Draconibacterium aestuarii sp.nov., a Glycolipid-Producing Bacterium Isolated from Tidal Flat Sediment and Emended Description of the Genus Draconibacterium.

A facultatively anaerobic, Gram-negative, curved rod-shaped bacterium (4.0-17.0 µm long, 0.6-0.9 µm wide), designated Z1-6T, was obtained from tidal flat sediment collected from YueAo village in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China. Strain Z1-6T occurred at 15-45 °C (optimum 28-32 °C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum 7.0-7.5), and in the presence of 1-5% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1-2%). The strain contained iso-C15:0 and antesio-C15:0 as the major fatty acids. An unsaturated menaquinone with seven isoprene units (MK-7) was the predominant respiratory quinone. The polar lipids included phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), one aminophospholipid (APL), two phospholipids (PL1 and PL2), three glycolipids (GL1, GL2, and GL3), and two unidentified lipids (L1 and L2). The genomic DNA G+C content of strain Z1-6T was 39.2%, and the genome size was 6.4 Mb. The strain showed the highest average nucleotide identity (ANI) value of 73.5-74.6%, digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) value of 19.3-20%, average amino acid identity (AAI) value of 72.0-73.1% with the members of genus Draconibacterium. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and genome revealed that strain Z1-6T formed a distinct branch in the clade of the genus Draconibacterium. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic analyses and genomic data, strain Z1-6T represents a novel species of the genus Draconibacterium, for which the name Draconibacterium aestuarii sp. nov. (The type strain Z1-6T = MCCC 1K07533T = KCTC 92310T) is proposed.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Wild Rats and Shrews from Zhejiang Province, China: Occurrence, Genetic Characterization, and Potential for Zoonotic Transmission.

Globally, Enterocytozoon bieneusi has been detected in humans and various animal hosts. Wild rats and shrews have the potential to act as carriers of E. bieneusi, facilitating the parasite's transmission to humans and domestic animals. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of E. bieneusi in 652 wild rats and shrews from Zhejiang Province, China, by amplifying the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To determine animal species, we amplified the Cytochrome b (Cyt-b) gene in their fecal DNA using PCR. Furthermore, we determined the genotype of E. bieneusi by amplifying the ITS region of rDNA through PCR. Genetic traits and zoonotic potential were evaluated using similarity and phylogenetic analyses. Suncus murinus (n = 282) and five rat species, Rattus losea (n = 18), Apodemus agrarius (n = 36), Rattus tanezumi (n = 86), Rattus norvegicus (n = 155), and Niviventer niviventer (n = 75), were identified. The average infection rate of E. bieneusi was 14.1% (92/652) with 18.1% (51/282) in S. murinus and 11.1% (41/370) in rats (27.8% in R. losea, 22.2% in A. agrarius, 10.5% in R. tanezumi, 8.4% in R. norvegicus, and 8.0% in N. niviventer). Thirty-three genotypes were identified, including 16 known genotypes. The most commonly known genotypes were HNR-VI (n = 47) and Peru11 (n = 6). Type IV, KIN-1, SHW7, and HNPL-II were each found in two samples, while Macaque4, CH5, K, Henan-III, Henan-V, HNP-II, HNPL-I, HNPL-III, HNHZ-II, and HNHZ-III were each found in one sample. Additionally, 17 novel genotypes were discovered: WZR-VIII (n = 5), WZR-I to WZR-VII, WZR-IX to WZR-XII, and WZSH-I to WZSH-V (n = 1 each). Those 33 genotypes were divided into three groups: Group 1 (n = 25), Group 2 (n = 3), and Group 13 (n = 5). The initial report underscores the extensive occurrence and notable genetic diversity of E. bieneusi in wild rats and shrews from Zhejiang province, China. These results suggest that these animals play a pivotal role in the transmission of E. bieneusi. Furthermore, animals carrying the zoonotic genotypes of E. bieneusi pose a serious threat to residents.

Study on Laser-Electrochemical Hybrid Polishing of Selective Laser Melted 316L Stainless Steel.

