Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and dermatomyositis: A 2-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in dermatomyositis (DM) patients, but the exact causal relationship between them remains elusive. Our aim is to confirm the causal relationship between 25(OH)D and DM risk through a Mendelian randomization study. METHODS: Retrieve genome-wide association study (GWAS) data on 25(OH)D (n = 441 291) and DM (n cases = 201, n controls = 172 834) from the GWAS database (https://gwas.mrcieu.ac.uk/). Select single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) strongly correlated with 25(OH)D as instrumental variables (IVs). The primary analytical approach involves the use of the inverse-variance weighted method (IVW), supplemented by MR-Egger regression and weighted median methods to enhance the reliability of the results. Heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran's Q and leave-one-out approaches, respectively. RESULTS: The IVW analysis confirmed a positive causal relationship between genetic variation in 25(OH)D levels and DM (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.01-5.52, p = .048). Although not statistically significant (all p > .05), the other methods also suggested a protective effect of 25(OH)D on DM. Based on MR-Egger intercepts and Cochran's Q analysis, the selected SNPs showed no horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the robustness of the results against individual SNPs. CONCLUSION: We provide the first evidence of a causal relationship between 25(OH)D levels and DM. Our findings support the importance of measuring serum 25(OH)D levels and considering vitamin D supplementation in clinical practice for patients with DM.

Investigation of multiple nosocomial infections using a semi-Markov multi-state model.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of multiple nosocomial infections (MNIs) is on the rise, however, there remains a limited comprehension regarding the associated risk factors, cumulative risk, probability of occurrence, and impact on length of stay (LOS). METHOD: This multicenter study includes all hospitalized patients from 2020 to July 2023 in two sub-hospitals of a tertiary hospital in Guangming District, Shenzhen. The semi-Markov multi-state model (MSM) was utilized to analyze risk factors and cumulative risk of MNI, predict its occurrence probability, and calculate the extra LOS of nosocomial infection (NI). RESULTS: The risk factors for MNI include age, community infection at admission, surgery, and combined use of antibiotics. However, the cumulative risk of MNI is lower than that of single nosocomial infection (SNI). MNI is most likely to occur within 14 days after admission. Additionally, SNI prolongs LOS by an average of 7.48 days (95% Confidence Interval, CI: 6.06-8.68 days), while MNI prolongs LOS by an average of 15.94 days (95% CI: 14.03-18.17 days). Furthermore, the more sites of infection there are, the longer the extra LOS will be. CONCLUSION: The longer LOS and increased treatment difficulty of MNI result in a heavier disease burden for patients, necessitating targeted prevention and control measures.

Molecular targets and mechanisms of different aberrant alternative splicing in metastatic liver cancer.

Metastasis remains a major challenge in the successful management of malignant diseases. The liver is a major site of metastatic disease and a leading cause of death from gastrointestinal malignancies such as colon, stomach, and pancreatic cancers, as well as melanoma, breast cancer, and sarcoma. As an important factor that influences the development of metastatic liver cancer, alternative splicing drives the diversity of RNA transcripts and protein subtypes, which may provide potential to broaden the target space. In particular, the dysfunction of splicing factors and abnormal expression of splicing variants are associated with the occurrence, progression, aggressiveness, and drug resistance of cancers caused by the selective splicing of specific genes. This review is the first to provide a detailed summary of the normal splicing process and alterations that occur during metastatic liver cancer. It will cover the role of alternative splicing in the mechanisms of metastatic liver cancer by examining splicing factor changes, abnormal splicing, and the contribution of hypoxia to these changes during metastasis.

Construction of 5-Fluorouracil and Gallium Corrole Conjugates for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy.

