Cultivated alien plants with high invasion potential are more likely to be traded online in China.

Biological invasions have become a worldwide problem, and measures to efficiently prevent and control invasions are still in development. Like many other parts of the world, China is undergoing a dramatic increase in plant invasions. Most of the currently 933 established (i.e., naturalized) plant species, of which 214 are categorized as invasive, have been introduced into China for cultivation. It is likely that many of those species are still being traded, particularly online, by plant nurseries. However, studies assessing whether naturalized and invasive species are currently being traded more or less than nonnaturalized aliens are rare. We extracted online-trade information for 13,718 cultivated alien plant taxa on 1688.com, the largest website for domestic B2B in China. We analyzed how the presence in online-nursery catalogs, the number of online nurseries that offerred the species for sale, and the product type (i.e., seeds, live plants and vegetative organs) differed among nonnaturalized, naturalized noninvasive, and invasive species. Compared to nonnaturalized taxa, naturalized noninvasive and invasive taxa were 3.7-5.2 times more likely to be available for purchase. Naturalized noninvasive and invasive taxa were more frequently offered as seeds by online nurseries, whereas nonnaturalized taxa were more frequently offered as live plants. Based on these findings, we propose that, to reduce the further spread of invasive and potentially invasive plants, implementation of plant-trade regulations and a monitoring system of the online horticultural supply chain will be essential.

Characteristics of B cells and immunoglobulin profile in Takayasu's arteritis.

OBJECTIVES: Disorders of humoral immunity in Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) have not been well explored. This study describes the characteristics of B cells and immunoglobulin (Ig) profile in patients with TAK. METHODS: Peripheral B cell populations assessed using flow cytometry and serum Ig levels assessed using a biochemical analyser in 98 newly diagnosed patients with TAK were analysed and compared with those of 31 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 60 healthy controls (HCs). CD19+ B cell and IgG infiltration to the aortic tissue was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: The proportion of peripheral CD3-CD19+ B cells and levels of serum IgG in TAK were lower than those in SLE, but higher than those in HCs. CD3-CD19+ B cell counts were higher in TAK than in HCs. Serum IgG and IgG1 levels were higher in active TAK than in non-active TAK. In TAK, positive correlations of serum IgG levels with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) level, Kerr score, and Indian Takayasu Clinical Activity Score (ITAS2010, ITAS-A) were observed before immunotherapy. After 6 months of immunotherapy, serum Ig levels significantly decreased. Positive correlations between the changes in IgG levels and values of ESR, CRP, Kerr score, and ITAS-A were detected. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed CD19+ B cell and IgG infiltration to the aortic wall in patients with TAK. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced B cells might contribute to the pathogenesis of TAK, and serum IgG levels could serve as a simple, useful biomarker to assess disease activity and monitor treatment response in TAK.

Differential Expression of LOXL1-AS1 in Coronary Heart Disease and its Regulatory Mechanism in ox-LDL-Induced Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cell Pyroptosis.

OBJECTIVE: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a notable contributor to the burden of human health. Dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of CHD. This study investigated the expression pattern of lncRNA LOXL1-AS1 in CHD and its regulatory mechanism in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced human coronary artery endothelial cell (HCAEC) pyroptosis. METHODS: Serum was collected from 62 CHD patients and 62 healthy volunteers for the detection of LOXL1-AS1 expression. The value of LOXL1-AS1 in CHD diagnosis and major cardiovascular adverse event (MACE) prediction was analyzed using the ROC curve. LOXL1-AS1, miR-16-5p, and SNX16 expressions in ox-LDL-treated HCAECs were determined using RT-qPCR. NLPR3, cleaved-caspase-1, and GSDMD-N protein levels were measured using Western blot. IL-1ß and IL-18 concentrations were measured using ELISA. The binding relationships between LOXL1-AS1 and miR-16-5p and miR-16-5p and SNX16 were verified. Functional rescue experiment was performed to verify the role of miR-16-5p in HCAEC pyroptosis. RESULTS: LOXL1-AS1 was highly expressed in CHD patients. LOXL1-AS1 had diagnostic value for CHD and predictive value for MACE occurrence. ox-LDL-treated HCAECs showed reduced viability, increased IL-1ß and IL-18 concentrations, and elevated NLPR3, cleaved-caspase-1, and GSDMD-N levels. LOXL1-AS1 silencing promoted cell viability and reduced pyroptosis. LOXL1-AS1 bound to miR-16-5p and miR-16-5p targeted SNX16. Inhibition of miR-16-5p reversed the inhibitory effect of LOXL1-AS1 silencing on HCAEC pyroptosis. CONCLUSION: LOXL1-AS1 was elevated in CHD patients with a good diagnostic value for CHD and predictive value for MACE. LOXL1-AS1 downregulated miR-16-5p expression by binding to miR-16-5p to enhance ox-LDL-induced HCAEC pyroptosis, which may be associated with upregulation of SNX16 transcription.

