Study of Zinc Diffusion Based on S, N-Codoped Honeycomb Carbon Cathodes for High-Performance Zinc-Ion Capacitors.

Capacitors with zinc ions, with excellent stabilities, low cost, and high energy density, are expected to be promising energy storage devices. However, the development of zinc-ion capacitors is quietly restricted by low specific capacity and cycling stability. Herein, to overcome these limitations, honeycomb-structured S, N-codoped carbon (SNPC) is constructed by one-pot calcination of waste corn bracts and thiourea. The honeycomb structure of SNPC is demonstrated to provide abundant active sites that can enhance the extron/ion transport, conductivity for high power export, and ion adsorption capacity in energy storage applications, leading to a higher electrochemical performance achieved. The electrolytes of zinc salt have also been studied. It reveals that the SNPC electrode presents the best electrochemical performance in a 2 M ZnSO4 and 0.5 M ZnCl2 electrolyte mixture because in the electrolyte mixture, Cl- can replace the existing bound water in the solvation structure to form an anion-type water-free solvation structure ZnCl42-. The SNPC-800 electrode with a highly improved surface area (∼909.0 m2 g-1) is proved to be more suitable as the electrode than other materials. Aqueous zinc-ion capacitors (ZICs) have been assembled by the honeycomb-structured SNPC-800 as the cathode, which can achieve a relatively wide working voltage range of 0.1-1.8 V. The SNPC-800 ZICs exhibit a superior specific capacity of 179.1 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1. The energy density of SNPC-800 ZICs reaches an impressive value of 89.6 Wh kg-1 at 53.8 W kg-1, and it sustains 28.3 Wh kg-1 at 1997.6 W kg-1. In addition, there is 99.8% capacity retention in the SNPC-800 ZICs over 5000 cycles. The absorption energy in SPNC is much higher than that in undoped CPC, as confirmed by density functional theory, which reveals that introducing of heteroatoms (S, N) has a comparatively active advantage at increasing the Zn-ion storage capacity. This work proposes a practical strategy for the effective recycling of waste biomass materials into honeycomb carbon electrode materials. Moreover, the honeycomb carbon-based ZICs with excellent electrochemical performance and long-term cycling stability possess great potential to be a superior cathode in practical applications.

Tumor necrosis factor α1 decreases mucosal immune and antioxidant response in the midgut of hybrid fish (white crucian carp ♀ × red crucian carp ♂).

Tumor necrosis factor α1 (TNFα) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in immune regulation and cellular homeostasis, but the crucial role of TNFα in fish gut remained unclear. The current study aimed to evaluate the immunoregulatory function of TNFα1 on gut barrier in a novel hybrid fish (WR), which was produced by crossing white crucian carp (Carassius cuvieri, ♀) with red crucian carp (Carassius auratus red var, ♂). In this study, WR-tnfα1 sequence was identified, and a high-level expression was detected in the intestine. Elevated levels of WR-tnfα1 expressions were detected in immune-related tissues and cultured fish cells on stimulation. The appearance of vacuolization and submucosal rupture was observed in TNFα1-treated midgut of WR, along with elevated levels of goblet cell atrophy, whereas no significant changes were detected in most expressions of tight-junction genes and mucin genes. In contrast, WR receiving gut perfusion with WR-TNFα1 showed a remarkable decrease in antioxidant status in midgut, whereas the expression levels of apoptotic genes and redox responsive genes increased sharply. These results suggested that TNFα1 could exhibit a detrimental effect on antioxidant defense and immune regulation in the midgut of WR.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Ketamine Derivatives as NMDAR Antagonists.

Depression is a chronic, severe, and often life-threatening neurological disorder. It not only causes depression in patients and affects daily life but, in severe cases, may lead to suicidal behavior and have adverse effects on families and society. In recent years, it has been found that sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine have a rapid antidepressant effect on patients with treatment-resistant depression and can significantly reduce the suicidal tendencies of patients with major depressive disorder. Current studies suggest that ketamine may exert antidepressant effects by blocking NMDAR ion channels, but its anesthetic and psychotomimetic side effects limit its application. Here, we report efforts to design and synthesize a novel series of ketamine derivatives of NMDAR antagonists, among which compounds 23 and 24 have improved activity compared with ketamine, introducing a new direction for the development of rapid-acting antidepressant drugs.

