditions occurred in heat-stressed lenok, leading to membrane lipid oxidation. The first few hours of heat stress promoted the activity of enzymes involved in anaerobic glycolysis (hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactic dehydrogenase) and glutamicpyruvic transaminase and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, which might lead to consumption of many carbohydrates and amino acid catabolism. These enzyme activities decreased with time in a possible compensatory strategy to manage anabolic and catabolic metabolism, maintaining the redox homeostasis. After 48 h of recovery, NAD+, carbohydrate levels and enzyme activities had returned to control levels, whereas many amino acids were consumed for repair and new synthesis. GSH remained at levels lower than controls, and the more oxidized conditions had not recovered, aggravating oxidative damage. Glutamic acid, glutamine, lysine and arginine may play important roles in survival of heat-stressed lenok.

Excellent Energy Storage Performance in Epoxy Resin Dielectric Polymer Films by a Facile Hot-Pressing Method.

Epoxy resin (EP), as a kind of dielectric polymer, exhibits the advantages of low-curing shrinkage, high-insulating properties, and good thermal/chemical stability, which is widely used in electronic and electrical industry. However, the complicated preparation process of EP has limited their practical applications for energy storage. In this manuscript, bisphenol F epoxy resin (EPF) was successfully fabricated into polymer films with a thickness of 10~15 µm by a facile hot-pressing method. It was found that the curing degree of EPF was significantly affected by changing the ratio of EP monomer/curing agent, which led to the improvement in breakdown strength and energy storage performance. In particular, a high discharged energy density (Ud) of 6.5 J·cm-3 and efficiency (η) of 86% under an electric field of 600 MV·m-1 were obtained for the EPF film with an EP monomer/curing agent ratio of 1:1.5 by hot pressing at 130 °C, which indicates that the hot-pressing method could be facilely employed to produce high-quality EP films with excellent energy storage performance for pulse power capacitors.

Macular outer nuclear layer, ellipsoid zone and outer photoreceptor segment band thickness, axial length and other determinants.

The study aims to assess the thickness of the retinal outer nuclear layer (ONL), ellipsoid zone (EZ) and photoreceptor outer segment (POS) band in various macular regions and its associations with axial length and other parameters. Participants of the Beijing Eye Study 2011 underwent a series of examinations including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of the macula. The current study included 2213 participants without retinal or optic nerve diseases (age: 61.7 ± 8.4 years; range 50-93 years); axial length: 23.15 ± 0.95 mm; range 18.96-29.15 mm). The ONL (fovea: 98.9 ± 8.8 µm), EZ (fovea: 24.1 ± 0.5 µm) and POS band (fovea: 24.3 ± 3.5 µm) were the thickest (P < 0.001) in the fovea (defined as the thinnest central point), followed by the temporal inner, nasal inner, inferior inner, superior inner, inferior outer, temporal outer, nasal outer, and superior outer region. In multivariable analysis, a thicker retinal ONL was associated (correlation coefficient r: 0.40) with shorter axial length (beta: - 0.14; P < 0.001) and shorter disc-fovea distance (beta: - 0.10; P = 0.001), after adjusting for younger age (beta: - 0.26; P < 0.001), male sex (beta: 0.24; P < 0.001), lower serum cholesterol concentration (beta: - 0.05; P = 0.04), and thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness (beta: 0.08; P < 0.001). The POS thickness increased with shorter axial length (beta: - 0.06; P < 0.001) and shorter optic disc-fovea distance (beta: - 0.05; P = 0.03), after adjusting for younger age (beta: - 0.34; P < 0.001), male sex (beta: 0.15; P < 0.001), and thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness (beta: 0.24; P < 0.001). As a conclusion, the photoreceptor ONL, EZ and POS band vary in thickness between different macular regions and differ in their correlations with axial length, disc-fovea distance, age, sex, and subfoveal choroidal thickness. The ONL thickness decrease with longer axial length and longer disc-fovea distance may point to an axial elongation-associated retinal stretching in the macula.

Morphological study of CT image of posterior pilon variant fracture and its possible clinical significance.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of posterior pilon variant fractures has been underestimated. The purpose was to study the characteristics of posteromedial (PM) and posterolateral (PL) fragments in CT imaging of posterior pilon variant fractures, and to provide help for clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: CT imaging data of 109 cases of posterior pilon variant fractures in our hospital from January 2013 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to Mason and Molloy classification, PM fragments were further divided into pilon subtypes and avulsed subtypes. The largest actual area of fragments in axial and sagittal were selected as the study plane, and the maximum axial lengths of X, Y and Z, α angle, ß angle, fragment area (S1-7) and fragment area ratio (FAR1-4), interfragmentary (IF) angle, and back of tibia (BT) angle were measured. RESULTS: A total of 109 cases were included in this study, 61 of whom were pilon subtypes [90.16% were supination-external rotation (SER) injuries]. 48 cases were avulsed subtypes [81.25% were pronation-external rotation (PER) injuries]. Pilon subtypes were larger than avulsed subtypes in X, Y, Z, α2 Angle, ß2 Angle, fragment area and ratio, and IF and BT angle (P < 0.05). There was no difference between α1 and ß1 angle (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The morphology of pilon subtype was larger than that of avulsion subtype. According to fragment size, morphology, and injury mechanism, two fragments of pilon subtype should be anatomic reduction and fixation. However, the PL fragment of avulsion subtype should to be fixed, while PM fragment may only need conservative treatment.