Biomechanical Analysis of Golf Swing Motion Using Hilbert-Huang Transform.

In golf swing analysis, high-speed cameras and Trackman devices are traditionally used to collect data about the club, ball, and putt. However, these tools are costly and often inaccessible to golfers. This research proposes an alternative solution, employing an affordable inertial motion capture system to record golf swing movements accurately. The focus is discerning the differences between motions producing straight and slice trajectories. Commonly, the opening motion of the body's left half and the head-up motion are associated with a slice trajectory. We employ the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) to examine these motions in detail to conduct a biomechanical analysis. The gathered data are then processed through HHT, calculating their instantaneous frequency and amplitude. The research found discernible differences between straight and slice trajectories in the golf swing's moment of impact within the instantaneous frequency domain. An average golfer, a single handicapper, and three beginner golfers were selected as the subjects in this study and analyzed using the proposed method, respectively. For the average golfer, the head and the left leg amplitudes of the swing motions increase at the moment of impact of the swings, resulting in the slice trajectory. These results indicate that an opening of the legs and head-up movements have been detected and extracted as non-linear frequency components, reviewing the biomechanical meaning in slice trajectory motion. For the single handicapper, the hip and left arm joints could be the target joints to detect the biomechanical motion that triggered the slice trajectory. For the beginners, since their golf swing forms were not finalized, the biomechanical motions regarding slice trajectory were different from each swing, indicating that beginner golfers need more practice to fix their golf swing form first. These results revealed that our proposed framework applied to different golf levels and could help golfers to improve their golf swing skills to achieve straight trajectories.

Immunometabolism at the service of traditional Chinese medicine.

To enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce adverse effects, ancient practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescribe combinations of plant species/animal species and minerals designated "TCM formulae" developed based on TCM theory and clinical experience. TCM formulae have been shown to exert curative effects on complex diseases via immune regulation but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown at present. Considerable progress in the field of immunometabolism, referring to alterations in the intracellular metabolism of immune cells that regulate their function, has been made over the past decade. The core context of immunometabolism is regulation of the allocation of metabolic resources supporting host defense and survival, which provides a critical additional dimension and emerging insights into how the immune system and metabolism influence each other during disease progression. This review summarizes research findings on the significant association between the immune function and metabolic remodeling in health and disease as well as the therapeutic modulatory effects of TCM formulae on immunometabolism. Progressive elucidation of the immunometabolic mechanisms involved during the course of TCM treatment continues to aid in the identification of novel potential targets against pathogenicity. In this report, we have provided a comprehensive overview of the benefits of TCM based on regulation of immunometabolism that are potentially applicable for the treatment of modern diseases.

The regulation of plant lignin biosynthesis under boron deficiency conditions.

Boron (B) is a required micronutrient that is crucial for the growth and development of vascular plants. A deficiency in B is generally regarded as a limiting factor affecting agricultural production in many parts of the world. Boron is involved in the metabolism of plant lignin and additionally, B deficiency can lead to the excessive accumulation of lignin in plant leaves/roots, resulting in corking symptoms and inhibited growth. However, the effect of B on lignin biosynthesis is not as well characterized as the specific function of B in the cell wall. In this article, recent studies on the regulation of lignin biosynthesis in plants under low-B stress conditions are reviewed. Moreover, the following possible mechanisms underlying the lignin synthesis promoted by B deficiency are discussed: (1) the accumulation of phenolic substances during B deficiency directly enhances lignin synthesis; (2) excess H2 O2 has a dual function to the enhancement of lignin under boron deficiency conditions, serving as a substrate and a signaling molecule; and (3) B deficiency regulates lignin synthesis through the expression of genes encoding transcription factors such as MYBs. Finally, future studies regarding physiology, molecules, and transcriptional regulation may reveal the mechanism(s) mediating the relationship between lignin synthesis and B deficiency. This review provides new insights and important references for future research and the enhancement of plant B nutrition.