Molecular hybridization is a well-established strategy for developing new drugs. In the pursuit of promising photosensitizers (PSs) with enhanced photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficiency, a series of novel 5-fluorouracil (5FU) gallium corrole conjugates (1-Ga-4-Ga) were designed and synthesized by hybridizing a chemotherapeutic drug and PSs. Their photodynamic antitumor activity was also evaluated. The most active complex (2-Ga) possesses a low IC50 value of 0.185 µM and a phototoxic index of 541 against HepG2 cells. Additionally, the 5FU-gallium corrole conjugate (2-Ga) exhibited a synergistic increase in cytotoxicity under irradiation. Excitedly, treatment of HepG2 tumor-bearing mice with 2-Ga under irradiation could completely ablate tumors without harming normal tissues. 2-Ga-mediated PDT could disrupt mitochondrial function, cause cell cycle arrest in the sub-G1 phase, and activate the cell apoptosis pathway by upregulating the cleaved PARP expression and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratios. This work provides a useful strategy for the design of new corrole-based chemo-photodynamic therapy drugs.

Aerobic fitness as a moderator of acute aerobic exercise effects on executive function.

This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of aerobic fitness on the effect of acute exercise on improving executive function from both behavioral and cerebral aspects. Thirty-four young individuals with motor skills were divided into high- and low-fitness groups based on their maximal oxygen uptake. Both groups completed 30 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on a power bike. Executive function tests (Flanker, N-back, More-odd-shifting) were performed before and after exercise and functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor prefrontal cerebral blood flow changes during the tasks. The results indicated significant differences between the two groups regarding executive function. Participants with lower aerobic fitness performed better than their higher fitness counterparts in inhibitory control and working memory, but not in cognitive flexibility. This finding suggests that the aerobic fitness may moderate the extent of cognitive benefits gained from acute aerobic exercise. Furthermore, the neuroimaging data indicated negative activation in the frontopolar area and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in response to three complex tasks. These findings underscore the importance of considering individual aerobic fitness when assessing the cognitive benefits of exercise and could have significant implications for tailoring fitness programs to enhance cognitive performance.

Identification and Functional Characterization of Alternative Transcripts of LncRNA HNF1A-AS1 and Their Impacts on Cell Growth, Differentiation, Liver Diseases, and in Response to Drug Induction.

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 alpha (HNF1A) antisense RNA 1 (HNF1A-AS1) is an important lncRNA for liver growth, development, cell differentiation, and drug metabolism. Like many lncRNAs, HNF1A-AS1 has multiple annotated alternative transcripts in the human genome. Several fundamental biological questions are still not solved: (1) How many transcripts really exist in biological samples, such as liver samples and liver cell lines? (2) What are the expression patterns of different alternative HNF1A-AS1 transcripts at different conditions, including during cell growth and development, after exposure to xenobiotics (such as drugs), and in disease conditions, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) cirrhosis, and obesity? (3) Does the siRNA used in previous studies knock down one or multiple transcripts? (4) Do different transcripts have the same or different functions for gene regulation? The presented data confirm the existence of several annotated HNF1A-AS1 transcripts in liver samples and cell lines, but also identify some new transcripts, which are not annotated in the Ensembl genome database. Expression patterns of the identified HNF1A-AS1 transcripts are highly correlated with the cell differentiation of matured hepatocyte-like cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESC), growth and differentiation of HepaRG cells, in response to rifampicin induction, and in various liver disease conditions. The expression levels of the HNF1A-AS1 transcripts are also highly correlated to the expression of cytochrome P450 enzymes, such as CYP3A4, during HepaRG growth, differentiation, and in response to rifampicin induction.

Genome-wide QTL mapping for agronomic traits in the winter wheat cultivar Pindong 34 based on 90K SNP array.