Risk factors for early-onset colorectal cancer: A large-scale Chinese cohort study.

Background: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) has increased globally since the early 1990s. Comprehensively examining the risk factors would be helpful for risk stratification and the development of personalized colorectal cancer screening strategies. Methods: We performed a prospective study of the Chinese population aged 30-50 years to identify potential risk factors during a median follow-up of 9.1 years. We compared the distribution of demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, dietary habits, and medical history among 222 EOCRC cases and 87,833 normal controls. Multivariate adjusted Cox hazard models were used for estimating EOCRC risks of each risk factor. Results: Our final analyses indicated that participants with a higher body mass index (HR, 1.04; 95% CI:1.00,1.08), regular alcohol consumption (HR, 1.69; 95% CI: 1.12, 2.91), higher intake of fish (HR, 1.64; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.67), hypertension (HR, 1.99; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.81), diabetes (HR, 2.20; 95% CI: 1.08, 4.49), and first-degree relatives with cancer (HR, 1.70; 95% CI: 1.23, 2.36) were at higher risk of EOCRC. Conclusion: We identified several modifiable as well as nonmodifiable risk factors, such as higher BMI, alcohol and fish consumption, hypertension, and diabetes, were associated with EOCRC.

Arterial hypertension and retinal layer thickness: the Beijing Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To investigate relationships between blood pressure and the thickness of single retinal layers in the macula. METHODS: Participants of the population-based Beijing Eye Study, free of retinal or optic nerve disease, underwent medical and ophthalmological examinations including optical coherence tomographic examination of the macula. Applying a multiple-surface segmentation solution, we automatically segmented the retina into its various layers. RESULTS: The study included 2237 participants (mean age 61.8±8.4 years, range 50-93 years). Mean thicknesses of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer, outer nuclear layer/external limiting membrane, ellipsoid zone, photoreceptor outer segments (POS) and retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch membrane were 31.1±2.3 µm, 39.7±3.5 µm, 38.4±3.3 µm, 34.8±2.0 µm, 28.1±3.0 µm, 79.2±7.3 µm, 22.9±0.6 µm, 19.2±3.3 µm and 20.7±1.4 µm, respectively. In multivariable analysis, higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were associated with thinner GCL and thicker INL, after adjusting for age, sex and axial length (all p<0.0056). Higher SBP was additionally associated with thinner POS and higher DBP with thinner RNFL. For an elevation of SBP/DBP by 10 mm Hg, the RNFL, GCL, INL and POS changed by 2.0, 3.0, 1.5 and 2.0 µm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Thickness of RNFL, GCL and POS was inversely and INL thickness was positively associated with higher blood pressure, while the thickness of the other retinal layers was not significantly correlated with blood pressure. The findings may be helpful for refinement of the morphometric detection of retinal diseases.

[Soil Organic Carbon Storage, Active Component Contents, and Stability Along a Flooding Gradient in the Tidal Wetland of the Jiulong River Estuary].

Flooding is one of the key environmental factors affecting the carbon sequestration potential of estuarine tidal flat wetlands. In order to reveal the effect of flooding on soil carbon (C) sinks in estuarine tidal wetlands, we investigated and analyzed the soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, the contents of active SOC components, and SOC stability indicators across a tidal flat in the Jiulong River estuary in southeast China. The results showed that the SOC storage gradually decreased by 54% with the increase in flooding frequency. The change pattern of microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and liable organic carbon (LOC) followed the change pattern of the SOC storage. With the increase in flooding frequency, DOC/SOC and LOC/SOC increased by 80% and 26%, respectively, whereas MBC/SOC decreased by 29%. As flooding frequency increased, particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) contents decreased by 81% and 35%, respectively. The decreases in POC contents were correlated with the increases in soil pH, whereas the decreases in MAOC contents were associated with the decline in clay contents. Soil carbon stability index (CSI) increased by 246% with increasing flooding frequency. These combined results indicated that SOC storage decreased, but SOC stability increased, with the increased flooding frequency. Mineral-bound organic carbon was the main protection mechanism for the SOC stability, which was of great significance to the soil C sink of the estuarine tidal wetlands.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Carex myosuroides Villars, 1779 (Cyperaceae).

Carex myosuroides Villars, 1779 is a typical alpine sedge with both ecological and agricultural value. The work reported here is the first complete chloroplast genome of this species. The chloroplast genome, with a total size of 185,609 bp, consists of two inverted repeats (IRs, 38,374 bp) separated by a large single-copy (LSC, 99,911 bp) region, and a small single-copy (SSC, 8950 bp) region. The overall genome GC content is 34.12%. The genome contains 125 genes, consisting of 82 protein-coding genes, 35 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis supports the taxonomic treatment of incorporating genus Kobresia to a broader circumscription of Carex. Our work could be helpful to future research on Cyperaceae.