Treatment of status epilepticus in pediatrics: curriculum learning combined with in-situ simulations.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate and timely treatment of status epilepticus (SE) reduces morbidity and mortality. Therefore, skill-based identification and management are critical for emergency physicians. PURPOSE: To assess whether the ability of training physicians, residents, nurses, and others to respond to SE as a team could be improved by using curriculum learning [Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety of Team (TeamSTEPPS) course training] combined with in-situ simulations of emergency department (ED) staff. APPROACH: A pre-training-post-training design was used on SE skills and teamwork skills. Emergency training, residents, and N1 and N2 nurses completed the SE skill and teamwork assessments (pre-training) through in-situ simulation. Next, the participating physicians and nurses attended the SE course [Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety of Team (TeamSTEPPS) course training], followed by conscious skill practice, including in-situ simulation drills every 20 days (eight times total) and deliberate practice in the simulator. The participants completed the SE skill and teamwork assessments (post-training) again in an in-situ simulation. Pre-training-post-training simulated SE skills and teamwork performance were assessed. The simulation training evaluation showed that the training process was reasonable, and the training medical staff had different degrees of benefit in increasing subject interest, improving operational skills, theoretical knowledge, and work self-confidence. FINDINGS: Sixty doctors and nurses participated in the intervention. When comparing the SE skills of 10 regular training physicians pre-training and post-training, their performance improved from 40% (interquartile range (IQR): 0-1) before training to 100% (IQR: 80.00-100) after training (p < 0.001). The teamwork ability of the 10 teams improved from 2.43 ± 0.09 before training to 3.16 ± 0.08 after training (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: SE curriculum learning combined with in-situ simulation training provides the learners with SE identification and management knowledge in children and teamwork skills.

Is there a relationship between psoriasis and hepatitis C? A meta-analysis and bioinformatics investigation.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between psoriasis and hepatitis C was previously controversial, so our purpose is to investigate this connection. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the case-control, cross-sectional and cohort studies examining the association between psoriasis and hepatitis C in PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases and investigated the overlapping genes between psoriasis targets and hepatitis C targets using bioinformatics analysis. Based on overlapping genes and hub nodes, we also constructed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and module respectively, followed by the pathway enrichment analysis. RESULTS: We included 11 publications that reported a total of 11 studies (8 cross-sectional and 3 case-control). The case-control and cross-sectional studies included 25,047 psoriasis patients and 4,091,631 controls in total. Psoriasis was associated with a significant increase of prevalent hepatitis C (OR 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] (1.17-2.52)). A total of 389 significant genes were common to both hepatitis C and psoriasis, which mainly involved IL6, TNF, IL10, ALB, STAT3 and CXCL8. The module and pathway enrichment analyses showed that the common genes had the potential to influence varieties of biological pathways, including the inflammatory response, cytokine activity, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, which play an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis C and psoriasis. CONCLUSION: Patients with psoriasis display increased prevalence of hepatitis C and the basic related mechanisms between hepatitis C and psoriasis had been preliminarily clarified.

The expansion of no-touch harvesting sequential vein graft after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Many studies support that the no-touch (NT) procedure can improve the patency rate of vein grafts. However, it is not clear that the sequential vein graft early expansion in the NT technique during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study will explore this issue. METHODS: This was a prospective single-center randomized controlled clinical trial. A total of 100 patients undergoing off-pump CABG with the sequential saphenous graft were randomly assigned to two groups: the NT and conventional (CON) groups. Perioperative and postoperative data were collected during the hospital stay. The mean diameter of sequential grafts was measured using cardiac computed tomography angiography 3 months after the operation. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the average diameter of sequential grafts between the two groups (NT: [2.98 ± 0.42], CON: [3.26 ± 0.51], p = .005). There was no difference in occlusion of sequential venous grafts between the two groups (NT: 4/48 [8.3%], CON: 5/49 [10.2%], p = 1.000). There were differences in surgery time between the two groups (NT: 220 [188,240], CON: 190 [175,230], p = .009). CONCLUSIONS: The sequential graft early expansion in the NT technique is not as pronounced as that in the conventional technique, which may have a long-term protective effect on the grafts.

