NLRP4E regulates actin cap formation through SRC and CDC42 during oocyte meiosis.

BACKGROUND: Members of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine rich repeat and pyrin domain containing (NLRP) family regulate various physiological and pathological processes. However, none have been shown to regulate actin cap formation or spindle translocation during the asymmetric division of oocyte meiosis I. NLRP4E has been reported as a candidate protein in female fertility, but its function is unknown. METHODS: Immunofluorescence, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and western blotting were employed to examine the localization and expression levels of NLRP4E and related proteins in mouse oocytes. small interfering RNA (siRNA) and antibody transfection were used to knock down NLRP4E and other proteins. Immunoprecipitation (IP)-mass spectrometry was used to identify the potential proteins interacting with NLRP4E. Coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) was used to verify the protein interactions. Wild type (WT) or mutant NLRP4E messenger RNA (mRNA) was injected into oocytes for rescue experiments. In vitro phosphorylation was employed to examine the activation of steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) by NLRP4E. RESULTS: NLRP4E was more predominant within oocytes compared with other NLRP4 members. NLRP4E knockdown significantly inhibited actin cap formation and spindle translocation toward the cap region, resulting in the failure of polar body extrusion at the end of meiosis I. Mechanistically, GRIN1, and GANO1 activated NLRP4E by phosphorylation at Ser429 and Thr430; p-NLRP4E is translocated and is accumulated in the actin cap region during spindle translocation. Next, we found that p-NLRP4E directly phosphorylated SRC at Tyr418, while p-SRC negatively regulated p-CDC42-S71, an inactive form of CDC42 that promotes actin cap formation and spindle translocation in the GTP-bound form. CONCLUSIONS: NLRP4E activated by GRIN1 and GANO1 regulates actin cap formation and spindle translocation toward the cap region through upregulation of p-SRC-Tyr418 and downregulation of p-CDC42-S71 during meiosis I.

[Coronary heart disease: innovative understanding from traditional Chinese medicine and treatment by classic formulas].

Coronary heart disease is a common cardiovascular disease, attacking about 11.4 million patients in China. With increasing prevalence and mortality year by year, coronary heart disease has become a major factor threatening human health and public health. Although primary and secondary prevention, intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting and other interventions have reduced the death rate, there are drug(aspirin) resistance, secondary nitroglycerin failure, post-intervention fatigue, chest tightness, and an-xiety, and complication with a high risk of bleeding, which have become the key clinical and scientific issues needed to be resolved. Coronary heart disease belongs to the category of chest impediment and heart pain in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). The TCM etiology of this disease includes external contraction of cold, emotional disorders, constitutional insufficiency, physical weakness, and labor injury, which are closely related to sympathetic nerve activity, state of cardiac and psychological diseases, family history, and cardiovascular metabolic disorders in modern medicine. The TCM causes of coronary heart disease include Qi depression, phlegm turbidity, blood stasis, fire-heat, cold congealing, and healthy Qi deficiency, which are associated with emotional factors such as anxiety and depression, abnormal lipid metabolism, abnormalities in blood circulation and coagulation, inflammatory responses, hyperactive immune responses, and heart failure, chronic wasting disease, or aging, respectively. Accordingly, the patients with Qi depression should be treated with Chaihu Longgu Muli Decoction, and those with phlegm turbidity should be treated with Wendan Decoction and Gualou Xiebai Banxia Decoction. Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction and Guizhi Fuling Pills are recommended for blood stasis, Xiaoxianxiong Decoction and Sanhuang Xiexin Decoction for fire-heat, Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi Decoction for cold congealing, and Renshen Decoction for healthy Qi deficiency. Due to the changes in the spectrum of diseases from ancient to modern times as well as the differences in physical constitution, the key cause of coronary heart disease has evolved from the chest Yang deficiency and cold congealing to Qi depression, phlegm turbidity, phlegm combined with stasis, and fire-heat, showing a shift from cold to heat and from deficiency to excess. The combination of classic formulas presents a pattern. That is, the core formula-syndrome correspondence of a disease often fixedly appears with other formula-syndrome correspondence, which may be related to the development of the pathophysiological mechanism of the disease. In the clinical application of modern pharmacological results, the research team has formulated the clinical principle of pathogenesis corresponding to pathological changes and medicinal nature corresponding pharmacological effects. The modern pharmacological research on classic formulas is conducive to targeted treatment. Moreover, classic formulas help to ameliorate aspirin resistance, clopidogrel resistance, post-intervention anxiety, and high risk of bleeding and address the lack of effective blockade of critical lesions in the coronary artery and the progression of post-infarction heart failure. The innovative understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of co-ronary heart disease helps to improve the clinical efficacy of TCM and the clinical system for treating coronary heart disease with classic formulas.