Globally optimal OCT surface segmentation using a constrained IPM optimization.

Segmentation of multiple surfaces in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images is a challenging problem, further complicated by the frequent presence of weak boundaries, varying layer thicknesses, and mutual influence between adjacent surfaces. The traditional graph-based optimal surface segmentation method has proven its effectiveness with its ability to capture various surface priors in a uniform graph model. However, its efficacy heavily relies on handcrafted features that are used to define the surface cost for the "goodness" of a surface. Recently, deep learning (DL) is emerging as a powerful tool for medical image segmentation thanks to its superior feature learning capability. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of training data in medical imaging, it is nontrivial for DL networks to implicitly learn the global structure of the target surfaces, including surface interactions. This study proposes to parameterize the surface cost functions in the graph model and leverage DL to learn those parameters. The multiple optimal surfaces are then simultaneously detected by minimizing the total surface cost while explicitly enforcing the mutual surface interaction constraints. The optimization problem is solved by the primal-dual interior-point method (IPM), which can be implemented by a layer of neural networks, enabling efficient end-to-end training of the whole network. Experiments on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) retinal layer segmentation demonstrated promising segmentation results with sub-pixel accuracy.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Bolboschoenus planiculmis (Cyperaceae).

Bolboschoenus planiculmis is a typical wetland sedge with both ecological and agricultural value. We report the first complete chloroplast genome sequence of this species. The total genome size is 186,539 bp, containing a large single-copy region (LSC) of 104,654 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) of 9,659 bp and two inverted repeats (IRs) of 36,113 bp by each. The GC content is 33.59%. The genome encodes 105 unique genes, including 71 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis shows this species has a strong sister relationship with Cyperus. Our work could be helpful in understanding the evolution of Cyperaceae.

Spontaneous Ventilation Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Geriatric Patients With Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to compare the short-term outcomes between spontaneous ventilation video-assisted thoracic surgery (SV-VATS) and mechanical ventilation video-assisted thoracic surgery (MV-VATS) in the elderly. All patients included in the present study underwent lobectomy, segmentectomy, or wedge resection and lymph node dissection. DESIGN: A retrospective cohor. SETTING: The first affiliated hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. PARTICIPANTS: The present study included 799 elderly patients diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer undergoing SV-VATS or MV-VATS. After propensity score matching, 80 patients in the SV-VATS group and 80 patients in the MV-VATS group were analyzed. INTERVENTIONS: Patients in the SV-VATS group received spontaneous-ventilation anesthesia, which was administered as follows: intravenous anesthesia + laryngeal mask airway + thoracic paravertebral block + visceral pleural surface anesthesia + thoracic vagus nerve block. Patients in the MV-VATS group received general endotracheal anesthesia. SV-VATS or MV-VATS was performed according to the preference of the patients. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were no significant differences in anesthesia time (226.3 ± 79.8 v 238.5 ± 66.2 min; p = 0.44), surgery time (166.2 ± 102.6 v 170.1 ± 83.4 min; p = 0.66), and number of dissected lymph nodes (5.3 ± 7.5 v 4.4 ± 7.4; p = 0.23) between the two groups. There were significant differences in intraoperative bleeding (61.5 ± 165.1 v 82.2 ± 116.9 mL; p < 0.001). After surgery, the two groups were statistically comparable in terms of hospitalization (17.6 ± 7.6 v 17.2 ± 6.9 days; p = 0.95) and incidence of complications (7.5% v 13.8%; p = 0.20), while there were significant differences in chest tube duration (6.1 ± 3.3 v 4.5 ± 1.2 days; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: SV-VATS is feasible and as safe as MV-VATS, and it could be considered as an alternative treatment for the elderly.

Serum sodium on admission affects postoperative in-hospital mortality in acute aortic dissection patients.

BACKGROUND: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is very fatal without surgical treatment. Higher serum sodium can increase in-hospital mortality of many diseases; however, the effect of serum sodium on postoperative in-hospital mortality in AAD patients remains unknown. METHODS: We collected a total of 415 AAD patients from January 2015 to December 2019. Patients were classified into four categories (Q1-Q4) according to the admission serum sodium quartile. The cox proportional hazards model evaluated the association between serum sodium and in-hospital mortality. All-cause in-hospital mortality was set as the endpoint. RESULTS: By adjusting many covariates, cox proportional hazards model revealed the in-hospital mortality risk of both Q3 and Q4 groups was 3.086 (1.242-7.671, P = 0.015) and 3.370 (1.384-8.204, P = 0.007) respectively, whereas the risk of Q2 group was not significantly increased. Univariate and multiple Cox analysis revealed that Stanford type A, serum glucose, α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and serum sodium were risk factors correlated with in-hospital death in AAD patients. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that the admission serum sodium of AAD patients has a vital impact on postoperative hospital mortality.