The role and the signal pathways of Yes-associated protein 2 in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a heterogeneous myocardial disease characterized by myocardial hypertrophy, myocardial mechanical and electrical activity obstacles. This study aimed to explore the relationship between YAP2 (Yes-associated protein 2) and HCM and clarify a signaling path about the pathogenesis of HCM. Our study confirms that YAP2 can promote myocardial cell hypertrophy at the molecular level (myocardial lineage cell H9C2), organ level (clinical specimens of human HCM), and an animal model (a mouse model of HCM with cardiac-specific transgenic and knockout YAP2). The detailed molecular mechanisms linking YAP2 to cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and HCM were investigated. This study proved that YAP2, as the final reaction factor in Hippo pathways, influences Akt1 activity to affect the downstream genes, which participate in the formation of HCM by promoting myocardial cell proliferation and cardiac hypertrophy.

Diagnostic accuracy of multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring for gastroesophageal reflux-induced chronic cough.

OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the accuracy and advantages of Multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring (MII-pH) in diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux-induced chronic cough (GERC). METHODS: The patients with suspected GERC were recruited and underwent MII-pH, GERC was confirmed by subsequent anti-reflux treatment despite the findings of MII-pH. Its diagnostic accuracy in identifying GERC were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and compared with that of 24-h esophageal pH monitoring. RESULTS: Among 158 patients completing both MII-pH and anti-reflux therapy, GERC was diagnosed in 136 patients, including acid GERC in 96 patients (70.6%), non-acid GERC in 30 patients (22.0%), neither one of both GERC in 10 patients (7.4%). For the identification of GERC, MII-pH presented with the sensitivity of 92.6%, specificity of 63.6%, positive predictive value of 94.0%, negative predictive value of 58.3% and area under ROC curve of 0.863, which was totally superior to 24-h esophageal pH monitoring. As the essential criteria of MII-pH, esophageal acid exposure time and symptom associated probability had a limited diagnostic value when used alone, but improved greatly the diagnostic yield when used in combination, even with a suboptimal efficacy. CONCLUSION: MII-pH is a more sensitive test for identifying GERC, but with a suboptimal diagnostic efficacy.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in diabetic versus non-diabetic patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting: a propensity score matching study.

BACKGROUND: The target of this study was to explore the outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in diabetic versus non-diabetic patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. METHODS: Seven hundred and twenty four patients who had previously received CABG and had been treated using PCI combined with drug-eluting stents (DES) between 2009 and 2017 were selected for a retrospective study and allocated into either a diabetes mellitus (DM) or non-diabetes mellitus (No DM) group. A 1:1 propensity score-matched evaluation was conducted and risk adjusted for analysis. The primary outcomes were cardiac death, myocardial infarction, heart failure and revascularization, with a median follow-up duration of 5.13 years. RESULTS: After matching, two-, 5- and 8-year event rate of overall major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were found to be higher in the DM group (No DM vs DM:15.3, 30.9, 38.5% vs 19.8, 37.8, 52.2%, respectively), although no significant difference was found in the event rate of overall MACEs (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00 to 1.83 for DM vs No DM; P = 0.052), cardiac death (HR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.45 to 1.95; P = 0.871), MI (HR: 1.49; 95% CI: 0.95 to 2.32; P = 0.080), HF (HR: 1.54; 95% CI: 0.90 to 2.63 for; P = 0.120) or revascularization (HR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.72 to 1.59; P = 0.747). Subgroup analysis of PCI in only the NCA showed MACEs (adjusted HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.85 to 1.49 for DM vs No DM; P = 0.325), cardiac death (adjusted HR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.41 to 1.78 for DM vs No DM; P = 0.781), MI (adjusted HR: 1.32; 95% CI: 0.84 to 2.01 for DM vs No DM; P = 0.069), HF (adjusted HR: 1.41; 95% CI: 0.87 to 2.27 for DM vs No DM; P = 0.211) or repeated revascularization (adjusted HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.37 for DM vs No DM; P = 0.836). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with non-diabetic patients with prior CABG, subsequent implantation of DES in the native coronary artery of diabetic patients resulted in apparently similar outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was not registered in an open access database.