Introduction: Agronomic traits are key components of wheat yield. Exploitation of the major underlying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) can improve the yield potential in wheat breeding. Methods: In this study, we constructed a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population from Mingxian 169 (MX169) and Pindong 34 (PD34) to determine the QTLs for grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain length-to-width ratio (LWR), plant height (PH), spike length (SL), grain number per spike (GNS), and the thousand grain weight (TGW) across four environments using wheat 90K SNP array. Results: A QTL associated with TGW, i.e., QTGWpd.swust-6BS, was identified on chromosome 6B, which explained approximately 14.1%-16.2% of the phenotypic variation. In addition, eight QTLs associated with GL were detected across six chromosomes in four different test environments. These were QGLpd.swust-1BL, QGLpd.swust-2BL, QGLpd.swust-3BL.1, QGLpd.swust-3BL.2, QGLpd.swust-5DL, QGLpd.swust-6AL, QGLpd.swust-6DL.1, and QGLpd.swust-6DL.2. They accounted for 9.0%-21.3% of the phenotypic variation. Two QTLs, namely, QGWpd.swust-3BS and QGWpd.swust-6DL, were detected for GW on chromosomes 3B and 6D, respectively. These QTLs explained 12.8%-14.6% and 10.8%-15.2% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. In addition, two QTLs, i.e., QLWRpd.swust-7AS.1 and QLWRpd.swust-7AS.2, were detected on chromosome 7A for the grain LWR, which explained 10.9%-11.6% and 11.6%-11.2% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Another QTL, named QGNSpd-swust-6DS, was discovered on chromosome 6D, which determines the GNS and which accounted for 11.4%-13.8% of the phenotypic variation. Furthermore, five QTLs associated with PH were mapped on chromosomes 2D, 3A, 5A, 6B, and 7B. These QTLs were QPHpd.swust-2DL, QPHpd.swust-3AL, QPHpd.swust-5AL, QPHpd.swust-6BL, and QPHpd.swust-7BS, which accounted for 11.3%-19.3% of the phenotypic variation. Lastly, a QTL named QSLpd.swust-3AL, conferring SL, was detected on chromosome 3A and explained 16.1%-17.6% of the phenotypic variation. All of these QTLs were defined within the physical interval of the Chinese spring reference genome. Discussion: The findings of this study have significant implications for the development of fine genetic maps, for genomic breeding, and for marker-assisted selection to enhance wheat grain yield.

Methotrexate and the Risk of Dementia: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have suggested a potential association between methotrexate use and an increased risk of dementia. However, the causal relationship between methotrexate and dementia remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the potential causal effect of methotrexate use on the risk of dementia using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) approach. METHODS: We conducted a TSMR study using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of methotrexate use and dementia. We obtained genetic instruments for methotrexate use from a large-scale GWAS meta-analysis and genetic instruments for dementia from a separate GWAS meta-analysis. We performed several statistical analyses, including inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median (WM1), weighted mode (WM2), and MR-Egger regression methods, to estimate the causal effect of methotrexate on dementia risk. RESULTS: Our TSMR analysis showed a significant positive association between genetic predisposition to methotrexate use and dementia risk. The IVW method estimated a causal odds ratio (OR) of 0.476 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.362-0.626] per unit increase in the log odds ratio of methotrexate use. WM1, WM2, and MR-Egger methods provided consistent results. CONCLUSION: The findings of this mendelian randomization (MR) study suggest a potential causal effect of methotrexate use on the risk of dementia. However, further research is needed to validate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms. Since methotrexate is widely prescribed for various autoimmune diseases, a better understanding of its potential impact on dementia risk is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies and addressing potential adverse effects.

Is postmastectomy radiotherapy necessary for breast cancer patients with clinically node-positive downstaging to ypN0 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy?

PURPOSE: The significance of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in breast cancer patients who initially have clinically node-positive (cN +) status but achieve downstaging to ypN0 following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) remains uncertain. This study aims to assess the impact of PMRT in this patient subset. METHODS: Patients were enrolled from West China Hospital, Sichuan University from 2008 to 2019. Overall survival (OS), Locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and assessed with the log-rank test. The impact of PMRT was further analyzed by the Cox proportional hazards model. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce the selection bias. RESULTS: Of the 333 eligible patients, 189 (56.8%) received PMRT, and 144 (43.2%) did not. At a median follow-up period of 71 months, the five-year LRFS, DMFS, BCSS, and OS rates were 99.1%, 93.4%, 96.4%, and 94.3% for the entire cohort, respectively. Additionally, the 5-year LRFS, DMFS, BCSS, and OS rates were 98.9%, 93.8%, 96.7%, and 94.5% with PMRT and 99.2%, 91.3%, 94.9%, and 92.0% without PMRT, respectively (all p-values not statistically significant). After multivariate analysis, PMRT was not a significant risk factor for any of the endpoints. When further stratified by stage, PMRT did not show any survival benefit for patients with stage II-III diseases. CONCLUSION: In the context of comprehensive treatments, PMRT might be exempted in ypN0 breast cancer patients. Further large-scale, randomized controlled studies are required to investigate the significance of PMRT in this patient subset.

