Nondestructive detection of Pleurotus geesteranus strain degradation based on micro-hyperspectral imaging and machine learning.

In the production of edible fungi, the use of degraded strains in cultivation incurs significant economic losses. Based on micro-hyperspectral imaging and machine learning, this study proposes an early, nondestructive method for detecting different degradation degrees of Pleurotus geesteranus strains. In this study, an undegraded strain and three different degradation-level strains were used. During the mycelium growth, 600 micro-hyperspectral images were obtained. Based on the average transmittance spectra of the region of interest (ROI) in the range of 400-1000 nm and images at feature bands, feature spectra and images were extracted using the successive projections algorithm (SPA) and the deep residual network (ResNet50), respectively. Different feature input combinations were utilized to establish support vector machine (SVM) classification models. Based on the results, the spectra-input-based model performed better than the image-input-based model, and feature extraction improved the classification results for both models. The feature-fusion-based SPA+ResNet50-SVM model was the best; the accuracy rate of the test set was up to 90.8%, which was better than the accuracy rates of SPA-SVM (83.3%) and ResNet50-SVM (80.8%). This study proposes a nondestructive method to detect the degradation of Pleurotus geesteranus strains, which could further inspire new methods for the phenotypic identification of edible fungi.

The dignity of terminally ill children in pediatric palliative care: perspectives of parents and healthcare providers.

BACKGROUND: The Chochinov Dignity Model was developed based on a cohort of adult patients with advanced cancer, but its role among dying children is not clear. This study aims to develop a model of dignity for children receiving pediatric palliative care based on the Chochinov Dignity Model. METHODS: This is a descriptive qualitative study. Participants included a total of 11 parents and 14 healthcare providers who were recruited from a tertiary children's hospital in Beijing and the Pediatric Palliative Care Subspecialty Group of the Pediatrics Society of the Chinese Medical Association using purposive sampling. Thematic framework analysis was used to analyze data. RESULTS: The themes of the empirical Dignity Model were broadly supported in this study, but some themes were interpreted differently in the child population. Compared with the original model, some child-specific themes were identified including acknowledging regret, a sense of security, the company of important loved ones, realizing unfinished wishes, decent and dignified death, resolving family disputes, and fairness. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study on Dignity Model for terminal children. Knowledge of children's dignity can promote reflection of healthcare providers and caregivers regarding the values underlying their performance in pediatric palliative care, and develop certain practical interventions to strengthen children and their families' sense of dignity at end of life.

Fruit intake, genetic risk and type 2 diabetes: a population-based gene-diet interaction analysis.

PURPOSE: Whether the association between fruit and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is modified by the genetic predisposition of T2D was yet elucidated. The current study is meant to examine the gene-dietary fruit intake interactions in the risk of T2D and related glycemic traits. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in 11,657 participants aged ≥ 40 years from a community-based population in Shanghai, China. Fruit intake information was collected by a validated food frequency questionnaire by asking the frequency of consumption of typical food items over the previous 12 months. T2D-genetic risk score (GRS) was constructed by 34 well established T2D common variants in East Asians. The risk of T2D, fasting, 2 h-postprandial plasma glucose, and glycated hemoglobin A1c associated with T2D-GRS and each individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested. RESULTS: The risk of T2D associated with each 1-point of T2D-GRS was gradually decreased from the lower fruit intake level (< 1 times/week) [the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was 1.10 (1.07-1.13)], to higher levels (1-3 and > 3 times/week) [the corresponding ORs and 95% CIs were 1.08 (1.05-1.10) and 1.07 (1.05-1.08); P for interaction = 0.04]. Analyses for associations with fasting, 2 h-postprandial plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin A1c demonstrated consistent tendencies (all P for interaction ≤ 0.03). The inverse associations of fruit intake with risk of T2D and glucose traits were more prominent in the higher T2D-GRS tertile. CONCLUSIONS: Fruit intakes interact with the genetic predisposition of T2D on the risk of diabetes and related glucose metabolic traits. Fruit intake alleviates the association between genetic predisposition of T2D and the risk of diabetes; the association of fruit intake with a lower risk of diabetes was more prominent in population with a stronger genetic predisposition of T2D.

The Association and Predictive Ability of ECG Abnormalities with Cardiovascular Diseases: A Prospective Analysis.