Two-Dimensional Analysis Method for Highly Sensitive Detection of Dual MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Cells.

Multiple biomarker detection is crucial for early clinical diagnosis, and it is significant to achieve the simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers with the same nanomaterial. In this work, the hairpin DNA strands were selectively modified on the surface of gold nanorods (AuNRs) to construct two kinds of nanoprobes by rational design. When in the presence of dual microRNAs, AuNRs were assembled to form end-to-end (ETE) and side-by-side (SBS) dimers. Compared with a single AuNR, the dark-field scattering intensity and red color percentage variation of dimers were extremely distinguished, which could be developed for dual microRNA detection by combining the red color percentage and scattering intensity with the data processing method of principal component analysis to construct a two-dimensional analysis method. Especially, the fraction of AuNR dimers presented a linear relationship with the amount of microRNAs. Based on this, microRNA-21 and microRNA Let-7a in breast cancer cells were detected with the detection limits of 1.72 and 0.53 fM, respectively. This method not only achieved the sensitive detection of dual microRNAs in human serum but also realized the high-resolution intracellular imaging, which developed a new way for the oriented assembly of nanomaterials and biological detection in living cells.

Correction: Magnetotransport and magnetic properties of Cr-modified Mn2Sb epitaxial thin films.

Correction for 'Magnetotransport and magnetic properties of Cr-modified Mn2Sb epitaxial thin films' by Ting-Wei Chen et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023, 25, 5785-5794, https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CP05442F.

Magnetotransport and magnetic properties of Cr-modified Mn2Sb epitaxial thin films.

High-quality Mn2-xCrxSb (x = 0.01, 0.04, and 0.1) epitaxial thin films were grown on SrTiO3 (STO) (001) single-crystal substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. Magnetotransport and magnetic measurements reveal that the x = 0.01 sample undergoes a quasi-ferrimagnetic (I) [Q-FIM(I)]-to-ferrimagnetic (II) [FIM(II)] spin reorientation (SR) transition and a giant magnetoresistance (MR) associated first-order ferrimagnetic(II)-to-antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase transition upon cooling, resulting in the AFM ground state with a weak in-plane net moment. Upon increasing the doping level from x = 0.01 to 0.1, both the SR transition and the first-order magnetic transition are suppressed. For x = 0.1, the former transition is suppressed, leaving only the Q-FIM(I)-to-AFM transition within the whole temperature region. TAFM-FIM shows almost similar changes upon the application of either in-plane or out-of-plane magnetic fields. TAFM-FIM values of the x = 0.01 and 0.04 samples are much higher than those of the Mn2-xCrxSb bulk with similar doping levels, which can be understood by the clamping effect from STO substrates. For each thin-film sample, the MR effect is observed near TAFM-FIM and disappears in the high temperature Q-FIM(I) phase and low temperature AFM phase, indicating that MR is related to the spin-dependent electron scattering during the first-order magnetic phase transition. Based on the magnetotransport and magnetic data, a magnetic phase diagram is established for the Mn2-xCrxSb films in the low doping level region.

How should preoperative examinations be chosen for infants with a ventricular septal defect: transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac CTA, or a combination of these two technologies?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA) in detecting the size and location of ventricular septal defects (VSD) in infants. METHODS: Data from 258 infants diagnosed with VSD between January 2020 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All infants underwent both TTE and cardiac CTA. The accuracy of these imaging modalities was assessed by comparing their findings with intraoperative observations of VSD size and location. RESULTS: Intraoperatively, the average VSD size was 6.1 ± 2.5 mm. The defects were classified as committed VSD (Type 1) in 45 patients, noncommitted VSD (Type 2) in 198 patients, inlet VSD (Type 3) in 12 patients, and muscular VSD (Type 4) in 3 patients. Echocardiography estimated the average VSD size at 5.6 ± 2.7 mm, with 42 patients identified as Type 1, 203 as Type 2, 10 as Type 3, and 3 as Type 4. Cardiac CTA estimated the average size at 5.9 ± 3.2 mm, with 48 patients identified as Type 1, 196 as Type 2, 11 as Type 3, and 3 as Type 4. The accuracy rates of TTE and cardiac CTA in diagnosing VSD location were 98.1% and 98.8%, respectively. A survey of surgeons indicated that 80% believe both TTE and cardiac CTA are essential preoperative evaluations. CONCLUSIONS: TTE accurately diagnoses the size and location of VSD, while cardiac CTA serves as a valuable complementary method to TTE. Most surgeons advocate for the combined use of these examinations for preoperative assessment.