Genome-wide identification of toll-like receptors in Octopus sinensis and expression analysis in response to different PAMPs stimulation.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are one of the extensively studied pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and play crucial roles in the immune responses of vertebrates and invertebrates. In this study, 14 TLR genes were identified from the genome-wide data of Octopus sinensis. Protein structural domain analysis showed that most TLR proteins had three main structural domains: extracellular leucine-rich repeats (LRR), transmembrane structural domains, and intracellular Toll/IL-1 receptor domain (TIR). The results of subcellular localization prediction showed that the TLRs of O. sinensis were mainly located on the plasma membrane. The results of quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) showed that the detected TLR genes were differentially expressed in the hemolymph, white bodies, hepatopancreas, gills, gill heart, intestine, kidney, and salivary gland of O. sinensis. Furthermore, the present study investigated the expression changes of O. sinensis TLR genes in hemolymph, white bodies, gills, and hepatopancreas in different phases (6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h) after stimulation with PGN, poly(I: C) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The expression of most of the TLR genes was upregulated at different time points after infection with pathogens or stimulation with PAMPs, a few genes were unchanged or even down-regulated, and many of the TLR genes were much higher after V. parahaemolyticus infection than after PGN and poly(I:C) stimulation. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the molecular immune mechanisms of O. sinensis TLRs genes in resistance to pathogen stimulation.

Relationship of microvascular complications and healthy lifestyle with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in women compared with men with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Sex differences exist in the prevalence of microvascular disease (MVD) and healthy-lifestyle adherence. Whether MVD and healthy lifestyles are associated with mortality risk similarly for women and men who have type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unknown. METHODS: The present study included 9992 women and 15,860 men with T2DM from the UK Biobank. MVDs included retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic kidney disease. Healthy lifestyle factors consisted of ideal BMI, nonsmoking, healthy diet, regular exercise, and appropriate sleep duration. Sex-specific hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality associated with the MVDs or healthy lifestyles were calculated and women-to-men ratio of HRs (RHR) were further estimated, after multivariable adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS: During a median of 12.7 years of follow-up, 4346 (1202 in women) all-cause and 1207 (254 in women) CVD deaths were recorded. The adjusted HRs (95% CI) of all-cause mortality for 1 additional increment of the MVDs were 1.71 (1.55, 1.88) for women and 1.48 (1.39, 1.57) for men, with an RHR of 1.16 (1.03, 1.30). The corresponding RHR was 1.36 (1.09, 1.69) for cardiovascular mortality. Adhering to a healthy lifestyle (≥4 vs. ≤1 lifestyle factor) was associated with an approximately 60%-70% lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality without sex differences (P-interaction >0.70). Furthermore, as compared with having no MVD and an unfavorable lifestyle, having ≥2 MVDs but a favorable lifestyle was not associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality either in women (HR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.49, 1.60) or in men (HR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.64, 1.40), similarly when considering cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In T2DM, while MVDs are more strongly associated with mortality risk in women than in men, adhering to a favorable lifestyle is associated with a substantially lower risk of mortality and may eliminate the detrimental impact of MVDs in both sexes.