Aims: To examine whether electrocardiography (ECG) could provide additional values to the traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction among different cardiovascular risk subgroups. Methods: A total of 7,872 community residents aged ≥40 years were followed up for a median of 4.5 years. A 12-lead resting ECG was examined for participants at baseline. CVD events including myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular mortality were collected. Cox proportional hazards models were used and models of traditional risk factors with and without ECG were compared. Results: At baseline, 2,470 participants (31.3%) had ECG abnormalities. During follow-up, 464 participants developed CVD events. ECG abnormalities were associated with an increased risk of CVD after adjustment for the traditional risk factors in participants with a 10-year atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk ≥10% (hazard ratio, HR: 1.45; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.11, 1.91). Adding ECG abnormalities to the traditional CVD risk factors improved reclassification for those who did not experience events [net reclassification index: 8.0% (95% CI: 2%, 19.5%)], discrimination (integrated discrimination improvement: 0.7% (95% CI: 0.1%, 1.9%), and calibration (goodness of fit P value from 0.600 to 0.873) in participants with a 10-year ASCVD risk ≥10%. However, no significant association and improvement were found in participants with a 10-year ASCVD risk <10%. Conclusions: ECG screening might provide a marginal improvement in CVD risk prediction in adults at high risk. However, ECG should not be recommended in adults at low risk.

Association of QTc Interval with Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases and Related Vascular Traits: A Prospective and Longitudinal Analysis.

Background: Prolonged heart rate corrected QT (QTc) interval was reported to be associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Objective: There exists little data on the association between QTc interval and cardiovascular risk in Asian populations. We prospectively investigated the association of QTc interval with CVDs and vascular traits in a large cohort of Chinese adults. Methods: A total of 7,605 participants aged 40 years or older from a well-defined community without CVDs at baseline were included and followed up for an average of 4.5 years. Association of baseline QTc interval with incident CVDs was evaluated using Cox regression analysis. Associations of QTc interval with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and risk of microalbuminuria and peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) were secondarily examined. Results: Prolonged QTc interval (≥460 ms in women and ≥450 ms in men) was associated with 51% higher risk of total major CVDs (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.20, 1.90]), particularly, 48% increased risk of stroke (95% CI [1.16, 1.88]). Prolonged QTc interval was positively associated with baPWV (ß = 38.10 cm/s, standard error [SE] = 8.04, P < 0.0001) and CIMT (ß = 0.01 mm, SE = 0.01, P = 0.04). Prolonged QTc interval was associated with increased risk of incident microalbuminuria (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65, 95% CI [1.21, 2.24]) and PAD (2.49, 95% CI [1.35, 4.59]). Conclusions: Prolonged QTc interval is positively and significantly associated with increased risk of CVDs and related vascular traits in Chinese population.

Serum total bile acids associate with risk of incident type 2 diabetes and longitudinal changes in glucose-related metabolic traits.

BACKGROUND: Bile acids have been found to be related to changes in gut microbiota and multiple metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to prospectively investigate associations of serum total bile acids (TBAs) with risk of incident T2D and longitudinal changes in glycemic traits. METHODS: A community-based study was conducted at baseline in 2010, including 4968 nondiabetic participants aged ≥40 years followed up for an average of 4.3 years. Incident T2D was defined by using the 1999 WHO criteria based on 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association of serum TBAs with incident T2D. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload plasma glucose (2-h PPG), and fasting serum insulin (FSI) were measured at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: During 21 653.7 person-years of follow-up, 605 cases of incident diabetes were identified (incidence rate 2.8%). Comparing to quartile 1 of serum TBAs, quartile 2, 3, and 4 were significantly associated with a 14.2%, 15.0%, and 31.4% higher risk of incident T2D (P = .029). Each one unit of log-TBAs was associated with an increase of 0.034 mmol/L in FPG, 0.111 mmol/L in 2-h PPG, 0.023 in log-FSI, and 0.012 in log-HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance) (all P ≤ .024). The association was attenuated after further adjustment for HOMA-IR. Mediation analysis showed that insulin resistance indicated by HOMA-IR might mediate 28.5% of indirect effect on the association of TBAs with T2D (P = .0004). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline serum TBAs were significantly associated with incident T2D and longitudinal changes in glycemic traits. Insulin resistance might partially mediate the association of TBAs and T2D.

Association between mid-upper arm circumference and cardiometabolic risk in Chinese population: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Upper body fat has been associated with an unfavourable cardiometabolic risk. We aimed to investigate the associations between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), a novel indicator of upper body fat, and a wide spectrum of cardiometabolic risk profiles in Chinese population. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional analyses were performed using data from a well-defined community in 2014, Shanghai, China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 6287 Chinese adults (2310 men and 3977 women) aged 40 years or older. OUTCOME MEASURES: Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the associations of MUAC with cardiometabolic disorders including central obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridaemia, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and subclinical atherosclerosis. RESULTS: In the overall participants, after multivariable adjustment, each 1 SD (3.13 cm) increment in MUAC was positively associated with central obesity (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.85 to 2.28), hypertension (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.19) and low HDL cholesterol (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.22). Multivariable-adjusted ORs for subclinical atherosclerosis were gradually increased across increasing quartiles of MUAC with the lowest quartile as reference (quartile 2: OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.58; quartile 3: OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.62; quartile 4: OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.80; p for trend=0.005). Similar but more prominent associations were observed among women than men. In addition, MUAC was significantly interacted with diabetes (p for interaction=0.04) and insulin resistance (p for interaction=0.01) on subclinical atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION: A greater MUAC was positively associated with higher risks of several cardiometabolic disorders and subclinical atherosclerosis in Chinese adults.