Prophylactic intra-aortic balloon pump in patients with left main disease undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: Preventive intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) for high-risk patients with stable hemodynamics is controversial, and its definition of high-risk is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of prophylactic IABP on the early outcome of left main disease (LMD) patients receiving off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) with stable hemodynamics. METHODS: From January 2013 to April 2020, 257 consecutive patients who underwent OPCABG through sternotomy were enrolled in this study. All LMD patients (greater than 70%) had stable hemodynamics (BP>100 mmHg without vasoconstrictor substance infusion). Early outcomes of 125 patients with prophylactic IABP (IABP group) and 132 patients without IABP (Control group) were compared in this study. RESULTS: IABP did not show favorable effect on the conversion to CPB (RR 0.63, 95%CI 0.05-7.89, P = 0.7211), perioperative MI (RR 0.69, 95%CI 0.22-2.12, P = 0.5163), mortality (RR 0.65, 95%CI 0.04-10.25, P = 0.7608) or the composite end of the conversion, MI and mortality (RR 0.63, 95%CI 0.23-1.74, P = 0.3747). There was greater incidence of prolonged ventilation in IABP after adjustment (RR2.16, 95%CI 1.12-4.18, P = 0.0221). There was no IABP-related mortality or limb ischemia. CONCLUSION: No significant difference in early outcomes was observed in hemodynamically stable patients with LMD between prophylactic IABP group and control group. Prophylactic IABP may be unnecessary in patients with LMD undergoing OPCABG.

Economic Analysis of Surgical and Interventional Treatments for Patients with Complex Coronary Artery Disease: Insights from a One-Year Single-Center Study.

BACKGROUND Surgical treatment methods for patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD) who have undergone vascular reconstruction mainly include coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The purpose of the study aimed to compare a 1-year follow-up for the patient clinical outcomes and costs between PCI and CABG treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS There were 840 patients enrolled in this study from July 2015 to September 2016. Among the study participants, 420 patients underwent PCI treatment and 420 patients underwent off-pump CABG. Patients costs were assessed from the perspective of the China healthcare and medical insurance system. EuroQOL 5-dimension 3 levels (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire was used to evaluate the general health status, and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) was used to assess the disease-specific health status. RESULTS After a 1-year follow-up, the all-cause mortality (P=0.0337), the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (P<0.001), and additional revascularization (P<0.001) in PCI group were significantly higher than those in CABG group. Both groups have significant sustained benefits in the SAQ subscale. The CABG group had a higher score on the frequency of angina than the PCI group. In addition, the quality-adjusted life year value of PCI and CABG resulted was 0.8. The average total cost for PCI was $14 643 versus CABG cost of $13 842 (P=0.0492). CONCLUSIONS In the short-term, among the CAD patients with stable triple-vessel or left-main, costs and clinical outcomes are substantially higher for CABG than PCI. Long-term, economic, and health benefits analysis, is warranted.

Motion Capture Data Analysis in the Instantaneous Frequency-Domain Using Hilbert-Huang Transform.

Motion capture data are widely used in different research fields such as medical, entertainment, and industry. However, most motion researches using motion capture data are carried out in the time-domain. To understand human motion complexities, it is necessary to analyze motion data in the frequency-domain. In this paper, to analyze human motions, we present a framework to transform motions into the instantaneous frequency-domain using the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) that is a part of HHT decomposes nonstationary and nonlinear signals captured from the real-world experiments into pseudo monochromatic signals, so-called intrinsic mode function (IMF). Our research reveals that the multivariate EMD can decompose complicated human motions into a finite number of nonlinear modes (IMFs) corresponding to distinct motion primitives. Analyzing these decomposed motions in Hilbert spectrum, motion characteristics can be extracted and visualized in instantaneous frequency-domain. For example, we apply our framework to (1) a jump motion, (2) a foot-injured gait, and (3) a golf swing motion.