[Arrhythmia:innovative understanding from traditional Chinese medicine and treatment by classic herbal formulas].

Arrhythmia, a common and frequently occurring cardiovascular disease, causes a heavy burden on the public health of China. Approximately 20 million patients are suffering from this disease in China and treated by pharmacological and surgical therapies. However, antiarrhythmic drugs can cause arrhythmia and surgical treatment has the risks of failure and recurrence. Therefore, the clinical outcome of arrhythmia remains to be improved. According to the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) theory, arrhythmia is a disease of palpitation induced by 7 conditions: liver depression and Qi stagnation, accumulation of turbid phlegm, fluid retention attacking the heart, fire-heat disturbing the heart, stasis obstruction of heart vessel, cold congealing in heart vessel, and the deficiency of Qi, blood, Yin, and Yang. Therefore, this study concisely proposed 7 TCM syndromes of arrhythmia, including the palpitation due to depression, phlegm, fluid retention, fire, blood stasis, cold, and deficiency. The corresponding treatment strategies were recommended as follows: Chaihu Longgu Muli Decoction for the palpitation due to depression, Wendan Decoction for the palpitation due to phlegm, Linggui Zhugan Decoction for the palpitation due to fluid retention, Sanhuang Xiexin Decoction for the palpitation due to fire, Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction for the palpitation due to blood stasis, and Mahuang Fuzi Xixin Decoction for the palpitation due to cold, and Guizhi Gancao Decoction, Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Decoction, Huanglian Ejiao Decoction, Zhigancao Decoction, and Guipi Decoction for the palpitation due to the deficiency of Qi, blood, Yin, and Yang. Multiple formulas should be combined if the patient presents several TCM syndromes simultaneously. According to the principles of the correspondence between formula and syndrome and the treatment with consideration to both pathogenesis and pathology and both herbal nature and pharmacology, this study proposed an integrated treatment model of "pathogenesis-pathology-nature-pharmacology" to enhance the clinical efficacy of classic herbal formulas in the treatment of arrhythmia.

[Research ideas of core formulas-syndromes based on disease-syndrome-treatment combination].

The relationship between disease and syndrome is a research focus in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine. Depending on the focus, the disease-syndrome combination for treatment is manifested as the different treatment methods for the same disease and the same treatment method for different diseases based on the syndrome, and different treatment methods for the same syndrome and the same treatment method for different syndromes based on the disease. The mainstream model is the combination of di-sease identification in modern medicine with syndrome identification and core pathogenesis in traditional Chinese medicine. However, current research on the combination of disease and syndrome and core pathogenesis tends to focus on the heterogeneity between disease and syndrome and the separation of syndrome and treatment. Therefore, the study proposed the research idea and model of core formulas-syndromes(CFS). According to the theory of formula-syndrome correspondence, the research idea of CFS deepens the research on core pathogenesis, which aims to summarize the core formulas and syndromes for diseases. The research fields include diagnostic criteria for the indications of formulas, distribution patterns of formulas and syndromes for diseases, the evolution of medicinal-syndrome based on formulas-syndromes, formula combination law based on formulas-syndromes, and the dynamic evolution of formulas-syndromes. Through the summary of ancient classics, clinical experience, and medical records, and with the methods of expert consultation, factor analysis, and clustering analysis, research on the diagnostic criteria for the indications of formulas aims to explore the diagnosis information such as the diseases, symptoms, signs, and pathophysiology. The research on the distribution patterns of formulas and syndromes for diseases tends to summarize the specific types of formulas and syndromes for the diseases through literature research and clinical cross-sectional studies based on the establishment of diagnostic criteria for the indications of formulas. The research on the evolution of medicinal-syndrome aims to clarify the medicinal-syndrome law through literature and clinical research. The formula combination law refers to the fact that the core prescriptions for a disease often appear in combination with other prescriptions on a regular basis. The dynamic evolution of formulas-syndromes refers to the continuous transformation and change of formulas and syndromes in the process of disease development with changes in time and space. The CFS is conducive to the unification of disease, syndrome and treatment and to the deepening of the research model of disease and syndrome integration.