Polymorphisms of IGF-IR gene and their association with economic traits in two indigenous Chinese dairy goat breeds.

The insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-IR) plays an important role in regulating growth and development. To investigate the effects of IGF-IR polymorphisms on the economic traits of dairy goats, polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing methods were used to screen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 9 IGF-IR fragments in Xinong Saanen dairy goat (XS, n = 268) and Guanzhong dairy goat (GZ, n = 440). Consequently, two SNPs, including NC_007319: g.26688 C>T (Leu 608 Leu) and NC_007319: g.28273 T>C within exon 9 and intron 10 were identified in R8 and R9 loci, respectively. At R8 locus, three genotypes were found, including CC, CT and TT, with genotypic frequencies of 0.11, 0.65 and, 0.24 respectively in XS goats, and 0.13, 0.78 and 0.09 in GZ goats; three genotypes which are C1C1, C1T1 and T1T1 were also found in R9 locus, with the genotypic frequencies of 0.48, 0.20 and 0.32 in XS goats, and 0.43, 0.22 and 0.35 in GZ goats, respectively. Based on χ2 test, both XS and GZ populations were deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at above two loci. The association analysis revealed that XS goats with CC genotype at R8 locus had heavier milk density than the CT ones (P < 0.05). At R9 locus, the body height of GZ goats with C1C1 and T1T1 genotypes was significantly higher than those with C1T1 genotype (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The individuals of GZ goat with C1C1 genotype had longer body length than those with T1T1 genotype (P < 0.05). The individuals of XS with T1T1 and C1T1 genotypes had higher body height than those with C1C1 genotype (P < 0.05). This study can provide theoretical and practical significances to improve the milk production traits and promote the growth and development in two Chinese indigenous dairy goat breeds.

Association of IGF-I gene polymorphisms with milk yield and body size in Chinese dairy goats.

The association of IGF-I gene polymorphisms with certain traits in 708 individuals of two Chinese dairy-goat breeds (Guanzhong and Xinong Saanen) was investigated. Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing methods were employed in screening for genetic variation. Two novel mutations were detected in the 5'-flanking region and in intron 4 of IGF-I gene, viz., g.1617 G > A and g.5752 G > C (accession D26119.2), respectively. The associations of the g.1617 G > A mutation with milk yield and the body size were not significant (p > 0.05). However, in the case of g.5752 G > C, Xinong Saanen dairy goats with the CG genotype presented longer bodies (p < 0.05). Chest circumference (p < 0.05) was larger in Guanzhong goats with the GG genotype. In Xinong Saanen dairy goats with the CC genotype, milk yields were significantly higher during the first and second lactations (p < 0.05). Hence, the g.5752 G > C mutation could facilitate association analysis and serve as a genetic marker for Chinese dairy-goat breeding and genetics.

Association of IGF-I gene polymorphisms with milk yield and body size in Chinese dairy goats

The association of IGF-I gene polymorphisms with certain traits in 708 individuals of two Chinese dairy-goat breeds (Guanzhong and Xinong Saanen) was investigated. Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing methods were employed in screening for genetic variation. Two novel mutations were detected in the 5'-flanking region and in intron 4 of IGF-I gene, viz., g.1617 G > A and g.5752 G > C (accession D26119.2), respectively. The associations of the g.1617 G > A mutation with milk yield and the body size were not significant (p > 0.05). However, in the case of g.5752 G > C, Xinong Saanen dairy goats with the CG genotype presented longer bodies (p < 0.05). Chest circumference (p < 0.05) was larger in Guanzhong goats with the GG genotype. In Xinong Saanen dairy goats with the CC genotype, milk yields were significantly higher during the first and second lactations (p < 0.05). Hence, the g.5752 G > C mutation could facilitate association analysis and serve as a genetic marker for Chinese dairy-goat breeding and genetics.

[Repairing large perforation of nasal septum with titanium membrane and local pedicled mucoperiosteum flap].

OBJECTIVE: To study a new treatment to repair large perforation of nasal septum with medical titanium membrane and local padicled mucoperiosteum flap. METHOD: The bottom mucoperiosteum of nasal cavity around the perforation of nasal septum were separated from the bone surface except with the margin part of perforation. Then the distal part of mucoperiosteum flap was incised and turn over to cover the perforation, free edge of the flap was sutured to secure immobilization. Finally, the Titanium membrane was cut to the right size to tuck into subperiosteal pocket around the perforation, and was sutured to the mucoperiosteal for added immobilization. RESULT: The perforations of nasal septum in 11 patients were closed satisfactorily. Perforation of nasal septum did not recur and the follow-up time ranged from half a year to 1 year. CONCLUSION: Titanium membrane is easy of application, and has good tissue tolerance. In our study, it is a good material to repair large perforation of nasal septum.