Microvascular burden and long-term risk of stroke and dementia in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between microvascular disease (MVD) and risk of stroke, dementia, and their major subtypes among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: We included 26,173 participants with T2DM from the UK Biobank who had no known stroke or dementia at baseline. MVD burden was reflected by the presence of retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic kidney disease. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidential intervals (CIs) of stroke and dementia associated with overall MVD burden and individual MVD. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 11.5 years, 1103 incident stroke (964 ischemic and 269 hemorrhagic stroke) and 813 incident dementia (312 Alzheimer's disease and 304 vascular dementia) cases were identified. The risk of stroke, dementia, and their major subtypes all increased with an increasing number of MVD (all P-trend <0.001). The adjusted HRs (95 % CIs) comparing three with no MVD were 5.03 (3.16, 8.02) for all stroke, 4.57 (2.75, 7.59) for ischemic stroke, and 6.60 (2.65, 16.43) for hemorrhagic stroke. The corresponding estimates were 4.28 (2.33, 7.86) for all-cause dementia, 6.96 (3.02, 16.01) for Alzheimer's disease, and 3.81 (1.40, 10.42) for vascular dementia. Among the three MVD, chronic kidney disease showed the strongest associations with both stroke subtypes, while peripheral neuropathy was most strongly associated with both dementia subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of stroke, dementia, and their major subtypes increased with an increasing number of MVD. The associations of individual MVD with stroke and dementia varied substantially by types of MVD.

Dual-functional ionic liquids additive enables dendrite-free Zn anode with ultra-long cycle life over one year.

Zn anodes suffer from the formation of uncontrolled dendrites aggravated by the uneven electric field and the insulating by-product accumulation in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Here, an effective strategy implemented by 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (BMIHSO4) additive is proposed to synergistically tune the crystallographic orientation of zinc deposition and suppress the formation of zinc hydroxide sulfate for enhancing the reversibility on Zn anode surface. As a competing cation, BMI+ is proved to preferably adsorb on Zn-electrode compared with H2O molecules, which shields the "tip effect" and inhibits the Zn-deposition agglomerations to inducing the horizontal growth along Zn (002) crystallographic texture. Simultaneously, the protonated BMIHSO4 additives could remove the detrimental OH- in real-time to fundamentally eliminate the accumulation of 6Zn(OH)2·ZnSO4·4H2O and Zn4SO4(OH)6·H2O on Zn anode surface. Consequently, Zn anode exhibits an ultra-long cycling stability of one year (8762 h) at 0.2 mA cm-2/0.2 mAh cm-2, 3600 h at 2 mA cm-2/2 mAh cm-2 with a high plating cumulative capacity of 3.6 Ah cm-2, and a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.6 % throughout 1000 cycles. This work of regulating Zn deposition texture combined with eliminating notorious by-products could offer a desirable way for stabilizing the Zn-anode/electrolyte interface in AZIBs.

Bone metastases in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A real-world retrospective study based on the SEER database.

BACKGROUND: Bone metastases are rare in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). It has not been defined on the risk and prognosis of OSCC patients with bone metastases. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors associated with the development and prognosis of bone metastases among OSCC patients. METHODS: Demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of OSCC patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2019 was retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. To explore risk factors for developing bone metastases and prognosis, the univariate and multivariate logistic and Cox regression analysis were performed, further the predictive nomogram models were constructed. RESULTS: The incidence rate of bone metastases in newly diagnosed OSCC patients was 0.91 % (95 %CI 0.81% -1.02 %). Ultimately, 137 OSCC patients with bone metastases and 19,469 OSCC patients without bone metastases were included in the present study. Pathological grade, primary site, T/N stage and distant organ metastases (liver/lung/brain) were independently associated with the risk of developing bone metastases among OSCC patients. The C-index of a constructed risk-predicting nomogram was 0.86 (95 %CI 0.83-0.89). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that lung metastases, the use of surgery as well as chemotherapy were three independent prognostic factors. The C-indexes of constructed risk-predicting nomograms were 0.70 (95 %CI 0.65-0.75), 0.68 (95 %CI 0.63-0.73) for OS and CSS, respectively. Calibration plots demonstrated an agreementbetween the established nomogram's predicted survival and actual survival. In addition, decision curve analysis (DCA) indicated these established nomograms had considerable net benefits and clinical utilities. CONCLUSION: This study defined the risk and prognostic factors for bone metastases among OSCC patients and the established nomograms were well calibrated for discrimination to predict bone metastasis development and prognosis.