[TCM understanding and treatment strategy of hypertension complicated with sexual dysfunction].

Hypertension and its target organ damage have become a major public health problem. Sexual dysfunction is a new problem in the treatment of modern hypertension. Modern pathophysiological studies have shown that hypertension can lead to sexual dysfunction. In addition, three major hypotensive drugs represented by diuretics can also lead to sexual dysfunction. In traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), hypertension belongs to "vertigo" "headache" "head wind", etc. In the past, the understanding of the TCM pathogenesis of hypertension was mainly from the perspectives of "liver wind" and "Yang hyperactivity". However, based on the in-depth research on ancient and modern literature and medical records and many years of clinical practice, it has been identified that kidney deficiency was the key pathogenesis. Hypertension complicated with sexual dysfunction belongs to the category of kidney deficiency syndrome in TCM, especially the deficiency of kidney Yin. Previous studies by other research groups showed that Yin-enriching and kidney-tonifying method could effectively reduce blood pressure, improve sexual dysfunction, reverse risk factors, and protect target organs. This article systematically discussed the TCM understanding, modern pathophysiological mechanism, and the clinical treatment strategy of kidney-tonifying drugs(single drugs and compounds) in the treatment of hypertension complicated with sexual dysfunction in order to provide a scientific basis for kidney-tonifying method in the treatment of hypertension complicated with sexual dysfunction.

[Discrimination of cultivation modes of Dendrobium nobile based on content of mineral elements and ratios of nitrogen stable isotopes].

This study explored the feasibility of mineral element content and ratios of nitrogen isotopes to discriminate the cultivation mode of Dendrobium nobile in order to provide theoretical support for the discrimination of the cultivation mode of D. nobile. The content of 11 mineral elements(N, K, Ca, P, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, and B) and nitrogen isotope ratios in D. nobile and its substrate samples in three cultivation methods(greenhouse cultivation, tree-attached cultivation, and stone-attached cultivation) were determined. According to the analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and stepwise discriminant analysis, the samples of different cultivation types were classified. The results showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios and the content of elements except for Zn were significantly different among different cultivation types of D. nobile(P<0.05). The results of correlation analysis showed that the nitrogen isotope ratios, mineral element content, and effective component content in D. nobile were correlated with the nitrogen isotope ratio and mineral element content in the corresponding substrate samples to varying degrees. Principal component analysis can preliminarily classify the samples of D. nobile, but some samples overlapped. Through stepwise discriminant analysis, six indicators, including δ~(15)N, K, Cu, P, Na, and Ca, were screened out, which could be used to establish the discriminant model of D. nobile cultivation methods, and the overall correct discrimination rates after back-substitution test, cross-check, and external validation were all 100%. Therefore, nitrogen isotope ratios and mineral element fingerprints combined with multivariate statistical analysis could effectively discriminate the cultivation types of D. nobile. The results of this study provide a new method for the identification of the cultivation type and production area of D. nobile and an experimental basis for the quality evaluation and quality control of D. nobile.

Description of a New Species of Sulcospira (Gastropoda: Pachychilidae) From Guangxi, China Based on Morphology and Molecular Evidence.

A new species of pachychilid freshwater gastropod, Sulcospira elonga sp. nov., is described from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters, including eight to 11 whorls, spiral lirae and axial ribs present, the shell width is about 1.4-1.6 times the maximum width except for the body whorl, and stomach with outer and inner crescentic pads connected to each other.

Combining Magnetic Resonance Diffusion-Weighted Imaging with Prostate-Specific Antigen to Differentiate Between Malignant and Benign Prostate Lesions.