Systematic analysis of CNGCs in cotton and the positive role of GhCNGC32 and GhCNGC35 in salt tolerance.

BACKGROUND: Cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels (CNGCs) are calcium-permeable channels that participate in a variety of biological functions, such as signaling pathways, plant development, and environmental stress and stimulus responses. Nevertheless, there have been few studies on CNGC gene family in cotton. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 114 CNGC genes were identified from the genomes of 4 cotton species. These genes clustered into 5 main groups: I, II, III, IVa, and IVb. Gene structure and protein motif analysis showed that CNGCs on the same branch were highly conserved. In addition, collinearity analysis showed that the CNGC gene family had expanded mainly by whole-genome duplication (WGD). Promoter analysis of the GhCNGCs showed that there were a large number of cis-acting elements related to abscisic acid (ABA). Combination of transcriptome data and the results of quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that some GhCNGC genes were induced in response to salt and drought stress and to exogenous ABA. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) experiments showed that the silencing of the GhCNGC32 and GhCNGC35 genes decreased the salt tolerance of cotton plants (TRV:00). Specifically, physiological indexes showed that the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in gene-silenced plants (TRV:GhCNGC32 and TRV:GhCNGC35) increased significantly under salt stress but that the peroxidase (POD) activity decreased. After salt stress, the expression level of ABA-related genes increased significantly, indicating that salt stress can trigger the ABA signal regulatory mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: we comprehensively analyzed CNGC genes in four cotton species, and found that GhCNGC32 and GhCNGC35 genes play an important role in cotton salt tolerance. These results laid a foundation for the subsequent study of the involvement of cotton CNGC genes in salt tolerance.

Metabolic engineering of the malonyl-CoA pathway to efficiently produce malonate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Malonate is a platform chemical that has been utilized to synthesize many valuable chemical compounds. Here, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was metabolically engineered to produce malonate through the malonyl-CoA pathway. To construct the key step of converting malonyl-CoA to malonate, a native mitochondrial 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA hydrolase gene EHD3 was mutated to target the cytoplasm and obtain malonyl-CoA hydrolase activity. The malonyl-CoA hydrolase activity of Ehd3 was achieved by mutating the malonyl-CoA binding site F121 to I121 and the active site E124 to seven amino acids (S/T/H/K/R/N/Q). We identified that the strain with E124S mutation had the highest malonate titer with 13.6 mg/L. Genomic integration of the mutant EHD3 and ACC1** to delta sequence sites was further explored to increase their reliable expression. Accordingly, a screening method with the work flow of fluorescence detection, shake-tube fermentation, and shake-flask fermentation was constructed to screen high copy delta sequences efficiently. The malonate titer was improved to 73.55 mg/L after screening the ∼1500 integrative strains, which was increased 4.4-folds than that of the episomal strain. We further engineered the strain by regulating the expression of key enzyme in the malonyl-CoA pathway to improve the precursor supply and inhibiting its competing pathways, and the final engineered strain LMA-16 produced 187.25 mg/L in the flask, 14-fold compared with the initial episomal expression strain. Finally, the combined efforts increased the malonate titer to 1.62 g/L in fed-batch fermentation.

Humoral immune response of BBIBP COVID-19 vaccination before and after the booster immunization.

BACKGROUND: The inactivated Sinopharm/BBIBP COVID-19 vaccine has been widely used in the world and has joined the COVAX vaccine supply program for developing countries. It is also well adapted for usage in low- and middle-income nations due to their low storage requirements. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to report on the kinetics, durability, and neutralizing ability of the induced immunity of the BBIBP vaccine, and the intensified antibody response elicited by the booster. METHODS: A total of 353 healthy adult participants, aged 20-74 years, were recruited in this multicenter study. A standard dose of the BBIBP vaccine was administered (Month 0), followed by a second standard dose (Month 1), and a booster dose (after Month 7). Vaccine-induced virus-specific antibody levels (SARS-CoV-2-IgA/IgM/IgG), conventional virus neutralization test (cVNT), pseudovirus neutralization test (pVNT), and surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) were monitored over multiple time points. RESULTS: Neutralizing titers induced by the two doses of inactivated vaccine for COVID-19 peaked at Month 2 and declined to 33.89% at Month 6. Following the booster dose, elevated levels of antibodies were induced for IgA, IgG, and neutralizing antibodies, with neutralizing titer reaching 13.2 times that of before the booster. CONCLUSION: By monitoring the antibody titer levels postvaccination, this study has shown that serum antibody levels will decrease over time, but a notable spike in antibody levels postbooster highlights the anamnestic immune response. This signifies that the protection capability has increased following the injection of booster immunization.