Prediction of cervical lymph node metastasis in differentiated thyroid cancer based on radiomics models.

OBJECTIVE: The accurate clinical diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis plays an important role in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). This study aimed to explore and summarize a more objective approach to detect cervical malignant lymph node metastasis of DTC via radiomics models. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for all eligible studies. Articles using radiomics models based on ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging to assess cervical lymph node metastasis preoperatively were included. Characteristics and diagnostic accuracy measures were extracted. Bias and applicability judgments were evaluated by the revised QUADAS-2 tool. The estimates were pooled using a random-effects model. Additionally, the leave-one-out method was conducted to assess the heterogeneity. RESULTS: Twenty-nine radiomics studies with 6160 validation set patients were included in the qualitative analysis, and 11 studies with 3863 validation set patients were included in the meta-analysis. Four of them had an external independent validation set. The studies were heterogeneous, and a significant risk of bias was found in 29 studies. Meta-analysis showed that the pooled sensitivity and specificity for preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis via US-based radiomics were 0.81 (95% CI, 0.73-0.86) and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83-0.91), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although radiomics-based models for cervical lymphatic metastasis in DTC have been demonstrated to have moderate diagnostic capabilities, broader data, standardized radiomics features, robust feature selection, and model exploitation are still needed in the future. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The radiomics models showed great potential in detecting malignant lymph nodes in thyroid cancer.

Ultrasound blood flow characteristics changes in fetal umbilical artery thrombosis: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Umbilical artery thrombosis (UAT) is extremely uncommon and leads to adverse perinatal outcomes. Hypercoagulation of blood in pregnant women is suspected to be an important risk for UAT. Ultrasound is an effective way to detect thrombosis. The mother can monitor her own fetal health using ultrasound, which enables her to take preventative action in case of emergency. AIM: To investigate ultrasonic blood signal after UAT in the umbilical artery, and evaluate the relationship between hypercoagulability and UAT. METHODS: We described a case of a newly formed UAT with markedly altered ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow, and retrospectively studied it with 18 UAT patients confirmed by histopathology from October 2019 and March 2023 in Xiamen Women and Children's Hospital. Patients' information was collected from medical archives, including maternal clinical data, neonatal outcomes, pathological findings and ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow, such as systolic-diastolic duration ratio (S/D), resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI) and peak systolic velocity (PSV). Ultrasound and coagulation indices were analyzed with matched samples t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test using the statistical packages in R (version 4.2.1) including car (version 3.1-0) and stats (version 4.2.1), and visualized by ggplot2 package (version 3.3.6). RESULTS: A patient with normal findings in second and third-trimester routine ultrasound scan developed UAT with severe changes in ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow (within 2.5th of reference ranges) in a short period of time. Statistical analysis of umbilical artery blood flow ultrasound indices for 19 patients with UAT showed that the decrease in S/D, RI, and PI and increase of PSV during the disease process was greater than that of non-UAT. All 18 patients delivered in our hospital showed characteristic manifestations of UAT on histological examination after delivery, most of which (16/18) showed umbilical cord abnormalities, with 15 umbilical cord torsion and 1 pseudoknot. Coagulation parameters were not significantly changed in UAT patients compared with normal pregnancy women. CONCLUSION: Significant changes in ultrasound indicators after UAT were demonstrated. PSV can play important roles in the diagnosis of UAT. Hypercoagulability alone is not sufficient for the occurrence of UAT.

A bibliometric analysis of the research status and trends in studies on polymyositis and dermatomyositis with interstitial lung disease from 2000 to 2022 using Web of Science.