BACKGROUND We aimed to develop a combined model of quantitative parameters derived from 3 different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion models and laboratory data related to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for differentiating between prostate cancer (PCa) and benign lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighty-four patients pathologically confirmed as having PCa or benign disease were enrolled. All patients underwent multiparametric MRI before biopsy, added intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging, and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). The following data were collected: quantitative parameters of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), IVIM, and DKI, preoperative total PSA, free/total PSA ratio, and PSA density (PSAD) values. A combined logistic regression model was established by above MRI quantitative parameters and PSA data to diagnose PCa. The Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADS v2) was used to assess the lesions for comparison. RESULTS Thirty-two patients had PCa and 52 patients had benign lesions. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and PSAD were significant variables (P<0.05) and were thus retained in the model. The area under curve value of the combined model (0.911) was higher than that of ADC, PSAD, and PI-RADS v2 (0.887, 0.861, and 0.859, respectively) in univariate analysis, but without any statistically significant differences. The combined model generated greater clinical benefit than the independent application of ADC, PSAD, and PI-RADS v2. CONCLUSIONS ADC and PSAD were the 2 most important metrics for distinguishing PCa from benign lesions. The combined model of ADC and PSAD demonstrated satisfactory discrimination and improved clinical net benefit.

Treadmill training mitigates bone deterioration via inhibiting NLRP3/Caspase1/IL-1ß signaling in aged rats.

INTRODUCTION: Although aerobic physical exercise may improve osteoporosis during ageing, the underlying mechanism of the favorable effects remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the localized and generalized proinflammatory indicators and the adaptive skeletal responses to treadmill training in aged rats to explore the potential mechanisms by which treadmill training impacts bone deterioration in a natural aged rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were included in this study. Sixteen of all these animals were twenty-four months natural aged male SD rats, which were distributed into two groups (n = 8/group): AC group with sham treadmill training, and AT group with 8 weeks treadmill training. The remaining 8 were six months male SD rats matched subline and supplier, which were used as the adult control group with sham treadmill training (YC group, n = 8). The serum, bone marrow, fresh femur, tibia, and lumbar spine were harvested for molecular biological analysis, bone mineral density (BMD) testing, and micro-CT analysis after 8 weeks of treadmill training. RESULTS: After 8 weeks of intervention, the results showed that treadmill training increased BMD and inhibited deterioration of bone microarchitecture of hind limb bones. Further analysis showed that treadmill training increased serum P1CP concentration and decreased serum CTX-1level. Interestingly, treadmill training down-regulated the protein expressions of proinflammatory indicators, including NLRP3, proCaspase1, cleaved Caspase1, IL-1ß, and GSDMD-N, and the mRNA levels of NLRP3, Caspase1, and IL-1ß of the bone marrow. In addition, treadmill training also inhibited serum TNF-α and IL-1ß concentration. However, 8 weeks of treadmill training did not increase BMD and bone microarchitecture in the lumbar spine. CONCLUSION: Treadmill training mitigates the ageing-induced bone loss and reverses the deterioration of bone microarchitecture in hind limbs probably through inhibiting NLRP3/Caspase1/IL-1ß signaling to attenuate low-grade inflammation and improve the inflammatory bone microenvironment.

Longibrachiamide A, a 20-Residue Peptaibol Isolated from Trichoderma longibrachiatum Rifai DMG-3-1-1.

Longibrachiamide A (1), a new 20-residue peptaibol, along with three known ones (2-4), were isolated from the fungus Trichoderma longibrachiatum Rifai DMG-3-1-1, isolated from a mushroom Clitocybe nebularis (Batsch) P. Kumm, which was collected from coniferous forest of northeast China in our previous work. The structure of longibrachiamide A (1) was determined by its NMR and ESI-MS/MS data, the absolute configuration of 1 was further determined by Marfey's analyses. And the complete NMR data of 2-4 were also reported for the first time. The similar CD spectra of 1-4 showed that they all had mixed 310 -/α-helical conformations. Compounds 1-4 showed strong cytotoxicities against BV2, A549 and MCF-7 cells, and also showed moderate inhibitory effects against the tested Gram-positive bacteria, including MRSA T144 and VRE-10.

Prediabetes and structural brain abnormalities: Evidence from observational studies.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been linked to structural brain abnormalities, but evidence of the association among prediabetes and structural brain abnormalities has not been systematically evaluated. Comprehensive searching strategies and relevant studies were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Medline and web of science. Twelve articles were included overall. Stratified analyses and regression analyses were performed. A total of 104 468 individuals were included. The risk of infarct was associated with continuous glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c ) [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.19 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.34)], or prediabetes [adjusted OR 1.13 (95% CI: 1.00-1.27)]. The corresponding ORs associated with white matter hyperintensities were 1.08 (95%CI: 1.04-1.13) for prediabetes, and 1.10 (95%CI: 1.08-1.12) for HbA1c . The association was significant between the decreased risk of brain volume with continuous HbA1c (the combined OR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.87-0.98). Grey matter volume and white matter volume were inversely associated with prediabetes [weighted mean deviation (WMD), -9.65 (95%CI: -15.25 to -4.04) vs WMD, -9.25 (95%CI: -15.03 to -3.47)]. There were no significant association among cerebral microbleeds, hippocampal volume, continuous total brain volume, and prediabetes. Our findings demonstrated that (a) both prediabetes and continuous HbA1c were significantly associated with increasing risk of infarct or white matter hyperintensities; (b) continuous HbA1c was associated with a decreased risk of brain volume; (c) prediabetes was inversely associated with grey matter volume and white matter volume. To confirm these findings, further studies on early diabetes onset and structural brain abnormalities are needed.