Comparative analysis on the immunoregulatory roles of ferritin M in hybrid fish (Carassius cuvieri ♀ × Carassius auratus red var ♂) and its parental species after bacterial infection.

Ferritin M is involved in the regulation of fish immunity. In this study, open reading frame (ORF) sequences of ferritin M from hybrid fish and its parental species were 534 bp. Tissue-specific analysis indicated that the highest level of ferritin M from red crucian carp was observed in kidney, while peaked expressions of ferritin M from white crucian carp and hybrid carp were observed in gill. Elevated levels of ferritin M from hybrid carp and its parental species were detected in immune-related tissues following Aeromonas hydrophila infection or in cultured fish cell lines after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Ferritin M overexpression could attenuate NF-κB and TNFα promoter activity in their respective fish cells. Purified ferritin M fusion proteins elicited in vitro binding activity to A. hydrophila and Edwardsiella tarda, lowered bacterial dissemination to tissues and alleviated inflammatory response. Furthermore, treatment with ferritin M fusion proteins could mitigate bacteria-induced liver damage and rescue antioxidant activity. These results suggested that ferritin M in hybrid fish showed a similar immune defense against bacteria infection in comparison with those of its parental species.

A novel ferritin L (FerL) in hybrid crucian carp could participate in host defense against Aeromonas hydrophila infection and diminish inflammatory signals.

FerL, a multifunctional iron-storage polypeptide, not only exhibited a regulatory role in iron metabolism, but also participated in the regulation of fish immunity. In this study, ORF sequence of WR-FerL was 522 bp, encoding 173 amino acid residues. Tissue-specific analysis revealed that the highest expression of WR-FerL was detected in spleen. A. hydrophila challenge and LPS stimulation could sharply enhance WR-FerL mRNA expression in tissues and fish cells, respectively. Purified WR-FerL fusion peptide exhibited in vitro binding activity to A. hydrophila and endotoxin, limited bacterial dissemination to tissues as well as attenuated A. hydrophila-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, WR-FerL overexpression could abrogate NF-κB and TNFα promoter activity in fish cells. These results indicated that WR-FerL could play an important role in host defense against A. hydrophila infection.

Transcriptome analysis and co-expression network reveal the mechanism linking mitochondrial function to immune regulation in red crucian carp (Carassius auratus red var) after Aeromonas hydrophila challenge.

Aeromonas hydrophila is a common pathogen of freshwater fish. In this study, A. hydrophila infection was shown to cause tissue damage, trigger physiological changes as well as alter the expression profiles of immune- and metabolic-related genes in immune tissues of red crucian carp (RCC). Transcriptome analysis revealed that acute A. hydrophila infection exerted a profound effect on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation linking metabolic regulation to immune response. In addition, we further identified cellular senescence, apoptosis, necrosis and mitogen-activated protein kinase signal pathways as crucial signal pathways in the kidney of RCC subjected to A. hydrophila infection. These findings may have important implications for understanding modulation of immunometabolic response to bacterial infection.

A Comprehensive Identification and Function Analysis of Serine/Arginine-Rich (SR) Proteins in Cotton (Gossypium spp.).

As one of the most important factors in alternative splicing (AS) events, serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins not only participate in the growth and development of plants but also play pivotal roles in abiotic stresses. However, the research about SR proteins in cotton is still lacking. In this study, we performed an extensive comparative analysis of SR proteins and determined their phylogeny in the plant lineage. A total of 169 SR family members were identified from four Gossypium species, and these genes could be divided into eight distinct subfamilies. The domain, motif distribution and gene structure of cotton SR proteins are conserved within each subfamily. The expansion of SR genes is mainly contributed by WGD and allopolyploidization events in cotton. The selection pressure analysis showed that all the paralogous gene pairs were under purifying selection pressure. Many cis-elements responding to abiotic stress and phytohormones were identified in the upstream sequences of the GhSR genes. Expression profiling suggested that some GhSR genes may involve in the pathways of plant resistance to abiotic stresses. The WGCNA analysis showed that GhSCL-8 co-expressed with many abiotic responding related genes in a salt-responding network. The Y2H assays showed that GhSCL-8 could interact with GhSRs in other subfamilies. The subcellular location analysis showed that GhSCL-8 is expressed in the nucleus. The further VIGS assays showed that the silencing of GhSCL-8 could decrease salt tolerance in cotton. These results expand our knowledge of the evolution of the SR gene family in plants, and they will also contribute to the elucidation of the biological functions of SR genes in the future.