The process of forming metal components through selective laser melting (SLM) results in inherent spherical effects, powder adhesion, and step effects, which collectively lead to surface roughness in stainless steel, limiting its potential for high-end applications. This study utilizes a laser-electrochemical hybrid process to polish SLM-formed 316L stainless steel (SS) and examines the influence of process parameters such as laser power and scanning speed on surface roughness and micro-morphology. A comparative analysis of the surface roughness, microstructure, and wear resistance of SLM-formed 316L SS polished using laser, electrochemical, and laser-electrochemical hybrid processes is presented. The findings demonstrate that, compared to laser and electrochemical polishing alone, the laser-electrochemical hybrid polishing exhibits the most significant improvement in surface roughness and the highest material wear resistance. Additionally, the hybrid process results in a surface free of cracks and only a small number of tiny corrosion holes, making it more suitable for polishing the surface of 316L SS parts manufactured via SLM.

The NLRP3 inhibitor, OLT1177 attenuates brain injury in experimental intracerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It has been reported activation of NLRP3 inflammasome after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) ictus exacerbates neuroinflammation and brain injury. We hypothesized that inhibition of NLRP3 by OLT1177 (dapansutrile), a novel NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, could reduce brain edema and attenuate brain injury in experimental ICH. METHODS: ICH was induced by injection of autologous blood into basal ganglia in mice models. Sixty-three C57Bl/6 male mice were randomly grouped into the sham, vehicle, OLT1177 (Dapansutrile, 200 mg/kg intraperitoneally) and treated for consecutive three days, starting from 1 h after ICH surgery. Behavioral test, brain edema, brain water content, blood-brain barrier integrity and vascular permeability, cell apoptosis, and NLRP3 and its downstream protein levels were measured. RESULTS: OLT1177 significantly reduced cerebral edema after ICH and contributed to the attenuation of neurological deficits. OLT1177 could preserve blood-brain barrier integrity and lessen vascular leakage. In addition, OLT1177 preserved microglia morphological shift and significantly inhibited the activation of caspase-1 and release of IL-1ß. We also found that OLT1177 can protect against neuronal loss in the affected hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS: OLT1177 (dapansutrile) could significantly attenuate the brain edema after ICH and effectively alleviate the neurological deficit. This result suggests that the novel NLRP3 inhibitor, OLT1177, might serve as a promising candidate for the treatment of ICH.

Evolution of sea-surfing plant propagule as revealed by the genomes of Heritiera mangroves.

Coastal forests, such as mangroves, protect much of the tropical and subtropical coasts. Long-distance dispersal via sea-surfing propagules is essential for coastal plants, but the genomic and molecular basis of sea-surfing plant propagule evolution remains unclear. Heritiera fomes and Heritiera littoralis are two coastal plants with typical buoyant fruits. We de novo sequenced and assembled their high-quality genomes. Our phylogenomic analysis indicates H. littoralis and H. fomes originated (at ~6.08 Mya) just before the start of Quaternary sea-level fluctuations. Whole-genome duplication occurred earlier, permitting gene copy gains in the two species. Many of the expanded gene families are involved in lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis, likely contributing to buoyant fruit emergence. It is repeatedly revealed that one duplicated copy to be under positive selection while the other is not. By examining H. littoralis fruits at three different developmental stages, we found that gene expression levels remain stable from young to intermediate. However, ~1000 genes are up-regulated and ~ 3000 genes are down-regulated as moving to mature. Particularly in fruit epicarps, the upregulation of WRKY12 and E2Fc likely constrains the production of p-Coumaroyl-CoA, the key internal substrate for lignin biosynthesis. Hence, to increase fruit impermeability, methylated lignin biosynthesis is shut down by down-regulating the genes CCoAOMT, F5H, COMT, and CSE, while unmethylated lignins are preferentially produced by upregulating CAD and CCR. Similarly, cutin polymers and cuticular waxes accumulate with high levels before maturation in epicarps. Overall, our genome assemblies and analyses uncovered the genomic evolution and temporal transcriptional regulation of sea-surfing propagule.

Global and regional trends in the incidence and mortality burden of endometrial cancer, 1990-2019: Updated results from the Global Burden of Disease Study, 2019.