BACKGROUND: The main subtypes of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs)-polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM)-are often presented as interstitial lung disease (ILD) in clinical practice; therefore, many researchers have combined the three studies into PM/DM with ILD. METHODS: Using bibliometrics, the research status, progress, and hotspots of PM/DM with ILD between 2000 and 2022 were studied. Literature data on PM/DM with ILD were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database for the research period. Visualization software, including VOSviewer, Pajek, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica were used for bibliometric analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1555 relevant articles were obtained, and the overall research in this field showed an increasing trend. Regarding contributing countries and venues, Japan published the most articles while Rheumatology was the most prolific journal. Regarding authors, the most published article was by Wang Guochun from Changchun University of Technology in China. Keyword analysis and cocited literature cluster analysis showed that diagnosis, classification, autoantibodies, antibodies, prognosis, complications, and treatment of PM/DM with ILD have been hot topics in this field recently. Moreover, our study shows that anti-mda5 antibody, mortality, gene 5 antibody, IIMs, double-blind, and prognostic factors, among others, may be new hot topics. CONCLUSION: This study found that research on PM/DM with ILD has increased over time, and scholars are paying more attention to this field. The development of new drugs for the management, treatment, and prevention of PM/DM with ILD is the primary task of researchers and a direction for future research in this field.

Revealing the Marine Cycles of Volatile Sulfur Compounds and Their Biogeochemical Controls: A Case of the Western North Pacific.

Volatile sulfur compounds, such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS), carbonyl sulfide (OCS), and carbon disulfide (CS2), have significant implications for both atmospheric chemistry and climate change. Despite the crucial role of oceans in regulating their atmospheric budgets, our comprehension of their cycles in seawater remains insufficient. To address this gap, a field investigation was conducted in the western North Pacific to clarify the sources, sinks, and biogeochemical controls of these gases in two different marine environments, including relatively eutrophic Kuroshio-Oyashio extension (KOE) and oligotrophic North Pacific subtropical gyre. Our findings revealed higher concentrations of these gases in both seawater and the atmosphere in the KOE compared to the subtropical gyre. In the KOE, nutrient-rich upwelling stimulated rapid DMS biological production, while reduced seawater temperatures hindered the removal of OCS and CS2, leading to their accumulation. Furthermore, we have quantitatively evaluated the relative contribution of each pathway to the source and sink of DMS, OCS, and CS2 within the mixed layer and identified vertical exchange as a potential sink in most cases, transporting substantial amounts of these gases from the mixed layer to deeper waters. This research advances our understanding of sulfur gas source-sink dynamics in seawater, contributing to the assessment of their marine emissions and atmospheric budgets.

Circularly Polarized Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Chiral Hole Transport Enantiomers.

The circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs) demonstrate promising application in 3D display due to the direct generation of circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL). But the chiral luminescence materials face challenges as intricated synthetic route, enantiomeric separation, etc. Herein, fresh CP-OLEDs are designed based on chiral hole transport material instead of chiral emitters. A pair of hole transport enantiomers (R/S-NPACZ) exhibit intense dissymmetry factors (|gPL|) about 5.0 × 10-3. With R/S-NPACZ as hole transport layers, CP-OLEDs are fabricated employing six achiral phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials with different wavelengths, in consistence with the generated CPEL spectra. The CP-OLEDs based on achiral red, green, and blue iridium(III) complexes exhibit external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 14.9%, 30.7%, and 14.1% with |gEL| factors of 8.8 × 10-4, 2.3 × 10-3, and 2.0 × 10-3, respectively. Moreover, the devices using achiral blue, blueish-green, and green TADF materials display EQEs of 24.1%, 17.9%, and 25.4% with |gEL| factors of 1.0 × 10-3, 3.6 × 10-3, and 2.2 × 10-3, respectively. As far as known, it is the first example of CP-OLEDs based on chiral hole transport materials, which act as the organic circularly polarizers and have potential to generate CPEL from achiral luminescence materials.