Efficacy and safety of PEGylated exenatide injection (PB-119) in treatment-naive type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a Phase II randomised, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) such as exenatide are used as monotherapy and add-on therapy for maintaining glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The current study investigated the safety and efficacy of once-weekly PB-119, a PEGylated exenatide injection, in treatment-naive patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: In this Phase II, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, we randomly assigned treatment-naive Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive subcutaneous placebo or one of three subcutaneous doses of PB-119 (75, 150, and 200 µg) for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c from baseline to week 12, and other endpoints were fasting plasma glucose, 2 h postprandial glucose (PPG), and proportion of patients with HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol (<7.0%) and ≤48 mmol/mol (≤6.5%) at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. RESULTS: We randomly assigned 251 patients to one of the four treatment groups (n = 62 in placebo and 63 each in PB-119 75 µg, 150 µg and 200 µg groups). At the end of 12 weeks, mean differences in HbA1c in the treatment groups were -7.76 mmol/mol (95% CI -9.23, -4.63, p < 0.001) (-0.72%, 95% CI -1.01, -0.43), -12.89 mmol/mol (95% CI -16.05, -9.72, p < 0.001) (-1.18%, 95% CI -1.47, -0.89) and -11.14 mmol/mol (95% CI -14.19, -7.97, p <0 .001) (-1.02%, 95% CI -1.30, -0.73) in the 75 µg, 150 µg and 200 µg PB-119 groups, respectively, compared with that in the placebo group after adjusting for baseline HbA1c. Similar results were also observed for other efficacy endpoints across different time points. There was no incidence of treatment-emergent serious adverse event, severe hypoglycaemia or death. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: All tested PB-119 doses had superior efficacy compared with placebo and were safe and well tolerated over 12 weeks in treatment-naive Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03520972 FUNDING: The study was funded by National Major Scientific and Technological Special Project for Significant New Drugs Development and PegBio.

Establishment and characterization of an ovarian yolk sac tumor patient-derived xenograft model.

OBJECTIVE: The lack of appropriate preclinical models of ovarian yolk sac tumor (OYST) is currently hindering the pursuit of new methods of treatment and investigation of the pathogenesis of the disease. We developed and characterized an OYST patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model in this study. METHODS: Tumor fragments from a patient with an OYST were implanted subcutaneously into BALB/c Nude mice. Engrafted xenografts were compared with the original tumor according to histology, immunohistochemistry, humanized identified, and drug efficacy testing with in vivo treatment programs. RESULTS: There was a high degree of histologic and immunohistochemical (IHC) resemblance between the established PDX model and its corresponding human tumors. Bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (JEB) chemotherapy regimens were effective in clinical patients and were effective in the OYST PDX model; therefore, the effect of PDX intervention was consistent with clinical outcomes of OYSTs. CONCLUSION: We have successfully established an OYST PDX model. This OYST model preserves the basic molecular features of the primary human tumor, thereby providing a valuable method to preclinically evaluate new treatments and explore disease pathogenesis.

Roles of High Osmolarity Glycerol and Cell Wall Integrity Pathways in Cadmium Toxicity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Cadmium is a carcinogen that can induce ER stress, DNA damage, oxidative stress and cell death. The yeast mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways paly crucial roles in response to various stresses. Here, we demonstrate that the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway, the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway and the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway are all essential for yeast cells to defend against the cadmium-induced toxicity, including the elevated ROS and cell death levels induced by cadmium. We show that the UPR pathway is required for the cadmium-induced phosphorylation of HOG_MAPK Hog1 but not for CWI_MAPK Slt2, while Slt2 but not Hog1 is required for the activation of the UPR pathway through the transcription factors of Swi6 and Rlm1. Moreover, deletion of HAC1 and IRE1 could promote the nuclear accumulation of Hog1, and increase the cytosolic and bud neck localisation of Slt2, indicating crucial roles of Hog1 and Slt2 in regulating the cellular process in the absence of UPR pathway. Altogether, our findings highlight the significance of these two MAPK pathways of HOG and CWI and their interrelationship with the UPR pathway in responding to cadmium-induced toxicity in budding yeast.