BACKGROUND: The disease burdens for endometrial cancer (EC) vary across different countries and geographical regions and change every year. Herein, we reported the updated results of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 on EC with respect to age-standardized incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: The annual percentage change (APC) of incidence and mortality was evaluated using joinpoint regression analysis to examine the temporal trends during the same timeframe in terms of the global landscape, different sociodemographic indices (SDI), and geographic regions. The relationship between Human Development Index (HDI) and incidence and mortality was additionally explored. RESULTS: The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) revealed a significant average global elevation by 0.5% per year (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3-0.7; P <0.001). The age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs), in contrast, fell by an average of 0.8% per year (95% CI, -1.0 to -0.7; P <0.001) worldwide. The ASIRs and ASMRs for EC varied across different SDIs and geographical regions. We noted four temporal trends and a significant reduction by 0.5% per year since 2010 in the ASIR, whereas we detected six consecutively decreasing temporal trends in ASMR during the entire period. Notably, the estimated APCs were significantly positively correlated with HDIs (ρ = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.07-0.35; P = 0.003) with regard to incident cases in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence rates for EC reflected a significant increase overall (although we observed a decline since 2010), and the death rates declined consecutively from 1990 to 2019. We posit that more precise strategies can be tailored and then implemented based on the distinct age-standardized incidence and mortality burden in different geographical areas.

The obesity paradox in intracerebral hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has a mortality rate which can reach 30-40%. Compared with other diseases, obesity is often associated with lower mortality; this is referred to as the 'obesity paradox'. Herein, we aimed to summarize the studies of the relations between obesity and mortality after ICH. Method: For this systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registry CRD42023426835), we conducted searches for relevant articles in both PubMed and Embase. Non-English language literature, irrelevant literature, and non-human trials were excluded. All included publications were then qualitatively described and summarized. Articles for which quantitative analyses were possible were evaluated using Cochrane's Review Manager. Results: Ten studies were included. Qualitative analysis revealed that each of the 10 studies showed varying degrees of a protective effect of obesity, which was statistically significant in 8 of them. Six studies were included in the quantitative meta-analysis, which showed that obesity was significantly associated with lower short-term (0.69 [0.67, 0.73], p<0.00001) and long-term (0.62 [0.53, 0.73], p<0.00001) mortality. (Data identified as (OR [95%CI], p)). Conclusion: Obesity is likely associated with lower post-ICH mortality, reflecting the obesity paradox in this disease. These findings support the need for large-scale trials using standardized obesity classification methods. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023426835, identifier CRD42023426835.

Erratum: Role of adipocyte Na,K-ATPase oxidant amplification loop in cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103262.].

Needle-tip electrocautery versus steel scalpel incision in neurosurgery: study protocol for a prospective single-centre randomised controlled double-blind trial.

INTRODUCTION: Electrocautery is used widely in surgical procedures, but making skin incision has routinely been performed with scalpel rather than electrocautery, for fear that electrocautery may cause poor incision healing, excessive scarring and increased wound complication rates. More and more studies on general surgery support the use of electrocautery for skin incision, but research comparing the two modalities for scalp incision in neurosurgery remains inadequate. This trial aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of needle-tip monopolar for scalp incision in supratentorial neurosurgery compared with steel scalpel. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this prospective, randomised, double-blind trial, 120 eligible patients who are planned to undergo supratentorial neurosurgery will be enrolled. Patients will be randomly assigned to two groups. In controlled group scalp incision will be made with a scalpel from the epidermis to the galea aponeurotica, while in intervention group scalp will be first incised with a steel scalpel from the epidermis to the dermis, and then the subcutaneous tissue and galea aponeurotica will be incised with needle-tip monopolar on cutting mode. The primary outcomes are scar score (at 90 days). The secondary outcomes include incision pain (at 1 day, on discharge, at 90 days) and alopecia around the incision (at 90 days), incision blood loss and incision-related operation time (during operation), incision infection and incision healing (on discharge, at 2 weeks, 90 days). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial will be performed according to the principles of Declaration of Helsinki and good clinical practice guidelines. This study has been validated by the ethics committee of West China Hospital. Informed consent will be obtained from each included patient and/or their designated representative. Final results from this trial will be promulgated through publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2200063243.

Clostridium brassicae sp. nov., A Strictly Anaerobic Bacterium Isolated from High-Salt Industrial Wastewater.