Nuclear Integrants of Organellar DNA Contribute to Genome Structure and Evolution in Plants.

The transfer of genetic material from the mitochondria and plastid to the nucleus gives rise to nuclear integrants of mitochondrial DNA (NUMTs) and nuclear integrants of plastid DNA (NUPTs). This frequently occurring DNA transfer is ongoing and has important evolutionary implications. In this review, based on previous studies and the analysis of NUMT/NUPT insertions of more than 200 sequenced plant genomes, we analyzed and summarized the general features of NUMTs/NUPTs and highlighted the genetic consequence of organellar DNA insertions. The statistics of organellar DNA integrants among various plant genomes revealed that organellar DNA-derived sequence content is positively correlated with the nuclear genome size. After integration, the nuclear organellar DNA could undergo different fates, including elimination, mutation, rearrangement, fragmentation, and proliferation. The integrated organellar DNAs play important roles in increasing genetic diversity, promoting gene and genome evolution, and are involved in sex chromosome evolution in dioecious plants. The integrating mechanisms, involving non-homologous end joining at double-strand breaks were also discussed.

Cytogenetic and genomic organization analyses of chloroplast DNA invasions in the nuclear genome of Asparagus officinalis L. provides signatures of evolutionary complexity and informativity in sex chromosome evolution.

BACKGROUND: The transfer of chloroplast DNA into nuclear genome is a common process in plants. These transfers form nuclear integrants of plastid DNAs (NUPTs), which are thought to be driving forces in genome evolution, including sex chromosome evolution. In this study, NUPTs in the genome of a dioecious plant Asparagus officinalis L. were systematically analyzed, in order to investigate the characteristics of NUPTs in the nuclear genome and the relationship between NUPTs and sex chromosome evolution in this species. RESULTS: A total of 3155 NUPT insertions were detected, and they represented approximated 0.06% of the nuclear genome. About 45% of the NUPTs were organized in clusters. These clusters were derived from various evolutionary events. The Y chromosome contained the highest number and largest proportion of NUPTs, suggesting more accumulation of NUPTs on sex chromosomes. NUPTs were distributed widely in all of the chromosomes, and some regions preferred these insertions. The highest density of NUPTs was found in a 47 kb region in the Y chromosome; more than 75% of this region was occupied by NUPTs. Further cytogenetic and sequence alignment analysis revealed that this region was likely the centromeric region of the sex chromosomes. On the other hand, the male-specific region of the Y chromosome (MSY) and the adjacent regions did not have NUPT insertions. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that NUPTs were involved in shaping the genome of A. officinalis through complicated process. NUPTs may play important roles in the centromere shaping of the sex chromosomes of A. officinalis, but were not implicated in MSY formation.

Oocyte-specific deletion of Gsα induces oxidative stress and deteriorates oocyte quality in mice.

The stimulatory heterotrimeric Gs protein alpha subunit (Gsα) is a ubiquitous guanine nucleotide-binding protein that regulates the intracellular cAMP signaling pathway and consequently participates in a wide range of biological events. In the reproductive system, despite Gsα being associated with oocyte meiotic arrest in vitro, the exact role of Gsα in female fertility in vivo remains largely unknown. Here, we generated oocyte-specific Gsα knockout mice by using the Cre/LoxP system. We observed that the deletion of Gsα caused complete female infertility. Exclusion of post-implantation abnormalities, oogenesis, fertilization, and early embryo development was subsequently monitored; meiosis in Gsα-deficient oocytes precociously resumed in only 43% of antral follicles from mutant mice, indicating that alteration of meiotic pause was not the key factor in infertility. Ovulation process and number were normal, but the rate of morphological abnormal oocytes was apparently increased; spindle organization, fertilization, and early embryo development were impaired. Furthermore, the level of ROS (reactive oxygen species) and the mitochondrial aggregation increased, and antioxidant glutathione (GSH) content, ATP level, mtDNA copy number, and mitochondrial membrane potential decreased in Gsα-deficient oocytes. GV oocytes from mutant mice showed early-stage apoptosis. Meanwhile, the Gsα knockout-induced decline in oocyte quality and low developmental potential was partially rescued by antioxidant supplementation. To sum up, our results are the first to reveal that the profile of Gsα oocyte-specific deletion caused female infertility in vivo, and oxidative stress plays an important role in this event.