Spatial and temporal clusters of avian influenza a (H7N9) virus in humans across five epidemics in mainland China: an epidemiological study of laboratory-confirmed cases.

BACKGROUND: Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus was first reported in mainland China in 2013, and alarming in 2016-17 due to the surge across a wide geographic area. Our study aimed to identify and explore the spatial and temporal variation across five epidemics to reinforce the epidemic prevention and control. METHODS: We collected spatial and temporal information about all laboratory-confirmed human cases of A (H7N9) virus infection reported in mainland China covering 2013-17 from the open source. The autocorrelation analysis and intensity of cases were used to analyse the spatial cluster while circular distribution method was used to analyse the temporal cluster. RESULTS: Across the five epidemics, a total of 1553 laboratory-confirmed human cases with A (H7N9) virus were reported in mainland China. The global Moran's I index values of five epidemic were 0.610, 0.132, 0.308, 0.306, 0.336 respectively, among which the differences were statistically significant. The highest intensity was present in the Yangtze River Delta region and the Pearl River Delta region, and the range enlarged from the east of China to inner provinces and even the west of China across the five epidemics. The temporal clusters of the five epidemics were statistically significant, and the peak period was from the end of January to April with the first and the fifth epidemic later than the mean peak period. CONCLUSIONS: Spatial and temporal clusters of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in humans are obvious, moreover the regions existing clusters may enlarge across the five epidemics. Yangtze River Delta region and the Pearl River Delta region have the spatial cluster and the peak period is from January to April. The government should facilitate the tangible improvement for the epidemic preparedness according to the characteristics of spatial and temporal clusters of patients with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with echinococcosis patients in Tibetan communities in Shiqu County, China: a case-control study.

PURPOSE: Echinococcosis is a chronic neglected zoonotic disease with high endemic in western China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in patients with echinococcosis in Tibetan communities for investigating the physical and mental health challenges faced by the echinococcosis patients and meeting community health needs. METHODS: The HRQoL was measured with 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire in the case-control study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: 50 echinococcosis patients were collected in study group and divided into three subgroups by the duration of staying on albendazole tablets. 52 healthy individuals were collected in control group. In physical quality of life, the duration of staying on albendazole tables influenced the PF (F = 6.661, P < 0.001), RP (F = 3.130, P = 0.029), and GH (F = 4.105, P = 0.008). In mental quality of life, the duration of staying on albendazole tables influenced the SF (F = 10.764, P < 0.001) and RE (F = 5.573, P = 0.001). The income level was the important confounder in PF (F = 11.515, P = 0.001), GH (F = 10.315, P = 0.002), VT (F = 5.984, P = 0.016), and MH (F = 5.565, P = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: The HRQoL in people with echinococcosis is reduced in comparison with the healthy individuals. It is necessary to shorten the duration of treatment and adopt the special methods adapting the local culture to improve the health-related quality of life in Tibetan communities. Meanwhile, the economic improvement is the foundation.

Weight Status Is Associated with Blood Pressure, Vital Capacity, Dental Decay, and Visual Acuity among School-Age Children in Chengdu, China.

AIMS: To examine the association of weight status with the prevalence of blood pressure (BP), vital capacity, dental decay, and visual acuity among school-age children in Chengdu, China and to find the potential role of weight status to predict the common and frequently occurring diseases among school-age children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 12,297 children aged 6-18 years from 10 schools in the Jinniu District of Chengdu, China. Body height, weight, waist circumference (WC), and BP were measured. Vital capacity, dental decay, and visual acuity were detected. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity, high BP, bad vital capacity weight index, dental decay, and low vision were 7.18, 13.47, 7.57, 18.90, 2.78, 21.93, 38.81, and 45.79%, respectively. After controlling for age, gender, and WC, it was found that overweight and obese children had a higher risk of developing high BP than normal weight children ([OR 4.20, p < 0.001] and [OR 8.76, p < 0.001], respectively), And adjusting for age, gender, and chest circumference, the risk of having bad vital capacity weight index among children with overweight and obesity was higher ([OR 2.15, p < 0.001] and [OR 5.40, p < 0.001], respectively), and the risk with underweight was lower (OR 0.35, p < 0.001). After eliminating the influential factors of gender and age, children who were underweight were 1.16 times (OR 1.16, p = 0.048) more likely to have caries than children with normal weight, but obese children were found to have a lower prevalence for dental cavities than children with normal weight (OR 0.79, p = 0.002). Underweight and obese children had a higher prevalence of low vision; the OR of the appearance of low vision was 1.21 (p = 0.016) for underweight children and 1.23 (p = 0.009) for obese children after adjusting the age and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal weight status among Chengdu urban school-age children was found to be a severe health problem, and it was strongly associated with BP, vital capacity, dental decay, and visual acuity.