An obligately anaerobic, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium (1.8-5.5 µm long, 0.6-0.9 µm wide), designated ZC22-4T, was isolated from a pickle-processing wastewater treatment plant in Zhejiang province, P.R. China. Strain ZC22-4T grows optimally at 37-40 °C and pH 7.0 in the presence of 1% (w/v) NaCl or 2.0% (w/v) sea salts. It contained C16:0 (25.9%), C14:0 (13.6%), and C16:1 cis 9 (10.6%) as the dominant cellular fatty acid (> 10%). Polar lipids include phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), one unidentified phospholipid (PL), two unidentified glycolipids (GL), three unidentified amino phosphoglycolipids (APGL1-3), one unidentified aminoglycolipid (AGL), and one unidentified lipid (L). The genomic DNA G + C content of ZC22-4T was 28.7%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain ZC22-4T belonged to the genus Clostridium and formed a clade with the most closely related Clostridium aestuarii HY-45-18T (96.3%), Clostridium ganghwense HY-42-06T (95.9%). The average nucleotide identity and DNA-DNA hybridization values among the genomes of strain ZC22-4T and C. aestuarii HY-45-18T and C. ganghwense HY-42-06T were 75.7% and 77.3%, 21.7% and 23.0%, respectively. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic, and genetic data, strain ZC22-4T represents a novel species in the Clostridium cluster I, for which the name Clostridium brassicae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZC22-4T (= MCCC 1K07510T = JCM 35370T).

Drop Impact on Submillimeter-Structured Surfaces with Different Wetting Behaviors.

Droplet impact behaviors are crucial in controlling infectious diseases, inkjet printing, and anti-icing applications. The wettability and microstructure of the material surface are critical factors in this regard. Compared to microstructures, submillimeter structures are more damage-resistant, thereby ensuring droplet impact behaviors' stability. Herein, submillimeter-structured PDMS surfaces with varying wetting properties were prepared to investigate droplet impact behaviors. Experimental results indicate that submillimeter-structured surfaces are more prone to droplet splashing than flat surfaces, which can be suppressed by increasing surface hydrophilicity. An increase in the submillimeter pillar height and a decrease in spacing result in an increased critical Weber number. Additionally, the capillary forces of the superhydrophilic surface lead to droplet impact, accompanied by deposition. This study supports the long-term stable use of the droplet impact effect to achieve fluid separation.

Deflection Intelligent Prediction for High-Strength Steel Saddle Plate Forming Applicable to Reducing Ship Weight.

The application of high-strength steel plates can reduce ship weight, and the saddle plate is one of the most common types of double-curved hull plates. To fill the research gap regarding high-strength steel saddle plates, two prediction models are established here to predict deformation in saddle plate forming. Deflection is a key parameter reflecting the overall deformation of a curved plate. Therefore, first of all, the influencing factors of the line heating of high-strength steel saddle plates were analyzed. The influence of plate geometric parameters and forming parameters on deflection was researched. Second, a multiple linear regression model between deflection and the geometric parameters and forming parameters of high-strength steel saddle plates was established. Finally, to solve the problem of a large error in the multivariate regression model for extrapolation, an intelligent prediction program for deflection based on a support vector machine (SVM) was developed using the Python language. The results show that the error of the multiple regression model was less than 5% for data interpolation. The error of the intelligent prediction model for deflection was less than 5% for data extrapolation. This research can provide data support for the automatic forming of marine saddle plates.

Advances of nanotechnology for intracerebral hemorrhage therapy.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the most devastating subtype of stoke, is of high mortality at 5 years and even those survivors usually would suffer permanent disabilities. Fortunately, various preclinical active drugs have been approached in ICH, meanwhile, the therapeutic effects of these pharmaceutical ingredients could be fully boosted with the assistance of nanotechnology. In this review, besides the pathology of ICH, some ICH therapeutically available active drugs and their employed nanotechnologies, material functions, and therapeutic principles were comprehensively discussed hoping to provide novel and efficient strategies for ICH therapy in the future.

Microbial community structure and interactions between Aspergillus oryzae and bacteria in traditional solid-state fermentation of Jiangqu.