Urine NGAL as an early biomarker for diabetic kidney disease: accumulated evidence from observational studies.

Objectives: Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) was found to increase in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the clinical value of urine NGAL as diagnostic indicators in DKD remains to be clarified. Methods: Relevant studies were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Stratified analyses and regression analyses were performed. Results: Fourteen studies with 1561 individuals were included in our analysis, including 1204 cross-sectional participants and 357 cohort participants. For the cross-sectional studies, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of NGAL in the diagnosis of DKD were 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-0.87) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.68-0.90), respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 19 (95% CI: 11-33), and the overall area under the curve was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84-0.90). For the cohort studies, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of NGAL in the diagnosis of DKD were 0.96 (95% CI: 0.91-0.98) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84-0.92), respectively. The overall area under the curve was 0.98, indicating good discriminative ability of NGAL as biomarkers for DKD. Conclusions: Urine NGAL, as the early diagnostic marker of DKD, might have the high diagnostic value, especially in cohort studies.

Effects of placebo-controlled insulin-sensitizing drugs on hormonal parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome patients: A network meta-analysis.

This network meta-analysis was conducted to compare effects of different placebo-controlled insulin-sensitizing drugs, including metformin, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, and troglitazone on hormonal parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases from their inception to July 2017. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met our inclusion criteria were included. We combined direct and indirect evidences to evaluate weighted mean difference (WMD) value and draw surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Totally 28 eligible RCTs were enrolled. The network meta-analysis results indicated that: Compared with placebo, patients treated with pioglitazone had relatively higher sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) (nmol/L) level (WMD = 6.65, 95%CI = 0.57-12.98), patients treated with metformin had comparatively lower total testosterone (TT) (ng/mL) level (WMD = -0.20, 95%CI = -0.39 to -0.02); Compared with rosiglitazone, patients treated with metformin had relatively higher estradiol (E2 ) (pg/mL) level (WMD = 47.91, 95%CI = 11.44-85.55). However, there were no statistical significance among the placebo-controlled insulin-sensitizing drugs in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) (IU/L), luteinizing hormone (LH) (IU/L), dehydroepiandrostrone-sulphate (DHEAS) (µg/dL), free testosterone (FT) (pg/mL) and androstenedione (ng/mL). The results of cluster analysis showed that rosiglitazone may be the best drug for PCOS patients regarding to DHEAS, TT, FSH, and LH, metformin may be the best drug for PCOS patients as for E2 , FT, and androstenedione. Rosiglitazone had the best effect on PCOS patients in terms of DHEAS, TT, FSH, and LH, metformin had the best effect on PCOS patients for E2 , FT, and androstenedione.

Scaling bioinformatics applications on HPC.