Prevalence of congenital heart defect in Guangdong province, 2008-2012.

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart defect (CHD) is the most common major malformations in infants. Little is known about the main epidemiologic characteristics of CHD prevalence in Guangdong province, China. Our study was undertaken to investigate the time trends in the prevalence of CHD in Guangdong province from 2008 to 2012. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Guangdong Hospital-Based Birth Defects Monitoring System during 2008-2012. All infants more than 28 weeks of gestation and infants up to 7 days of age in monitoring hospitals were monitored. We used prevalence rate to describe the difference in prevalence of CHD between rural and urban areas. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for CHD were calculated for the rural and urban areas. The CHD rate was calculated on the basis of birth defects per 10,000 births. RESULTS: A total of 1,005,052 births were reported to the Birth Defects Monitoring Network of Guangdong Province, of which 5268 cases were diagnosed as CHD. The overall prevalence of CHD was 52.41 per 10,000 births (95% CI: 51.00 ~ 53.83) in provincial-wide, 66.08 per 10,000 births (95% CI: 63.77 ~ 68.39) in urban areas, and 40.23 per 10,000 births (95% CI: 38.52 ~ 41.93) in rural areas. The prevalence of CHD increased with maternal age both in urban areas (P < 0.01) and in rural areas (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The increasing trends of CHD prevalence suggest that maternal age and the improvement of diagnosis ability might play a critical role.

Highly efficient production of 2-phenylethanol by wild-type Saccharomyces bayanus strain.

2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) is a highly valuable aromatic alcohol utilized in fragrance, cosmetics and food industries. Due to the toxic by-products from chemical synthesis and the low productivity of the extraction method, bioproduction of 2-PE by yeast is considered promising. In this study, a wild-type Saccharomyces bayanus L1 strain producing 2-PE was isolated from soy sauce mash. Transcriptional analysis showed that 2-PE was synthesized via the Ehrlich pathway and Shikimate pathway in S. bayanus L1. By improving the fermentation conditions in shaking flasks, the maximum 2-PE titer reached 4.2 g/L with a productivity of 0.058 g/L/h within 72 h. In fed-batch fermentation, S. bayanus L1 strain produced 6.5 g/L of 2-PE within 60 h, achieving a productivity of 0.108 g/L/h. These findings suggest that S. bayanus L1 strain is an efficient 2-PE producer, paving the way for highly efficient 2-PE production.

The Changing and Predicted Trends in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Burden in China, the United States, and India from 1990 to 2030.

Background: This study analyzed the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China, the United States, and India from 1990 to 2019 and projected the trends for the next decade. Methods: This study utilized the GBD 2019 to compare the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate, and the proportion attributed to different risk factors in China, the United States, and India. Joinpoint models and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models were employed to capture the changing trends in disease burden and forecast outcomes. Results: From 1990 to 2019, China's age-standardized COPD incidence and mortality rates decreased by 29% and 70%, respectively. In the same period, India's rates decreased by 8% and 33%, while the United States saw an increase of 9% in COPD incidence and a 22% rise in mortality rates. Smoking and ambient particulate matter pollution are the two most significant risk factors for COPD, while household air pollution from solid fuels and low temperatures are the least impactful factors in the United States and India, respectively. The proportion of risk from household air pollution from solid fuels is higher in India than in China and the United States. Predictions for 2030 suggest that the age-standardized DALY rates, ASIR, and ASMR in the United States and India are expected to remain stable or decrease, while China's age-standardized incidence rate is projected to rise. Conclusion: Over the past three decades, the incidence of COPD has been decreasing in China and India, while showing a slight increase in the United States. Smoking and ambient particulate matter pollution are the primary risk factors for men and women, respectively. The risk of household air pollution from solid fuels in India needs attention.