Microbial interactions play an important role in the formation, stabilization and functional performance of natural microbial communities. However, little is known about how the microbes present interactions to build a stable natural microbial community. Here, we developed Jiangqu, the solid-state fermented starters of thick broad-bean sauce formed naturally in factory, as model microbial communities by characterizing its diversity of microbial communities and batch stability. The dominant microbial strains and their fungi-bacteria interactions during solid-state fermentation of Jiangqu were characterized. In all batches of Jiangqu, Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Weissella dominated in the communities and such a community structure could almost reduplicate between batches. Direct adsorption and competition were identified as the main interactions between A. oryzae and dominant bacteria during solid-state fermentation, which were quite different from liquid co-cultivation of A. oryzae and dominant bacteria. These results will help us better understand the intrinsic mechanism in the formation and stabilization of microbial communities from traditional solid-state qu-making and fermentation.

Elucidating the Link: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and the Complex Interplay of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Reflux-Related Complications.

Background and Objective: Presenting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients frequently report concurrent symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Few studies have shown a correlation between GERD and COPD. We aimed to examine the correlation between GERD and COPD as well as secondary related reflux complications, such as esophageal stricture, esophageal cancer, and Barrett's esophagus. Methods: This population-based analysis included 7,159,694 patients. Patients diagnosed with GERD with and without COPD were compared to those without GERD. The enrollment of COPD included centrilobular and panlobular emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Risk factors of COPD or GERD were used for adjustment. Bivariate analyses were performed using the chi-squared test or Fisher exact test (2-tailed) for categorical variables as appropriate to assess the differences in the groups. Results: Our results showed that COPD patients had a significantly higher incidence of GERD compared to those without COPD (27.8% vs. 14.1%, p < 0.01). After adjustment of demographics and risk factors, COPD patients had a 1.407 times higher risk of developing non-erosive esophagitis (p < 0.01), 1.165 higher risk of erosive esophagitis (p < 0.01), 1.399 times higher risk of esophageal stricture (p < 0.01), 1.354 times higher risk of Barrett's esophagus without dysplasia (p < 0.01), 1.327 times higher risk of Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia, as well as 1.235 times higher risk of esophageal cancer than those without COPD. Conclusions: Based on the evidence from this study, there are sufficient data to provide convincing evidence of an association between COPD and GERD and its secondary reflux-related complications.

Cervical cell nuclei segmentation based on GC-UNet.

Cervical cancer diagnosis hinges significantly on precise nuclei segmentation at early stages, which however, remains largely elusive due to challenges such as overlapping cells and blurred nuclei boundaries. This paper presents a novel deep neural network (DNN), the Global Context UNet (GC-UNet), designed to adeptly handle intricate environments and deliver accurate cell segmentation. At the core of GC-UNet is DenseNet, which serves as the backbone, encoding cell images and capitalizing on pre-existing knowledge. A unique context-aware pooling module, equipped with a gating model, is integrated for effective encoding of ImageNet pre-trained features, ensuring essential features at different levels are retained. Further, a decoder grounded in a global context attention block is employed to foster global feature interaction and refine the predicted masks.

Parerythrobacter lacustris sp. nov., a novel member of the family Erythrobacteraceae isolated from an inland alpine lake.

A novel bacterium, designated as strain RS5-5T, was isolated from lake water in northwestern China. Cells of the isolate were observed to be rod shaped and Gram stain negative. Its growth occurred at 4-37 â„ƒ, pH 6.5-9.0 and in the presence of 0-5% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain RS5-5T was most closely related to Qipengyuania sediminis GDMCC 1.2497T (97.5%), followed by Erythrobacter dokdonensis DSW-74T (97.3%) and Qipengyuania algicida GDMCC 1.2535T (97.0%). Phylogenomic analysis revealed that strain RS5-5T formed a distinct branch with the genus Parerythrobacter. The sole quinone was ubiquinone-10, and the major fatty acids (≥ 10%) were unsaturated fatty acids including C17:1 ω6c, summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c/C18:1 ω6c). The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, one unidentified sphingoglycolipid, three unidentified glycolipids, one unidentified aminoglycolipid, one unidentified aminolipid, two unidentified phospholipids and four unidentified polar lipids. Chemotaxonomic characteristics of strain RS5-5T were coincident with those of the genus Parerythrobacter members. The average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain RS5-5T and two Parerythrobacter reference strains were in the ranges of 73.2-77.7%, 69.0-78.0% and 18.9-20.4%, respectively. The genomic DNA G + C content of strain RS5-5T was 64.1%. The results of phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic analyses suggested that strain RS5-5T represents a novel species in the genus Parerythrobacter, for which the name Parerythrobacter lacustris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RS5-5T (= GDMCC 1.3163T = KCTC 92277T).