BACKGROUND: Recent breakthroughs in molecular biology and next generation sequencing technologies have led to the expenential growh of the sequence databases. Researchrs use BLAST for processing these sequences. However traditional software parallelization techniques (threads, message passing interface) applied in newer versios of BLAST are not adequate for processing these sequences in timely manner. METHODS: A new method for array job parallelization has been developed which offers O(T) theoretical speed-up in comparison to multi-threading and MPI techniques. Here T is the number of array job tasks. (The number of CPUs that will be used to complete the job equals the product of T multiplied by the number of CPUs used by a single task.) The approach is based on segmentation of both input datasets to the BLAST process, combining partial solutions published earlier (Dhanker and Gupta, Int J Comput Sci Inf Technol_5:4818-4820, 2014), (Grant et al., Bioinformatics_18:765-766, 2002), (Mathog, Bioinformatics_19:1865-1866, 2003). It is accordingly referred to as a "dual segmentation" method. In order to implement the new method, the BLAST source code was modified to allow the researcher to pass to the program the number of records (effective number of sequences) in the original database. The team also developed methods to manage and consolidate the large number of partial results that get produced. Dual segmentation allows for massive parallelization, which lifts the scaling ceiling in exciting ways. RESULTS: BLAST jobs that hitherto failed or slogged inefficiently to completion now finish with speeds that characteristically reduce wallclock time from 27 days on 40 CPUs to a single day using 4104 tasks, each task utilizing eight CPUs and taking less than 7 minutes to complete. CONCLUSIONS: The massive increase in the number of tasks when running an analysis job with dual segmentation reduces the size, scope and execution time of each task. Besides significant speed of completion, additional benefits include fine-grained checkpointing and increased flexibility of job submission. "Trickling in" a swarm of individual small tasks tempers competition for CPU time in the shared HPC environment, and jobs submitted during quiet periods can complete in extraordinarily short time frames. The smaller task size also allows the use of older and less powerful hardware. The CDRH workhorse cluster was commissioned in 2010, yet its eight-core CPUs with only 24GB RAM work well in 2017 for these dual segmentation jobs. Finally, these techniques are excitingly friendly to budget conscious scientific research organizations where probabilistic algorithms such as BLAST might discourage attempts at greater certainty because single runs represent a major resource drain. If a job that used to take 24 days can now be completed in less than an hour or on a space available basis (which is the case at CDRH), repeated runs for more exhaustive analyses can be usefully contemplated.

Comparison of the outcomes between thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy via retrosternal and prevertebral lifting paths by the same surgeon.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study is to explore the effects of retrosternal and prevertebral lifting paths of the tubular stomach on postoperative complications of patients undergoing cervical anastomosis in thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy. METHODS: Sixty-three patients were retrospectively analyzed. The patients received thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy by the same surgeon. According to the path by which the stomach was lifted upward, the patients were divided into two groups: the retrosternal path group (32 patients) and the prevertebral path group (31 patients). Operative indications and complications of postoperative patients in these two groups were observed. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the time duration of surgery, amount of bleeding, number of dissected lymph node, and postoperative hospitalization time between the retrosternal and prevertebral lifting paths (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the two groups did not show significant difference in the incidence rate of postoperative anastomosis fistula complications (P = 0.702). Instead, the amount of postoperative gastric drainage and the incidence rates of the pulmonary infection were significantly lower in the retrosternal path group than in the prevertebral path group, respectively (P = 0.001, P = 0.012, respectively). CONCLUSION: The esophagogastrostomic cervical anastomoses performed via the retrosternal and prevertebral paths are both feasible methods of digestive tract reconstruction. The amount of postoperative gastric drainage volume and the pulmonary infection incidence rate in the retrosternal path group were lower than those in the prevertebral path group. Therefore, gastroesophageal anastomosis via the retrosternal lifting path may be preferably considered for thoracoscopic and laparoscopic surgery for esophageal carcinoma patients.

[Study of Modeling Samples Selection Method Based on Near Infrared Spectrum].

For more wheat varieties classification problem, we use near infrared spectrumto do qualitative analysis. Increasing the size of modeling sample could increase information of the model, however, at the same time, it also makes information redundancy so that modeling time and storage space will increase, thus, we need to decrease the size of modeling sample though selecting them. Some information must be lost and the effects of the model must be worse if we select samples blindly. We put forward the k nearest neighbor-density sample selection based on the traditional selection methods. Experiments use the near infrared diffuse reflection spectrum of wheat seed from lots of days. First, we use preprocessing and feature extraction to deal with the wheat original spectrum, then select modeling sample by three methods that are random sampling, k nearest neighbor and k nearest neighbor-density, finally, we establish the models of BPR(Biomimetic Pattern Recognition) and BPRI(Biomimetic Pattern Recognition Improved). The experimental results show that in the model of BPR we get the best results using the selection method of k nearest neighbor-density, especially it also decreases the size of modeling sample deeply, and in the model of BPRI the results using the selection method of k nearest neighbor-density are much better than random sampling and a little better than k nearest neighbor, but in the meanwhile the size of modeling sample using the selection method of k nearest neighbor-density are much smaller than k nearest neighbor. The experimental results prove that the sample selection method of k nearest neighbor-density can not only greatly reduce the modeling sample size, and ensure the quality of the model, it has obvious effect on varieties classification problem of wheat.