Investigation of Listeriosis-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Medical Staff in Fangshan, Beijing, China.

The aim of this study was to gain insight into the knowledge of, attitude toward, and practical experience with listeriosis among medical staff. In two hospitals in Fangshan, Beijing, 410 medical staff members were randomly selected using a random sampling method. Each selected staff member was invited to participate in a standardized questionnaire interview. In total, 397 valid questionnaires were collected. With regard to the staff members' general knowledge of listeriosis, they answered 65.96% of the items correctly. The knowledge scores among obstetricians and gynecologists were higher than those of other clinical doctors (p < 0.05); however, obstetricians and gynecologists were less knowledgeable about which drugs are effective against listeriosis than the other doctors (p = 0.007). The percentage of participants with a positive attitude about preventing listeriosis was 96.47%, the percentage with practice formation was 52.39%. The medical staff's mean score for knowledge of listeriosis was 4.61 ± 1.83. The mean score for attitude toward listeriosis was 9.71 ± 1.31. There was a significant association between attitude and knowledge of listeriosis (r = 0.221, p < 0.001). Medical staff obtained a mean score of 2.10 ± 1.07 for the practice formation. There was a significant association between practice formation and knowledge of listeriosis (r = 0.502, p < 0.001). The mean knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) score for listeriosis among medical staff was 16.41 ± 3.19. The KAP scores were significantly correlated with age (r = 0.129, p = 0.011), occupation (r = -0.103, p = 0.041), department (r = -0.168, p = 0.001), and professional title (r = 0.166, p = 0.001). To improve medical outcomes and foodborne disease surveillance, medical staff should receive more training on listeriosis and the content of the training should be adjusted.

Predictors for euthyroid sick syndrome and its impact on in-hospital clinical outcomes in high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this cohort study was to investigate the independent relationship between euthyroid sick syndrome and in-hospital outcomes in high-risk patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, and we also examined the direct correlation between pre- or intra-operative variables and the incidence of coronary artery bypass grafting-associated euthyroid sick syndrome. METHODS: The present study enrolled high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017 in Beijing Anzhen hospital, including 387 (58.7%) patients with coronary artery bypass grafting-associated euthyroid sick syndrome and 272 (41.3%) patients without coronary artery bypass grafting-associated euthyroid sick syndrome. RESULTS: The mean age of euthyroid sick syndrome group was significantly older than that of no euthyroid sick syndrome group (65.9 ± 7.5 vs 60.9 ± 9.6, p < 0.0001). Compared with the control group, significantly higher proportions of patients with euthyroid sick syndrome had presented with the following clinical characteristics at hospital admission: moderate and poor left ventricular ejection fraction (42.9% vs 28.7%, p < 0.0001), higher euroscore II (9.2 ± 4.1 vs 8.0 ± 3.9, p < 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis on the total patients revealed that the independent risk factors for coronary artery bypass grafting-associated euthyroid sick syndrome were advanced age (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval = 1.05-1.09, p < 0.0001), higher euroscore II (odds ratio = 1.06, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.11, p = 0.013), and moderate and poor left ventricular ejection fraction (odds ratio = 2.26, 95% confidence interval = 1.61-3.18, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, euthyroid sick syndrome was independently correlated with an increased risk of in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events (odds ratio = 3.40, 95% confidence interval = 1.64-7.02, p = 0.001) and post-infection (odds ratio = 8.11, 95% confidence interval = 3.97-16.57, p < 0.0001) Besides, we also confirmed coronary artery bypass grafting-associated euthyroid sick syndrome was associated with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment maximum greater than 11 (odds ratio = 2.98, 95% confidence interval = 1.90-4.65, p < 0.0001), which predicted an in-hospital death rate of 95%, independently. CONCLUSION: Coronary artery bypass grafting-associated euthyroid sick syndrome exerted detrimental effects on short-term clinical outcomes in high-risk patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. Advanced age, higher euroscore II, and moderate and poor left ventricular ejection fraction were independent risk factors for coronary artery bypass grafting-associated euthyroid sick syndrome.