Numerical Calculation of High-Strength-Steel Saddle Plate Forming Suitable for Lightweight Construction of Ships.

With the demand for construction of lightweight ships and polar ships, high-strength steel is increasingly applied in shipbuilding. There are a large number of complex curved plates to be processed in ship construction. The main method for forming a complex curved plate is line heating. A saddle plate is an important type of double-curved plate, which affects the resistance performance of the ship. The existing research on high-strength-steel saddle plates is lacking. To solve the problem of forming for high-strength-steel saddle plates, the numerical calculation of line heating for a EH36 steel saddle plate was studied. By combining it with a line heating experiment of low-carbon-steel saddle plates, the feasibility of numerical calculation based on the thermal elastic-plastic theory for high-strength-steel saddle plates was verified. Under the premise that the processing conditions such as the material parameters, heat transfer parameters, and the constraint mode of the plate were correctly designed, the effects of the influencing factors on deformation of the saddle plate could be studied by the numerical calculation method. The numerical calculation model of line heating for high-strength-steel saddle plates was established, and the effects of geometric parameters and forming parameters on shrinkage and deflection were studied. This research can provide ideas for the lightweight construction of ships and provide data support for automatic processing of curved plates. It can also provide inspiration for curved plate forming in fields such as aerospace manufacturing, the automotive industry, and architecture.

Impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy on short- and long-term outcomes of pregnancy-associated hemorrhagic stroke.

Background and purpose: Though hypertension disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are recognized as independent pregnancy-associated stroke risk factors, few studies have considered their impact on stroke prognosis. Therefore, we intended to evaluate the impact of HDP on short- and long-term outcomes of pregnancy-associated hemorrhagic stroke (HS). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to our hospital from May 2009 to December 2021 with a diagnosis of pregnancy-associated HS. After dividing patients into two groups by the presence of a diagnosis of HDP or not, the short- (at the time of discharge) and long-term (after discharge follow-up) outcomes were compared by mRS (modified Rankin Scale) scores, and poor functional outcome defined as mRS > 2. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Results: Twenty-two HDP and 72 non-HDP pregnancy-associated HS patients were enrolled and follow-up after 4.7 ± 3.6 years. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding short-term outcomes, but patients with HDP were more likely to reach poor functional outcomes at long-term follow-up (aOR = 4.47, 95% CI = 1.28-15.67, p = 0.019). Conclusions: In this retrospective study, women with hypertension disorders of pregnancy did not show worse short-term outcomes of pregnancy-associated hemorrhagic stroke compared to those without but had poorer long-term functional outcomes. This underlines the importance of prevention, recognition, and treatment of hypertension disorders in these women.

Exogenous spermidine improved drought tolerance in Ilex verticillata seedlings.

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray) is a recently introduced ornamental tree species in China that has not been closely investigated for its drought resistance. In this study, we used two-year-old cuttings from I. verticillata (L.) A. Gray and two representative varieties derived from it, I. verticillata 'Oosterwijk' and I. verticillata 'Jim Dandy', as materials to investigate how this plant responds to drought stress and whether exogenous spermidine (SPD) can alleviate the negative effects caused by drought stress. The results showed that as the degree of drought stress increased, the leaves of winterberry seedlings became chlorotic, and their edges became dry. Similarly, the relative water content, specific leaf weight, chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were significantly reduced, whereas the content of malondialdehyde continuously increased with the degree of drought stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase increased under moderate drought stress and then decreased under severe drought stress. The levels of soluble sugar and abscisic acid continued to increase, while those of auxin and gibberellic acid decreased. When compared with individual drought stress, an increase in the amount of external SPD clearly alleviated the effect of drought stress on winterberry seedlings. The combined phenotypes and physiological indices of the winterberry leaves under drought stress conditions revealed that the drought resistance of the native species was significantly higher than its two varieties. This finding serves as an important theoretical foundation for the popularization and application of I. verticillata (L.) A. Gray and the two varieties.